Friend of the slime

14. Aftermath

Ananta pov

"Rimuru....Ananta."

"Yes?" Rimuru answered the weak girl who was layed out on the bed in one of the few buildings left standing after the attack. I sat on a chair beside her with Rimuru stationed on the bed near her head.

"Thank you." Shizu breathed out  "I almost..killed someone I cared about again... With my own hands." Her voice was weak and quiet, the exact opposite of how she sounded just a day ago on the hilltop. Even though I hadn't known her for long it still hurt me to see her like this.

She went silent again, neither me nor Rimuru knowing what to say to fill the silence. Or even if we should speak at all. This was not my first encounter with death. But this was nothing like my grandpa's passing. I had no idea what to do, and somehow that almost hurt worse.

"Rimuru, Ananta... Would you mind listening?"

"You shouldn't talk to much.." Rimuru began but trailed off in the end. Neither of us had the courage to say it.

Shizu turned her head to look at the both of us and smiled warmly." I want people to remember my story...and know that I lived."

Rimuru looked back at me and I gave him a nod, not trusting myself to speak. "All right, please tell us."

And so Shizu told us everything that had happened to her in this world, even though some of her memories were vague. She spoke of how Ifrit possessed her after she was summoned, and how she ended up killing her friend. Even though she was talking about all the pain and suffering she had gone though her voice never waivered.

As Shizu told us her story we stayed silent taking in every word she said. Even the noise from the villagers cleaning up the destroyed homes outside were just muted background noise as she talked.

"After Pitino died I continued to serve the Demon Lord as his closest aid. But then I met..."

"Met who?" Rimuru asked when Shizu paused.

"The hero."

"Hero?"

"Yes...the hero."

I couldn't help but notice as her voice went softer as she remembered the woman who had saved her.

"There was a battle and the demon Lord abandoned his castle, leaving me behind as the rear guard. Was it the will of the fire spirit Ifrit, or of my own violation? I'm still not sure. I thought I'd be killed for sure...but then she spoke to me. She asked me why I was there, how I had stayed alive. I was a Majin, and she believed every word I said. She told me, "It's all right now."  My emotions came back to me, and the hero took me in."

"She was the one who gave me that mask." Shizu told us looking up at the cracked mask that sat on the table at the head of her bed. "She told me it would boost my majic resistance and help suppress Ifrit."

She sat up sudently reaching out for the mask. I leaned forward in my chair to help her ease back down while Rimuru grabbed the mask. Once it was safely in Shizu's hands she continued on with her story. She told us about her travels with the Hero and all the wonderful things she had learned. As well as how the Hero suddenly dissapeared making her determined to get stronger. As the years went on she was hailed as a champion, but also found it harder to control the power inside her. So she retired and became a teacher for other children who has been summoned from other worlds.

A small glimmer entered her eyes as she spoke of her times at the school and the children she had taught.

"Some of then left, but one of them went onto become the guild master." Her voice sounded proud as she thought of her past students. "So I thought there was nothing left for me to teach them anyone. It was also becoming harder for me to contain Ifrits power. There was only one thing I could remember, so I decided to go on a journey."