Return to the Village
So there we were. Back at the goblin village.
It had only been about two weeks, but I was seriously starting to miss it a little. Assuming you wanted to call it a village at all. It was more of an empty space with a fence around it.
While we were gone, a few simple tents had been pitched around the area. There were signs of progress, at least. I spotted a large iron pot situated over the remains of the central campfire.
Goblin cuisine used to be all about spit-roasting—but now they've added simmering to the mix!
This was a truly remarkable development. Where'd they get that thing?
Taking a closer look, I realized it was fashioned from the shell of a big turtle.
Man, how much did they expand their hunting grounds while I was gone?
I was glad they'd kept their home base safe, at least.
The resident hobgoblins spotted our returning party quickly, greeting us with cheers and applause. I had rudely forgotten to bring souvenirs, but given the monster pelts and such I spotted drying here and there—proceeds from their hunting, no doubt—I was sure the dwarves would have everyone kitted up and clothed before long.
"Welcome back, Rimuru-sama!" Rigurd ran up to me, but his expression was troubled. "I hate to bother you so soon after returning, but we have visitors…"
Visitors? But I don't remember having any friends.
I decided to let the dwarves show themselves around. They'd be living here for a while, and I was sure they were curious to see what it was like. I also stowed the tools I'd brought along in an empty tent, figuring the covering would at least offer some protection against the elements.
Leaving our new residents to Rigur, I had the elder guide me to our guests.
He took me to one of the larger tents, which had been converted into a sort of meeting room.
Who could it be?
I bounced in.
Inside were a bunch of goblins—the regular kind. Several of them were well dressed, each one accompanied by a handful of servants. Some elders and their guards, maybe? Nobody was armed.
Before I could ask what was up, the goblins prostrated themselves on the floor.
"""It is an honor to meet you, O great master!""" they all shouted in unison. """Please, listen to our most earnest of hopes!"""
Great master? I guess they mean me, but really, that's going too far.
They sure believed it, though. Their eyes couldn't have been more longing or resolute.
There's no telling what they want, but I'll hear them out.
"All right. Go ahead."
"Oh, thank you for your generosity!" one of the elders shouted. "All of us here wish to join your throngs of followers, sir!"
"""Please, grant us your magnanimous kindness!!"""
Honestly, I don't want to deal with this.
We're just getting started with the rebuilding process here. I don't have time to waste on you!
I would've loved to simply shoo them off. But we did have a lack of manpower around here. And I could already picture the turf wars these guys would want to spring upon us sooner or later.
Maybe it's best to take them in while we still can.
And here's the thing—I wasn't being naive about this.
If they stab us in the back after that, we can just kill 'em all.
I wouldn't take kindly to traitors. Rose-colored glasses would just get in the way when you were leading a pack of monsters. You had to keep a cool head around them. That was part of the reason I was willing to take these goblins in—because I wanted to prove to myself that I meant business.
Once again, I reminded myself: If these guys turn out to be traitors, I will personally kill every one of them.
It was amazing how I could think about killing people as if I were wondering where to go for lunch. It came as a surprise, but—hell—it beat hemming and hawing over every life decision I made. Kept it simple.
By the way, if these were just the envoys, how many goblins are we talking overall?
I sighed internally.
I might have a hell of a lot of names to think up soon.
The Goblin Conference
The guards accompanying the goblin elders had gone back to their respective villages to report the news. So what did they have to say?
To sum up, their story went a bit like this…
It all began with the recent disruptions to the order around the forest. The other villages had de facto abandoned Rigurd's during the direwolf attack in part because they simply had no combat resources left to assign to the place.
All the intelligent races in this forest—the orcs, the lizardmen, and the ogres, too—were starting to step up and stake their claims on this wood. There had been smaller arguments along those lines before, but there was also a sort of silent agreement that nobody would let it get to armed conflict.
With the forest's one and true overseer out of the picture, however, there were more than a few races out there ready to vent some steam.
Veldora's disappearance really did shake things up.
