It was peaceful. I've found myself in that submerged space of water ever since it first started to appear in my dreams. There's a shade there, however, that's slowly covering my vision of the surface light. Back on Earth, I heard that dreams are supposed to have meanings. I'm certainly not scared of water, so it can't be a dream of fear. Granted, getting pulled under the waves and then drowning was pretty horrifying. It could be resentment. That storm and ocean did take everything from me. It's a stupid idea. I'm not that old man from that one book that sought revenge against a stupid whale. What was it called again? If I could access [Mind Library] from here I'd remember.
Maybe I should have asked [Great Sage] what this place is. I certainly have a lot of questions for it and Rimuru. Rimuru... How do I approach him? Hey, your skill crippled most of my skills and while I swear I'm not mad if you don't fix it in the next five minutes, well... splat! Kidding, I'm kidding. I'm not angry and that violent. Well, that last part isn't true. But right now I'm too at peace in here to be mad. Strange, I swear I'm not acting like myself. Maybe I should ask the real question, who am I anymore?
Mm? Is that Erebus in the distance? I didn't notice him there before. He must have just appeared, but how did he even get here? Right, I don't know what this place is so there's a chance he just appeared. It looks like he's trying to say something to me. You've got to speak louder than that! I can barely hear a thing in this place! Wait, is hearing the right word? Doesn't matter, he looks troubled. Something must have happened outside for him to be appearing here. Come on. Wake up! Let's see what's going on! Erebus was getting closer now and his words barely managed to reach me.
"Master, hold on!" What's he talking about? "I'll bring you to help right away!"
Did something happen to me while sleeping? Don't tell me the orcs actually found my body. Wait, there'd be nothing left of me if they did. Never mind. I need to ask him what happened. It's time to wake up now! I tried to shake my body as the mirror me had done before. I was able to open my eyes and feel Erebus beneath me, carrying me through the forest with vines tying me to him. I tried to speak, but my body wouldn't listen. It was completely numb.
Warning. Corruption has reached 55%. Several abnormalities detected throughout Nucleic Heart and body. Notice. Leftover data from last use of Great Sage suggest magic capacity has fallen close to 18%
What's causing it?
Notice. Skill Darkness X is currently active. Would you like to deactivate-
Yes! For the love of god, yes! Obviously, deactivate it!
Notice. Darkness X has been deactivated.
What's wrong with my body? Why won't it move?
Notice. Skill Paralyzing Touch has been corrupted, its effect is now being constantly applied to the user. Paralysis Resistance has failed to stop the effect over 1,000 times since skill corrupted.
Can't it evolve into Paralysis Nullification? Surely my body has withstood it long enough.
Notice. Priority was given to effects endangering the soul. Effects endangering the body were deemed secondary. Now attempting to evolve Paralysis Resistance into Paralysis Nullification. Fail. Reattempting. Fail. Reattempting. Success. Paralysis Resistance as evolved into Paralysis Nullification. Effects of corrupted skill Paralyzing Touch are no longer in effect.
"Erebus," I spoke, the big guy continued running.
"Master! Do not worry, we'll reach Rimuru soon and there we can get you medicine-" He said before I cut him off.
"Stop," I told him and so he did. "And I thought I told you, it's F/N."
"Yes..." Erebus said as I tried to get off him, staggering in the process while untangling the vines. "Please, do not push yourself. The dryads said your body has lost a great deal of magic energy."
I leaned on him for support, "I won't, Erebus. Why were you carrying me?"
"To skip some of the details, after the effect wore off on us, we took that as a sign that you were finished with the orcs. However, when there were no signs of you returning, I asked the ogres to continue west while I used [Shadow Step] to rejoin you. That's when I found you lying on the ground, surrounded by dryads," Erebus explained.
"Who told you about my energy loss and helped me onto you," I finished and he confirmed. "Thank you Erebus, for waking me. If you hadn't, I would have lost more." I pet his back.
"F/N, does that mean you're fine now?" Erebus asked, lacking the full picture of the situation.
I became quiet. I managed to stand in front of him, "Do you trust Rimuru?"
