Chapter 105 - Orc Lord & Aggressor

More than a week had passed since Rimuru had gathered everyone he believed would be a useful asset in the creation of the capital. With the Dryads assisting in gathering materials, and the monsters, led by Kaijin and Benimaru, working tirelessly on the main lodgings, progress had been steadily advancing. However, there was still a great deal left to be done.

Standing in front of a large blueprint for the castle, Rimuru furrowed his brow. Kagali stood beside him, arms crossed as she studied the plans with a critical eye.

"You're really serious about this?" she asked, her voice laced with skepticism, as her gazed land on the blueprint with her eyes. While the Late Dwarf King Guran has given Rimuru a new blueprint that is much more reasonable than what he made, Rimuru decided to modify this with the help of Kagali, but she was concerned about whether they could achieve such a grand vision so soon.

Rimuru grinned. "Of course, but that's for later," he admitted, glancing up at her, hand resting on his chin. "It'll require more time, more resources—things we don't have in abundance just yet. If we focus on the castle now, we risk stalling the progress of everything else."

Kagali raised an eyebrow and gave him a sideways glance, clearly unconvinced. "I understand, but we can't ignore it entirely. The castle is supposed to be the center of the capital. You can't just leave it without even a foundation."

Rimuru nodded in agreement but didn't look at her directly. Instead, his gaze wandered out over the construction site, where monsters and hobgoblins worked in a flurry of activity. "I know," he muttered.

"But the priority is the lodgings. The hobgoblins, for example, have come from various villages and, at the moment, they have no place to stay. They've been camping outside."

Kagali glanced around, noting the workers hauling heavy materials, while some set up tents nearby. "So, you want to give them lodging first?" she asked, surprised.

Rimuru let out a chuckle. "Yeah, they don't mind sleeping outside, but I do."

Kagali's expression softened, rarely can she see Rimuru being serious and not messing with her. She could see that Rimuru's concern wasn't just for practicality, but with a hint of care. "I see. But is this castle even possible...? It seems much more complex."

"Of course," Rimuru boasted, his voice more determined now. "The castle is important, and we will get there eventually. But for now, we focus on the basic needs."

He surveyed the scene again, watching as a group of hobgoblins moved into a newly completed building that would serve as temporary housing. The lodging was functional but far from ideal, with several people sleeping in a single room. It wasn't much, but it was a start. Once the basic framework of the capital was in place, Rimuru intended to remodel the buildings to give everyone more privacy and comfort.

For now, they were doing the best they could with what they had.

After a few more days, more than half of the buildings planned for the capital had been completed, with the rest having simple foundations ready to be continued once it was time to start their construction.

Kaijin looked at the castle's blueprint with shaky hands. "I-Is this possible? On such a grand scale as well?" Sweat dripped from his forehead as he observed the intricate details.

Benimaru and Rigurd watched in silence, holding their breath. While they could not fully understand the complexity of the design like Kaijin, they could appreciate the beauty of the castle, and the immense complexity involved.

Rimuru shrugged casually as he laid on one of the sofas in his temporary mansion. Originally, he had been more than happy in his house in the forest, but Benimaru and the others had insisted that they should live in something more than just a simple house while they waited for the construction of the castle.

Kagali placed a hand on Kaijin's shoulder. Over the past few days, the two had grown more friendly with each other, having been tasked together with Rimuru's demands for the capital's construction.

"Kaijin, it is possible," she reassured him, her voice calm but firm.

Kaijin's expression darkened slightly, knowing that what Kagali said was true. The idea that something like this was possible troubled him. "B-but this is magic, using the castle itself as its magic circle? Scratch that—this is more like a grand spell with the castle as a catalyst." He stammered, his voice filled with disbelief. If such a thing were possible, then Dwargon would have already accomplished it. As would the other countries in the Western Council.

Kagali gave him a sympathetic look. "Demon Lord Leon has done it with his territory, using the entire city as the magic circle."

"And I helped with that, so it's possible," Rimuru smirked, lounging back on the sofa with his arms behind his head. He and Leon, along with Elmesia, had worked together to create the perfect magic circle and city blueprint to make it all a reality.

Kaijin glanced between Kagali and Rimuru before letting out a long sigh. "I understand..."

Kagali smiled warmly and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'll help, Kaijin. You don't have to worry. Rimuru is just that unreasonable."

She shot a glare at Rimuru, who tilted his head curiously. "Why?" he asked innocently.