Monsters, in general, had a tendency to puff up and engage in regular displays of power. Now every village in the forest was rapidly preparing itself to kick some ass. It was only a matter of time before something got the ball rolling. And goblins, the wimpiest kids on the block, were doomed to let most of these other races lay total waste to them.
This, naturally, alarmed most of the other goblin elders. The moment they got involved in this cross-forest turf war, it'd be over for them. So they held a conference, talked it over for several days, and were all too blockheaded to come up with any decent ideas.
Not that I would have expected them to…
News of the impending direwolf attack came in the midst of this, but their attention was focused elsewhere. Rigurd's village was left for dead and all but forgotten.
Just as the villages' food stocks were starting to run low, they heard word of yet another new forest menace—rumors of massive, dark beasts, piloted by people riding on their backs. They sped through the trees, as if traversing flat plains, and they utterly vanquished the more powerful monsters of the forest.
That would be my Tempest Wolves and the Hobgoblins.
They were apparently…ex-goblins.
Opinions were split on how to handle this. Some suggested traveling to them immediately and begging for protection. Others found the tale too extraordinary to swallow, concerned that it might be a trap.
In the end, realizing they had reached the far end of their intellect, the conference ended with a total lack of any concrete conclusion. So the side that sought our protection decided to travel over here.
Now it all makes sense. Still, pretty selfish of them, wasn't it?
But I'd already agreed to take them in.
"Anyone who wants to come over, have at it," I told the goblin representatives.
That was enough to send them back home for now.
The Migration
That was where my problems began.
As I looked over the teeming crowds of goblins arriving over the next few days, I thought to myself: This is…kind of too many, isn't it? Far too many to house within the village's space.
Why did this have to be my problem, anyway?
Over the past few days, we'd been stuck building axes, using them to chop down trees for wood, and so on. We hadn't even started on houses yet. There was just too much to work on.
Kaijin was handling wood duties, while the three dwarven brothers worked on processing the animal pelts into hobgoblin clothing. The looks they had been giving the females were less than savory. I figured it was best to set them on that job before anything else.
We were in the midst of this when the goblins showed up. Four tribes, about five hundred of 'em in total. The rest were still in the villages with the elders who opted to stay put.
Well, time for a move.
It wouldn't make much difference work-wise, assuming we did it right now. I checked my mental map of the area. Preferably I'd have liked something with nearby water and some cleared land suitable for farming.
As I walked around, I realized that the most ideal location was…the area right nearby the cave I'd popped out of.
Hmm.
I decided to ask Rigurd about the state of things over there.
"It was regarded as a forbidden zone," he reported. "Unlike the forest, it was a veritable den of powerful monsters…"
"No problem there, then. I mean, I lived there."
"Y-you what?!"
"Like, I guess I was born around there, so…it oughta be fine."
"…You constantly impress me, Sir Rimuru. I am astounded."
Funny thing for him to say. What's so astounding about being born in a cave?
If he was cool with it, then fine.
I then called for Mildo, youngest of the three brothers, and told him as much as I could about how architecture worked in the world I came from. Surveying and measurement in this world were actually fairly accurate, thanks to magic. That, plus the amateur-hour knowledge I brought to the table, helped us decide to hatch a surveying project for the local area.
We'll need proper infrastructure. Water systems. Waste management. The works.
I explained the concept of a septic system that could store waste and turn it into fertilizer. We'd need something to keep infectious diseases at bay, besides.
Do goblins get sick, though?
The answer was yes—they were susceptible to disease like anyone else. Pretty wimpy monsters, if you asked me.
They lost a lot of people but made up for it with an abundance of babies. Simple math. Although that wasn't so much the case with hobgoblins—they gave birth to fewer offspring at a time, which was another reason I assumed their life spans were longer.
Either way, if we lost too many to illness, we wouldn't be able to keep our numbers up. I had zero knowledge of medicine; anything a potion couldn't handle was beyond me.
So while we were in a building frenzy, I decided we might as well go all the way with hygiene.
