~Luminous~
'Ugh... My head hurts...'
Awakened by the pain in my head, I instantly started asking questions, not to find an answer per se, but to try and remember what had happened.
'How did I fall asleep? No, before that, what was I doing?... I was...'
As I faintly started to remember the words I heard, my expression darkened as its words repeated in my mind.
Yet before I could recall all of them, I felt something moving in my arms, pulling out and distracting me from those thoughts, even if only for a moment.
Opening my eyes, I was greeted with the sight of Rimuru, slightly wobbling, slightly surprised that he was awake. I asked him if he was fine in an attempt to quell my concern at his unexpected awakening.
Thankfully, he appeared to have been sleeping to recover his power.
'Heh, I didn't think he would fall for this type of amateur pitfall, over-depleting his magicules to the point of falling unconscious, and not only that, but it happened to him more than once.'
I then asked Rimuru for the way out as I started to feel suffocated in this cave, but apparently, we shouldn't go out right now, as that might lead to some unexpected changes.
So, I stood up and started moving, and in the meanwhile, Rimuru told me what skills he got, and Great Sage explained how they function.
He got quite a lot of new skills from his evolution, making him stronger than he originally was at this point, which to be honest, is almost scary. 'He was already ridiculously strong before, and now will be even stronger?'
Rimuru: "Oh, right! Luminous, didn't you also evolve? What did you evolve into, and what did you get?'
Luminous: "I evolved into a 【Blood Vampire】, which seems to be at the same level as 【Noble Vampire】. Most of the skills I got are the same as you, and other than the crests and a few intrinsic skills, what I got, and what intrigued me the most were:
【Blood Haki】, 【Blood Manipulation】, and 【Blood Aura】"
(If anyone knows the levels of vampires, please tell me!)
Rimuru: "【Blood Vampire】? That sound's like a redundant name because aren't vampires already related to blood?'
Luminous: "While what you said might be true, we vampires don't exactly control blood. We can only use our own body's blood. Even then, the most we could do is resurrect our newly deceased kin, and charge it with magicules so it turns into something akin to an explosive powder (that's what I understood from the wiki), or use it to turn other being -mostly humans- into vampires.
"And even attacks like Roy's 【Blood Ray】 Attack doesn't exactly use blood or control it, but burn it like any other fuel. This is why 【Blood Manipulation】 and all the other blood-related skills are fascinating to me"
Rimuru: "Ah! That makes sense. But, what's the difference between 【Blood Aura】 and 【Blood Haki】?"
《While 【Blood Haki】 Works like any other type of 【Haki】, 【Blood Aura】 Works to create a magical coating, enhancing the capabilities of whatever it's covering, exactly like how Master's 【Aura】 worked, but with a different attribute and hence, stronger.》
Rimuru: "Then why didn't I get it? And also, why didn't I get something like 【Demon Lord's Aura】 before?"
《Apparantly, Aura-type abilities get integrated into 【Demon Lord's Haki】 hence there is no 【Demon Lord's Aura】. But that integration seems to happen only at the level of 【Demon Lord】 or higher》
Luminous: "That would take a long time to reach, but I guess it's good to know. So, Rimuru, what are you planning on doing for this entire month?"
Despite my question, Rimuru stayed silent while slightly trembling, dozing off while a small part of his body started turning into a shape akin to a droplet, before sliding on his surface.
Luminous: "Rimuru!"
Rimuru: "Ah. Sorry Luminous, I didn't hear what you said..."
Luminous: "Rimuru, are you okay? You were shaking a moment ago. Are you sure that you don't need to recover more magicules? It's fine if we rest a bit more, we don't have anything to do, and we have to stay here anyway."
Rimuru: "Don't worry about me, I'm fine. I was just distracted for a moment. What were you saying before?"
Luminous: "If you say so... I was asking you what you are going to do in the time we'll be staying here?"
Rimuru: "Hmm... I think I will just be consuming whatever material that we find to help kick-start the economy of Tempest... Now that I think about it, it will be Valtempest instead"
'Valtempest, huh? Having a country named after me is... Interesting.'
Regardless of that, I picked up my pace once again, wandering about in this cave. Every time we found a cluster of magisteel or a patch of Hipokute grass, Rimuru would jump off of my arms and start absorbing it like a starved child, the only difference being that he didn't die after finishing his meal. (does that count as a joke? or is it too dark/inappropriate/ unfunny? oh if you didn't get it, google refeeding syndrome)
At first, I thought that it might take him a while to consume everything, so I started to collect some and then bring them to him, in hopes of making things faster.
But, all my efforts prove to be useless. In the time it took me to pick up a hunk of magisteel, he cleaned the whole damn cave spotless!
