Muran Main finally had something to report, and he felt relieved.
The outrageous act of the Demon King Mirim becoming close friends with the leader of the observed village was an event beyond imagination.
He was surprised that the seemingly weak slime was the village leader, but Mirim's actions were incomprehensible on a whole different level.
To an ordinary human like himself, the Demon King's thoughts were unknowable.
Still, he couldn't help but wonder if the Demon King wasn't a bit, or rather, quite strange.
The appearance of the target village, its cultural level, and the fact that the Demon King had become friends with the leader—all these things were reported.
Moreover, he reported that the leader was a slime and could disguise itself as a human by wearing a mask.
While Mirim was staying in the village, he refrained from reporting to prepare for any contingencies. Although he thought he wouldn't betray the secret pact between Demon Kings, he needed to act cautiously since he didn't understand Mirim's thoughts.
He never uses magic in front of Mirim.
Using communication magic or anything similar in front of Mirim would immediately reveal his true identity. That was his judgment.
Even if he might have been exposed, Mirim showed no signs of suspicion.
When he reported these things,
"Indeed... This is quite useful. Good job. Continue your surveillance."
Kreiman seemed to have thought of something and said this with a satisfied tone.
A story unrelated to Muran.
She is now a shaman (shaman) in the guard, holding a staff position.
(Foolish humans. They wouldn't even doubt that I am Main.)
She thought this condescendingly, but her relationship with humans she didn't intend to get close to was making her heart flutter slightly.
For now, she decided to stay as she was. She wished to enjoy this situation a bit more.
Unconsciously, she harbored this wish.
Then, with a poker face, she returned to her duties as usual.
Main Grusis, as a member of the guard, joined the 1st unit and advanced into the forest.
For Main, horse riding was like child's play. Therefore, it was natural for him to stand out among the units.
Even while hiding his true strength, he wouldn't let humans take the lead.
For this reason, he became the deputy of one of the three units. Although he was pushed to become the unit leader, he declined due to being a newcomer.
Thus, while he stood out, his current position, which allowed him to move freely, posed no problem. That's what he thought.
His current interest was in the goblin riders following him.
The hop goblins riding evolved centaurs. They moved in perfect sync, like a well-practiced team. Their movements showed a high level of training.
Among them, Gobta, the hop goblin, stood out.
With a natural talent, he was the first to find and capture monsters.
Grusis whistled in admiration.
He had thought of recruiting them, but it seemed there were many capable individuals.
There were about 100 goblin riders in total. He wanted to recruit the best from these units.
Among them, the leader Rild and the deputy Gobta possessed unmatched strength.
Occasionally, he also saw orc riders. They too could become warriors with training.
The high orc, a member of the sapper unit, was nothing special as an individual but would likely be powerful in a group.
There was apparently an orc king named Geld leading them, though he hadn't seen him in the village.
He was always out transporting supplies but was likely a powerful individual.
(What, what! This village is more than just strange!
It could even have enough military power to go to war with us!)
Indeed, he had seen orcs up close, and some were as strong as, or even stronger than, himself.
Even though he was at the bottom of the Demon King's subordinates, this was clearly an abnormal situation.
Well, it didn't matter! The more enjoyable it was for him.
It would be nice to have strong allies. If he failed and they became powerful enemies, that would be okay too!
They, the orcs, were a race that lived for battle. Even strong enemies were welcome.
Thus, while thinking about how to recruit them, he continued his duties with the guard.
??????????????????????????
Yah-hoo?????!
A long-awaited sense of freedom. I savor it fully.
When I was in the village, I was always tense, being told this and that.
I was worried about the two Mains I left behind.
But when I reached Benimaru, I said,
"Leave the village to me, and come back! Two Mains should be manageable!"
The orcs would handle it.
I continued to keep an eye on Ranga, but there was no movement. Soue is watching over it now.
Soue, the man who doesn't sleep.
He seems to use clones to take turns sleeping. It's a convenient ability, but I, who don't need sleep, have no right to comment.
I saw the village, but there was no sign of anything suspicious.
It doesn't seem to be related to Mirim, but I think they know each other. Since we can't contact them casually, I carefully monitored them.
Unfortunately, there was no movement at all.
In this case, I can only continue to be vigilant. I can return directly using 'Shadow Move,' so I decided to leave the village.
There was even a suspicion that they might move once I was gone. Mirim had also left, so if they were to move, it would be now.
I thought and remained vigilant, but on the first day out of the village, there was no movement.
After three days, I realized I had been too worried.
They have high abilities. I said to leave it to them, so I will.
For this reason, I am now enjoying the long-awaited sense of freedom.
This route is not well-maintained, so we are on foot.
We either take a path where horses can pass or follow trails made by wild animals.
We are taking various routes, to the point where one might wonder if it's really okay. But there's a veteran, so I'll leave it to him.
One of them has a face that looks like he's about to cry, but it should be fine. After all, it's not the first time we're going.
First,
"Hey, you're not getting lost, are you?"
I joked, and
"HAHAHA. There's no way, right...?"
His tone was strange. It should be fine.
When I secretly checked the mental map, we were on the path we had just passed. It must be a feeling.