Mildo, for his part, actually had considerable knowledge about waste systems like this.
I must not have been the only otherworlder to talk about this with people.
Regardless, after some deliberation, I named him head of building operations for our village and left everything up to him.
Another classic tossing-off of responsibility, if I do say so myself.
The Naming Marathon
After having Rigurd assign a few people to Mildo's detail, I sent them all off to survey our potential new home. Ranga joined them, just in case.
That took care of one issue, but I had something bigger on my plate—naming.
Just thinking about it depressed me.
I had the sinking feeling that by the time I got halfway through the five hundred or so goblins, I'd just be running through the alphabet.
"Abcdef" would be a little hard to pronounce, though.
Still, I had to get started. It took around four days to get through them all, with a quick bit of sleep mode in between, and I really had to hand it to myself—I stuck it out to the end.
Not quite as exhausting as last time, but not a process I wanted to repeat anytime soon.
The magicules flowing from Veldora through our soul corridor helped. I didn't drain myself like in canon this time. Also my adaptation seems to work even during suppression my magicule capacity has Doubled.
I called the tribal elders over. They knelt down in their stately hobgob way.
Rigurd was there, and following in his footsteps were three others I had just named: Rugurd, Regurd, and Rogurd.
Put all the leaders together, and yep! You've got all five vowels!
Ranga being the 'a' was a coincidence.
So maybe it wasn't my best, but it was okay! They'd never know.
That left one unnamed elder, and she was a woman. Something feminine sounding was best, I thought, so I picked Lilina.
One advantage of everyone being hobgobs is that I can actually tell 'em apart by gender.
Magic Sense could help me do that with the regular gobs, but to the naked eye, it was a challenge.
Could I turn "Lilina" into another name series, maybe?
I thought about it but decided not to worry about the future too much. No time for it.
So here we were. A few hundred hobgobs. Maybe it was time we built a class system for them?
With these numbers, I couldn't tell them "Let's all be pals and get along" and expect them to follow that. There needed to be a clear chain of command, especially given how much monsters valued strength.
"All right," I declared, "I'm giving all of you ranks!"
Rigurd received a nice upgrade to Goblin King; the other four elders became Goblin Lords.
The rest of the goblins in the village immediately bowed to them, which was a spine-tingling sight to see.
"""Y-yes, our lord!!"""
The ensuing cheers were deafening.
I had just inadvertently penned a new chapter in goblin history.
Construction Begins
By the time I had evolved all the goblins and made sure I hadn't missed anyone, Mildo came back to the village. The surveying work was done without a hitch. All systems go.
I looked over the different blocks in the village he'd planned out. It was really more of a town than a simple village. A new home for all of us.
After making sure everything was in place, we set off. It was our first step toward a new land. Toward a new nation for us!
The town was beginning to take shape. Slowly but surely.
Construction continued for several days. We were still busy laying out the water and septic system, so for now, it was still just a clearing.
We'd built a large temporary building, a sort of gymnasium they could sleep in during construction. It was rather slipshod since we had no intention of making it permanent, but it would do the job.
Progress. Real, tangible progress.
And then—
Unexpected Guests
One afternoon, Rigurd approached me while I was overseeing some construction work.
"Sir Rimuru, I've come to report to you. We've captured a few suspicious individuals."
"Suspicious? A bunch of monsters, or?"
"No, sir, humans. We did not engage them, as you ordered."
Humans? So shizu arrived.
"They were engaged in battle with a group of giant ants, it seems. Rigur and his security detail rescued them and took them here, but…apparently he suspects they are conducting an investigation of the local area."
"All right. Take me to them!"
I hopped on Rigurd's shoulder—my preferred method of transport when Ranga was out on patrol.
Better to avoid trouble before it started by staying at eye level.
When we arrived at the tent where they were being held, I could already hear voices.
"Wh-whoa! Hey! I wanted that!"
"That's just mean, isn't it? I raised this meat myself!"
"Sir, I regret to inform you that I am not giving up this food!"
"Munch, munch."
Certainly seems like some excitement.