Rimuru: "I'm done with this place, we can continue moving"
Luminous: "How the hell are you already done?! Since when were you this fast?!" (I know what you're thinking ;)
Rimuru: "Ah, I forgot to tell you, but because I evolved, my skills and capabilities are as good -if not better- than how they were in the past"
Luminous: "haaa... I guess I shouldn't have expected less from you"
Rimuru: "Haha, well, we should get moving since we're done here"
as he said that, I couldn't do anything but sigh, before extending my arms.
Luminous: "*Sigh* Hopp on then, I'm starting to feel cold..."
'I do have 【Thermal Fluctuation Ressistance】, then why do I feel cold?' That line of thoughts was interrupted when Rimuru fell in my arms, as I could see and feel him generate heat using his body, quickly eradicating the sensation of coldness that I felt.
'*Sigh* It doesn't matter, I can think about it later.'
Ignoring that thought, I continued moving, finding an 【Evil Centipede】. I used 【Shadow Motion】 to close the distance in an instant, appearing behind it before cutting it into two.
Rimuru: "Wow Luminous, I did know you could do that!"
Luminous: "Heh, Of course, I could! It's just an Intrinsic skill, nothing much"
When I said that, I could almost see his impressed face, 'He's quite expressive despite not having any facial features' While that, Rimuru Had already jumped on its corpse and eaten it.
After finding another monster, an 【Armored Spider】, Rimuru jumped out of my arms before turning into an early familiar lightning, piercing a hole through the poor spider.
Luminous: "Isn't that the snake's ability? Since when did you have it?"
Rimuru: "Hehehehe. I had since I ate that snake~"
'Why does he sound as if he's satisfied? '
We Continued on that rutin, killing and collecting everything we find. When the time came when we chose that it was the end of the day, before going to sleep, I wanted to try something out.
We were in a small, empty -Becuas of Rimuru-, chamber. We sat down, and while Rimuru was preparing our 'beds', I made a small circle made out of stone with 【Earth Mastery】 Before lighting a fire in its center using 【Fire Control】.
Luminous: "Rimuru, give me some of the meat you have, and put it here"
Creating a small plate of smooth stone, I point at it signaling Rimuru to put the meat there. I then created a hatch holder with two stone sticks (you get what I mean) slightly over the fire while waiting for Rimuru to get the meat out.
Rimuru put on a big slap of meat. Using 【Blood Manpiulation】 I removed all the blood from it. Turning my hands into claws, I sliced it first into a square so that I could better cut it in whatever way I want.
Rimuru: "I didn't know that you could cook"
Luminous: "It's my first time trying to cook"
Rimuru: "Really? Then I hope it won't turn out like... Shion..."
He said that in a cheerful, joking tone. Yet the last he was quiet, sounding slightly worried. Noticing that change in tone, I decided to stay silent and not delve into it.
Changing my attention back to the meat, I sliced it into six, equal cuts. After I was done cutting them, made them slide down from the cutting board into the hatch, making a sizzling sound while the aroma of steak filled the room when its fat and oil started to fall on the fire, enticing it.
'I think I should turn this hatch over the fire into a new type of cooking method, like baking and boiling! But, what am going to call it?'
Rimuru: "It's been a while since I last ate grilled meat! I'm excited to taste it!"
Luminous: "Grill? By that do you mean cooking on a hatch?"
Rimuru: "Ah, yes. But's usually done with coal instead of just fire to give it a smoky taste. And it's called grate, not a hatch."
'That sounds delicious, but sadly, we don't have- Wait!'
Luminous: "Rimuru! Do you have some of that grass left unprocessed?"
I said with enthusiasm that I didn't know I had, but I awaited his answer with excitement.
Rimuru: "Yes, but what are you going to use- Oooohhhh!!!"
《Don't leave me out of the fun~ I can also help!》
After wiggling in his place for a moment, he spat out a... Log? But its texture looked weird, and it was green with some white instead of brown.
Rimuru: "This would work better for creating smoke than just Hipokute grass"
Still wondering what that thing was, I chose to ask later and focus on cooking at the moment. While he was spitting more out, I brought these 'logs' into the fire, making them burn with smoke coming out of them.
'I can finally stop supplying the fire with my magicules. It was quite exhausting that way.'
Feeling a bit relieved by not having to waste energy anymore, and excited by what it would taste like, I picked the pieces of meat with my claws to rotate them, so that they would be cooked evenly. But that's when I noticed...
'Isn't going to be a bit bland, but I think I have a way to fix that, but I should ask Rimuru first'
Luminous: "Rimuru, do you have some way to get salt?"
