CHAPTER 116: MY PANTS WERE STILL DOWN!

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"Alicia! Are you okay?" I turned sharply to her after punching the living daylight out of her attacker.

"Kyaa!" She jumped into my arms and hugged me tightly. "I was so scared! He suddenly brought out a weapon!"

I rubbed her back gently to console her—

"That’s unfair!" Levi yelled from behind, dragging along a bundle of dwarves all tied up in her whip. "I’m also terrified! These dwarves are utter brutes! Console me, Master Raven!"

Bina wasn’t one to be left behind. She smashed a dwarf’s head into the hard ground with one clean punch, then looked up at me—

"M-Me too!"

But truthfully, I couldn’t believe I’d been that careless. That could’ve gone far worse than it did.

My first and most important duty is to protect Alicia.

My wealthy, luxurious lifestyle comes second.

"Master?" the leader of the dwarves tilted his head and gave me a long stare. "Don’t tell me..."

Then, all of a sudden, he rushed at me.

Ah, so he did want to cease fire after all?

Great choice. I wasn’t looking forward to killing any of the—

"Hmm... So she really is a male. Hmmm. But the boobs are still juicy-looking, and the face is exceedingly cute. Alright, I’ve decided—marry me!"

To my utmost disbelief, the dwarf chief literally walked up to me, pulled down my lower garment, and yanked my shirt up.

I... I was laid bare for all to see!!

Just like that!

"Mr. Chief, why don’t we go talk about the marriage arrangements over there," Levi said sweetly, resting an arm on his shoulders with the expression of a smiling executioner.

"Let me join too," Bina added with an equally deadpan expression. "I’ve crashed a few weddings before, so I know exactly what not to do."

The chief, blushing to the roots of his beard, obediently followed them a few paces away.

A pity.

Soon enough, the ground began to quake, and faint screams rose in the distance.

We ignored them.

The guy I’d launched into orbit earlier finally landed on the ground with a dull thud.

To his credit, he got up immediately and sprinted to me, bowing repeatedly.

"Please, have mercy!" he cried.

Mercy? After almost hurting Alicia and shamelessly stripping me in public?!

They better have a divine excuse.

And why was Alicia red in the face and staring at me like that?

"We thought you guys were Sarvest’s executives... sent to recruit us, so..."

Ah. If they were wary of Sarvest, then this kind of rough reception is actually justified.

In fact, considering it’s Sarvest, they’re being too laid-back about defying a demigod.

Well, all the dwarves—at least, the ones who weren’t unconscious—had begun to prostrate before me in apology.

Hehehe...

Hahahahaha!

Yes, this is how it should be. Maybe I’ll have them become my subjects, then—

WHOOSH!

A gentle breeze brushed past my lower half... and that’s when I realized why Alicia had been flusteredly gazing at me.

M... My pants were still down!!!

"Uh... Uhm. Y-You all needn’t f-fear us, so..." shame overwhelmed me as I hurried to fix my clothes, my fingers fumbling. "I... I ahm Rimuru— I mean, R-Ruben..."

"Cute," Alicia breathed.

Levi stepped forward and placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Don’t worry about it, Master Raven. I shall cover for you while you recover your dignity."

Dammit!!

I never used to care about being naked!!

What’s with this human body and its shame reflexes?!

Levi turned her attention to the dwarves, face stern.

"You have all erred greatly. And if my Lord weren’t merciful, he would have summoned an army of high-ranking Principalities to erase your entire existence before you even finished blinking. Be grateful for his grace."

All at once, their eyes rolled back to me—terrified, yet doubting, wide-eyed, waiting.

THWIP!

Levi’s whip cracked against the ground. The sound echoed like thunder, and immediately, the dwarves threw themselves into deeper bows, their faces to the dirt, trembling.

"We thank you, Great Lord, for sparing our measly existence!" they chanted.

Did they rehearse that?!

Wait—where’s the chie—

Ah, there he is.

He was bleeding, face swollen with a black eye, buried halfway into the ground like a broken pillar. And I think... he was smirking? Like he had actually won or something.

"As compensation," Levi continued, apparently still going, "you lot will prepare a warm feast and a week-long festival! One where we shall commemorate this potential day of horror, now turned into a moment of mercy by our divine Lord!"

"Hold up!" I stepped in, exasperated. "Levi, aren’t you being a tyrant right now?!"

Levi smiled at me. "Nothing of the sort, Master Raven. Just look at them. They’re excited."

I turned to the audience, and sure enough, their previously blank and melancholic expressions began to brighten.

Their eyes lit up the moment I looked their way. But the second I turned my head again, their faces dimmed with that same hopelessness—though I could still see them clearly using God Wolf Eye.

Poor guys. They only came here to defend against Sarvest. That was all they wanted. And now, somehow, they’d gotten themselves entangled in Levi’s ridiculous plot.

She had also urged—well, forced—them to set up the best possible settlement for me. A place to stay, rest, and recuperate before the upcoming festival she also "suggested" to them. Which, again, meant "forced."

And come to think of it, does this even count as a human settlement? If yes, then could I somehow turn it into a booming place of trade, cash flow, and business?

Tsk.

But I guess, for now, we’d need somewhere to rest. Somewhere to get our bearings, take a breath, and decide what to do next.

"Fear not," Levi went on, unable to keep her mouth shut. "Master Raven is unlike any Lord you’ve ever met or served. If you devote yourselves to him, if you serve him loyally, you—"

"Nah. I don’t need any more service," I cut her off.

The dwarves collectively gasped, their eyes widening like they’d seen a ghost.