[Tensura] I Was a Doctor, But Reincarnated as a Dragon? Chapter 38 38: The Existence of a Demon Lord

After hearing from one of his subordinates about Rimuru, Vertis remained in his room, seriously mulling over the report.

Kijin, was it? They were a higher race among ogres, said to evolve only after accumulating imnse experience and strength, or born as such in extrely rare cases. They were powerful enough that there was a precedent of a single naless kijin destroying an entire small city. And all six of them had been nad? If they were nad kijin, each one of them would likely be classified as a hazard-level disaster.

What was even more surprising was that despite being nad, they showed no signs of weakening. Normally, the energy cost of naming should have left them visibly drained...

"No, I know that guy's power is bottomless, but an orc army..."

Changing the subject, the Great Forest of Jura was currently in turmoil due to an army of 200,000 orcs. There was no doubt the dryads, who monitored most of the forest's happenings, were aware of it. However, the dryads alone would likely find it impossible to oppose the Orc Lord and his horde.

In that case, the dryads had only one option: seek help from the strong. And the strongest presence in the area was undoubtedly Rimuru and his subordinates.

Just then, soone appeared before him.

"Long ti no see, Gaio."

"It has been a while, my lord."

"It is good to see you again, my lord."

Gaio was a draconoid monster who found the aning of his life in fighting alongside Drago and increasing his strength through victory. He was not of the sa species as Milim, but rather a mutant of the dragnute race—an evolved form of the lizardn.

He had looked like a samurai when they first t, as if heavily influenced by Japanese culture. While many mysteries still surrounded him, his battle record was unbelievable, and his cold, calculating intellect was terrifying. Once Vertis had taught him the aning of defeat, Gaio had voluntarily entered his service to grow stronger. Because he was such a rare talent, Vertis bestowed the na Gaio upon him, triggering an imdiate evolution. The ragged armor he once wore transford into a splendid, ironclad suit of imnse durability; his head took on a form similar to Drago's, and a sharp, white mane grew along his back.

The spikes on his shoulder guards and his angular sword, nad Kokurin, evoked the image of a curved scimitar.

As for Minayomi, she had been born as a kijin from the start. Gifted with a natural talent for swordsmanship, exceptional dynamic vision, and superior physical abilities, she had set out on a journey to seek strength from the mont she ca of age.

She had pink hair that reached her shoulders, two prominent horns, and wore Japanese-style clothing—though it was a revealing outfit that exposed her cleavage. She wore protective guards on her shoulders and waist typical of a samurai, and her skirt was so daringly short that it threatened to reveal too much with a single movent. Like Gaio, she had joined Vertis's service for the sake of strength, and since then, she had gone by the na Minayomi.

"Well, to get straight to the point—I heard the two of you stayed in the ogres' village for a while. Is that true?"

"Indeed. They welcod us when we were seeking a place to rest."

"Yes. It felt like returning to my hotown after a long ti. Though, technically, that was several hundred years ago."

"I see. Then... do you have any inkling about this orc invasion?"

At the question, Gaio closed his eyes for a mont in thought. Once he had sorted through his mories, he opened them and spoke.

"Co to think of it, shortly before the attack, a high-level demon visited the village. I do not know his na, but I recall the entire village turned him away."

A high-level demon...

"Was he strong?"

Gaio shook his head.

"He was pitifully weak. He might be considered a powerhouse in a human village, but here, he would be treated as re fodder."

"He wasn't even worth the effort of fighting," Minayomi added.

Hmm... an orc army, a high-level demon, and an Orc Lord...

It feels as if the dots are finally connecting.

"Then, that ogre child who was with you..."

"Yes, that child was entrusted to by an ogre from the village. I could not simply ignore the dying wish of a fellow warrior..."

"Well, that is a secondary matter. But this is absolutely no coincidence. I doubt a high-level demon of that caliber could conceive a plan of this scale on his own. There must be soone pulling the strings."

The wealth required to equip an entire orc army with armor, and the power to command a high-level demon at will... only one type of being could manage such a feat.

"A demon lord... most likely."

***

anwhile.

Upon hearing from Rigurd that a lizardman ssenger had arrived, Rimuru headed toward the village entrance, wondering who it might be. He was accompanied by several of the kijin, including Benimaru.

When they arrived, they found only a single lizardman holding a spear. Just as Rimuru was about to wonder if he was alone, a man riding a giant lizard erged from the forest, performing a flashy stunt as he declared:

"My na is Gabiru! I shall grant you the opportunity to beco my subordinates!!"

Rimuru was montarily speechless at such an absurdly brazen demand. Rigurd stepped forward to address the stranger.

"You suddenly demand our submission—may I ask what reason you have for such a request?"

"My, my! Do I really have to spell everything out for you to understand? An army of orcs is currently marching through the Great Forest of Jura. Whatever those pigs are planning, you re goblins won't be able to withstand such numbers, will you?"

