The scout swallowed hard before continuing his report.
"I approached quietly to investigate, and what I found was... an even larger goblin settlement. No—calling it a village no longer does it justice. Aside from the lack of city walls, its scale is nearly comparable to a full-fledged town."
"How is that possible?"
Kaval and Elyun exclaimed in unison, their expressions twisting with disbelief as they turned to the scout. Could he have misjudged the situation?
"How could I be mistaken?" the scout shot back, shaking his head emphatically. "Every goblin there radiated a chilling aura—they're far stronger than normal. And they've got goblins patrolling the perimeter, riding ice wolves."
He continued with urgency, describing everything he'd seen in detail, adamantly denying any error.
Kaval and Elyun's eyes widened in shock, their faces filled with disbelief.
After all, during their last visit, there had only been a rundown, barely functioning goblin village in that area.
Now someone was telling them it had transformed into a large-scale settlement, with goblins powerful enough to tame and ride ice wolves on patrol. It was hard to accept.
Beside them, the Masked Lady listened quietly. Doubt flickered in her beautiful eyes as curiosity and confusion surfaced on her otherwise composed face.
Meanwhile, nestled in Elyun's arms, Granstar glanced at the group with thinly veiled disdain, muttering to himself.
"So they only just discovered the village? Tch... I thought they found something worth reporting. What a letdown..."
With a dismissive click of his tongue, Granstar shut his eyes again, curling into a ball as if the outside world held no interest for him.
Regardless, the group decided to confirm it for themselves.
After all, seeing is believing. Without witnessing it firsthand, they couldn't shake the uncertainty or fully trust the scout's report.
So, burdened by unease and alert for danger, the group set off toward the location the scout had described.
Meanwhile, in the goblin village...
"Lord Rimuru, we have a problem!"
A goblin burst into the workshop, where Rimuru was busy mixing cement materials. The one who had arrived was Rigur—son of Rigurd and one of the village's elite warriors.
"Humans? Here?" Rimuru asked, pausing mid-task.
Could it be? Humans! If they're friendly, this could be a golden opportunity to form an alliance!
But if they're like those rude adventurers from before... well, disposal wouldn't be a problem. They could always feed them to the monsters.
"Yes, Lord. Some humans are lurking near the outskirts of the village. They're behaving suspiciously, wandering around like they're scouting. I believe they were sent by a nearby country to investigate us."
Rigur paused, an unreadable look crossing his face.
Rimuru noticed it immediately and narrowed his eyes. "There's more, isn't there?"
"Yes, my Lord. We've also found Lord Granstar—the one we've been searching for."
Rimuru's face lit up with joy. This was the best news he could've hoped for!
But his joy quickly faded as he registered the uneasy expression on Rigur's face.
"...What's the matter? Don't tell me..."
Rigur hesitated before replying, his voice low.
"Lord Granstar... is currently in the custody of those humans. It appears he's being held hostage by a human magician."
The room went still.
Rimuru's face stiffened. The atmosphere grew cold, tension thick in the air.
"...Rigur, are you seriously telling me that Granstar—that Granstar—was taken hostage?"
He could hardly believe it. Granstar was absurdly powerful. No ordinary human should even be able to touch him, let alone restrain him.
"I know it sounds unbelievable, Lord Rimuru," Rigur said with a sigh, his expression equally baffled. "But it's the truth. He's with them."
Rimuru stared off in silence, thoughts racing. This turn of events was far more complicated than he had expected.
Rimuru fell into deep thought, realizing that things might be more complicated than he had initially believed.
What exactly caused Granstar to fall into the hands of humans?
Could it have been the elite forces dispatched by the Human Empire? Or am I just overthinking it?
He shook the thoughts away and gave a command.
"Let's go. Take the Frost Wolf cavalry and accompany me to investigate."
"Yes, Lord Rimuru!"
Rigur gave a standard military salute, his expression serious, then turned to summon the Ice Wolf cavalry.
"Ranga!"
Rimuru called softly. As soon as he spoke, a massive wolf with snow-white fur emerged from his shadow and landed gracefully beside him.
"Master," Ranga replied, bowing his head gently.
Rimuru leapt up and landed on his head with practiced ease. In an instant, Ranga shot forward, dashing out of the village at an astonishing speed, a streak of white light like a shooting star across the snow.
Outside the village...
"It's bad! We've been discovered—they've sent ice wolves after us!"
"How were we found out?! Damn it, let's just run!"
Granstar stared at them in disbelief.
Seriously? With the way you've been circling the village like a bunch of headless chickens, it'd be more surprising if you weren't discovered.
How is this even reconnaissance? You're practically asking to get caught.
Still, if Rimuru knows I'm here and sent a force to meet me...
Perfect.
Before they could take more than a few steps, a massive, snow-white Ice Wolf appeared before them, moving at terrifying speed and cutting off their escape.
A wave of magical pressure swept over them, leaving them breathless.
"What kind of monster is this?! I've never seen anything like it..."
"Be careful," the Masked Lady warned, stepping forward with a grave expression. "Judging from the aura, it's at least A-rank."
"A-rank? You've gotta be kidding. We're just C-rank—we don't stand a chance!"
All three swallowed hard. Their situation worsened when the rest of the Ice Wolf cavalry surrounded them, goblins mounted on their backs watching with strange, curious eyes.
The snow-white wolf at the front stepped closer, its oppressive magic aura making their minds go blank.
Then, to their astonishment, the giant wolf lowered its head.
From its back, a round, blue slime slid down.
The scene was surreal—almost dreamlike.
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