Rimuru Tempest POV - Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken Universe, Central World, Magic Continent, Great Jura Forest, Tempest - 2013 AMB
Showing Milim around the city is a far harder task than I originally thought.
If you've ever brought a small kid to an amusement park, you know how I feel. If you look away for a second, she's gone. That's exactly what it's like.
Exasperated, I can't help but run after her while exclaiming, "Oii! Didn't I tell you not to take off running!"
However, the overenergic and very excited Milim completely ignores me as she laughs and yells, "Wahahahaha! Over here! What's this?!"
Her attitude makes me yell in an annoyed tone, "Listen! Just listen to what I'm saying!" This makes Milim tilt her head in confusion for a brief moment before she laughs and exclaims, "Wahahahaha! What's wrong? I'm listening?"
No, she isn't. She is strangely excited, running around all over the place.
I can't help but remember what happened when she met Gabiru a few moments ago.
Gabiru was used by Gelmud, his former master, to satisfy his own gains to turn the Orc Lord into a Demon Lord.
He was manipulated into taking over the lizardmen and going into direct confrontation with the Orcs, almost leading to the Lizardmen's extinction.
After the war with the orcs, Gabiru was exiled for his treason; furthermore, forbidden to ever call himself a lizardman and forbidden to ever return until he proves himself worthy.
He joined under my banner and evolved into a Dragonewt after I had overwritten his name, and now works in the research department cultivating herbs for potions.
As a Lizardman, Gabiru had the appearance of a green anthropomorphic Lizard with two horns.
He wore a wearable armor that consisted of a cape, baggy pants, and a furry neck warmer.
And after evolving into a Dragonewt, although he didn't look much different from the average Lizardmen, Gabiru grew dragon-like wings and noticeably bigger horns and firmer scales.
But the biggest difference was the color of his scales, which changed from greenish-black to purple.
Anyway, after seeing Gabiru, Milim exclaimed in an excited tone, "Ooooh!!! A Dragonewt! Wahahaha! Working hard?"
However, Gabiru made a careless mistake as he replied, "Yeah! I am the Dragonewt Gabil! Who would you be? Shorty!"
Something that annoyed Milim as she shouted, "Huh? Did you say something? Would you like to try dying once?"
Before she lightly kicked Gabiru in the knee, and, after he lost his balance and fell, she drove her fist into his stomach, making him let out a single "Gofu!", leaving him on the brink of death.
While watching that scene, I couldn't help but think in shock, 'H-hey, wait a second... Didn't she promise not to rampage...?'
As I was thinking that, Milim said, "Listen, fool! I'm in a very good mood right now, so I'll let you off with this. Don't ever look down on me again! Seriously, who's a shorty, who..."
To Gabiru's good luck, I was carrying a test product restoration pill, but even with a medium-grade pill, his body didn't completely heal.
After he recovered, Gabiru limped away while Milim waved him goodbye with a benevolent nod.
This made me look at her in a new light, 'Any more and death, huh? What a frightening girl Milim is! Or should I just call her plain scary? That was truly a fist that could one-shot anyone, and she probably held herself back, too. But now that it had come to this, I am no longer sure if the promise not to rampage would continue to be applied.'
While I was thinking that, as if nothing had happened turned toward me with a smile on her face that made me panic a little while thinking, 'Please don't ask me that. I thought.' before she commented, "That guy is really sturdy! How about I strengthen him a bit more?"
In response to that, I quickly replied, "Nope, never! It's bad to bully the weak!" This made her stop for a moment before she said, "Mu? I see… Bullying the weak is bad! I know that!"
At that point, I could only weakly request, "O-oh. If you knew that, then from now on..."
I could only ask that much, that is, I don't have any way to stop her, at least not without requesting Jayr and the others' help, but I don't want to do that unless absolutely necessary.
With her explosive temper, I can only pray that Gabiru would be the only victim.
After thinking about Milim's recent encounter with Gabiru, I continued to show her around.
She observed the making of armor and requested a set.
