ch26

Just InCommunityForumMoreRegrets and Wishes: One More Chance by jnscrtm Anime » Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken/転生したらスライムだった件 Rated: T, English, Hurt/Comfort & Romance, [Rimuru T., Ciel], Words: 104k+, Favs: 190, Follows: 196, Published: May 20, 2022 Updated: Jun 13, 202221Chapter 26: 23 - Acceptance

CHAPTER 23 - ACCEPTANCE

(Rimuru's Perspective)

Fufufu...everything's been going easy so far.

I've successfully performed the four known highest secret techniques of Oboro Shinmei-style swordsmanship consecutively, from [Baika: Gokatotsu] to [Yaezakura: Hakkasen], in front of the ogres. And it was enough to bring them on their knees.

I previously thought it'd be better to show [Oboro: Hyakka Ryouran] after [Yaezakura: Hakkasen], but it sounded like an unnecessary waste of time and energy, so I passed. Well, of course, if my performance turned out to be not enough for the ogres to get convinced, I'd pull it out anyway. It just sounded like a drag, having to do one hundred flashy strikes when the situation didn't even demand it.

Don't get me wrong by thinking that I'd get tired just because of something like that. Since my [True Dragon's Release] was automatically lifted the moment I got myself stranded in this world's past, my existence point began to balloon out to what was supposed to be its highest peak: Veldora's and his Velgrynd's maximum existence point combined together surpassing 160 million. So, it's not like doing it would affect even one percent of my energy stock.

Fufufu...fuwahaha...HAHAHAHA!

...

Goodness, it seems my bad old habit still slips out every now and then. I really have to be careful with my own thought process, so I won't get too overconfident. There have been too many times when I acted all cocky especially in a fight, and all I got were matters getting much worse and out of hand. If it wasn't for my immense luck, I'd surely not even survive my first year in this world at the time.

In any case, it's all thanks to Ciel's teachings at the Mansion of Mastery that I'm now able to reach this level of swordsmanship mastery that I never imagined I would ever reach before. By "mastery", I mean I've mastered how to use it perfectly and efficiently by myself without having to rely on Ciel's help anymore.

This sight looks very familiar... I think as I look at the chief who's been kneeling in front of us while bowing down along with his fellow surviving ogres behind.

This ogre in front of me is making this decision to accept my offer as a leader who, like it or not, has had to accept his own weakness, just like how his son was in the former timeline.

Once again, all I can do for you...is to make sure that you won't ever regret this decision later on, not even in the slightest bit.

"We've accepted your oath of allegiance," I state. "You're now officially our subordinates. As a proof of that, let me give each one of you a name."

"Huh? What are you..." The redhead besides the chief—the chief's son—is startled.

Of course, he is. Who'd not be startled anyway? Not even the majority of demon lords are willing to give names to their subordinates more than what their fingers can count. And here I am, nonchalantly saying that I'll give names to all of these forty-seven ogres in one-go.

"What do you think? I said names. It's gonna be annoying not to have them."

But worry not about your magicules, Veldora. I've got far more than enough of my own. I won't take any of yours this time.

"N-no, uh...we are able to communicate with each other well enough already, so..."

The old white ogre lets out his typical laugh. "Indeed! Humans may have names, certainly, but we monsters have a little need for them."

"Don't be stupid," I reply. "I don't care you think you don't need them or whatever. I'm saying we needthem."

"Please, not so fast!" the pink-haired ogress besides the redhead interjects. "Naming is a very dangerous act by its nature. We had best begin with those of a higher ranking first..."

"No, no, don't worry about that. It'll work out just fine," I reassure.

"B-but—"

"I have no complaints," the chief finally speaks up after just smiling the whole time. "I would gladly accept a name."

""Father!""

"Our new masters have been so kind to willingly offer all of us names right after we've sworn our allegiance. Or do you perhaps want to refuse?"

The red-head and the pink-head are unable to say anything, silenced by their father's counterquestion.

The chief turns his attention back at us. "Once again, my lord, I—no, we would gladly accept names."

"Alright, then," I say. "Before that, I will ask you this as the ogres' leader. You've sworn your eternal allegiance to us. Will you promise us that you'll never regret it even until eternity as you said?"

"We, ogres, are a fighting race. We do not chafe at the thought of battling under someone else's orders. The stronger the master, the happier we are to serve. Now that we have witnessed a glimpse of what you are capable of, we are certain that you are indeed the right masters for us. Therefore, we will never regret this decision once and for all."

"...Alright, then. You, you, you, and you"—I point at certain four familiar ogres—"come forth and stay at your chief's sides."

