The night of the festival had grown deep, and Rimuru and his subordinates began to enjoy themselves, dressed in yukata made from Helmos silk.
Rimuru, wearing a yukata in sky blue and white that matched the color of his hair, looked quite ethereal and, at the sa ti, feminine.
He was also wearing a mask beside his face, and for so reason, every single mask was a miniature version of Rimuru.
I had no idea how they had managed to recreate yukata so faithfully, but thanks to that, I was running a raffle booth in a plain gray yukata myself.
The stalls, too, were mostly the sort you would expect to see at a traditional festival: yakisoba, grilled corn, skewers, soda-flavored apple candy, takoyaki, and more.
The octopus inside the takoyaki had been sent fresh from the source, so it had a wonderfully springy texture even when eaten plain. Thanks to the takoyaki machine and sauce Rimuru had developed, the result was remarkably authentic.
"...Co to think of it, how does Rimuru recreate all this stuff?"
If I had to guess, it was likely due to a skill, but it was hard to imagine the current Rimuru possessing an Ultimate Skill...
Delicious...
I stuffed a takoyaki into my mouth and returned my focus to running the stall.
Other booths were busy as well, but the one drawing the biggest crowd by far was the shaved ice stand Rimuru had planned. The blades of the ice shaver were crafted by the kijin blacksmith Kurobe, and the ice itself was shaved from the frost created by Rimuru's [Water-Ice Great Magic Scatter Shot].
"No red bean paste, huh..."
Tsking at the lack of azuki beans, I scooped up a spoonful of shaved ice.
Korean bingsu is eaten with shaved ice mixed with ingredients like red beans, fruit, milk, or condensed milk, but in Japan, unlike in my ho country, they usually just eat shaved ice with syrup. While Korean-style bingsu focuses on abundance, Japanese shaved ice is simply about the refreshing taste of the ice and syrup.
By the way, the syrup drizzled over the ice was colored after the Blue Hawaii cocktail, tasting of both lemon and pineapple. However, the villagers' reaction to it was downright eerie.
"This is Rimuru-sama's color!"
No matter what it was, they kept repeating, "Rimuru-sama, Rimuru-sama," while staring at him with murderous, adoring smiles.
"Rimuru-sama is delicious~"
"...Sotis, I'm actually scared of them."
Seeing Rimuru hiding behind before I knew it, I gave a short, "I bet."
Since it was a festival, there were plenty of attractions besides the food stalls. There was goldfish scooping—though the fish were actually monster fish mimicking goldfish—the usual shooting gallery, hamr gas, and more. But the most popular of all was my booth.
Because the prizes were so desirable, the crowd's enthusiasm was intense, forcing to limit each person to exactly two tries.
"Too bad. Since you lost, here, have so candy."
Of course, that "candy" wasn't a taphor; it was actual edible taffy in various shapes. Don't get the wrong idea.
Thanks to the rush, my booth sold out in the blink of an eye. By the ti Rimuru ca looking for , I had already closed up shop. (Rimuru still didn't realize he had been turned into rchandise.)
For the record, the third-prize Rimuru cushion went to Souei, who seed the least interested of all. The second-prize item, a human-form Rimuru figurine, was won by Gobuta... though it was imdiately confiscated by Hakurou as punishnt for skipping training. The first-prize item, a Rimuru dakimakura, was claid by Shion. The way she stared at the sli-form Rimuru on the pillow, drooling and panting, "Haa, haa," was... sothing else entirely.
As the festival surged toward its climax, Rimuru danced with his companions, slowly circling a huge altar-like structure in a traditional ring dance. Behind them, Gabiru and his subordinates were performing so bizarre, rhythmic dance and singing a aningless song, but unfortunately, Rimuru didn't even glance their way.
Next, Rimuru climbed onto a giant festival float that Rigurd had built for him, looking down at the people from above. Unused to such attention and feeling a sense of guilt toward everyone, Rimuru was comforted by Shuna's words.
"It is the duty of one who rules."
Well, they say that if the result is good, then everything is good. If everyone is happy, then that's all that matters.