She observed the sewing of clothing and became Goblinas' dress-up doll.
She observed the farming, and helped plow the fields, and I've to admit that I've never seen someone plow a field that quickly.
Thus, the day quickly passed, and by the time the sun started to come down and the sky took a reddish hue, everyone in the city had already heard of the small tyrant.
Suddenly, as we are heading toward the dining hall, Milim suddenly stops as she focuses her gaze in a certain direction and mutters in a shocked tone, "Eh? How... How is this possible...?"
The next moment, Milim's figure disappears as she immediately rushes out, and worried about the repeat of another Gabiru-style tragedy, I follow after her.
I quickly transform into my Human Form and run after Milim, and before long, we are outside the city and a few meters away from the nearby woods, where Milim suddenly stops.
A few moments later, a familiar figure walks out of the woods. He is a tall young man with wild dark blue hair and bright green eyes.
He has a body that would make Greek Gods die of envy and an aura of absolute confidence.
He is wearing dark blue pants, a plain white sleeveless shirt, and has a silver drill-like pendant wound around his neck.
He is obviously Jayr-san, the extremely powerful young man who came here following the request of his friends to fight and protect our universe against the looming invasion.
Jayr-san stops a few meters away from us, then a gentle smile forms on his irritably handsome face, and he says, "Hello there. I'm Jayr Pucci, a friend of Rimuru. I hope you had fun exploring the city."
In response to Jayr-san's greeting, Milim cheerfully greets him back, "Hi! I'm Milim Nava! It's a pleasure!"
Shortly after that, Milim's eyes open wide as she points her finger in his direction and yells in an excited tone, "You...! I didn't see wrong! You are a Dragonoid! You are like me...! No... Wait! You are a bit different..."
Then Milim notices something else and suddenly she yelps, closes her eyes, and shakes her head before she opens her now teary eyes again and exclaims, "Whoa! You are STRONG! This is the first time I've ever seen such an immense power! It didn't seem to have any limit at all! Just taking a small peek and it has almost blinded my Milim Eye! I didn't even know such a thing was possible."
Hearing that, Jayr-san smiles wryly and calmly starts to walk toward Milim while commenting, "As expected from the Milim Eye... Truly, nothing can hide from it. Even if I tried to hide my power, you were still able to catch a glimpse of it. Quite impressive. However, you must be careful with using that Unique Skill of yours. Sometimes, seeing too much could be very dangerous... Hurting yourself may be the least of your worries."
Jayr-san arrives right in front of Milim and then gently pats her head, stunning both Milim and me.
At the same time, Milim's body glows in a soft white light for a brief moment, and when the light fades away, nothing seems to have changed at first, but then I notice that Milim's eyes are now clear and perfectly fine while a content smile forms on her face.
Shortly after that, Jayr-san removes his hand from her head, making Milim look almost disappointed, and says in a gentle tone, "Here you go. I healed your eyes and upgraded your Unique Skill so that it will automatically warn you if you are about to see something that may harm you."
Milim focuses her gaze on Jayr-san for a few moments before she nods and boldly declares, "I've decided! Since you are also a Dragonoid, you are going to be my big brother! Now spoil your cute little sister with more headpats!"
Shocked by Milim's sudden, bold declaration, I can't help but wonder, 'How did she end up with that conclusion!? I mean, she met Jayr-san barely a few seconds ago! They exchanged fewer than 30 words, and she had already decided that he was going to be her big brother! And why does she want more headpats!?'
While I'm thinking that, Jayr-san smiles wryly and says, "I'm not sure I can be your big brother... I'm after all much younger than you..."
Hearing that, Milim's eyes twinkle in excitement as she exclaims, "Yes! This is even better! Now you are my little brother! Quick, spoil your big sister with more headpats!"
At this point, Jayr-san simply gives in to her request and starts to gently caress Milim's head, which makes her smile in delight and relax.
