"What you just said, you weren't serious, were you?"
Watching Rin push open the massive door and walk into the dimly lit cave, Shizue quickly followed.
"What?"
"Going to find the Storm Dragon and the Frost Dragon."
Putting aside why Rin would even know the Frost Dragon was currently in the Sealed Cave, just the very idea alone was terrifying to Shizue.
What was the difference between provoking a Dragon Kind and seeking death?
"Do I have a reason to lie?"
"But… isn't that too dangerous?"
"Dangerous?"
Rin smiled and shook his head. "To me, it's just a meetup, say hello, and chat about life."
"..."
Shizue fell silent.
What else could she say at this point?
At most, if they encountered danger, she'd use her life to buy Rin some time to escape.
If she died saving him, surely Rin would take responsibility and save her students, right?
"Don't overthink it."
Rin clearly picked up on Shizue's thoughts.
"There's something you need to understand."
"What?"
Shizue looked at Rin's back as he walked ahead, and then she heard him say, "They're the challengers."
"..."
Staring blankly at his back, Shizue was speechless.
They're the challengers.
Shizue never imagined someone could say something so outrageously arrogant when referring to two Dragon Kind natural disasters.
So, for the rest of the way, Shizue didn't say another word.
She just followed quietly.
Along the way, the two encountered many magic beasts living within the cave.
These magic beasts had no idea what had happened.
Many that should have been in the lower and deepest layers had suddenly surged upward, now blocking their path in the upper and middle levels.
"Let me handle this~."
Shizue didn't let Rin step in. She drew her sword and moved forward, slaying any beast that dared attack them.
Rin, who had just been about to release his magicules and wipe them all out, paused.
Exceptional combat instincts.
Her skill usage is also very polished.
Watching Shizue fight, Rin evaluated her silently. If she had enough magicules and a strong Unique Skill, she'd be an outstanding warrior.
Her magicules had already increased significantly after becoming his subordinate.
Though she hadn't reached the 990,000 EP threshold of a quasi-True Demon Lord, she had gained about 200,000 EP on top of her original amount.
Originally, Shizue possessed Special A-Rank strength.
But because of the Flame Spirit inside her, half her strength had been used to suppress its rampage.
That limitation kept her locked below Calamity-Rank, unable to break through.
Now, with Rin's subordinate transformation, Shizue had stepped into the realm of Calamity-Rank, placing her just beneath True Demon Lords.
In comparison, she was currently stronger than Clayman, and roughly on par with pre-awakened Karion and Frey.
---
[Izawa Shizue]
Race: Flame Demonoid → Highest-Rank Flame Spirit
Magicules: 167,000 (Special A-Rank) → 380,000 EP (Calamity-Rank)
Blessing: Ultimate Blessing (Blessing from Rin, can temporarily borrow lower-tier Ultimate Power)
Magic: Elemental Magic, Spirit Magic, Summoning Magic, Fire-type Pokémon Magic
Unique Skill: Mutator, Endurer
Special Skill: Magicules Solidification
Extra Skills: Heat Manipulation, Explosion, Heatwave, Magicules Perception, Heat Perception
---
Pfft!!
Dodging the wave of corrosive poison mist, Shizue cut down a Storm Serpent with a single slash.
The Storm Serpent was an A-Rank overlord monster native to the Sealed Cave. Its internal venom could melt steel and armor with ease.
But to Shizue now, it was just a single slash.
"This is my current strength?"
"Incredible..."
Shizue had many theories about Rin's identity.
Just becoming his subordinate gave her this kind of power. How powerful must Rin himself be?
Is he like that person… a true True Demon Lord?
She thought of Demon Lord Leon, the one who had summoned her to this world.
He was the strongest existence she had ever known.
"Hmm?"
Suddenly, Rin, who was walking ahead, came to a stop.
"What's wrong?"
Shizue immediately went on alert, scanning their surroundings, trying to spot any danger or monster that might have stopped Rin.
But she didn't sense anything.
That left her very confused. Did Rin change his mind and decide not to confront the Storm Dragon?
"No, it's nothing."
"I just didn't expect to run into an interesting one here."
Within Rin's perception, a small figure was hidden in the nearby grass.
It was a blue, jelly-like creature, an odd little slime.
But it wasn't just any Slime.
"A strange creature?"
"There."
Rin casually pointed to a patch of grass nearby. "Right over there."
"Woo~"
"Ah! I've been discovered!!"
Rimuru had originally been preparing to hunt the Storm Serpent.
But these two intruders suddenly barged in and ruined her rhythm.
Panicking, she immediately dove into the grass to hide and didn't dare make a sound.
On top of that, still shaken, she had Great Sage activate a method to fully conceal her aura.
Which was why Shizue hadn't noticed her presence at all.
"Huh?"
After Rin pointed it out, Shizue immediately spotted the figure hidden in the grass. "A Slime?!"
"Why is there a Slime here?"
Wait—no, that's not the issue.
There were indeed Slimes native to the Sealed Cave.
However, the Slimes of the Cardinal World were mindless monsters about the size of a rubber duck, barely as big as a human fist, and with no intelligence.
But the one in front of her was clearly agile.
"And the amount of magicules..."
"What a... what a powerful Slime."
In terms of pure magical energy, Rimuru couldn't compare to Shizue right now.
But—this was a Slime! The weakest monster class, basically cannon fodder among cannon fodder.
A Slime with even a few dozen EP would already be a rare case.
But Rimuru?
Her magicules were already equivalent to an A-Rank monster!
(To be continued.)
◇◇◇
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)