Chapter 390

Haruto patted Charizard’s thick foreleg, feeling the hard, warm scales beneath his palm. Their texture reminded him of finely forged metal.

"Looking good, Charizard. I’ll be counting on you from here on out."

He then called Kagura, Kanna, and Gardevoir over and helped them climb onto Charizard’s broad back.

As for Alolan Ninetales, being an Ice-type Pokémon, it was understandably reluctant to ride on the back of a dragon that radiated such intense heat.

Haruto therefore sent it back into the Gourmet Restaurant.

Once everyone was comfortably seated, Charizard spread its enormous wings and launched itself into the sky.

A powerful gust swept across the clearing as its massive body rose into the air, climbing rapidly toward the clouds.

The wind whistled past their ears, while the mountains and rivers beneath them quickly shrank into the distance. Farmland, villages, and roads became little more than miniature patterns scattered across the landscape.

Charizard’s flying speed had improved tremendously after its evolution.

In just half a day, the open plains beneath them gave way to an endless expanse of dense forest.

Ancient trees stretched toward the sky, their enormous trunks wrapped in twisting vines. Even the air had become noticeably fresher, carrying the fragrances of leaves, grass, and wildflowers.

More importantly, the concentration of magicules in the atmosphere was over twice as high as it had been within the Kingdom of Falmuth.

Charizard gradually descended before landing in a clearing near the forest’s edge.

Haruto jumped down from its back and surveyed the vast woodland before him, anticipation written across his face.

"So this is the Great Forest of Jura. The magicule concentration really is on another level. I bet the ingredients growing here are going to be excellent."

Kagura, Kanna, and Gardevoir climbed down after him.

Kagura closed her eyes for a moment, allowing her senses to spread through the surrounding winds.

Then she spoke.

"Haruto, there are monsters everywhere in this forest. I can sense them in practically every direction."

"Sounds like we’re going to have plenty of ingredients to choose from."

Haruto smiled.

With Kagura’s wind-based perception guiding them, finding monsters would hardly be difficult.

The four entered the Great Forest of Jura and immediately began exploring.

Their first few days proved remarkably productive.

Near a mist-covered swamp, they captured several enormous black snakes.

The creatures possessed pitch-black bodies covered in glossy scales that shimmered with a metallic sheen. Despite their intimidating appearance, their flesh was exceptionally firm and flavorful, while their skin had a pleasantly springy texture.

According to Haruto’s Gourmet skill, the snakes would make excellent ingredients for snake soup or crispy fried snake.

Afterward, the group discovered a colony of black spiders deep within another section of the forest.

These spiders produced extraordinarily tough silk, and their venom possessed a powerful paralytic effect.

However, what interested Haruto most wasn’t their silk or poison.

It was their meat.

The spiders’ legs contained a surprisingly delicious flesh, while their abdomens held a rich substance similar to crab roe. Its concentrated savory aroma made it an especially promising ingredient.

Haruto naturally collected a generous supply.

They also encountered armored lizards whose outer shells were almost as hard as iron.

Beneath those shells, however, the meat was delightfully springy and rich in collagen.

Haruto immediately decided that roasting would be one of the best ways to prepare them.

Then there were the enormous Evil Centipedes.

Some of these creatures measured more than ten meters in length, with countless legs and grotesque bodies that made them thoroughly unpleasant to look at.

Fortunately, their appearance had little to do with their flavor.

Their flesh was astonishingly tender, almost like a monster-world version of crayfish.

Haruto was particularly excited about the possibility of preparing them with a generous amount of chili and Sichuan peppercorns.

A spicy, numbing centipede dish would probably be incredible.

Over the next several days, the Gourmet Restaurant accumulated an impressive collection of monster ingredients.

Haruto was thoroughly enjoying himself.

However, as the group ventured deeper into the Great Forest of Jura, he gradually began noticing something unusual.

The distribution of monsters throughout the forest didn’t seem natural.

Creatures that ordinarily should have inhabited the deeper regions were appearing near the outskirts.

