Chapter 48: Return To Goblin Village.

"Rimuru POV:"

It's been a few weeks since we returned from Dwargon.

Upon our return, we found a group of goblins gathered around our village; there were around a total of 716 goblins.

They came here after hearing that we had taken this village under our protection, named all of the villagers, and tamed direwolves. While I anticipated their arrival, I didn't expect so many. Nevertheless, we welcomed them all and made them citizens of our village, naturally giving each one a name.

After assigning roles to every goblin, I promoted Rigurd to the position of Goblin King, tasking him with overseeing all of the goblins. Later, I selected certain goblins and granted them the title of goblin lord. Additionally, I handpicked individuals to lead specific departments; for example, Ririna became the head of the agriculture department, Gobichi took charge of the food department, and Rigur assumed leadership of the security and supplies department.

I chose not to appoint Gobta as the head of the security department at this time because he is currently too clumsy and immature. Instead, I assigned him under Rigur as second in command to gain experience. However, this doesn't mean Gobta has no responsibilities; he still has important duties under Rigur's guidance.

Well, that's the situation with the goblins. Now, it's almost time for Shizue's return; she should be here soon. However, I can still sense that lazy lizard is with Ramiris, probably just reading manga and slacking off. He needs to go to Grynd and inform her that I've summoned her, as it's a matter of utmost importance! I'll need to remind that old man to hurry up.

"Old man!!!" (Rimuru)

I just sent a [Thought Communication] to Veldora, and he better answer it or else I'll have to do something.

"*No response*" (Veldora)

Damn that otaku dragon! If that's what he wants, then that's what he gets. So here it goes.

...And done! I just sent a small, miniscule amount of [Turn Null] energy to him through our soul corridor. It's like getting shocked; it will feel to him like he just got a mini shock. Actually, it works like this: first, I send a miniscule amount of [Turn Null] energy to him through our soul corridor, and this energy directly hits his core, giving him the same feeling as when a human gets shocked by a small taser gun.

"What is wrong with you, Rimuru?!" (Veldora)

"Take that, old man! That's what you get for not answering me." (Rimuru)

"What happened? Why did you just shock me?" (Veldora)

"I did that because you didn't respond to me! Anyway, did you finish whatever you were doing with Ramiris or is it still left?" (Rimuru)

"No, I don't." (Veldora)

"What are you doing anyway?" (Rimuru)

"I am learning light magic!" (Veldora)

"Don't lie to me! I know that you are not doing that; you were just reading manga and passing time, weren't you?!" (Rimuru)

"N...no, no, I don't know what you're talking about. I swear I was just learning magic!" (Veldora)

"I don't buy it, but for this once, I'll let you go. So tell me, when are you planning to go to Grynd and tell her that I had called her?" (Rimuru)

"Do I seriously need to? Can't you just use a [Thought Communication] like how you send me?" (Veldora)

Well, he has a point. But if I do that, then he'll have nothing to do, and who knows what trouble he and that pixy together will cause. These two idiots will probably do something that I'll need to fix, and right now, I don't have time for their babysitting. So it will be a good way to waste some of his time.

"No, I can't do that, and don't question me why because I don't want to, and that's it. So you have to go and tell her. You should go now, and after that is done, you can do whatever you want. Just don't cause any chaos." (Rimuru)

"Fine! You don't have to say that; I'll do it." (Veldora)

"Good. Now finish your task, and then you are free to do whatever you want. Anyway, why do you want to learn magic?" (Rimuru)

He has been saying that he wants to learn magic for some time, but he has never once said why. I wonder what his reason will be? But I can bet that it is something related to manga.

"I am glad you asked. I am learning light magic because after that, I can finally use Kaioken!! Then I will be able to become Super Saiyan Blue 10x Kaioken!! Hahahahaha!!" (Veldora)

Yep, I knew it. It was something like that. Well, he is doing his thing, so it's okay.

"Well, good for you then, but make sure to do that work before anything else." (Rimuru)

"Yes, sir!" (Veldora)

With that, we cut off our [Thought Communication] link.

Now that's done, it's time to welcome Shizue.

"Master, I am going to our home for a while," Ciel said, interrupting my thoughts.

Throughout our conversation and while I was updating you on what happened and talking with Veldora, Ciel had been resting her head on my lap. We were sitting under one tree after assigning today's tasks to the goblins.

"Is there any reason behind your sudden return to our home?" I asked her, curious about her plans.

"Well, there is. I just want to make a welcome cake for Shizue," she said, standing up.

Their friendship remains as strong as ever. Sometimes, I wonder if they are my two wives or sisters because their relationship seems like that of two sisters. Well, it's a good thing anyway.

