Archive of Our Own

"Did you steal a child?" is, somewhat understandably, the first thing Luminus says when Raphael strolls into her temple.

It's a bit hurtful nonetheless. Really, what impression has Raphael given off that makes her think they would go around kidnapping children? Sure, they hang out with demons and angels and other odd folk, but they certainly don't go cursing bloodlines and razing towns like the others do. Besides, Rimuru likes to think he's overall pretty friendly, and Ciel has the patience of a saint when she's forced to tolerate children.

Shizue, meanwhile, clinging tight to Raphael, barely seems to blink.

…That probably doesn't help the situation, does it?

Raphael sighs and lays a hand atop Shizue's head, pressing the young girl closer. They still can't believe the whole thing themself, honestly. When Shizue's soul had disappeared originally, they hadn't panicked—her soul needed to leave eventually so she could be reborn, even if it was currently a good several centuries before that was supposed to happen. But when, during proto-Walpurgis (as Rimuru had taken to calling it, though right now it was more of him trying to warm his three companions up to the idea of having the other super powers of the world on a non-aggression pact), Kazalim had mentioned humans and a few sorcerer nations beginning summonings…

Well, Raphael had worried. More accurately, Rimuru got hit with a wave of horrible apprehension and Ciel agreed that there was a slight possibility that Shizue's soul had fallen back in time during her summoning, to a summoning happening around the era her soul "originated" from. Nevermind the fact that Rimuru had been carrying her soul from the future. Nevermind the fact that Shizue never had any time manipulation Skill. Nevermind the lack of Leon and Ifrit.

So, you see, Raphael acted. Was it reckless? Oh yes. Was it irresponsible? Debatable. Did they feel they needed to do it anyway? Of course. Time had already been altered, even if it was accidentally, and there was no way Rimuru would allow his six year old fated person to die miserable and alone in this world she so hated.

Which led them to here! Raphael, coming to the only human-friendly Demon Lord he knew, with one Shizue Izawa held close. And being accused of kidnapping.

"Only on a technicality," Raphael answers, stepping even closer. If they needed to breathe, they likely would be unable to with how tightly Shizue was clinging to their neck. They make no moves to stop her. "You… you're good with accepting magically gifted humans, right? To make them into heroes and all that?"

Luminus raises a delicate eyebrow, mismatched eyes judging harshly. "It's more complex than that… but let's say I humor you. Why would you, an entity that can get whatever they want whenever they want, come to me for a human girl?" As she poses her question, she rises from where she had been draped over a podium, coming closer with the grace of a tiger hunting prey.

Shizue trembles.

"Oh, that's easy. I can't trust the Primordials or Originals to babysit, can I? And as much as I trust the True Dragons, I wouldn't give them a human child either, which means the Empire is out of the question too." Raphael shrugs. "Moreover, Shizue holds a superior spirit, so dumping her on a bunch of regular dudes would be a bad idea."

"…It seems I must reiterate. Why do you care about what happens to this one child?"

Ah, that… shit, Rimuru intelligently thinks. He knew there was a lie he was forgetting somewhere.

Ciel—glorious, magnanimous Ciel—says, «It would likely be beneficial to tell the individual Luminus Valentine a fragment of the truth. She would not be able to call you out for lying, and anything you may let slip in the future can easily be built off it.»

Oh, so like—

"Don't your vampires have fairytales of soulmates? Or of halves of the same soul reuniting? I feel like I was always meant to know this girl, and want to see her safe. Is that so hard to believe?" There, that should work! It was mostly the truth—Rimuru and Shizue were close enough to soulmates, at least by the fortune teller's standards, and it was almost a reunion between pieces of a soul, if Ciel's theory was right—but with the added bonus of making it seem like it should be obvious to Luminus why someone as eccentric as Raphael would be so protective!

"Right…" Luminus draws. "But those fairytales usually contain the once there was one being who died, and they reincarnated in two halves part. Have you died recently and failed to tell anyone? Or are you saying the you that Veldanava met was already only half?"

She's scary! I wonder if Hinata picked that up from her or Shizue… or if she was just like that…

«Master, it is recommended you respond quickly. In the likelihood Luminus Valentine assumes it's the former, then it is probable she will mention it to the others, and then ending this loop with be difficult.»

Yeah, I get that. But if I tell her the truth that I have been split apart who knows how many times, then that's still going to cause question I don't want to answer. Namely being: what killed me.

«Suggestion: betrayal. Someone you trusted turned on you and killed you in surprise, hence why you ended up in Veldanava's dimension to begin with.»

…Ciel, have I ever said how much I love you? I would be a mess without you here.

«Mhm!!»

Raphael turns away from the judgment of a god to smile down at Shizue. Still petrified, she again does nothing more than blink, but Raphael can feel Ifirt's flames comfortably dancing beneath her skin. As long as no one forces Shizue to do something irredeemable via Ifirt… Well, the only one who should be able to do that is Raphael themself, seeing as they are the one who placed the spirit within her, and they certainly had no intentions of doing that. Even so, they wonder, did Shizue's hatred of this world only come from Leon using her to murder her friend, or was there something more?

"I've been in pieces for a very long time, I think," Raphael whispers, primarily to Luminus, but partly to Shizue too. "My soul, my heart, everything. But, call me a fool, I think seeing Shizue flourish into a hero would help patch that."

Luminus hums a low, thoughtful note, and then finally closes the rest of the space between them. She reaches out for Shizue, and when the young girl doesn't flinch, she thumbs the burn scars. With her holy healing magic, it disappears as if it was never there, and Luminus finally says, "Well then, I see no need for me to raise her. Besides, I raise heroes who seek to serve God, and I cannot find any hint of reverence in this one." Luminus grins there, and for all that she'd probably hate the comparison, it's almost as feral as Veldora's. "Congratulations on your successful adoption, Lord Raphael. Good luck explaining this to everyone else."

And then, gracefully, with Hinata's usual amount of tact, Luminus walks out the temple's door.

And a six year old Shizue Izawa, freshly summoned to the Cardinal World after watching her mother die, and now housing a superior spirit of fire, is left in the care of a suddenly panicked Rimuru and far too amused Ciel.

"I cannot stress enough that this is the funniest possible situation for you to get stuck in," Ramiris says helpfully, perched on a bar stool as she watches Raphael smuggle food from what Mizeri and Raine try to pass as a pantry, Shizue hidden beneath a large wing.

Raphael ignores her and instead squints, considering, at a chunk of unidentifiable meat. Do kids eat steak? Well, rich kids, probably, but Raphael doesn't want Shizue to grow up too spoiled… They might be able to turn it into ground beef. There's plenty of variety they can get from that.

"And anyway, why did you go to Luminus first? Why not me? I'm the Queen of Spirits; I can totally mentor young, impressionable minds with magic! I mean, look at the dryads!" Ramiris goes on, undeterred by Raphael's silence. "Sure, she might end up obsessed with potatoes, but humans need their vegetables right! Or was it fruits?"

