— Rimuru POV —
The moment we entered the village, everything slowed.
The goblins already inside turned toward us immediately, their movements stopping almost all at once. But their attention didn't settle on me.
It moved downward .
To Rei.
"They're focused on you," I said.
"That makes sense," Rei replied.
"I'm starting to think everything makes sense to you."
He didn't answer that.
I shifted slightly where I sat on his head, looking out over the village.
It wasn't in good shape.
The huts were barely holding together, built from uneven wood and whatever scraps they could find. Some leaned slightly to one side, others looked like they wouldn't survive strong wind.
There were no walls.
No barriers.
Nothing that could stop anything from walking straight in.
And the goblins
Some were injured.
It wasn't hard to see. Uneven movement, shallow cuts, a few leaning against structures just to stay upright. Their magicules felt low, unstable in a way that didn't look temporary.
"They've been dealing with this for a while," I said quietly.
Rei looked across the village, taking in the same details.
"Yeah. This didn't start recently."
That made sense.
If it had been one attack, they wouldn't look like this.
This was ongoing.
The older goblin stepped forward again—the same one who had spoken before. Up close, it was clearer now. It held itself differently, even with the strain. The others watched it, waiting.
Leader.
It lowered itself in front of us again.
Then spoke.
"…Great one… we thank you for coming…"
"Yeah, don't worry about it," I said. "You can relax a little."
It didn't.
Not completely.
Its gaze shifted again—downward , toward Rei.
It hesitated.
Then
"The being you rest upon. we do not understand. what is he?"
"There it is," I muttered.
"They're asking about you," I added.
"I figured," Rei said.
The goblin lowered itself further.
"His presence is unlike anything we have known is he a spirit or something divine?"
I shifted slightly.
"You're getting called something pretty impressive."
"They're trying to make sense of something unfamiliar," Rei replied calmly. "That's normal."
"Yeah, that tracks."
I looked back at the goblin.
There wasn't a clean explanation.
"He's with me," I said.
That was enough.
Not satisfying.
But enough.
The goblin accepted it and continued.
"…Our village is in danger… we are being hunted… we cannot defend ourselves…"
Yeah.
That part didn't need translation to feel real.
"What's attacking you?" I asked.
"…Direwolves… a pack… they come at night… we lose more each time…"
"Direwolves," I repeated.
Rei shifted slightly.
"That explains the injuries."
"Yeah."
The goblin hesitated again before continuing, its voice lowering.
"…Before… the forest was quiet… no great threats approached…"
I tilted slightly.
"Before?"
Rei didn't speak, but I could feel his attention sharpen.
The goblin continued.
"…But recently… everything changed… the presence… the pressure… it disappeared…"
"Disappeared?" I repeated.
"…The great one… the storm dragon… the one who ruled this forest… it is gone…"
I went still.
"Veldora," I said quietly.
The name felt heavier than before.
Rei responded immediately.
"That would explain the change in monster behavior."
The goblin nodded quickly.
"…Without it… balance broke… stronger monsters move freely… the wolves came…"
"So you were being protected without realizing it," I said.
"…We did not understand… until it was gone…"
Yeah.
That didn't feel great.
Because I knew exactly what "gone" meant.
"That's on me," I muttered.
Rei didn't look at me, but he responded anyway.
"Indirectly."
"That's not helping."
"It's accurate."
"Yeah."
I looked around the village again.
At the injuries.
At the weak structures.
At the goblins who didn't even try to hide how tired they were.
This wasn't just bad luck.
It was a consequence.
"How many wolves?" I asked.
"…More than we can fight… and one… stronger than the rest…"
Of course there was a leader.
There always was.
I went quiet for a moment.
Not because I didn't know what I was going to do.
But because I needed to accept it.
"We're helping them," I said.
Rei didn't answer immediately.
"There's risk," he said.
"I know."
"They don't offer anything in return."
I paused.
Then looked around again.
"They don't have to."
That was enough.
Rei was quiet for a second.
Then
"…Alright," he said. "Then we do it properly."
I let out a small breath.
"Yeah. That's the plan."
I looked back at the goblin leader.
"They're asking for help," I said. "And we're going to give it to them."
It took a second.
The reaction spread.
Not loud.
Not chaotic.
But real.
Relief.
Hope.
And for the first time since we arrived
The tension eased.
Just a little