Chapter 43: Taming the Direwolves.

Well, now we are here outside the goblin village, looking over the direwolves in front of us.

Some things have happened since this afternoon. After taking the goblins under my protection, I healed all of their injured men and handled other matters that were not that important.

"Aaooooooooooo!" a direwolf howled.

Hm... They are here, huh? Well, I guess, it's time for the third step

My other variant killed Ranga's father, but here I can stop him without killing him.

So, should I save him or just kill him?

Nah... who cares. I'll just kill him and make the others submit. He's not going to be any use to me anyway. Yeah, I'll just do that.

As I am thinking this, Ciel and I arrive in front of the village entrance where the direwolves are gathered to attack.

Well, time to kill the alpha wolf.

"Step away, humans, or else we will have to kill you!" the leader wolf said.

"Kill, huh? Aren't you the arrogant bastard," I replied casually, not even looking at him.

I am not looking at the alpha wolf because I am currently focused on my future personal wolf, or should I say, cute puppy.

Even from here, his fur looks so fluffy. I just want to grab him and cuddle him.

Ciel is also looking in the same direction. I guess we both have the same thoughts.

"So, you have chosen your death, huh? Prepare yourself!" the leader wolf said, charging towards us in hopes of killing us.

Too bad for this guy. How should I kill him? Should I just cut off his head? Or should I erase his concept? Or maybe give him to [Azathoth] so he can torture him?

Nah... I'll just kill him. [Azathoth]'s torture would be too much for him; even Guy can't handle that kind of torture.

"Father, nooo!!" Ranga yelled to his father.

I guess he must have sensed danger.

"Sorry, Ranga, but your father has to die. So, how should I kill him?.... I know, I will just cut him into two pieces."

And there we go, clean and perfect.

I just cut that wolf into two pieces without even moving.

What I just did is manipulate the information particles in the surroundings. Through these information particles, I indirectly manipulated the wind to blow in a specific direction towards that wolf, ensuring it was cut into two parts. The result is the wolf being cleanly sliced into two perfect halves.

Now, it's time for the main event.

"If you don't choose one of the options I'm about to give you, then you'll be next. So choose carefully. Your choices are: first, submit to me and become my subordinates; and second, don't submit and die. Choose now, because I don't have much time," I declared to them.

Before I gave them their options, I opened my draconic wings because it looks cool. I can bet that now I am downright looking evil. Yep, an act befitting a Demon Lord.

So cool!!! I always wanted to try this!!!

"You look so cool there, Master!!!" Ciel said, looking at me with stars in her eyes.

"I know, right? I always wanted to try this," I replied to her.

Well, let's get back at the direwolves.

"Speak!" I said in a dominant voice while shifting my focus to the direwolves.

It seemed like they discussed something among themselves using [Thought Communication], which is their intrinsic skill. After their brief discussion, my future puppy came forward and started to speak.

"We submit!" Future Ranga said.

Good! Good! The third part is done. Now, I should let them rest for the night and name them tomorrow.

"Good. From now on, you all are my subordinates. So, for the time being, stay inside the village and don't harm anyone. And you, the chief of the goblins, show them a place where they can stay for the night!" I ordered them.

After ordering them and ensuring that no further conflict would arise, Ciel and I moved to a spot a little away from the village. We found a place where the moonlight was directly falling on us and sat under a tree.

I sat on the ground, leaning against the tree, while Ciel sat on my lap.

I think I could look at her like this for eternity.

In the shining moonlight, her dazzling silvery-blue hair radiates divinity, cascading like a waterfall of shimmering silk. Her vibrant and intense crimson red eyes are the cherry on top, making her already beautiful face even more stunning.

Her luscious, reddish-pink lips are perfectly shaped, inviting and captivating. Her cheeks, kissed with a delicate blush of pink, add a touch of innocence and warmth to her ethereal beauty. The silvery-blue strands of her hair frame her face with enchanting elegance, creating a mesmerizing contrast with her crimson eyes. The moonlight enhances every feature, making her appear even more beautiful.

All of this, illuminated by the moonlight, is just mesmerizing to me.

Just by seeing her like this, my heart is melting. I just want to eat her right here, right now.

Wait! Wait! Wait! I am getting distracted!!! I need to think about what to do next!!! Focus, Rimuru, focus!!

The next step is naming them and later going to Dwargon. But before that, there is something that I need to do, and that is...

"Ciel, if I am right, the next thing we need to do is name all of these monsters and later head to Dwargon. After that, Shizue will return," I asked Ciel to confirm that I am on the right track.

