Despite discovering a fellow human in the middle of a remote monster settlement, the three exhausted adventurers couldn't calm down. In fact, they were panicking even more. Their eyes were wide, their jaws hung open, and they were pointing trembling fingers at the young man standing before them.
Because the man standing in the Jura Forest was none other than Suzuki Tanaka!
"THE WOLF OF BLUMUND?!" the three of them shrieked in perfect unison.
"...What the heck is the 'Wolf of Blumund'?" Rimuru asked, tilting his gelatinous body in utter confusion. Beside him, the petite, masked female adventurer also tilted her head, clearly curious about the title.
"How do you not know about the Wolf of Blumund?!" the three adventurers gasped, looking at the slime and the masked girl in absolute shock.
"He is a legendary figure!" the burly male adventurer exclaimed. "He rose to prominence out of nowhere, instantly registering as a B-Rank Adventurer! Then, in the span of just a few days, he single-handedly cleared out all the kingdom's most troublesome, backlogged monster quests and harvested a mountain of incredibly rare materials!"
"Wait, that isn't even the best part!" the cute young female mage interrupted, her eyes practically sparkling.
"That's right!" the third, leaner adventurer chimed in. "Using the massive bounty from those quests, he bought up dozens of failing businesses and completely restructured them into highly profitable businesses! In record time, he became one of the wealthiest—if not the wealthiest—men in the entire Kingdom of Blumund!"
"....."
Rimuru stared at Suzuki, feeling incredibly weirded out. "...Aren't you guys praising him a little too much?"
It felt completely surreal to hear these humans worship Suzuki like a mythical hero of capitalism. After all, Rimuru knew the actual Suzuki. He knew this guy was just a shameless young man whose primary hobby was aggressively sleeping his way through the various beautiful races of this fantasy world, and who had somehow miraculously evolved into an Enlightened Sage just by having too much snu-snu with a powerful Dryad.
"...I know exactly what you are thinking, Rimuru," Suzuki said, his voice dangerously low.
"SORRY!" Rimuru instinctively apologized, bouncing backward.
"Hmm?"
The three adventurers paused, suddenly confused by the casual, almost comedic-like interaction between this legendary man and a random, low-level slime. Still, they desperately wanted to hear more about the Wolf's exploits!
"Go on," Suzuki said calmly, crossing his arms.
"YES, SIR!"
Meeting Suzuki's cold, calculating eyes, the adventurers immediately stood at attention and continued their story.
"W-Why was he given the title of the Wolf? Well... it's mostly because of his pawnshops and lending businesses."
"Pawnshops and lending businesses...?" Rimuru's nonexistent eyes widened as he slowly turned to look at Suzuki.
"Through predatory loans and airtight contracts, he legally seized the lands of arrogant nobles who couldn't pay him back! He bankrupted dozens of corrupt, wealthy merchants, devouring their assets and absorbing their companies exactly like a starving wolf hunting down its prey!"
"My, my. They certainly sing your praises," Anrietta whispered softly, leaning close to Suzuki's ear. She teasingly ran the tip of her tongue over her lips, a mischievous glint in her emerald eyes.
"Shh..." Suzuki rolled his eyes, noticing her deliberate attempt to tease him. Yet, the sultry way she traced her lips and the warm breath against his neck definitely sent a dangerous, highly distracting rush of heat straight to his lower body.
"Yeah... he truly is a legendary figure..." the mage sighed dreamily.
"To think that we would randomly run into him all the way out here... in the middle of nowhere..."
The cute young woman looked at Suzuki in absolute awe. Suddenly, she scrambled into her pockets and pulled out a blank piece of parchment. Seeing her move, her two male companions frantically did the exact same thing.
The three of them dropped into a deep, synchronized bow, thrusting the papers forward.
"PLEASE GIVE US YOUR AUTOGRAPH!"
"WAIT, YOU ARE ALL HIS FANS?!" Rimuru retorted, completely dumbfounded by how these seasoned adventurers had instantly turned into squealing groupies for a ruthless loan shark.
"Fufu..."
Hearing Rimuru's exasperated shout, the masked woman quietly giggled. Even muffled by the heavy mask, her voice was incredibly melodious. Suzuki's sharp ears picked it up instantly, confirming his suspicion that a beautiful woman was hiding beneath that mask.
"Don't do it," Anrietta murmured softly, noticing exactly where his attention had shifted.
"...I wasn't going to," Suzuki replied smoothly.
He rolled his eyes at the gorgeous elf, who was currently glaring at him with a mix of possessiveness and warning.
"If you are feeling that pent up," Anrietta whispered, her tone dropping into a dangerous, sultry register, "I am more than capable of handling you myself."
Anrietta definitely didn't believe his innocent act. She knew his boundless stamina all too well, and she had already silently resolved to completely drain him dry later tonight just to keep his eyes from wandering.
"....."
