(Rimuru's Perspective)
I was still looking at Shizu-san, smiling
"So, Rimuru-sama, lets get it over right away" Ciel said, wearing a disturbing smile on her face
"Y-Yes ma'am!" I respond quickly, letting go of Shizu-san's hand
This ain't good, Ciel is into one of her bad moods for some reason
"?" Meanwhile Shizu-san was looking at us, confused
"It's fine, Shizu-san. We'll save you now, so don't worry" I said, reassuring her
Ciel, do it
I said in my mind, and soon after, Ciel began to create a...spirit?
Oi oi, Ciel, is that even a spirit?
<Yes, Rimuru-sama. This life form can be classified as a spirit>
What Ciel had made, was some kind of spirit
I say it like that, because it is obviously not a normal spirit
Even though it's supposed to be a spirit, I can feel that it's spiritual body is made up from my Authority of the End?
And furthermore, it is so perfectly fused with the spiritual energy, that a most people couldn't realize the difference
But, why though?
<Rimuru-sama, all I did was use the Authority of the End in the imaginary space in order to create a 'spirit'. And as a Spirit Lord, it has a pretty advanced ego>
That's fine and all, the problem is, will it be able to save Shizu-san?
<Of course it will>
I-I see
Well, if Ciel says it's fine, then it's probably fine
As I thought that, I took the spirit(?) out of the imaginary space, and it was now standing in the tent
Of course, Ciel had used a barrier to prevent any magicule leakage
The spirit has a female figure. She has purple glittery hair, flowing down until her waist. She has purple eyes, which are also glittery, and her pupils are shaped like stars
The spirit looked around for a bit, before looking at me, then kneeling while saying "It is an honor to have the opportunity to serve you, Great Master"
"Y-Yea. Then, as a symbol of your servitude, your name shall be Sumire"
As soon as I said that, a huge amount of magicules left my body and entered Sumire's
But not only magicules, I felt even some Stardust and Turn Null fuse with her
A purple wind coiled around her body, before completely fusing with her
"I am forever grateful, Great Master" She said, her voice filled with gratitude and...pleasure?
Great, I made another weird one *Shivers*
Promptly trying to ignore her reaction, I start talking again
"Before that, Sumire, you can call me by name, just like everyone does"
"Hai! Rimuru-sama"
"Good. Then, this is your secondary Master, Ciel" I said as I pointed over to Ciel
"Understood. Your orders?"
"I'm going to need you to possess this girl here" I say as I point over to Shizu-san this time "Her name's Shizu. I want you to extend her lifespan and help her"
"Very well, Rimuru-sama" She said, after which, she turned to Shizu-san while saying "I look forward to working with you, Shizu"
Shizu-san, who was at a loss for words, seeing this whole ordeal unfold before her, responded with a meek "S-Sure"
Seeing that, Sumire smiled before walking closer to Shizu-san, and then in the next moment, her body turned into energy, before entering Shizu-san's body
Hey, Ciel, since Sumire is pretty strong even by our standards, will Shizu-san be able to withstand her?
<No problems, Rimuru-sama. Sumire is able to limit her power in accordance to Shizu's ability to handle it>
It's fine then
As I was having this conversation with Ciel through our connected mind, something incredible was happening to Shizu-san
She was evolving
She had already went past the realm of Enlightened, and has already become a Saint
And...Wait, what!?
She has a hero's egg!?
Oi oi, isn't this evolution too ridiculous!?
<Shizu just had that much latent potential, which was held back by Ifrit, Rimuru-sama. Sumire just served as a catalyst, and all of that potential exploded all at once>
Seeing that, I felt like my consciousness was about to be blasted off into outer space
I mean, Shizu-san's natural strength has increased more than tenfold, without even counting Sumire's abilities
After the evolution stopped, the energy in the tent calmed down
Shizu-san was unconscious. She was tired, because her body was enduring the burden of the evolution
Her body's condition has significantly improved
Her skin, which was already starting to become a little wrinkly, has now returned to normal
Her hair, in which a few gray strands were visible, has now reattained it's raven black luster
Phew, it worked
<Of course it did, Rimuru-sama>
Then, Ciel and I left the tent, making our way towards the idiot trio, to tell them about Shizu-san's survival
.
.
.
(Shizu's Perspective)
My body feels sluggish, and my eyelids feel heavy
It's been quite a while since I've felt like this
I somehow manage to open me eyes, only to be greeted by a pure black space, expanding towards the horizon
That's when I recalled what happened moments before
Rimuru-san had summoned a spirit(?), and named it. After which, it entered my body, causing me to fall unconscious
"That's right, Shizu"
I suddenly heard a voice
"Eh? Sumire-san?"