"It's both."

"Oh, hey, Guy! Did you hear that—"

"Our good friend Raphael went fraternizing with the humans and came back with a kid? Yes. I did."

Raphael's first thought is: oh great, here comes the lecture. Their second thought is to roll their eyes, suck the meat into their stomach, and reach for a loaf of bread. It's molding. They put it back, muttering, "You make it sound like I spawned Shizue instead of rescuing her."

Guy, propping his elbow up against the wall, looms over Raphael. He raises an eyebrow and glances, slowly, pointedly, between Raphael and Shizue's identical features. He asks, dry, "Can you prove that you didn't?" A beat later, Ramiris drapes herself over Guy's shoulders and gives the same disbelieving stare.

Well, that's fair, but—

Raphael picks back up the moldy bread and chucks it at his two nuisances.

It explodes before it can impact, shooting bread crumbs everywhere.

Figures.

Sighing, Raphael turns back to thieving like a raccoon. A lot more meat and a lot of wine greet them, which checks out. Demons and dragons rule this place after all, and what need do they have for any produce? Raphael might need to go to whatever human nations have been building up recently and buy some groceries better suited for a growing human.

Either that, or take Shizue to the Empire. Unfortunately, it really would be best for her to go to the there, where they are known to train humans into High Humans, like Rudra and Lucia once were, but considering Michael's growing strength, and the changes to Shizue's fate that might occur from that… Yeah, probably not.

From the corner of their eye, they watch Shizue, who in turn is watching Ramiris and Guy. She's not shivering, which means Ifrit is warming her, which is a good sign. She also seems more curious than fearful, which is an even better sign. Raphael smiles at the sight.

Where else could they take her? Luminus won't take her, apparently deeming Raphael a suitable caretaker, and Kazalim—who Raphael is trying very hard to not call Kagali during every face-to-face interaction—is already busy enough juggling the Harlequin Alliance. That left…

The elves. Sylvia and her currently (for elf standards) infant daughter Elmesia. They taught Leon, a former hero who's fate is intertwined with Shizue's in a way, and—

Chloe! Oh, Rimuru could hit himself for not thinking of that earlier. Chronoa's already raised Shizue before, in a very convoluted sort of way, and between the memory transfer and Anti-Magic mask, she would be the perfect teacher for Shizue!

«Assuming Chloe Aubert, with the probable additions of Manas: Chronoa and Hinata Sakaguchi, has already traveled back in time and is in this era, that is. In addition, please remember that means we would have to approach her and explain the situation, including the apparent time loop and why Shizue Izawa is here in the first place.»

Ah. Right. Raphael never seems to remembering any past loops, with the exception of rare, fleeting glimpses, but with Rimuru Tempest never remembering the time loop at all, Chloe would have no way of knowing, which means the her that is hypothetically in this era would have no idea her teacher (both of them now) are messing around with dragons and Demon Lords, meaning Raphael would have to explain…

It might be for the best. It would keep her from panicking in future loops, should Feldway continue to succeed in casting Chrono Saltation, for one. And two, it would give Raphael a chance to analyze and copy Time Leap. Not that it might do any good, considering their Skills will be removed during reincarnation, and it seems like the memory transfer only works for past selves, but Ciel might be able to do something about that. Plus, it would certainly do Rimuru some good to see the wonder-filled eyes of his and Shizue's student.

On the other hand. It would just cause Chloe more stress, wouldn't it? It might relieve some of the panic that comes from Rimuru's disappearance to the End of Space and Time, but it would just create more problems outside of Chloe's control. After all, if she tries to keep the timeline the exact same, but Raphael is trying to incite small changes, or vice versa, then the whole thing could blow up in both of their faces. Everyone's face. The whole world might blow up, actually, knowing their track record.

Not Chloe then, Rimuru agrees. We can send Shizue that way once we start fading, but until that point…

The elves really are their most viable option. Elmesia gets an almost little sister out of it and Shizue similarly gets a playmate she won't be forced to kill. When Leon gets summoned and joins the crew, he will have two sister figures to hopefully keep him on the right road and away from summoning poor children and manipulating them. Then, when the day comes that Raphael knows is on the horizon, they can guide Shizue and maybe Leon to meet the Hero Chronoa and that should kill two birds with one stone—Chloe's own timeloop and Leon's yearning.

Although… if the Demon Lord Leon Cromwell isn't paying for and conducting his own summonings, would that raise the risk of Class S not being summoned? It's possible. Plenty of kingdoms like Falmuth would probably still commit to summonings, seeing as they had their own Otherworlders they used as weapons against Tempest, but the issue were the children that were summoned, not the teenagers and fully grown adults.

Ugh, this is giving me a headache. Ciel, any thoughts?

«I surmise it would be good for Master's well-being to keep Shizue Izawa with us. "Soulbond" is… an inadequate word to describe what is going on, but not wholly inaccurate. It would be the best for both of you to keep her, at least until Chronoa arrives and we can pass Shizue off.»

We are going to hear so many comments about looking alike…

«Seeing as you are using the "two halves of a whole" excuse, that should be fine.»

Raphael turns back around to Guy and Ramiris, waiting and unimpressed. And growing impatient if the twitches of Ramiris' wings are to go by.

That's debatable.

"Look, Guy, Ramiris," Raphael muttered, scooping Shizue up and then pushing themself to their feet. "This is Shizue. She's not my kid, but she is mine. And I will be raising her." A pause. Almost awkward, between how Guy's expression hadn't changed and Ramiris was the total definition of disbelief. In the moment, all of Raphael missed Shion's unwavering faith and unique ability to break the tension in any room with her Hercules Edge. "So, um. Please don't scare her."

Guy grinned. It was a bit too much like Diablo's for comfort.

Ramiris, meanwhile, squinted at Shizue and asked, "Yeah, okay… Does she even know who you are, though? Does she know who any of the people you've been parading her around to are?"

"…No."

"Oh, this is going to be fun!" And then, predictably, Guy started to cackle at Raphael's expense.

Joy.

Raphael ends up taking Shizue to the Sealed Cave.

It is… certainly not the ideal place for a child, but it was safest place Raphael could think of. It was away from any teasing (Guy, Ramiris, Velzard), away from any overpowered threats who didn't know how to deal with actual children (Milim, the Dragon Faithful), it was away from any places that might alter fate too much (Rudra, Velgrynd), and it was away from awkward questions (Chronoa, Sylvia.) In short: it was fine for now.

Carefully, Raphael sits Shizue down on a particularly large rock, and ignored the part of them that pointed out that they were being clingy, mostly because it was Rimuru's subconscious and not Ciel. Shizue let go easily, though she traced every movement with dark eyes. Raphael drops on the cave floor in front of her and sucked their wings in.

Now. How were they supposed to go about this?