Suzuki stared at Anrietta weirdly, genuinely wondering why this elite elven spymaster indulged him so deeply. Still, he didn't hate it. Without a second thought, he casually wrapped his arm tightly around her slender waist, pulling her flush against his side right in front of everyone.
Anrietta gasped softly, a furious blush instantly spreading across her pale cheeks. Despite her bold words a second ago, she sighed in defeat, burying her face into his neck to hide her embarrassment from the crowd.
"..."
"GODDAMMIT!"
The two male adventurers—and practically every male goblin in the vicinity—screamed with all their might! Many of them literally had crimson tears streaming down their faces. The sheer, concentrated jealousy in the air was thick enough to cut with a sword!
Why is it always him?!
Yet... they couldn't do a single thing about it.
Meanwhile, the cute young female adventurer was staring dumbfounded at the sudden, intense intimacy between Suzuki and his secretary. Her eyes widened as she took in Anrietta's distinct features—the elegant, elongated ears, the flawless, ageless face, and the breathtaking aura. It was incredibly obvious that Anrietta was a high elf.
But elves lived for centuries.
The young woman couldn't help but do the math in her head. Wait... how can a young guy like him be dating someone who is probably... much, much, much older than him? Isn't she practically a grandmoth—
"...Did you just think something incredibly rude about me, Little Girl?"
Anrietta's head snapped up. Her emerald eyes glowed with a terrifying, suffocating aura that instantly froze the young mage in place.
"N-No! NO! NOT AT ALL!" The young woman frantically shook her head, terrified for her life.
"Good. Keep it that way," Anrietta nodded firmly, settling back into Suzuki's embrace.
Taking a nervous gulp, the young woman timidly looked back up at Suzuki, holding out her parchment with trembling hands. "Um... so... can I please have an autograph?"
"Sorry, no."
"Ehh?! Why not?!"
"I don't like giving out my signature," Suzuki replied, his tone instantly shifting into a cold, professional businessman. "I am not an entertainer, and I don't know any of you. How do I know you won't forge my signature onto a blank promissory note or misuse it to authorize a bank withdrawal in Blumund?"
"....."
Everyone fell completely silent.
Fair enough, they all thought simultaneously. Suzuki's reasoning was painfully pragmatic and incredibly cold. It was exactly the kind of logic you would expect from a man who had survived by bankrupting nobles.
"There must be many questions that you want to ask, especially about why a human is standing in the middle of a monster village," Suzuki continued, shifting the focus of the conversation. "But don't worry. Everyone in this settlement is fair and kind. As long as you treat them with respect, they will treat you with good faith. If you offer friendship, you will receive hospitality. So, for now, leave your human prejudices at the treeline, or you might deeply regret it."
"..."
"We understand that," the burly adventurer said cautiously. "But... what exactly are you doing out here?"
Yes, what was the Wolf of Blumund doing in the Jura Forest?
"I am an investor," Suzuki stated simply. He gestured toward Rimuru. "I am investing heavily in this village's future. Rimuru, please, give our guests your best hospitality. Show them exactly what your village can do."
"Aye, aye!"
Rimuru bounced happily. This was exactly the opening he had been waiting for! It was time to show these humans how amazing the village had become!
Rimuru's naturally squishy, unthreatening appearance as a slime worked wonders for diplomacy. It made the tense humans immediately lower their guard, making him appear incredibly approachable.
Still, Suzuki thought analytically, if Rimuru had reincarnated as a goblin or a dire wolf... these adventurers would have probably attacked him on sight.
"Umm... excuse me. Are you from Japan?"
"....."
Both Suzuki and Rimuru completely froze.
When that specific, impossible question was asked, both the human and the slime snapped their heads toward the petite, masked woman.
While Rimuru was entirely dumbfounded, Suzuki's eyes narrowed. His body instantly tensed, going on high alert.
"Please, don't be wary of me."
Sensing their sudden tension, the woman reached up and gently unclasped her mask, pulling it away from her face. "Your name is Suzuki, right? It's a very familiar name. It sounds exactly like someone from my home country."
"You are...?"
As Suzuki had suspected, the face hidden behind the heavy mask was breathtakingly beautiful. Yet, her facial features were vastly different from the typical western-fantasy aesthetic of the Blumund citizens. She had the soft, unmistakable features of a Japanese woman—a face that Suzuki hadn't seen in this world for a very long time.
"My name is Shizu."
Shizu had been incredibly hesitant to speak up. But when she saw Suzuki, and witnessed the bizarre, modern way he interacted with the slime, she knew for a fact that the rumors she had heard weren't lies.
Because of that, she decided to tell the absolute truth.
"Similar to the slime... and to you... I am a person from another world."
"...."
Rimuru was speechless, his mind reeling from the sudden revelation.
Yet, Suzuki simply tilted his head back, staring up at the blue sky above the forest canopy. He let out a long, heavy, utterly exhausted sigh.
Damn it, Suzuki thought miserably. The main plot has finally found me.