"…"
Rigurd replied to my silent question. "M-my apologies, Sir Rimuru. It would seem the ants made off with most of their luggage…and even before then, they had not had a decent meal in some time, so I had some brought to them."
"Oh, that's no problem. In fact, good job noticing. Helping out someone in need is a nice thing, you know?"
I felt it was appropriate enough to praise him. He was gradually becoming more and more of a leader.
We approached the tent. The hobgob guarding it opened the flap for us.
The moment we stepped in, I felt all eyes upon me. Four adventurers sat on the ground, their mouths full of assorted meats and vegetables. Their eyes were wide open as they gawked at me.
I wondered how any kind of food got through the mask shizue had on.
"Munch, munch…"
They sat there for a moment, chewing.
They sure are taking their time.
Rigurd walked up to a tall seat on one side and placed me upon it. "My guests," he bellowed as he sat next to me, "I do hope you are comfortable here. Allow me to introduce you to our master, Sir Rimuru!"
I could hear them swallowing down their food. Then, in unison:
"""Huh? A slime?!"""
"Munch, munch."
All of them reacted with shock.
Well, I'm not sure about the last one, actually. Whatever.
"It is good to meet you. I am Rimuru, a slime. Not a bad slime, you know!"
I heard a sputtering sound from under the mask. With all the food that person was chewing, the results probably weren't pretty.
Rude much.
Introductions
After they'd finished their meal—and I'd given them time to compose themselves—we reconvened for proper introductions.
"Ah, good to see you again. My name is Rimuru, and I'm the leader of this little group. What brings you guys over here?"
The trio from the cave nodded at each other and began to speak.
"I am glad to meet you, Rimuru. My name is Kabal, the leader of this band…more or less. This is Elen, and that's Gido over there. We're adventurers, all ranked B—you know what that means, I imagine?"
"Hi! Elen here!"
"Gido, sir. A pleasure."
B-rank adventurers. Pretty high level.
"This, meanwhile, is Shizu, a temporary addition to our team for this mission."
"Shizu. Charmed."
Hard to tell her gender or age strictly from her voice. But...
Something about the way she moved. The way she positioned herself when kneeling. Tops of her feet flat against the floor.
We talked for a while. They explained their mission—investigating the cave and the surrounding area for "suspicious" activity. They were exceedingly forthright with their story, apparently not wary of my motives in the least.
Along the way, they'd run into a large boulder with a hole in it and stabbed it a little…only to wake up an entire nest of giant ants.
These idiots...
They'd spent the next three days on the run, losing all their possessions, before Rigur's patrol rescued them.
"Well," I reflected, "I wouldn't say there's much 'suspicious' going on around here, no. The cave, mainly, I guess?"
Elen shook her head. "But we didn't find anything in there, no. Did you know the story behind that cave? There's supposed to be this big, evil dragon sealed inside, but we spent two weeks running up and down that cave, and nothing!"
Yeah, because he is in my stomach.
"So what were you looking for in that cave, exactly?"
Kabal somberly shook his head in response. "Well, if she's said that much, no point hiding it. Like she said, rumor's been going around that the dragon in there's stopped responding…"
Veldora's disappearance must've put the humans in a tizzy.
We continued talking. They were surprisingly open, these adventurers. Good-natured, even.
Maybe this won't be so bad after all.
Then—
It happened.
Ifrit Awakens
Shizu suddenly slumped to the floor, unconscious.
We all immediately came up to her, trying to hold her up, when—
"Nhh… Nraaaaahhhhhh!!"
Things progressed quickly after that.
Once Shizu's extended groan ended, the tent was visited by absolute silence.
Cracks were now appearing over her mask, mystical force wafting out from beneath.
"Summon magic?!" Elen shouted in surprise.
"Whoa, for real? Where the hell'd that come from? What rank is it?"
"…Umm, judging by the size of the magic circle, I'd have to guess B-plus or higher."
"Rigurd, get everyone out of town! Don't let anyone near here!" I commanded.