Shizue was just stolen away from her home after having it blown to smithereens and her mother killed. She had found herself in a dark room full of strange people, those who wanted to use her as a tool, those who were furious that it had been a child they had summoned. Then she had watched all of those people be erased from existence as she was kidnapped by someone with near identical features, only to be taken to a vampire god, a fairy queen, and an overly eccentric demon. That was followed by—after all of those hardships and confusing emotions—her ending up in a dark, damp cave filled with spiders and snakes twice the size of her.

Quite honestly, it was a miracle she hadn't busted into tears yet.

Unfortunately, Raphael was pretty sure they were going to burst into tears in her stead.

"Little one," Raphael whispers, because calling her Shizue aloud and directly would be too much like an acknowledgement, they refused to call her Shizu, and calling her anything like sweetheart would definitely be their tipping point. "Do you know… where you are?"

Understandably, Shizue shakes her head.

Raphael nods like this was new information nonetheless. "That's okay. You—we aren't in Japan. This is the Jura Forest, and it borders… actually, I haven't been paying attention to what kingdoms exist around here right now, but Jura doesn't sound very familiar, does it?"

Again, Shizue shakes her head. Again, Raphael nods.

"Right, so… You're very far from Japan. Admittedly, I'm not sure if there's a way to get you back to Japan at all. But it's going to be okay, you hear? I promise, I won't let anything happen to you." Raphael smiles softly as they reach to brush their knuckles against Shizue's healed cheek. "I can't replace your mother or bring her back from the dead, but I can make sure you grow up into someone she would proud of. Is that alright?"

Oh, there are the tears. From Shizue, not Raphael. Raphael doesn't have to think before they open their arms and lets Shizue barrel into them, quiet sobs shaking her small shoulders. It hurts, but it's almost a relief to see she's not frozen in shock. Raphael hugs back, tight, and presses a kiss to Shizue's hair.

They sit there for a long time, letting Shizue cry it all out. It would be a lie to say Raphael didn't cry a little too, at one point—Shizue was here, in their arms, but with no idea the bond between them; their home and family were as lost as Shizue's was; they were suddenly hit with the horrible fear that they were going to fail her. Really, it wouldn't be remiss to say the cave became one embarrassingly mushy scene.

Still, they both stop eventually, though neither let's go of the other. Raphael can feel Shizue playing curiously with the end of their hair, and they keep pretending to breathe for her. At least until she asks, voice soft, "Uhm… The pretty lady with sharp teeth called you Raphael. Is that your name?"

Yeah, they weren't looking forward to that question. They didn't want to say Raphael, because the thought of lying to Shizue… Anyway, they couldn't name Rimuru or Satoru or Mr. Slime, because while it would mean Shizue would be on the lookout after Raphael died, there was the risk of that piece of information getting out and—

…The kids in Class S loved to call Rimuru "Teach", didn't they? It might be a way to clue Chloe in too when the time came, without having to explicitly explain anything. Right, that might work.

"It's more of a title, than anything. Some people call me Wisdom King Raphael because I know a lot of things, but you can call me Teach. Most of the kids do." Raphael pulls back with a wink. Shizue makes an awed noise, and then tips her head.

"There are other kids?"

"Well… not anymore. I'll make sure you have friends though. My… friend? Niece? Er, she's a bit older than you, and has a lot of energy, but I'm sure you'll get along just fine."

Shizue frowns in clear consideration. Raphael wants to give her all the time in the world. They settle for resolving to teach her Thought Acceleration as soon as possible.

But then Shizue nods. "Okay. Can I meet them now?"

"Not yet no. We have a few things to do first." Raphael holds out a hand. "Can you trust me?"

It's impressive how quickly she takes their hand. Raphael thinks they might cry again.

"Teach? Did you… just eat a handful of leaves off the ground?"

Raising Shizue really is a joy. She's so bright and eager, and having survived off of war rations for some time, relatively easy to find food for. She doesn't squirm when Raphael places her on their shoulders, regaling her and the woods with tales of Tempest, and she watches the flames Ifrit allows her to summon with open awe. Shizue has also shot up like a weed, and though she's still far from the woman Rimuru met, every day she grows closer.

…She's also developed quite the mouth. That's entirely Raphael's fault.

"Look, kiddo. You need fruits and meats and carbs. I need the magicules that are in this grass," Raphael answers, and then shoved a handful more of hipokute herbs into their mouth. Technically, it was nothing more than recycling their own magicules considering the grass mutated into hipokute because of Raphael, but that was a bit complicated to explain without Gabiru and Vesta. And anyway, Shizue seemed less interest in the reasoning behind why Raphael was eating grass and more confused about the act in general.

To be fair, it's not like I want to be eating grass. But without the soul corridor to Veldora and the ties to my subordinates, I'm not able to drink excess magicules, and a slime has to eat.

«This slime also needs to set an example and not eat rocks where a child can see.»

Ciel, Ciel… are you calling me a bad influence?

«Yes.»

"But Teach," Shizue argues, unaware of the internal bickering, "can't I just practice magic, and if it gets out of hand, you eat it? There should be plenty of magicules in my flame attacks."

"That—" Raphael begins, only to pause. Because, well, it's certainly an idea a kid would pose, but it does make some amount of sense. Shizue is still young and doesn't know how to control her output yet, so the amount of power behind each attack is a bit excessive. Even so, most of the magicules burn to even make the flame, like how Veldora's excess magicules become the storm. Magicules are just energy waiting to be used, after all. So: "That won't work the way you're thinking it will, but you're on the right track. Here; see these plants? They mutated because of the magicules leaking from me, rather than the ones I've used. It would be different if I were to eat Ifrit directly, because it's a Spiritual Lifeform, but an attack has already used up the magicules."

«I'm sure the individual Gabiru would be proud.»

Thanks. I think.

Shizue makes a noise of understanding as she comes over to crouch beside Raphael. They watch as she stares at the plants for a long, long second. Surely Shizue won't—

No, Shizue will. It was apparently a very bad decision to teach Shizue Thought Acceleration, but a very good thing Raphael can move in suspended time. They swipe the leaves from Shizue before she has a chance to put them in her own mouth.

Shizue stares, somewhere between shocked and offended.

Raphael stares back, one half sighing about being childish, while the other wails about the lack of impulse control in little kids.

Then, in a stroke of Raphael really doesn't know what, Shizue lunges at them like a feral child and tries to steal back the hipokute.

…Perhaps—maybe—it was a bad idea to raise a child singlehandedly in a monster-filled forest.

Shizue has gotten the hang of her fire magic remarkably quickly, all things considered.

And yet…

There are moments, when the flames get too big, or when Shizue stares too deep into the fire, and Raphael can see the moment Shizue forgets she's in a human-free forest and sees only bombs and death. They can see it in the way she shakes, in the way her face remains frozen, in the way Ifrit burns beneath her skin.

