So everything keeps ending up fire-based, huh! I吐槽'd to myself about that, so I changed "Blue Flame" to "Blue Shadow."
Now I've gained new companions, but will I actually get along with everyone?
I had my worries, but it turns out they were totally unfounded.
They had evolved into demon kin—or rather, into the higher species known as the Oni race.
They were practically throwbacks, most likely having awakened to supernatural abilities.
Their current rank seemed to be somewhere around breaking through the A-class wall, but once they settled into their new abilities, they'd probably stabilize around A-minus.
Even so, there was no question they had gotten overwhelmingly strong.
In the end, when it comes to combat, the superiority of special abilities can matter more than raw physical capability.
The reason I was able to defeat the Giant of Flame was precisely because my abilities had the edge.
What kind of special abilities they'd acquire was a fascinating prospect.
Now then, seeing as they'd evolved like this, their current equipment was completely mismatched.
Their bodies had shrunk down (though they were still bigger than goblins), so nothing fit anymore.
Their armor was tattered, and their weapons were damaged.
Actually, now that I thought about it, they looked exactly like disheveled ronin...
Curious, I asked them about it, and— "About four hundred years ago, a young warrior dressed like this wandered into our village.
The villagers were suspicious, but the village chief welcomed him warmly.
At the time, a Lesser Dragon had been rampaging through the forest, and the warrior said it was repayment for the village's hospitality and defeated it.
The villagers back then praised the young warrior's valor and accepted him as one of their own, and that tradition continues to this day.
The equipment and weapons we wear now are modeled after what that warrior wore!"
So that's how it happened.
Modeled after his equipment? Did they make them themselves?
"So you blacksmiths made the weapons yourselves by copying his?"
"That's right! The young warrior taught us, and after much trial and error, we crafted them ourselves!
Kurobei is a blade-smith!"
Well, what do you know! As it happens, we have a blade-smith right here.
I introduced Kurobei to
They'd already met the day before, so things moved quickly.
Kurobei and Kaijin hit it off and immediately started discussing the production of new weapons.
I left them to it.
And there was more!
This world also had silk products.
I'd seen clothing made from hemp-like materials. The goblins' ragged garments were also hemp-based.
Well, the vegetation wasn't exactly the same, so technically it might be different stuff, but my perception was that it was hemp. Close enough.
And then, silk.
Apparently, it could be harvested from the cocoons of a magical creature called the Hell Moth that lived near the ogres' village.
The Hell Moth was a vicious, carnivorous B-rank monster that used luminous powder to create hallucinatory effects once it matured, but during its metamorphosis it was completely defenseless.
It seemed they had been finding and collecting the cocoons.
I introduced her to Garum and Dold.
Garum was tasked with developing everyday clothing and undergarments for armor using silk.
Dold was to work on dyeing techniques and creating high-end garments like kimonos.
We held a meeting to discuss whether each could develop their respective crafts.
I'd already commissioned the goblin cavalry to collect cocoons.
Eventually, I wanted to capture larvae and set up a breeding facility in town.
I didn't know the first thing about silkworm farming, so it would be a lot of trial and error, but still.
Having comfortable kimonos made would be nice.
I'd also given them some Steel Thread, just to have plenty on hand.
"Counting on you!" I called out to Shuna and the others, and— "Of course! Leave it to us, Lord Rimuru!"
Shuna answered enthusiastically, her face flushed bright red.
Cute. She was at that age where being relied upon made her happy.
She was apparently the princess of the ogre tribe, and before this she'd only woven for hobbies. She'd never done it professionally.
So that was probably why she was even happier to be asked.
The dwarf brothers were also fired up at the chance to work with such a lovely princess.
But please, for the love of god, don't get handsy...
That girl, despite appearances, is terrifyingly strong!
If either of them so much as patted her on the rear, they'd probably end up in a state where they wouldn't live to see the next morning.
These two did have a bit of a perverted streak, so I was worried.
Well, it was only because I no longer had any sex drive that I could afford to worry about others like this.
If I still had that, I'd have been more concerned about my own safety than anyone else's.
After all, she was insanely cute.
A true demon princess.
Hitting on her would be a death sentence.
"Shuna-sama. Shuna-sama, perhaps you have other work to attend to? I shall take care of Lord Rimuru, so there's no need to worry!"
For a moment, I could almost see sparks flying between Shuna and Shion. Must've been my imagination.
"Hehe. I would be perfectly happy to attend to Lord Rimuru, you know?"
