Rimuru's pov
'What time is it?' I thought to myself as I looked at my surroundings then at the fire pit still remembering about the burned letter. "Akari wouldn't mind if I borrow some of her books, right?" I said to myself as I made my way to the study room with a lantern in hand. After a few minutes of walking, I finally reached the study room. "Let's see which book to pick, wow did Akari complete all these books on her own," I said out loud thinking about that lazy empress doing something like it. While I was talking to myself someone tapped my shoulder, which at first was nothing but for some reason, the scent of blood was on this person's hand. So, I turned around to look and it was just Ket, I swear I'm overreacting sometimes. "It's just you, for a moment I thought there was someone else," I said as a sigh of relive overthrow my mind. "Sorry, for scaring you earlier, though I'm curious why you're in the study room at this hour at night?" Ket asked as he turned on the lights. "I couldn't sleep, so I thought about reading something," I said as I blew the lantern's lights. "So, you're here for the same reason as me? I see." Ket said as he had a questionable look. "It seems that way, although I never would have thought you will also join their little drinking competition," I said as I went back to finding a book. "Yeah, I got dragged in by Vel," Ket said as he picked some books from a self and signed me to come. "Something wrong?" I asked him as I took a peek at the books in his hands as he kept them on the study table. "You might be interested in some of these books most of them are just about the history of different races, this one is about the Tenma War," Ket continued as he placed a book in front of me. "If you're looking for something interesting you could read this one it's quite interesting and everything is real in it plus the places mentioned here have all turned into ruins but you could still find them, also if you want you could keep this since it's only a copy the real one is still here," Ket said as he handed it to me. "Alright I'll read it in the guest room your Elder sister prepared," I said in a teasing tone as I held the thick book in my arms. "Looks like someone wants to steal my title, by the way, I've been meaning to ask did you make that flower crown while you were cleaning the place?" Ket said as he was about to touch the flower crown but his hand got slapped away from the crown. "Sorry about that but I got worried you might ruin it since Vel nearly also ruined the crown," I said a bit worried that I might have offered him. "I understand if it's Vel then anyone will begin taking extra precautions," Ket said as he cleared the table from all the books. "The way you say it is almost like you have dealt with something like this before and are talking from experience," I said while sweat dropping. "Oh, you don't have any idea how many times we have to reconstruct the place," Ket said while being mad at Vel. "Well, I hope you and Vel meet an understanding of how to get along with each other," I said to prevent a fight from occurring like the one between Riku and him. "By the way, why don't you go and visit Falma his condition seems to have gotten better," Ket said in an attempt of continuing the conversation. "What exactly happened to him? It seems like something was wrong with his health." I asked still confused about what happened earlier. "Well, as you can tell Falma isn't human but that's not the point, a side effect of one of his skills made him lose consciousness at the moment," Ket said with a straight face. "Which skill, how come I only learn of this now?" I asked a little mad but still curious about the skill. "The skill that got him this side effect..........."
<Time Skip>
Third pov
'I still can't believe such a skill exists.' Rimuru said to herself as she wandered around the capital trying to get to her design location. The scene to an unfamiliar white building.
'Flash Back'
"You have got to be kidding me is there even such a skill," Rimuru said looking mad. "Does my face look like it's kidding?" Ketsueki asked with a voice that sounds like he isn't kidding. "Anyways here is the address to his pharmacy, if you have any questions. I hope not you can inform me right now but just don't talk to anyone on the way to the pharmacy." Ketsueki said as passed a sheet of paper in her hands. "Is there anything you forgot to inform me, cause it feels like there still is something you forgot to inform me?" Rimuru said while reading the contents of the paper. "Well, there is one thing make sure you go there at 7'o clock," Ketsueki said as he left the room with a book in his hands.
'Flash Back'
'I should have went with Riku to visit Shi.' Rimuru said to herself as she looked at the giant clock in the center of the capital which showed 4'o clock which indicated she was there extra early.
"What now? I know coming early is a good thing but I didn't get to ask if it was alright going extra early, well it never hurts to go and see." Rimuru ended up regretting saying it was barely visible to where she was considering the entire area was crowded. 'In Ket's letter it said to go behind the pharmacy and wait there for him but what would happen if I went there early.' Rimuru thought to herself as she went around (after being pushed around in the crowd) the pharmacy, true there were guards there but that's what the back door is for. After entering the place from the back door, as far as the eye could see from far and wide flowers and plants of different kinds.
(This image is how the garden looked like so, don't go around imagining something else)
There were trees there too it was almost like a mini forest but unlike a forest, this has a path covered to walk on, so the nearby plants and flowers don't get destroyed. 'Strange, according to Ket's description the place should be here so where exactly is it?!' Rimuru screamed in her mind wondering if she came to the wrong place. 'Excuse me, master.' Great sage said from Rimuru's mind to get her attention. 'Ah, Great sage is something the matter?' Rimuru asked Great sage as she was confused as to the sudden interaction. 'According to the description plus what he said yesterday it's possible that we have arrived and that we have to wait here for the individual Falma to come.' Great sage said in a monologue voice. "Seriously, I could have visited Shi in the time I have," Rimuru said to herself as she began to leave when she ended up bumming into a tree. The bump was a normal one however a book came falling from the tree and hit her in the head. 'A book? Is it normal for books to fall from trees?' Rimuru thought to herself while sweat dropping, in the middle of her thoughts the bushes of the tree began to shake violently and......
