Things had quickly gotten out of hand, to say the least, and I honestly didn't know how to handle it. Things got even worse when some of the surrounding townsfolk began walking over to see what was going on. I don't think they were trying to make me feel uncomfortable; however, their close proximity and loud chatting made me feel quite claustrophobic. So the moment I had the chance, I slipped away from them while they were talking amongst themselves and not paying attention to me. I just hoped they wouldn't be mad that I had disappeared so suddenly.
As for where I was now, well, I had taken refuge in another tent, one that was far bigger than I realised; in fact, it was more of an actual wooden structure than a tent at this point. What really made me curious, though, was the contents of the space: there were various weapons and sets of armour and clothing scattered around. At first I thought it was some kind of storage area, but the way it was all laid out made me second-guess that idea.
(I probably shouldn't be in here. I should just leave.) I thought to myself, only to pause as my eyes glided over some of the items on display.
(Wow... some of these look really cool...) I mused internally, my desire to leave somewhat replaced by curiosity.
Looking around for a moment, one object nearby caught my attention more than the others. "This one feels different; it's releasing an aura, kind of like the ones I felt around the townspeople, yet it's not alive, at least I don't think it is."
"Is it some kind of magical sword?" I asked, not sure.
The weapon in question took the form of a long, broad blade, with a brown leather grip and a silver-engraved guard. The blade itself was somewhat jagged near the base where it connected to the guard; however, it quickly smoothed out into a more traditional-looking blade. Most of its surface around the edge was silver like the guard; the central part of the blade was a deep neon purple with strange white runic markings.
"Huh?" I paused, my focus drawn to the reflection in the blade's surface. "Is... is that me?"
Indeed, it was me, although not the me I remembered. The old me had brown hair and blue eyes; I was also far from being in any kind of healthy condition. The me that stood in the reflection was completely different, especially my eyes, which were strangely beautiful in an eerie way.
(My appearance changed...) I mused internally, not taking my eyes off my reflection.
(I look so different... I don't even recognise myself.) I thought, although in my eyes that wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
"It's fine, I guess. It's not like I was very attached to my old appearance anyway..." I muttered. My new look would definitely take time to get used to, but it didn't bother me as much as it probably should.
Lost in my own thoughts, I didn't even notice that someone had entered the tent behind me until they spoke up. "Excuse me, miss, but do you need something?"
"Huh?" I yelped somewhat as I turned around to face them. "I'm sorry for intruding."
"No need for that, lass; I'm not going to snap at someone just for wandering in here, especially not someone who seemed to be admiring my work so closely," was the response I got from the figure before me as I looked them over.
He was a stout but well-built man who stood at about 4.5 feet tall. His face was mostly covered by a large light-brown beard and other facial hair. His eyes were brown, and he gave me the feeling of someone who took their work very seriously. He seemed to be holding a wooden plate with several sandwiches stacked on it.
As for what he was wearing, he had a dark maroon top with fur around the shoulders and neck, a green cloth wrapped around his waist, and light-brown boots with fur around the edges. Additionally, he wore black pants and a light-coloured maroon cap with what looked like goggles wrapped around it.
"Y-you made these?" I asked nervously.
"Most of them." He nodded, a hint of pride in his eyes as he glanced around. "Name's Kaijin, a dwarf, and I'm guessing you're Suu, the girl Lord Rimuru adopted, right?"
(Oh no, how far has this misunderstanding spread already?) I thought, my shoulders sagging ever so slightly.
"Rigurd has been looking for you; wants to introduce you to the rest of the town," Kaijin said, causing my anxiety to spike once more, and it must have shown on my face considering what he said next. "However, I'm guessing you're not exactly a fan of that idea, are ya, miss?"
"You could tell," I muttered under my breath as I shifted awkwardly.
"No offence meant, but it's pretty obvious from your posture and by the way your eyes seem to map out the environment, as if you're constantly looking for a way out." I wanted to deny that last part, but to my surprise I couldn't, mainly because that's exactly what I was doing.
"And from your reaction, I'm guessing you didn't even know you were doing that," Kaijin mused, and I nodded weakly.
(I didn't. Usually I wouldn't look for a way to escape since there was no point in even trying. I guess that's another thing that's changed.) I thought, adding it to the list of oddities I had noticed.
Silence stretched between us for a while before I finally spoke up and broke it. "I... I just don't like being the centre of attention."
"Yeah, I can understand that." He nodded without any judgement in his tone.