"No, Princess. There's no need—I will handle all of Lord Rimuru's care with absolute diligence!"
*ZZZT ZZZT ZZZT!!!* Definitely my imagination.
Besides, I didn't need anyone looking after me.
Having lived alone for so long, I could handle pretty much everything myself!
So I was planning to sneak away, but— "Lord Rimuru! Between me and Shion, who do you think should serve by your side?"
She wouldn't let me go.
"R-right, well. Shuna, you've got weaving to do, don't you? Maybe I'll ask you when you've got some free time?"
What exactly was I going to ask her? I had no idea. But— "Understood!! I am being relied upon!"
"Yeah. That's right. Let's go with that."
"That's wonderful! Please count on me!"
"Okay, thanks!"
It seemed like the matter was settled.
For a moment, the temperature around me seemed to drop, but that was definitely just my imagination.
There are plenty of things in this world where "just my imagination" is the best explanation!
I took Shion along and went to tour the town under construction.
Come to think of it, where had the other three gone?
They'd been with me just a moment ago.
"Hakuro-sama was our instructor. He's the strongest swordsman among our retainers, so he probably went to investigate the town's defenses.
Those two are rivals but also best friends. I imagine they're testing each other's power."
I see.
That made sense—confirming your abilities was basic.
So Hakuro was a swordsman. I really wanted him to teach me.
Since he was touring the town anyway, there was no rush on the sword training.
It could wait until Kurobei and the others finished crafting new weapons—swords, to be precise. The romantic weapon: the katana.
I wanted the goblins' primary armament to be swords. In actual warfare, spears were probably better, but still.
I went to find Benimaru and Souei.
I could sense massive Demon Aura clashing together. It was coming from the plaza near the cave.
The two of them were locked in what looked like a scene straight out of a manga.
Clad in red and blue Demon Aura, they clashed.
The ground cracked, the sky threatened to shatter—the sheer force of it was staggering.
I had to rub my eyes. So this was what Oni looked like...
Their armor had been completely shattered. To begin with, armor couldn't withstand the force of their blows.
Their swords had apparently broken too, and they were fighting hand-to-hand.
Movements that resembled martial arts—orderly, disciplined. No amateurs.
...Wait, they were originally ogres, right?
These were the movements of highly refined warriors. You'd want to say something like "Wait, seriously?"
"Naturally, the young master is impressive. And Souei is remarkable as well. The martial arts passed down among our people include bare-handed techniques alongside the fundamentals of swordsmanship."
So they said. Apparently, the sword was considered an extension of the body, and training began with perfecting the body's movements...
These techniques had been passed down from the young warrior who'd stayed at their village.
Ogres wielding martial arts—imagine an adventurer running into something like that... There must have been plenty of unfortunate adventurers who had. Rest in peace.
The two of them noticed my presence and stopped sparring, walking over.
Neither of them had a scratch on them.
Honestly, they'd just been play-fighting.
"Lord Rimuru, thank you for granting us this magnificent power!"
"With this strength, let us offer the Orcs up as a blood sacrifice!"
Yeah... I wasn't really expecting that much, but okay.
"You've got my back! That said, I've already sent out goblin scouts for intel."
"Are things not going well?"
"No, they're actually quite capable for goblins, but the closer you get, the more dangerous it is."
Right. Intelligence gathering was fundamental, so I had scouts out.
But there had been reports of suspicious Orc Tribe activity, and I'd given strict orders not to take any risks that might get them detected.
When Souei heard my explanation— "Lord Rimuru, then allow me to go on a reconnaissance mission. Please assign me to that role!"
He said.
He apparently had reconnaissance-type abilities and was confident in them.
Now that they'd evolved and grown powerful as Oni, Souei would be far better suited for intelligence gathering than goblins.
Souei was a calm, collected guy who didn't seem like the type to take unnecessary risks.
I could trust him with this.
"Can I count on you?"
"Haha! Please leave it to me!"
The moment he said that—*FWISH!*—he vanished.
Shadow Movement.
Impressive, like a textbook example of perfect movement.
If I mastered it, I might be able to do it too. Great, another thing to add to my training list.
"Sorry to keep asking favors of you..."
"Not at all, no need to apologize! It would be wasteful not to use the power you've bestowed upon us!"
"I see... For you, Orcs are enemies. When the time comes to clash, go wild to your heart's content."
"Of course. If there's anything I can do, just give the word. I intend to be your hands and feet, Lord Rimuru!"
"...Right. That's reassuring! So, do you think you'll get along with the goblins?"