"But…"
"That's an order! Once they're evacuated, get Ranga here for me!"
"Yes, Sir Rimuru!"
The goblin king sped off.
I could tell neither he nor his race could do much against this. It'd be a waste of countless lives.
And I wanted Ranga as backup—just in case the adventurers tried something while I was distracted.
Maybe I'm overthinking things, but you can never be too careful.
Shizu's mask fell off her face. Flames shot upward.
Up in the sky, three flame salamanders appeared. It was a hell of a way for Shizu to reveal her face to us. Her black hair fanned outward with the shock wave, shining brilliantly against the inferno. She had a fleeting, transient beauty to her—but her eyes emitted a wicked shine.
Something about it strikes me as completely unnatural.
Then—
Launching unique skill "Degenerate."
The voice of the world echoed around us. As it did, the beautiful young girl transformed into a giant of pure fire.
"No mistakin' it," Gido shouted. "That's the Conqueror of Flames, the master of Ifrit the titan… The strongest elementalist in the world!"
"Gahh! Ifrit? Isn't that spirit, like, above A rank and stuff?!" Kabal yelped.
"Oof… That's my first time seeing it. But…how could we ever beat that?!" Elen said.
"Yeah, we can't. We're all gonna die here…" Gido muttered.
With his three flame salamanders by his side, the Conqueror of Flames surveyed his domain.
Even a single salamander boasted B-plus strength.
There was a shock wave as Ifrit unleashed a torrent of magic force.
Pale red shock waves rolled across the landscape, hot enough to instantly burn all the buildings we had under construction.
God dammit! We just got started, too!
The three adventurers tried using a Magic Barrier to block the attack, but it didn't even last a single shock wave.
"Guys, don't move!" I yelled at them. "You'll wind up getting targeted!"
They bunched up together, launching both Magic Barrier and Aura Shield.
So this isn't an act. They're seriously defending themselves.
Good. That means I can focus on the fight.
Battle with Ifrit
Even in this predicament, I wasn't trembling with fear or anything.
Maybe it's because I'm a monster now. Or maybe...
Maybe it was because I'd fought people far scarier than this.
Guy Crimson. The Primordial Demon. That fight had been terrifying.
This? This was just cleanup.
"Hey. What're you trying to do?"
"…"
Pop!
An explosion went off behind me. I dodged easily—my senses were far too fast for attacks at the speed of sound.
He's trying to kill me with heat beams. How cute.
I used molecular manipulation to generate a highspeed circulating cylindrical barrier made of water and air all around us to protect the environment..
The salamanders reacted to my presence, lunging toward me.
"Icicle Lance!!" Elen's ice magic stabbed through one of them.
Clever attempt. But it'll take more than that.
One of the salamanders lunged straight toward the adventuring trio.
"You all right?!"
"I can do this! Risking our lives is nothing new to us!"
If they want to handle one salamander, fine. I'll take the other two and Ifrit.
"All right. You take him. But don't push it! If you get hurt, use these."
I spat out a few recovery potions and threw them their way.
"Um… Rimuru? What are these?"
"Recovery potions! Pretty good ones, too!"
No time for details. Ranga had just arrived.
"You called for me, my master!"
I hopped right on his back.
"Focus on dodging. You don't need to attack. I'll handle that!"
"Understood!"
We were off.
Now then. Let's see...
The two salamanders fired jets of Fire Breath at us. Ranga easily avoided them.
Good. Now for my counterattack.
"Elen! Hit me with an Icicle Lance! Just one's fine!"
"Hahh?! Umm, that's kind of…"
"Just do it!"
After a moment, she began chanting.
"Don't complain about this to me later! Icicle Lance!!"
A pillar of ice shot my way.
Perfect.
Report. Launching unique skill "Predator." Icicle Lance Predation and Analysis successful.
Principle of Ice generation catalogued.
Using Extra skill Molecular Manipulation and Principle of ice and fire generation Extra Skill Kelvin obtained.
sub-skills :
Thermal Energy Conversion: The ability to instantly convert heat into magicules (energy) and vice versa.