There was so truth to Gabiru's words. Rimuru already had information regarding the orc army, and Benimaru's group were victims who had lost their own village to that very force.

Forming an alliance between different races to oppose the threat would be a logical move. However, looking at Gabiru, Rimuru hesitated; he wasn't sure he wanted to trust a man like this with his back.

"Furthermore, I heard there is soone in this village who tad the arang race. Bring that person to , and I shall appoint them as one of my officers."

Gabiru continued to look down on them. While Rimuru didn't take it personally, the kijin surrounding him were clearly displeased, their expressions darkening with anger.

"U-um, I wouldn't say I tad them... I just beca friends with the arang race..."

Rimuru spoke while nestled in Shion's arms in his sli form. Gabiru responded with a loud snort.

"Hah! What nonsense! There is no way a lowly sli like you could achieve such a feat! If that were true, just how weak must those arang be?!"

Rimuru deflated instantly.

I guess it doesn't matter how terrifying the kijin and hobgoblins are; if their master is a sli, everyone's just going to look down on us...

Shocked by the insult, Rimuru fell into a state of deep despair. Though he couldn't shed tears in sli form, his subordinates—seeing their master so disheartened—all radiated blatant murderous intent toward Gabiru.

That bastard! Should we just kill him now?

For a mont, the hearts of Rimuru's companions beat as one. Yet, while suppressing their rage, they remained rational.

They knew Rimuru had no desire to kill Gabiru. Their master was far too kind, lovable, and gentle for a monster; he wouldn't want to kill even a loud-mouthed lizard. More importantly, he would want to defeat the orc army while ensuring his friends remained unhard.

Allying with this lizard would undoubtedly increase their chances of victory. However, they couldn't simply let the man who insulted their master go unpunished.

"Oh? What are you all doing here?"

Just as they were debating how to handle Gabiru, Gobuta appeared at the perfect mont.

"Huh? Rimuru-sama! What's wrong?!"

Even Gobuta, who usually struggled to read the room, could tell that Rimuru was slumped in despair.

Those who followed Rimuru with such devotion could sense his mood instantly, regardless of his form.

"Gobuta! Make that lizard pay for insulting Rimuru-sama!"

"Eh? What do you an...?"

"That lizard over there called Rimuru-sama a weak sli!"

Upon hearing this, Gobuta began to tremble with rage, his usual dazed deanor vanishing.

"I've been listening to this! I have a na, and it is Gabiru!!"

"I don't care about that! Duel right now!"

"A duel?"

"Yes! If you win, I'll consider becoming your subordinate. But if you lose, get out of our sight imdiately!"

"Hmph, fine by ."

Gabiru accepted the challenge and took his stance. Startled by the sudden escalation, Rimuru called out to Gobuta.

"It's okay, Rimuru-sama! I'll definitely win, for the sake of the na you gave !"

Seeing Gobuta approach with his usual beaming smile, Rimuru realized there was no stopping him.

"Okay... but Gobuta, please don't get hurt, alright?"

At Rimuru's gentle words, Gobuta's anger vanished, replaced by a deep blush as he twisted bashfully in place.

"I've got this!!"

The duel between Gobuta and Gabiru began, and the result was an overwhelming victory for Gobuta.

While Gabiru's underestimation of his opponent played a role, Gobuta's skillful use of shadow movent allowed him to seize victory in an instant.

"Well, that was only natural."

"Hohoho. It seems my training has borne fruit."

The others reacted as if the outco had been a foregone conclusion. anwhile, Gabiru's subordinates remained frozen, unable to comprehend what had just happened.

Gabiru wasn't weak, but because he had let his guard down, the fight ended in a crushing defeat.

"You did it, Gobuta!"

Overjoyed that Gobuta had won without a scratch, Rimuru shifted into human form and gave him a tight hug.

Gobuta's mind went blank at the sudden contact.

"R-Rimuru-sama!? T-this was nothing!"

His face turning red as a tomato, Gobuta felt a wave of bliss from the soft touch and pleasant scent. However, that happiness was short-lived.

"Gehu—!"

The mont Rimuru stepped away, the kijin and Rigurd struck Gobuta simultaneously as if they had rehearsed it. Gobuta was sent flying into the air, with the group imdiately chasing after him.

"Wait, why is everyone doing this?!"

As Rimuru looked on in confusion, the reliable Great Sage provided an explanation. [Answer. This is a celebratory tossing ritual common among ogres, goblins, and other monsters.] The Great Sage did not ntion that it was, in fact, a coordinated attack fueled by pure jealousy.

Since Rimuru never doubted the Great Sage, he simply watched from a distance.

"Huh... a monster tossing ritual? That looks kind of scary..."

"Gah! It hurts! Please stop! Aaaah! Help !!!"

Gobuta's screams for help did not reach Rimuru. Although he was later treated with healing dicine, Rimuru remained blissfully unaware of the extent of the "celebration."

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