Plans for the Future

The next morning.

Trewy and Nemu spent the night in the camp. The next morning they were woken up by voices. After leaving their tent, they saw that the Valkyries had already dismantled everything. They were ready to leave.

Unfortunately, Nemu did not want them to leave just yet. It was the first time they met a group of adventurers and, as expected, he had many questions. He had read about adventurer groups before. In books, all of them experienced incredible adventures, saw new things that no one had ever seen before, and stood up for the good in the world.

He was not naive enough to believe everything, books almost always glorified the life of adventurers. A month ago he had left Tempest. Since then he had seen a lot, good but also bad things. Life was not easy either. There were always dangers on the mission. Nemu was lucky. With his slime senses, he had a huge advantage, plus it was no problem for him to talk to tribes in the Jura Forest because he had Trewy. Food and drink, something human adventurers always had to worry about, was also no problem for him. So he was very interested in how human adventurers live.

But unfortunately there was no conversation about their lives, obviously they were very reserved. Nemu asked before where they were from and even that they didn't answer. Are all adventurers like that? However, they wanted to know a few more things from Nemu. They were not interested in his adventures but in Rimuru. Nemu understood why. They were worried about how the new Demonlord would react. Even if the bandits disappeared, he might still be out for revenge.

"Rimuru is not like that. He won't blame any country or the Adventurers Guild for that. In fact, he used to be an adventurer and as far as I know he still has contacts with them." Said Nemu innocently.

"Wait... what? Was he in the Adventurers Guild?" Vice asked, surprised. Shouldn't Nemu have said that? Maybe like Trewy, he should work on what to keep to himself. He looked at her and she shook her head. Yep, he'll definitely have to work on that. If it really wasn't known, then the higher ups in the Adventurer's Guild must have been withholding the information. And that certainly wasn't easy. At first Nemu thought he couldn't join as a slime, since they only accepted humans, but also sometimes elves and dwarves. But after Rimuru told him that he had joined undercover, Nemu was sure that he would be able to do it!

Nemu just sighed when he understood his mistake. "Please don't tell anyone." The Valkyries also understood. He said something he shouldn't have said. Fortunately for him, the Valkyries were good at keeping secrets and it would not become public knowledge. As it could have serious consequences for the guild. A demon lord in the guild? That could change the balance of power in entire countries.

As they were leaving, something caught Nemu's eye. Vice had a dimensional storage ring with her. Something incredibly expensive. Since they are only made in the Sorcerer's Dynasty Sarion and the elves rarely traded their magic items, such rings were something only the richest merchants and high nobles could afford. Even the best adventurers could never afford such a ring. Nemu now understood that Vice must have a history. It was not only her power that was incomparable to that of other humans Nemu had met so far. She had to be someone important. Maybe he will meet her again. He had a feeling.

"They're very strong." Trewy also noticed that they were not ordinary adventurers.

"Yes, especially Vice." Agreed Nemu.

"I had the feeling all along that she was special." Trewy nodded. "Maybe she could even defeat a dryad." That was something she found hard to admit. Before Tempest came into existence, dryads were the strongest monsters in the Jura Forest. That was besides Veldora. And also... The forest was huge. There might have been other very strong monsters.

Nemu had previously asked for more information about this Enlightened. Apparently they have enough power to rival Demon Lord Seeds. That would have been even more special if Nemu hadn't met several of them in Tempest and some that were way above that. However, close to Enlightened and Enlightened is a huge difference. Some people spend their whole lives without ever breaking through that barrier. There are more conditions, but they are not known or not public. Perhaps that is why Vice has become an adventurer. But that's another story.

"We should go." Said Trewy after she stood up.

They still had a few days to go before they reached the slime cave. Nemu was especially excited about that. He even had plans to build a slime village near Tempest and this was going to be his first step toward that. Even though he never had much contact with other slimes, he felt responsible to give them a better life. There was a connection between red slimes that went beyond telepathy. He felt that.

And so they made sure they left their place clean. Something they did every morning. Not that they would make much mess, but the fire should be out and the tent and other material stowed in Nemus dimensional space.