Kinetic Management: Controlling the vibration of atoms. This allows the user to freeze an enemy solid or cause them to spontaneously combust without using an external flame.
Nice.
The Analysis wrapped up instantly.
Omitting the casting time, I attack the salamanders;
" Enthalpy depletion."
I forcibly "drained" the internal energy of their system. The target of this attack doesn't just get cold; they lose the energy required to even think or move their muscles. While I just regained my reserves from kelvin And it to just freeze them up.
Ifrit attacked the adventurers they were hurt a little but could still move.
"Ranga, protect these guys. Get them somewhere safe!"
"But…"
"This is an order! They've got recovery potions. Heal them."
"As you say. May you fight well!"
Now I can fight without reservation.
Ifrit's Downfall
I stared the fire giant down.
Ifrit split himself into multiple copies, trying to surround me.
Tricky. But...
My detection skills could accurately tell where the real fire was. Even with multiple clones attacking simultaneously, I could determine their danger levels from temperature alone.
I sincerely doubt Ifrit can hit me with any effective attack.
"Endothermic Singularity"
You basically create a "cold hole" that sucks all heat from the surroundings into a single point. Everything in the vicinity is flash-frozen as their energy is "stolen" to fuel the user's next attack.
Ifrit started suffering to hold his form while fire is being sucked into the 'cold hole'.
"Cryogenic Equilibrium."
To maintain the effect I used the all round stasis and easy conduction of heat away from of ifrit.
If there was explanation of this attack it would be - Forcing the entire environment to match a lethal, sub-zero temperature, making it impossible for fire-based lifeforms to maintain their form.
Instantly the clones started vaporizing them one by one.
This is almost too easy—
Oh, crap!
"Flare Circle!"
I heard a voice that I couldn't quite decipher.
The flames rushed toward me—
And did nothing.
The effects of "Resist Temperature" have successfully canceled flame-based attacks automatically.
Well,
I'm literally immune to fire.
This entire fight was never a threat to begin with.
Time to finish this.
I silently unraveled my Sticky Thread across Ifrit's body. The spirit had used Shizu for his core—which meant he had a physical anchor I could bind.
Sticky-Steel Thread.
Checkmate.
Ifrit struggled to free himself, panic evident in his movements.
Sorry, buddy. But you took over the wrong person.
I walked up casually, flames washing over me harmlessly.
Then—
Use unique skill "Predator"?YesNo
Yes.
A flash of bright light covered the area.
When it faded, all that was left was a lone woman and me.
An old woman with white hair and tired eyes.
Shizu Izawa.
Final Request
I thought that was the end of it.
Shizu lay unconscious on the ground. I'd activated Predator, ready to absorb Ifrit completely.
But then—
Report. Predation process halted. Target consciousness detected at elevated activity levels.
Shizu's eyes opened. Just slightly.
"Ah..." Her voice was barely a whisper. "Not yet, it seems. There's...one more thing."
I immediately stopped the Predation process. "What is it?"
She tried to sit up but couldn't. Without Ifrit's flames sustaining her, the weight of her true age was catching up all at once.
"I've lived a long life," she said quietly. "Longer than I ever should have. I've seen war. Fought monsters. Taught students. Traveled the world."
"Yeah. Sounds like you had quite the journey."
"But there's one thing..." Tears formed in her ancient eyes. "One thing I never experienced. Not once in all these years."
I have a feeling I know where this is going.
"Love," she said simply. "I never...knew what it was like to be loved. To love someone. The curse took that from me before I ever had the chance."
Her hand trembled. "When Ifrit possessed me, I was still just a child. My body stopped aging outwardly, but inside...I was always alone. Always afraid."
Damn. That's...that's really rough.
"So I have one final, selfish request." Her eyes met where mine would be. "Before I go...could you show me your human form? Your true appearance?"
Oh.
"I mean, I can transform using Mimic, but—"
"Please." The desperation stopped me cold. "Just once, I want to see...to feel human again. Even if just for a moment."