Our eyes locked to each other, "Yes. However, should you not trust him, for whatever reason, I will follow you. On the name etched into my soul, I swear this. If I may ask, did something happen between you two that I don't know?"
"This will be kept between you and me until I tell Rimuru, understood?" I asked, but Erebus' answer was clear. "This is my assumption based on what I know. The first is that [Great Sage] wanted to use [Darkness X] even though it knew Rimuru told me not to. The second is how it answered my question about why it suggested using it, as if answering my question without answering it. The third is that Rimuru can make requests of [Great Sage]."
Erebus' eyes widened, connecting the same dots I have, "Rimuru requested [Great Sage] use your skill and cause corruption."
"That's what it would seem," I held up six fingers. "But there's two more that change things. Specifically, the intent. The fifth is [Strong Bonds]. While my ability to use the skills of others has been affected by corruption, I know it still recognizes Rimuru as a [Sworn Friend]. Since bonds are two-way, if Rimuru still sees himself as my friend, then that means his intentions toward me aren't malicious." I started walking on my own, but fell into my step. My body was under that effect for too long and weakened from the loss of magic energy.
Erebus helped me up by standing next to me and shrinking, "And what is the sixth?"
"It only asked for permission to use [Darkness X], not [Lover's Embrace]," I said plainly, holding him as he returned to his normal large size to raise me. "Though it isn't much of a difference, it said with [Lover's Embrace], not and [Lover's Embrace]. Again, it's not much, but it's something to consider."
"You don't want it to be true, do you F/N?" Erebus asked.
"That Rimuru knowingly used [Great Sage] to weaken me, or worse, try and kill me? Of course not," I answered as I climbed back on top of him. "That's why I needed to think about it somewhere alone."
"Then, I'll continue on toward the town, so that you may think on it more before Rimuru returns," Erebus said, waiting for my call, things must have developed well while I was gone for him to call it a town.
"That sounds good. And if things go well, there's someone else I need to talk with," I said preparing myself for the ride.
[Sticky Thread] had thankfully remained uncorrupted. With the more secure means of holding on, plus my skills with tying the thread, Erebus ran as fast as he could without fear of losing me. And he continued on without rest to the town at a remarkable pace. In complete contrast to me, it would seem Erebus has been growing stronger with each passing day. I'd rather not think about it, but if needed, I'm sure he could take on Ranga at the rate he's growing. The real question came down to, can I take on Rimuru if it comes down to it? The Auto-Battle Mode of [Great Sage] plus [Predator] pointed to no.
Putting away the thoughts of fighting, since they are needless until proven otherwise. I had the [Voice] list the non-corrupted skills. I attempted, with the time I had, to connect [Sticky Thread] and [Steel Thread] into [Sticky Steel Thread]. I experimented and found that corrupted skills, no matter the effects of their corruption, could not be linked. Wasting a good deal of time making sure of that. However, through the affinity skills, I managed to condense them into a single skill called [Spiritual Affinity].
Now why does this matter? Well, from how I understand it, Demons, Spirits, and Angels are all spirit beings, right? As in, their main body is a soul, right? So what would happen if all of the affinities were mixed together? I'll tell you. Not only does it increase damage to all three, it deals damage to all spiritual bodies. So say I was to hit someone while it was active and they survived the punch, that person would have their soul damaged. That includes anything that has one like humans, goblins, and other beings with a soul.
It's always nice when the damage is done to someone else. And now that my very attacks could damage souls, oh boy am I in a better mood. I'm not even mad at Rimuru! That can quickly be changed depending on his answer to my question. I almost want to see what kind of damage [Spiritual Flame] can do. But I don't have time to test it on anything, the town is coming into sight. Wait, was there this much of a clearing before I left? They've been working hard with that influx of goblins.
As Erebus exited the forest, one of the hobgoblins called for Rigurd and announced our return. I wasn't sure how he or the others were going to react to my return. I didn't get the chance to think about the different expressions on his face as I heard someone run at Mach one and yell my name in tears. There's only one hobgoblin in this settlement that acts like this when Rimuru or I return.
