Nothing brings people together than spending time in jail. It was a little quiet and awkward between us at first, but Rimuru was able to sort of "break the ice" with everyone here.
Kaijin opened up more about himself. He was apologetic towards everyone here. He admitted that he was wrong and that he should have controlled himself, which is tough for most people to do. Admitting that you were wrong and apologizing to the people or person after is hard for a lot of people to do. When someone does do that it says a lot about them. Something worthy of respect in my eyes.
The three dwarf brothers didn't mind it all though. They decided to stick around with Kaijin no matter where he went. They were a tight-knit family that cared for each other. I know someone who would be proud of them for sticking together with family no matter the circumstances.
Eventually, things became more relaxed between us all. We were just talking about random things and life. Well, mostly about the work the dwarfs will be doing in the village when we get back. RImuru was a little scared wondering if they would be able to come with us to the village, Kaijin reassured him that it would be a fine to pay at worst.
I have to say, having to pay a fine for hitting government officials is a light punishment. I'm not saying anything, but if I was super rich, there would be a lot of signs here in Dwargon about it.
It eventually became nighttime and everyone else was just sleeping. Me and Rimuru were the only ones awake right now, and we were addressing the elephant in the room.
Gobta, who was still upside down, woke up, but that didn't last long since RImuru shut him up with some more sticky web. I would feel bad, but he is actually good at certain things and has uncanny luck.
"Hey Artoria, what do you think about this trial that will happen?"
"Wel, Rimuru it's quite simple. It will be a sham trial. I can see this coming from a mile away."
"Are you experienced in politics or something to be able to say that?"
"Just a little, but that is a nasty business I would very much not like to get into, but I'll have to in this situation."
"I know that Vesta guy seems to have it out big time for Kaijin, but would he really go so far as to turn it in his favor?"
"Rimuru you are in dire need of a basic review of politics and how government works. Especially in a monarchy such as Dwargon, or really any monarchy with noble classes. The only reason it will work out for you in the village is because of naming monsters. The biggest problem for the village in the future will be outsiders and visitors. You will have to know who you can trust and take in for any important positions."
"You really thought this out, didn't you? Why don't you become the leader or something? You seem way more qualified than me."
"Nah, I'm good. You can be the leader or whatever you want to call it of the village and I'll stick to being someone on the more religious side of stuff."
"Why do you not like the idea of being a leader? You just ooze that 'kingly' kind of energy."
"Listen well Rimuru, the position you will be set for will bring forth a powerful curse on to you. It is a burden almost all, even the most excellent of leaders will have to carry and shoulder for a nation. Are you prepared for such a burden?"
"You're kind of scaring me here a little Artoria. What is it?"
'Paperwork. But he doesn't need to know that. Not until it's to late to realize that's the 'curse' I'm talking about.' I sit up properly and put on the most serious demeanor I can, without alerting anyone nearby or waking up our dwarf pals. Before it all disappears with what I say. "You'll find out eventually. It probably won't be that big a deal. I'm just being overdramatic."
"Oh. Ok. You had me a little worried there. You seemed ready to make some dramatic response. It probably won't be anything that bad. I'll deal with it whenever it arrives."
Very poor choice of words there Rimuru. You just guaranteed yourself many problems.
"Enough of that though, I'll tell you right now that during the trial, I recommend just being quiet and not saying anything. As you should in any situation where you don't have a lawyer present."
"Why? You said that the trial will be as sham and that the minster dude will tilt it in his favor!"
"Look RImuru, we've already accomplished our goal. We have acquired the help of arguably the best-skilled workers here in Dwargon. Also it will be the king who will be at our trial."
"You say the king will be there?!"
"Duh. Considering the history between Kaijin and Vesta and the things they've done for Dwargon, the king being there is kind of guaranteed. This is just a rare occurrence though. He most likely doesn't show up at every little trial that happens here."
"You're just making me more nervous here Artoria."
"Don't worry things will go much better than you expect. Anyway, I'm going to sleep until tomorrow. Have a good night, don't go insane on me." I close my eyes and go to sleep almost instantly. It's probably the best feature of my new life.
"I have to learn how to sleep or something similar to that." Rimuru was left pondering for the rest of the night.
/\/\/\/\/\
It was daytime. Everyone was up except for Gobta who somehow still fell asleep. Actually, he is more like passed out since he's upside down and all that. Did you know, that if you spend a long enough time hanging upside down you can die? Gobta will be fine though, he's a tough goblin…Probably. I know things that are supposed to happen, but I'm actually doubting a bit on this one. It doesn't matter, he'll just develop "hanging upside-down" resistance.
The guards came over to our cell and chained us up again before escorting us to the courtroom for our "trial".
The trial took place in a really large room. There were knights stationed around the perimeter of the room. They were on very high alert when they saw me walk in with full armor and with my sword and lance. They were ready to attack at a moment's notice so they were watching and scrutinizing me more than the others here, but I was doing the same to them.
I was watching their every move, not out of worrying about an attack, but more to scrutinize them as the knights they seem to be presented as. It was subconscious on my part, but I couldn't help it. Whenever I looked at one of the knights, they would slightly shiver. At least they were able to maintain a little composure when I focused on any one of them. I'm being nice when I say they just barely get a pass in my eyes.