Rimuru: "Ah, uh... I don't think so, but... Great Sage, do you have a method?"
He somehow seemed startled by my question, as if he was focused on something and my sudden request surprised him.
《I can get salt using a very... interesting method》
Luminous: "Thank you, Great Sage. Rimuru, can you give me one Hipokute grass?"
Rimuru: "Uh... Sure?"
When he pulled it out, I instantly snatched it and took a bit.
'Hmm! It tastes like Thymary but with a spicy kick, it's perfect!'
(Thyme-Rosmary. Never in my life have I tasted any of those two btw :)
Feeling the passion within me flam, I created two small bowls and pointed at them.
Luminous: "Rimuru, ground up some Hipokute and put it in this bowl, and put the salt in the other!"
The moment I finished laying my instructions, I instantly went back into the 'grill' which was still sizzling from the oily fat dripping from the steaks, falling into the shining embrace of fire. Seeing that, I got another idea.
I held the six slices of meat with my claws before stacking them on top of each other, slightly squeezing them, making their juice flow from one to the other, completely coating them. After soaking them for a hot second, I returned them to how they were.
I retracted my claws on my right hand as it stretched towards the bowl holding salt. I picked up some, on my hand, then using my other -clawed- hand, I picked a piece of meat, then rubbed it with the salt in the other hand.
I continued to rub it with my fingers until the salt is evenly distributed across the steak, then I put it back on the other opposite side of what it was before.
Luminous: "Rimuru, make us two plates. It will be done soon"
Rimuru: "Hai!"
I went back to salting (or should I say seasoning?) the other five pieces of meat, and after rotating them many times, until they became light brown, and after checking that the insides are correctly cooked, I looked at my side to pick a plate, but...
Luminous: "What the- Rimuru, how did you all of that make that?"
I was baffled at the sight in front of my eyes. A silvery metallic table, shimmering with the light reflected from the magicules it's basking in. Atop it lays a red luxurious cloth. On the cloth lay two forks and two knives, one on each side, all made of the same material as the table.
In between each fork and knife lays a silvery plate, decorated with red engravings of roses. At its side is a wine glass, Its handle is made out of the same silvery metal, and its head/bowel is made of glass.
Standing between the two glasses is a glass bottle with four metallic rings, one at its opening/mouth, one at the spot it expands from the opening into there's of the bottle, one at the middle of its structure, and the last is at its base, covering it's bottom as well. All of them are engraved with silvery roses.
In the middle of the table is a candlestick, made of the same silvery metal, but this one is more vibrant with its colorful reflections and its delicate decoration of red roses. But instead of holding a candle, it's what looks to be a small lantern, with a red fire visible from its glass walls. gleaming with a slightly reddish light.
Surrounding the lantern are two spice jars made of glass, One holding salt, and the other holding a green substance, the Hipokute powder. A small bowel containing a few leaves. And at the edge of the table, a vase within it lays a few flowers, those flowers are just Hipokute herbs with their petals red instead of white.
On each side of the table is a chair made of the same silvery metal, its back, seat, and arms are covered by red cushioning.
《It was me who made it, Luminous-san. I asked Master to take control of his body for a bit.》
She calmly said while coming my way, holding the two plates with her. I was staring at her while gaping in shock with my eye wide open.
《Don't just stare at me! Help me put the food on them!》
Luminous: "Ah, yes..."
I used 【Fire Control】 to extinguish the fire without creating any steam before using my claws to pick up the slices of meat, and put three on each plate.
She moved and put the on the table, signing me to come and sit.
'!!! I was a queen- No, a damn god before, and I had the best and most comfortable chair made for me, but even that doesn't compare to this!'
Luminous: "How the hell did you make all of this?"
《Most of what you see is made out of magisteel. The glass is made by crushing stone to sand and then melting with fire and lightning. And as for the cushioning and fabrics, they are made using 【Sticky-Steel Threads】 and are painted with... I would let you guess that on your own》
She then went to the small plate and put on it a piece of butter. After that, she went to the bowl of leaves and took six leaves, and put them on the stakes.
Jumping off the table, she transformed into a humanoid shape. It didn't have any features, but it was the same blue slime with the figure of a human.
Rimuru: "Huh? How did you do that? Aren't I supposed to be incapable of turning into a human?"
'looks like control went back to Rimuru, and I think they are talking about something.'
Luminous: "How did you get butter? And what is inside this bottle... Red wine?"
《No. It's something a bit similar to red wine, but it's its own unique thing. You should give it a taste. And for how I got it and the butter... That's for later. Now is eating time~》
Rimuru Sat down in front of me, despite him having no facial other than a mouth, I was able to clearly imagen his face and how he looked so clearly and vividly as if it was by magic.