"Lord F/N!" Rigurd went into a slide on his knees as he lowered his head, slamming his hands to the ground, "I am overjoyed to see that you've returned safely!"
His man is way too honest, "I'm glad to see you. I hope you and the others are doing well. I see you've started laying the groundwork for houses and cleared a lot of the forest."
"Yes!" He jumped up, his son Rigur ran over to join us, so did many of the others. "We've been following instructions and learned a great deal from the dwarf brothers."
"That's good." I turned to Erebus, "Take the twilight and tempest wolves that are here and assist with moving the ogres."
Erebus asked in concern, "Are you sure you want me to leave your side?"
"I trust you'll be able to tell if you should abandon that order," I said, patting him on the head. "Besides, moving all those ogres is going to take time. I'm sure if the other wolves learned your [Shadow Wolves] you should be able to bring them all in a few trips."
"Certainly, I have been teaching the others," Erebus replied. "Enough to double our numbers. As you wish." He said before running off to rather the wolves.
"Is something wrong?" Rigur asked, him and the others seemingly worried.
"We'll go over it after Rimuru returns and we talk. For now, continue preparing for a lot of refugees," I ordered.
"Understood," Rigurd said, "Everyone, let's return to work!"
They did follow my order and dispersed to continue their jobs. I watched from the main tent that Rigurd pointed me toward before leaving. Watching their work kind of made me feel bad, but didn't stop me from eating. Hunger was one of the problems that I could easily solve and with little else to do I cooked myself a meal. Nothing amazing, but with the tools and utensils Kaijin made I could properly grill some meat and cut up vegetables from the trade. In my force to make food, I didn't realize the smell had attracted the noses of others.
Needless to say, I didn't make food only for myself. The fact that they all willingly ate the food without hesitation said enough. The fact most asked for seconds said more. Once I was finished and cleaned things up, I returned to sitting in front of the tent, waiting for Rimuru. The fact that Erebus hadn't returned to me nor our bond break during the whole time, made me believe things were fine on his end. Then the blue-haired person showed up.
Flying down from the sky on bat wings that retracted into their back. They wore a long white shirt beneath a short open black fur coat. Then there was that mask, before they took it off I wasn't sure if I was looking at a boy or a girl. And after they did I still couldn't tell! They were young, that's for sure. Wait, why is Rigurd running over to them? He's doing the same thing he did when Rimuru and I show up.
That can't be.
"Lord Rimuru! Welcome back!" Rigurd's yell echoed over to me.
What? I thought to myself, That's Rimuru?! He's human! Is this that surprise Erebus was talking about? How did that happen? Did he eat someone? Wait, forget that! That's not important right now!
Rimuru waved off Rigurd and ran over to me, "F/N, thank goodness you're alright!" I got up and saw that we stood at a similar height now.
"Yeah, about that, can we talk inside, alone?" I asked looking at Rigurd who was still in the same spot he greeted Rimuru.
"Sure thing," Rimuru said without any complaints and entered the tent first. "Is this about what happened at the ogre village?"
"Something like that," I was going to activate [Spiritual Affinity] but held back and simply asked. "Rimuru, did you request for [Great Sage] to use [Darkness X]?"
Rimuru's eyes widened. This was the first time I could really read his expression. A slime that does not shape its body when it speaks is difficult to read, if not impossible. But a human, that's a different story. I've dealt with humans all my life, I've learned to read them well. From the moment Rimuru ran over to me, I was able to example the type of person he really is. The way he left himself open, giving off no malice, and the look deep within his eyes of realization. His heart is on his sleeve and he is too honest for his own good. So when his mouth opened in shock, I knew he had asked his skill what happened, and I knew he didn't mean any harm.
"Please forgive me," He lowered his head quickly, as if it hung for a sword to fall on his neck. "I told [Great Sage] to investigate the corruption while you were using it. I didn't think it would use the skill... but that's no excuse. I'm sorry for whatever damage it caused."
