That Time Rimuru Got a Daughter!

Interlude: Their respective nights

(3rd Person Perspective)

"Father..." A femenine voice echoed through a room in the lizardmen's headquarters. The light in the room was weak, supported by a mere torch, but even so, one was able to distinguish two different silhouettes in the room. First off, sitting on the edge of a bed with snow white sheets, was a young lizardwoman with concern filling her eyes. She was none other than the daughter of the lizardmen's leader. The bed was unmade. In other words, there was nobody resting in it. For that reason, the lizardwoman's attention was not directed toward the bed, but rather toward the second figure in the room.

"It's fine, it's fine." The second shadow belonged to the lizardmen's Chief, who was weakly standing up with the assistance of a wooden walking stick. His breathing was ragged, but other than that, he was in a decent condition. He had ended up with nothing more than slight injuries, when considering he had gone against Rimuru Tempest—who was holding back. Yeah, it could have been way worse. Rimuru was strong, there was no longer doubt of it in his mind.

Even though he was clearly holding back, the Chief could still feel the effects of the kick he had received in his stomach area during the battle. His left hand was also numb, and his neck felt stiff. It was a complete defeat for him. That was the consequences he had to accept as the result of challenging somebody stronger than him. When it's monsters we are talking about, everybody knows that might makes right. Due to that, he could not feel unhappy with his injuries, as Rimuru could have taken much more than that if he'd desired to do so. For that same reason, the Chief refused to drink the potion that Rimuru had left for him when he left earlier. His pride as the challenger wouldn't allow him to do so.

His daughter had insisted him to drink it, though, hence her concerned stare towards her stubborn father. That said, she could also understand that it could have been way worse. As one of the spectators observing the match, she had experienced first-hand how skilled Rimuru was, and she was deeply indebted to him for allowing her father to continue residing in the living realm. It was also his courtesy to provide them with a potion to heal the Chief's injuries. It would be impolite to feel any sort of resentment toward him.

"Even so, *cough*, I wouldn't have thought such a powerful ally would join forces with us..." The leader smiled wryly as he tried to bottle up his physical pain.

"Yeah... I am sure what he said about the ogres was not a trick either..." The Chief's daughter had been one of the most skeptical lizardmen from the ones who experienced Rimuru's audience with their Chief. Her role as the head of the lizardman's army didn't allow her to do something as naive as believing everything strangers told her. That was until she saw Rimuru's way of fighting. Elegant; refined; overwhelming; in all senses, Rimuru's combat style was nothing short of artistic.

"...More than that..." The Chief hinted at something as he wandered into deep thought. Rimuru's words prior to his departure still echoed in his mind.

Watch your back. Those were the words Rimuru spoke as he bid farewell and disappeared into nothingness, just as how he'd arrived. What could he mean with those words? ......No, the Chief knew very well what they meant. They had to do with a certain person that was currently gathering support from outside of the village.

He had let that person grow too much of his ego, to the point in which his pride was beginning to blind his judgment. His son was not fundamentally a bad person; the Chief was sure he would be a good leader to the lizardmen, as a matter of fact. It's just that he knows he isn't ready for such a position yet. A ruler must be prideful, but not enough for him to develop tunnel vision. A ruler must be ambitious up to a certain point, but not to the extreme in which they become greedy. And it was like that with several other qualities. To put it in the prettiest way possible, Gabiru wasn't ready yet.