At the same time, I hear Jayr-san's voice in my head as it says, [Well... My first meeting with Milim didn't exactly go as I expected... Anyway, you shouldn't worry too much about her. While Milim is indeed a Demon Lord and can be quite rash and impulsive, she isn't a bad person. If you treat her well and with sincerity, she will do the same. Just remember not to underestimate her just because she is childish and outspoken. She doesn't have the mind of a child. She is much older than us, and if you look past her childish demeanor, you will find a fierce, extremely intelligent woman who cannot be tricked or outsmarted even by the brightest minds.]
Hearing that, I can't help but worry and ask using my Thought Communication skill, [Does this mean that this big sister act is some kind of ploy to make us lower our guard or something like that?]
While continuing to calmly pat Milim's head, Jayr-san replies using his Telepathy, [No... Milim isn't the kind of person who likes to use such underhanded or subtle means. She likes to be straightforward and direct. If she says something, is because she truly means it. She abruptly decided to become my sibling because I'm indeed a kind of Dragonoid like her, but also because she has a favorable impression of me, and she noticed that I have no ill intentions toward her. Of course, there surely are also a few more reasons I'm unaware of, but overall, I can tell you that she is a genuine person.]
After that, all three of us returned to explore and show our guest the rest of the city. Luckily, with Milim now happily clinging to Jayr-san, I don't have to worry about the repeat of Gabiru's tragedy.
Then, when the sun had completely disappeared from the sky and the night finally came, we went to the dining hall where all the leaders assembled to enjoy dinner together.
Once there, Milim cheerfully introduced herself, "I'm Milim Nava! It's a pleasure!"
In response to her introduction, Shion, who has spent the day practicing with Benimaru, Souei, and Hakurou, mutters a pointed question, "Hmm? Isn't Milim the name of a Demon Lord?"
Hearing that, Benimaru laughs, directly rejecting her question, "Haha, what the hell are you saying? There's no way a Demon Lord could be here!" Something that seems to upset Milim.
For a moment, I worried that we'll have another Gabil-style tragedy and started to search for a way to salvage the situation, but luckily Souei asked, "What kind of relationship do you have with Rimuru-sama and Jayr-sama? Have you become friends?"
Milim, who seemed about to explode a moment ago, now fidgets bashfully and, with her face bright red, she says, "Um, well… Rather than friends… Rimuru and I... we're close friends! On the other hand, Jayr is now my little brother!"
Hearing that, Souei nods and, in a respectful tone, says, "Is that how it was? Forgive my rudeness. I am Souei. I am Rimuru-sama's faithful servant. Please take care of me!"
Watching think scene, I smile and praise him in my head, 'As expected of Souei. Good looks and an eloquent tongue to match.' But then I can't help but wonder, 'Actually, Milim-kun. Since when did we become close friends?'
While thinking that, I decide to timidly ask that question out loud as I can't hold back my curiosity, "Umm, since when are we close friends?" This immediately makes tears form in her eyes as she looks at me and asks, "Eh? We aren't!?"
Faster than the tear, however, energy begins gathering in her fist, and seeing that, I panic and immediately add to avoid danger, "Just kidding! We're really close friends! Best friends forever!"
At the same time, I can't help but feel the metaphorical cold sweat flow out of my body while thinking, 'Damn! Almost hit a landmine myself. I have to be more careful! I'm not letting a Gabiru happen again. Not so soon!'
Hearing that, Milim grins broadly and exclaims, "I see! You're good at surprising people!"
Watching this scene, I suddenly remember what Jayr-san told me a couple of hours ago, reaching a new step of enlightenment, 'A simply direct fellow. Simple, straightforward, but smart and incredibly hard to deal with. Carelessness is forbidden from now on.'
Then I look at the still carefree Benimaru while thinking, 'Benimaru still hasn't realized the situation. Need to warn him later. Unlike Souei, he doesn't understand a woman's heart at all. He's even worse at it than I am. If he weren't a handsome guy, he would surely be hated by everyone. Stupid people always end up suffering. The problem is, he won't survive suffering caused by Milim.'