He's genuine. Crossroads stand in front of me. Forgive him and move on together down the same road. Leave and go our own ways. Or the extreme, kill him right now while his head is lowered. Out of them all, I believe I picked the one I knew was right. I knew no good would come from any other option that left scars.
"Pick up your head," I said and he did so. "It's true that [Great Sage] used the skill, but I can't deny the fact that I allowed it to use [Darkness X]. And since you came clean about it, I'm willing to put it behind me."
Rimuru smiled, "Thank you, I really didn't mean for [Great Sage] to harm you."
"That all said," I stepped closer and placed a hand on his shoulder, "I need you to do me a favor right after you tell me how it is your human now."
"I only asked Erebus to keep my human form a secret to surprise you," Rimuru turned into a slime and bounced over to the evocated platform with a rug on it. "But I don't mind telling you and doing anything you need. This is going to be a bit of a story so get comfortable."
"He told me enough, but didn't have the finer details like who this Shizu was," I clarified.
And so, Rimuru told me how he met Shizu and three other humans. I knew he was exaggerating a bit when he told me he saved them from three giant ants while testing [Black Lightning], but I allowed him to continue uninterrupted, reading him all the while. Shizu recognized the I'm not a bad slime, you know reference he mentioned back in the cave. Meaning she was the first Otherworlder besides myself that he met. Since Shizu was convinced he was trustworthy, the adventurers were convinced to stop by the developing town to rest up.
One of the details Erebus couldn't have told me was that the three adventurers were the same ones that Rimuru and I had seen before leaving the cave. Additionally, besides Shizu being from Japan like him, she also possessed a unique skill called [Degenerate] that Rimuru now possessed. That is how I came to know how she died. Ifrit had been keeping her alive and physically young, and now that he was separated from her she aged rapidly after saying her goodbye to him.
As if to change the subject, he noted that Erebus was a great help in keeping the other adventurers safe when they fought Ifrit. And that the adventurers were going to report good things about us to the guild. That didn't stop me from picking him up and giving him a hug.
"What's with the sudden hug?" He sounded confused.
"Because I know what it's like, being unable to save someone at Death's door," I answered, we have one more thing in common it would seem. Being unable to save the people we want to most.
"Right... Again, thank you," Was all Rimuru said until I had let go a minute later. "So what was the favor you wanted to ask?"
"Oh, simple, I did to you to use [Predator] on me," I said casually.
"Eh? EH?! You want me to do what?!" Rimuru shouted and bounced back from me.
"Shh," I tried to hush him up, "Look, I need to speak with Veldora, and it's not you can spit him out here and now of all places."
"But asking me to put you in my stomach... You know I can't hear Veldora in there, and Ifrit is in there too, what if something happens to you?" The slime asked.
"Look, I trust that you didn't mean me any harm, and now I'm trusting that you'll get me out when I need to. And as for Ifrit, I'm sure I can deal with him even in the state I'm in," My words didn't do much to sway him.
"Mmm, let me run it by [Great Sage] first and make sure it doesn't try anything," That took a second, given how fast the skill works, "Alright, it's safe. But I'm only giving you one hour, and don't tell Veldora anything that's happened, I want us to have more stories before we tell him any."
"My lips are zipped," I got up and Rimuru changed back to a human. "By the way, is it because you use [Predator] on a girl that your ambiguous looking, or because slimes are genderless?"
Rimuru was troubled by my question, "I really don't want to talk about it, if that's okay." He held up his hand, "Ready?"
"As ready as anyone can be to be eaten," I remarked.
The last thing I heard was [Predator] being activated and the sound of slime covering me. It was not as bad as drowning, but the dark empty space I found myself alone in was not welcoming when I had hoped to appear in front of Veldora. Answering my thoughts, the piercing eyes of the Storm Dragon stabbed through the darkness, his forming becoming visible as the emptiness wasted past him. And with the same thunderous voice from the cave, he greeted me. Beside him as he spoke, was a being whose hair was like fire, a tail of a dragon, and two black horns jutting out of his head. That must be Ifrit, he doesn't appear hostile.
"It has been some time, F/N! What made you come here of all places? And does it have to do with this [Darkness X] I've been hearing?" He asked as if he was listening in the whole time.