I and the others stood before the judge, well more like judges. There were three judges. One in the middle and two next to him, but they were on higher elevated seats and of course the king's spot, which was the highest in the room.
Vesta was here doing his best to look like a victim of some kind of bombing with all those bandages and a cast. He's not even being subtle about it. I know Gazel knows that he's faking it, and I'm sure the judges should know that he's faking the extent of how badly he was hurt, but hey it is what it is.
I looked at our "lawyer" or proxy and this guy just screams dishonesty and lies. I'd have a better time trusting a wild coyote to guard animals on a farm.
A large horn blared out signaling the arrival of King Gazel Dwargo. The proxy, Vesta, Kajin, and the dwarf brothers immediately kneeled at the sound. I stood standing normally straight up. My head was held high and tall, not even lowering it when the horn sounded.
This got a reaction from basically everyone in the room. It didn't matter for Rimuru cause he was a slime and it wasn't possible for that, but I was another thing. All the knights present here gripped their weapons a bit more tightly, and the judges looked at me like I was the greatest enemy of Dwargon.
Eventually, heavy footsteps and the sound of armor was heard in the entire room. Hero King Gazel Dwargo came out. He was wearing his silver armor and red cape. He had a "strong" and rough-looking face. His black hair and beard made him look good in my opinion. He also had a "crown" on, but it was more like a forehead decorator. Mine was way better and cooler though. I'm not biased at all. Totally not.
While walking to his seat he looked at me and I looked at him. We made eye contact for the entire time he made his way to his seat. I felt something try to "hit" or invade my mind, but it was easily blocked. He was good at hiding his surprise at his failure, but I sensed it. I shook my head slightly to sort of tell him that that stuff won't work on me.
He eventually made his way to his seat, but it was clear most of his attention was placed on me and less on everyone else. He's no doubt trying to gauge how dangerous I am and what kind of threat I could pose. He definitely knows that I can easily escape and break out whenever I want.
Once he sat down, the head judge immediately declared the start of the trial. Our proxy got to work for Vesta by spinning the story entirely in his favor and making up lies about what happened. He even took some "testimonies" from the elves and borderline fabricated evidence out of thin air.
Kaijin very lightly whispered to us. "He's been bribed."
Rimuru turned to me and said "You were right Artoria, this almost a complete sham. Our proxy is making us look extra bad. He's talking utter nonsense!" He was whispering, but there was a lot of worry and panic in his voice.
I looked at Rimuru and acknowledged what he said "I know Rimuru. He's talking more bull than a rodeo livestock show."
Rimuru just stood there looking at me in confusion not seeming to understand what I said. "He's doing what?"
We couldn't talk for long since our proxy's "defense" was coming to an end.
"In conclusion, Vesta was only peacefully enjoying his time in the bar before Kaijin and his crew decided to attack him."
After the proxy finished Vesta came over and demanded the harshest punishment to be given to all of us.
The head judge presiding over the trial gave his sentence for twenty years of hard labor to Kaijin and ten years of hard labor to everyone else, but before he could strike the gavel King Gazel spoke up.
"Wait for a moment." His calm and deep voice reverberated around the whole room. He sounds like he would be good as a bass in a choir group. Or would it be baritone? One of the deep voice ones.
He looked at Kaijin and talked to him. "It's good to see that you are doing good for yourself Kaijin."
Kaijin kneeled quickly in response to his words. "As well as you, my lord. It's excellent to see that you are in good health."
"You've done many things for this nation Kaijin. I remember your contributions when you were part of my ranks. Are you interested in being able to rejoin?"
Kaijin who was still kneeling stayed quiet. The atmosphere around here was getting a little heavier the longer he went on without a response to his King. The knights around here were getting on higher alert and getting ready at a moment's notice. In my opinion, they are being way too cautious for someone of Kaijin's strength. No disrespect to Kaijin, but he's not exactly the biggest threat when it comes to individual fighting skills. No need to be so alert towards him.
Me on the other hand? Yeah, they should be a tad bit concerned about me.
Kaijin finally responded after a few seconds of silence. "My lord, I appreciate such an offer, but I have already pledged my allegiance to a new master. My word and oath carry high significance for me and I can not just give it up. Even if you were to order me my lord."
His statement sent the knights into a fit of protest. They readied their weapons at him ready to skewer him at a moment's notice. Overreaction much?
I sent them a tiny glare. Even if they couldn't see it cause of my helmet, they definitely felt it. Some were shaking a little, others were a tiny bit more intimidated than before, and a rare few stayed properly composed. I guess they deserve just a tiny bit of credit. Just a tiny bit though.
Gazel spoke up putting an end to the outburst. "I see. If that's how it is, then so be it." All the knights retracted their weapons and went back into a guard position. "I will now cast my judgment. Kaijin and his accomplices are to be exiled from this nation. Disappear from my sight immediately."
Kaijin was still kneeling and you could feel the sadness coming off of him. Let alone the tears he was trying to hold back but failing, there was nothing wrong with that in any way. It only shows how much he truly cared for this nation and respected his king.
