"Hmph, when did low-level monsters like that start showing up in places like this? How unlucky."
A voice suddenly rang out, dripping with contempt and disdain. The mood in the room instantly shifted—tense and uncomfortable.
Rimuru glanced around, puzzled.
"Are they talking about me?" he wondered.
At the moment, he was the only one who might be seen as a "low-level" monster. All eyes had turned toward the speaker.
"Oh, isn't that Lord Kaijin? Have you finished the task you promised to complete? What brings you to a nightclub instead of doing your job?" the man continued, his tone laced with biting sarcasm.
"If you don't have it done on time, don't expect me to show mercy for old times' sake."
His words were sharp and mean-spirited, making everyone uneasy.
Kaijin's expression darkened.
"You bastard! Hmph, I've already completed the task. It's none of your business," he snapped back, not backing down an inch.
Clearly, Kaijin held no fondness for the man in front of him—hostility radiated from him.
"What?! That's impossible…" the other man muttered in disbelief, clearly not expecting that response. Since his plan to provoke Kaijin had failed, he redirected his ire.
"Madam Boss, when did your establishment start letting in such low-level monsters?"
His eyes locked onto Rimuru with open disgust.
"But, Minister Vesta, if it's a slime, then—" the Madam Boss began to explain, trying to smooth things over.
Geez, was that personal attack really necessary? What did the slime ever do to you?
Rimuru sighed inwardly, feeling helpless.
Things only escalated when Vesta suddenly flung a full glass of wine at Rimuru without warning. The room fell into stunned silence, the kind where you could hear a pin drop.
In that moment, Rimuru thought grimly:
"No, I absolutely can't get angry. I have to hold back. This guy's a noble. If I retaliate now, it'll turn into a huge mess. Not only me—Gransta could get dragged into it too, and we'd all have trouble getting back to the village."
"Ugh… what is this? Why is it suddenly so cold…?"
Vesta began to shiver uncontrollably. The air around them dropped in temperature, like they'd been plunged into an ice cave.
Rimuru immediately noticed the change but didn't act rashly. Instead, he shot Gransta a firm look to stop him from reacting.
Reluctantly, Gransta set his glass back on the table with a heavy thud. Only then did the others realize that the drink inside had frozen solid—crystal clear, emitting a faint chill.
"Hey! What the hell do you think you're doing?!"
Kaijin stood up with a shout, kicking the table aside as he glared at Vesta.
"Vesta! You bastard! How dare you do that to my guest? You've gone way too far!"
His voice thundered through the room, making everyone flinch.
"Eh? W-Wait a second, Kaijin… He's a minister! Don't be so reckless!" Rimuru quickly tried to intervene, sighing internally.
He'd just calmed down one hot-headed person… and now another, even more volatile one, had burst onto the scene.
This made Rimuru feel utterly helpless—his efforts had all been in vain.
At that moment, he genuinely felt like cutting down this arrogant, rude noble and escaping the country with everyone.
"Did I endure all that for nothing?"
But reality wouldn't allow such a course of action. After all, they were in a foreign land. If they caused serious trouble here, the consequences would be unimaginable…
Just then, under Minister Vesta's stunned gaze, a massive fist shot toward his face like a bolt of lightning.
Bang!
With a dull thud, Minister Vesta was sent crashing to the ground.
"Ah! That hurts! Kaijin, how dare you strike a noble? Do you realize what a serious crime this is?!"
Clutching his cheek in pain, Vesta lay on the ground, staring up at Kaijin in disbelief. His eyes were filled with shock and confusion.
But Kaijin ignored the humiliated minister. Instead, he turned to Rimuru and the others, his gaze resolute and sharp. His stance alone made it clear—he would never stand by and let anyone mistreat his friends.
"Lord Rimuru, Sir Gransta—you're looking for skilled craftsmen, right? Then let me prove myself. See if I meet your standards."
"…What?"
Rimuru blinked, wondering if he had heard correctly. But he quickly realized that after punching a noble, Kaijin might no longer have a future in this country anyway.
"A master craftsman like you is more than welcome in our village!" Gransta responded without hesitation.
"Yes, Kaijin, I've been hoping you'd say that," Rimuru added, smiling in agreement.
Still, while the punch had been satisfying, trouble was sure to follow.
When Kaidou arrived with the Dwarven Guard, his eyes widened in disbelief at the scene before him. He looked at his older brother, still brimming with anger, with a conflicted expression.
"Big brother… what have you done?"
As a guard, Kaidou's duty was to uphold the kingdom's law and apprehend those who broke it. Publicly assaulting a noble was a grave offense—one that could reach the king himself.
This wasn't something that could be brushed aside.
"Hmph! That bastard dared to be so rude to Lord Rimuru—I couldn't just sit back and watch. I only gave him a bit of what he deserved!"
Kaijin growled, standing tall amidst the chaos.
Meanwhile, Minister Vesta's nose was bleeding, and he glared at them with undisguised hatred.
"Seriously… If you're going to teach someone a lesson, at least pick the right target…" Kaidou muttered under his breath with a heavy sigh.
"In any case, under the current circumstances, I have no choice but to place you under arrest," he said, reluctantly issuing orders to his subordinates.