Today had been one of those days, and so they've ended up here, on the cliffs of what will one day be the kingdom of Raja, where one day, Queen Towa's ancient ancestors will be cursed by Ultima. For now though, it's a simple mining village, and it's nice to watch the people bustle around like ants as Shizue tries to ground herself again.

It's also nice that Pain Nullification exists, because Shizue would probably be cutting off the circulation of Raphael's hand by now otherwise.

"Hey," they coax after a while, pulling Shizue a little closer. She doesn't look up. Raphael doesn't force her. "Have I ever told you the fairytale about the Dragon Princess?"

Shizue lets out a shaky breath, then shakes her head no. Raphael hums.

"Well, once there was a dragon. He was great and powerful, and he was awed by the denizens of this realm. He was especially entranced by a human woman, a beautiful princess with sharp wits and wonderful magic." The tale of Veldenava and Lucia is considered by many to be a bittersweet one, but it is not the tale Raphael is telling now. They run a hand over Shizue's hair and continued, "Amazed by this human woman, the dragon took on the form of a human as well and met with her, giving her gifts beyond anyone's imagination. Before long, they both fell deeply in love and were wed—a union that invited the pillars of this world to gather and celebrate."

Shizue tips slightly closer. Though her grip on Raphael's hand does not lessen, Ifrit does still. She's paying attention. That's a start.

"From this union birthed a baby girl, one who inherited her mother's stunning beauty and her father's immense strength. Those lucky enough to gaze upon the three of them together were filled with joy, but that joy barely held a candle to the peace and love the family was feeling. But… not all good things last, for there is always evil creeping beneath the surface." Raphael subconsciously flicks their gaze North, to where the Puppet Nation Jistave sits. Jahil is so, so lucky Raphael has other priorities… "The dragon and the woman were murdered. Killed by prideful beings who wanted nothing more than power. The baby, however, was fine, for in the time before the attack, the dragon seemed to have been gifted knowledge of the future, and sent his daughter—along with a body double—to a far off land."

Something seems to have clicked at that; Shizue jerks her head up, eyes wide, and Raphael smiles. No… Really, it's all Rimuru right now. Rimuru smiles down at Shizue, brimming with affection, but does not stop talking.

"Thus, the baby and her father's last gift grew together, safe and happy. Unbeknownst to them, their aunts and uncles—those pillars of the world who had attended the union of the dragon and woman—always kept a careful watch, making sure they stayed out of trouble as the baby blossomed into a young girl, and the body double became like a beloved pet. And it was good that they did. Evil is always lurking, didn't I say? The same evil had returned, its greedy eyes and foul heart finally finding the two gentle souls.

"The beloved pet was slaughtered, in the vain hopes that with its death, the young girl would be easy to manipulate in her grief. It was, ironically, the opposite. In her grief, the young girl finally unlocked her father's unstoppable powers that had been sleeping within her, and utterly destroyed the army that had taken her pet from her."

Shizue's expression was so intense! Rimuru hoped she remember this was just a fairytale now—it happened, and it was brutal, and yes Rimuru was trying to send a message with it, but that didn't mean Shizue had to fear it right now. It was cute though, how concerned she seemed to be.

"The deaths of the army was not enough for the girl, however, and she turned her rage onto the army's home country, and then the neighboring peoples. Not even the land itself was spared from her rage, turning to nothing but desolate sand and excruciating heat. As such, it truly was a good thing the young girl always had eyes on her. Three beings appeared before her: the Fairy Queen, the First Demon Lord, and the Original Angel." Rimuru, to his dismay, really did need to hand it to Guy. Original Angel was probably the best way to explain Raphael's… everything without giving away the fact that they were a slime. "Seven days and seven nights passed before the young girl had calmed, but by them, tens of thousands of people had been killed, the world irreparably altered.

"By then, her beloved pet's soul had been gone for a long time even as it began to awaken."

"It lived!?" Shizue squeaks. Rimuru snickers.

"It did," he confirm. "But it was not the pet the girl had known and loved. This was something different, something deeply changed for all the appearance was the same. And it, too, sought the destruction of the world that had hurt it so. You must understand, that young girl had no choice but to seal her pet away to prevent further deaths, even while naively hoping a miracle would return her friend back to her. You must understand, for all the young girl felt pain at this, she had found allies that welcomed her with open arms. The end."

Shizue darts to her feet with a loud, "That's it?!" Fair enough. It's not a very good bedtime story. But what it is—

"The fairytale is over, but the lesson isn't." Rimuru answers, and then flips backwards onto the grass. Shizue continues to tower above him, hands on her hips. His grin is wide as he staples on, "Speaking of, can you tell me what the lesson is?"

"The lesson is to grieve the dead but to let them stay dead, or else they'll become twisted version of the ones you loved. But that's not why you told me this story," she shoots back quickly. Shizue really is too smart. No wonder she was such a good teacher.

"You got me," Rimuru chirps brightly. What he does not say is: I can almost guarantee your mother loved you so much and you were her brightest joy, but you arriving in this world was a mercy.

What he does not say is: you are happy now, but these days will eventually end. I will leave you, and I can only hope you will not lose yourself in anger or sadness. I can only hope Chronoa soothes you, and that Leon will not inspire a deep hatred.

What he does not say is: you will find me again, a soul not quite whole. I will not be the version you know now, and will likely never be again. Do what you must, Shizue, because I trust you.

What he does say is: "See, even the strongest people lose themselves sometimes, whether it be because they have too much power or because something bad happened to them. But keep on pushing through and it'll be just fine, okay?"

"…Okay," Shizue agrees. It's somewhat hesitant, and certainly not said with much conviction, but she says it all the same. Raphael, whole, is relieved to see it and stands with a particularly gelatinous bounce.

"Great! Then how about some lunch? I'm thinking we swing by the river we passed on our way here and get some fish!"

"I want those lizard things again."

"My darling protege, why must you do this me?"

"Alright, here's what we are going to do:" Raphael says one lovely spring morning, as a teenage Shizue stares them down with a sword in her grasp, "You are going to throw everything you've got at me!"

Shizue blinks.

Raphael blinks back.

"And then…?"

"…And then we do it all again?"

Shizue drops her sword and lays a hand on her hip, lips pursed in a frown. It reminds Raphael, achingly, of the way Shizue interacted with Eren and her bodyguards: exasperation. What an unfilial child.

«Have you considered that that's your fault?»

Our fault, partner. We are in this together. Anyway, it was you who recommended I raise Shizue myself, right?

«…»

"Teach," Shizue then says, sounding about as exasperated as she looks. "Is this really how you raised your other students?"

Raphael shrugs, "Pretty much." In their defense, Rimuru had learned it from Hakurou, who's method of teaching mostly consisted of I will now beat you to near death repeatedly until you learn from your mistakes. Of course, Rimuru certainly hadn't fought the kids of Class S back, but he did, notably, repeatedly have them use as much energy and magicules as they could fighting him. It had mostly worked, hadn't it? And Miss Tiss handled the majority of the actual teachings—economics, math, science, reading comprehension—anyway. "…Hey now, what's with that face? I'll have you know I helped raise two Chosen Heroes in my time!"

