Black Shadow | Souei

Chapter 6: Shizu

Rimuru and Ranga stood by the water's edge. Kumiko sat, once again, up in a tree not far from Rimuru. Rimuru was showing Ranga a skill, [Black Lightening] that Ranga could use as a Tempest Wolf. He shattered the rock in the middle of the Ameld River, completely obliterating it and causing waves of water to wash over Rimuru and Ranga.

Rimuru and co were traveling back to the goblin village, albeit a bit slower since there were more people. They rested more often than they had on the way to Dwargon, but it only gave more time for Kumiko to ponder. She hated to admit it, but she was scared of what the group thought of her. Since she had revealed her past to the hobgoblins and the tempest wolves, she had avoided them like the plague. It wasn't like her to show fear, much less run away from things like she was doing. She couldn't help it. When Veldora found out, she had no attachment to the cave, nor to Veldora to an extent. Sure, she respected the dragon, but if he wanted to disregard her, then she would simply leave. Similarly, with Rimuru, despite her undying loyalty to the slime, if he wished her gone, she would obey and leave his side. Thankfully, neither Veldora nor Rimuru pushed her away. Rather, they welcomed her and promised to protect her. They were able to do so due to their sheer strength and powers. Under no circumstance was she a danger to either of the two.

The hobgoblins were a different case. While they were evolved monsters, Kumiko could still demolish their entire village without any effort. They knew she was powerful; her aura told the hobgoblins that despite how gentle and uninterested she may seem, she was a force to be reckoned with. But until now, none of the hobgoblins truly knew how much of a danger she could be. They thought she had the utmost control over all her powers and they were protected by her. In reality, she was still learning new abilities and practicing them. Throughout the trip back, she had been telepathically talking to Rimuru and even developed it to be able to communicate with Ranga and Rigur. She was scared to practice her ice-related abilities, the past haunting her. Kumiko could still see the pain radiating through the young ogre's face as he felt the icy cold freezing his body before it ended with an ice spike through his chest.

Kumiko shook herself off and tried to keep the image out of her mind. It was bad enough she was reminded of it when she slept deeply, hence why she preferred to rest her eyes while remaining alert and awake. She did it for years before she fled the village, in an effort to keep herself out of the village leaders' grasps. After she fled, she only had more reason to continue her sleepless nights. It kept out the images of dozens of dead ogres, the image of a young boy asking her to save him, the image of her skewering that same young boy right through the heart. She didn't need those images haunting her in broad daylight.

Rimuru-sama, we should get going. It is midday and we still have at least a full day of travel left. The village is waiting. Kumiko telepathically said to Rimuru. He sighed. Ever since she had developed this skill, she had basically stopped speaking altogether. He couldn't tell whether it was because she was scared of the other hobgoblins' reactions to her, or because she simply didn't like talking.

Rimuru knew she was avoiding the group. He could tell because whenever they stopped, she quickly reported to him that she was going to keep a lookout before she disappeared into the forest or up a tree. She was more of his guard than an advisor or a companion, but if that was what she wished to do, then he wouldn't stop her. He couldn't help but wonder if that was all she knew how to do - keep a lookout for danger and preserve herself as best she could.

The other hobgoblins had expressed their worry, telling Rimuru that they knew about her background. With permission from Kumiko herself, Rimuru had filled in the dwarves with the basics. The hobgoblins were scared, but they knew she meant the village well and would never willingly hurt anyone. If anything, she was hurting herself. With her background and her strength, both of which she feared, she was going to destroy her own mind. Rimuru desperately needed to find someone who Kumiko would be willing to open up to and fully rely on. He tried himself, but alas she held too much respect for him and was unwilling to 'burden' Rimuru with her own baggage.