They rubbed their eyes, wondering if they were seeing things.
A slime—actually riding on the back of an A-rank, snow-white giant wolf! It was simply unbelievable. They felt like the sky was about to fall.
The group stared at the slime in terror, watching as its gaze shifted constantly, scrutinizing each of them carefully.
Finally, its eyes settled on Elyun—or more precisely, on the elf cradled in her arms.
"Huh? This doesn't look like a hostage situation at all," Rimuru muttered softly.
Ranga had only released a tiny bit of his aura, yet these humans were already pale and trembling. It was hard to believe that people like this could have captured Granstar.
Rimuru continued to blink exaggeratedly at Granstar, his eyes seemingly saying:
"Blink once if you're being threatened."
Granstar looked at Rimuru frantically blinking at him and could only roll his eyes in exasperation.
The four humans also noticed Rimuru's odd behavior and grew more alert.
"Could it be that this evil monster is eyeing the elf in my arms?" Elyun said nervously.
"Looks like it?" another chimed in.
Despite the tense atmosphere, they were actually whispering among themselves.
"We'll never hand the little elf over to these evil monsters!" Elyun suddenly shouted, hugging Granstar tightly and striking a dramatic pose of defiance.
Her two teammates exchanged glances, bitter smiles forming on their faces.
Big sister, now's not the time to be brave! And shouting like that—do you want us to die faster?
At that moment, the surrounding goblins and frost wolves exchanged confused glances, their expressions mirroring Rimuru's—completely dumbfounded.
"...Huh?"
Rimuru muttered, blinking.
What do you mean 'evil monsters'? We look super friendly, okay? Sure, we did come here for the elf in your arms, but that doesn't mean we're stealing anything!
Even though the humans were whispering, with their keen monster hearing, it was as loud as shouting in their ears.
Rimuru finally understood—Granstar wasn't in danger at all. He'd rushed here, ready for a dramatic rescue, all for nothing.
Especially when he saw Granstar practically buried in that female mage's chest… Rimuru's irritation only grew.
[Granstar! I never see you working, but now you're hugging a human girl like it's your job?! Seriously?!]
Rimuru roared via [Thought Communication].
Granstar was clearly stunned for a moment, then hastily replied:
[Haha, Rimuru! The village construction's too noisy, so I came out here to nap, that's all! These humans are just a coincidence—I'm super troubled right now!]
Rimuru felt his temples throb. Troubled? My ass!
Then Granstar added:
[Take a good look at that masked girl in front of you. Doesn't she seem… familiar?]
That one sentence brought Rimuru's train of complaints to a screeching halt.
He finally noticed a slender masked woman standing silently before them—and his thoughts drifted into memories.
This… isn't this her?
[So what do we do now?]
Rimuru's mind was filled with uncertainty.
[Of course, bring them back to the village and treat them well! Oh, and don't tell them about me. I still want to lie down for a bit.]
Granstar's tone was lazy and carefree.
Rimuru's face darkened immediately. A vein twitched on his forehead.
Rimuru sighed inwardly. Granstar was definitely the most sluggish and lazy person he had ever met.
In contrast, Rimuru had practically turned into a production machine during this time, while Granstar remained indifferent to most responsibilities.
"Oh well... let's deal with the immediate issue first," Rimuru muttered, shaking his head helplessly.
He stepped forward, putting on his friendliest demeanor.
"I'm terribly sorry! I suppose I should be considered the leader of these monsters. May I ask—are the three of you adventurers sent by one of the neighboring human nations? Were you dispatched specifically to investigate the situation here?"
"Please don't worry. Though we are monsters, we bear no malice!"
The trio blinked in disbelief.
Did... did the monster just speak?
Not only did it not attack them, but it was also polite? And articulate?
Wait a second...
A talking slime?!
"To express our goodwill and apologize for any misunderstandings, we've prepared a grand banquet in the village," Rimuru continued warmly. "I would be honored if you'd join us. I believe it might assist in your mission, too."
He even turned to the masked woman at the front of the group, making it clear that she was included in the invitation.
"W-what? You're inviting us... to your base? N-no, that's—"
Kaval started to refuse instinctively, but then he noticed the group of intimidating goblins and frost wolves surrounding them, all staring sharply.
He froze. The rest of his sentence caught in his throat. His face turned pale. Swallowing hard, he forced a nervous smile and quickly changed his tune.
"Well... actually, that might not be such a bad idea..."
His voice was clearly more subdued than before—trembling slightly, filled with unease and hesitation.
"Wonderful! I'll lead the way!" Rimuru said cheerfully.
He took a deep breath and tried to make his voice sound even more soothing, then leapt onto Ranga's back and sped off toward the village without hesitation.
The others watched Rimuru's fading figure with a mix of helplessness and dread.
They didn't want to go along with this arrangement... but they didn't have a better option either.
Reluctantly, they followed in silence.
The atmosphere was tense. No one spoke. The only sounds were their footsteps and the soft rhythm of breathing.
This is it... it's over!
I've never been inside a monster's lair before—there's no way we're getting out of this!
As they approached the village, they realized the outer view had only revealed a small fraction of what was inside.
Smooth, paved roads. Clean surroundings.
Wait… are those dwarves?!
When they reached the village center, their jaws nearly dropped.
A towering ice-sculpted castle stood at the heart of it all.
Who lives here, enjoying life like royalty...?
Meanwhile, Granstar let out a lazy yawn, completely unbothered.
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