And then ca the fireworks, the highlight of any sumr festival. Everyone held their breath as the rockets slowly soared into the sky, and then—Boom!—they burst high above, blooming into beautiful, multicolored flowers of light.
I wanted to contribute to the display, so I condensed my mana into a magic bullet and shot it high into the atmosphere. It burst brilliantly, transforming into fireworks shaped like the faces of Rimuru's subordinates, and finally, it exploded into a giant Rimuru face. At the sight of it, Rimuru shouted a traditional phrase, and I played along.
"Ta-maya~!"
"Ka-ga-ya~, right?"
When I followed his lead, Rimuru gave a bright smile.
For reference, Tamaya and Kagaya were the nas of famous fireworks artisans' shops from the Edo period, and it is a Japanese custom to shout these nas during displays.
And so, the monsters' festival ca to a warm, satisfying close, leaving the city in a peaceful silence.
***
"So peaceful~"
I was lying back in the warm morning sunlight above Laputa, basking in the glow. Rimuru's village was young, but it was already carving out an incredible history.
Every day was a joyful banquet, the monsters were always laughing, and Rimuru was constantly being used as a dress-up doll. Everything was the picture of serenity.
Thanks to my alliance with Rimuru, I had sent so of the monsters from my own country who had energy to spare to help with the village construction. For those with excess strength, this was the best way to utilize their power.
But this peace might end today. By now, the major nations must have noticed their existence. Dwargon and Rubelios have likely already realized it, and so of the Demon Lords may have taken notice as well.
Contrary to Rimuru's wish for a quiet life, this village draws more attention by the day. The days of tranquility are numbered; from here on, there will likely be so kind of incident at least once a day.
Just as sumr inevitably gives way to autumn, a new wind was beginning to blow through Rimuru's nation, bringing with it great changes.
The first of these was—
[Lady Vertis.]
"Ah... I figured they'd be coming soon. What is it, Crow?"
[Hero King Gazel Dwargo and the Pegasus Knights he leads are approaching this location.]
So, Hero King Gazel and his forr adventuring companions—the entire Pegasus Knights—are making a move...
"Is that so? Well then, shall we go welco our guests?"
With that, I threw myself from the sky, plumting from tens of thousands of ters above the ground.
***
Rimuru, having received word from Souei that an ard force of five hundred was approaching through the sky, imdiately ordered Rigurd to evacuate the civilians.
Rimuru reasoned that five hundred well-disciplined soldiers could be more threatening than two hundred thousand orcs, and he wanted to avoid a confrontation if possible.
"Kaijin? You should get to safety too."
However, Kaijin ignored the warning, peering through a telescope and letting out a low groan of realization.
"No... I have a suspicion. I heard a story from a retired veteran during a drinking session long ago... about a top-secret unit directly under the command of the Dwarf King."
"You think those guys are that unit?"
"Most likely. I believe they are known as the Pegasus Knights..."
The Pegasus Knights landed precisely in front of Rimuru and the kijin. The mont Kaijin saw the face of the man leading them, his eyes widened and he dropped to one knee. The man before them was no ordinary figure.
"...It has been a long ti, Your Majesty Gazel."
The man was none other than the current King of Dwargon, the living legend known as Gazel Dwargo.
"It has been a while, Kaijin. And you, sli. Do you rember ?"
At Gazel's words, Rimuru studied him closely.
Rimuru recalled his trial in the Dwarf Kingdom; just as he was about to be found guilty due to Vester's trap, the King's fair and impartial judgnt had saved him. Not forgetting this, Rimuru gave a small nod.
"Your Majesty, what brings you here today?"
"Nothing much. I simply wished to ascertain the true nature of the sli over there. I have co today not as a king, but as an individual—though you must forgive my lingering dignity. If I didn't maintain it, I wouldn't be able to travel the world."
Gazel shrugged, his words a subtle provocation that left the kijin glaring at him with murderous intent.
Right then, a massive presence descended rapidly from the sky. King Gazel imdiately drew his sword and looked up. There, Vertis, clad in a worn doctor's coat, was plumting with fierce montum. Just before impacting the earth, she perford a perfect roll and landed safely.
"Am I... too late?"
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