The legend of the Crimson Demon clan started from Suqing

Rimuru seemed to fear provoking Youmu's hostility, so he went to meet him alone. For Youmu, this was a matter of etiquette, which pleased him; but for his subordinates, it was risking his life, which made them uneasy.

After all, this was a delicate juncture.

The Orc Lord had just been defeated, the Great Forest had barely escaped massive destruction, and with the knowledge that there was a mastermind behind it all, Youmu's arrival was indeed cause for concern.

Fortunately, no conflict occurred.

The town was far more dilapidated than Youmu had imagined, and it also seemed rather strange. It had a Warring States period feel, yet it had furniture like screen windows, toilets, and bathtubs, making one wonder if something was amiss.

However, Rimuru's emphasis on hygiene was a good thing.

The European Middle Ages… no, even in *Konosuba*, they couldn't maintain hygiene, which easily led to various diseases. They were only able to stay clean because they had Aqua, an exceptionally skilled toilet cleaner.

Rimuru could only try to improve things to suppress the spread of infectious diseases.

Like a child showing off his success, Rimuru took Youmu on a tour of the town, during which they encountered various familiar strangers, such as Hakurou, Souei, Kurobe, Rigurdo, and Geld.

The most memorable encounter was with the goblin who was kicked away just as he was about to greet them.

Before leaving, she even bowed deeply to Youmu.

Such a violent yet elegant gesture made Rimuru and Youmu break out in cold sweats.

…

The evening was a grand banquet, attended by almost everyone.

Just when Youmu thought he was so popular, he realized he was mistaken. The reason for such a grand banquet was to celebrate the successful defeat of the Orc Lord and the salvation of the Great Forest.

However, he wasn't neglected. Instead, he was treated like someone on par with Rimuru, and was enthusiastically sought after by others.

Mainly because his looks were indeed striking.

Even Rimuru, who was secretly called the Demon Princess, was slightly inferior to Youmu, which excited many people.

As Rimuru and the others had predicted, Gobuta came over to chat with Youmu.

It wasn't his fault for being reckless.

It was just that when Rimuru and the others conveyed the message not to offend Youmu, he had just been kicked unconscious by Shion and was lying like a corpse. He had just woken up and been dragged to the banquet, completely unaware of what was going on.

He had barely finished his deliberately cool self-introduction when Shion kicked him into the sky again, grabbed his ankle, and dragged him away, not caring even when his head hit a large rock.

“Ahahaha…”

Rimuru could only offer a polite yet awkward smile.

The banquet was lively.

After all, the essence of a banquet isn't about the deliciousness of the food, the quality of the drinks, or the splendor of the venue, but the atmosphere. The lively banquet made Youmu feel like he had returned to *Konosuba*.

On the second day of the banquet, Rimuru pestered Youmu to make cola.

Although he said that, Youmu thought he simply wanted to escape his duties as the town's lord. Shuna hid behind the door, unwillingly watching the close interaction between the two, but soon, she seemed to think of something and her cheeks flushed slightly.

“…Rimuru, I think something bad is about to happen.”

“Coincidentally, I was thinking the same thing.”

Stealing a glance at Shuna, who was lost in her fantasies, Youmu decided not to delve further, or he would be the one getting hurt.

A chill ran down their spines, causing them to shudder in unison, but soon, urged on by Rimuru, they decided to start making the carbonated drink.

The ingredients were actually quite simple.

Carbonated water, cilantro, oranges, and honey for making caramel.

Unfortunately, the kitchen didn't have any of these.

Youmu and Rimuru had to search for them in the forest, with Shion as a bodyguard and Shuna as a mount, the three of them and a slime heading into the forest.

This wasn't a difficult task, and Treyni had even prepared the ingredients in advance.

It seemed she was also looking forward to the carbonated drink.

“The method for making carbonated drinks is simple. First, chop the cilantro, then crush and mix it with the orange peel and juice.”

Wind magic was used to chop the ingredients and extract the juice.

The extravagant cooking method made the four well-behaved girls sitting on stone benches with bated breath light up their eyes. They had never imagined such a method of preparation.

“A-Amazing!”

“As expected of Lord Youmu, who can rival Lord Rimuru. I concede defeat!”

Shuna covered her small mouth, while Shion knelt on the ground, acknowledging her defeat.

Youmu didn't know what there was to compare.

However, he had heard that some powerful chefs could tell how skilled their opponents were just by their knife work, and would concede defeat accordingly. He wondered if there was any exaggeration in that.

Youmu picked up the honeycomb on the stone slab, squeezed out some honey, and roasted it with fire magic.

“Then, heat the honey until it caramelizes. This step not only adds sweetness to the cola but also provides color. Finally, mix the two, stir, and filter it out.”

