Chapter 394

Milim planted her hands on her hips and proudly introduced herself to the blue slime in front of her.

"Nice to meet you! I’m Milim Nava, the one and only Dragonoid, a Demon Lord known as the Tyrant of Destruction!"

"A Demon Lord?!"

Rimuru stared at her in astonishment.

"It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Rimuru Tempest, the leader of this town, and—"

Before he could finish introducing himself, Milim became distracted by his round, squishy body.

She leaned closer and poked him with her finger.

The soft, springy sensation immediately caught her interest.

Apparently, she found the experience of poking a slime far more entertaining than listening to a formal introduction.

Unfortunately, the peaceful atmosphere didn’t last very long.

Benimaru and the others were understandably concerned about Rimuru’s safety. When they saw the incredibly powerful Demon Lord approaching him so casually, they attempted to attack her.

Their efforts were completely ineffective.

Milim dealt with them so effortlessly that the difference in strength was almost embarrassing.

Fortunately, Rimuru eventually managed to calm her down with some honey.

The sweet treat worked remarkably well, and Milim quickly decided that Rimuru was her new best friend.

She even announced that she intended to stay in the village for a while.

Rimuru could only sigh helplessly.

Having a Demon Lord living in his settlement would undoubtedly lead to all sorts of complications, but he couldn’t exactly turn her away.

Besides, now that Milim considered him her best friend, perhaps the arrangement wouldn’t be so bad.

There were certainly worse things than having a Demon Lord on friendly terms with his country.

With that in mind, Rimuru decided to organize a banquet to welcome her.

After all, Milim was still a Demon Lord. It would hardly be appropriate to treat her arrival as an ordinary visit.

And a celebration might help everyone relax after the alarming events of the day.

"A banquet? Really?!"

Milim immediately perked up.

"Yeah! I love banquets!"

Seeing her enthusiasm, Rimuru smiled and began assigning the goblins and orcs to prepare the venue.

However, as he watched everyone bustling around, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was missing.

"Come to think of it, I wonder when Haruto and the others will be back."

He rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"If we could serve some of Haruto’s cooking at the banquet, it’d definitely make the celebration even better."

Merely remembering the dishes Haruto had prepared was enough to make Rimuru swallow involuntarily.

The young chef’s cooking was on an entirely different level from anything the villagers could produce.

If Haruto took charge of preparing the food, tonight’s banquet would undoubtedly be something special.

"Hmm? Who’s this Haruto person?"

Milim’s curiosity was immediately aroused.

She tilted her head and looked at Rimuru expectantly.

"Haruto’s a Super Chef, and his cooking is unbelievably delicious."

Rimuru couldn’t help smiling as he remembered the meals he’d enjoyed.

"A Super Chef?"

Milim blinked.

"What’s that? Is it something amazing?"

"Of course it is!"

Rimuru nodded emphatically.

"Haruto makes the most delicious food I’ve ever eaten. His cooking is even better than honey!"

"BETTER THAN HONEY?!"

Milim’s eyes practically sparkled.

As far as she was concerned, honey was already the most delicious thing in the entire world.

And now Rimuru was telling her there was something even better?

"That’s right!"

Rimuru nodded again.

"Once you’ve tasted his food, you’ll understand. I guarantee Haruto’s cooking will blow you away!"

He paused before adding, "And he’s incredibly strong, too."

Rimuru didn’t know exactly how powerful Haruto was.

Nevertheless, the young chef could travel freely through the deeper regions of the Great Forest of Jura and hunt powerful monsters without much difficulty.

That alone was enough to demonstrate considerable strength.

Furthermore, Rimuru could sense the enormous amount of energy contained within Haruto’s body.

He was clearly no ordinary chef.

"Really delicious food, huh..."

Milim was barely paying attention to the discussion about strength.

Her mind had become completely occupied by a single thought.

’Even better than honey!’

She licked her lips and looked at Rimuru eagerly.

"So where’s this Haruto person?"

She could hardly contain her desire to taste the cooking of this so-called Super Chef.

"He’s somewhere in the Great Forest of Jura," Rimuru replied. "He’s been traveling around with a few companions, hunting monsters and collecting ingredients. He only comes back to the village occasionally."

"I see..."

Milim suddenly looked thoughtful.

Someone whom Rimuru described as exceptionally powerful, currently traveling through the Great Forest of Jura...

’Then it must be that guy I ran into earlier!’

There was a good chance the person Rimuru was talking about was the same young man she’d encountered before reaching the village.

And if his cooking really was as delicious as Rimuru claimed...

Milim’s eyes lit up.

"Hey, I’m going out for a little while! I’ll be back soon!"

Before Rimuru could ask what she meant, Milim launched herself into the sky.

Whoosh!

She disappeared at an astonishing speed, leaving only a fleeting pink afterimage.

"Huh? Milim?"

Rimuru stared after her in confusion.

’Where’s she going all of a sudden?’

However, he didn’t dwell on the matter for long.

Milim was a Demon Lord, practically a walking natural disaster.

There was hardly any reason to worry about her running into trouble.

"Ah, whatever. We’d better get back to preparing the banquet."

Rimuru shook his head and returned his attention to the villagers.

...

Meanwhile, deep within the Great Forest of Jura, Haruto and his companions had just captured a two-headed snake.