Kagali turned her head away, pouting as she crossed her arms. "If you knew how to do it, why didn't you teach me?" she muttered, not looking directly at him.

Velgrynd, who had been leaning casually against Rimuru, giggled. "Look what you did, Rimuru. You made the child angry."

"Child?!" Kagali stammered, her eyes widening as she turned to Velgrynd. Her cheeks flushed as she stared at the dragon. "I'm almost 2,000 years old!" she retorted, her voice tinged with embarrassment.

"And so, is Milim, your point?" Velgrynd countered with a chuckle.

Rimuru stood up and walked over to her, ruffling her hair with a mischievous grin. "Sure, sure. I'll do something for you so don't sulk," he laughed, clearly enjoying the teasing.

Kagali's face turned an even deeper shade of red, and her elven ears were glowing from the flush. She pushed his hand away, her movements quick and flustered. Without another word, she turned and stormed out of the room, her footsteps echoing as she ran.

"It seems like you are having fun, Kagali-sama," Clayman smiled as he greeted Kagali, who had just left the mansion.

Kagali halted in her tracks and stared at Clayman. "Clayman, why are you here? Who's watching over Amarita?"

"Yes, Laplace has been left in charge with help from Alvaro and Mjurran," he explained. "I wanted to personally deliver the reports to Kagali-sama this time."

Since Kagali was still the Queen of Amarita and its ruler, while she was not present, she was still able to give orders, as it was simple to relay information and communicate—especially considering their strength. Laplace and Tear would usually come, as they were among the fastest. Tear was in charge of quick delivery, while Laplace was more for asking for orders on certain issues in the territory.

Kagali raised a brow as she was about to receive the information. "And the true reason you came?"

"I was curious about what kind of city Rimuru-sama is making," he replied with a cheeky grin on his face, as if he had been caught by his mother making excuses to do something.

The two laughed.

As Kagali opened the report Clayman gave her, her laughter stopped, and she frowned. "You idiot! Give this to me quickly next!" She tried to hit him with the report.

Clayman dodged, his expression one of confusion, before recalling what he was here for. "Ah, right. Kagali-sama, we are currently having problems with trades with the empire, Kanizs seems to have realized we took in Lady Quo."

"How could you forget something like that?! Weren't you coming here urgently?" Kagali grumbled as she finished reading the entire report.

Clayman sighed. "It's not that much of an emergency. Laplace is there, along with Tear and Footman. Not to mention Lady Quo. I forgot why I was here after meeting more than five Fair Onis who were standing guard nearby."

He held his head with his hand as he took a deep breath, "Could you believe that? Five Fair Onis are living here, and they all seem to be old and experienced. I should be praised for not passing out and forgetting my own name."

Kagali understood what he meant. The Fair Onis in the forest were much stronger than Tear and Footman, not to mention Clayman, who was more designed to be the brain of the three. "There are actually 15 of them, but that's not important. I'll have to ask Rimuru for a favor."

"...What?"

Clayman stood frozen in place as Kagali returned to the mansion alone.

"Rimuru, you said you'd do something for me, right? Can I ask-!" Kagali barged into his office. Freezing in place as she sees the two with disheveled clothing.

"Is something the matter?" Rimuru fixed his collar as Velgrynd disappeared via transportation magic due to embarrassment. Kagali will remember it for later when Velgrynd tries to tease her again.

"Remember when we told you we were trading with the Empire? They seem to be putting a lot of pressure on us suddenly. Kanzis seems to really want to hunt down the Nine Heads. Laplace and Quo managed to eliminate the ones who were sneaking in, but the damage has already been done. Their hands are tied right now, and Laplace and Kanzis are negotiating. Can I return for now, and can you let me bring some Fair Onis?"

Rimuru shrugged. "Sure, have Benimaru let you pick about three Fair Onis. If something happens, make sure to use them effectively. Also, inform me if the Empire declares war on you."

Kagali shook her head. "I doubt it'll lead to war. It's just that one of their officers, with whom we've been having some trade, was in a bad mood after discovering we took in someone he was hunting."

"Oh, is it Quo?" Rimuru recalled the nine-tailed woman. "I see. Well then—"

A knock was heard from behind the office door. "Rimuru-sama, pardon the intrusion."

The door opened to reveal one of the Dryads Rimuru had brought from Ramiris. She bowed and waited for permission to speak.

"What is it?" Rimuru inquired, looking at the Dryad alongside Kagali.

"The aggressors, or insects as you call them, have started to wreak havoc in the Kingdom Orbic. As you instructed, we have eliminated the ones who spread out and left nothing behind."