"Hey! I'm not joking. You guys are lost!"
The three of them looked at each other and said,
"\"We're sorry!!!\""
It seems they tried to take a shortcut and got lost. Are they really professionals?
Well, we retraced our steps a bit and guided them to a place they knew.
We came across a spot where幻妖花 (Hanyohua) were in full bloom. That might be the reason. I didn't tell them.
"Why did you get lost in such a place..."
"A bit of a confidence loss..."
"I'm a pro when it comes to paths? I'm more than shocked..."
Feeling a bit sorry for them, I told them about the Hanyohua.
"That's a B-rank or higher collection quest target! It's quite hard to find!"
Eren explained enthusiastically.
It seems to be a rare flower used as a material for magical items.
Since it was in a secluded place, we went back to collect it. We gathered about 40, so we divided them into 10 each. Just in case, I put them in my stomach and had them analyzed.
After various incidents, about a week later, we finally reached the exit of the forest. Although the time was shortened, it took a fairly normal amount of time due to the days we were lost.
For me, it's not an urgent journey. Rather, it's enjoyable to travel after a long time.
Well, it's because my slime body doesn't get tired and stays clean.
Eren used something called 'Purification Magic,' which I learned.
When I tried it experimentally, my magic had a significant effect, so I cast it on everyone. Thanks to this, the journey was more comfortable than usual.
Starting a fire was easy, and I took the night watch.
"Rimuru! Let's continue adventuring together!!!"
Eren said excitedly, but I declined.
It might have been good to meet everyone before, but now I am the leader of the village. Although I've entrusted governance to others, I can't just leave it.
If one day everyone no longer needs me, I might consider it.
But, by then, you would all be dead. That thought suddenly crossed my mind.
Did Mirim feel the same way? If I were to make precious friends and lose them, would I choose solitude?
I don't know.
I lack the experience to judge such things now.
Shaking off my thoughts, I head back to the village.
The destination is the small kingdom of Brumund. A small country with various villages, their noble lords, and a king.
Guided by three members of the Brumund Free Guild, we aim for the village.
The only large city was the capital, where the Brumund branch of the Free Guild was located.
When we reached the first village, the rest was quick. There was a regular carriage service.
We arrived at the village and had lunch at a restaurant. From there, it's a three-hour carriage ride to the capital.
For a small country, the transportation is quite good.
"So, I used my great axe to go 'KWAH???' and hit it!
The one I caught was this guy!"
"Amazing! You're the best, Vitt!"
"Vitt, is this a strong monster? Did you catch it alone?"
"Sure. When I step in, even a one-horned bear (Hon Bear) is no match!"
Hearing this, I glanced over.
When I saw the center of the story, the Hon Bear, I almost spat out my food.
It was just a bear with a Hon Rabbit's horn stuck in it, a monster's corpse. Well, the bear is an animal, not a monster, and the distinction is difficult.
If you have the ability to interpret emotions like me, you might be able to tell, but otherwise, you can't.
The clear distinction is whether it drops a 'magic stone.' But that's difficult for ordinary people.
Even if it doesn't drop one, you don't know how many you need to knock down.
If it spits out something, it's a monster, but distinguishing that is also difficult. Ultimately, the conclusion is that you need to level up.
"Hey, there's a guy boasting about a fake Hon Bear. Is that okay?"
"Eh? It's fake? You judged it well!"
"Ah! Really! It has a Hon Rabbit's horn. A mage would immediately notice..."
"Indeed, they would notice right away?"
"No, young master. His purpose is different.
If he moves to the capital, he'll be exposed, but in such a village, he can be a hero!
If he says he'll protect the village, he can get free lodging and food."
Indeed.
I understand from Gid's explanation. The point is that he's a fraud.
There are various types of fraudsters in the world. I learned something.
I thought it would be bad to interfere, so I was about to leave it alone,
"Hey, hey, wait a minute! You guys are saying this is fake!
Treating me like a fool, huh? I'm ready for you!"
Why are these guys so perceptive, and why do they get involved unnecessarily...
While I was thinking this,
"Hey, isn't that Mr. Kaval..."
"Mr. Eren is there too!"
"Isn't that Mr. Gid over there!"
Voices started to be heard, and the restaurant's customers gathered in an instant.
"What, what... These three are also short-tempered. If you're back, at least say hello!"
"Who are you, you?"
"Ah, this is Vitt! The one who got beaten up before!
The one who started trouble in the capital and was guided by Mr. Kaval, Vitt!"
What's going on here.
The trio (idiots) are unexpectedly famous.
They don't seem to know the fraudster, but the guy seems to respect them.
Being respected by a strange person isn't necessarily pleasant.
But the most surprising thing was that the three were famous adventurers.
Mainly, they had suddenly become famous as adventurers recently.
...Are they the ones taking monster parts from our village to boost their achievements...
Seeing the three, I was flustered and looked away.
I don't pursue this here.
There are things people shouldn't know. But, well, even if I don't know now, it's still that.
"Do you know?"
"\"Of course! We'll definitely guide you to the capital!\""
Then, it's okay.
Despite that incident, the journey went smoothly overall.
We arrived at the capital of the small kingdom of Brumund.