'D-damn it! Why must I see his face r-right now? W-with the lighting and the m-mood of this, i-it's a-almost like a d-d-da-da-date... H-how c-c-an I n-not blush?!!'
In my embarrassment, I lowered my gaze and stretched out my arm, trying to reach the spice jar as the steaks only have a leaf on them. But... Feeling a cold yet soft surface at the tip of my fingers, I lifted my blushing head up.
《/////》
I saw him. I saw his face, blushing redder than the sky at dawn, his mouth slightly open in surprise, and eyes focused on the eyes of who was in front of him, with a small blush on his cheeks. I'm exactly the same. My eyes stuck at his face, his eyes.
Our hands are touching only by the tips. I moved my hand ever so slowly. When my Index finger reached his wrist, my hand started to fall into his, slightly griping his hand from the back more and more.
My hand was completely holding his hand, slowly getting higher and higher, until...
Rimuru: "!"
His hand slightly twitched backward, at the same moment, mine did the same.
《*Wipe of nose blood in disappointment*》
Rimuru: "Y-you t-"
I stretched my a bit more.
Luminous: "N-n-no. Y-you s-sho-"
His hand closed a bit.
Rimuru: "Y-you w-were fir-"
My hand tried to reach him but quickly stopped.
Luminous: "I-I i-interrupted y-you, s-so t-t-ta-"
His hand went back to him, staying right under his face.
Rimuru: "I-I w-won't a-accept! y-you take it!"
My hand closed and slowly got back, hovering over my chest, where my heart is. with my face redder than the wine beside me.
Luminous: "I-if y-you say so..."
I got the Hipokute jar and sprinkled it over my plate.
...
'It's delicious! but I think using some butter would make it even better!'
Reaching for the butter knife, I touched something familiar.
Luminous: "Ah!"
While my face beamed redder than my right eye, I quickly retracted my hand back. 'I don't want a repeat of what happened earlier...'
Luminous: "Y-you take it..."
I said while looking to the side, averting my face from him. 'Why am I feeling disappointed? Could it be... No, it can't be. I'm into women! Then... Why am I feeling disappointed? Ah, it's because of the butter. Anyone would be disappointed to not have a taste of something made by Great Sage!... Yeah, that's it...'
A.N/ If you feel confused and wonder what the heck happened to the romance here, you might also be thinking that this is a total F-ing mess! So do I! Because it is a total fucking mess! I'm lost! Please Heeeeelpppp!
...
After trying out the steak with butter, I was very impressed. 'I have to say, despite the circumstances and the low quality of the ingredients, it's pretty damn good!'
Though, feeling my dry throat, I wondered about how the wine that Great Sage made would taste.
I extended my hand, BUT! I stopped midway to look and see if Rimuru has put his hand on the bottle. What I found out was, both of us had the same idea, as his hand was also stretched till midway way from the bottle, and was looking at me to see if I already grabbed it.
《Tch!》
Luminous: "... I will pour for us..." I said this ignoring the slightly annoyed voice in my head.
Rimur: "No I-... Thank you, please give me a fill.."
He suddenly stopped mid-sentence before extending his wine glass toward me. I filled his, then filled mine and took a looong sip, drinking almost half of it at once.
The 'wine' had a prominently sweet taste, with some saltiness that followed the aftertaste, which was mostly bitter. But from the start to the end, there was this slight, yet noticeable, taste of hot spiciness and herbal taste, which was mixed with a tinge of metallic taste. (Fun fact, I know more about girls than wine/alcohol. so yeah, I know jack shit + plus never and will never drink it)
'It doesn't look like it's the least alcoholic, it's sad, but that doesn't change the fact that it's good, as good as red wine, if not even better!'
I saw Rimuru lower his glass. His face was slightly disappointed, probably due to finding out that it didn't have a drop of alcohol in it.
'I know what you're feeling, but what can we do? It's not like we can let it ferment for a few years.'
......
...
I looked at my plate, as it was almost finished, trying to think of anything, but was always getting distracted by what happened a few minutes ago. All this time, I was blushing and looking down or sideways, which was the same for Rimuru.
I picked up the last part one my pleat, which was a quarter of a steak, but I decided to eat it all at once. I bit into it twice, eating half of it.
《Why don't you give it to Rimuru?》
'what-'
《Or to be more specific, feed it to him. Don't you think it would be cute if you feed it to him with your own hand?》
'N-No! Why would-'
《You would love it~ Trust me, you want it. You're just in denial, but do that, and you will thank me.》
'No!! I don't want-' At this point, I was already trembling heavily.