"Oh, it's that time already?" Rimuru stretched his body as he stood up.

"Time already?" Kagali repeated, confused by how casually he was acting. "Did you know this would happen?"

"Technically, yes," Rimuru replied, placing a hand on his chin, unsure how to answer. "We interfered with what was supposed to happen. It makes sense that something would occur that causes the famine, either from another source or by brute-forcing the event."

Kagali followed him as they approached Clayman. "You're saying the famine in Orbic is something unchangeable?"

"Yes, something like that. More specifically, the birth of the Orc Lord is unchangeable. I just lessen the damage and duration of their suffering, from months to just days." Rimuru explained, gesturing toward Clayman, who bowed in acknowledgment.

Rimuru stopped one of the nearby workers. "Tell Rigurd to have about half of the Dryads meet me south of the forest."

After giving the order, he left for Orbic while Kagali and Clayman returned to Amarita with three Fair Onis.

Orbic, or more specifically, the area bordering the south of Jura Forest and the north of Eurazania, was where the aggressors kept appearing.

The place was not hard to find, as it was heavily fortified. Walls and soldiers were stationed to prevent the aggressors from invading. However, the blockades had been destroyed, leaving the soldiers to retreat while preventing the aggressors from gaining more advantage.

"So that's how he got his power this time," Rimuru commented as he watched a large Orc fight off the aggressors that kept coming at him.

Large tendrils with mouths emerged from his back, moving around and devouring the enemies—or food—within reach.

"Oh, Rimuru, you're here." Karion appeared beside them as they all watched the large Orc fight. "That Orc just came rushing in and started fighting them all. He wasn't an Orc Lord earlier, but after fighting some more, his evolution was triggered, and he began munching on them."

"Nice," Rimuru clapped as the Orc Lord roared, using his large axe to slice through several aggressors.

"You're not gonna help?" Karion asked. He could vaguely tell that the Orc was doing this for his people in Orbic. As someone who holds the position of king, he could sympathize with wanting to protect one's home.

"I will, not yet though." Rimuru pointed. As the number of aggressors increased even further, a sudden burst of magicules, several times higher than the Orc Lord's, erupted from a nearby cave.

An anthropomorphic insect, resembling a centipede, stood tall, staring at the Orc Lord.

"Shit, that's bad news," Karion cursed, seeing as his men were keeping the aggressors in check at a good distance from the Orc Lord to avoid getting caught in its rampage. "Everyone retreat for now. Rimuru, let's—"

"Beelzebuth."

From below the humanoid centipede, it began to sink as dark smoke suddenly appeared beneath its feet. It was already too late when it realized it and was devoured before it could even do anything.

Karion looked at Rimuru with astonishment and shock for handling something of such caliber.

"Zelanus is really getting out of hand. That bastard is even letting in Insectars," Rimuru murmured angrily. "I hope my other self deals with you already."

Rimuru landed near the Orc Lord. "In a different time, I would have killed you, but in this one, I will save you." The Orc Lord roared at him as it swung its axe toward Rimuru.

Rimuru remained still, even as the axe made contact. The blade disintegrated, not even leaving dust behind. "You don't need 'Starve.' I am already the holder of Beelzebuth. Return to your senses, Orc King Geld."

Suddenly, the Orc Lord stopped moving and began to glow brightly. It let go of the handle of its axe and fell to its knees. "Ah..."

Clarity returned to the Orc Lord—no, Orc King Geld—before he collapsed on the ground.

"Now to finish up here," Rimuru turned to the aggressors, who were cowering and remaining still so as not to attract Rimuru's attention. "I already got what I want. I don't need you trash invading here." He glared at them, making them cower even more as their bodies shook with fear.

With a snap of his fingers, the aggressors all stopped moving, and the portal that had been letting more of their kind invade closed.

Rimuru grinned. "Laborers acquired."

A/N: Funfact I thought Orbic was in between Jura, Amarita, and East Empire originally. That's why I even had Kagali come in the first place to inform Rimuru. The area where the aggressors would have been filled with walls and golems in that one instead of soldiers.

I'd like to make a shout out to my drafts who have been there for me when I am having writer's block. They are truly a blessing and I will forever be in their debt. It's scary when you couldn't make a single chapter in almost two weeks after all.

Early access to four chapters in my Kofi!
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Chapter 106 - Reviving the Land
Chapter 107 - Orc Migration
Chapter 108 - Completion
Chapter 109 - Observers