"You know what's going on outside?" I asked needing to know.
"Don't tell Rimuru, but yes," The big guy answered then gestured to the one next to him. "This is Ifrit, do not worry about him, he will not attack you."
"Hello," The fire spirit said.
"Uh, hello." I looked back to Veldora, "So anyway, you're right. I'm here about the corruption that my skill is causing me." And so, I told Veldora what [Darkness X] has done to me.
"Interesting," He said in deep thought, "I've never heard of a skill doing such a thing before, let alone of an Otherworlder who was gifted five Unique Skills. Something isn't right about it. No will is that powerful and no skill that dangerous to its own user."
"Surely there has to be something out there with a similar effect," I said, hoping he could think of something.
"It may be possible I've never heard of one before, a Unique Skill is shaped by the mind of the person after all. For you're skill to hurt yourself, it would imply that you wish to be hurt. That is not usual for beings," Veldora mentioned a dark thought that I tossed aside.
"Nonsense, I would never want a skill like that or think of hurting myself," I pointed out. "But what do you think will happen at this rate?"
"Hmm, since it is your soul that is in danger, you may experience death through corruption before your body succumbs to anything it brings upon you. F/N," Veldora continued, "Do you truly need a skill such as [Darkness X]?"
"I mean, it's thanks to it I found my way into the Forest of Jura, and all the skills I received from reversing effects," I answered.
"But did you truly need them? Surely you could have stumbled into the Jura Forest and developed skills on your own," Veldora countered. "What I'm suggesting is you seal [Darkness X] and the corrupted skills."
"Seal it..." I thought about it. It's not like that was a bad idea and I couldn't think of a reason not to do that. "Alright, but... There is another matter I need to go over with you."
"Certainly! Isn't that what friends are for? So whatever it is-"
"Adopt me."
......
...
Veldora started laughing, even going so far as to do it in three stages, "You certainly had me there for a moment, I know Rimuru joked about it but I didn't expect it from you!" He continued laughing.
"That wasn't a joke," My words caused him to freeze mid-laugh.
"Does that mean you're a father now?" Ifrit said, just listening to the conversation so far.
"Fool!" He said to the spirit, "I haven't agreed to such a thing!"
"So that's no on the adoption to recover the vast amount of magic capacity I lost to corruption?" I asked rapidly, explaining why I needed him to agree.
"Of course I want to help your recovery! And it's not like I hate the idea!" He turned his head from us, Ifrit and I looked at each other.
"Has he been like this the entire time with you?" I asked.
Ifrit nodded, "On occasion."
"Suddenly asking me to adopt you," Veldora finally turned his head back to me. "If that is what you want, I have no issue with it."
"Really? No conditions like back in the cave? You're actually fine with it?" I pried to be sure.
"If conditions would make you feel more at ease, I can give you one," Veldora said, lowering his head toward me.
I nodded, "Weirdly, it kind of would. Getting a True Dragon as a parent, adopted or not, feels like I need to meet some conditions first."
"Fine, then the condition is this, tell me why you want to restore your power and I will be your father," He asked. "The answer does not have to be complex, any will do."
"Any answer..." I mumbled to myself. "Rimuru said he can't hear you, right? So he can't hear me either?"
"Correct," After Veldora said that, I let out what remained of my aura.
"Because I want to stand at the top," I extended my arm out. "So that no one will ever dare try and take what is mine ever again. Whether it's a monster, another human, or the very [World]!"
Veldora gave a few short laughs, "Ah, a good answer if there ever was one to that question. After all, that is what everyone seeks. It is the reason humans seek authority. The reason monsters seek evolution. To survive in this world and keep what they claim as theirs. However, that is not the kind of answer I expected to hear. I wanted to know what the one in front of me, F/N Tempest, desires with power, what he aims to use it for right now. Is it to protect the people now under your charge? Is it simply to impress those elves you seemed upset about? Define the desire that is yours!"
