January 22, 2015.
Beijing, Chaoyang District.
Somewhere in the City.
4:30 p.m.
The café location was perfect.
Rimuru stood in front of a small, abandoned storefront near Gulou East Street, nodding approvingly. The building was old—weathered brick, wooden beams, the kind of place that had probably been a tea house a hundred years ago and a noodle shop fifty years after that.
Now it was empty.
Waiting.
"It has character," Rimuru said.
The princess stood behind him, holding a notebook and pen like a secretary.
She had no idea what she was supposed to write down.
"It has mold," she said.
Rimuru waved a hand.
"Mold can be cleaned."
"It has rats."
"Rats can be relocated."
"It has a weird smell."
"That's the character."
The princess sighed.
She was beginning to realize that serving the Great Demon Lord was less about epic battles and more about real estate.
But she was still star-struck.
And she still had questions.
Questions that had been burning in her mind since yesterday.
THE QUESTION
"Lord Rimuru?"
Rimuru was examining the doorframe.
"Hmm?"
"Can I ask you something else? About the battle with the Creator God?"
Rimuru's hand froze on the doorframe.
For a fraction of a second.
Then he continued examining the wood like nothing had happened.
"You want to know about the fight?"
The princess nodded eagerly.
"Specifically the fight itself. How did you defeat him? What was it like? I've heard stories, but they're all vague. 'The Great Demon Lord faced the Creator God in single combat.' But no one ever describes what actually happened."
She leaned forward.
"I want to hear it from you."
THE INTERNAL SCREAM
[Ciel's voice appeared in Rimuru's mind.]
"Don't."
Rimuru's internal voice was already constructing a story.
'Too late. I'm already composing.'
"Rimuru. Don't."
'It's going to be epic. Three days. Three nights. Sword fights. Angels. Me, starving, bleeding, fighting alone against impossible odds—'
"None of that happened."
'Details.'
"You didn't even fight Veldanava directly for most of the battle. The Patrons and Devils did the heavy lifting. Shion cut him in half with her Master Chef. You showed up at the end."
'I was there for the important part.'
"You hid in the Void until you had no choice but to fight."
'That's called strategy.'
"You're a coward."
'I'm not a coward! I just prefer to let others handle things while I observe from a safe distance!'
"That's the definition of a coward."
'Ciel!'
"I'm not wrong."
THE STORY
Rimuru turned to face the princess.
His expression was serious.
Solemn.
Like a war veteran about to share the memories that haunted his dreams.
"Very well," he said quietly. "I'll tell you."
The princess's golden eyes widened.
She raised her notebook, ready to write.
"It was fifty thousand years ago," Rimuru began. "I was five thousand years old at the time. In the prime of my power."
[Ciel's voice was flat.]
"You were a five-year-old True Dragon. You had only existed for five years."
Rimuru ignored her.
"The Creator God had lost his mind. He had declared war on existence itself. His angels swept across the multiverse like a plague, destroying everything in their path."
He paused dramatically.
"I stood alone against them. Just me. One being against the armies of heaven."
"The Patrons were there. The Devils were there. You had an entire army."
'Shh. I'm building atmosphere.'
"I fought for three days and three nights without rest. Without food. Without water. My body was broken. My spirit was nearly extinguished. But I refused to fall."
"You don't even need to eat. You're a spiritual life form. Hunger isn't a concept for you."
'The princess doesn't know that.'
"She's a demon. She should know that."
'She's been raised on legends. She'll believe anything.'
"The Creator God came at me with a sword forged from the concept of destruction itself. Every swing could erase a universe. Every strike could unmake reality."
His voice dropped.
"But I stood my ground. I met his blade with my own. And the multiverse shook with the force of our clash."
"You don't use a sword."
'I can if I want to.'
"You've never used a sword in your entire existence."
'Then it's about time I started.'
THE ACTUAL TRUTH
[Ciel decided to interrupt properly.]
"If you're going to lie, at least make it less obvious."
Rimuru's internal voice was defensive.
'I'm not lying. I'm embellishing.'
"You're fabricating an entirely different version of events."
'The princess doesn't need to know that Shion cut Veldanava in half. That's embarrassing for Veldanava.'
"Veldanava was already weakened. Ivaraj had taken over his body. He wasn't fighting at full strength."
'Exactly! So if I had fought him at full strength, it would have been even more epic!'
"If you had fought Veldanava at full strength, the battle would have lasted indefinitely. You said so yourself."
'I don't remember saying that.'
"You did. You said, 'If we fight seriously, this could go on forever. And I don't have time for that.' Then you hid in the Void."
'...I have no memory of this.'
THE PRINCESS'S QUESTION
The princess was scribbling furiously in her notebook.
"Three days without food or water," she repeated, awed. "That's incredible, Lord Rimuru. I can't imagine fighting for that long."
Rimuru nodded gravely.
"It was the hardest thing I've ever done."
