Chapter Text
They spoke!
Or well, they communicated telepathically.
Still!
It seemed like Ciel had been working at it while Rimuru had been taking it easy.
Although, Ciel was a part of Rimuru, so technically “they” had been working at it. It takes two to teach a kid telepathy after all.
Looking at the little Slime Rimuru answered.
“That was Diablo, he’s a…
What was Diablo?
He was technically a servant but it was probably easier to call him a friend for the time being.
“Friend!” Rimuru said smiling at the slime.
Yuki jumped closer to them.
Rimuru scooped Yuki up into their arms, and then stood up.
“Diablo is a friend…”
They seemed to mull over the word.
“Like you two and me?”
You two?
Do they mean Ciel and I? Rimuru thought.
We’re a bit more than friends, I am your parent.
In fact, I am kind of both of your parents at the same time.
It’s a bit complicated to explain.
Rimuru thought it over.
“You and I are a very special kind of friends, we’re soul friends.” Hoping this would quell their questions Rimuru asked Ciel
What kind of abilities have you given them?
<”They can now communicate and see. They also have cold and heat resistances like you.”>
“Cold and heat resistances?” The slime said.
They could hear Ciel?
“Y-yeah, so you don’t have to worry about getting cold like earlier!”
The slime giggled.
“I liked the snow”
They jumped out of Rimurus arms, down onto the ground.
“Can we go again?”
Rimuru thought.
It would have to wait till the morning, Rimuru might not get tired physically, but the same thing could not be said of the child. Did the child need sleep in the same way?
“Not tonight, the moon is out you see. We should only play around when the sun Is out” Good good, setting boundaries early! Rimuru thought to themselves.
“Why not?” The curious slime asked.
“It’s more fun to play around in the sun, you’ll see what I mean” Rimuru said smug.
Yuki still seemed uncertain as to why they couldn’t just go out and play now.
Rimuru realized they would have to bargain a bit.
“If you go to sleep, then tomorrow will come earlier”
“Well duhhh” the little slime interrupted.
You’re not old enough to be acting this way yet.
<”They are the equivalent of 10 years of age”>
Exacl- huh?
Wait,wait,wait.. hadn't they skipped a few steps here?
10 years already?
What about that cute period where they stuck to your leg and were innocent to the world around them?
I get just 3 years before they’re a teenager?
How is this fair?
<”The magic ore you feed them had been inside of you for a while, causing it to contain a dense amount of magicules, causing a premature aging of their soul in its vulnerable state.”>
And we didn’t know about this? Rimuru complained in his head
<”I wanted to see the effects”>
Right so we did know, someone was just curious…
Ignoring the slimes interjection Rimuru continued.
“The place is more special in the daytime”
Seeing no reason to distrust Rimuru the little slime agreed.
(- -)
It was around midday and the streets were bustling with people and monsters alike. A hooded figure was wandering around Tempest. Underneath the hood, yellow eyes were looking out, their short blue hair, running down just below their ears, while almost hiding their eyes but stopping short of it. Alongside the little figure, was a seemingly innocent looking adventurer. The man was carrying a long wooden magical wand, a dark magical robe and a wizard hat a bit too big.
The little figure was very talkative, seemingly never having been to Tempest.
They were walking down a street when the little figure stopped.
A hanging sign from one of the buildings had caught their attention
“Tempests best bar, now hiring!”
The little figure started to head inside, before being very gently led away by the man.
Silently sulking, they moved on.
They entered a little café/restaurant where they sat down in a little booth, picked by the little one of course.
A magical display next to a door leading into the kitchen had caught their attention.
It was currently showing a group of people fighting monsters.
“What is going on there?” The little one asked.
“They are fighting in the dungeon” He answered.
“Are they famous?” They continued, eyes glues to the display.
The man smiled.
An ogre in the booth next to theirs had been listening in to their conversation and answered for him.
“Not quite, this is an old fight, back when it had only been a few months after its opening.” He said looking towards them.
They looked at the ogre.
“Why do they do it?” the little one asked.
The ogre turned to face them, leaning his arm on the backrest of the booths seating.
“Theres lots of reasons” He slowly started.
“Some do it for glory, some for money, some to train”
“There is good equipment down there as well, that you can’t get anywhere else”
He smiled at them.
