Black Shadow | Souei

Chapter 5: Hero King, Gazel Dwargo

The next morning, Kumiko still felt bad about forgetting Gobta to the point that her normally expressionless face was now marred with worry for the younger goblin. Rimuru had allowed her to stay with the group overnight since he and the dwarves decided rather than going to the tavern late at night, they would go the next day. However, this only gave her more time to worry about the goblin in the cell. Surely Rimuru would allow her to shadow travel and retrieve the poor thing, would he not? At one point, the other hobgoblins and tempest wolves started trying to cheer her up in various ways. They brushed off the fact that Gobta was left in the dungeon by simply laughing it off and saying that he was probably still sleeping. Rigur lightly patted her shoulder and said that had Rimuru thought Gobta's presence be needed, he would've had Kumiko retrieve him right away.

At this, Kumiko finally relaxed. It was true. If Rimuru needed Gobta, he would've said so. Perhaps it was Rimuru's plan that he stay there. A voice at the back of Kumiko's head kept insisting that Rimuru had forgotten, but she pushed it down. No way the Great Rimuru had forgotten Gobta. He must have a reason for leaving him down there.

"Ah, that reminds me, Kumiko." Rigur tapped a stick on the ground, mindlessly drawing lines in the dirt. Kumiko hummed slightly to tell him she was listening.

"When you first arrived with Rimuru-sama, we could barely sense your presence. Now we can see you just fine."

She looked at the hobgoblin who stared back at her curiously. Kumiko's skill [Presence Obscure] was considerably rare, though not enough to be considered a unique ability. It was the evolved version of [Stealth Arts], the skill used by the adventurer in the cavern. Simply put, it erased one's presence away from all sense. The stronger the monster, the weaker the effect of [Presence Obscure] but considering that Kumiko herself was a Kijin and there haven't been many monsters stronger than her, she felt no need to test the strength of her skill.

"It's called [Presence Obscure]," she finally informed Rigur with her soft chime-like voice. "It allows me to completely remove my presence from all five senses, as well as [Magic Sense] and hide in plain sight from anyone I wish. I can hide from an enemy but appear to an ally simultaneously. The stronger the monster, the weaker the effects. During the fight with the direwolves, my presence seemed to flicker in and out for them, but the goblins saw me just fine, as did Rimuru-sama. That was when I was an unnamed Ogre. Now, as a Kijin, I don't expect that I will come across too many monsters who can see past my [Presence Obscure]."

"How did you learn this skill?" one of the other hobgoblins asked, curious. Nothing much was known about Kumiko, only that she and Rimuru arrived to save the village. They didn't question her position. In fact, they respected her immensely. Sometimes, however, they got curious. A second, hidden, motive they had was they simply wanted Kumiko to keep talking. She usually kept silent, but her voice was always refreshing and easy on the ears.

At this question, Kumiko flinched and looked down at the tips of her black hair. Her hands went up to the horns protruding from the sides of her head and covered the horns up. The hobgoblins worried they asked the wrong question and were about to tell her nevermind when she answered.

"It is because of these," she stated, holding her horns still. Her soft voice was but a whisper, pain laced through her usual monotone words. The hobgoblins and wolves looked at her in confusion and worry. Was she not an ogre before? For ogres and their future evolutions, it was common to have horns. She saw their stares and sighed, letting her hands drop lifelessly into her lap.

"I am an ogre, yes, but I am not normal. Ogres are defined by one to three horns protruding from their foreheads." Kumiko pointed to her own horns. "Clearly, mine do not."