The Phantom Blade

With all the preparations done, Rimuru found himself standing at the familiar gates of Tempest, ready to say goodbye for some time. The thought of being away from the place he had come to call home felt strange, even if he was still planning to return regularly. He had made sure to spend quality time with Shuna, Frey, and Shion in the days leading up to his departure, but even then, the feeling of leaving was hard to ignore.

Just as he was getting ready to go, a pink-haired tactical missile shot toward him and crashed into him with a hug.

"It's going to be boring if you're gone… Plus, Middray has been bugging me to come back to my country to show me something. So it will probably be some time until we get to play again," Milim said with a small pout.

Ruffling her hair, Rimuru laughed slightly. 

"You know, I almost forgot. Remember that gift? I was experimenting with different metals, so I reworked it a few times, but…" Rimuru said before making a small necklace shaped like a star appear in his hand. "Surprise!"

Milim's eyes widened in delight, a radiant smile spreading across her face as she held the gift.

"It's perfect!" She said, feeling as the metal instantly resonated with her magicules. Placing it around her neck, she let out a happy giggle before nodding to herself. "I'm gonna do something nice for you too!"

Without wasting another second, she took to the air and disappeared in a burst of speed.

Shizue let out a small giggle as she saw the pink dot vanish in the distance before turning to Rimuru. 

"She's certainly unique. I bet the kids would like her." Shizue's smile became a bit nervous. "Hey, umm, Rimuru… do you think we could bring the kids over to Tempest after we heal them? I want to keep taking care of them, but I also promised to help you so…."

"I was going to suggest the same thing. We already have schools set up so we have some experienced teachers, plus from what you told me, I am sure they would feel more comfortable here than in Englassia. They would be free to go wherever they wanted and still be safe." Rimuru began, a smile crossing his face as he thought of a new idea.

"Heh, maybe you could even be their teacher again?"

Shizue smiled as she nodded.

"Yeah. Tempest is perfect. They have a bit of a sweet tooth, so I'm sure they would all become big fans of Apito."

With those words, the two of them began their journey to Englassia, riding on top of Ranga together.

Their first stop was Blumund. They needed to get Rimuru an ID as an adventurer to make moving around less of a hassle. Adventurers had certain privileges that just made the life of a traveler far easier. Shizue had stopped wearing the mask ever since she had been "cured," so Rimuru was now wearing the mask to hide his magicules completely. With Shizue by his side, they reached the kingdom without much trouble. 

Blumund was a fairly small Kingdom, but at least the citizens looked happy as they went on with their day-to-day lives. The guild office was packed with a few adventurers lazing about, waiting for a good mission. The adventurers stared at the pair, but before they got a chance to do anything, Shizue flashed her ID and immediately, the Guild Manager led the two of them to meet with Fuze.

They had sent a message beforehand, so everything was already set up for them. However, Fuze couldn't help but chuckle as he saw Rimuru wearing the mask.

"I guess you are passing on the legacy… It feels weird to see you without it, but it suits you." he said, looking at Shizue with a warm smile.

"My face feels somewhat empty without it, but I've been wearing it for so long that it feels like I'm free now that I no longer have to." Shizue said with a smile.

Fuze smiled as he called for a few other people to bring the card and finish the preparations. In the meantime, he grabbed some tea to chat with the pair.

"Rimuru, you really ought to stop spoiling my adventurers so much. Kaval's team hasn't been doing as many missions lately, and they are supposed to be my elite members. I've been having to give out the missions I would have given them to newbies who keep messing stuff up," Fuze said with a fake frown.

"Aww, come on Fuze, they deserve a break." Shizue said with a giggle.

Fuze opened his mouth to complain but only let out a sigh, shaking his head slightly.

"If you say so, Shizue. I'm mainly warning them since I am worried they will lose their edge and put themselves in a position where they won't be able to escape. I know them well enough to know that they are the kind of people that get in trouble."

"I'll make sure Hakuro gives them a few lessons here and there so they don't lose their skills. That should keep them awake," Rimuru joked, chuckling slightly behind his mask.

Fuze, who had briefly met the old man, nodded in approval as the group heard a knock on the door from one of the guild examiners. In walked a middle-aged man with dark hair and a rough face. He was walking using a peg leg, and he looked a bit surprised to be called into the guild master's office.

"Ah, Thegis, perfect timing. Rimuru here was looking for someone who could summon Daemons. He said he wanted to see the summoning in action," Fuze said, nodding for him to take a seat on one of the chairs.

Thegis looked a little annoyed at being asked to showcase his skills to what looked like a teenage boy, but he wasn't going to voice his complaints in front of the guild master.

"Don't worry, I won't ask you to do it for free. I will pay you for your services," Rimuru said as he made a Full Potion appear in his hand. "I want to see you showcase all of your summoning skills, and in exchange, I will heal your leg."