《Luminous-San, stop lying to yourself. Just because you think you don't deserve something, and you convinced yourself that you don't want or need it, it doesn't mean that you don't deserve it or that you don't want or need it.》
???: 'Luminous, just do what you truly want, what would make your heart wish for the most, even if it's contrary to what your mind believes.'
Rimuru: "Luminous, are you ok-"
The moment Rimuru opened his mouth, I shove my fork into his mouth, feeding him the piece of steak, the one that I bit and ate half of. Despite how wrong it was, I, for the first time in a long time, felt... correct, relieved, satisfied, and... happy.
《///////////Kyaaaa!////////// *Explosive nose bleed*》
???: "*Silent contempt noises*"
Rimuru just looked at me, surprised. We stayed like that for a moment, then, it all crashed down on me.
Luminous: "Uh.. umm.. I-I s-slipped!"
My heart was pounding faster than Rimuru's growth (couldn't find anything better) and harder than Hinata's gaze. My whole body was crimson red, without missing a spot.
Rimuru: "I-it's getting l-late! W-we s-should go to s-sleep!"
He said that with a face as red as mine, and that redness stayed even after he turned into slime. I gave him my back as he consumed back the table, chairs, and everything else.
Walking to the bed, I could hear the sound of a soft blob bouncing beside me. When I reached it, I discovered that there was only one bed (futon).
Rimuru: "Uhhmmm..."
We both stood there, right in front of the bed, shaking in embarrassment with our blushes reaching our legs/bottom.
Luminous: "I-I w-will go t-to sleep..."
Lowering myself, I lay my head on the pillow preparing to sleep, with a burning face that was oddly happy, and proud.
Rimuru: "M-me... T-too..."
After a few seconds of saying that, I heard him jumping before feeling him fall into my arms.
I hugged him before using my free hand to cover ourselves with blankets...
'Wait, did I just...' At that moment, I suddenly realized what I did in the past 3 seconds.
'AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!'
Trying to contain my embarrassment, I try to stay still to not show any of panicking. Which I miserably failed at, as I was vibrating more than water at an earthquake. Which was the exact same for Rimuru for a reason that I couldn't entirely guess.
Then, I drifted away into the lands of dreams and nightmares, the state of fake, and temporary death. Sleep.
.........
......
...
.
After waking up, repeated what we did yesterday, but with the added fact of being very embarrassed and red all the time, and being incapable to look at each other, so we were staring at our sides all the time.
But regardless of that, the day continued without any difference. We wandered around, collected whatever magisteel and Hipokute we found, and killed everything that came our way.
Oddly enough, after killing over a dozen 【Armorasurus】, I gained 【Body Armor】. I don't why it happened, but it doesn't matter since I got something good.
When it came to time to eat, I also cooked the food, and today I cooked boiled 【Black Spider】with the same seasoning as yesterday's meal.
But this time, We rejected Great Sage's offer to eat on the table, face to face. We each got our food on our plates, and we stayed a good distance away from each other.
As the days went, the same thing happened every day. I acquired more or less every skill that I could and improved my cooking with each passing day. And I also discovered that I really like cooking.
And it was the same for all of this month. But one day, I asked Great Sage where did she get the drink, butter, and even salt.
She explained it, and while didn't understand a good chunk of it, I was interested, I was especially intrigued and horrified by the bat part.
But that aside, on the last day, as we were heading for the exit, We found a small, white snake, when Rimuru saw it, he jumped off my arms and went closer to it, and...
~Rimuru. But back to the start of this chapter~
After waking up, Luminous and I talked about what we got from our evolution, and with the help of Great Sage, we were able to understand what they each do.
'So that's what the difference between 【Aura】 and 【Haki】'
But while thinking that, asked me a simple question.
Luminous: "That would take a long time to reach, but I guess it's good to know. So, Rimuru, what are you planning on doing for this entire month?"
I stop paying attention to what she was saying after the first part, as I remembered that it didn't take long for me to evolve, and also remembered how and why it happened.
'I... Won't let them die again, I won't fail at protecting them this time!'
Luminous: "Rimuru!"
Her shout snapped me out of my thoughts, bringing me back to the present.
Luminous: "Rimuru, are you okay? You were shaking a moment ago. Are you sure that you don't need to recover more magicules? It's fine if we rest a bit more, we don't have anything to do, and we have to stay here anyway."
Rimuru: "Don't worry about me, I'm fine. I was just distracted for a moment. What were you saying before?"