Some species had abandoned their usual territories entirely, as though fleeing from something terrifying.

Haruto frowned.

"Something strange seems to be happening in the Great Forest of Jura."

He turned toward Kagura.

"Kagura, have you heard anything through the wind?"

Kagura considered the question for a moment before answering somewhat uncertainly.

"It might have something to do with the Orc Lord."

"The monsters throughout the forest have been talking about a massive invasion by the orcs. Apparently, there are so many of them that nobody can even count them anymore."

"A lot of monster settlements have been wiped out, and the survivors have been forced to abandon their homes. That’s probably why so many creatures are turning up in places they don’t normally live."

"The Orc Lord, huh..."

Haruto rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

Naturally, he knew exactly who the Orc Lord was.

Originally the leader of the orcs, he had evolved into a higher-level monster after receiving a name from the majin Gelmud.

He subsequently led an army of more than a hundred thousand orcs into the Great Forest of Jura, creating one of the greatest crises Rimuru faced during the early stages of his journey.

If the Orc Lord was still active, that meant Rimuru couldn’t have arrived in this world very long ago.

He hadn’t yet brought the orcs under his authority, and the Jura Forest Alliance hadn’t been established.

That gave Haruto a rough idea of where he was in the world’s timeline.

Still, none of it particularly concerned him.

He had no interest in becoming a Demon Lord or fighting for control over the world.

All he wanted was to collect ingredients and study new dishes.

As long as the Orc Lord and his army didn’t interfere with his activities, Haruto had no intention of involving himself in their conflict.

The same went for the majin manipulating events behind the scenes.

"Forget about them. Let’s keep collecting ingredients."

And so, the group continued their culinary expedition through the forest.

For the next several days, Haruto focused on capturing unfamiliar monsters and discovering new plants, mushrooms, and other edible resources.

There was certainly no shortage of interesting ingredients.

Then, one morning, Kagura suddenly approached him with some unexpected news.

"Haruto! I just heard something through the wind!"

She looked rather excited.

"The Orc Lord is dead! Apparently, a slime named Rimuru defeated him with the help of his followers!"

"And they’ve established something called the Jura Forest Alliance. They’re saying that all the different races in the forest are supposed to live together peacefully from now on instead of constantly fighting each other."

Haruto wasn’t particularly surprised.

That was more or less how he remembered the events unfolding.

It seemed the story was proceeding along its original course.

After spending some more time gathering ingredients, Haruto finally felt that he’d collected enough for the moment.

He decided it was time to meet Rimuru.

"All right, let’s pay him a visit."

Haruto summoned Charizard once more.

Kagura, Kanna, and Gardevoir climbed onto the enormous dragon’s back alongside him.

Charizard released a deep roar before spreading its mighty wings.

With a powerful gust of wind, it lifted itself into the sky and began flying toward the central region of the Great Forest of Jura.

From high above, the forest resembled an endless dark-green carpet stretching across the landscape.

Rolling mountains rose beneath the dense canopy, while rivers wound between them like long ribbons of silver.

After flying for a little over half an hour, Haruto noticed a large clearing in the forest below.

Numerous wooden houses and tents had been erected across the open ground, and a surprising number of monsters were bustling around the settlement.

Towering orcs with prominent tusks were carrying enormous logs and using them to construct new buildings.

Green-skinned hobgoblins with pointed ears were transporting supplies between different parts of the village.

Meanwhile, sturdy Tempest Wolves patrolled the surrounding area, keeping watch for potential threats.

The entire settlement was filled with activity.

It looked like an enormous construction project was underway.

However, the moment Charizard’s gigantic figure appeared above the village, the peaceful atmosphere immediately changed.

"DRAGON! THERE’S A DRAGON!"

"What?! Why would a dragon come here?! Everyone, get ready!"

"Quick! Inform Lord Rimuru!"

The orcs and hobgoblins immediately abandoned their work and looked up at the sky in alarm.

The Tempest Wolves that had been patrolling the area also assumed defensive positions.