Fuze instantly stood up in shock. 

"Rimuru! That—" He said, trying to find his words.

"I want to start spreading the word about Tempest's special potions. I know it will cause some ruckus for some time, but I have thought about this carefully."

Thegis looked to be in shock since Fuze had reacted so surprised, then it was clear that the potion that the masked kid held was something special. He used to be an A-ranked adventurer in his past, and now he was stuck in this kingdom. It wasn't too bad, but he longed for the days when he could go out and fight.

"That… you aren't lying. Are you?" Thegis asked, his voice shaking a little in hesitation and disbelief.

"I'll pay upfront," Rimuru said as he threw the bottle at Thegis.

The man almost jumped in fright as he caught the potion, holding it as if it were the most precious thing he had ever held. Looking at Fuze for reassurance, he took the top off the potion and drank it all in one go. Instantly, he felt a new leg appear where his stump used to be. His eyes widened as he looked at Rimuru once again.

"How?"

"It is my country's specialty," Rimuru said before making some papers appear in his hand and passing them to him. They were carefully crafted by Sage to ensure that Tempest gained as much reputation as possible. "Read up on that. If anyone asks, tell them what's written there."

Thegis immediately looked down at the papers, reading them slightly before asking.

"Tempest? Isn't that the new country of monsters?" He asked with some surprise.

"The one and only. Feel free to drop by and visit. We welcome adventurers." Rimuru said with a chuckle. "Just don't make a mess or try to hurt my citizens. That is the biggest rule of my kingdom."

"Your kingdom?" He asked again in surprise, but this time, Fuze spoke up after sighing.

"Let me explain…"

— — —

[New Magic Spells have been discovered: Summoning Lock, Bind Monster, Summon Monster, Summon Lesser Daemon, Summon Daemon, Summon Greater Daemon.]

It took some time, but Fuze explained everything. After clearing the training room so that no one would watch, Thegis went over every summoning spell he knew. Since his leg had been healed, he agreed to spread the news about Tempest to his friends and contacts.

During that time, the guild finished processing Rimuru's information, and he was formally assigned as a B-rank adventurer, the highest level independent guilds could assign. For any rank higher than that, one needed to go to Englassia's main branch directly.

They stopped by Blumund's library, but the books there were not as interesting as Rimuru had hoped. However, Sage sounded happy to add them to their collection. Or, well, as happy as a monotone robotic voice can sound.

In addition, Rimuru set up a future meeting to discuss an alliance between Blumund and Tempest. Even though the news of the Orc Lord hadn't spread, Charybdis' revival had drawn some attention. Blumund's king was eager to ensure that a country capable of taking down Charybdis would not become their enemy.

With their mission in Blumund complete, Shizue and Rimuru hopped on Ranga again, continuing their long trip.

Thanks to Ranga's speed, they were able to cover quite a bit of distance. They planned to stop by one of the towns on the way or camp out in the forest, depending on the quality of the room. However, they both narrowed their eyes as they heard faint screams in the distance.

"Master!" Ranga shouted as it suddenly stopped, turning towards the sounds.

"Let's go help them," Shizue said with determination. After getting a pat on the back from Rimuru, Ranga instantly shot in the direction of the screams. Shizue held onto Rimuru to avoid falling.

In an instant, they saw the village appear, hearing the roar of what resembled a lion intermingled with the screams of civilians.

They saw a gigantic Winged Lion releasing waves of lightning, destroying houses. A few adventurers were trying to hold it back, but they were clearly outmatched. The lion was pushing them back, and it wouldn't be long before it broke through completely.

Rimuru jumped off Ranga, using Shunpo to vanish and reappear next to the lion. With a swift swing of his sword, he instantly decapitated the beast, causing the entire town to freeze in shock as they saw the monster that had terrorized them moments ago fall lifeless to the ground.

"Huh… That was underwhelming," Rimuru mused as he watched the body hit the dirt. He had gotten too used to fighting beings like Charybdis and Frey, so stumbling upon a normal A-ranked monster was disappointing.

Instantly, the citizens turned to cheers, looking in awe at the masked figure who had just vanquished the Winged Lion. Shizue arrived a few moments later on top of Ranga, a wide smile on her face as she jumped down.

"Thank you for helping them." She said warmly.

As she did, an older man ran up to them. He had some scratches on him, and it was clear that he had been injured, but nonetheless, he continued to run to them. Dropping down to his knees in front of Rimuru.

"Thank you, young Hero. Thank you for saving our village!" He shouted, his face filled with relief as he knelt. "You saved my boy… he was fighting against the Winged Lion, if you hadn't stepped in…" 

The old man's shouts of gratitude made the village snap out of shock before they ran up to Rimuru, ignoring Shizue and the wolf next to her as they focused on their savior. In their eyes, only a Hero would appear out of nowhere in their time of need and rescue them. Only a Hero would be strong enough to kill a Winged Lion in less than a second.

