— — — — — —
Time trickled by. Before anyone realized it, three whole days had passed.
"Seriously? Still not done? How long is this gonna take?" Kiana grumbled from the side. "Just how much longer?"
"Oh, come on! This isn't some quick little fix," Rimuru sighed, giving Kiana a helpless look. "You've run back and forth dozens of times already. You'd be better off spending that energy learning to control your Herrscher powers."
"Hah! Don't underestimate me. I'm a genius," Kiana declared proudly, chin tilted up. "That kind of thing? I can master it in minutes."
Rimuru rolled his eyes. 'Yeah right, like I'd ever believe that nonsense.' He was about to shoot back when faint murmurs drifted out from the glowing energy spheres nearby.
"Did you hear that? They're moving!" Kiana gasped, her face lighting up. "I'll go get the others right now!" And with that, she dashed off like a whirlwind.
"…Honestly. Always so impatient," Rimuru muttered with a sigh. As much as he liked Kiana's personality, her lack of brains was… problematic.
He turned back to the two glowing spheres. Figures were starting to take shape inside, faint heartbeats echoing in rhythm.
"Looks like the time's almost up," Rimuru calculated. "Two, maybe three hours at most, and their bodies will be fully rebuilt."
Sure enough, it wasn't long before Kiana returned—this time dragging Mei, Himeko, Bronya, and even Garp with her.
"They're about to wake up?" Himeko asked, her tone thick with concern.
"Yeah. Won't be long now," Rimuru confirmed.
Himeko nodded silently and joined the others in quiet anticipation.
Time seemed to stand still.
Crack—hiss.
The first energy sphere split open, light spilling out as the silhouette inside grew clearer.
Everyone's eyes were glued to the scene, holding their breath in excitement.
At last, the energy fully dispersed, and Fu Hua drifted gently down to the ground. Himeko and the others rushed forward to greet her.
In stark contrast, Welt landed off to the side, completely ignored. Compared to Fu Hua's warm welcome, the sight of him alone and forgotten was… downright pitiful.
And when Garp and the rest noticed him, their eyes filled with amusement. They all turned toward Rimuru with silent accusation: 'Why does Fu Hua have clothes, but not Welt?'
"Heh." Rimuru snickered, utterly unbothered by their glares. He'd seen this coming from a mile away. That's why he'd used energy to create clothes for Fu Hua early on. Welt, on the other hand, only got a pair of boxers. He's a grown man—what's there to be embarrassed about?
"..."
Poor Welt.
Just then, salvation seemed to arrive: Einstein slowly approached his side. For a brief moment, Welt felt hope bloom in his chest. Maybe he wasn't abandoned after all.
Einstein pulled out her phone, flipped to the camera, and unleashed a rapid ten-shot burst. Then she pocketed the phone… and walked away.
Yeah… Walked away.
Welt froze. He wasn't just abandoned. The world had flat-out mugged him.
Rimuru twitched at the corner of his mouth. 'That's your own boss, you know! You really think this is okay?'
Rimuru took a steadying breath, glanced at Welt sprawled miserably on the floor, and couldn't help feeling a bit grateful. At least his own subordinates weren't this insane. Probably.
"Ugh… what happened to me?" Fu Hua stirred at last, her eyes flickering open.
"Hua!" Himeko cried, pulling her into a tight hug.
"Major Himeko… I'm sorry." At first Fu Hua looked confused, but something suddenly resurfaced in her memory. Guilt welled up in her expression.
"Class monitor, you're finally awake! We've been waiting forever," Kiana said, puffing herself up. "This time, you owe me big!"
"Kiana…" Fu Hua gazed at her smiling face, and her eyes shimmered red. Tears began to gather.
"It's fine! I forgive you, class monitor," Kiana said warmly. For a fleeting second, she seemed… mature. She patted Fu Hua's head and gently brushed away her tears. "But promise me—don't lie to me again, okay?"
For reasons he couldn't explain, Rimuru thought Kiana actually looked kind of… charming in that moment.
"Mhm!" Fu Hua nodded hard, clutching Kiana and sobbing quietly.
Mei and Bronya stood nearby, smiling gently at the sight.
Welt, meanwhile, glanced between Fu Hua's heartwarming reunion and his own lonely self. His life felt completely colorless in comparison. But wait—he still had comrades. Einstein and Tesla were his companions. He wasn't alone. There was hope.
With renewed determination, Welt lifted his head—only to spot Einstein among Fu Hua's group.
His last shred of hope crumbled.
"…Is the blow maybe a little too much? He won't do anything stupid, will he?" Rimuru muttered, worried at Welt's lifeless look.
After the initial reunion, Fu Hua was helped over by the Valkyries. Eventually, even Welt was reluctantly hauled up by Einstein using a mech.
"Thank you for everything you've done for me," Fu Hua said earnestly. "I don't know how to repay you."
"Planning to repay me, huh? How about marriage?" Rimuru teased.
"N-no! Of course not!" Fu Hua waved her hands frantically. "I just mean… if you ever need my help, I'll give it without hesitation."
"Same here. If you need me, I'll do whatever I can," Welt added calmly.
"It's really no big deal," Rimuru chuckled. "But hey, now that you know about our guild, how about joining up?"
"I've got no objections," Fu Hua agreed.
"Fine by me," Welt said.
And just like that, the Dimensional Guild welcomed two new members.
.
.
.