_ _ _ _Suu Pov_ _ _ _
(Another peaceful day...) I thought, breathing out as I looked up at the blue sky above.
It had been a day since Rimuru woke up, and the atmosphere hadn't changed much, well, kind of. Rimuru had officially announced that he had adopted me into the town, something that had caused a bigger commotion than I expected. It seemed "Lady Suu" was something that was here to stay; in fact, some had even started calling me princess, much to my dismay.
On the bright side, though, thanks to Rimuru and Rigurd I wasn't swarmed by the curious townsfolk. Honestly, I probably would have had a panic attack if that had happened. I have gotten better at talking to people, but I'm not at all ready to be surrounded and at the centre of attention like that. Fortunately that didn't happen; however, I had definitely become the main line of conversation that everyone was going on about.
Anyway, right now I was standing close to the entrance of town, right next to the main road that led deep into the forest. I had honestly been quite curious about what was out there, about what the rest of this world was like. Part of me thought I should just be happy with being here; after all, now that I wouldn't be kicked out any time soon, was there really a point in taking the risk of exploring when I can just stay here and be safe? Of course, while that was logical to me on some level, my curiosity wouldn't be stamped out so easily; in fact, I seemed to only be getting more and more inquisitive by the day, something I added to the list of things that had changed about me since my rebirth.
Turning my attention away from what lay above, I focused my attention inwards. (It's still going to take a lot of work mind you, but it's coming along, I guess.) I thought as I "looked" over my submind scripts.
(Thanks by the way, however I am curious why you can't assist me more directly.) I mumbled internally to seemingly no one; however, a second later I got an answer.
[Answer. While the skill "Bonded" belonging to the entity "Suu Tempest" allows for both support in the form of communication and limited analysis assistance from the skill "Great Sage," there are still limitations. The skill "Great Sage" is unable to directly manage or tamper with skills belonging to the entity "Suu Tempest".] The sound of Great Sage's voice echoed in my head.
(Got it...) I thought, still not exactly sure how I felt about all of this. (Also you can just call me Suu, you know.)
[Affirmative. The entity "Suu's" verbal identification has been corrected.]
(That's... that's not what I meant...) I sighed as I thought back to yesterday.
_ _ _ _Flashback_ _ _ _
"Wait, so that was your skill I heard just now?" I asked, looking at Rimuru with a puzzled expression.
"Yeah, they're like a supercomputer in my head, they can answer questions, analyse things, or even help in the use of my other skills." He quickly explained, and I nodded along.
Once he had finished, I thought for a second before muttering, "That sounds useful."
"It is." Rimuru mused in agreement. "By the way, Great Sage, how can she hear you?" He asked, and it wasn't long before the somewhat robotic voice returned.
[Answer. The skill "Bonded" that belongs to the entity known as "Suu Tempest" forms a unique kind of soul link between itself and the bonded individual. As a byproduct of how this link functions, the skill "Great Sage" has gained the capacity to converse with this individual.]
"Can the link be broken?" I asked curiously but got no answer.
For a moment I sat there awkwardly until Rimuru coughed and spoke up. "It's fine for you to answer her questions when she asks them."
[Affirmative.]
[Answer. The skill "Great Sage" is capable of severing the link; however, doing so would cause the entity "Suu Tempest" immense spiritual and mental distress.] She explained bluntly.
"Yeah, let's not do that." Rimuru hummed, and I was quick to agree.
For a moment there was silence after that until Rimuru seemed to come to a decision. "Also, Great Sage, if Suu has any questions or needs assistance, please give her a hand."
[Affirmative.]
_ _ _ _Flashback Over_ _ _ _
I still found it rather strange to have a foreign voice speaking inside my head; however, I won't deny the fact that this new dynamic has proven useful. While Great Sage can't physically help me with my skills like she can with Rimuru, she can at the very least support me in other ways by answering questions and giving me frankly incredibly helpful suggestions on how to improve my submind scripts. In fact, with her help I've already made many substantial improvements and have started work on a few new ones involving some of my other skills.
"Hey, Lady Suu!" A sudden voice pulled me from my thoughts.
Turning, I noticed Gobta and Rigur approaching with several members of the wolf riders. "Huh? Oh, hey guys."