While I was thinking that, the conversation ended as food was brought out, and Milim happily began eating.
I, too, changed into my human form and removed the mask, but when Milim saw that, she exclaimed with a huge smile on her face, "Ah! So you're the one who killed Gelmud! I see!"
The other people present reacted differently; they silently looked at me, pressing for an explanation, making me realize, 'I won't be able to fool them, it seems.'
When dinner ended, Milim looked ready to fall asleep, so I asked Jayr-san to escort her to a guest house; after all, he is her little brother now.
Watching the two of them walk away, I genuinely ponder, 'I wonder if she'll be complaining about the bed and such… Saying something like: "Not a bed, I want a tatami mat with a futon!" Well, we can't give her what we don't have. I'll just leave it to Jayr-san. At the end of the day, he is able to create whatever he wants in a matter of seconds, so he'll be able to satisfy her every whim.'
Then, I focus back on the present and start to explain today's events to everyone.
"I see... That was truly a powerful hit I took. I saw my father beckoning to me from heaven!"
"What? Seems like you're still out of it. Your father is still alive!"
"Ah! Right. How rude of me!"
Gabiru's response aside, everyone else was surprised to learn that Milim is actually the Demon Lord Milim, that she had shown up all of a sudden, and that somehow, I became her "best friend" and Jayr-san her little brother.
After explaining today's events, I ask for further reassurance, "But, just as a note, I had her promise not to rampage, so we should be fine, right?"
However, Kaijin replies, "Actually, it's not like all monsters can't break promises, you know? While the Dwarf King did say a part of the truth, that isn't the whole of it."
Following Kaijin's reply, Hakurou and the other Kinjin nod with Benimaru saying, "Rimuru-sama, for example, I have no problem telling lies." Followed by Souei, who adds, "Me too. Actually, I'm pretty good at it!"
Seeing the clear confusion on my face, Hakurou and the other start to explain, "In other words..."
According to their explanation, only monsters of spontaneous birth have trouble lying; those born of parents are not as restricted.
Besides, what the Dwarf King was referring to was a case of "Pledge Magic on top of swearing upon your very existence."
Hearing that, I realize, 'I shouldn't have ignored inquiring about it from the Great Sage. While the demons are truly restricted, the normal monsters aren't. Which is why...'
At this point, I say the conclusion I reached out loud, "Milim can go lying all she wants?" Which makes Hakurou nod and agree, "That's what it would mean...'
'In that case, what should we do?' As I start to worry a little bit, Souei analyzes, "However, she doesn't seem to intend to cause trouble, and, even if she did, we couldn't stop her, can we?"
I completely agreed with that analysis; even with all of us working together, we'd fail. Milim is just that strong. I'm not even sure how long the current me can last against her.
Then Benimaru suddenly suggests, "Right. Let's let her do what she wants, and if worst comes to worst, we'll have Jayr-sama stop her. He is her little brother, after all!"
""""No objections!!!""""
Hearing that, I can't help but grin while thinking, "YES!!! Benimaru, you genius! That's why you are my strategic advisor! My usual 'leave it to others' policy seems to have come back to save me once again.'
Letting out a sigh of relief, we quickly come to the agreement that Jayr-san will be the one in charge of supervising the Demon Lord Milim, and so, the first day of the Hurricane Milim peacefully passes without any casualties.
Jayr POV - Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken Universe, Central World, Magic Continent, Great Jura Forest, Tempest - 2013 AMB
After I led my new "big sister" to the guest house, prepared her bed, and basically put her to sleep just like I do for my children by sitting next to her and telling her a bedtime story, I watch the figure of the seemgily defenseless Milim and let out a quiet sigh while thinking, 'This truly isn't how I expected my first meeting with Milim to go... Sure, I expected that she would have some favorable first impression of me, thanks to the fact that I can be considered of a similar species and that, on top of that, my Divinity as God of Dragons would also help. But for sure I didn't expect that she would get so attached, so quickly to the point that she would directly adopt me as her "little brother."'
