The legend of the Crimson Demon clan started from Suqing

But before that, Rimuru had them quickly disperse and prepare to escape.

It would be a real joke if they weren't killed by the enemy, but were instead caught in the crossfire and killed during Zunzun's battle with a powerful enemy.

However, after everything was ready, they realized that they had overreacted.

Those who came here were from the Dwarf Kingdom, a secret unit directly under the King, detached from the seven regular armies. Their name seemed to be the Sky Knight Order.

Since it was the King's direct secret unit, the one leading them was naturally the King himself.

The Pegasus squad flew over the town, ignoring the vigilant onlookers, and after flying around in the air several times to confirm that there was no danger, they slowly landed on the open space outside the town.

There was also an open space in the town planned for future central facilities, but from a polite point of view, they shouldn't intrude without permission.

Normally, such actions between kingdoms would be equivalent to a declaration of war, so were they being so polite? However, monsters don't seem to abide by international law, and besides, they don't even know if there is international law in this world... …

Of course, none of the above is important.

What's important is that the Dwarf King doesn't seem to be planning a surprise attack on Rimuru and the others. If they were considered enemies, he would have attacked without saying a word.

—Has nothing changed here?

When Zunzun saw the Pegasus and the King at the head, he knew it was the Dwarf King, but he didn't know if Rimuru had antagonized him, after all, he hadn't participated in the previous events.

If the world line had changed and Rimuru, his junior brother, had clashed with the Dwarf King, his senior brother, then he would definitely stand on the former's side unconditionally.

Unlike Zunzun, who was only thinking.

The always mature and steady Benimaru placed his hand on the long sword at his waist, with an expression that he was ready to strike at any moment; Souei, Shuna, and Shion also exuded their own dangerous auras, demonstrating their existence.

On the contrary, Hakurou had a smiling face, completely without any tension.

It seems he also had some guesses.

"Hahaha, your brain is still as stubborn as before, Kagjin."

Seeing his old subordinate salute respectfully, the Dwarf King laughed heartily and said loudly: "Can't you tell? Today I'm here in a personal capacity. Anyway, the pomp is always the best to look at, you can't go out without it."

Zunzun empathized with this.

Whether it was Princess Alice or Prince Revi, they had to bring a large group of guards when they went out, ostensibly to protect the safety of the princess and prince, but in reality, it was to avoid tarnishing the royal family's reputation.

It seemed that the Dwarf King was the same.

"In other words, can we just talk in a normal way?"

"Of course. There's no need to be bound by troublesome formalities now."

Rimuru probably also realized that the Dwarf King wasn't here to cause trouble, so he took the initiative to jump out.

"Alright, let me introduce myself first. My name is Rimuru. Although it's true that you can call me a slime, please don't use that term. I'm at least the leader of the Great Jura Forest Alliance, and my position is different from before."

It seemed that he was still aware of his position when it came to diplomacy.

"This isn't my true nature, but it'll be easier to talk this way, right?"

After saying that, he transformed into a human form.

Afterward, the retainers who had come with the Dwarf King couldn't help but whisper to each other, some saying that Rimuru was a rare mutant, some saying that they had several high-level Majin, and some saying that it was dangerous for monsters to gather together. In short, they wanted to eliminate them as soon as possible.

Rimuru curled his lips.

Although he wasn't happy about being seen through, it was really unavoidable to this extent. If they weren't shown how much they weighed, they would definitely be underestimated.

When someone says you have cannons, you better really have them.

"Quiet!"

The Dwarf King roared.

"I'm talking to this slime right now… no, I should call him Rimuru, right? I'm here to meet this guy, you guys stay aside and watch!"

His gaze didn't move away from Rimuru, but he suddenly raised his voice to silence everyone present. He burst out with an astonishing domineering aura, instantly shutting up his comrades. He was really something.

The Dwarf King seemed to be planning to test Rimuru's capacity.

"Sorry for scaring you."

Rimuru waved his hand and said, "I only transformed into a human to make it easier to talk. This is a form I transformed into using a skill, it's just a mimicry, no need to be so nervous."

"I'll be the judge of that. How can I trust you if I don't know if you're a friend or foe."

He was right.

The judgment of a person should not depend on external factors, but on one's own judgment is more important.

The reason why the Dwarf King came was actually to figure out their details. With the Orc Lord being defeated, who could know if the newly emerging character was a threat?

Rimuru spread his hands and said, "It's your freedom to suspect us, but we can't talk like this, right?"

"Don't worry. Meeting you isn't something to be done by talking, I'm going to use my sword to clarify your essence. You boast that you're the leader of this forest, I have to teach you how to write the word 'propriety'. If your sword isn't just for decoration, you better accept my proposal."

After saying that, the Dwarf King handed the axe-spear in his hand to the knight beside him, and then drew the long sword from his waist.

The eagerness to seek a battle made it impossible to refuse.

There was no way to refuse.

After all, if they didn't show their strength, they would be regarded as weak, and perhaps the entire town would be devoured in an instant. Although Zunzun was here, they wouldn't be reduced to prisoners or slaves, but Zunzun still had his own affairs and couldn't stay in the town forever.

"…I accept this challenge. You actually said I was boasting, I'm going to make you regret it!"

Losing the battle but not the spirit.

Rimuru shouted as he stepped forward, and the Dwarf King gave him an approving look.

The subordinates who came with the Dwarf King didn't stop him, not knowing whether it was because they knew the Dwarf King's temperament and it would be useless to dissuade him, or whether they felt that their king wouldn't lose in a one-on-one fight, just like Benimaru and the others.