They were preparing to continue their search for ingredients when Haruto suddenly sensed an enormous concentration of magical energy approaching.

The presence was familiar.

And judging from its direction, it appeared to be heading straight toward them.

"That’s strange..."

Haruto frowned.

’Didn’t Milim go to see Rimuru? Why is she coming back?’

’Did something happen?’

As he considered the possibilities, a pink figure appeared in the distant sky.

It rapidly grew larger, closing the distance at an astonishing speed.

Then, before Haruto could do anything, the figure descended directly toward their position.

BOOM!

Milim landed heavily on the ground in front of them.

It was exactly the same dramatic entrance she’d made during their previous encounter.

Haruto sighed helplessly.

’Seriously, can’t she just land normally?’

As the dust settled, Milim’s familiar figure emerged.

She looked completely unconcerned by the commotion she’d caused.

"Hey! I didn’t get a chance to introduce myself earlier!"

She proudly straightened her posture.

"I’m Milim Nava, the one and only Dragonoid! I’m a Demon Lord known as the Tyrant of Destruction!"

Haruto regarded her for a moment before replying.

"Well, Demon Lord Milim, is there something you need from me?"

This time, she’d clearly come looking for him.

Surely she wasn’t going to claim she’d just happened to be passing through again.

Milim examined Haruto from head to toe.

Then she asked, "You’re Haruto, right? The Super Chef?"

Hearing the question, Haruto immediately understood where she’d obtained that information.

There was only one person who would have told Milim about him.

’So Rimuru mentioned me.’

"That’s right. I’m Haruto."

He nodded, confirming his identity.

"Rimuru told me your cooking is really, really delicious!"

Milim leaned forward eagerly.

"So, do you want to come to the banquet my best friend Rimuru is throwing especially for me?"

Her eyes were filled with anticipation.

She desperately wanted to find out what kind of food could possibly taste better than honey.

Haruto blinked.

Then he couldn’t help smiling wryly.

So that was what this was about.

Milim had come all the way back into the forest just to invite him to a banquet.

Or, more accurately, she’d come because she wanted to eat his cooking.

Apparently, Rimuru had said something that had thoroughly captured her interest.

Haruto considered the situation briefly before nodding.

"Sure. I don’t see why not."

After all, a Demon Lord had personally come looking for him with an invitation.

It wasn’t as though he had any particular reason to refuse.

Besides, Milim only wanted to taste his food. There was nothing wrong with that.

And establishing a friendly relationship with someone as powerful as Milim would certainly do him no harm.

"YAY!"

Milim broke into a brilliant smile.

"Then let’s hurry! I can’t wait to try your cooking!"

She looked so excited that she seemed ready to drag Haruto back to the village immediately.

Haruto chuckled helplessly before turning toward his companions.

"All right, everyone. Looks like it’s time for us to head back."

Kagura, Kanna, and Gardevoir exchanged glances before nodding in agreement.

None of them had any objections.

And so, the group began making its way back toward Rimuru’s settlement.

...

Back at the village, Rimuru was directing the goblins as they arranged the banquet grounds.

Some were setting up tables, while others were gathering supplies and preparing the space for the evening’s celebration.

Everything was progressing smoothly.

Then Rimuru suddenly sensed a familiar magical presence approaching.

’Hmm? Milim’s coming back already?’

He raised his head and looked toward the sky.

A moment later, he spotted Milim flying toward the village.

But she wasn’t alone.

Haruto, Kagura, Kanna, and Gardevoir were accompanying her.

"Haruto?"

Rimuru blinked in surprise.

Then he immediately understood what had happened.

’Wow. Talk about taking action the moment you get an idea.’

Milim certainly didn’t waste any time.

Before long, the group descended into the village’s central square.

"Rimuru! Look! I brought Haruto back!"

Milim stood proudly in front of him, wearing the expression of someone who’d accomplished a tremendous feat.

Rimuru looked toward Haruto with an apologetic smile.

"Sorry about this, Haruto."

It was obvious that his earlier comments about Haruto’s cooking had prompted Milim to go searching for him.

He hadn’t intended to interrupt Haruto’s exploration of the forest.

However, now that everyone was already back, it would be ridiculous to suggest that they leave again.

And if Rimuru was being perfectly sincere, he was rather excited about the prospect of enjoying another of Haruto’s meals.

Haruto waved away the apology.

"Don’t worry about it. I was probably going to head back soon anyway."

He smiled.

"Besides, I enjoy a good banquet."

He glanced at the goblins busily preparing the venue, then toward Milim, who was watching him with barely concealed anticipation.

"Since we’re having a banquet, I might as well prepare something special."

After all, that was clearly the main reason Milim had invited him.

"Really?! That’s fantastic!"

Rimuru immediately brightened.

With Haruto handling some of the cooking, tonight’s banquet was practically guaranteed to be a success.

Milim looked even more excited.

"Then hurry up and start cooking! I can’t wait anymore!"

Haruto nodded, rubbing his chin thoughtfully as he began considering what to make.

He had collected quite a few unusual monster ingredients during his recent expeditions through the Great Forest of Jura.

There were plenty of possibilities, but if he was going to prepare something for a banquet attended by a Demon Lord, he wanted to choose carefully.

’Now then... What should I make?’