His words sunk in like the fangs of a snake biting into a fool who messed with it. And now that fool, seeing his previous life before him, the family he had, the money in his possession, and the girl of his tastes, all taken from him, could only think of one thing he wanted now more than anything else. It welled within him like the worse storms he had experienced and now that fool, me, was going to say his piece.
I took a deep breath, "It's been a while since I've spoken freely, even back on Earth I held my tongue, so don't tell Rimuru I said this, but right now? I want to fucking curve stomp that damn Orc Lord into the ground! So of course I want power, power enough that I don't need these fucking broken skills. Broken in the shittiest way possible..." I let out a sigh. "While Rimuru and everyone else have been growing stronger, I've just been running backward. Man, you have no idea how long I wanted to yell that at someone."
"It is good to let it all out, isn't it?" Veldora asked. "I'm sure you've had that bottled up inside you for a while now. And now that it is out, you can move ahead with a lighter chest."
"Yeah," I replied, "Look at you, listening like a father to his complaining son."
"Yes, I suppose I am," Veldora leaned forward more and pointed one of his claws at me, "From this day forth, I think it only right that you call yourself, F/N Dora Tempest."
As he said that, I felt something ping between us and heard the [Voice] in my head. My body shimmered with gold and I began to feel better, as if my entire body was becoming complete. The [Voice] estimated, with the information leftover from [Great Sage], that my magical capacity was now around 68% of what it should be. It has more than tripled! I was too shocked to physically react or yell in excitement. My power wasn't fully restored, but instinctually, I knew nothing short of Veldora himself had the strength right now to survive a fight against me.
F/N Dora Tempest has been recognized as the son of Veldora Tempest.
"Was that..." I began to say as the shimmer faded away.
"Yes, that was the [World] recognizing it as true," Veldora confirmed. "From now on, hold your head high and perish the thought of needing Unique Skills to fight! You have the strength of the Storm Dragon inside you!"
"I believe it," I flexed my arms, "It feels like my body just became strengthened, like I could go raging about like a storm."
"Ah, we should deal with that before you actually do," Veldora looked over, "Ifrit, how would you like to help him train for the remainder of our time?"
"I do not mind," The spirit said.
Veldora spoke back to me, "We'll help you get adjusted to your new strength and refine it as best we can with the time available."
"Thank you, you too Ifrit," I lowered my head to both of them.
Though it wasn't a lot of time, Ifrit and I didn't hold back. Not true, I was specifically told to fight him without using any skills greater than common ones and dial back my strength. Meaning the only skill I could really use was [Body Armor] to take on the fire thrown at me instead of punching Ifrit once and ending the whole thing. Veldora was less of a teacher and more of a parent watching their child step up to the plate for the first time in baseball. That doesn't mean I hated the cheering or anything.
The real weird thing was, thinking about it, I had the odd sense that I knew he would agree from the start. As if I had asked him before and he had always said yes. It was definitely the first time I had felt that way about any situation. Mm, no actually, there was another time. It was the day I was brought to this world, I didn't feel any real fear or anticipation about what I was facing. In that case, death. In this one, rejection. They aren't equal in severity, but the fact that I felt the same way towards them lead me to think that fate may be real. That some things are so certain, that you naturally play along with it.
But forget that. What matters is that [Body Armor] managed to evolve into [Dragon Scale]. Thank you Storm Dragon! Man, I should have asked him to be my dad sooner. It was just a tougher version of the first one, but man did it look neat when fully deployed. With scales like Veldora's, accented with white underlay. I definitely looked more like a dragon with it on and was ready for anything that came at me. That Orc Lord is going to regret surviving our last encounter.
When the time was up, I said my goodbyes to both of them for now, thanking them again. Released from Rimuru's stomach, he was about to ask me how it went when shouting was heard outside. That may have been my fault. I forgot to deal with my aura before leaving and so the others, unaware of what just transpired, probably thought they were being attacked. Rimuru and I had to step outside to calm their nerves. Thankfully, they'll by any excuse.
"You see, Rimuru was trying to help restore my magical energy and, after an hour, finally managed to," I explained. "But it was a sudden boom of power that I couldn't handle, so it poured out. Sorry for scaring you all."