"Yes, Master. But what are you planning to do with the Primordials? I'm sure Diablo will gather them and be ready to return in no time. Also, we haven't even established a town yet, so it's too early for them to be our subordinates. What do you have in mind for them?" she asked.

Her question is valid. So what to do? What to do?

Yeah, I know what to do. I'll just bring the Primordials for the time being. Their subordinates and all the other demons can come later when I bring Ramiris here. Yes, that will do the job.

"Don't worry, honey. I am just going to bring the Primordials for the time being, and others can come later. But first, we have something to do, but not here. Let's go into [Imaginary Space]," I said to her.

Before she could say anything, I kissed her aggressively on the lips, and we transported into [Imaginary Space], right onto our bed.

I couldn't hold it anymore.

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.

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*Time skip: one hot night later.*

Right now, I am sitting outside the village with Ciel on my lap.

Last night was one of the most wonderful nights of my life.

But it's not the time to dwell on this. Let's focus on today's work.

Today's task is naming. How should I name these people? It will be too much hassle to name them one by one.

"Master, if we make some alterations to The Voice Of The World, we can add a new auto-naming function to it. With our command, it can name anyone, and for names, we can just provide the information from everyone's names in our other variant's timeline," Ciel said to me.

"Hmm... That's a good idea and it will save us so much time too. That's settled then; we will use this idea. Go ahead and add this function to it," I told Ciel.

"Okay, while I do that, you should gather everyone in one place," she said, and began to do her thing.

Even though I am this strong, I don't know how to do these kinds of things manually as fast as Ciel, like altering skills and all this stuff.

I can manage these things, but compared to her, it's like a novice trying to compete with a master artisan. Her proficiency and speed are incredible.

But if I became serious and focused, I could match her. However, these trivial tasks are too boring for my taste, so I don't like doing them. That's why, without Ciel, I wouldn't be able to handle a single thing related to this kind of work, like altering and evolving skills or manually adjusting the mechanisms of The Voice Of The World.

Well, it's an entirely different thing that I can just alter The Voice Of The World by thinking about it or ordering it to evolve someone's skill or alter their abilities. But hey, this and doing it manually are two different things, so let's not count that. Still, I can't handle these tasks manually like Ciel can.

Well, it doesn't matter if I can do it like Ciel or not because I have Ciel with me, and she won't be leaving me. We are inseparable, so it's not a problem.

Heck, we haven't even let go of each other's hands since the start of our journey, not even now when she is altering The Voice Of The World. Of course, excluding the part when we were in our [Imaginary Space].

Well, it's time to gather everyone. Let's do this; I've always wanted to do it like this.

"Subjects!!!" I called out.

I always wanted to call my subordinates as 'Subjects.'

I bet I look cool, just like that character from the manga I read once. That character also called his subordinates 'Subjects.'

I think Veldora's otaku disease is starting to affect me.

As I called them, everyone soon gathered before me. However, it seemed that some of them were still not here yet, so I need to tell the goblin chief to gather the remaining people.

"Goblin chief!" I called out to the leader of the goblins, noticing the gaps in the assembled monsters.

"Yes, Lord Rimuru?" he responded promptly, stepping forward with a respectful bow.

"Gather everyone here!" I ordered, emphasizing the urgency.

"Yes, Lord Rimuru," he said, and immediately began instructing the goblins to find and bring everyone to the meeting spot. I watched as he efficiently relayed the message to others. Despite their seeming lack of intelligence, they are surprisingly competent.

"Master, I have finished my work, and now it is possible to auto-name them," Ciel informed me, her eyes gleaming with satisfaction at a job well done.

Well, considering this kind of thing is her hobby, and there's nothing left for us to analyze or modify since we already know everything. There's seriously no reason to modify anything for the past few thousand years, so modifying The Voice of The World must have made her happy.

"I see. That's good to know," I replied, relieved that this task would now be much easier.

Naming each individual one by one is too time-consuming, but that's not the main issue. The real problem is that it's too boring for my liking. So, this new function will streamline the process, making it significantly less boring.

Naming is a crucial step in consolidating our group and preparing for the journey ahead. It will not only solidify their loyalty but also strengthen their identities and bonds within our growing community, laying a solid foundation for my future nation.

After receiving my reply, she nodded and leaned her head on my shoulder. Soon, we entered a comfortable silence, patiently waiting for everyone to gather.

"Everyone is here, Lord Rimuru!" The goblin chief, or future Rigurd, announced after gathering everyone.

