I hope you're hungry," she said as she returned with food.
"Feel free to dig in," she continued, placing the ball in front of me. When I looked at it, I saw a bizarre mass with purple and blue hues, some ooze seeping out of the bowl, and a pink aura swirling around it.
(Why trope, why?) I thought to myself. I then hear a stomach growl, so I turned to Benimaru.
(Not hungry, my ass. She's a terrible cook, and they've left me to die.) I thought, noting his expression as he turned his head, avoiding my gaze.
(And the old guy's just hiding his presence.) I added, sensing that he was indeed concealing himself so no one could see him.
"Lord Rimuru, aren't you going to eat?" asked Shion as she passed me my spoon.
(Look at me—look me in the eyes before I die,) I silently communicated to them.
"Here, don't forget your spoon," she said, handing it back.
(Forgive me, Lord Rimuru—it's all part of your training,) thought Hakurou. Benimaru also communicated silently, confirming the same.
Slowly, I scooped a portion of the strange meal, hesitating as I stared at it. Suddenly, it seemed to smile at me.
(Why is it smiling?) I wondered internally.
(The tendency to see faces in anything with visible features,) explained the Great Sage.
(Not what I need to hear right now—help me get out of this,) I requested.
(If you close your eyes and angle the spoon to your right before inserting it, you're less likely to die.) it replied.
Following its advice, I closed my eyes, inserted the spoon, but when I opened them, I saw Gupta had already eaten it. He frantically rolled on the ground, clutching his throat as foam filled his mouth, his skin turning purple—clearly dead.
"Oopsie," Shion murmured.
"Shion, next time you want to make a meal, get Benimaru's approval first," I said, shocking him.
(Is this a punishment?) he thought.
(That's what you're warning me about—her, you jerk), I responded through thought communication, making sure he heard.
Thirty minutes later, I was at the Smith house checking on them but couldn't find a good opportunity to leave. Bored out of my mind, until my goblin angel appeared to save me from this monotony.
"Lord Rimuru, there are lizardmen outside the village," Rigurd announced. I hopped onto his shoulder, and he took me out of the shop. We were greeted by Benimaru, Shion, Hakurou, and others.
"Lord Rimuru, would it be alright if we accompany you? We want to know what they're here for," asked Benimaru.
"Yeah, sure. I don't see a problem," I replied.
"No, then. As your bodyguard, it's my duty to stay by your side," said Shion, actually placing me on her chest. Honestly, I didn't mind.
We reached the village front where the lizardmen awaited, their footprints arriving in a display that I couldn't care less about. I could tell Shion was annoyed, trying to mold slime into a weapon.
Suddenly, he declared only he could protect us.
(Honestly, I could easily kick this guy's ass. One shadow soldier would suffice—someone like Wolf or Black Snake. I need more shadow troops,) I mused.
He then made demands, annoying everyone further.
"Lord Rimuru, shall I dispose of him?" Benimaru asked with a hopeful smile.
"Yes, go ahead," I said without hesitation—but then a thought struck me.
(Wait, wouldn't that declare war on another clan?) I snapped back to reality just as he was about to act.
"Wait, no, I was kidding!" I shouted.
"We didn't tame the wolves; we made them our allies," I told Gabiru.
"I'm your slime—you come now, don't be ridiculous," he retorted, shaking me off.
"Ranga," I ordered, extending my shadow to summon him. He appeared, noticeably bigger.
"Yes, master," he said, stepping before us, eyeing the lizardmen.
"He wants to talk to you. Please hear him out," I instructed.
"Yes, of course," Ranga responded, emitting a menacing aura that frightened them.
"Lord Rimuru, has he always been that big?" asked Benimaru.
"Yeah, that's his true size. It's easier to get the point across to those unwilling to listen," I smirked.
Ranga then praised himself, disrespecting me by calling me a weak slime.
"That's it—you think I'm weak? I will show you. If I lose, we'll serve you; if I win, I'll dispatch an envoy to your father for negotiations," I snapped, losing my temper and transforming into my human form.
"You're a unique slime. I guess I can't refuse your challenge. Come at me," he said, drawing his spear. I activated armor on my arms, ready to face him.