"Yes, it's me. You don't need to add the '-san' to my name, as we'll be together for a long time from now"
It's good to know that I can speak to someone here-Wait, did she read my mind?
"Yes, I did. Since our souls are now connected"
"...Makes sense. Anyway, where are we?"
"We're inside of your mind, Shizu. After I fused with you, you underwent a very taxing evolution, which caused you to fall unconscious. So, here we are"
I see, I see...Wait, evolution!? Isn't that something that only happens to monsters!?
"What is that evolution you mentioned?" I ask, not being able to hide my curiosity and bewilderment
"Simply put, you evolved from a normal human, to a Saint. A Saint is a spiritual life form, completely exclusive to humans. You've also acquired a hero's egg"
I see, I've become a Saint and acquired a hero's egg-Wait, what!?
"Sumire, how did that even happen!?"
"Because I fused with you. I served as a catalyst for your immense potential, which released itself all at once, resulting in this evolution"
Wha-how-in-wha-what?
B-Before that, how is Rimuru-san able to summon a being that can do all that
Just who are Rimuru-san and Ciel-san?
"Good question, Shizu. I can answer you, but you won't understand much"
Eh? You can-Wait a minute, "Sumire, please stop reading my mind. That is an invasion of privacy!"
"Sure, sure. Anyway, back to your earlier question, do you want me to answer, or not? I can answer you, but I believe that you would like to hear it from the individuals themselves. As for weather or not they would tell you, I can not know"
Muu, this is difficult. I know that I should hear it from them, but my curiosity won't let me decline this...Wait a minute...
"Sumire, you said that you can answer me to some degree, right? That means that you don't know that much as well?"
"Well, kind of. So, do you want to know? Or not?" She said while looking at me straight in the eyes with a serious expression
I have to choose now, otherwise I won't have the chance to do so again
...
Having finally made my choice, I speak up
".......Fine. Tell me"
"Very well" She said, as she walked closer to me
We were now in arm's reach
"They...are the witnesses of the time that was erased from this world, and they are the ones who erased it" She said, as her stellar-like eyes glistened with a purple radiance
"Rimuru Tempest-sama. That personage is...the vacant sea, the empty abyss, the Truth that is the End. And Ciel-sama...is the End's Will, it's lifeline into sanity. The one who fulfills and completes the nothingness that is the End-"
As she was speaking, suddenly, something started to flow out of her eyes, nose and ears
Blood
She crouched down, as if in pain, while saying "Sorry, Shizu. I can't tell you more, otherwise I will have to risk my life"
"Sumire!" I said as I quickly went and caught her, supporting her with my arms
Risk her life?
Just what...
"I'm really sorry, Shizu. I can't tell you anything else, due to the world's interference"
"It's fine, Sumire. Don't talk and save your strength. But, how come you are wounded when we are in my mind?"
"It's because my whole existence is feeling the pain right now"
"I see..."
Just...Who are those two?
Why can just speaking about them hurt Sumire?
And most importantly
"The vacant sea, the empty abyss, the Truth that is the End, huh?" I murmured in a low voice
What does that even mean?
"Shizu. If you want to know more, you must ask those divine personages yourself, since they are the only ones who can tell you without repercussions—*Cough* *Cough*" She said as such, before coughing blood on me
"Sumire! Please...Don't say any more and just rest" I said as I looked at her with worried eyes
Hearing that, Sumire looked at me with a warm smile, before closing her eyes, falling unconscious
Those two...Rimuru-san and Ciel-san...They truly are an enigma made of enigmas
But, I still don't know. From when I saw Rimuru-san's face...A weird feeling came up
When I think about it, it makes sense
That person...Has gone through very horrible things. I can tell, as I am the same. But, what he went through has to be many magnitudes worse than my experiences. Otherwise, he wouldn't hide under such a perfect mask. Even I couldn't create such a mask for myself, that's why I used the hero's mask. I think...Rimuru-san is trying to act like his past self. I can somehow tell, because I also tried to do that, although to no avail. What I went through when in Demon Lord Leon's care affected me too much, so I couldn't even pretend to be my past self. That can only mean that...Rimuru-san...Hates his current self? Otherwise why would he try to act like his past self...
*Sigh*, I must be digging too deep into this, so let's just shake away the thought
I mean, how can someone hate themselves while making such a happy expression, and having such a reliable partner on their side, right?
Yes, I must be overthinking this
Definitely
.
.
.
(3rd Person Perspective)
Shizue Izawa, The Conqueror of Flames, one of Demon Lord Leon's failed summonings
A person that has such a terrifying intuition
Even though she discards it as mere overthinking, there is no way that she could have any way of knowing
Knowing just how right she is
Could it be destiny?