Rigurd spoke up, "Not at all! What's important is that you're alright!" Then he started crying, "Besides, it's so touching to hear our lords helping each other. It's a lesson we should all learn from!"
That's not a bad idea, but could you pull back the waterworks? "It is important to help each other when in need, right?" I pushed it onto Rimuru.
"Right!" He continued along, "Just like we'll be helping the ogres in their time of need. After all, if there's a threat that even they're having trouble with, it's a threat to all of the forest, so it's only natural that we work together!"
"Yes!" The crowd in front of us cheered. Someone help these sweet summer children, they take everything at face value.
"Rimuru, on a different note," I said while turning to him, "I want to train, do you mind making a double of yourself and having [Great Sage] use it?"
"Huh? I've never tried that, but if it works," Rimuru patted me on the shoulder, "Just don't go too crazy against it."
"Trust me," I activated [Dragon Scale], earning some surprised and amazed reaction from the crowd still present, "I won't need to."
And so I began, much as I had with Erebus before, training to see the length of my power. In the short time we spent fighting, I had beaten Ifrit three times over and was now fighting a fake Rimuru. It was about time anyway to see what damage we could do to each other, and since it was [Great Sage] in control, it was all the more reason to not hold back. That's right, I'm holding a grudge against a skill, so what?! I'll let go once that Orc Lord is dealt with! Wait, I forgot to fully explain the situation with the Orc Lord to Rimuru... I should do that before I forget. Eh, I'll do it after the ogres arrive. It's easier to explain the situation with everyone together.
***
Thanks to the [Shadow Wolves] it only took Erebus and the others two trips to bring all the ogres here. They were extremely reluctant at first to ride them. Thankfully, the red one trusted Erebus enough to take the lead and be the first to jump on. Though they couldn't run at full speed without the risk of losing people, the wolves made good time and by the days that followed, everyone had settled into a routine. One matter needed to be addressed first after the ogres finished arriving and were talked to, a matter that Rimuru and I spoke of in private.
"And I'm telling you that I don't want to name them right now!" I nearly shouted at him.
"That makes no sense! You were talking about them as if you wanted to," Rimuru countered.
"Yes, I want to, that doesn't mean it's a good idea for me to do that now," I countered back, "Besides, you're the one that brought it up to them and I just got most of my magic capacity back, I don't need to do anything reckless like name over two hundred ogres."
"And you're not going to complain about it later if I do? Like how you're still mad about the elves?" Rimuru asked.
"No- well, maybe after we've dealt with things, but no, not right this instant," I said, Rimuru sighed in response. "Look, think of it as a trust exercise. I trusted you to use [Predator] on me and let me out. You should be able to trust me to watch over the place for however long it takes for you to recover."
"It's not that I don't trust you, it's just that I don't think it's a smart idea for either of us to be out of commission," Rimuru clarified. "How about I name a handful first and after this Orc Lord is dealt with, you name a handful that contributed the most?"
"Mmm... That sounds reasonable," I said.
"Alright, I'll go name the chief's children and who they trust-" I placed a hand on Rimuru.
"Not that one," I said.
"Eh? Please tell me we're not going to argue over this now?" Rimuru said.
I sighed, "Fine, but when we go to the elf bar the entire bill is on you. And no complaints when I drink my fill there."
"You just want to make sure I'm paying in the future because you haven't learned the value of things yet," He looked at me as if I just told him a bad joke.
"Hey, I have to get something out of this if you get to name him and his sister," I said, letting go of him. "Besides, I thought you might be interested in naming them after Japanese figures, you did see the sword some of them are using, right?"
Our conversation ended rather well. But we should take a step back to the conversation that happened before this. The red ogre spoke up after all his remaining people had arrived and were gathered in front of the main tent. Facing them were myself and Rimuru alone. I had used a skill to force his people to retreat, so we both expected words to be exchanged. No malice or underlying threat came from his voice, however, as the red one spoke.
"We of the Ogre race are a warrior people," He continued, "To run away from a battle without giving it our all does nothing but damage our pride and fill us with resentment. That is why-"
I cut him off, "Alright, resentment me."
