Traveling with Shizu had turned out to be a very unique experience for Rimuru. Not that Mikaeru was particularly normal himself. While they originally started talking about his past life, eventually the conversation moved to talking about Shizu's own experiences. She wouldn't talk much about her time with the Demon Lord Leon though, or even her time following that up. Rather she preferred to talk about her time later on, starting with her meeting of two fellow otherworlders. Former students, she called them. Rimuru couldn't help but get invested when she told Rimuru that they were also Japanese.
While taking a break near a small stream, she said, "Hinata and Yuuki were good kids."
"What were they like?" Rimuru asked.
She stopped to think, putting a hand to her chin. "Well, Yuuki was…outgoing? He put a lot of effort into learning about this world. I got the sense that he was aiming for something but he never told me. I asked my own master about it but he only said Yuuki has a strong sense of duty. I never learned why. I want to think it's for something that will help people."
"Sense of duty, huh?" Rimuru thought about that. He had seen something that he could describe as similar to that from Mikaeru as well. From the first day, his new brother had acted with a strange sense of purpose. It was as if he knew exactly what would happen next or something. It was impressive.
It made Rimuru wonder about himself. From the day he was born into this world, he had spent his days carried along like a leaf. He had no true end goal. No purpose. He just existed. It was normally something that wouldn't have bothered the former salaryman. After all, what was a salaryman if not someone that wanders through life aimlessly?
But now…with the village relying on him? Could he get away with that lifestyle now that people relied on him? Especially in a world as hostile as this?
Shizu seemed to spot something odd about him because she said, "You seem pensive."
It snapped Rimuru out of his daze. He laughed, "Is it that obvious?" He looked up, "I'm just thinking about what I'll do from now. It's a whole different world you know? I can't help but wonder what will become of me. Maybe it's about time that I figure out what I want to do now that I have a chance."
"I see." Shizu's look changed as she looked up as well, "Maybe it's time that I decide as well."
Rimuru looked back at Shizu. She seemed…sad almost. As if she had just been reminded of something that had weighed on her. "So you never figured out what you want, either, Shizu?"
She shook her head no. "Thinking back, even before I came to this world, I've only ever followed those around me." The images of four people flashed through her mind. "They are all amazing people. They taught me everything I know now so I cannot say it was a mistake to choose to follow them. It led me to so many amazing places and people. But now…" She paused for a moment, "Now that I have separated from them." As if asking for an answer, she turned to Rimuru, "What do I do now?"
As the girl's eyes softened, her soft black hair swayed in the mild breeze. It was a sight that made the slime almost go red. However, even with that thought, Rimuru couldn't help but ask himself the same question. The area went silent for a moment before Rimuru finally spoke. In a cheerful tone he proposed, "How about we figure it out together!?"
"Eh?" Shizu was almost knocked off her feet by the sudden switch in tone. "What do you mean?"
Rimuru smiled, "Well, two heads are better than one, right? If we work together, finding an answer will only get easier, right? So, let's work together!"
Shizu went silent, as if what Rimuru had just said had frozen her stiff. It was a sight that made Rimuru sweat a bit. Was he being too cringy? Not long after that, Shizu burst into laughter. Rimuru panicked.
Had he just embarrassed himself in front of a girl!? [Great Sage], what do I do!?
{Answer- No escape can be found}
What!? As Shizu's laughter grew, Rimuru went red. Now what? He could only wait and see. What made Shizu laugh? 15 seconds passed before Shizu stopped, wiping tears away as she happily smiled to herself. "Together, right? That was what you said?"
Rimuru nervously nodded. "Y-yes."
The air went silent as Shizu nodded along. Then, she said, "I think that is a wonderful idea."
"Really!?" He yelled. "No, wait…yes! Of course! Wonderful! Hm, hm!" He nodded yes.
Shizu giggled as Rimuru frantically reassured himself. "Yes. Let us work together to find what we wish to do. That shall be our goal." The look in her face lightened, as if a load had been lifted off her shoulders. A ray of light pierced through the forest, illuminating her as she said, "Let's do our best, Rimuru." It was an almost fantastical sight.
With a blush Rimuru faked a cough, "Y-yeah." He laughed nervously, "I will do my best."
Rimuru felt a tug from his shadow. A sign that Ranga was moving. What got him so excited?
Rimuru brushed off the thought. The conversation devolved into meaningless talk after that before the two finally agreed to move on. Summoning Ranga back out of his shadow, they hopped on. As they made their way through the forest, Rimuru remembered something. "By the way. What was Hinata like? I almost forgot about that."
The question immediately caught the girl's attention as she began to think. "Well…"
She froze, suddenly sensing something. Not long after, Rimuru also felt it. The presence. It was…
{Warning- An unidentified potential threat has been detected! Unable to confirm the enemy's power}
An invisible warning siren shot through Rimuru's head as [Great Sage] tried and failed to read the detected presence's power. What was that!?
He looked around. He tried to look for the being with all of his sensory skills. Nothing. He could feel them, but it was as if the being itself was part of the environment. It was like detecting something that did not exist. It was a completely empty presence.
Then, they appeared in front of them. Ranga immediately came to a dead stop as the being let out a massive explosion of haki that blanketed the entire area. Rimuru felt as the pressure struck him full force, almost forcing him out of his human form. Struggling to push through, only through extreme effort did he look at the mysterious being. It was an old man with gray hair wearing traditional Japanese clothing. Definitely not something Rimuru was expecting to see, especially in the forest.