'SLAM'
"Ouch, that really hurts." The boy that fell from the tree said as he rubbed his head. "Don't you think I should be the one to say that? And didn't anyone tell you that you're heavy?" Rimuru said with a deadpan expression as she pushed him off herself "Sorry about that, I didn't think that anyone would be interested in taking walks in a garden like this." The boy said as he got off from her. "You don't sound like you were sorry, and we're you reading this book here?" Rimuru asked as she began reading the context of the book but stopped for a certain reason. "What's wrong? Is the book that boring?" The boy asked noticing the confusion on Rimuru's face. "Just which language even is this?" Rimuru said with even more confusion on both her face and voice. "Ah, it's the national language of Nefalím." The boy said as he lay down beside Rimuru. "I see, no wonder Ket didn't give me the original book and gave me a copy," Rimuru said out loud wondering what to do next. "Is that a friend of yours?" The boy said playing around with the nearby leaves. "Yeah, you could say that. By the way how many leaves does the clover in your hand have?" Rimuru asked getting up and taking a peek at the clover. "It's a four-leaf clover. Do you want it?" The boy asked while starting at Rimuru.
"You don't mind?" Rimuru asked as she got a bit close to taking a better look at the clover. "Sure, it's not like-" The boy got interpreted by a sudden yell. "Riri, there you are!" Falma yelled as he came running from the entrance. "Fal, calm down first, and now tell me what happened?" Rimuru said as she got up from the bushes to check on Falma followed by the boy. "Seriously, Ket should inform me beforehand that you would be coming, it's exhausting enough that there is so much work but I don't think there would be any problem if he informs me before. Did he give you any letter when he told you where to find me?" Falma asked as he began to catch his breath. "Yeah, he gave me this letter but didn't inform me anything about it," Rimuru said as she removed a second letter with a strange symbol sealed on it. "Yep, it's definitely from Ket," Falma said as he began reading the context of the letter. The boy and Rimuru both tried to see what was written on it unfortunately for Rimuru it was in the national language of Nefalím. "Can someone please translate this for me," Rimuru said aloud at the letter in front of her. "Riri you could always learn it it's not all that hard," Falma said with a closed-eyed smile. "What he said it will only take you a week to learn the basics, then another week to learn how to communicate with the language, and another in reading and writing." The boy said while starting at Rimuru. "Alright, I'm done, and Aziel it would be better if you don't annoy Rimuru than it's needed," Falma said as he hit the boy named Aziel on the head with the letter. "Yikes, that hurts you know and I was only playing around with her a bit." The boy now known as Aziel said while rubbing the area where the letter was hit. "Right, then why didn't you just read the letter to her out loud?" Falma said while getting slightly annoyed. "You know that wouldn't be any fun," Aziel said with a teasing tone, while the two were bickering, Rimuru was wondering if she should interpret the two's arguing but decided against considering they began to revoke their normal talks and started to use violence in the middle. "Alright, moving swiftly from the teasing I came because I heard a crash, can someone tell me what it was?" Falma asked while looking between Aziel and Rimuru. "Oh? That Aziel just fall on top of me." Rimuru said with a straight face not knowing the consequences it might bring. "I see, well Aziel do you mind having a chat with me in private for a moment?" Falma asked Aziel without caring for a reply he just dragged him by the collar a bit further from their previous position. "What's up with him?" Rimuru asked herself while playing with a clover.
Falma's pov
"I came because of the crash, but I never expected you two to meet, and what did she mean by you falling on top of her?" I asked still a little irritated from what occurred, but after Riri's short explanation, I need to know from his perspective on what happened here. "I was only napping on one of the branches when the branch began to click and snap it broke," Aziel said while still staring at Riri. "You know you look like a creep," I said truthfully at how his expression looks like. "That's rich coming from someone who was partially responsible for breaking the hearts of almost half of the girls in the empire not to mention you are interested in older girls, so doesn't that make you the creep?" Aziel said while giving me a poke on the forehead. "Well, first of all, it's not my fault they're not my type, plus when have I ever liked any Older girl?" I was still confused about what he meant. "Oh? I thought that you liked her that's why you didn't like it when me and her met or were you just shy to see her again?" Aziel said with his usual smile while facing Riri who was playing with the clover he left in her hands when I dragged him here. "What makes you say that? I was only worried that your bad habits might rub off on her." I said while about to attack him with the letter. "Relax, none of my bad habits will rub off on her, and besides shouldn't you make sure she doesn't get any bad habits from our empress," Aziel continued as he stopped my hand in mid-air. "Plus you're the one who needs to be careful after all your habits are much worse than mine," Aziel said while releasing my hand. "That's another reason I need you to show her around the capital and while you're at it why don't you start behaving like a proper Assistant?" I said while putting the letter in one of my pockets. "I do behave the only problem is that you practically do everything you need on your own. So I'm not sure if you should blame me." Aziel said while turning to leave. "Now where exactly do you think you're going off to?" I asked practically confused at his behavior. "You said I need to show her around right? That's exactly what I'm planning to do." Aziel said with his usual smile which practically screams that he should stay away from every lady in the empire. "Wait? Did you say you are actually planning to do the work I assigned to you?" I asked in total disbelief since most of the time he ignores every request I have for him. "Yeah, you said to behave like a proper assistant so that's exactly what I'm doing." He said and left without even listening to what I had to say. After leaving in the middle of our conversation he made his way to Riri who was just starting into the distance and incompletely lost in thought. It took a few minutes to get her attention but the conversation they were having, seriously I wanted to know about their conversation so badly. It took quite a while for the two of them to leave and when they left Aziel left a letter in the exact spot they were talking. 'Guess this letter must mean something." I thought to myself as I opened the letter and read the contents of the letter. "That idiot!" Was the only thing I could say about the letter and what it says.
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Next time: An outing with the assistant.
Word count:2653