"Huh?" The red one was caught off by the sudden notion that I would.
"I said resentment for forcing you to retreat. I don't have the intention to care about that or the fact that you all wanted to die fighting. I wanted you and your people to get to safety, now that you are, you're in charge of them," I pointed at him. "What you do now is your choice."
"This threat is a danger to all of us," Rimuru chimed in next to me, "It's best if we work together while we have time before it reaches us. And if you need payment, we're willing to name you and provide supplies. Then if you wish to take your people and leave, or stay as long as you wish, then that's fine too."
"Brother," The pink one spoke up, "I think we should consider their offer for at least the night so we can rest."
"We will follow your lead, young master," The old one added, causing the red one to look back as his people kneeled, silently agreeing with him.
He then turned back after a deep moment of reflection, "Forget what I was saying, if anyone should have resentment placed upon him, it should be me for not taking giving the order myself. The safety of my people should have come first. Can you give us time to think this over?"
"Wouldn't have it any other way," I raised my hand and waved over to Rigurd, "Rigurd! Have someone show the ogres to the area prepared for them!"
"Right away, my lord!" He eagerly said.
I offered a handshake to the red one, "You're welcomed to stay as long as you need. After all, you did put up with me for weeks."
The red one laughed a little, it wasn't much but it eased the air, "I guess you can see it that way."
This brings us back to me arguing with Rimuru about offering to name them. I, being a professional, wasn't going to argue in front of people. But the second we walked into the tent it became a long discussion on how we planned to name all of them. Regardless if they stayed or not, they could have the names if they wanted. It's not like I wanted to name the pink one or anything... Did I really pick up that trait from Veldora? Hopefully I grow out of it.
Anyway, the next morning the ogres agreed to stay and were willing to be named. After Rimuru and I showed them our power. First by fighting some of the strongest among them, then each other. The slime eventually gave out six names before going into sleep mode. To make sure he didn't get the chance to receive a lap pillow from any of the females, I personally watched over him for the three days and nights.
If anyone is getting a lap pillow from the purple ogre, now named Shion, it's going to be me. Especially after her horn narrowed and she became more beautiful. That might be the fact they look closer to humans now in regards to skin, they even look younger now and shrunk in height. I should note, the only thing that shrunk was their height. Looking at you Shion. The pink one, Shuna, would also be a nice choice for a lap pillow. As she also turned into a cuter version of her former self. With her horns narrowing too and her skin no longer tinted.
Though I'm not sure her brother, Benimaru, is going to be pleased with me getting that close to her. Or maybe he wouldn't mind, he seemed rather okay after what happened. I checked up on him to make sure while carrying Rimuru around. There wasn't much for us to say, we were both there, saw what happened, we both knew what he wanted. No real words really had to be spoken, but my intentions were clear to him, and his appreciation was received.
Huh, you know, I never had a friend like Rimuru to fight over girls with. Now that I think about it, it kind of sounds fun. Maybe it's the competition. Erebus is a nice training partner, but I feel like I have to hold back my words and my strength. Fighting Benimaru for his sister, now that he and the other named ones evolved into Kijin, that might be interesting too. Though I say that, I'm not sure Kurobe or Souei would be any fun. The first looks like a middle-aged man and he's working with Kaijin. The other acted like a ninja, which meant we wouldn't be fighting with just strength.
As for Hakurou, the old ogre... I've refrained from using the word old out loud around him since he completely outclasses me in fighting skill. Not to say he could survive a full-strength direct hit from me, but the old man now looked younger and more in his prime. A scary, terrifying outcome for all of those training under him.
With Rimuru, because we're both of equal standing and from a similar background, it's different. There's some testing involved to see how much we can push each other before the other is actually troubled, but it feels like we have an understanding. And to think, I was close to trying to kill him! Once this is over and things can be peaceful, I don't mind letting go and moving on. I mean, what could be worse than an Orc Lord? Probably me! Ah ha ha ha... ah ha... ha...
Did I just plant one of those flags I warned Rimuru before? I feel like I did.