The dark brown liquid was created, its pure black color making people feel a little uncomfortable, easily reminding them of dark cuisine, which made Shuna and Treyni a little resistant.

But Rimuru's eyes lit up happily, making Shion, who often made food of this color, complain that he was treating them differently.

However, it was clearly a misunderstanding.

What Youmu had created was concentrated fruit juice, in other words, a simplified version of cola syrup. It might not look good, but the taste was guaranteed.

“Finally, the carbonated water.”

Youmu waved his hand, and a water ball appeared in his palm. His other hand grabbed a ball of air, and he merged them together in a very crude manner.

“Don't simply think of this as air.”

Seeing Rimuru's puzzled expression, Youmu explained to him: “That ball of gas is carbon dioxide, which I condensed using magic control that can distinguish molecules. Only by adding carbon dioxide to water can you make carbonated water. You should know that, right, Rimuru?”

“I know that…”

But could the average person's magic control reach the molecular level? Even Great Sage couldn't necessarily do that, right? Wasn't this completely a monster-level existence!?

“No, it's quark-level.”

“…What?”

“I can completely separate elements to the quark level.” Youmu looked at the dumbfounded Rimuru and asked curiously: “I said that because you looked like you wanted to ask something. Did I guess wrong?”

“N-No…”

How disgusting!

Rimuru only felt disgusted, a disgust caused by the other party's terrifying strength, making him feel a little overwhelmed—this was a biological instinct, and he couldn't avoid it.

Youmu smiled and said, “It's not a big deal. You'll be able to do it soon, Rimuru.”

“No, no, no, I'm just a slime. I don't have your powerful strength.” Rimuru waved his hands.

He suddenly realized that he also liked to play with memes.

What Youmu didn't know was that after Rimuru said this, Great Sage echoed in his mind as if unwilling to lose.

[Answer, cannot do it now]

“…Now, huh?”

“Lord Rimuru, is something wrong?”

“No, it's nothing.”

He smiled at Shuna and Shion, who were concerned about him, while also looking forward to the day he could do it.

“Um…” Shuna timidly raised her small hand. She first glanced at Youmu, then looked at the slime and said, “Lord Rimuru, I have a question to ask.”

“What is it?”

“What are molecules and quarks?”

“Well…”

Then Rimuru explained the physical relationship between molecules, atoms, quarks, and quantum to Shuna and Shion, who were also curious, but when he talked about quantum and quarks, his expression suddenly changed:

“Ah, yeah, yeah, I wasn't very good at physics to begin with! I was just an ordinary office worker!”

Rimuru huffed and puffed at the air.

It seemed that he had been ridiculed by Great Sage for messing up the definition of material levels, making him feel a little embarrassed.

And after understanding these, Shuna and Shion looked at Youmu as if he were a god. No, seriously, this wasn't an exaggerated ability.

In this regard, he was unexpectedly unaware.

“Mix the carbonated water and cola syrup together… Done! The simplified version of cola is complete!”

“Oh! Oh! Oh!!!”

Rimuru held the wooden cup filled with cola in both hands, as if it were a treasure, shouting excitedly.

Shuna, Shion, and Treyni probably didn't understand why he was so happy, but they would soon be captivated by this exquisite drink!

“Right!”

Youmu snapped his fingers, and a chill swept over the wooden cup, condensing some cool water droplets on the cup.

“How can you drink cola without it being cold?”

“You really know your stuff!”

“Please, I know everything!”

Rimuru excitedly raised the cold cola in his hand and said to everyone:

“—Cheers!” X5

Cola was really delicious.

Whether it was because the raw materials were fresh, or because it was made by Youmu, or because they hadn't had it for a long time, cola was really delicious.

“Lord Rimuru! Lord Rimuru!”

“Please cheer up!”

“He's melting, Lord Rimuru is melting!”

He collapsed on the stone slab, turning into a puddle of slime water, even muttering: “I have no regrets in dying.”

He was too moved.

But soon he turned back into a bouncy slime, drinking the cola in the cup in one gulp.

“—Delicious!”

“Yes, it's really delicious.”

“Although the taste is a bit strange, it's definitely delicious.”

“Does Lord Rimuru like this drink? But to make it, you need molecular-level control and stuff…”

Treyni, Shuna, and Shion also praised the cola, but the difficulty of replicating it was too great, making them not know what to do.

“You can try other methods. Carbonated water doesn't necessarily have to be made this way.”

“Really?”

“Of course, I guarantee it. Rimuru can also guarantee it.”

“Teach me! Please!” X2

Hearing Youmu say this, Shuna and Shion said excitedly, it seemed that he had successfully integrated into them.