Code S.L.I.M.E.

Chapter 12: Aftermath

WE HAVE DISCORDS! JOIN THEM, NOW! 

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Aoki's POV

Kokobu finally awoke, looking a great deal dazed. As if the entire world was spinning.

The reason I say that is because as she stood up, she actually did start spinning before falling over again.

It was a pitiful display for my first subordinate, but I hid my disappointment. "Kokobu."

"Princess..." She sat down on the couch again and stared at me carefully. "What did you do exactly?"

"I..." I considered telling the truth or lying. Both could serve my ends in different ways. It was a moment of indecision. "I accidentally put you to sleep when practicing spells."

"Are you sure?... I gained a new skill. It's quite... Unique."

"Interesting." That explained why she had not gained much magical power, it was all funneled into the skill. I was curious what the skill entailed, and I had wanted to figure out how to figure it out... the same way Father could.

I stared intensely and tried to use Magic Sense to pry into her spirit... I was given some resistance but ultimately was rewarded with establishing a small magical gateway into the spirit that I could open from my own.

It allowed me to see the skill was called [Servant], but nothing more.

"Princess... Did you just establish a Spiritual Magic Circuit with me?"

"Maybe?" I wasn't entirely sure, since I'd gotten none of that voice that sounded like Father. The Voice of the World.

"Ah... Perhaps you are unaware. It is a spiritual connection which you can establish things like Telepathy-Net with. Lord Rimuru used to use them quite often." It brought into question why Mother would stop using them, considering Telepathy-Net sounded useful... Whatever it was.

It sounded like Thought Communication, but better.

"Why did Mother stop using them?"

"Only Lord Rimuru would know why." She began to do an odd gesture where she tapped her fingers together, in what I think is called being anxious. "Princess... The feeling I have right now, I haven't experienced it in a long time... But it was similar to when I was named by Lord Rimuru... And after Lord Rimuru evolved into a Demon Lord... I even gained a skill."

I felt that she was too close to figuring this out, but I couldn't do anything about it in the moment.

"Did you attempt to name me, Aoki?"

Saying my name made it sort of difficult to lie again, I even felt my entire body shake almost imperceptibly.

"I see..." The Goblin-kin noticed it though. "I... trust you didn't try to overpower Lord Rimuru's name?"

"No! I'd never try to go against Mother... Not like that. Names are... Special." Anything like that would be terrible... It would take away the power a monster is granted by their name, the part of them the name makes up.

Kokobu nodded, "Good. But, I still think Lord Rimuru should know what you did."

"You tell him. If I tell Mother, I will be punished!"

"If you think that is wise, I will hold my own thoughts." She was speaking differently now, and I noticed. That was annoying, as it changed the way I'd need to convince her of things.

"What should we do? Mother said he would not return all day..."

My Goblinkin smiled softly and decided to finally bring up something I'd remembered, but hadn't thought about. "I have some gifts for you if you'd like to see them."