After that, Zaydas and Rimuru were guided to the Goblin village.
Upon arrival, Zaydas reassessed what Hiraku had done. Not wanting to criticize, but already criticizing... At the very least, what Hiraku built wasn't just a rag like this village.
They were led to the best hut with a thatched roof, with a patched-up cloth spread out.
They did their best by creating a straw cushion for Zaydas and Rimuru.
"Welcome, visitors," an old Goblin said in his trembling voice. If one didn't see him, they might think he was freezing to death, which explained why he spoke that way. He continued with his eyes closed: "I am the chief of this village."
"Kuku, I imagine you didn't invite us here simply on a whim, right?" Zaydas asked.
"That's right, as expected of an expert," the Village Chief said in his trembling voice. "Today, our God has disappeared, and the monsters are restless. We are a weak group, and to survive, we must rely on the strong without our God's protection."
"In short, you want us to stay here and protect you, correct?" Zaydas concluded.
"Yes, that's right. Please, we will follow you, so save us!" the village leader pleaded.
"Fumu, but I'm just a simple Slime. Aren't you being a bit too hasty?" Rimuru asked.
Hearing this, Zaydas turned his face away and started laughing.
Rimuru looked at him with a question mark practically floating above his head.
"Hahah, hahah, such modesty," the village leader chuckled slightly, saying, "A simple Slime doesn't emit such an intense aura. You must be a very famous magical being, aren't you?"
His son, Rigur, who stood beside him, nodded in agreement.
Meanwhile, Zaydas was holding back his laughter so much that his shoulders trembled slightly.
Rimuru, upon hearing this, spoke with the Great Sage in his mind, asking to change the Magic Detector's perspective for him.
When he did, the only reason he didn't blush was because he was a Slime, but he still felt deeply embarrassed as he looked at Zaydas, who finally burst into loud laughter.
"Hahahaha! You finally realized it!"
"Zaydas, you... You knew from the start, didn't you? You set me up!!" Rimuru exclaimed, complaining to him.
"I didn't do anything, Rimuru-san. I just didn't see a problem in having a good monster repellent by my side who didn't even notice he had become one," Zaydas responded cheerfully. "But wasn't it a good thing? Thanks to that, we avoided a lot of trouble."
"Seriously, you..." Rimuru sighed, then focused a little, managing to retract his aura. "Next time something like this happens, let me know, man, seriously."
"Of course, you can count on me," Zaydas emphasized, giving a small punch to his chest with a charming smile.
'Tsk, damn ikemen.'
"Don't forget that I can read your mind, Rimuru-san~" Zaydas reminded him.
"Dude, don't do that, okay? It was fine before when I couldn't talk, but now it's different, right? That's an invasion of privacy—an invasion, do you understand me?" Rimuru made sure to spell out each syllable as he said "invasion."
"Yes, I won't do it anymore, I promise." Zaydas became serious.
"Really? Can I trust you?" Rimuru seemed skeptical.
"Yes, trust me." Zaydas nodded.
"I don't know, man, I just can't believe you when you get all serious like that," Rimuru replied.
"Oh, where's the trust between friends? You're hurting my feelings." Zaydas pretended to wipe away an imaginary tear.
As the two talked, the father and son pair exchanged glances, unsure of what to do.
Even the goblins outside, who were peeking through the gray curtain, looked very confused as they whispered among themselves.
"Seriously speaking, Rimuru-san," Zaydas said, "about their request—you decide whether you want to stay here or not. Just letting you know, I won't always be around, so your decision will determine your future. Think carefully before answering."
The village leader swallowed hard upon hearing Zaydas' words.
Unlike Rimuru, who emitted a sinister aura, Zaydas was different. But how to describe it? Instinctively, everyone felt fear just by looking in his direction.
"Your words are a bit misleading, but yes, I agree with you." Rimuru pondered.
"Well, take your time. I'm heading outside." Zaydas waved his hand and left the tent.
As he stepped out, the goblins standing at the entrance quickly made way for him.
"Good work." Zaydas smiled at them.
"Hey, you." One of the goblins approached. His head looked like a sideways watermelon with a potato-shaped nose.
"Yes?" Zaydas looked down, meeting his eyes.
Scratching his face, the goblin hesitantly asked, "H-How did you become so handsome?"
If Zaydas had been drinking something, he would have spat it all out at that moment due to such a random question.
Laughing a little, he replied, "Just lucky to have parents with amazing genes."
"I knew it!" The goblin looked disappointed. "I thought someone this handsome would have some secret, but in the end, it's just that."
He started kicking small rocks on the ground, looking dejected, until another goblin approached and placed a hand on his shoulder.
'This goblin is funny...' Zaydas thought with a small smile.
The problem was that, as he smiled, the female goblins started looking at him intensely...
Stepping back a little, Zaydas manifested a hoe in his hand.
Walking to an area without straw houses, he began to plow the land.
From a distance, the goblins watched him with curious eyes.
"What is he doing over there?"
"No idea."
"Digging a hole to bury us?"
Those words made several of them shudder in fear.
"That can't be, right?"
However, they soon realized that wasn't the case. After all, it wasn't just a hole being dug—the soil he was plowing turned a dark brown, as if wet, and then they saw something.
From the mounds of soil, sprouts began to emerge, and as the minutes passed, they grew larger.
"As expected of the expert!" one of them commented.
The most surprised person, however, was Zaydas himself. The speed at which the sprouts appeared was faster than when he had seen Hiraku do the same.
He stopped after planting an area of 4 by 4 meters.
Soon, leaves began to stand out, and white flowers appeared. But then, the plants grew even more, to the point where the thin branches curved toward the ground under their own weight.
"Hey, you." Zaydas waved at the goblin who had asked the question earlier.
"Me?" The goblin pointed at himself. Seeing this, he scratched his head and asked, "How can I help?"
"Go and pull one of those that looks the most mature," Zaydas requested.
Even without understanding, he did as told.
"This one?" the goblin asked, pointing to the first patch of land Zaydas had plowed.
"Yes, go ahead," Zaydas nodded.
The goblin bent forward slightly, gripping close to the soil, and then he pulled. "Ahhh!"
'Why is he screaming? Is it hard to pull?' Zaydas wondered, then used telekinesis to pull up the one right next to the goblin. However, there wasn't much resistance, and soon, 19 medium-sized brown potatoes were revealed.
'It actually worked…'
The only reason he had asked the goblin to do it wasn't for any special reason—he just found the little guy funny and wanted him to do it.
Now, holding the plant with potatoes hanging from its roots, the goblin looked completely surprised.
"The rest of you, go and help him. These are potatoes—they can be eaten roasted or boiled," Zaydas told the other goblins.
"Really?"
"Yay!!"
Soon, the small patch of land with the planted potatoes was harvested by the goblins.
"What's all this commotion?" Rimuru finally came out of the chief's tent, asking.
"Oh, you're done?" Zaydas approached him.
"Yes, I've made my decision," Rimuru said firmly. "I intend to stay in this village!"
"I see. I'll help where I can, but don't expect too much," Zaydas said.
"Of course!" Rimuru replied in his usual cheerful voice.
"The expert is staying with us!" the village chief announced loudly, and the goblins cheered.
One of the goblins who had harvested the potatoes went to the village chief and told him what he had heard from Zaydas.
"Alright, let's roast them! These are potatoes given by the expert—let's celebrate!" he shouted again.
That trembling voice of his almost seemed like a lie at this point.
*****
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