HEARTFELT - Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken

Break it Up

Hello again. This fanfic is not dead, don't worry, I just take long to come around sometimes. Life is very weird and busy at the moment and I have a feeling that it will be like that for a good while. Hopefully I'll be able to upload a bit more consistently but that's to hope.

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It was calm and tranquil, a peace that Rimuru rarely got to enjoy. Tapping his slender fingers under the wooden tray carrying two hot teas, whiffed with a mild, yet aromatic smell.

Usually any one of his subordinates would go and stir up a conversation to cut the silence, and while he did enjoy a good talk with people, sometimes he just needed to be alone.

Which was why he excused everyone to go have fun at the festival and ignore their jobs for the rest of the day, and yes, he meant everyone. Not even Diablo, the newest of his companions and was surprisingly clingy, could deny his orders.

But he swears he keeps feeling a pair of eyes watching him. He thinks it's Souei, but because he was also excused from his duties for the night, that would make no sense.

Don't tell me it's that guy again...!

No no, surely that was impossible. Nobody would refuse his orders and Diablo can't be that worried...

He should talk to him about it later just in case though... it is better to be safe than sorry.

His steps were small as he took his time to reach his destination, holding a neutral expression, yet his pink lips curved upwards, betraying his face as he moved his thoughts from his subordinates to his partner's achievement. If anything, he was probably more shocked than her of what she managed to accomplish.

At first, he considered the skill— [Great Sage] as simply a unique ability, possessing much knowledge and wisdom. While it was not omniscient, he found much joy and relief in having such a reliable skill at hand.

But as time passed, he would give little quirky comments then and there, which [Great Sage] at most times would not comment or take too seriously. But as the months passed by — the construction of his village became a city, and eventually to a country — it slowly understood its Master's personality, and even took some of it with them!

His smile broadened thinking about it, thinking about the fact that he was possibly the reason for her awakening of emotions.

When [Great Sage] became [Wisdom King Raphael] it became more human, in terms of emotions and voice-- so he decided to refer to the skill by 'she/her' due to its feminine, mature-sounding voice.

Well, it's not like it would reject the idea anyways, if anything that simply became engraved into Raphael's mind, surprisingly enough.

She would eventually respond to his little jokes, even making one in turn-- despite those jokes either being too insensitive or hurting his ego.

He giggled as he was reminiscing, making the servants who were cleaning the area stare at their king in awe, their faces painted with a visible blush at his adorable laughter.

It was true that before he died and entered the fantasy-esqued world, he wished for a partner; rather more of a romantic partner, but he would take anyone close to that.

While he didn't see Raphael as someone to take a romantic attraction to, he could appreciate his partner for all she has done. And even then, it's not like it's possible to fall in love with a skill-turned partner. That would be pretty weird, right?

For some reason, he frowned at his own denial.

I'm not that desperate, Rimuru thought, why would I fall in love with her like that?... wouldn't it be just strange?