"Absolutely. I hear we're building a nation here? With you as King and Lord
I'm no good at politics, but I'm happy to handle military affairs. Hakuro will be there too, after all."
As we were having that conversation— "Ho ho ho. Planning to put this old man to work, are we, young master?
Well, if it's for Lord Rimuru's sake, I'll whip these old bones into shape and then some!"
Hakuro had joined the conversation without a sound.
I hadn't sensed a thing. Not even my heat-sense had picked him up.
Come on, now...
If he'd ambushed me just now, I wouldn't have been able to react at all. I'd have taken a clean hit.
So this was what a true master looked like...
Born in a different era—or rather, had he been born as a human—he would have been known throughout the land as the "Sword Saint."
Shirobei.
Born as a nameless ogre, he had never sought the spotlight, quietly honing his swordsmanship in solitude.
Being called the strongest among the retainers made total sense.
"Benimaru... are you stronger than Hakuro?"
"Ha. Lord Rimuru, please don't joke like that. This old geezer—no, Hakuro is the strongest man among our retainers.
He was even stronger than my father. Apparently, the young warrior's blood runs through him—he's a half-human halfbreed, they say."
"That is correct. My grandfather was the great swordsman Araki Shiraya!"
So he was Japanese.
Well, I'd already figured that much from the whole katana thing.
"I see. Then you're a Samurai too, I suppose."
Just a casual remark on my part.
Magicules erupted from Hakuro's body, drawing in the ambient Magicules and compressing them.
The quantity of Demon Aura was the same as before. But the quality had changed.
I'd forgotten about this.
The change triggered by granting him a job.
He'd been an elderly-looking Oni, but now he'd rejuvenated—no, he'd aged in reverse. He now had the rugged, mature look of a man in his prime.
He seemed bewildered by his own transformation. Whoops.
Who knew my words could cause such a dramatic change.
He'd still been in an incomplete state—his Magicules hadn't fully settled and his body composition was still adjusting. The system must have automatically realigned him to fit the Samurai job.
I didn't want to think about it, but I prayed he hadn't somehow become stronger than me.
"Congratulations. From today, you are a Samurai. A Samurai is one who lives by loyalty. Benimaru is your lord—serve him well!"
That's what I told him.
"Wait. I want to be a Samurai too."
Benimaru looked at me with eyes full of determination.
He always gave off a warrior's vibe, Benimaru.
Even if it was a bit late to be bringing this up...
"Sure, but aren't you supposed to be the village chief?"
"It's a bit late for that. I have already pledged my allegiance to you. I've devoted my loyalty to you, Lord Rimuru!
I ask that you recognize me as a Samurai—one who serves you with loyalty!"
"And me as well! Please!"
You too, Shion? Seriously?
Well, when in Rome...
"Fine. From today, you are all Samurai! Devote yourselves to me with loyalty!"
I felt like I'd said something similar yesterday, and it was a little embarrassing.
But these guys— "Ha ha ha!!! We swear our lives to you!!!"
Without an ounce of shame, they pledged their undying loyalty to me.
While I was at it, I granted Kurobei the "Blacksmith" job and Shuna the "Shrine Maiden" job.
Kurobei's combat power had gone down, but when it came to forging blades, he showed truly incredible talent.
I definitely wanted him to forge a sword for me someday.
Shuna had apparently been able to use sorcery before, but since becoming a Shrine Maiden, she had begun awakening to all sorts of secret arts.
Unlike magic, though, it didn't seem like she could teach these to others.
Once she'd learned some useful techniques, I planned to quietly analyze them through Predator.
Not being able to teach others was no concern of mine. Predator was the best!
Souei, who I'd sent on recon, was obviously going to get the Ninja job.
Once he returned, I intended to grant it to him right away.
Hehe. With Shadow Movement already in his arsenal, the Ninja job was a perfect fit.
Yes! The object of every child's dream—the Ninja!
No doubt he'd be able to pull off critical hits, slicing off heads in the blink of an eye!
Hakuro could probably do it now, and that was frankly terrifying.
Standing in front of him in human form, I couldn't help but worry my head might get lopped off.
I needed to think about enhancing my perception abilities.
Seeing everyone around me get stronger had made me realize I needed to focus on my own improvement too.
Relying on abilities alone wouldn't be enough as things stood.
For future battles, there was still so much I needed to do!
I reviewed once more what needed to be done going forward.
And that was the chapter introducing the Oni.
I'd like to move the story forward in the next one or two chapters, but will that be okay...?