Hmm... all the goblins and direwolves are present, so now we can start giving them names.

"Guys, today you are gathered here because I have something in mind for you, and that is I am going to name all of you," I announced to them, causing a heavy silence to engulf the entire village.

"L... Lord Rimuru, did you just say you're naming us?" Rigurd asked, breaking the silence.

"Yes, it will signify that you are my subordinates. Is there a problem with that?" I replied.

"N... no, Lord Rimuru, but the consequences of naming someone..." He began to express concerns about the consequences, but I cut him off.

"Well, I understand the consequences of naming someone, and it doesn't matter to me, so I am going to name all of you!" I declared, and now they are jumping for joy.

"You, the leader of this village, and you, the new leader of the direwolves. Also, you, you, and you—come forward," I ordered some selected individuals to step up.

Actually, even though I can auto-name them, there are still some monsters that I would like to name myself, like the chief who will be Rigurd and my puppy Range, as well as that other goblin who will be named Gobta, some other monsters.

"Yes, Lord Rimuru?" Future Rigurd asked as the monsters I mentioned came forward.

"You people, I am going to name you personally," I announced to them, which made them even happier. But why is the old leader crying?

Weird!

"You, the previous leader of this village, you will be 'Rigurd,' and your job will be managing this village," I declared, giving the name 'Rigurd' to the former leader.

"You, you will be 'Rigur,' and you will be 'Gobta.' Your name will be 'Ririna,' you will be 'Gobichi,' and you will be 'Gobzo,'" I named some more selected goblins.

I named these selected monsters separately because each of them showed great potential. Ririna has the potential to become intelligent and make significant progress in the field of agriculture, while Gobichi shows promise as a great cook. Based on the information I gathered, these individuals excel in their respective fields.

Notably, Rigur and Gobzo stand out for their potential strength. Gobzo has the potential to reach at least the level of a Special-A rank monster, while Rigur shows potential to achieve A rank status. Additionally, Rigur also displays promising abilities in politics.

Among these monsters, Gobta is a true gem. He is the most talented among all of the. He is cunning, intelligent (at times), and sharp-minded. To top it off, he had an incredible luck.

And the most interesting part is, he has the potential to reach the Special-S rank after merging with Ranga and becoming as strong as an Awakened Demon Lord. He will achieve this strength once he learns how to merge with Ranga in the future and properly control that power.

Even without that ability, he can still become as strong as Special-A class to S class, which is almost, if not as strong as a Demon Lord seed level.

This class system is superior and more accurate than the ranking systems used by humans. Ramiris, Veldora, and I developed this system during our free time. It directly utilizes an individual's existence value along with their fighting prowess, making it more comprehensive and precise compared to both the human ranking system and my other variants' ranking systems.

(Note: This story features a different class system compared to the Tempest class system in the LN. Here, individuals ranked as A class are stronger than those ranked as Special A class in the LN. For example, if Gobta is given a Special-A class rank in this story, then he is stronger than his canonical self because this ranking system is superior to the canonical one. The only difference lies in the Tempest ranking system from the LN; the ranking system of the Free Guild remains the same in this story. If a person has an A rank according to the guild, then that person also holds an A rank in the canonical system because both guilds' ranking systems are identical.)

Now that these monsters are named, it's time to name my puppy.

"You will be known as 'Ranga' and you will be my and Ciel's personal wolf," I named him and assigned his position.

"Ciel," I called her, and she understood what she have to do.

{You have been given the name by 'The Embodiment of Nothingness; The Ruler of Void: Rimuru Tempest!'}

The Voice Of The World announced each monster's name and bestowed it upon them.

Soon, everyone received their names. However, the monsters named directly by me consumed more magicules than those named by The Voice Of The World. I think it's because I named them personally and they possess greater potential than other monsters.

Well, that's one thing done. Now, the next step is heading to Dwargon. But before that,

"Everyone, now that each of you has received your name, you are about to undergo evolution. Take your time for two days and then gather back here. But before you leave, there's an important matter to address," I instructed them with authority.

The next task is establishing some rules. It's crucial to set guidelines to ensure order and maintain a healthy, prosperous village or nation.

"Let's proceed with setting the rules that will guide you," I announced to them.

"Yes, Rimuru-sama!" they responded enthusiastically in unison.

"So, the rules are:

1. Don't attack humans unless they attack you first. If they do, then show no mercy; destroy them, crush them, obliterate them.