…Should I have told her that?

«No.»

It's too late regardless. Shizue had latched onto that piece of information like a shark. Or perhaps an overly ambitious seagull. Eyes sparkling, she stabbed her sword into the ground completely and then rocked forward on her toes—for now, she was still shorter than Raphael, and by Veldanava, Raphael was going to cherish those three inches for as long as they last. "Chosen Heroes? Like Gran and Chronoa?" Shizue asks.

Raphael—

One, doesn't know how Shizue heard either of those names, unless she's been gossiping with the dryads while Raphael goes to grab the groceries they can't get in the forest.

Two, apparently still can't stomach the thought of lying to Shizue.

And three, has absolutely no clue how to get out of this wonderful mess.

…Except, they were going to tell Shizue about Chronoa no matter what. It would be cruel to separate them, seeing how much they mean to each other, and Raphael didn't want to mess with Chloe's loop anymore than they already had. This, for all it was a misstep, might prove beneficial.

Raphael sighs and drops, criss-crossed, to the ground. They pat the ground beside them. Shizue dutifully followed suit as Raphael begins to speak. "Not Gran, no. Though, I did meet him once, a long time ago. He probably doesn't even remember it—" because it hasn't happened yet, because it might never happen, because Rimuru keeps forgetting Gran was a Hero to begin with before he and his family decided they wanted to rule the world to keep it safe, "—but yes, I did teach Chronoa. Partially, anyways. I helped her earn a spirit like I did you—" nevermind the fact the spirit was her future self, "—and helped her harness the magic that spirit lent her. Still, she grew a lot on her own, and I'm very proud of her."

Shizue clenches her hands in her lap. She's quiet for a long moment. So quiet, actually, that Raphael glances as her curiously before she ends up asking, "So then… do you think I could, one day, be as strong as her?"

Raphael can't help the brief grimace that overtakes them. There'd been a time when Rimuru didn't think he'd win against Chloe, and that was after awakening as a Demon Lord and acquiring several Ultimate Skill. Considering Shizue never had one Ultimate Skill, and her only Unique Skill was Degenerate, she wouldn't be much of a match against Chloe's Sariel or Yog-Sothoth.

Even so, Raphael couldn't just go around crushing young girls' dreams. Plus, they were helping teach Shizue now, and unlike the two, arguably three pieces that make up the Hero Chronoa, Raphael had Ciel, who's favorite past time was giving people Ultimate Skills.

…Then again, if Shizue did still end up one day succumbing to Ifrit and is devoured by Rimuru, then Rimuru would receive an Ultimate Skill far earlier than he should, which would probably speed up Tempest getting caught in Guy and Rudra's game, to say nothing of the Holy Church—

Argh! Shizue first, contemplate later!!

Raphael reaches out to ruffle Shizue's hair, for all they know she hates when it gets tangled. She, as expected, squawks with outrage and bats Raphael away. "Don't be so serious," Raphael chides, eventually relenting and pulling away. "You're a strong girl, Shizue, and you'll go so many places one day. If you want to be as strong as Chronoa, then I have faith you will be."

Shizue gapes at them like that was quite possibly the dumbest thing she's ever heard anyone say, which, y'know, ouch. Raphael is about to open their mouth and fumble out some apology when Shizue abruptly nods, and then just as abruptly flings herself at them, just like she has in the cave years ago now.

And just like they had in the cave, Raphael is quick to catch her. This close, they can hear Shizue clearly as she whispers, "Right. Then I'll be as strong as a Hero one day, and make Teach proud!"

Sweet Veldanava, Raphael is doing their best to not to melt into a puddle at that. They settle for squeezing Shizue tight and whispering right back, "I'm already proud of you. So much more than you know or would ever believe."

After all, I would be a pretty terrible "fated one" if I wasn't…

Raphael knew it was going to happen at least once more before this life ended, and was admittedly glad it wasn't when Shizue was still a child. That didn't mean they liked it anymore now.

"Alright," Guy's voice rings out through the Demon Lord Ring on what had, previously, been a cozy winter evening spent in the area that will one day become Blumund. "You all know the drill. Time for another Raphael mandated dinner party—"

"Do not drag me into this," Raphael hisses into the ring, eyes trained on Shizue as she purchases something from a stall. Paranoid? Maybe. Ciel says Rimuru is simply listening to latent parental instincts, finally. Rimuru chooses to ignore that suggestion.

"We really need to come up with a better name," Milim adds.

Guy carries on as if neither of them said anything, as usual, "Luminus called for this one though—something about codifying the non-aggression pact. Now, how many of you am I going to need to feed?"

"I'm not coming," Raphael answers first. "I'm still playing parent and have no time to go gossiping."

"Rude." Luminus mutters, voice almost lost beneath Ramiris' baffled, "Wait, still? How long does it take human children to grow up? I could've sworn it was only a decade or two."

"It's not."

"I think it's closer to two," Luminus says.

"It might depend on the person…" And that, there, is Kazalim, joining the quickly deteriorating conversation.

"Why can't you just bring the kid along?" Guy shoots. "If she's tolerated you this long, I'm sure she'll be fine with the rest of us."

Milim shrieks before Raphael can answer, which they really should have seen coming, in hindsight. "Wait!" She yells. "Raphael had a kid?"

"What!?" Oh, Dino. Raphael was starting to wonder if he was going to sleep through this Walpurgis too. They almost wish he had.

"Stolen," Ramiris helpfully supplies.

"I didn't do either!" …Unless you were to ask the summoners who brought Shizue here in the first place. They might argue that Raphael stole their tool, but they're all dead, so ha! "And anyway, I'm not dragging Shizue there unless someone gets Guy to wear a shirt for once in his life."

"What do you think we are? Miracle workers?!"

Luminus scoffs, "Some of us are miracle workers and that's still asking for too much."

"No, just hold on a second!! Raphael had a kid and didn't let me meet them!?"

"If it makes you feel better, Milim, the only reason I know the kid exists is because I caught Raphael trying to rob Mizeri and Raine."

"Why… was Raphael trying to rob Mizeri and Raine?" Poor Dagruel, he has no idea what he just walked into. It's even more of a shame that Raphael doesn't feel much sympathy. The only thing they are feeling is the intense desire to bang their head against the wall.

And it's definitely both Rimuru and Ciel who feel that way. Why must every conversation with the other Demon Lords be like herding cats? Honestly, even Veldora was better behaved than this.

"You think I have money?"

"…Don't you?"

"Why can't you just drop the kid off with Velgrynd? I'm sure she'd love to spoil a kid for a while."

"Not even the threat of death would have me willing to entrust Shizue to anyone who's not, like, one of three people."

"And Velgrynd isn't one of them?"

"No."

"Well then, pray tell, who is?"