“Some do it to challenge the lord of the town, lord Rimuru, Although, those are the crazy ones hehehe”
As they listened, the little one asked.
“Can anyone do the dungeon?”
This time it was a different person who answered, a female hobgoblin working at the café.
“Yes! As long as you have the money for it, you can!”
The child looked like they were in thought.
The ogre turned around going back to his food…
The man turned to the waitress.
“Yes, we’ll have the shortcake and the…
(- -)
The pair left the café, the child munching on a biscuit.
The man letting himself be dragged along to the whims of the child.
They had walked along the outskirts of the town, when they found a little school surrounded by some wooden fencing.
The playful sounds of monsters and humans could be heard as they ran around.
They were playing some sort of game involving a ball.
The child stared for a while at the game being played, longing in their eyes.
The man looked at the child.
Hmm, this is good, it’s quiet. The man thought.
“Would you like to join them?” He asked.
The child nodded.
The two approached the school, walking along a frozen dirt path until they got to about halfway to the schools entrance.
There they were approached by an old female dragonewt, her dense dark scales glittering from the snows reflection of the sun.
“Can I help you guys?” The elderly lady asked them.
The man looked at the child before answering.
“We are adventures looking to settle in Tempest, and as such, we are looking for a school”
“I’ve heard all children of Tempest get the opportunity to learn and play”
The lady smiled.
“Ah so you’re new to the town!”
“We are currently on winter break, but we’ll be starting up again soon, so you’ve come at just the right time”
As they were talking, the child had run over to the others and were now being taught the game they were playing.
“How much will it cost?” He asked.
“Well, as long as you’re a citizen of Tempest its free, otherwise you’ll have to pay 10 gold coins per year” she said.
The man reached down into his pocket, rummaging around for a bit before holding out his hand.
The elderly lady clapped her hands together.
“Great!”
“If you’ll just give me a moment, I need to go get a contract.”
“You see, here in Tempest our lord Rimuru wants to have an exact headcount of all the people in their country”
The man smiled to himself as the lady went into the school.
It helps with keeping track of a lot of things, one of my better suggestions, Rimuru thought to themselves satisfied.
Sometimes it was necessary to sweat the small stuff, it made the bigger things easier in the long run.
They looked over towards the child, now running around amongst the other children.
They don’t need a fancy school, they’ll get plenty of luxury treatment in their life, let’s live a normal life first.
Rimuru was afraid that Yuki would grow up to be entitled. Being spoiled and born with a silver spoon in their mouth was not something that Rimuru wanted for their child.
For as long as they could, they should live normally.
This way Rimuru could also get insights into the struggles of the regular people of Tempest. Things that their subordinates might not have considered needed fixing.
It was quite a good plan if they were to say so themselves.
As the lady came back, Rimuru signed the magical contract, agreeing to let Yuki attend the school for a year.
They signed with their old Japanese name, and with Yukis name.
No reason to make a scene here.
The lady thanked them, slipping it into a little black box before leaving.
Rimuru called Yuki over as the two left the school, Yuki talking Rimurus ear off on the way.
(- -)
A scene in the control room was currently unfolding itself.
3 very focused monsters were currently staring intensely at a large screen infront of them, all of them silent, not wanting to miss a single thing.
The screen, which would normally be displaying the contents of the dungeon and its various happenings, was now showing the world through the eyes of a certain spy by the name of Moss.
“I don’t get it”
Diablo was the first to break the silence.
The dragon humanoid and fairy turned their heads to look at him.
“The child is to grow up without privilege it seems, but why.” Diablo muttered.
“Surely only the best teachings would suffice for our lord?”
Deep in thought Diablo teleported away, leaving only Veldora and Ramiris.
“Perhaps we should check out this check out this place for ourselves” Veldora declared looking at Ramiris.
Ramiris nodded a smug look on her face.
“Just in case we should of course do it silently…” She said, implying some weird idea only she could even imagine.
Veldora not wanting to be outdone immediately agreed
“Not a bad idea…” he said.
They both looked at each other, schemes and plans floating around in the air of the control room.
(- -)
Rimuru and Yuki were currently sitting at home.
The sun was at its highest with a few clouds in the sky. The icy air left trails of visible vapor from people and monsters alike as they breathed.
Well almost all monsters, Rimuru and Yuki were of course the exceptions.
Rimuru had been showing them the story of Tempest through their memories.