"That is so sweet of you, my dear. Then why don't you let me help you?" I asked her because I would also like to help.

My cooking skills are not on par with Ciel's, but they are still better than others'.

"No, Master, you should welcome her while I go and make the cake," she replied to me.

"Fine, but before that, we need to talk," I said to her in a serious voice.

"Yes, Master, what is it?" she asked me.

"Come, sit here," I said to her as I say down, leaned against the tree.

As I motioned for her to sit, she settled onto my lap.

"It's about earlier, what you said to me when we were in Dwargon," I began, bringing up the subject that I really wanted to discuss while wrapping my arms around her body.

"What?" she asked, oblivious to what I was talking about.

"It's about a baby. You said that you want a child, right?" I asked her, this time more specifically.

"Hahaha, I think I should really go and make the cake; the clock is ticking, you know," she said with a flushed and embarrassed face.

"Oh no, you don't. And about time, we don't need to worry about that," I said, tightening my grip around her while stopping time.

"Now tell me, do you want a child?" I asked her again, but in a soft and gentle voice.

If she really wants it, then I don't have any problem with it. She can have as much as she wants.

Hm... A boy would be good, but I also like the idea of a girl, a cute daughter.

"Well... I want it, but not now. Maybe when we are done with our journey of establishing our kingdom," she said, still with an embarrassed face.

"Why not now? Is there something on your mind?" I asked her, because if she wants a child, there is no need to wait; we can have one anytime she wants.

"It's nothing serious, Master. It's just that with all our work, like the upcoming orcs and later going to Ingrassia, and many more things, we won't have enough time to raise a child. That's why we should wait a little," she explained her reason.

Well, she is right. We have too much work to do, and during this time, we won't have enough time to raise a child.

"Then how about this: after we finish building our kingdom and other things like the war with Blondie and the stuff that will happen after that, we can have a child. How does that sound?" I asked her. When we finish these things, we won't have any work to do, and that time will be the perfect time to raise a child.

"Yes, that would be wonderful," she said, smiling.

Ah, how beautiful she looks when she smiles like this.

"Fine, then we will go with this plan. Now you can go and do whatever you want to do, but before that," I agreed with her and took her by surprise with a passionate kiss.

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"We are going to separate for some time, so I needed to recharge first, or else how am I going to survive?" I said to her playfully after a long, passionate five-minute kiss.

"Just go already!" she said, pushing me away and left.

How cute!!

And it seems that Shizue is near the village because I can sense her. Just then, Rigurd approached.

"Rimuru-sama, Rimuru-sama, we found some suspicious people in the forest. What shall we do about them?" Rigurd said as he came near me.

"Suspicious, huh? Well, let's see. Those three idiots do seem suspicious, but not in a bad way," I mused.

"What kind of people are they? Are they monsters or humans?" I asked him, feigning obliviousness to what he was saying.

"They are humans, great Rimuru," Rigurd informed me.

"I'll go and see what they are doing. In the meantime, you can prepare some food for 4-5 people," I instructed, already knowing who they are and why they are here.

"Understood, Sir Rimuru!" Rigurd acknowledged before leaving.

Well, now it's finally time to meet Shizue. As for those idiots, there's no need to worry about them because I made sure that everything happened to them just as it did in my other variants' timeline.

Actually, before coming to the goblin village and after instructing Veldora to hide his presence, I had a talk with Zegion. I informed him that in a few days, some humans would enter the Jura Forest. His task was to intercept them, put them under his illusion, and make them experience the exact same things that I wanted them to know.

Later, I provided Zegion with information about these people, who I referred to as the idiot trio because, well, they are idiots. I gave him details about how they entered the Jura Forest and what happened to them in my other variants' timeline.

So now, even if they came to investigate Veldora's disappearance, they wouldn't do anything due to being under illusion. What they saw was this: they entered the forest, were chased by monsters, and eventually reached Veldora's cave. However, they found nothing there - not even a single monster, Hipokute herb, or magic ore. With nothing else to do, they simply returned, just as things happened in other timelines.

I did this because it allows me to establish relationships with humans, particularly with the guild of Blumund, and ultimately to establish diplomatic relations with the kingdom of Blumund.

Now, let's welcome Shizue.

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And that's end. That's all for this chapter.

Sorry for the short chapter, guys. At this moment, I have too much on my plate: family problems, college exams, studies, hospital work, my part-time job, and several other stuff. This is why I'm unable to focus on writing new chapters, and I believe it will continue until the end of this month. So, please bear with me just this once. There is a chance that new chapters might be delayed due to some of my personal problems.

Tell me how is the chapter in comments. It is really motivates me to write new chapters.

Word Count: 2k