With a loud slam, Ranga violently shot downwards as a powerful haki blasted through the air. "I see. It appears I was correct. You are visiting, eh?"
What was he talking about? He locked his eyes on Rimuru, "You are Rimuru Tempest, correct? The one that houses the Storm Dragon." Huh!? How did he know that? Almost as if that knowledge meant nothing to him, the man moved on to Shizu without much fanfare. "It has been some time. Last we met, you had taken up a teaching job in Ingracia. What brings you to the forest, young mistress?"
"I…I was here to investigate a lead on something. I've been staying here for a few days now."
The man's brow went up, "Investigation?" He turned around, "I see. Staying in an undeveloped monster town. Quite an interesting thought." His look turned pensive for a moment. "Seeing as you were traveling this way, you are heading for Ogra."
Shizu looked on as the man pondered something to himself. "Do I have permission?"
The man looked at Rimuru, almost making the slime melt under the pressure, then at the wolf. "I will allow it if the wolf stays in the slime's shadow."
The man turned off the strange aura ability, finally releasing Ranga. "I shall allow no compromises."
Rimuru and Shizu looked at each other, then at Ranga who was visibly on guard. Rimuru sighed, "Ranga, can you stay in my shadow for now?"
"But, master! What if something happens!?"
"Just do it." Ranga looked uncertain, but he didn't complain further, choosing to silently jump back into his master's shadow. Rimuru looked at the man.
He nodded, "Very well." He walked over to Rimuru and introduced himself. Byakuya Araki, a fellow otherworlder and the protector of Ogra. The town that sat in the center of the ogre territory.
"Are you from Japan?" Rimuru asked him.
"Yes. I believe you must have figured as much from my name." Byakuya looked around. "Although, my own experiences back in my own world are not likely to align very well with yours. You give me the air of someone that lived an uneventful life." Unlike the air the sword master had felt from that thing calling Rimuru its brother.
Shizu stepped in, seeing as the air got a bit awkward and asked the old man. "This is a sudden visit. Will you transport us with [Spatial Movement]?"
The man nodded stoically. "It would be best for us to bypass the wall of the village. It is the most heavily defended post. If we were to walk there, the guest would have to go through questioning procedures even with me there to vouch for him. It would be easier to skip that process. As long as I keep my haki around him, they will not see the guest as an intruder even if he appears in the center of town."
"[Spatial Movement]?" Rimuru questioned.
The old man explained, "It is a skill I possess. It is quite the simple ability. It merely allows me to transport myself to locations I can think of."
"I-I see." Rimuru nodded along awkwardly. "You said you were going to stop them from seeing me as a threat. Uh, what would happen if they did?"
In an almost chillingly cold voice, Byakuya told him, "They would kill you where you stand."
Rimuru flinched as he silently stepped a little closer to Byakuya. Shizu commented, "I imagine it would be worse for you than for most, I'm afraid. You're stronger than most of their warriors."
"Wait, really!?" Rimuru yelled out.
"That much is true." The swordsman confirmed. "Although the gap in power between the average Ogran warrior and my disciples is quite high."
As the talk died down, Byakuya then eventually got to talking about teleportation. The way it worked would be simple enough. They would just have to hold onto him before he used it. From there, they would have to remain close to him until they got to meet directly with the town chief. A necessary move to allow Rimuru to move around more freely.
Rimuru thought back to what Mikaeru told him. A political move was what was expected of him here. As the representative for their village, it was up to him to start a basic working relationship with Ogra. Rimuru felt himself get a little nervous.
Byakuya told them, "I believe it would be most convenient to take advantage of my trip here." Silently pulling his sword forward from its resting place behind him, he told them that he would go on a short hunting trip while they ensured they had everything in order, then jumped away. As Rimuru felt the enigmatic presence fade, Shizu let out a breath of relief. "It went better than expected."
"Did you know that guy was going to appear?"
"He's the village protector. He looks into anything that is capable of doing damage to the village." She smiled, "He doesn't seem to see you as a threat. It surprised me. He talks about you like he was already aware of who you are. I think…he's probably been keeping his eye on the village." She seemed to catch on to something. "Wait, I shouldn't be surprised."
Rimuru stilled, "Keeping an eye on the village?"
"You said you came out of the Sealed Cave, right? I imagine Master Araki has been using [Magic Sense] to keep track of you ever since then."
"What? But that's on the other side of the forest!"
"You shouldn't underestimate his abilities. From what I know, he's one of the strongest humans."
"Strongest!? Like, how strong are we talking!?"
She thought for a moment, "He offered to defeat Demon Lord Leon for me once, so I assume he's at least strong enough to fight him. He was already retired by the time I met him though, so I cannot say how strong he actually is. I have only witnessed sparring."
What was this? She was talking like she had known him for a very long time. "Um, Shizu. Could you tell me how exactly you know him?"
Shizu went silent. "He's…my master's master."
"Speaking of that lazy excuse for a student of mine, I see. You have quite the trust in that monster."
"Gyaaa!" Rimuru yelled out as he watched the old man walk into view holding the tail end of a dragon.
"You are new to this world, correct? You need not act so surprised at this sight. A mere lesser dragon would not pose a threat to someone like you." He turned to Shizu, "Are you ready, young mistress?"
Shizu nodded. "Very well. I am about to use [Spatial Movement]. Go ahead and stand by me."
Rimuru checked if it was okay with Shizu before moving next to Byakuya. Before he knew it, the sight of a forest was replaced with something new.