They started with their first time meeting Veldora. How they first met the goblins and wolves. The troubles their little village had faced in the beginning. Their first meetings with the majin.
When Rimuru was telling Yuki of the time Veldora had been released, they briefly mentioned Veldoras weird obsession with Manga.
Yuki had been inspired and had asked for some.
Which brought them to the present.
It started with Rimuru reading the comics out loud to them. Eventually however, Rimurus pace seemed to have annoyed the child, and they were now lying on the floor reading alone.
While the child was happily reading along, Rimuru thought about what to do next.
Rimuru wanted to introduce the child to one of their subordinates.
They asked Ciel to produce some wooden tablets with pictures of some people on them.
They had decided to let the child pick for themselves who they wanted to meet first.
Of course, Rimuru was the one giving the options so, it wasn’t entirely fair.
Three tablets were made.
The first had a carving of a redhaired man with two horns protruding from his head.
The second, a certain pink haired princess.
The third one, the wild card, had a purple haired sword swinging maniac.
Now if Rimuru had seen what Yuki had been reading, they would not have presented the last one as an option.
“Alright then come here for a moment” Rimuru called towards the deeply immersed Yuki.
Looking up, they spotted the tablets Rimuru had laid out on the floor.
The child quickly scanned them.
“What’s this?” They asked.
“Remember these people from the memories I showed you?”
Yuki nodded.
“I want you to choose one of them to meet”
They looked down at the choices in front of them once again, this time more slowly.
Seeing the big sword Yuki instantly gravitated towards Shions tablet, picking it up.
“I want this one”
Ah
“A-are you sure?”
With fire blazing in their eyes, they insisted.
This was going to be interesting.
I guess we might as well get it over with now, Rimuru thought to themselves.
“Alright, I’m going to go and get her, I’ll be back in a bit” Rimuru said, teleporting away.
(- -)
Rimuru didn’t quite know where they had teleported to.
They seemed to be on the top of a snowy hill overlooking the town.
“Status” A familiar voice could be heard in the distance.
Rimuru transformed into his slime form and was sneaking up on the voice.
I did teleport to Shions location right, Ciel hadn’t miscalculated their coordinates?
<”Correct this is where Shion is located”>
Laying on the ground in front of Rimuru were two hobgoblins in a weird white outfit. Between them an Oni was sitting cross legged, her purple hair standing out in the snowy environment.
Shion seemed to have bought her Yomigaeri with her for… whatever this was.
“They have given the sign, they’ve succeeded” The one on her left responded.
“Our mission here is done then, head back I need to do some solo work now” Shion declared.
“Yes!” the two Yomigaeri gave a salute before leaving down the hill.
Transforming back into my human form I approached Shion from behind.
Putting my hand on her shoulder I greeted her.
“Hello Shion!”
She looked back at me in shock.
“R-R-Rimuru, what are you doing here”
Not really wanting to get into whatever weird thing Shion was up to, I decided to tell her the reason why I had come.
“I would like to introduce you to someone Shion, if you have the time that is” I said.
I looked at Shion, who looked back at me confused.
“Who?” She said aloud.
I could see the cogs slowly starting to turn in her head.
“Y-Yes! Of course I have the time. I was just in the middle of training my dear fan club you see”
She smiled, standing up straight, seemingly regaining her composure.
“Good” I smiled at her.
Here goes nothing.
I then teleported the both of us.
(- -)
Yuki was laying on their stomach, reading along while kicking their feet and humming a little tune they had picked up when they were out the previous day with Rimuru.
They loved the town. It was full of sounds, smells, good food and fun.
They had really enjoyed playing with the others at the school as well.
Yuki had asked the voice in their head if they could go there again.
It had told them that they would soon go there regularly.
They were excited to get to know them better, and maybe share these cool story books Rimuru had shown them.
Gleefully flipping away at the pages, a sudden sound made them look up.
Looking out into the garden, Rimuru had come back.
Next to Rimuru was Shion, the one they had shown on the tablets.
She was named Shion right?
Squealing Shion ran over towards them.
It all happened in slow motion.
Before Yuki could react, they had been picked up by Shion before being swung around as she held them close, squeezing them tightly.
Stopping for a second she talked to Rimuru.
“They’re so cute! I can’t believe it! A child!”
Pushing her cheeks against Yukis, they felt a bit… claustrophobic.