＜＜Master, You can construct an idealized human form based on your soul's fundamental structure. Shall I proceed?＞＞
What do you mean by 'idealized'?
＜＜Your Appearance, as shaped by the Essence of overcoming limitation, exists in a state of conceptual perfection. I can manifest this as a physical form—essentially, what you would look like if rendered at peak aesthetic potential.＞＞
So...not exactly my old body as Satoru.
＜＜Correct. That form was limited by normal human biology. This will be...significantly enhanced.＞＞
I looked at Shizu. Her pleading eyes. The tears streaming down her face.
Screw it. If this is her dying wish, I'm not going to deny her.
"Alright. But I'm warning you—I don't know exactly what this will look like."
"That's fine. Anything. Please."
Raphael, do it.
＜＜Acknowledged. Constructing optimal human form. Primary template: Neuvillette archetype. Suppressed state: 1000x baseline. Manifesting...complete.＞＞
Ethereal Light poured upon my slime body. When it cleared, I stood there in a form I'd never taken before.
Long white hair with hints of blue. Pale skin. Sharp, elegant features. Eyes that shimmered with an almost ethereal quality—deep blue with flecks of silver.
Elegant formal wear in deep blue and white.
I look like some kind of fantasy prince.
And Shizu was staring with wide eyes.
"You're..." She couldn't finish.
I walked over and knelt down.
"Beautiful..." she breathed. "You're so..."
Then she started crying harder.
"I'm sorry. This is so selfish. You barely know me. But I...I don't want to die without ever knowing—"
I reached out and took her withered hand in mine.
"What do you want?"
"Could you...hold me? Just once? And maybe..." Her voice dropped. "...kiss me?"
This is heavy. But...
And here was this woman who'd lived seventy-plus years without experiencing any kind of intimacy.
"Alright. But Shizu—I need you to know something first. Your body is failing. You don't have much time."
"I know."
"Are you sure this is how you want to spend your final moments?"
She smiled—sad and beautiful.
"Yes. More than anything."
I nodded. Then I carefully lifted her.
＜＜Master, I can temporarily restore her body to its youthful state. Duration: approximately one hour before terminal failure. Shall I proceed?＞＞
You can do that?
＜＜Affirmative. Reverse-temporal healing combined with magicule cellular regeneration. Purely aesthetic—underlying damage cannot be reversed. When the effect ends, her body will shut down completely.＞＞
Giving her one last hour of youth before the end.
"Listen. I can give you back your young body. Just for an hour. But after that...there's no coming back."
Her eyes widened. "You can...?"
"Is that what you want?"
"Yes! Please!"
"Raphael, do it."
Light enveloped Shizu's body.
I watched as the transformation took place. Wrinkles smoothed. Her skin regained color. Her hair became thick and black again. Her body filled out.
When the light faded, a stunning young woman in her early twenties lay in my arms.
She looked at her hands in wonder. Touched her face.
"I'm...I'm young again..."
Then she looked up at me with tears streaming down.
"Thank you. Thank you so much."
I sat down beside her. "You have one hour. How do you want to spend it?"
She leaned forward and kissed me.
Hesitant at first. But I responded gently, guiding her.
And what followed...
[Curtain Falls]
Afterward, we lay together in the quiet darkness.
Shizu curled against my chest, her breathing slow. Her body had already begun aging again—the hour was almost up.
"Thank you," she whispered. "For everything. For showing me what it means to be loved."
"You deserved it. You deserved so much more than what you got."
"Maybe. But I'm grateful for what I have now. These last moments...they've been worth everything."
Her breathing grew shallower.
"Rimuru...Satoru...whoever you are...thank you for giving me a dream to end on."
"Shizu—"
"I'm ready now. Please. Keep your promise. Let me sleep inside you."
I held her as she rapidly aged, returning to her elderly state.
But her eyes remained peaceful. Content.
"Sleep well."
She smiled one last time.
Then her eyes closed.
Use unique skill "Predator"?
Yes.