"I didn't expect to see you on our way out, Lady Suu." Rigur said, nodding towards me respectfully.
"Where are you going exactly?" I asked curiously.
"We're going out on a hunting trip." He explained while patting the head of his wolf partner.
"Hunting trip?" I mused, tilting my head to the side slightly, my wings shifting behind me.
Before Rigur could say anything, Gobta spoke up with a grin. "Yeah, we're gonna find something delicious for everyone."
(Should I... I mean I could... but what if I just end up getting in the way...) I thought for a moment, contemplating what I should do before finally coming to a decision.
"Do... do you mind if I can tag along?" I muttered after a second. My request definitely hadn't been expected if the look of surprise on their faces was anything to go by.
"Are you sure, Lady Suu?" Rigur asked, seemingly not against the idea.
"I errm... I wanted to see what the rest of the forest looks like, if only to satisfy my curiosity." I hummed while rubbing the back of my head.
"Then we'd be happy to have you along." He nodded, smiling.
"Heck yeah, I get to show off my mad skills." Gobta suddenly announced, causing his companions to sigh at his antics.
(A part of me is already starting to regret this.) I breathed, trying my best to shake that feeling off.
Just then a certain someone showed up out of nowhere, someone that immediately got Rigur's attention. "Oh, Lord Rimuru."
(When did he get here?) I thought as I turned to look at the blue-haired individual in question.
"Hey guys, you heading out?" Rimuru waved as he walked over closer to us.
"Yes, in fact we were just getting ready to head out on a hunting trip." Rigur answered simply.
"That's actually pretty convenient timing." The person who was now technically my father nodded, his smile growing as he made an announcement. "We're gonna have a feast!"
(A feast? Like a party or something?) I thought, my wings tightening slightly as a pang of anxiety ran through me. (I could just hide away until it's over but... well, I should at least try to take part.)
"Does that mean that you will be eating with us, sir?" Gobta asked, causing Rimuru to nod.
"Yep. I have taste buds and I plan to use them."
(Did he just realise that? How does someone not realise immediately that they have the ability to taste?) I couldn't help but think to myself.
"By the way, are you going with them, Suu?" Rimuru suddenly asked, pulling my attention back to him.
"Y-yeah, actually... I just asked if I could tag along because, well, I wanted to see what it was like outside of town..." I quickly explained.
(Not to say that I'm not nervous about going into a forest that is apparently filled with monsters, but I can't just stay here forever... I mean technically I could, but I don't want to. I don't want to be confined to one place again.)
"Well, since you're going with them it should be fine." He mused, nodding in acceptance of my decision. "Just be careful, okay?"
"Yeah..."
(It's nice to have someone say that.) I thought with a small smile.
That wholesome thought was interrupted, however, when Gobta, still looking at Rimuru, opened his mouth to speak again. "Hey, if you eat a lot do you think your boobs will grow bigger?"
(W-what... did he really just say that?) I blinked in disbelief.
What followed was both painful and surprisingly satisfying to watch. Rimuru, moving faster than I had expected him to be able to, kicked Gobta with enough force to send him flying. The short hobgoblin hit the ground and bounced multiple times, sending up a cloud of dirt before colliding with the hard wooden bark of a tree a moment later.
"He... he kind of deserved that..." I mumbled.
"I am so sorry, my lord." Rigur bowed apologetically. "I will make sure that he receives proper punishment later."
"It's fine, Rigur." Rimuru said, still clearly annoyed. "Just make sure to bring back something good for the feast, alright?"
"Don't worry, my lord, we'll bring back something truly amazing." The hobgoblin in question nodded with a smile. "In fact, with the amount of creatures roaming this area of the forest these days, it should be pretty easy for us to find something truly worthy of a feast."
That last part made Rimuru pause for a second before asking, "What do you mean?"
"You see, recently we've been encountering larger numbers of monsters, animals, and magical beasts within the surrounding forest; in fact, their numbers seem to be growing." Rigur was quick to explain as Gobta stumbled his way back over to us.
"Is there a reason for that? Why would the number of creatures be increasing?"
"Could it be some kind of migration?" I asked curiously.
"Maybe... but it's not just one species though, in fact we've been seeing beasts that don't usually live around here." Rigur muttered, causing a thoughtful expression to cross Rimuru's face.
"Hummm..."