A groan escaped Rin's lips as consciousness slowly returned. The ceiling above him was unfamiliar – plain, wooden planks, not the ornate plasterwork of his mansion bedroom nor the traditional timbers of Akeno's shrine. He blinked, trying to focus. The room was simple, clean, and smelled faintly of medicinal herbs.
Where… where am I now? His mind felt sluggish, confused.
The door creaked open, and a small, blue, gelatinous form hopped in. It jiggled, then morphed, coalescing into the familiar, androgynous form of Rimuru Tempest.
"Oh, you're awake!" Rimuru exclaimed, his golden eyes widening in surprise, then softening with relief. "How are you feeling, Rin?"
"Rimuru-san?" Rin managed, his voice raspy. He pushed himself up into a sitting position. "Okay, I think. Just… disoriented. What happened? Where is this?"
"You're in our new clinic in Tempest, the town we're building," Rimuru explained, pulling up a stool. "You've been unconscious for a week."
"A week?!" Rin exclaimed, shocked. "But… I just arrived here yesterday! Or, what felt like yesterday." The orc war, Gelmud, Shion's punch… it all felt so recent.
Rimuru nodded. "Yeah, Shion felt really bad about hitting you so hard, by the way. She was just trying to stop you from arguing about coming with us. Anyway, the war with the Orc Lord Geld is over. We managed to defeat him, and now the surviving Orcs are helping us build. It all went down pretty much as I'd hoped, thanks to some… timely interventions." He seemed to be glossing over some major details, but Rin got the gist – the main plot points of the Orc Lord arc had played out.
A week here, but only a night passed in my world? Rin mused. So there's a significant time dilation between these worlds. And it seems I really can travel between them through… dreaming? Or some kind of unconscious projection? The implications were staggering. He had no idea why this was happening, but for now, he decided to shelve the metaphysical questions. Survival and adaptation came first.
Rimuru chatted for a bit longer, filling him in on the basics of the town's rapid development, then excused himself, saying Rin should get more rest.
Alone again, Rin tried to process everything. This wasn't just a dream. This Tensura world was as real as his DxD world. He could feel the rough texture of the blanket, smell the herbs, hear the distant sounds of construction.
A soft knock came at the door. "Come in," Rin called out.
Shion entered, carrying a small woven basket. Her usual stern expression was softened by an unusual flicker of worry, which quickly morphed into relief when she saw him awake and alert.
"Rin-dono," she said, her voice a little softer than he remembered. "Lord Rimuru said you were awake. I… I brought you something."
Rin's eyes immediately darted to the basket. Oh no. Please don't let it be her cooking. The legendary horrors of Shion's culinary attempts were infamous in the anime. He braced himself.
Shion placed the basket on the small table beside his cot and began to open it. Rin watched with trepidation. When the lid came off, revealing a small pile of perfectly ordinary, shiny red apples, a wave of profound relief washed over him. He couldn't quite hide it from his face.
Shion noticed his visible relaxation and frowned slightly, a flicker of annoyance in her eyes. Why does he look so relieved? Did he expect something else? She didn't understand her own irritation.
"Are you feeling better, Rin-dono?" she asked, picking up an apple and a small knife, beginning to peel it with surprising dexterity.
"Much better, thank you, Shion-san," Rin replied, trying to sound casual. He focused on her thoughts.
He looks so pale still. I was so worried these past few days. I couldn't sleep properly, thinking about him lying here… It's strange, being alone with him like this. My heart is beating a little faster. He's… not as annoying as I first thought. Actually, when he's not questioning Lord Rimuru, he's rather… Her thoughts trailed off into a confused, warm blush of nascent affection.
Rin inwardly grinned. Perfect. He loved listening to this, the subtle, unconscious shift of a woman's feelings towards him. He wanted to max out her affection right then and there, but he restrained himself. The slow burn, the gradual seduction, was often more entertaining. He noticed her "Romantic Love (for Rin Takakura)" stat had indeed crept up a few points on its own since their last "interaction," even without his direct intervention. He subtly tweaked her "Annoyance (towards Rin)" stat downwards and nudged her "Loyalty (to Rin Takakura)" – a new stat that had appeared – up a tiny bit, just to smooth things over from her earlier punch.
They chatted for a while, Shion's initial stiffness slowly melting away as she unconsciously grew more comfortable in his presence. Before she left, promising to check on him later, Rin felt a genuine warmth towards her.
An hour later, feeling restless, Rin decided to explore. The clinic staff (a few Hobgoblin nurses) gave him an approving nod, and he stepped out into the bustling, nascent city of Tempest. It was exactly as he remembered from the anime – a vibrant, multicultural hub of various monster races working together. Goblins, Direwolves, Lizardmen, and even some of the recently defeated Orcs were busy with construction, farming, or crafting.
The monsters were surprisingly friendly. Many greeted him with cheerful "Hi, Human-san!" or "Welcome, Rin-dono!" as he passed. Some offered him samples of food they were cooking or asked his opinion on crafts they were making. He didn't know much about monster cuisine or goblin-made pottery, but he offered his honest, generally positive thoughts, which they seemed to appreciate.
As he wandered through a newly paved market square, he spotted Shion again. She was standing with another Kijin, this one with striking pink hair and a gentle, princess-like aura, though her single horn was just as prominent as Shion's. They seemed to be in the middle of a rather heated, if hushed, argument.
Shion looked up, her eyes widening slightly when she saw Rin approaching. The tension immediately drained from her posture, her expression softening almost imperceptibly. "Rin-dono! You're out and about."
The pink-haired Kijin noticed Shion's sudden shift in demeanor and turned, her gaze falling on Rin. A curious, knowing smile touched her lips.
"It's good to see you mobile, Rin-dono," Shion said, a hint of warmth in her voice.
Before Shion could say more, the pink-haired girl stepped forward gracefully, cutting her off. "A pleasure to meet you. I am Shuna," she said, her voice as soft as silk, offering a polite bow. She moved a fraction closer to Rin, her eyes flicking towards Shion, then back to him, a spark of amusement in their depths. "Shion has mentioned you… briefly."
Oh, this is interesting, Shuna thought, her internal voice laced with intrigue. Shion has never reacted quite like this to anyone before, especially not a human. There's definitely something here.
Rin, listening to both their thoughts – Shion's flustered internal monologue about his presence and Shuna's sharp, insightful observations – felt a familiar thrill of excitement. The game was afoot, even in another world.