The four ogres stand up, walk for a moment to their chief's sides, then kneel again. The old white-haired ogre and the mid-aged black-haired ogre are now at the chief's right side along with their prince; the young purple-haired ogress and the young dark blue-haired ogre are at the chief's left side along with their princess. These seven ogres are the ones who're going to receive the honour as the first to be named among their comrades.

"All of you, lift your heads and I shall commence. Chief, from this day onwards, you will be known as Akamaru," I declare

The chief's—Akamaru's—body glows and begins to undergo changes. His two black horns and his body height shrink altogether. His entire skin slowly loses its reddish tint, leaving only his hair and his tear-like markings under the eyes to have the colour of crimson.

The horns that used to be thicker than elephant tusks now look smoother and glow more brilliantly than obsidian. They are honed, polished, and as thin and wonderful as a work of art. His sharp eyes become laxer, making him look both more confident and more laid back at the same time.

The old Akamaruwas a burly figure whose height surpassed two metres, but now he is just a little bit above 180 cm tall and his body is toned and well-defined.

Akamaru has finally finished his evolution into a kijin. He becomes a handsome middle-aged man. And with his armpit-length hair tied into a ponytail, he seriously looks like a real samurai—or at least like those warriors depicted in medias. In addition, he has also acquired a new unique skill, [Strategist].

I don't want to prolong the time by waiting for him or anyone else to finish expressing their gratitude, so I immediately continue to name the others. "The ogre prince and princess, I respectively name you: Benimaru and Shuna."

Both of them immediately turn into their appearances we're always familiar with. Benimaru is basically a copy of Akamaru with, of course, some modifications. He is just a few centimetres shorter than Akamaru. His wavy hair turns straighter and pointier. Overall, he looks more like a lean young man in his early twenties or even younger.

Shuna, on the other hand, takes the appearance like that of a sixteen-years-old human girl with a height of around 155 cm. She, who previously was already looking sweet and cute, becomes even more refined and prettier.

Her long pink hair cascades across her head to the ponytail below. The slight pink tint on her skin is gone, as well as the markings on her face. Her two horns are as white as porcelain and her lips have the shade of a cherry blossom in spring.

The two get their respective new unique skill: [Generalissimo] for Benimaru and [Analyst] for Shuna.

"And the four who show the most promise among the others, your names shall be Shion, Souei, Hakuro, and Kurobee."

The four immediately undergo evolution, just as planned.

Shion, the purple-haired ogress, changes into a beautiful young woman with a slender, curvaceous body and a height of 170 cm. Her single horn has a shade of obsidian black and it naturally parts her hair. Her purple eyes, like the others', are firm upon us. Her skin loses its purplish tint and becomes nearly white.

Souei is about the same age as Benimaru, with a complexion on the darker-bluish side. The single white horn protruding from his forehead contrasts well against it and his navy-blue eyes radiate a sheer force of determination. He gets the appearance of a handsome young man in his late teens with nearly the same height as Benimaru.

The wizened old white ogre, now named Hakuro, turns far younger in appearance. He looked about ready to fall down at any moment before, but now it appears he is maybe just starting to approach his golden years. His stance is flawless and some of the physical strength he lost with age has returned.

His overall appearance doesn't change that much, though, especially his height. His eyes are still black, his long hair still white, but now those eyes are sharper. He has a pair of small white horns on both sides of his forehead. He looks like a warrior, ready to take anyone in his way.

The last of four, Kurobee, is in prime of his life. He looks just like your average middle-aged man, making him stand out a bit among the beauties surrounding him. His hair and eyes are black, his skin a dark shade of brown. Her two horns are noticeable without being too huge on his forehead. He pretty much reminds me of my totally normal, uneventful previous life.

They have each acquired the unique skills [Master Chef] for Shion, [Shadow Striker] for Souei, [Martial Master] for Hakuro, and [Researcher] for Kurobee.

We adjust their evolution a little bit. All in all, the six main ogres have basically acquired the same unique skills as the ones they used to have in the previous timeline. Some of them are supposed to be acquired when they reach the level of oni, like Benimaru's [Generalissimo].

However, their power as kijins isn't too enormous, so the skills' full potential hasn't been unlocked yet. I hope they'll work hard and grow for their own sake and for our country's sake as well.

"""We thank you for these beautiful names you have bestowed upon us, Rimuru-sama!""" exclaims the seven ogres, now kijins, in unison.

⁂

I'm finally done naming all the remaining ogres. We had started thinking of names while the ogres were still holding a discussion among themselves, so the naming process could get a bit faster. In total, it took less than ten minutes to name forty-seven ogres and let them finish their evolution.