"You were annoyed. You wanted to go back to Tempest and finish the war quickly."
'I was also very brave.'
"You were not."
"What about the Daughter of the Creator God?" the princess asked. "What was she doing during the battle?"
Rimuru's expression softened.
"Milim was there," he said. "She stood at my side. She supported me. She was my strength when I wanted to fall."
"She was annoyed at you."
'No she wasn't.'
"She accused you of cheating. She said she could take over the fight herself. She was not being a cheerleader."
'She was being supportive in her own way.'
"She was a battle maniac who wanted to fight her own father."
'That's just how she shows love.'
THE TRUTH ABOUT MILIM
"Milim is... special," Rimuru said aloud. "She's fierce. Loyal. Brave beyond measure. But she's also..."
He paused, searching for the right word.
"Spirited."
"She's insane."
'Ciel, she's my best friend.'
"She's an ancient dragon who could destroy planets and chooses to spend her time eating snacks and fighting anyone who looks at her wrong."
'...Okay, she's a little insane.'
"She wanted to fight her father herself," Rimuru continued. "She wanted to look him in the eyes and demand answers for everything he had done. But I couldn't let her do that."
The princess looked up from her notebook.
"Why not?"
Rimuru's expression grew serious.
"Because he was her father. No matter what he had done, no matter how much she hated him, he was still the being who had created her. And killing your own parent... that leaves a wound that never heals."
He paused.
"So I did it for her. I carried that burden so she wouldn't have to."
"You fought him because you were the only one who could match him at that point. Not because of any noble reason."
'Can you let me have this moment?'
"No."
THE REAL BATTLE
[Ciel's voice became thoughtful.]
"If you want to tell her the truth, I can provide accurate details."
Rimuru's internal voice sighed.
'Fine. What really happened?'
"Ivaraj had taken over Veldanava's body. Veldanava's consciousness was suppressed. The Creator God was not in control."
'Right. I remember.'
"The Patrons and Devils engaged Ivaraj first. They weakened him. Shion used her unique skill to cut through his defenses. Then you arrived."
'And then?'
"And then you fought him for approximately one hour. During which time you used Veldora's help to stabilize your soul after Veldanava attempted to absorb it. Your nature as a True Dragon allowed you to exist without a soul temporarily, which gave you the advantage."
'So I won through superior strategy.'
"You won through being a cheat. Your abilities were simply better suited to countering Veldanava's."
'That's still winning.'
"I never said you didn't win. I said you didn't do it alone. And you didn't bleed. And you weren't brave. You were just... efficient."
THE STARVING LIE
The princess was still writing.
"And you did all of this while starving?" she asked, her voice full of wonder. "Three days without food or water must have been torture."
Rimuru opened his mouth.
"Don't. Say. Anything."
He closed his mouth.
Then opened it again.
"It was... difficult," he said carefully. "But I endured."
"Spiritual life forms don't require sustenance. You have never experienced hunger in your existence."
'She's a demon. She should relate to spiritual forms!'
"Then why are you telling her you were starving?"
'For dramatic tension!'
THE PRINCESS'S NOTEBOOK
The princess finished writing and looked up.
Her golden eyes were shining.
"Thank you, Lord Rimuru. This is incredible. I'll make sure this story is recorded properly in the demon realm. The truth about your battle with the Creator God will finally be known!"
Rimuru's smile froze.
"Ah. Yes. The... truth."
He glanced away.
"Maybe don't record it exactly as I told it. You know how stories change over time. Better to keep it... vague."
The princess frowned.
"Vague?"
"Legendary. I meant legendary. But also vague. So future generations can... imagine."
THE INTERRUPTION
Before the princess could ask another question, Rimuru's phone buzzed.
He pulled it out—a sleek device that hadn't existed in this world until he'd materialized it from nothing.
The screen showed a message from Wang Li:
"The hospital has been calling. I've been ignoring them. But now there's a man outside my apartment. I think he's from the government."
Rimuru stared at the message.
Then he sighed.
"Well," he said. "Looks like the café will have to wait."
The princess looked up.
"What happened?"
Rimuru pocketed the phone.
"Our doctor friend has attracted some official attention. We should go deal with that before she does something stupid."
He paused.
"Like talk to them without supervision."
THE WALK BACK
As they walked back toward Wang Li's apartment, the princess was quiet.
Then she spoke:
"Lord Rimuru, can I ask one more thing?"
Rimuru didn't look at her.
"You're going to anyway."
The princess hesitated.
"The battle with the Creator God... was it really like you said? Three days of fighting? Bleeding? Starving?"
Rimuru was silent for a long moment.
Then he smiled.
"What do you think?"
The princess frowned.
"I think... you're not telling me the whole truth."
Rimuru's smile widened.
"Then you're smarter than you look."
He kept walking.
"But here's the thing about truth, Princess. It's rarely as satisfying as the story. And the story is what people remember."
He glanced at her.
"So maybe the story is what matters."