Their fur stood on end as they bared their fangs and released low, threatening growls.

Benimaru, Hakurou, and several other powerful members of the settlement rushed outside at once.

All of them prepared for combat, ready to defend the village if the enormous dragon proved hostile.

...

Meanwhile, inside a wooden building near the center of the village, Rimuru was currently being held in Shion’s arms.

In his usual blue slime form, he was listening to her report on the settlement’s construction progress.

"...We’ve completed approximately seventy percent of the arrangements for accommodating the orcs. Our current food reserves should last another half a month, and the dryads have promised to send another shipment of fruit, but..."

Shion paused.

She lowered her head and looked at the blue slime resting in her arms.

"Lord Rimuru? Are you listening?"

Rimuru was just about to respond when Souei suddenly appeared inside the room without making a sound.

He immediately dropped to one knee.

"Lord Rimuru, a dragon is approaching the village."

Souei’s expression was serious.

"It’s enormous, and its aura is extremely powerful. However, it has only been circling overhead so far. We haven’t detected any signs of an imminent attack."

"A dragon?!"

Rimuru immediately became interested.

He bounced out of Shion’s arms and landed on the floor.

A flash of blue light surrounded his body, and a moment later, he had transformed into his humanoid form.

So far, Rimuru had only encountered one dragon.

That was Veldora, the endlessly talkative Storm Dragon who had been sealed inside a cave.

Now another dragon had apparently come flying directly toward his village.

Naturally, Rimuru wanted to see it for himself.

"Come on! Let’s go take a look!"

He eagerly headed toward the door.

He was rather curious about how this newly arrived dragon compared with Veldora.

Upon stepping outside, Rimuru immediately raised his head toward the sky.

Sure enough, an enormous dark golden-red dragon was slowly circling above the settlement.

Its wings stretched several dozen meters across, casting a huge shadow over the ground beneath it.

An imposing draconic aura radiated from its body.

Even the surrounding air had grown noticeably hotter, and some of the grass near the village was beginning to curl under the heat.

However, something else caught Rimuru’s attention.

There were people riding on the dragon’s back.

’Wait a second. Are those people up there?’

His eyes widened slightly.

’A dragon rider?!’

Meanwhile, Haruto had already spotted Rimuru emerging from the wooden building below.

He looked toward Charizard.

"Let’s head down."

Charizard obeyed immediately.

It gradually lowered its altitude, its enormous wings sending powerful gusts sweeping across the settlement.

Finally, it landed smoothly in an open space just outside the village.

Despite the controlled landing, the sheer weight of its body caused the ground to tremble slightly.

A blast of scorching wind spread outward, forcing several nearby orcs and hobgoblins to stagger backward. A few nearly lost their footing entirely.

Benimaru immediately stepped forward.

His katana was already halfway out of its sheath, and crimson flames danced along the exposed blade.

He watched Haruto and his companions dismount from Charizard with undisguised caution.

At the same time, Souei’s figure silently emerged from the shadows on the right.

He remained ready to launch an attack using his clones at the slightest sign of hostility.

Hakurou stood nearby with one hand resting on his sword, his sharp gaze fixed firmly on Haruto.

The elderly swordsman radiated an intense, disciplined presence, clearly prepared to draw his weapon at any moment.

The atmosphere grew tense.

However, before anyone could make a move, Rimuru spoke.

"Wait. Don’t attack yet."

He looked toward Benimaru and the others.

"I don’t think they’re here to cause trouble. Let’s find out what they want first."

Rimuru carefully examined the four visitors.

According to the analysis provided by Great Sage, all four possessed considerable strength.

That alone was enough to warrant caution.

However, what mattered more was their behavior.

Despite arriving on the back of an enormous dragon, none of them had displayed the slightest intention of attacking.

They hadn’t threatened the villagers, demanded anything, or attempted to force their way into the settlement.

In fact, judging by how calmly they had approached, their actions suggested something entirely different.

’Could they actually have come here just to pay us a visit?’