(Attendances… plz…)
….
Reinhard held the massive stone gate open, his muscles not even straining against the immense weight.
The trio filed in cautiously behind him, their weapons drawn and their eyes wide as they adjusted to the dim light.
The air that flowed out to meet them was cool and still, smelling of damp earth and a faint chill that made the trio's hair stand on their body.
The darkness inside the cave mouth was immediately pushed back by a soft, beautiful glow.
Ellen let out a small gasp of awe.
The walls of the cavern were studded with large, glowing crystals, each one pulsing with a gentle blue-purple light.
It was magic ore, and it illuminated the vast, cavernous space like a starry night sky that had been brought underground.
Kaval let out a low, impressed whistle. "Well, at least we won't need fire."
Ellen, now that her eyes had fully adjusted to the magical light, lowered her staff slightly. "Good work opening that, Reinhard. I swear, the Guild Master is working us to the bone just because we're getting a little popular."
Kaval scoffed. "Don't even mention that old fart's name in front of me."
Reinhard looked around the massive, empty cavern. It was strangely quiet. "I thought there would be monsters guarding the entrance," he observed, his voice soft. "But it looks like it's empty here."
Kaval immediately whipped his head around to glare at him, his face a mask of superstitious panic. "Don't jinx it, Reinhard! Don't you dare jinx it!"
Ellen nodded in frantic agreement. "Let's just find what we need to find and get out of here quickly."
Reinhard already knew they weren't alone. His memories of the story were sharp and clear: the slime protagonist had been watching the trio when they first entered.
It took him less than a second to confirm it. His senses, which operated on a level far beyond normal human limits, picked up on a tiny, almost unnoticeable presence.
A small monster, hiding behind a large cluster of crystals to their right, trying to make itself as small as possible. There he is, Reinhard thought.
He didn't want to startle the slime, nor did he want to reveal that he knew what was going on. He turned to the trio, his expression calm. "Hey guys," he said. "I think there's someone watching us from over there."
The trio instantly snapped into a defensive formation. It was a practiced, if somewhat clumsy, routine. Kaval and Gido got back-to-back, their shields and swords raised. Ellen began chanting a basic light spell, her hands glowing with a soft, warm energy.
"Where?!" Kaval whisper-shouted, his eyes darting around the cavern. "I don't see anything!"
"Is it an ambush?!" Gido added, his voice tight with nerves.
"From where? Where is it watching from?" Ellen asked, her eyes scanning the glowing crystals. Their reaction was a funny mix of genuine fear and the cartoonish seriousness of seasoned adventurers.
While they were busy panicking, Reinhard just calmly walked toward the cluster of crystals on the right. He didn't draw a weapon. He didn't make any sudden moves. He simply walked.
He reached the large rock that the trio was now staring at intently and simply leaned down, reaching his hand behind it. His fingers closed around something small, cool, and surprisingly wobbly.
The slime, Rimuru, had a full-blown panic attack.
He had just been observing, trying to figure out what these humans were saying and doing here, and then suddenly, this impossibly fast red-haired man was right in front of him.
He tried to squirm away, to use a weak Water Blade attack but then decided not to, but he found he was completely stuck.
He was held in a grip that was surprisingly gentle, but also absolutely unshakeable. It was as if his slippery body had no effect at all.
Reinhard walked back to the still-panicking trio, holding the trembling blue slime in his outstretched hand for them to see.
"Well, it was this slime," he said, his expression perfectly straight. "It was watching us from behind this rock. It was probably just hiding from any monsters that might be nearby."
Kaval, Gido, and Ellen slowly lowered their weapons. They stared at the little blue blob wiggling helplessly in Reinhard's hand. All that tension, all that adrenaline, whooshed out of them in an instant.
Kaval let out a long, disappointed sigh. "Huh? It's just a slime."
Inside Reinhard's grip, Rimuru was in crisis mode. Crap! Crap! Crap! How did he find me so easily? I was completely hidden! And why can't I get away? He tried to use his body's natural slipperiness to squirm free, but it was like he was stuck to Reinhard's hand with some kind of invisible glue.