'I don't want to concern her, and I don't want her to be worried about me. Even though there were a lot of people who cared about me and loved me, and were always worried about me whenever something happens, seeing her care for and be worried about me, makes me... happy'
After that, We started moving around, and I collected everything we passed by, including monsters. In a few hours, Luminous chose that it was enough for today and that we should sleep, despite us not needing to.
When we chose our spot and sat down, Luminous made a circle of stones and earth, then lit a fire at its center. 'Is she making a campfire?'
She made a smooth board out of stone and asked to put some meat in there. As I was taking the meat out, she made a grate over the campfire, and then mildly processed the meat so that it would b eatable. (getting blood out of it and cutting it)
Rimuru: "I didn't know that you could cook"
Luminous: "It's my first time trying to cook"
unsurprisingly, it was her first time trying to cook, and it looked like she had a talent for it since she just created a campfire grate despite grills not existing in this world. And for that, I hope from all of my heart that she's good at cooking, and a certain tragedy with a certain goblin won't repeat with me today.
Rimuru: "I hope it won't turn out like... Shion..."
Remembering the sight of her dead body, lying on the cold, broken paved ground, my voice lowered and slowed. Unlike what it was before a- past mistake to learn from- It's now a possible future that I must avoid at all costs.
*Sizzle* hearing the sound of meat sizzling above the heat of fire, I avert my attention to hoping that it will look as good as it sounds.
When the meat came into my view, my imaginary eyes were stuck, almost glued to it, with my imaginary mouth open wide and imaginary drool coming from it like a waterfall.
Rimuru: "It's a while since I last ate grilled meat! I'm excited to taste it!"
Luminous: "Grill? By that, do you mean cooking on a hatch?"
I then quickly explained to her what a grill is. When I said that it's usually done with coal and that adds a smoky flavor to it, she seemed enticed but became disappointed as we had no coal or anything similar. But suddenly, her expression beamed all of a sudden, as if she has realized some great knowledge.
Luminous: "Rimuru, do you have some of that grass still unprocessed?"
She said enthusiastically. In my confusion, I answered her.
Rimuru: "Yes, but what are you going to use- Ohhhhh!!!"
While replying to her, a memory suddenly flashed in my mind, it was that of me using the Hipokute grass for fuel to cook before when we first killed that brown snake. As the realization suddenly hit me, I instantly tried to get some out.
《Don't leave me out of the fun~ I can help too!》
'What are you planning, Great Sage?'
《We can grind up the grass, then compress it into a log shape so it turns into a primitive biofuel. Which would burn more and give a good amount of smoke.》
After I spat the Hipokute Log™ before she took and used it. I stared at her, At her hair basking in the fire's orange rays, like the clouds at the dawn of all days, At her face, white, full of a moon's grace, unbefitting of this place, At her eyes, radiant like the stars, So far away, yet close to me I wish they stay, shining brighter than all days.
A.N/I have no clue Why I made it like a poem, and I'm not a poet so sorry if it was cringe, and the last part is the worst, I remade it around 10 times, and it even stopped rhyming
Luminous: "Rimuru, do you have some way to get salt?"
Rimuru: "Ah, uh... I don't think so, but... Great Sage, do you have a method?"
《I can get salt using a very... Interesting method》
'What is that method, Great Sage?'
《Master, Isn't there something more important right now?》
It was then that I noticed that Luminous had asked me for a Hipokute Grass. After Giving it to her, she asked me to ground it up and put it in a bowl she made at that moment, as well as salt in another bowl.
'I guess she's planning on using it for seasoning'
I then went back to prepare the bed but to my surprise...
《Master, Can you grant me control over your body? I will create the bed myself》
'Ah, thanks Great sage!!'
She then started making the bed using 【Sticky-Steel Thread】, and she took an oddly long time to finish it.
'Why did you make it so slowly?'
《It's because creating something usable with these threads is hard, so it takes a while to make something comfortable.》
'If it's like that then I guess it's fine...'
Luminous: "Rimuru, make us two plates. It will be done soon"
Rimuru: "Hai!"
When I completed one bed(futon), Luminous asked me to make plates as the food will be done soon. 'I'm excited about how it will taste!!'
《Master, I would like to also make take care of that!》
'Why? It's just making two plates'
《No master. I would make it more than just two plates on the ground. It should at least be comfortable!》
'well, if you say so.'
She made the plates, but she also made a table, two glasses, and more, all from refined magisteel.
'Uhh... Great sage? Why are you making so much? And why do they look as if they were ripped from some royal dining room?'
《It's because is going to use them more than once, every time Master is having a meal, Master is going to bring them out to use them. And since it's going to be reused, I want it to be the best it could be》
'But don't you think that this's too much?'
Luminous: "What the- Rimuru, how did you make all of that?"
