Arthur remained still, hidden in the shadows of the immense cave, his eyes fixed on the blue slime.
He watched with intense fascination as the creature moved, its actions quickly confirming his identification.
True to the story, it wasn't long before the tiny slime eventually encountered the massive, sealed Veldora.
Arthur observed the bizarre, yet foundational, meeting: the majestic Storm Dragon and the small, seemingly innocuous monster.
"Hey! You! The tiny little slime! Come closer!"
Veldora's booming voice echoed in the cavern.
The slime, initially startled, soon approached and began to 'talk' with
Veldora, using the unique form of communication they discovered.
Arthur listened as the conversation unfolded exactly as he remembered from the anime and manga.
The slime revealed it was a reincarnated human, detailed its past life, and was even given the name Rimuru Tempest by Veldora—a pact of friendship that would change the world.
Arthur allowed the critical events to proceed without interference.
He watched as Rimuru devoured the Great Serpent, then the rare medicinal herbs, and finally, consumed the mighty Veldora himself, using the Predator skill to analyze the seal and attempt its destruction from the inside.
Only after the shimmering residue of the seal completely faded, leaving behind the empty space where Veldora had been, did Arthur decide to make his presence known.
The time for observation was over; it was time to establish contact.
Arthur stepped out of the darkness, his powerful, serpentine aura subtly suppressed to avoid instantly terrifying the new nation's founder.
"It seems I've missed the big show,"
Arthur remarked, his voice smooth and carrying a hint of wry amusement.
The blue slime instantly recoiled, tensing up and bouncing slightly in a defensive posture.
"Whoa! Who are you?"
Rimuru's voice, relayed telepathically to Arthur, was pitched in surprise.
"Did you see all that? Are you another monster? You feel... really strong."
Arthur gave a brief, cordial nod.
"My name is Arthur. And yes, I saw everything. I assure you, I mean no harm. In fact, I'm here to offer my assistance in your future endeavors."
Rimuru's small body tilted, seemingly in thought.
"Assistance? What kind of assistance? And why? You're a Dragon, but not like Veldora. You're... different."
"My bloodline is a long story for another time,"
Arthur replied, walking closer.
"As for my intentions, let's just say I have foreknowledge of certain events and a vested interest in the development of a certain monster nation."
Rimuru paused, then seemed to relax, bouncing forward in a sign of curiosity. Arthur then brought up his true mission.
"I need to speak with you, Rimuru. You see, I believe you and I have more in common than you realize."
Rimuru, having used the Predator skill on Veldora, was already starting to gain an immense new intellect and rapidly developed communication skills.
As they began to converse, Arthur soon discovered a crucial piece of information: Rimuru was not a 'he' but a 'she' in her previous life.
While her former name was completely irrelevant to her current existence as a genderless slime, her personality was absolutely distinct.
Far from being the reserved, business-like salaryman Satoru Mikami he had read about, this version of Rimuru was a cheerful girl—vibrant, playful, and with an undeniable streak of perverseness.
She freely admitted that while she was now genderless, she still retained the "cultured" memories of her past life, which mostly involved an appreciation for attractive anime characters, fantasy tropes, and occasionally teasing Arthur with suggestive comments disguised as casual observations.
"So you were a man, I was a woman. We were both reincarnated. We're practically besties already!"
Rimuru bounced happily.
"You're tall, have cool dragon eyes, and I bet you could totally pull off a butler outfit. I'll need to remember that for later."
Arthur blinked, caught off guard by the sheer confidence and cheeky nature of his new companion.
Well, this is going to be far more interesting than I expected, he thought, adjusting to the fact that the powerful future ruler of the monster nation was also a self-proclaimed woman of culture.
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