He considered speaking, using the telepathy Veldora had taught him to say "I mean you no harm!" But he immediately stopped himself.
Wait, think! A talking slime? In this fantasy world, that doesn't scream "friendly." It screams "unique monster." They'll capture me, sell me, or worse, dissect me to see what makes me talk.
Reinhard, knowing exactly who and what he was holding, kept his expression neutral. He held the slime up for the trio to see more clearly.
"So," he asked, his tone genuinely curious, as if he were asking for their expert opinion on a rare creature. "What should we do with it?"
Kaval scoffed, waving a dismissive hand. "It's just a slime. They're the weakest monsters in the forest. Just toss it aside."
Gido nodded in agreement. "They're not worth anything. Not even a single coin. They're completely harmless and worthless."
Ellen looked at the wiggling blue creature with a bit of pity in her eyes. "Yeah, they're not dangerous at all. They just sort of… wobble around and absorb magicules from the air. They don't even have any intelligence."
Hearing Ellen say "no intelligence" was the best thing Rimuru had ever heard. A wave of pure relief washed over him. Phew! Good call, me. If I had spoken, they definitely would have captured me. The "worthless" part stung a little, but it had just saved him a lot of trouble.
Rimuru immediately doubled down on his plan. He stopped struggling and just wobbled pathetically in Reinhard's hand, trying his best to look as mindless and simple as a blob of jelly.
He knew he had powerful skills, but he had no idea how strong these adventurers were, especially the red-haired one. It wasn't a risk worth taking.
Reinhard could practically feel the slime's internal monologue. He saw the exact moment Rimuru stopped struggling and decided to play dumb. He didn't want to waste the little guy's acting efforts.
He turned to the trio. "Give me a few minutes. I'll drop him off in the forest somewhere safe, so he doesn't get eaten by a bigger monster."
"It's just a slime," Kaval said, looking at him like he was crazy. "Why don't you just drop him here?"
"Well… what's the harm in taking a few minutes to put him somewhere safe?" Reinhard replied with a gentle smile. "You guys just wait here. I'll take care of it."
Reinhard then walked back towards the entrance of the cave. After he passed through the massive stone door, he went a little deeper into the forest, far enough away that the others couldn't see or hear him. He then gently placed the slime on a patch of soft moss.
Rimuru, still committed to his act, began to slowly and dumbly wobble away from the red-haired man. But before he could get more than a few inches, he heard a calm voice that instantly stopped him in his wobbly tracks.
"So, you know how to act, huh?"
Rimuru froze, then slowly turned around as much as a slime can turn. The red-haired man was smiling at him, a friendly and knowing look in his eyes.
Rimuru didn't speak. He didn't admit to anything. He just sat there, waiting.
"You were trying to get away from my hand," Reinhard continued, his voice still gentle. "And then, as soon as Ellen said that slimes are harmless and dumb, you stopped trying. You just stayed still and acted all dumb. Should I continue, or would you like to speak now? There's no one else here to hear you."
The slime seemed to let out a sigh. Two little points that looked like hands came together in a nervous gesture, and a young, clear voice sounded directly in Reinhard's mind.
«Huh?! Was my acting that bad?»
Reinhard chuckled. "What do you think? Those people still thought you were just a slime, so I'd say your acting was perfect. Though, what were you doing in the cave, and why were you hiding?"
«I… I don't know!» the slime projected, its telepathic voice filled with a rush of honesty. «I was just there, and then I was trying to find a way out of the cave! When I came to the big gate, I was just thinking about how to go outside when I heard it being opened. I just instinctively hid, thinking it was a monster or something! I swear, I'm not a bad slime or anything! I wasn't trying to attack you or anything, either!»
….
A/N: So first of all. if you are liking the fic send power stones to support it and leave a review if you can.
Second. So, to be clear that rimuru and reinhard meeting is 2 to 3 chapters long with showing rimuru panic and all. So if you can't wait for it. the chapters are already on my discord for free you can read it there.
Melatonin, spawn and many more on my discord … thanks for beta reading this fic and not to mention suggestions too.
Hoped you all liked the chapter and all.
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