"It's okay Kaijin, this isn't the end. You will be able to meet your king again in the future, trust me. It might not seem possible, but even when there are cloudy skies the sun still shines behind them." This made Kaijins mood just a tiny bit better
/\/\/\/\/\
While Artoria and company were being escorted to the entrance of Dwargon to complete their exile, Gazel was left in the courtroom with only Vesta and the head judge.
"Vesta, I want you to look at that potion he has in his hand. It was a gift from the slime." The head judge presented the potion to Vesta and Vesta was shocked looking at the potion. He recognized that this was something that went beyond his current knowledge of science.
"Vesta I know you have things to say, but let me be clear. You should consider yourself very lucky to have only gotten away with a punch from Kaijin after ridiculing the slime he pledged his allegiance to. Things could have gone very differently if the other one accompanying the slime took action against you."
Vesta was shuddering in fear of not only disappointing and destroying the expectations of his king, but also that the king is implicitly telling him that he narrowly avoided his death.
"Vesta, I am very disappointed in you. Your actions not only caused us to sever the relations with that slime but also that spirit/dragon hybrid in knight's armor. Consider it a blessing that they seem to be friendly and not take too much offense for the actions you have . You have betrayed the expectations I have set upon you, even after many chances I've given you."
Vesta went down to his knees, after realizing just how much damage he could have potentially caused to the entire nation of Dwargon. With tears in his eyes, he looked up, his vision blurred.
"Vesta, you are not to present yourself before me from this moment on." With his final words, Gazel left the courtroom while Vesta could only watch. Due to the tears in his eyes, the final sight of his king was one that was blurry. He was left there in a pitiful state, and the only things he muttered were words of apology.
/\/\/\/\/\
King Gazel stood on a wall overlooking the outside of Dwargon. Behind him was a spy who was awaiting orders from him.
"I want you to follow that slime and his group and get as much information as possible. Don't get caught or seen under any circumstances. Is that clear?"
"Absolutely my lord. It will be done."
"Go."
The spy disappeared in the blink of an eye as if she were never there.
Gazel, however, still stood there. The only things on his mind are the slime and the spirit/dragon hybrid.
'That slime is a dangerous monster. It has the same feeling as the Storm Dragon, Veldora. But that other one. I can feel it. She poses a greater threat right now than the slime. The way she was seemingly toying with and scrutinizing the soldiers during the trial.'
'What is someone of her strength doing wandering around with that slime? She has the aura and presence of a great king, even greater than me.'
/\/\/\/\/\
We met up with all the goblins and wolves that were waiting for us after leaving Dwargon. Kaijin and his brothers were a bit hesitant to ride on the wolves, but they had to roll with it if we were going to get home in a smooth and timely manner.
I was still going to run on my own, but it was fine. It's enjoyable to run at high speeds like that. Although the look Ranga was giving me suggested he was looking for a rematch for the last time I left him in the dust.
"Ranga, I know what you're thinking, but we have brought more people here with us, so we have to travel at a proper speed, but I'll be happy to make you eat dust in the future."
"You have a deal. I'll beat you next time."
After we got ready, we started heading back home to our humble goblin village.
Of course, I made sure to keep an eye on our little spy friend who was following us.
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
Authors Note
Hey everyone, it's Belia4l here. So, we've reached chapter 10 and I hope you enjoyed it. I thought this would be a good time to talk a little bit here about this fan-fic.
First of all, I wrote this on a whim. The idea for this fan-fic came to me one day and it just stuck to me for a few weeks. I thought to myself that I might as well just write it and post it to get it out of my system. That's why the first chapter in my opinion doesn't make much sense and I expected to get a lot of flak from it. I feel that it was a rocky start and looking back at it I cringe sometimes when remembering what I was doing. The first chapter was written on a whim and looking back at it I have some regrets. But hey, it's already written so I can't change much about it now unless I rewrite the whole thing.
The second thing I want to talk about is the reviews left so far and this is completely out of my expectations. It's like being stuck by lighting on a cloudless day.
I never expected the 5-star reviews that this had received. When writing this I expected something mediocre and average at best. Nothing "good', but nothing "bad", but apparently some people like it, and others say they love it.
The power stones this had received were also a surprise to me. Right now at the moment of writing this, this fan-fic has a total of 203 power stones. I don't know if this is a lot, but I do know that you don't "accidentally" give a story power stones. That means I'm doing something right. So, I'll try to keep up with what I'm doing and try to be better since people seem to be eager to read more.
A question or concern that has popped is something concerning the gender of our MC before they were reincarnated. This is something people are not going to like.
I purposely left it vague, since I don't think it really matters since they will get a new body anyway. Male or Female. Consider that my unpopular opinion or "hot take". If you feel that that will affect how you read this fan-fic, then you are welcome to stop reading and drop it.
Now that I have gone over that. I must be the bearer of bad news. For those wanting new chapters, I must tell you that there won't be a new chapter until next week after Monday, May 6. Why? Well, that's when final exams end for me and one of my professors thought it would be funny to have an essay and exam due on the same day. So, yeah.
Anyway, Beli4l out.