That is impossible, as the End doesn't know any destiny, and can't be restricted by it
It's simple really
Very simple
The End doesn't have any restrictions, unless the End set those restrictions on itself
Since it is the End, after all
.
.
.
(Ciel's Perspective)
Explaining Shizu's current situation to Elen, Gido and Kabal, was...how to put it, annoying?
Annoyance is what I'm feeling right now...Right?
They kept gawking after every single little detail
Yes, it must be annoyance
And here we are now
"By the way...You can't possibly be using that crappy gear for much longer, right?" Rimuru-sama said as such
After hearing what Rimuru-sama said, Elen spoke up, shouting "Hey, what's the deal! I'll have you know, I bought this robe with 5 dwarven silver coins!"
"I see. Then, you should try this on" Rimuru-sama said as he snapped his fingers, after which three pieces of equipment appeared
What he pulled out was a Spider robe: A robe of pure white, woven with spider silk. A Scale mail: Heavy armor made from the shell of a lizard. Far lighter than appearances indicate, and a Hard-leather armor: Made from the skins of local monsters, with Magical resistance included
"Ooh! Look at this robe! It's so light, and I can't believe how sturdy it is! And pretty, too!"
"Whoa! I've always wanted some real scale mail! This... Waaaait a second, did someone like the renowned Master Garm make this?! This'll be like a family treasure to me!"
"Yeah, are you sure we can have these? This is almost too nice for the likes of me. I mean, real direwolf fur?"
They all exclaimed in surprise and awe
"Yes, you can have them. Also, Kabal, the Garm you mentioned is the one who made these"
"""Really!?"""
"Yes, really"
"""This is the best!""" They shouted in unison
"Hai hai, calm down a little, will you. I'll need you to keep a lid on Shizu's existence. Otherwise, this town will no doubt be targeted"
"Okay, Rimuru-san. Our lips are sealed! Think of it as us doing a favor to repay you" She said
After this small conversation, the trio packed up their stuff
We accompanied them until the edges of the town
"Rimuru-san, Ciel-san, thank you for everything you've done for us. Really" Elen said as she bowed
Seeing that, Rimuru-sama smiled while saying
"It's fine. We were just helping out some friends"
"Then, see you later, Rimuru-san, Ciel-san. We'll definitely come back sometime"
"Feel free to do so. See you later"
And so, they departed
We just stood there for a couple of minutes
But suddenly, Rimuru-sama walked up to me
Our faces were extremely lose to each other
Then, he put his arms around me, hugging me tightly, while laying his head on my chest
"Hey, Ciel, we did good, right?" He asked, his voice shaking a little
Then, I put my hand on Rimuru-sama's head, running my fingers through his hair
"Yes, Rimuru-sama. I believe that this is the best outcome" I say, reassuring him
"I see. Thank you, Ciel"
After that, Rimuru-sama loosened his embrace
And then we started walking towards the town once again
.
.
.
It's been a few days since then
Shizu still hasn't woken up
Every day, Rimuru-sama goes and visits her whenever he has free time
I, of course, accompany him every time
But, why?
Every time he visits Shizu, I feel my chest tightening up, and I feel like I'm suffocating, even though this body doesn't need to breathe
Especially on the first day when she arrived
When Rimuru-sama held her hand, I felt an intense feeling rising up from within me
Why am I having these feelings?
...Could I be...No, it's impossible
If Rimuru-sama is happy, then I'm happy, so I can't possibly feel jealousy over something like that, right?
Just serving Rimuru-sama is enough, I don't need anything else
...
Suddenly, something Rimuru-sama said in the past rung throughout my head
'Ciel, please don't say anything like that ever again' He had said as such, when I had spoken to him about thoughts like these
That's right
It's not wrong for me to want...Rimuru-sama's attention all for myself, right?
He had said that I'm very important to him, and he had said that he wouldn't know what to do without me
Could it be that...Rimuru-sama also has similar feelings to mine?
Impossible
I'm just a skill, made to serve my Master, Rimuru-sama
Is it wrong for me to want something more?
Is it?
I don't know
I must ask Rimuru-sama about this, to see what he thinks of it
But...How can I mention it to him?
I don't know
But I must somehow do it
Rimuru-sama had told me that we are equals, partners. So, if something is troubling me, of course he would pay attention to it
Right?
But why should he have to do that...
Argh...I can't reach a conclusion like this
As I thought, I'll have to ask Rimuru-sama
(A/N : A bit shorter chapter this time. I kind of had to cut it in half. The next chapter will be a continuation of this chapter. It's 1:15 A.M. and tomorrow I've got school. So, gotta go sleep!
Words : 2377)