(Noticing—killing him could harm your relationship with the man, Sage warned.)
(I'm not planning to kill him—just break a few arms depending on his talkativeness), I responded. The battle began with him rushing at me. I dodged effortlessly, shattered his staff, and grabbed him by the throat.
"Who's the weakling now?" I asked, slamming him into the ground and knocking him out instantly.
"You'd better take him back to where he came from," I advised, reverting to my slime form as they led him away.
Later, Gupta suddenly appeared behind us.
"Hey, what are you guys up to?" he asked.
"Wait, I thought you were dead," I said, confused. (That food was probably poison), I thought.
"Why would you think I'm as strong as a bull deer?" he replied.
(The Great Sage notes that he now has poison resistance skill, likely gained to counter Shion), I observed.
That night, we all gathered in the lounge, discussing the reports.
"There are about 200,000 of them. The main army is marching north along the river. They'll likely regroup in the martial lands," said Souei.
On the left side of the table sat Benimaru, Hakurou, Souei, and Kurobe; on the right, Shuna, Shion, and the goblin elders with Garm.
"Are you talking about the ones east of here, in the lizardmen's territory?" Rigurd asked, nodding.
"Two hundred thousand—that's a huge force. But what do they want?" I inquired.
"Who knows? They're not very smart monsters. If there's an invasion, it's not coming from them," answered Garm.
"And who would want to control orcs?" Kurobe asked. An idea sparked in my mind.
"Maybe a demon lord—or it could be Gelmud. Remember he tried to recruit you, so perhaps he's disconnected. That's just a feeling—no confirmed proof," I speculated, glancing at Benimaru.
"I can't say about the demon lord, but it confirms my suspicion—an Orc Lord might be behind this," Benimaru added.
"Wait—you mean the one that appears only once every few centuries?" I asked.
"Yes. An ordinary orc wouldn't lead such a large army," she confirmed.
"We should proceed cautiously," said one of the village elders.
Suddenly, Souei flinched, grabbing his head.
"Is something wrong?" I asked, concerned.
"One of my scouting units just had an encounter," he said.
"Okay, is there more?" I pressed.
"Someone requested a meeting with you. How should I respond?" he asked.
"Who? I've had enough weird encounters today—especially that dryad," I replied.
"I wouldn't call her a weirdo. It's an unusual sight—a dryad," he said, and an image appeared in my mind: a green, alluring woman covered in plants.
"It's been years since we last saw one. Why show up now?" Rigurd wondered.
"Bring her in," I ordered. Moments later, a dryad emerged through a vine portal.
"Greetings, ruler of monsters and all loyal to him—please excuse my surprise visit. I am a dryad from Jura Forest. Call me Trayni. It's a pleasure to meet you," she bowed slightly.
"I'm Rimuru Tempest. What brings you here?" I asked.
"I need a favor. We ask for your help to defeat the Orc Lord," she requested.
After she left the table, we discussed her plea, facing each other face-to-face now, rather than looking down.
"Defeat the Orc Lord?" I echoed, puzzled.
(Already planning to do that—going monster hunting to train my shadow soldiers first), I thought.
"It's a serious matter. Let's ask some questions first," Benimaru suggested.
"Go ahead," I said.
"Why come here? There are stronger monsters—like hobgoblins," he inquired.
"That's true. If the ogre village had been destroyed, I'd have gone there," she admitted, shocking everyone.
"But I can't ignore the presence of a certain individual," she said, glancing directly at me.
"And if our settlement comes under attack, we can't handle the orcs alone. That's why I've come asking for your strength," she explained.
"So, the Orc Lord is real? Up to now, it was just a theory," I said, realizing this task just got much harder.
"As dryads, we have knowledge of everything in this forest. The Orc Lord is real," she confirmed, and everyone understood the gravity.
"I need to learn more before I agree—this isn't just about me; it's about everyone here," I said. She nodded after a moment, sitting beside the elders as I sipped my tea.
"Alright, let's discuss the orcs. Does anyone know what they might want?" I asked, still trying to figure them out.