"Have you eaten anything since you woke up, by the way?" Kaijin asked, and I shook my head. "Well then, we can't have that, can we?"
"Come on, I'll share some of my lunch with you."
"Alright, I guess." I would have tried to decline, but he didn't seem like he'd take no for an answer, so in the end I sighed and followed along.
And so that's how I ended up sitting down with a dwarf for a meal. Honestly, I found the whole situation kind of awkward, to say the least. After all, I can't even remember the last time someone had shared food with me or actually asked me to eat with them.
"Thanks... thanks for the food..." I mumbled as I bit into one of the sandwiches.
(What kind of meat is in this? It doesn't taste like anything I've had before.) I thought. The meat had a texture similar to beef in a way, but the taste was completely different.
"Do you like them?" Kaijin asked, and I nodded genuinely. "That's good. I don't know if you'd like Stormgrazer meat or not, since I'm not exactly an expert on phoenixes or what your kind would usually eat."
"What's a Stormgrazer?" I asked, and he was quick to explain.
"It's a type of magical beast you can find in The Great Forest of Jura. They were originally normal cattle that entered the forest before being mutated over generations by the large amounts of magicules in the area. They're usually solitary animals, but when a lightning storm forms overhead they all gather together in large numbers, which is the reason for their name."
Honestly, I found that kind of interesting. I was about to ask more when someone suddenly entered. "Kaijin, we got those supplies you wanted." A male voice said as three individuals entered the tent.
It didn't take long for them to notice my presence. "Oh, and who is this?"
"This is Miss Suu, the one Rigurd has been going on about," Kaijin mused while gesturing to me.
(I really wish Rimuru would wake up and make it clear that this whole 'adoption' thing is just a massive misunderstanding.) I sighed inwardly.
"Let me introduce you. These are some close friends of mine; they're brothers, by the way." Kaijin began to introduce them one after the other. "That's Garm, the oldest brother; Dord, the middle brother; and Myrd, the youngest brother. They're all dwarves like me." He pointed them out as I looked each of them over in turn.
Starting with Garm, he had a somewhat short stature with a slightly darker skin tone compared to his brothers. He sported a wild, slightly messy dark-brown beard and mustache that framed his rather rugged face. He wore a black vest that contrasted with the brown pants, belt, and boots he had on. Just like his brothers, however, he was quite muscular and toned, something that I assumed was a natural trait of most dwarves.
Dord, the middle brother, stood out from the other two thanks to his plumper appearance. He still had muscle, mind you, but it was far less noticeable compared to the other three dwarves in the room. His face, like all the other dwarves present, was partially covered by a prominent light-brown beard and mustache that matched the colour of his hair. He wore a white top with torn sleeves and a brown shirt underneath, along with fingerless gloves that went up to just below his elbows. Additionally, he had what looked like rope tied around his waist and wrists, as well as brown pants and boots.
Myrd, in contrast to his brothers, was completely bald with a somewhat pointed head. He had a light-brown, slightly dusky beard as well as a thin, yet still noticeable mustache. He wore a white cloth or handkerchief around his neck and shoulders, a yellowish shirt paired with bluish pants, and brown boots that hugged his feet, along with gloves covering his hands and arms up to his elbows.
"Well, what a surprise; I didn't expect we'd meet so soon," Dord laughed while rubbing the back of his head.
"Good to meet you, Lady Suu," Garm greeted with a grin, although I could have done without the "lady" part.
"Hmmmhmm," Myrd greeted with a single nod.
(I think I like Myrd the most out of the three.) The reason was simple: he seemed to be the silent type, which I appreciated.
"So... erm... were you born here?" I asked, not really knowing what else to say.
"Nah, we were born in a place called Dwargon, a great city built under a mountain and ruled by the Hero King, Gazel Dwargo," Kaijin explained with a fond yet somewhat sad smile. "It's north of here."
(Why does he look sad?) I thought, but decided not to ask about it.
"And you, Lady Suu?" Garm asked with a smile.
"Huh?"
"Where are you from? Were you born somewhere in The Great Forest Of Jura?" he clarified, then paused.
It took me a second to come up with an answer. "I don't... I don't remember..."
"Do you have amnesia?" Kaijin asked, genuine concern in his voice.
"Something like that, I guess." I mumbled, a little taken aback by the sympathy in their eyes.
"I'm sorry for bringing it up then," Garm said, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly.
"It's... it's okay." I sighed, feeling bad for lying. "You don't need to apologise."
(It's probably for the best that I go with the amnesia story, at least until I can speak with Rimuru again...)