Reincarnation with Rimuru from Tensura

Truth

It had only been a few minutes since we arrived at the Hill, and already I sensed that things wouldn't unfold as smoothly as I had hoped, despite successfully coaxing everyone out here together. However, I hadn't anticipated things taking a complete turn for the worse.

To begin with, Shizu stood there, seemingly admiring our village. It was hard to be certain, though, as she still wore that White Mask of hers. While I couldn't help but feel a sense of pride seeing our village flourish day by day, now was hardly the time for such sentiments.

Meanwhile, the person at the center of this whole charade, Hiiro, seemed to be making himself overly comfortable atop Ranga.

Oi, oi, you're going to fall off at this rate. I sighed, watching him sprawl out lazily, almost resembling a melting jelly under the sun's heat.

And then there was his Knight, Hikari, quietly standing behind Hiiro with her eyes closed.

These days, she seemed more like a maid than a Knight. I mean, When the did she even appear there? She wasn't anywhere near us when we were travelling.

A stalk-, Ahem. She reminded me of those girls who are utterly fixated on the person they like.

Suddenly, she shot me a sharp glare, and I realized she had noticed my observation.

"Uwah~ She noticed," I muttered under my breath, feeling a slight sense of unease.

Sigh.

I give up; it's impossible to make these guys talk unless they themselves want to.

What a bunch of weird people.

I knew Hiiro would be like this through and through, but I never expected Shizu wouldn't talk as well.

Either way, I tried, alright? I don't have any more ways of making this introverted brat socialize for now.

As I was in the middle of giving up, the jelly-like Hiiro, who was basking in the warm sunlight, perked up ever so slightly. He glanced back towards the way we came to this place and then immediately reverted back to his jelly-like state.

After a few seconds, I sensed someone approaching as well. It wasn't a hostile presence, as neither Hiiro nor Hikari had bothered to make any movements, and I saw why as well.

But just how sharp are his senses? It's rather scary.

A few moments later, a huffing and puffing Rigurd entered our view. He gave a solemn bow and proceeded to speak about the reason for his appearance.

"Lord Rimuru, forgive me for intruding," Rigurd began, bowing respectfully.

"It's alright, Rigurd. What's up?" I responded, curious about the reason for his visit.

"Um, you see, we are in need of your assistance with a few matters in the town. Would you please grace us with your presence?" Rigurd requested, his tone indicating the importance of the matter at hand.

Rigurd, the Goblin Lord of the village, held considerable authority, second only to me and Hiiro. While not necessarily the most powerful, he possessed enough wisdom to compensate for any shortcomings.

When Rigurd asked for my presence, it either meant the matter was of utmost importance and required my direct involvement, or it was something sensitive that he preferred not to disclose in detail in front of others.

It was evident from his roundabout way of speaking.

As a competent and sensible ruler, it was my responsibility to discern such nuances. Thus, I gave him a quick nod before agreeing to accompany him.