2. Don't belittle other races.

3. Don't fight among ourselves. That's all!" I announced the rules to everyone.

As I stated the rules, they seemed a bit confused.

"If you have any questions, feel free to ask," I reassured them.

Seeing their confusion, I encouraged them to seek clarification.

"Sir Rimuru!" Gobta raised his hand to ask a question.

"Yes, Gobta," I nodded to him, signaling for him to proceed.

"Why can't we attack humans first?" he asked his question.

Well, his question is valid because most of the time, when humans enter the forest, they often attack monsters without thinking. In turn, monsters also instinctively retaliate against humans whenever they encounter them, and this leads to conflict.

"Alright, Gobta, let me explain in more detail why there are rules regarding humans. You see, it's important not to attack humans first because they typically live in large, organized societies, much like countries. If humans are provoked, they might retaliate with full force, potentially leading to a conflict where all of them might need to be eliminated for your protection.

Moreover, there's another aspect to consider. In the past, I had a friend who liked humans, and out of respect for my friend, you are refrained from being the ones to initiate attacks.

On the other hand, if humans attacks you first, it becomes a matter of self-defense. In such situations, you are fully justified in defending yourselves and can retaliate as necessary to ensure your safety and the safety of our community.

Therefore, these rules are in place not just to avoid unnecessary conflict but also to uphold principles of self-defense and respect for other beings. Does this clarify why these rules are followed?" I explained to all of them why they can't attack humans first.

"Yes, Rimuru-sama," Gobta answered me, and it seems that he understood what I said. He seems pretty sharp for a goblin.

Well, I just told them half the truth. The real reason behind it is that if they attack humans and humans retaliate, and if by chance something happens to one of them, then I don't know what I will do.

They are now my subordinates; they are like family to me. If they were harmed by humans, in a fit of rage, I might end up obliterating all humans in the world. And I seriously want to avoid that situation because, you know, Velda, as well as Shizue and Chloe, like humans, and that's why I made this rule.

However, if humans attack them first, then there is no need to hold anything back, and there is no need to show any mercy to those pathetic creatures commonly referred to as humans.

However, even if they are pathetic and the worst kind of creatures, I can't deny that there are some people who are good, gentle, kind, and caring among them, like Chloe, Shizue's students, and more people like them.

Well, I could have said that Shizue is also one of them, but after her evolution into a 'True Spirit,' she can no longer be classified as human. Now, she belongs to a new and different race, or we can say she is akin to a True Dragon but without a Dragon form or the Dragon name.

Apart from lacking one of the three intrinsic skills of True Dragons, a dragon form, and having a different name, she is basically a True Dragon in all aspects. Like strength, magicules, existence value, and other attributes. Heck, just like us True Dragons, even if she completely dies to the point where her soul shatters and her core is destroyed, she can still resurrect herself.

However, I don't think that will ever happen because when she evolved into a 'True Spirit,' I devoured her, similar to how I devoured True Dragon siblings, and turned her into skills, just as I did with True Dragon siblings. As a result, [Azathoth] acquired two more sub-skills: [True Spirit Release] and [True Spirit Nucleation], which function exactly like [True Dragon Release] and [True Dragon Nucleation].

Well, let's leave that matter aside for now and focus on the task at hand.

"Are there any other questions?" I asked them, because if they have any, then this is the right time to ask.

"Rimuru-sama, what do you mean by 'Don't belittle other races' and 'Don't fight among ourselves'?" This time it was Rigurd who asked.

"Rigurd, 'don't belittle other races' means you shouldn't disrespect others just because they're weaker or from a different race than yours. Now that you've received your name and are becoming stronger, it's crucial not to become arrogant. You mustn't think yourselves superior to others. If you provoke weaker races, they might grow stronger and retaliate someday, which we want to avoid.

Regarding 'don't fight among ourselves,' it's important that despite your growing strength, we should not fight or dominate each other. I want all of you to live peacefully without resorting to violence.

Lastly, going forward, you will work in pairs, such as one direwolf with one goblin, forming friendships and supporting each other. Understand?" I clarified these rules and expectations, emphasizing the importance of respect, peace, and cooperation among all.

"Yes, sir Rimuru!!!" they exclaimed, jumping around in joy.

Well, good for them.

"Well, guys, I have some work to do. While I'm gone, you should rest for a while," I told them.

"Yes, Rimuru-sama!" After receiving confirmation from them, Ciel and I started heading towards the old man.

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

Please let me know your thoughts on the chapter in the comments. It really motivates me to write new chapters.

Word Count: 3.8k