The Gift of Paradise
Report. Beginning Predation. Target: Shizu Izawa. Analyzing...
Raphael, stop.
＜＜Master?＞＞
Don't fully absorb her. Extract her consciousness. Transfer it to Imaginary Space.
＜＜...An unusual request. You wish to preserve her intact personality matrix?＞＞
Yes. And create a simulation for her. A happy life. The one she never got.
＜＜This will require significant ongoing maintenance. What parameters?＞＞
Give her Japan. The peaceful Japan from my memories. Let her go home. Give her a family. Friends. Everything she lost or she desired.
＜＜Acknowledged. Extracting consciousness...complete. Transferring...complete. Beginning simulation construction...＞＞
＜＜Simulation complete. Subject placed in constructed reality. Current status: reunited with mother in pre-war Tokyo, 1935. Timeline will diverge—no war will occur. Subject will live a full, happy life.＞＞
Make sure she never knows it's a simulation. As far as she's concerned, this is real.
＜＜Understood. Memories of Ifrit and suffering archived but suppressed. For all intents and purposes, she has been given a second chance at life.＞＞
Good.
Report. Unique skill "Degenerate" successfully integrated.Multiple skills synthesized:[Multi-Elemental Manipulation] acquired[Magic Immunity] acquiredNew abilities: [Synthesis], [Separation], [Transformation]
I sat there in the empty tent for a long moment.
She's happy now. That's enough.
I'll keep my promise. Leon Cromwell. I may understand what you did was to save and help her but I will still smack the fuck outta you.
But for now...
Aftermath
The next morning, Kabal came looking for me.
"Hey, Rimuru. About Shizu..."
"She passed peacefully. In her sleep. She asked me to take care of her remains."
Not technically a lie.
"I see." He looked sad but not surprised. "Did she...say anything?"
"She said she was grateful. And that she had no regrets."
Another technical truth.
Kabal nodded slowly. "That's good. Thanks. For taking care of her."
After the adventurers left three days later, I stood at the edge of the construction site.
Rigurd approached. "Sir Rimuru? Is everything alright?"
"Yeah. Just...thinking."
"About the woman who passed?"
"Among other things."
"Then we shall honor her memory by building something she would have been proud of."
I looked at him. "You know what? You're right."
Shizu wanted to see humans and monsters coexist peacefully.
Well, I'm building exactly that.
And when it's done, I'll make sure Leon Cromwell knows that the woman he cursed ended up creating something beautiful despite everything he did to her.
That would be the real revenge.
"Alright, Rigurd! Let's get this town built! And make it amazing!"
"Yes, Sir Rimuru!"
As he rushed off, I felt a pulse from within my Predator space.
＜＜Master, Shizu has settled successfully. Current status: age 10, attending school, making friends. Mother healthy and happy. No war will occur. Estimated lifespan: 95 years. Quality of life: Optimal.＞＞
Good enough.
I bounced off toward where Kaijin was working.
Behind me, the town continued to take shape.
Thanks, Shizu. For reminding me what's important.
And somewhere in a perfect simulation of 1935 Tokyo, a young girl sneezed.
"Bless you!" her mother said with a smile.
The girl smiled back, feeling warm and happy.
As if someone, somewhere, was watching over her.
END OF CHAPTER 24
Major Events:
Return to village with dwarves 500 new goblins from 4 tribes join 4-day naming marathon creating Rugurd, Regurd, Rogurd, Lilina Rigurd promoted to Goblin King Town planning near cave begins Adventurers arrive (Kabal, Elen, Gido, Shizu) Ifrit battle (significantly easier for Rimuru) Shizu's final request fulfilled Consciousness transferred to Imaginary Space simulation Living happy life in pre-war Tokyo
Skills Acquired:
[Degenerate] (from Shizu) [Multi-Elemental Manipulation] [Magic Immunity] [Synthesis], [Separation], [Transformation]
Promises Made:
Will confront Leon Cromwell Will build peaceful coexistence nation Honor Shizu's memory through action