Among them, there are also some unique and interesting individuals apart from the seven ogres whom we named first. For example, there are the twin sisters Azuri and Aguri. They are not identical twins as one can see, since they each have quite a different hair colour: Azuri has azure blue hair while Aguri has dark blue hair like Souei.

Birth of twins was regarded as an extremely rare phenomenon among ogres. And fraternal twins were even rarer than identical twins. It was a bit sad that these two originally didn't manage to survive in the former timeline.

There's also the Kotaro, Benimaru's cross cousin. Unlike Benimaru and maybe also the crimson-haired ogre clan in general, Kotaro seems to be not that interested in fighting or arts. It was said that he inherited this trait from his mother. It was unfortunate that both his parents were killed by the orcs last evening.

According to Akamaru, Kotaro never got too serious whenever he underwent regular training back in their ogre days. In his free time, he was often seen observing and contemplating the surrounding environment and natural phenomena.

He did that so often; he already acquired two Extra Skills [Analysis] and [All of Creation] at almost the same time as a nameless ogre. After having undergone evolution, those extra skills are assimilated into the unique skill [Thinker]. With that, I conclude that this red-head perhaps may be of a great assistance to our science and technology development later on.

...

Hmm...taking another good look, they have practically shrunk a decent amount, causing their clothing to flap loosely about. But they still have the dignity to wear it well, including their armours.

Time to give them new clothing and equipment. I've promised to take care of their basics, and I certainly don't want them to fight with some old, banged-up crap.

"Anyone there?" I speak quietly as I open a [Thought Communication] link to a certain place.

"Garm's here, Boss Rimuru," comes an answer. "What can we help you?"

"Ah, Garm, we'll need your help for...uh...our kijin friends."

"Alri—wait, KIJIN, YOU SAY?! Boss...i-isn't that like...like...a high-level race...? Born on ridiculously rare occasions among the ogres..." He sounds rather terrified. Can't blame him, though.

"Yes, basically it was because I named 'em all. In any case, could you make some clothing and armour for them?"

"Y-yeah, sure thing."

"They're going to go there after this. Tell your co-workers to get ready."

"Roger."

I close the [Thought Communication]. Anyways, it's time for me to disband this crowd. I clap my hands once to get their attention back. "Ahem...I think it's time for you to get new clothing and equipment. From this park, walk straight westwards 'till you find an intersection. There you'll see our dwarven workshop. Go there and they'll give you what you need."

Long story short, they rearrange themselves then begin to walk out of the park with Akamaru leading them as usual. We just sit back on the park shelter, watching them as they disappear from afar.

"Hahhh..." I sigh a very long sigh of relief. "It's finally done."

"You sure look so tired, Master." Ciel lets out a light chuckle.

"Of course, I am. Thinking to get those names are no joke, you kno—"

BOOOOMMM! The sound of explosion echoes throughout the town, reaching the park we're currently in.

"What the hell is happening?" I raise my [Universal Perception]'s level of attention. What I see are the ogres—I mean kijins stopping with four among them—Benimaru, Akamaru, Souei, and Hakuro, I believe—being several steps ahead of their comrades. Facing them is a masked woman, sword unsheathed. Behind her are three human figures who seem to be her friends, crouching in fear.

Wait a damn minute...a masked woman and three human figures? Aren't they...SHIZU-SAN AND THE TRIO?! WHY DO THE KIJINS ATTACK THEM...?!

...

...OH, CRAP! I FORGOT ABOUT THIS!

"What happens, Master?" Ciel asks, clearly concerned.

"We have to help Shizu-san and the trio," I reply, still in panicked thought. "They're in trouble right now."

We quickly activate our [Space-Time Domination] to instantly teleport us to the scene.

...

When we've arrived, the ground of the scene is already burnt to black. It's quite fortunate that it's only the ground that was burnt, not the buildings around it.

"Show us who you really are, you damned evil majin!" Benimaru yells while pointing his sword at the masked woman—Shizu-san.

"...I beg your pardon," she replies calmly although clearly confused. "Have you perhaps got the wrong person?"

"You won't fool us. You may hide your appearance and suppress your aura, but it won't work!"

"Reveal your true identity," Hakuro says.

"For the mastermind to approach us herself is most convenient," Souei adds.

"Please, calm down and think it through, everyone." Akamaru tries to pacify the three. "You might've just got the wrong person. I don't think she is—"

"No, father. She must be that masked majin who attacked our village!"

"Hey, please listen—"

"Shut up!" Benimaru cuts Shizu-san's words without waiting. "We have no intention of listening to you, nor do we have any interest in it. That mask has told us everything we need to know."