"If I answer that you're all going to ask questions, and I'm going to avoid answering those questions, and then we are all going to be annoyed."

"…That is… the most self-aware thing I think you've ever said."

"Guy, if you were in front of me right now, I think I would consider stealing your spot at the top of the food chain via murder."

"Aw, I love you too."

"…Ramiris? Can you do me a favor and slap him?"

"Yes boss!"

In the end, it's Ciel who reminds Rimuru of the split bodies.

They, begrudgingly, go to the not-yet-named Walpurgis.

Shizue—who almost certainly heard at least half of the argument over the ring—gave Raphael weird looks every moment prior, which… yeah. They deserve that.

Soon-to-be Walpurgis has already moved to Guy's isolated world, having done so after the time Milim and Dagruel tried to play-spar and almost blew a hole in the wall. This time, the table is set for six: the original four, and Dino and Luminus. Kazalim had made the wise decision to stay out of this—citing a lack of desire to interfere with the other Demon Lords anyway, and not seeing the issue with Raphael having a kid. Dagruel, as well, had denied the invitation due to not seeing a reason why any of them would be near his desert, though he had laughed and asked Dino to keep notes of the meeting to regale him with later.

Raphael sat in their normal spot opposite of Guy. To their right was Milim, and to their left was Dino. On Guy's right was Ramiris, with Luminus sitting on his left.

Raine and Mizeri set out pouring drinks.

Raphael, for the first time in a long while, considered turning off Poison Nullification. They were pretty sure they were going to need it.

Luckily though, the meeting started off purely business-like. Luminus mentioned a Hero who had approached her—one who was remarkably strong willed and held powerful Skills. The Hero was not beholden to Luminus, but did trust her, and thus wanted to know which issues she should stay away from.

Luminus had, of course, explained her own situation with her vampires feeding, but had also agreed to see what the other Demon Lords were willing to tolerate. Guy, now ages into his game with Rudra, has scoffed and said human Heroes should do as they please and that if his demons die to them, then so be it. Dino had no actual territory and didn't care. Ramiris held no interest for the world outside her Labyrinth and also didn't care. Milim didn't have much interest in her domain and just wanted to fight the Hero; it was decided that the Hero would stay away from the Eastern part of the map as a whole. Raphael, meanwhile…

Well, they knew exactly who this Hero was: Chronoa. And really, that knowledge just made answering all the more harder. It wasn't quite time for them to die yet, after all—though there were times when a Skill or Art faltered and failed, Raphael's eyes were still the gold of a True Dragon and not the bloody red of a Manas—and they had already come to the decision that staying away from Chronoa until the end was the best idea. However, with the amount of chaos the Forest of Jura gets up to, having Chronoa patrol the area and help people passing through would probably be for the best…

Raphael, finally, gives the okay for the Hero to trespass in their domain, despite the Forest technically not belonging to them as far as mortals are considered. Actually, to most of the planet, Raphael doesn't even exist, so Luminus telling Chronoa that the Forest was off limit might have been perceived as odd, and made the fight with Veldora difficult. This way was probably for the best.

All in all, it was agreed that the Hero had access to everywhere the "Western Nations" laid claim to, as well as the half of the Forest of Jura on their side of the great river. The other side of the river, which held Milim's vast and empty domain, as well as the Eastern Empire, would be off limits. From there, it was generally agreed that each Demon Lord's personnel could trespass in other domains, but if they caused problems, the Demon Lord said person had been sworn to would have to take responsibility. Demon Lords themselves were not allowed to act at all in another's domain without express permission.

It was… bare-bones. A bit lame. Honestly, mentally picturing the contract that would have come from this, there were too many loopholes. But whatever. Raphael wouldn't have to deal with it, now would they? Rimuru would benefit from most of those loopholes regardless, and would have the unwavering support of Ramiris and Milim.

But what Raphael did have to deal with was the fact that Shizue's existence had been leaked. By themself, to be fair, however…

"Are you serious?" Dino immediately asks as the topics switch. He looks, honestly, a bit manic. It's probably the most stressed Raphael has seen him ever, actually. "You had a kid? Didn't you see how many magicules that ate from Veldanava?" And then, as if Raphael genuinely might not have seen, Dino waves towards Milim.

Milim, who also has something to say about this topic: "More importantly!! Why didn't you tell me? Do you know how long it's been since I've had someone my age to hang out with! Instead, I'm stuck with the old people."

"Okay, first of all, Milim, you are way older than Shizue. She is definitely not in your age range," Raphael starts, before Ramiris can get rowdy over being called old. They quickly turn to Dino then, and add, "Also, I'm not sure what you're so freaked out about, but Shizue isn't actually mine. I didn't make her or anything."

"You two do look identical, though. That girl may have had some baby cheeks still when I saw her, but if I had to guess, she's your spitting image right now. It makes sense to assume, doesn't it?" Guy's grin is a bit too pointed as he runs a nail around the rim of his goblet. It's grows more so as he went on, "And do you really not know why Dino's so worked up? Some Wisdom King you are~ It's because Veldanava died not too long after Milim was born, right? We wouldn't want you dropping dead on us now too, you know."

…

«Don't.»

I wasn't going to!!

Raphael sighs and slumps back against their chair, wings pinned awkwardly. "Well, you don't need to worry about that. Whether you believe me or not, Shizue isn't mine. Besides, who would the other parent be?"

"Mitosis."

"…Ignoring the fact I regret teaching you that, I'm not going to just drop dead." Oh, it's so much easier to lie when it's not to Shizue. "My magicules are fine, I'm fine, and anyway, Veldanava didn't die from his magicules draining. His death was a separate issue. So, just, stop being weird, got it?"

Dino looks like he wouldn't like to do anything else less. Luminus, on the other hand, raises an eyebrow. "Fine, are you? Funny. For a being as old as you, you seem remarkably stressed about this little girl."

"You try raising a toddler in the woods! Her favorite food is lizard, Luminus. Lizard."

"Of course. And this has nothing to do with her being the other half of your soul?"

"What?" Guy asks.

"What?!" Dino echoes, just a little shrill.

Raphael rolls their eyes. Really, for a group mostly consisting of those who've been around since the dawn of time, you'd think one of them would've learnt that correlation does not equal causation.

"She's like, less than half of my soul. She's probably less than a third, actually…" Rimuru will end up holding most of Raphael's soul, and then the Voice of the World will hold the Skills torn from the rest of Raphael's soul. Ciel is a part of Rimuru as a Manas, but she doesn't have a soul of her own, so taking her away and reverting her back to Great Sage will also take a piece of Raphael, but one that's returned to Rimuru later on. And while Rimuru contained most if not all of Satoru's soul, Satoru certainly didn't have enough of Raphael to remember anything, so a few pieces might've broken off in the interim. Er, point being: if Shizue and Raphael do actually have pieces of the same soul, Shizue's likely only has a very small fragment, while Raphael/Rimuru contains the majority. Probably. "I was just worried because she was a kid and human—those guys are notoriously squishy. But now she's almost an adult, and I think that stresses me out more, because she's aware of the consequences of her actions now and does them anyway!"