In any case, before they knew it, everyone had gathered around the two of them, forming a circle, with them facing each other in the center.

"As for the conditions for victory, if you can withstand one of my attacks, you win. Needless to say, you can attack as much as you like. But—don't underestimate me, the Sword Saint, Gazel Dwargo's sword!"

As a Sword Saint, the Dwarf King had the right to be arrogant, and his slightly curved single-handed sword was engraved with beautiful patterns.

Zunzun could tell that it was a powerful magic item.

Rimuru also took out the longsword made by the dwarven forging master, Kaijin, and prepared to meet the attack without showing any weakness.

Just then—

"Well, then, I'll be the referee!"

A cool, refreshing voice rang out, instantly enveloping the entire venue. At the same time, a verdant figure appeared before everyone, an astonishingly beautiful woman—Treyni of the Dryads.

Her appearance immediately caused a commotion in the venue, indicating that she had quite the presence. It would have been even better if she could have wiped away the potato chip crumbs still lingering at the corners of her mouth.

Treyni first smiled at Zunzun.

Because Zunzun was standing behind Rimuru, it looked like she was smiling at Rimuru, causing the Dwarf King's brow to twitch slightly.

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"You are being very rude to our Lord of the Forest Alliance, Dwarf King. Dare to say that Lord Rimuru is boasting. Are you prepared to become enemies with the residents of the forest? However, since Lord Rimuru has accepted your challenge, it's not appropriate for me, as his subordinate, to say anything more. I'll pretend I didn't see it this time. But, if you don't abide by the agreement, I won't show any mercy."

Wasn't that saying everything?

Treyni spoke the unspoken thoughts of Benimaru and the others.

The sudden appearance of the highest-ranking being in the forest caused the Dwarf King's subordinates to show a tragic expression, as if they were prepared to die here.

"Haha, hahaha…"

The Dwarf King was unmoved.

"So, you're not a bluffing Lord of the Forest Alliance, Rimuru. I apologize for saying you were boasting earlier. Also, I've roughly guessed what happened. However, that's separate from testing your character. Now that we even have a referee, this fight is unavoidable!"

Just as he said.

It concerned the life and death of the Dwarf Kingdom. As the Dwarf King, he had to see Rimuru's good and evil. If he harbored hostile intentions, then he would have to bear the responsibility of eliminating him!

"Alright, you're right."

Now that things had come to this, Rimuru was also a little angry.

"Watch me beat you to a pulp, and then you'll explain this whole thing properly!"

However, in reality, he was having difficulty even parrying.

He had never lost a verbal argument, but he had never won a fight.

Rimuru was, after all, a slime, skilled in various diverse abilities, and if he had to be described, he would be something like a magic instructor. Fighting the Dwarf King, who was a Sword Saint and extremely strong in the art of swordsmanship, was naturally a losing battle.

He used methods such as running away, bending his body at bizarre angles, turning into a slime to evade attacks, and even using his slime body to extend his arms to increase his attack range, but the Dwarf King seemed to have anticipated his moves and blocked the sneak attacks with precise parries.

However, in the end, Rimuru barely managed to withstand the Dwarf King's swordsmanship and achieve victory by using a technique he had seen Hakurou use.

At the same time, he recognized Hakurou and they addressed each other as senior and junior disciples.

A happy ending?

"Hakurou, I wonder if you could teach me some swordsmanship as well?"

"…It doesn't seem like you're joking, sir."

Hakurou was somewhat surprised to see Zunzun say this seriously.

Rimuru was even more puzzled, saying, "Why? It's not that I want to stop you, Zunzun, but you're so strong—you can even separate quark-level matter. Swordsmanship doesn't seem necessary for you, right?"

"No, that's not the case," Zunzun said. "To put it in terms that Rimuru can understand, it's like the same computer. One person can use it to create all sorts of creative products, while another person can only use it to do reports and other logistical work…"

"Ah! Don't say that! It reminds me of the talented juniors at the company! I worked so hard… Waaah…!"

Rimuru knelt on the ground and wailed loudly.

It seemed he understood.

That's right, Zunzun's hardware had caught up, but his software and creativity were still lacking. He had learned this lesson from Luo Hao and the Great Sage Equaling Heaven. Although they were both Campiones, the vast difference between them did not stem from the amount of power, but from the application of that power.

Especially the Great Sage Equaling Heaven, whose martial arts, staff techniques, and magic were used freely and flexibly, far beyond what Zunzun could compare to.

And Hakurou's use of his own power was exquisite, which was why Zunzun was not ashamed to ask for guidance.

Speaking of which, he was quite envious of Rimuru.

As the main body, he only had to eat, while the Great Sage, as the combat center, had to consider much more.

"…Hmm?"

Zunzun suddenly sensed a probing aura, turned around, and looked at the Dwarf King and the others, "A bit late for a self-introduction. I am Zunzun, Zunzun of the Crimson Demons."

His eyes emitted a faint red glow.

"Let me state in advance that I hate being probed. It makes me feel very uncomfortable and prone to reactive behavior."

"—Crack!"

As if responding to his words, a crystal ball in an old woman's hand was covered in cracks, then completely shattered. She also clutched her heart tightly with one hand, while the other hand trembled as she pointed at Zunzun, her aged, wrinkled face twisted with horror and fear.

"C-Calamity…!?"

Then, she fainted.

As an inexplicable pressure slowly enveloped the entire air, the A-ranked Pegasus trembled and emitted fearful emotions, causing the knights to become nervous as well. They barely managed to avoid falling off their horses by gripping the reins tightly.

The Dwarf King was also sweating profusely.