“Shion, you can put him down you know” Rimuru said.
Blatantly ignoring Rimuru’s advice gave them a last spin, before sitting herself down and putting the confused Yuki in front of her.
“What’s your name” She asked with a beaming smile.
Overwhelmed, Yuki looked at Rimuru for help.
Sorry kid, you’re on your own here, mentally apologizing.
Seeing Rimuru send a weak smile their way, Yuki turned to answer.
“I’m Yuki, who are you?”
Putting both her hands on their shoulders she gave Yuki a little jolt, as she looked at them with bright eyes.
“I’m Shion!” She answered and stared at the smaller version of Rimuru.
Yuki wasn’t quite sure of what to think of this lady, that was until they saw the giant sword she was carrying.
“What’s that on your back” Yuki asked and pointed at the giant sword Gorikimaru.
“Oh this?” She took the sword out of its sheath before laying it down on the ground in front of her with a heavy thunk leaving a dent in the soft floor.
“This is my sword!”
Yuki reached down and grabbed the handle of the sword.
They attempted to raise the sword, but it seemed too heavy, Shion seemingly happy enough to just watch them play with her most prized possession.
Their eyes shined.
“I want one of these” Yuki mumbled to themselves.
Shions ears picked up on the request
Before Rimuru could say anything, Shion took Yuki under her arm.
“You heard the child! We’ll be right back”
“O-oy wait a moment…”
Sprinting out of the gate of their house, the two had left Rimuru behind.
It was meaningless
Shions kidnapping was successful
Sighing to themselves Rimuru sat down in the snow.
Shion wasn’t about to put the child in any real danger, Rimuru knew that very well.
It was more of an…
Long term danger? They weren’t quite sure what to call it.
“Good luck”
(- -)
Back in the control room, a little black square box was sat on a table. A masked demon slowly lifted the lid of the box as vines slithered into it picking out paper documents. The vines then presented them to the fairy who was examining them intensely.
She scanned them intensely before stopping.
“Ah this must be the one” Ramiris exclaimed.
Hehehe… she had finally found them. Her plan was coming along quite nicely.
“Make a copy of one of them” Ramiris demanded.
A dryad was noting something down.
“What should the name be?” The dryad asked.
A name huh…
She hadn’t thought that far.
Heh, no problem.
A brilliant name flashed in her mind.
Sometimes she couldn’t believe her own genius.
Meanwhile, a certain dragon slipped a piece of paper of his own into the box.
They looked at each other mischievously, both assuming that they were planning the same thing.
Letting out an evil laugh the box was closed and ordered returned.
A disaster was definitely brewing.
(- -)
Kurobe was busy smithing away when the door swung open.
The only reason the door didn’t break off the hinges, was that almost every door in Tempest had reinforced hinges due to a certain demon lords habits.
“Hi there” Shion yelled, making her voice louder to combat the noise inside.
Kurobe turned to greet her before seeing the child under her arm.
“Hello Shion, who’s that you’ve got with you there?” He looked at the child curiously.
Putting the child down on the ground, she very excitedly shared the news with Kurobe.
While Shion was telling Kurobe about the child, Yuki was curiously examining the various weaponry on the walls, attempting to pick up some, while only touching others entranced.
Shocked at first, the blacksmith had come around quickly, it had been a while, but they had seen crazier things.
Kurobe asked why she had come.
“They wanted a sword like mine, and here we are!” She said looking proud as if that had been enough of an explanation.
A crashing sound could be heard as they both looked over.
A set of armor had fallen off a mannequin, Yuki looking a bit startled.
“Have they had training yet?” Kurobe asked.
Shion shook her head, smile still on her face.
“Maybe that would be an idea first?”
The child had now grabbed a simple sword which was light enough for them to swing around with ease.
The sword was destined for a life of loot in the dungeons upper levels but maybe the child could have it instead? Kurobe thought.
“Do you like that one?” He asked.
Yuki, having seemingly forgotten they weren’t alone looked over at Kurobe.
“Yes!”
“We’ll take that one! Thank you!” Shion said before heading towards the door.
The little child stared at Kurobe for a bit
“Come with me, let’s try it out!” She yelled out behind her.
Kurobe nodded at the child, before they returned the gesture and ran after Shion.
He sat back down, returning to his work, this time a little smile on his face.
(- -)
The sound of wooden swords colliding could be heard.