«And who's fault is that?»

I know, I know! No need to sass me…

«Then has Master also noticed that he's been significantly more open since "adopting" Shizue Izawa?»

Eh? How so?

There's a nudge, like a headache putting pressure behind Rimuru's eyes. It's Ciel's way of requesting permission to use their eyes, he knows, and willingly hands over control. Thought Acceleration kicks up to its max, and then Ciel glances around, lingering in certain spots.

Dino. Hands clenched on the table. Shoulders rigged. Lips thinned. Conclusion: worried. Possible cause: perceived failure to stop Veldanava and Lucia Nasca's deaths, and the potential for a similar outcome to happen again to another Dino has been around since he was forged.

Ramiris. Mouth wide open. Wings perked. Hands still. Conclusion: surprise. Possible cause: someone's reaction was unexpected to her, and due to her nature, she is likely puzzling over the meeting and searching for missing clues.

Guy Crimson. Brows furrowed. Finger methodically tapping at wine glass. Daemon Aura oddly still. Conclusion: calculating. Possible cause: within the last two decades, more information has been all but handed to him on a silver platter than ever before; he is piecing it all together with a high chance of coming to correct conclusions. Probability of telling Frost Dragon Velzard: previously low, but steadily climbing.

Luminus Valentine. Lips quirked upwards. Idly brushing through hair. Leaning back in chair. Conclusion: smug at confirming a suspicion. Possible cause: she has already mentioned Raphael and Shizue to the individual Chronoa, and this Walpurgis was a test to see if Raphael and Chronoa are as connected as she presumes.

Milim. Arms crossed. Frowning. Floating above her chair, rather than in it. Conclusion: pouting. Possible cause: Raphael refusing to allow her to meet with Shizue due to potential dangerous.

«Overall summarization:» Ciel says, a baffling amount of pride in her voice, «two decades ago, Raphael, who usually only interacted with very few people, went out of their way to acquire a human child, and then sought a way to protect said child; the child bears striking resemblance to Raphael, to the point where Raphael is either telling the truth and they and the girl are a reincarnation of a stronger entity that died, or Raphael is lying and had a child without telling anyone. Whatever the case, Raphael has been acting odd, meaning the latter assumption is likely correct, and has recently admitted to many things they never would've before acquiring the mysterious child, including but not limited to: a lack of stability in the cases of money, food, and shelter; the ability to die; and now, through Luminus' prying, a possible connection to the Hero Chronoa.»

Oh. Uh, meaning?

«Meaning it is understandable that Dino and Guy Crimson bear the concern that we will die soon, that Luminus will likely tell Chronoa of this new information, and that I was right! Having Shizue Izawa around is very good for Master's well being!»

No, no, hold on! Weren't you the only saying that me explaining this loop nonsense to anybody would be a bad idea, and that it would make dying harder? How is any of this a good thing?

«Master is significantly happier than he has been in several loops, judging by the fragments of recovered memories, and it seems this loop has gone on significantly longer than prior ones.»

…Ne, Ciel? Haven't we had this talk before about you manipulating things because you think it's better for me?

«But it was better for you.»

…Yeah. I guess it was. Thanks, partner.

«Anytime, my lord.»

Thought Acceleration dims, and Raphael rolls their shoulder with a heaving sigh. "Alright, alright," they say. "Dino, Milim, you can come meet Shizue. I did promise her she'd meet Milim one day, and having an extra pair of eyes on her would be nice. That sounds good with you both?"

Milim, almost instantly, bursts with excitement. Literally. Sparkles explode out from her as she zooms into the air with a victorious shout. Raphael can't help their laugh, even as they turn to gauge Dino's reaction, but it seems something in Dino settled at that, because he nods, and then almost immediately falls to sleep.

…As Walpurgis draws to a close, Raphael risks one last looks at the other three. Ramiris looks like she still hasn't figured it out. Luminus is smiling serenely. Guy has not moved.

Hopefully, this was the last Walpurgus before the end. Raphael doesn't think they'd could handle the stress of what's on the horizon if this loop continues.

The years that follow pass like a blur. Milim and Dino took to helping raise Shizue remarkably well, considering one has yet to learn restraint and the other had been made to fight evil otherworldly entities, though then again, Shizue is already an adult and doesn't need much raising anymore. Really, it's mostly Milim sparring with Shizue, and Dino scouting around the forest for any suspicious activity.

Shizue herself takes to the newcomers equally well. Perhaps it's because humans are naturally very social beings, perhaps it's because she's been waiting most of her life to meet Milim, perhaps it's because she finds the way Dino falls asleep on his feet amusing. Whatever the case, Raphael is glad it's all going relatively well.

…They just know they're about to ruin it. The faulty Skills had been the first sign, over a decade ago now though they began. Recently, even Azathoth and Material Creation have been failing, and then Milim offhandedly commented that gold had finally given way to red. Finally, they can feel themself struggle more and more everyday to wake up.

As Raphael had put it so long ago, evil was always lurking. In this case, they once again hope Shizue doesn't take it too bad.

Rimuru, gaze unwavering from where Milim and Shizue yell increasingly dumb attack name ideas at each other, carefully leans back against the cave wall. His wings had grown increasingly sensitive as of late, which means Pain Nullification is going out too. He needs to hurry up and decide how he wants to brooch this topic with the other three but—

«Affirmative. While opening up to the others has been good for your mental well being, it is strongly advised against telling Dino, Milim, or Shizue of our upcoming demise.»

Yeah, Rimuru had figured. At least with Dino, while he hovers around Raphael like a concerned nanny—or a particularly determined puppy trying to help with the dishes—more often than not, he is still the carrier of Sloth. Whether he wants to or not, he has entire days, if not weeks where he falls into deep slumber. Rimuru is pretty confident he can squeeze his death into that time frame.

No, the issue is Milim and Shizue, because Chronoa definitely knows, and while Shizue and Luminus would definitely give hints, Milim would be the finally nail in the coffin that convinced Chloe that this odd Raphael character was Rimuru. It would be ideal to split the girls up, but how?

The girls in question move on from attack name ideas, to trying to create a new attack that combines Shizue's flames and Degenerate with Milim's stardust. Red flags, honestly. Ciel's curious though, and it's a good thought exercise, so Rimuru allows it.

I might be able to send Milim to Luminus with a note, and Shizue to the elves… Rimuru thinks. Leon isn't here yet, and Shizue isn't a kid, but Thalion would be a good spot for Shizue to wait for Chronoa to pick her up at the very least.

"Super… Nova!!" Shizue and Milim yell in unison. From Shizue's sword escapes an inferno, and Milim is quick to wrap that in her stardust. Dino blinks lopsidedly as the attack zooms past him and slams into the treeline.

Great. They've started a forest fire.

