True God In Another World (Tensura x Tbate)

chapter 8 - Journey and meeting the royal family {Rewritten}

Rimuru POV

While Art was dealing with our tearful rescue, I decided to do some good old-fashioned looting. Hey, waste not, want not, right?

Jackpot! Hidden under some junk, I found maps and books that were basically a "Slave Traders' Greatest Hits" collection. Perfect intel to share with the elves - well, most of it anyway. Maybe keep a few juicy bits for ourselves, you know how it goes.

The real prize though? A dimensional ring! Talk about convenient. Peeking inside, I found some cash and a pair of pretty sweet daggers. Not bad for a night's work.

Then there were those forest hounds to deal with. Sylvia chimed in with her usual perfect timing: <Kill them and take their cores.>

>>What for?<< I mentally asked, curious.

<For my daughter. She'll need them when she hatches. Even with the seal, monster cores will make her stronger.>

>>Well, if mama dragon says so...<<

Quick and clean - two dead hounds, two cores richer. Sometimes it's better not to question dragon logic.

"We're good to go!" I called out to Art and our rescue project. Time for proper introductions.

"Hi there! I'm Rimuru Lewin, and that's my twin brother Arthur," I said, trying to sound as non-threatening as possible. Which, being four, wasn't too hard.

"Tessia Eralith," she replied softly, still looking a bit shell-shocked. Poor kid. "Thank you for saving me," she whispered softly, her voice barely audible.

"It's all right," I reassured her, extending a bundle of clothes I had found in the carriage. "Here you go. I assume these belong to you. Put the coat over them since it's going to be cold."

Tessia took the clothes with a grateful smile, clutching them tightly to her chest. "Thank you," she expressed her gratitude, her voice filled with relief. She quickly retreated behind a nearby tree to change into the clothes.

As I glanced over at Art, I couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at his bemusement. "So, it looks like you didn't come back with anything useful?" he asked, his forehead creased in mock judgment.

I let out a sly chuckle and raised my hand, showcasing the glimmering ring on my finger. "All right here, my dude," I said, feeling a little smug.

Art's brow only furrowed deeper, and I could practically see the gears grinding in his head. "Wait, a ring? What are you talking about?" His voice was tinged with curiosity, but there was a hint of skepticism too.

I grinned, loving the chance to mess with him a bit. "It's a dimensional ring, genius," I teased, reveling in the big-brother role. Being just a few minutes older gave me all the rights to poke fun.

"Don't call me an idiot!" he shot back, puffing his cheeks in indignation. He always had this way of acting all offended, and honestly, it was adorable.

I sighed dramatically, trying to stifle my laughter. "Calm down, man. You don't need to shout it from the rooftops. Just hand over that egg Sylvia gave you, and I'll stash it in the ring."

There was a moment of confusion etched on his face, and then his eyes widened as if a lightbulb went off. "Which egg? Sylvia didn't give me anything—" Then it hit him, and he looked like someone had just slapped him awake. "Ahhh, you mean that stone is an egg!!!??"

I let out a quiet laugh. Honestly, I should've seen this coming. Mentally, I shot her a message, >>Didn't you mention to him that the stone is actually an egg?<<