"Hero…" They all began to speak at once before Rimuru raised his hand, signaling to stop. Every time they called him a Hero, he felt a chill run up his spine as if something was wrong. From what Milim had told him, the title carried power, so one had to be careful not to trigger the world to place a bunch of responsibilities on oneself.

Yet, just before he could stop them, a thought crossed his mind.

'Sage, is it possible for a monster to become a Hero?'

[....]

[Notice. Heroes and Demon Lords are diametrically opposed beings.]

[Being a Hero is exclusive to humans, Dwarves and Elves.]

'So is that a no?' Rimuru asked, feeling like there was more to Sage's words.

[...]

[Error. Unknown.]

[Beginning analysis.]

As Sage got lost in their own analysis, Rimuru returned to reality. He noticed that many of the villagers were injured, with varying levels of injury.

'Sage, dilute some of the Full Potions so that they can heal the people in the village.' Rimuru asked. He had a practically unlimited supply of Hipokute Herbs growing back at home, so he might as well help some of the people here.

[Understood.]

As Rimuru began to pass the potions around, he could see Shizue behind him with Universal Sense, giving him a warm smile of approval. She simply smiled as she saw him take care of all of the villagers.

In a few minutes, the small village had been brought back from the verge of destruction, and all of them wanted to celebrate the one who had saved them.

"Young Hero, could you possibly be the Conqueror of Flames? I heard that they used a mask similar to yours." The older villager asked, his eyes sparkling with hope.

Turning to Shizue, who seemed to be enjoying the situation playing out, he shook his head.

"No, but you could say the Conqueror gave me her mask as a gift." Rimuru said with a chuckle, causing her to smile even more as she took a bite of the food the villagers had provided them.

The old man nodded his head as he got lost in thought.

"Do you have any titles?" He asked with stars in his eyes, and after Rimuru shook his head, the smile on his face grew.

Thinking for a moment, the old man nodded his head wisely before raising his glass and announcing to the village.

"Our Hero came and saved us, appearing like a ghost and slaying the Lion in one swing of his blade. Long live the Phantom Blade!" 

At his words, the town cheered, smiling as they feasted. Celebrating that none of them had died.

"Ever since Veldora vanished, monsters have been leaving their territories, trying to venture deeper into the forest. It hasn't been too bad for areas around us, but I can only assume that another monster took the Winged Lion's territory. It would have taken at least a few days for a group of adventurers to appear, so you really have saved our village," the old man said as he drank a glass of wine.

The celebration continued for a few more hours before the villagers led Rimuru and Shizue to one of the rooms at the inn. They were low on space because of the destroyed houses, so the best they could spare was a room with two beds.

Shizue had been smiling ever since Rimuru had killed the Winged Lion, and once they were alone, she burst into a lovely giggle as she asked.

"How does it feel to be a Hero? I remember it filling my heart with joy back when I used to adventure, seeing all of the smiling faces." She said with a nostalgic smile.

"It's weird…" Rimuru answered with a chuckle. "The title honestly feels wrong. I am a Demon Lord Seed. It's only a matter of time until I Awaken." 

Shizue's smile dropped as she heard him, letting out a chuckle of her own.

"Yeah… I guess you're right. I also used to feel that unnatural feeling back when I got called a Hero. I really wanted to become one, just like the Hero who saved me… But it's not like I could really take on the title. I was a Majin." Her eyes appeared to be lost in thought, a brief glimpse of sadness passing through them.

"You know… there is a thing called a Harvest Festival when a Demon Lord Awakens. The world itself gives gifts to those under the Demon Lord who Awakened. Depending on their wishes, they might awaken new skills. So there's still a chance you could become one."

Shizue's eyes widened in surprise, the warm smile appearing on her face again.

"You're too nice, Rimuru." She chuckled slightly as she looked up to the ceiling. "I'm glad I met you." 

There was a moment of silence as Shizue asked, somewhat embarrassedly.

"Could I hold you? I heard from Ellen that you are quite soft." 

The question made Rimuru burst into laughter. He had kept being told that he was nice to hug, but he hadn't expected even Shizue to ask him. After a few moments of laughing, he sighed, smiling behind the mask.

"Sure, but only because I am not a bad slime."

Shizue rolled her eyes, laughing as she heard the joke before opening her arms.

— — —

Special Thanks to my Beta Readers/Editors: The one, the only, the amazing @Basilisk, the Aussie @LuluViBritania (FF.N, SB, WN and QQ)/-LuluViB|99th Britannian Emperor(Discord) and @Kiyan Tribe (FF.net/AO3/QQ/WN) | kiyan_tribe( Discord)

Go Check out Basilisk's great story "I'm a Daemon, so what?" 

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