«It's a viable option, if not one that would cause interesting repercussions,» Ciel replies. Rimuru hums to show he's listening, meanwhile he carefully pushes himself off the wall and summons an isolated battlefield around the burning trees. A second later, he crushes the battlefield inward, erasing the fire and trees it has been burning from existence. He's almost amazed it works. «You are correct that Milim answering you and meeting with Chronoa would confirm several things, but that is a possibility we have already entertained. Besides, it won't be of much consequence in this loop, considering our death, and as long as Shizue Izawa is not summoned to the wrong time again, Chronoa would be unable to seek Raphael out in potential future loops.»

"Thanks, Teach!" Shizue shouts with a grin and a wave. Even now, Rimuru is surprised to see a grown Shizue so happy. He waves back with a light-hearted order to be more careful.

«In addition, sending Shizue and Chronoa to the Sorcerer's Dynasty of Thalion may be the only way to cross Shizue and Leon Cromwell's paths. If he mentions searching for a specific girl that's similar in appearance to both Chronoa and Shizue—»

Then he'll go looking for her, probably end up sticking his foot in his mouth as usual, and upset Shizue. Which will, hopefully, end up with Shizue telling mini-me of the Demon Lords, and Leon realizing that she's not the girl he wants—

«Thus forcing him to summon children, and other nations to continue their summons to appease him, resulting in the children of Class S.»

Right. Then that's what we'll do. Resolve settled, Rimuru glances once more at Dino, who luckily has fallen asleep as predicted. If that pattern continues as is had been, he should stay asleep until Raphael is gone. It's a bit mean, sure, especially with how antsy Dino seems to be at the possibility of Raphael keeling over like Veldenava did…

Well, Rimuru is about to prove Dino right, from a certain point of view. It's probably better if the Fallen isn't here to witness it.

Rimuru, with a quick prayer that Material Creation wants to work today, summons an inked quill and sheet of paper. He allows a brief hint of amusement at the idea that paper was stolen right off Rudra's desk before crouching. With no bench or genuinely solid surface to use for writing, Rimuru braces the paper on his thigh and scrawls a quick message, explaining that Shizue—named dropped in full—was waiting in Thalion and that he would like for Chronoa to teach her.

(He is careful to make sure he writes in the language of this world and not Japanese. Even now, he occasionally slips up, and that would be too big of a give-away.)

((He is extra careful to make sure Ciel approves of the message, and with no more ulterior motives. The last thing he wants is to ruin things for Chloe; more than he has, that is.))

Rimuru folds it up carefully when he is done, just in time to hear Milim and Shizue fire off a new experimental attack: Collapsing Star. He wishes he had it in him to put them in a pocket dimension until they got this whole thing out of their system, but as is, he just watches them create a bomb.

Rimuru's hopes he remembers to keep Treyni and her sisters supplied with plenty of potatoes this next go. Apparently he needs to pay damages.

"Milim," he calls as the smoke starts to disappear. Milim quickly hunches in shame, but Rimuru just shakes his head fondly. "You're not in trouble, I just need you to deliver something for me."

"Oh?!" She perks back up, darting over at breakneck speeds. Shizue follows at a much more reasonable pace.

"Can you deliver this to Luminus for me? I would do it myself, but I have other errands to run."

"Ooh, yes! I can do that! I'll be done in a jiffy!"

"Good girl. And don't forget to check on your faithful, right?"

"Ah… right. I can do that too." Milim's back to pouting, but as long as she does as told… Rimuru grins and reaches out to pat her head, simultaneously forking over the notes. Milim nods again, slightly more enthusiastic, and is off like a pink shooting star. Good.

Next—

Grin never wavering, Rimuru turns to Shizue. This is the last time he'll see her for several thousand years. It's the last time he will see her in this life. And while she may not be the woman he was fated to meet, the woman he loved however briefly, she is the child he raised, the Conqueror of Flames who'd one day draw Diablo's attention and fight for the lives of two scraggly teenagers and five chaotic kids. Rimuru opens his arms, and as per their unspoken habit, Shizue tips forward into his arms.

Her and the few inches she has on him again.

"I'm so proud of you, you know. You've grown into a fine young lady—honestly, I'm amazed you came out so well after all the weird plants and bugs you ate when you were younger," Rimuru tells her. His wings come up and wrap around them like a shield, as if he could hide them from the inevitable. "But you've gotta listen to this one last thing I have to tell you, okay?"

"I don't like that tone," she whispers into his shoulder.

"I know, kiddo… You're going to go to Thalion—the Demon Lord Ramiris' domain, where the elves live. I want you to wait there until Chronoa shows up for you. Do you understand?"

Shizue full-body jolts. She tries to pull away then, but Rimuru keeps her clutched close. "Chronoa?" Shizue echoes, even as she continues to struggle.

"Chronoa," Rimuru nods. "When she arrives, you can fight her, or follow her like a duckling, or do nothing. Just follow this last order, and you are free to explore this world as you see fit."

The struggling stops. It's replaced by Shizue clenching her hands into fists, catching Rimuru's hair and the back of his shirt. Her voice is nearly inaudible as she asks, "Will I… I'll see you again, right?"

It's only at that that Rimuru pulls away. One hand on Shizue's shoulder, his other rises to cup her cheek, where once the burn scar sat. "You will," he says, with the certainty of one who knows his few constants in every life is Veldora and Shizue. With the certainty of one who knows, in every life he will live—even those that never see the End or Dawn of Time and Space—, the Anti-Magic mask is passed between the same three people with unwavering love. "I promise, dear one, we will meet again. I don't think there's a force that exists that could stop us from doing so."

"…Okay," Shizue whispers after a long moment she mostly spent rapidly blinking. Rimuru wipes away the few tears that fall anyway, and tries to offer an encouraging smile when Shizue repeats, "Okay. I'll wait for Chronoa in Thalion, and I'll hold you to those words."

There's the woman everyone was so scared of! Rimuru can't help but laugh, and even Ciel seems amused. With his eyes crinkled in amusement, he stands on his tiptoes and presses a kiss to the crown of Shizue's head. It is Raphael again, whole, who says, "Until we meet again, Shizue Izawa."

Shizue startles, understandably. Rimuru is pretty sure that's the first time he—or Ciel—said Shizue's name out loud and to her, usually choosing to stick to the nicknames. Either way, it's the right move, as evident by the way Shizue brightens and bobs her head once, quick.

"Until we meet again!" She chirps, and then turns to sprint to the end of the clearing, towards where she and Milim had started that fire. Here, she pauses, spinning around to wave. "It's a promise," Shizue yells.

"A promise!" They both agree.

And then Shizue is off. Off to meet her mentor and student. Off to flourish into a proper hero. Off to undoubtedly tick off Leon and scare unsuspecting folk. Off to meet Noir and unofficially adopt a small fleet of kids and laugh at an oddly intelligent slime.

And Rimuru and Ciel—