Today had been a tiring day for Rimuru. She had just finished up some things she needed to do before preparing for her trip. Since Tempest was doing just fine, she planned to meet the kids and teach them for a while before coming back.
Just then, Souei appeared behind her. In the earlier days, she might have complained about him appearing so silently, but again, that was his job—so it was fine.
"Reporting to Lady Rimuru, Ancient Hero Felix and his companions have entered Tempest," Souei said quietly.
"Oh… man, here I thought I'd be free in a while. So, what are they doing?" she asked.
"They're heading towards the market," he reported.
"Oh well, as long as they don't do anything unusual, let them be. Once I'm finished with this, I'll go see him," Rimuru replied.
After finishing her work—which wasn't actually much, thanks to Great Sage's help—Rimuru summoned Benimaru and Shuna to accompany her in meeting the Hero.
From Souei's reports, she knew all the rumours surrounding him: from being the reincarnation of an Ancient Hero to outright being one. Beating a Demon Lord like Clayman with a single kick. And most recently, sealing Charybdis—an ancient monster capable of destroying nations.
So she had to be extremely careful with such an individual. After all, many humans—even Heroes—hated monsters. Who knew whether this Hero had good intentions or not? But then again, it was said that he had saved a little white fox from Clayman, who was clearly a monster too, so Rimuru wasn't too worried.
On her way to the market, she ran into Shion, who joined them as well.
As they approached Hero Felix, he noticed them and looked their way, observing them with interest.
After introducing herself, Rimuru invited Felix for a talk.
"Sure, have a seat," he replied, gesturing to the stool in front of him.
"Hey, boss, give us another four bowls," Felix called to the stall owner.
Rimuru immediately formed a good impression of Felix. He didn't put on airs—completely down to earth. To Rimuru, a Hero should be like this: someone who remained close to the common folk.
Just as Rimuru was about to sit, Shuna stopped her.
"Lady Rimuru, it would be better if we held this meeting in a proper room. The market is full of people and not suited for such discussions. I hope you don't mind, Hero Felix."
"Hmm… sorry, but I have to agree with her on that one," Rimuru added with a smile.
"Sure, as you wish." Felix stood up and, after paying the stall owner, walked with them.
"So, Hero Felix, how did you like our little town?" Rimuru asked casually.
"Ah… just call me Felix. And I love the town. If I had to settle anywhere in this world, I'd probably choose this," he replied.
For once, Rimuru found that she truly liked being praised for her work. She had built this place with everyone—it was her home in this world.
"So, Rimuru… may I call you Rimuru?" Felix asked.
"Of course. I'd prefer that."
"So, Rimuru, what was your purpose in building this town?" Felix asked.
"Hmm… you know, when I started, it was just meant to be a place where monsters could live peacefully and have a good life. From a small goblin village to now… all I really want is a place I can call home with everyone here," she replied honestly.
"That's a noble goal. You know, if you were human, I'm sure you could have been a Hero," Felix said.
"Maybe… who knows. What about you? Why did you become a Hero—or rather, why do you do what you do?" Rimuru asked curiously.
"Because that's what Hero Himmel would do," Felix replied, inwardly amused at his own meta reference, expecting Rimuru to catch it.
"Hmm… was Hero Himmel your master?" Rimuru asked without changing her expression.
That's when Felix realized Rimuru might have arrived in this world before Frieren even existed.
"Ah… you could say that," he replied awkwardly.
Just as he was thinking of saying more, they reached their destination—a meeting room.
After sitting down, refreshments were brought in as Rimuru and Felix engaged in small talk.
"So Felix, is there any particular reason for your visit to Tempest?" Rimuru asked.
"Not really. I just wanted to see the city of monsters. I've heard good things about it, so I wanted to experience it myself. You wouldn't mind if I stayed here for a few days, would you?"
"Of course not. You're welcome to stay as long as you wish."
"Oh, I've heard you're a slime—is that true?" Felix asked.
"Of course," she said, transforming into a cute blue slime and bouncing slightly. "But I'm not a bad slime."
Felix didn't recognize the original reference, but he laughed anyway—for him, it felt like a Tensura reference.
"So you are indeed an Otherworlder too," Rimuru said, returning to her human form.
"Guilty as charged," Felix admitted.
"Hmm… now that you mention it, I can see a lot of clues," Mjurran, who had been quiet until now, added thoughtfully.
"Yeah, that explains why you immediately went clothes shopping," Rimuru said.
"Of course I did. Do you know what strange stuff I was wearing before? Sure, it was loose and open, but the fabric was terrible most of the time," Felix complained.
"I know, right? That's why I went all in on it. And you know how outdated women's fashion is here—I had to create everything from scratch," Rimuru added.
As they shared their experiences as fellow Otherworlders, they didn't even realize the sun had already set.
Meanwhile, Mjurran and the little fox had their own interactions. Mjurran struck up a conversation with Shuna, which soon turned into a discussion about magic. Despite their differing systems, it became even more engaging as they exchanged insights.
"I really wish we could learn from each other and improve. I want to help Lady Rimuru more, but she's just so outstanding that I can't keep up," Shuna admitted.
"Exactly. It's the same with Lord Felix. At first, he only used his hands, then he started using a sword. I thought I was a great help since I could use magic and he couldn't—but now I realize it's not that he isn't good at magic. He just didn't need it before," Mjurran said.
"Then why don't you stay here for a couple of months? We could push each other and learn more advanced magic together," Shuna suggested.
"…Wait, that could actually work. We were worried that taking the White Fox to human nations might create tension. So maybe I could stay here with her until Hero Felix gains enough prestige that it won't matter," Mjurran said aloud.
"That's great! Talk to Felix about it and let me know—I'll arrange a house for you," Shuna said happily.
Meanwhile, Rimuru and Felix were bonding over anime tropes when they came to an odd realization.
"So… are we from parallel worlds? None of the things you mention exist in my world, and vice versa—except really old stuff. Maybe our timelines diverged at some point," Rimuru noted.
"Yeah… but there are definitely similarities here and there," Felix said.
"That's strange. I've met quite a few Otherworlders, and most of them have similar media to mine—even if their worlds differ. But then again, many of them are kids who don't know much," Rimuru said.
"Yeah… it's pretty messed up to summon children."
"I know, right… Anyway, before you came, I was planning to visit the children."
"Oh? How are you planning to get there? Want to come with us? It's a long journey," Felix suggested.
"I'll just teleport there."
"Hmm… convenient. Could you take us too? I can compensate you—with information or anything else you want."
"Come on, I consider you a friend now. If it's just you guys, I'll take you for free," she said with a smile.
"Well, friends don't undervalue each other's abilities. Teleportation is rare and powerful—I wouldn't feel right taking advantage of that," Felix replied.
"Hmm… in that case, can I have all the manga you remember from your world?"
"How exactly are we going to extract that from my head?"
"That… is a problem," she admitted, thinking.
"Actually, don't worry about it. If possible, I'll just give it to you in exchange for things from your world," Felix suggested.
"That's an idea… Oh! I heard you sealed Charybdis—you must be skilled in sealing magic. Could you teach me?" Rimuru asked.
"Now that's more like it. Let your sensei teach you Sealing 101…"
A/n: Sorry for the delay, I was out of town for work stuff and just didn't have enough time or energy to write.
How's the chapter? It may feel different since I'm writing after sometime but I should get back in my style soon.