Shion and Yuki were currently fighting at the abandoned training grounds in Tempest.
They didn’t see much use after the dungeon had been created, especially not in the winter.
Rimuru had managed to find the two of them before they had started an actual duel.
Shion had planned to fight with the child with her real sword, and the childs new sword.
Rimuru had chewed out Shion before giving them both wooden swords.
What is she even thinking, sure she can handle a hit, but what about Yuki? Rimuru thought despairingly.
Rimuru was watching the two duel from the other side of low wooden fence.
Shion had spotted an opening and very gently tapped Yukis side with her wooden sword.
“Too slow!” She spoke teasingly, earning her a laugh from the child who was all smiles, who the quickly tried to do the same thing, but failed.
Easily defending, Shion played around with Yuki, however this clearly didn’t frustrate them, as they were enjoying their time.
“Hmm, this child seems promising, don’t you think my Lord?”
Rimuru looked to his side.
“Hello Hakurou” They greeted the swordsmaster.
“Secrets don’t last long here do they” Rimuru commented.
“Hohoho, they sure don’t, especially when it comes to our lord having fun without us” a teasing glint in his eye.
Shion knocked the childs sword aside, the sword now flying through the air.
“They’re wide open now” Hakurou noted.
Before the sword had even landed, Shion darted into the child, picking it up before tickling them. The bright laughter of the child bringing a flutter to Rimurus heart.
“Ive decided I want them to go to a school. One where they wont have to worry about their status as my child.”
Hakurou looked curiously at Rimuru.
They went on.
“I want them to find their own values, and experience the world on an equal footing as the rest of monsters” Rimuru said.
Yuki had turned into a slime, and quickly slipped out of Shions grip, before jumping into the arms of Rimuru, surprising Shion who was now grabbing at air.
“Who’s this?” They asked.
“This guy trained Shion”
“Oh, so he must be really good then”
Hakurou laughed.
“You could say so”
Bidding Shion and Hakurou farewell, Rimuru and Yuki made a quick stop at home before heading into the town once again.
(- -)
It was easy for them to travel in the town. All Rimuru needed to do was transform their apparence into that of a random adventurer and for Yuki to have something to hide their blue hair and yellow eyes, which would be a dead giveaway.
The two of them stopped by a little clothing shop, the sound of a bell ringing as they opened the door.
“Hello Shuna!” Rimuru called out.
Shuna was standing by a little desk, next to a tray of little cakes waiting for them.
Inside the shop Rimuru transformed back into his normal human figure and took the hoodie off the child, exposing their blue hair.
Admiration shone in Shunas eyes as she looked at the child. Having more restraint than Shion she had decided to simply walk up to the child normally.
“Hello there, my name is Shuna, it’s nice to meet you”
Yuki looked up at the princess slightly stunned.
Rimuru prodded their back bringing them back to earth.
“This is when you say your name” they said teasingly.
“I-I’m Yuki” they said standing up a little straighter.
She looked at Rimuru.
“Would you mind if I created a wardrobe for them?” Shuna asked, creativity flowing in their eyes.
“That would be perfect, they are starting school soon so tha-“
Whipping out a measuring band so fast a crack could be heard, she quickly put her hands on the childs shoulders, before ushering them into a small changing room.
Knowing all too well the fate that awaited Yuki, Rimuru could only sigh.
It started off innocently.
Shuna following Rimurus wishes for clothing they could use for their school, before letting the child picking random garments they seemed to like.
At some point it had become a game of dress up, various dresses and ideas, Shuna had clearly had in mind for Rimuru.
The child didn’t really seem to mind however, having been bribed by snacks Shuna had brought along with her.
A bell rang as they exited the shop, a very cheerful and satisfied Shuna waving them off.
She had apologized to Rimuru after they had asked them to come and help them with the clothing for Yuki.
She had seemed down over leaking his secret.
It really hadn’t been that big of a deal, it was impossible as Hakurou said to keep any secrets around here, especially if they involved any degree of Rimuru.
Telling her this seemed to have helped her mood.
The two of them walked along the streets of Tempest towards their little home.
Yukis shoulders sagging slightly, their steps tired, however the hoodie they were wearing, a slightly better fit now.
I guess that only leaves the Benimaru, Souei and Veldora, Rimuru thought to themselves.
Now then… Who next