This is bad... If we don't stop this, Shizu-san will have to face at least three kijins at the same time. Only Benimaru or Souei should be no problem, but Hakuro is a big threat even to Shizu-san with his swordsmanship.

"[Ogre Fla—"

"Stop right there, all of you!" I shout as we walk from our teleportation place towards the chaotic crowds. "That masked woman over there isn't an evil majin. She is Shizu-san, our close friend."

"Wha—Rimuru-sama? But—"

"Seriously, please try to think this through more calmly and carefully, guys. Benimaru, was the masked majin who attacked your village a man or a woman?" We stop right between Benimaru and Shizu-san.

"...a man, I believe."

"And here, Shizu-san is a woman. So, why would you attack her?" I scold.

"..." Benimaru seems to have just realized his stupid mistake. He runs out of words, unable to answer.

I turn my attention to Shizu-san. "Shizu-san, can I borrow your mask for a moment?"

"Eh? Yes, you can." She takes her mask off and hands it to me.

I receive it and show the mask to the kijins. "Look at this. See for yourself if it's the same mask as the one that attacked your village."

Shuna finally shows up from the kijin crowd behind and walks towards us. She takes a careful look at the mask. "This does look somewhat similar. But this one contains anti-magic power, I believe."

...

"...We deeply apologize." Benimaru kneels in front of Shizu-san in regret. "We have got the wrong idea and just decided to attack whomever suspicious."

"It's okay, it's okay," Shizu-san reassures in her usual gentle tone. "At least, you have realized your mistake and are willing to admit it and ready to change yourself."

I look at the trio who are still crouching down in fear behind her. "Ellen, Kaval, Gido...are you hurt?"

"W-we are not," Kaval answers in a trembling voice, a smile forced on his pale face. "J-just a bit scared, m-maybe. H-ha-ha-ha..."

Uhh...it sure doesn't look like you're 'just a bit' scared...but whatever. Talking with these three right now won't do any good, since they are still dominated by fear. I'll just count on Shizu-san to calm them down.

"We initially intended to have you go to the dwarven workshop"—I glance at the kijins—"but maybe we'll go with you this time."

It's actually also to make sure that they won't do reckless things any further, even though I know for sure that they definitely won't. This is just in case. Ciel and I lead the kijins to our dwarven workshop that's already nearby. There, we are greeted by Garm who has been waiting in front of the shop.

"Hey, boss!" Garm greets us. "Are those the new kijin friends we've got?"

"Yeah."

"Oh, then, please come in."

Garm still seems dubious, but he holds back from commenting further as he brings the kijins inside. With the help of his co-workers, I'm sure they'll be measuring the kijins all shortly. Hakuro is good to go as is, and Kurobee apparently borrows a few days' worth of outfits from Kaijin. Just some simple clothes, but Kurobee seems happy enough with them.

⁂

Shadows have started to get longer than their original objects. Under the clear sky, we're currently heading to our house.

"I do not know Master can be that cool when serious," Ciel says with a faint smile.

"Oh, c'mon now." I cross my hands. "You know your master is always cool, right?"

"Perhaps so."

We laugh together. It's just some simple joke, really, and it may also sound lame to many people. Maybe, if it was the old me, I would also find this joke really lame. I'm not even sure if it's counted as a joke.

But you know what? Screw that. With Ciel, everything somehow feels happier and more joyful. Something like this can only happen for a certain reason.

...

Maybe, I really am in love... I just haven't realized it yet.

Every time I think of falling in love, I tend to immediately brush it off simply as a by-product of overthinking things.

But as time goes by, I slowly realize that this is no longer a matter of overthinking. I slowly realize that this is indeed my genuine feeling for her, for my Ciel.

Still, I'm not ready yet. I can't bring myself to admit all of it to Ciel.

We coincidentally cross paths with Haruna who's about to return to the kitchen from cafeteria. "Haruna!" I call loudly as we get closer.

"Yes, my lord? What can I help you for now?"

"Please tell your friends that we'll be having a big feast tonight."

"A big feast, my lord?"

"Yes, a big feast. We're going to welcome our new friends to this town. There will also an important announcement we want to convey, so please make sure that everyone can gather."

Her face brightens with excitement. "Then, I shall inform this quickly. Please excuse me." She quickly runs to the kitchen with a full speed.

We continue our walk. I take a glance at Ciel for a short moment then look back at the town road.

But maybe, it's also the same for her. She might be thinking the same thing as me.

If so, then all we need is just time. Time for us to fully understand our own feelings, to fully understand the other's feelings, and to encourage ourselves to be honest to both the other and our own self.

I hope someday, we can enjoy the time we have just between two of us in peace, unbothered by any kind of battles or wars.

~TO BE CONTINUED~

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