Great Sage then went on to explain that she was the one who made it, and how did she make it before jumping off the table and getting the steaks with Luminous.
Getting back to the table, as Luminous to her seat, Great Sage went to the small plate, and put on a piece of... butter?
She jumped off, giving me back control mid-air as my body was turning, changing its form into something vaguely humanoid.
Rimuru: "Huh? How did you do that? aren't I supposed to be incapable of turning into a human right now?"
《It's not exactly transforming into a human. I just changed your shape to look similar to that of a human, similar to how you can change your shape into a cube.》
'Ohhh. Then, why did you change my form? It won't change much since I still can't taste food'
《After changing Master's form into that of a human, I also gave you a pseudo tongue with taste sense. I was able to do that because of the soul corridor with Luminous. Using it, I was able to get the information on- 》
'You don't have to explain that to me. And I shouldn't keep Luminous waiting.'
《... Yes. Master shouldn't keep her waiting... hehe...》
'I swear I heard her chuckle for a moment, but that isn't important right now.'
I sit on the surprisingly comfy chair, Luminous asked about the butter and the drink, but grate sage just told her to eat for now and that she will answer that later.
I cut a piece of meat and picked it up and ate it. 'Mhm! It tastes really good! I wonder how it would taste with the Hipokute powder'
I stretched my arm, looking for the jar holding it, wondering what it will taste like. Yet when my hand reached its destination, Instead of the cold glass, what I felt was a soft, gentle surface, slowly moving toward me.
My eyes looked, preserving only the two gems, and the face that held them. Bewitched, my hand moved toward her, interlocking with hers. A blissful moment lasting only a few seconds.
'Ahhh!!! W-what am I-I doing?! I shouldn't be h-holding her h-hand right now! I... Don't want to make her feel uncomfortable... She won't like it because I dragged her into this mess...'
I removed my hand, apologized, and after a bit, convinced her to take the jar. When she was done with it, I got it and season my meal, and took a less-than-enthusiastic bite.
'It tastes delicious, extravagantly so. But... There is a lingering feeling that I can't quite describe...'
After a while of eating, with each bite having less of a taste than the one before it, Great Sage suddenly had a suggestion for me, hoping to enhance my experience I presume.
《Master, Why don't you try out some of that butter?》
'Hm... I guess I should, even more so since it's starting to lose some of its taste..."
Mildly excited at the chance of changing the taste, in the hope of returning it, with a piece of meat in my mouth, I bring my hand up, reaching for the butter plate. Yet once again, feeling something other than what it was supposed to reach, my hand touched her's once again.
For a minuscule moment, the food in my mouth, its sensation had faded out, had all of its taste rushing back to it, yet it only lasted until both of our hands jolted backward.
She convinced me to take the butter. Cutting a small square and putting it on the steak in front of me before eating it.
'It doesn't have a taste...'
After I bit, I tried to drink a bit, hoping that maybe, just maybe, getting drunk would make this situation any better. But expecting a repeat of what had happened, I stopped mid-way, and my concern was proven correct.
《Tch!》
I ignored that voice as Luminous poured into my glass. Chugging more than half of it in one fell swoop. I only felt disappointed when I figured that it wasn't alcoholic. Hence, I turned into distracting myself with eating.
Taking my last bit, I bought a glimpse of Luminous, trembling.
Rimuru: "Luimouns, are you ok-" Yet before the last of my words left my mouth, the fork she's holding, with the piece of meat on it, entered my mouth.
An explosion raged in my mouth, as the sensation of tender meat perfectly mixed with the melting butter, the saltiness of both of them was only enhanced subtle spiciness of the Hipokute.
But even that isn't enough to describe it, and that bit, that taste, was only complementary to the view in front of me.
Rimuru: " I-it's getting l-late! W-we s-should go to s-sleep!" But overcome by awkwardness and embarrassment, I chose to flee from the situation that I was in.
We went to the place where the beds were supposed to be, but... There was only one bed (futon).
'Did you intentionally do this?!!?'
《Teehee~》
'DAME IT GREAT SAGE!!!'
Seeing Luminous lay down on the bed, and feeling defeated, I jump on as I have completely given up on trying to argue with Great Sage.
After a few seconds, a sudden realization struck me. 'Wait, couldn't I have just made another bed?.... AHHHHHHHH!!!' At that moment, I started writhing in embarrassment like a crying child.
.........
......
...
.
The next day, we did the exact same things as the day before, but we rejected Great Sage's offer to make a meal like yesterday, even when she tried to allure us with better food.
Rimuru: "Great Sage, how did you get all of the food you got? You know, the salt, butter, and the red wine thing?"