At this point, I can't help but take another look at the young-looking and childish Demon Lord as she peacefully sleeps with a happy smile on her face, as she holds my hand and ponders, 'Just how lonely and straved for affection is she? It is clear that all the interactions I had with her until now are truly genuine... As soon as she declared me her little brother, she truly started to consider me her little brother from the bottom of her heart. When met with such sincere and powerful emotions, I can't help but answer back with equal sincerity.'
While thinking that, I smile wryly and come to a conclusion, 'Well... It seems that I have a new big sister... Maybe I should prepare a gift for my new big sister, Milim. But what should I gift her...'
Like that, I pass the rest of the night by her side, thinking about not only what could be the best gift, but also about my next moves, after all, I still have to warn and gather the alliance of the other major factions of the Central World.
The morning of the following day starts with great tribulations as waking up Milim isn't that easy, as she is quite grumpy and lazy to the point that she haughtily complains, "Why does a demon lord need to wake up so early in the morning!"
Then, after waking her up, she forces me to help her change her clothes, which is quite awkward.
Obviously, Milim has no shame in undressing in front of me, but since I have no intentions of seeing my new big sister naked, I quickly shut off my sense of sight and calmly help her using my Telekinesis and other senses to help her.
What she wore is the new clothing she had requested yesterday, and I have to admit it came out pretty well and that it suits her.
After that, her mood quickly improves as we have breakfast with Rimuru and the others, and while she is eating, I am busy thinking, 'Since I've agreed to become her little brother, I intend to genuinely treat her and care for her like any of my family members from the bottom of my heart. After carefully thinking for most of the night, making use of my knowledge of novels, I've found the perfect gift for Milim. I'm going to unseal and save Gaia.'
Gaia is the pet dragon given to Milim by her father, Veldanava.
Veldanava used the last of his energy to gift his daughter a pet dragon, the Elemental Dragon, in the hopes that she wouldn't be lonely.
After Milim became an orphan, the pet dragon remained her only close family, and the two lived a peaceful, uneventful life together.
These times didn't last long, however, as they became the target of a certain elven kingdom led by Jahil, who killed the pet dragon in a foolish attempt to assert control of Milim.
This backlashed immensely, however, as the enraged Milim wiped out the elven kingdom for killing her friend and awakened as a True Demon Lord.
The gifts from her Harvest Festival brought the corpse of her dear friend back to life, but because its spiritual and astral bodies were severely damaged, it was resurrected in a corrupted state as the Chaos Dragon, and it became a force that transcended both good and evil.
In her sadness, Milim sealed her former friend away to end its destruction.
Upon the death of the elemental dragon and its subsequent transformation into a Chaos Dragon, its factor spread throughout the world, scattering its remains and basically giving birth to the Dragon race that took residence in Dragon's Den, which is where the Chaos Dragon was sealed away.
Looking at Milim happily eating her breakfast, I continue to ponder, 'Finding the location of the seal was quite easy for my Cosmic Awareness. After all, the Dragon's Den is located on the northern border of the Great Jura Forest, on the tallest mountain of the Great Canaat Mountains, which is basically above the Armed Nation of Dwargon, comparable to a whole universe; it is quite a small area to search. Unsealing and helping Gaia is even easier. I can simply use sheer brute force to break the seal and help Gaia. Well, with my Divinity over Dragons, helping a corrupted Dragon regain its sanity will be a piece of cake, and restoring its damaged spiritual and astral bodies is also quite simple.'
At this point, I focus on the last small issue, 'Now, the only thing left to decide is if I should bring her along with me... I kind of have a bad feeling about doing that. To bring Milim to a place where she experienced such a tragic loss… It kinda leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Even more so if I bring her there without saying anything to give her a surprise. I kinda expect that to end quite badly, I may even seriously hurt her feelings... Yeah, better avoid such surprises. If I bring Milim with me, then it is better to explain everything to her beforehand.'