Her boots slid a little on the rocks as she made her way down, gripping at tree roots and rough stone. "Oh god, oh god… don't fall, don't fall…" she muttered under her breath, trying to play it cool even though her stomach was doing flips.
By the time she reached the bottom, she was a little out of breath. When her feet finally touched the grass, she straightened up quickly, brushing the dirt off her hands like nothing happened. Totally casual. Definitely not about to freak out.
Rimuru was standing there waiting, arms crossed, golden eyes fixed on her. Up close, he was… intimidating. Not in size, since he looked so small and almost harmless in his human form, but in presence. His aura pressed against her like invisible weight, reminding her that if he wanted, he could end her in an instant.
She swallowed. "S-So… uh. Hi."
Rimuru tilted his head slightly. "Hi." His tone wasn't exactly unfriendly, but it wasn't warm either. More like… careful. "So. Nia, right? You got a last name, or is it just that?"
"Just that," she blurted, way too fast.
"…Right." His eyes narrowed a little, but he didn't push. Instead, he shifted his weight, glancing briefly at the goblins who had gathered a safe distance away. They peeked from behind houses, whispering nervously. Some were clutching tools like they expected a fight to break out any second.
She noticed and winced. "Oh… wow, okay. They look terrified. Uh—sorry about that." She raised her hands a little like she was surrendering. "I promise I'm not gonna eat anyone, or… y'know… blow stuff up or whatever."
Rimuru didn't drop his guard. "They're reacting to your aura. You're leaking a lot of power—you might not realize it, but to weaker monsters it feels… overwhelming."
Her jaw dropped. "Wait, me? Power?? No way, I'm just—" she stopped herself before saying "a normal human from Earth who fell into an anime." "…I mean, I don't feel strong."
Rimuru studied her carefully, like he was reading between the lines of everything she said. "Maybe not to you. But to us… you're putting out energy that rivals some of the strongest beings I've met."
Her stomach flipped. "Uh… haha… that's… fine. Totally fine. Not terrifying at all." She scratched her neck nervously.
Rimuru didn't laugh. He just sighed softly, lowering his arms but keeping his guard up in the way his stance never fully relaxed. "Look, I don't sense any killing intent from you, so I'll trust my gut… for now. But if you're really not from around here, then you've got some explaining to do."
She scratched the back of her neck awkwardly. "Yeeeah… about that. Explaining is gonna be… complicated."
Rimuru raised an eyebrow. "Try me."