《It's actually very simple, Master. We had many bodies laying around, so I used them. I got a 【Tempest Serpent】 And separated the salt in its body from everything else, as apparently most magical monsters use magicules to create nutrition for their bodies.
《For butter, I ripped the mammary glands (milk-making part) off a female 【Giant Bat】 And forcefully injected it with everything it needs to create milk, all of which I got from the same bat. Due to the huge size of the bats, they need higher amounts of energy and nutrients to grow, hence their milk is full of protein, making it perfect for butter making.
《And as for the drink, I used Hipokute, salt, sugar -which I got the same way as salt- and blood. I completely purified the blood, leaving in it nothing but water, iron, and a small amount of other beneficial substances. I then used it to hold the ingredients stated before, then added and removed parts of them to get the perfect ratio.》
Rimuru: "That sounds... Somewhat creepy to create butter that way"
Other than that, there was nothing of importance, other than both me and Luminous having no problem sleeping in the same bed. 'Now that I think about it, ever since we got back in time, we always slept together, so it's kind of weird that we were that embarrassed yesterday since we already got accustomed to sleeping together.'
And our days passed repeating the same actions. But when the last day came, as we were headed out in the direction of the exit, we found an interesting being.
An albino/white snake, with its eye like a colorful crystal, frowned and glared at us while its body was rotating around itself to intimidate us, despite its small size.
A.N/Shout out to Zainza for whatever black magic he did to create that eye. But sadly, his black magic ran out and was able to only create the eye, and nothing more.
I jumped off Luminous' arms, trying to get closer to that snake.
Rimuru: "This one looks unique, right? I kind of want to have it as a pet"
I moved to it, and with every jump I take in its direction, it starts to hiss lauder and lauder. When I reached it, I extended an appendage to it, patting its head.
It somehow called down, and... Smiled? Before rotating around me and in what I can assume is hugging me. 'I didn't expect to get attached that easily. Though it's very cute!'
Rimuru: "Since you liked me this much, I think I should name you. Hm... Your white color and the way you rotated remind me of another serpent... Ah! I know what I will name you! Ouroboros!"
At that moment, almost all the magicules in my body were drained out and went to Ouroboros before it started to glow.
'Huh? Why am I feeling sleepy?'
《Master, It's because the snake -Ouroboros- had a huge amount of magicules, and naming it consumed close to 90% of your magicules.》
'Haa?! How can it be that strong?! And isn't it supposed to be some kind of baby monster? Is it the type of monster that has a small shape despite its strength? I think we might need to run before its parents come!'
《Master, it seems to be a unique species or evolution of one, meaning that there isn't any other of it in the world. And it isn't the type of being that's small in size nor is it an adult. Its age seems to be the equivalent of a six-year-old to humans. In other words, it's a child, which explains why it instantly got attached to you, Master. Though it has the intelligence of 12 year old》
Luminous: "So, what exactly is that being? And why do you look so exhausted?"
Rimuru: "I don't know what it exactly is, but I know that it's a child, and a unique being, like the two of us. And am exhausted because of how strong it is. Naming it almost depleted me!"
Luminous: "So you already got yourself such a strong monster? You really are an abomination of a being. Regardless, I will help."
She came to me as she said that and picked me up, at the same time, Ouroboros' glow stopped and was now in its evolutionary sleep, now with its belly colored black.
Rimuru: "Ah, Thanks for the help. Now let's head out."
...
Luminous: "So this old, rusty gate is the exit?"
Rimuru: "Yup"
Luminous: "Well then, I guess am going to blow it up."
Rimuru: "Wait no! We should wait for a bit since there going to be three people coming here and opening the door. If you blow it up, then everyone will be overly cautious and makes everything goes differently from how it went last time!"
Luminous: "That makes sense. How much longer do we have to wait?"
《They will come in 2 minutes 27 seconds. In the meantime, hide somewhere while concealing your auras.》
~2 minutes 24 seconds later (it took 3 seconds for her speech)~
The door opened, and the three idiots went inside while complaining like always. And we finally... Got outside.
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A.N/Fucking Finally! The chapter is 7200+ words and it took me a damn week to write it for many reasons, and all of them are called 'Procrastination'. Fuck you! 【Lord Of Procrastination: M】!!
And we finally started the normal plot, after 45000+ words! Everyone does the Empowerment arc in one or two chapters, never more than 5000 words. And here I am, making it as long as some of the shorter light novels!
Anyway, Writing this chapter in general was hell. From now onwards, I won't write the same chapter but from two POVs cuz that will drive me insane! And chapters will be 2000-3000 words long from now on... Maybe.
Anyway, Have a good life, and see you whenever I complete the next chapter!