"What do we do after the slime cave?" Trewy asked. She had accepted Nemu as their travel guide. He had already planned the route and Trewy was happy with that.

"We should return to Tempest." Answered Nemu. He had already made up his mind after the Rabbit Tribe.

"Are you sure?" Asked Trewy and raised her brow. She had not expected that. Actually, she wanted to go to Tempest from the beginning and was a little sad that they had left the town right away. She knew it was a special place in the forest. She also wanted to try the food! Trewy had also told her a lot about it before. So if Nemu decides to return to Tempest after the slime cave, she would certainly not complain about it.

"Yes." Confirmed Nemu. "I... feel like I'm too weak and I don't really know how to improve. I can't use my skills in combat and since we left Tempest we've kept running into situations I couldn't handle on my own. First Kumos web, if they would have attacked us, then we would have been lost. On the river we were also just lucky. Diablo saved us against Corsar. And if the bandits had still been fighting against the rabbit tribe, then I wouldn't really have been able to help either. And then came the Valkyries. The first adventurers we met in the forest, and we wouldn't have stood a chance against them either." Nemu painfully recalled the arrow. If he hadn't used his Absorption skill at the last second, he would have been lost.

Trewy thought about it. She felt similarly. Dryads get stronger with time, it's a natural progression and for most dryads that's enough. That is also why they stay in the grove for many years. But she wanted to protect the forest. And not in 40 years when all their abilities have returned. She agreed with Nemu. They had to do something. The forest was dangerous and if they continued as before, it might not end well.

"So... Do you want to start a training arc?"

"Yes." Confirmed Nemu. "I don't want to be an overpowered main character of a boring novel who can defeat anyone with ease. But I want to be able to fight back without relying on other help if it's necessary."

Trewy understood what he was trying to say. Nemu had told her about the manga and novels Veldora had given him. And she knew that Nemu liked the from bottom to top novels much better than the ones with a completely overpowered main character.

Trewy had been looking forward to a quiet time in Tempest, but maybe after a break and some adventures in the city it would be time for a timeskip of a few months. So they can improve their skills. She should ask Treyni if she can train her. However, it would be harder for Nemu to find someone who can train him properly. But Trewy was sure that there are many powerful people in Tempest.

"Hmm... I see." Said Trewy. "I think you're right. We should improve."

"But there are other reasons, too. I don't think I spent enough time in Tempest. There's so much to see. Still, I left after only a week on our trip. There might be many more adventures in Tempest!"

Trewy nodded. She was happy with Nemu's decision.

"And there's another problem." Said Nemu and sighed. "I want to bring red slimes to Tempest. But they can't go there alone. Well, they could, but red slimes are very timid, and convincing them to walk through the forest alone for weeks on end is sure to be difficult. So if there are still red slimes in the slime cave, I will accompany them to Tempest. But for our next adventures, I'll have to find another solution for that."

"Do you already have a place for them to live in Tempest?" Trewy asked with interest. Slimes are very weak and even doors can become an insurmountable obstacle for them.

"Rimuru said he would take care of that before we left on our journey. He is not someone who would break his promise." Answered Nemu.

They were also lucky. The road currently being built by the orcs was only two days away from the slime cave, so they should be able to return safely and quickly.

"Oh, and I have a room in Tempest! You can stay there with me." Said Nemu, and Trewy nodded. They had spent every night together in the tent for the last few weeks, so it was nothing special for her to share a room with him. However, Nemu had a bad premonition. Before he left Tempest, Veldora came to see him. He asked if he could use the room during his absence. Polite Storm Dragon. Nemu wondered what had become of his room.

Trewy smiled as they continued on their way. Soon she would finally see Tempest.

Nemu wasn't so lighthearted. Not because of his return to Tempest. There was something else on his mind. Last night, as he listened to the adventurers while they hid, he often heard a word that gave him an uneasy feeling.

Hydra.

He had a bad feeling that they would cause him a lot of trouble in the future.