22 Ch 21: Escort Mission

---This Chapter is Written by Void-King---

The morning sun rises on the horizon of the Kingdom, and its sunlight starts to shine upon the land.

In a particular place in the Kingdom, there stands a Lovely Bear house. Inside, there is a young girl with green hair who is sleeping peacefully on a fairly large bed.

*Yawn* "Is it already morning?" Yuna said as she gets up from the bed. She noticed that Rimuru was already up since he was Not in bed anymore and she could also smell the fragrance of Rimuru's cooking.

After getting up from the bed, Yuna went to take a shower, and after that, she wore her usual attire.

After getting dressed up, Yuna went downstairs. Upon arrival in the kitchen, she saw that Fina and Shuri were already waiting for her, and she could also see that Rimuru was still cooking their breakfast.

"Good morning, Fina, Shuri, Rimuru," Yuna said and greeted the three.

""Good morning, Yuna-Onee-Chan,"" Fina and Shuri said in unison.

"Good morning, Yuna," Rimuru said as he stopped cooking for a few seconds to give Yuna a morning kiss.

"Breakfast will be ready in a minute, so take a seat," Rimuru said.

After a few minutes, the four people ate their breakfast, and from an outsider's perspective, they looked like a happy family.

After finishing their breakfast, Rimuru, Yuna, Shuri, and Fina went to the marketplace together to show the two kids around. Everyone who happened to see them was looking at them with smiles, as they misunderstood and thought of them as a family going around to have fun.

After that, Yuna brought Shuri and Fina back to Crimonia since she promised Terumina that she would bring the two back today.

***

.

After she brought Shuri and Fina back, she returns to the capital to have some alone time with Rimuru together.

The two waited at the Bear House for Eleanora to arrive, and while waiting, they enjoyed talking about what had happened when they arrived in this world.

"Good morning, Yuna-chan, Rimuru-san," Eleanora greeted them.

""Good morning,"" Rimuru and Yuna greeted Eleanora back.

"We will go to the academy, okay?" Eleanora asked.

"Am I really going?" Yuna hesitated. Since She thought that dealing with people of the same generation as her was something she was not good at because she thought of herself as a hikikomori.

"You promised, right?" Eleanora reminded her.

"It's okay. I'll be with you," Rimuru said as he held Yuna's hand.

Yuna was still hesitant to go, but she eventually agreed, partially because Eleanora reminded her that she promised to be the escort of Shia. Even though Yuna would prefer to go on a Date with Rimuru rather than going on a School.

"Then let's go. They are waiting for you two," Eleanora said and walked towards the academy.

As they walked, Yuna couldn't help but notice the students wearing uniforms all around.

'Wow, their uniforms are different from the Tempest Institute back in Tempest,' Yuna thought as she continued to look at the students who were wearing navy blue and white uniforms with a navy blue mantle.

{A/N: I forgot the name of the school in Tempest, so I'm just calling it the Tempest Institute.}

When they arrived, Rimuru and Yuna could hear whispers among the students as they discreetly looked at them, specifically at their clothes.

"A bear?"

"Why would a bear be at the academy?"

"She's cute."

"Are the two of them royalty?"

"Wow, this is the first time I have seen such interesting clothes!"

"Look, the other one is wearing all black clothes."

"There's a sword on their hips."

"Hey, I know the blue-haired one. He was the one who cut down a horde of monsters in one swing."

"I know the girl with bear clothes. I saw her take down a dragon."

The students kept whispering about the attire of Rimuru and Yuna, and some even recognized the two who fought during the attack on the capital.

"You two are famous around the city," Eleanora said to the two.

"Well, I didn't expect that they would recognize us," Rimuru said with a wry smile.

"Can I go back?" Yuna asked, feeling embarrassed.

"Of course you can't," Eleanora replied firmly, grabbing Yuna's shoulders to prevent her from running away.

Rimuru only looked at Yuna's actions with a smile since he thought she was cute.

They continued walking amidst the whispers until they reached the academy, which looked like a castle from the Middle Ages.

"So this is the academy," Rimuru commented.

"Yes, Children ages 12 to 18 attend here," Eleanora explained.

""It's big,"" Rimuru and Yuna said in unison, astonished by the size of the academy. Although it paled in comparison to the school in Tempest, it was still big enough to leave Rimuru and Yuna astonished.

"There are a lot of children in the capital attending the academy despite the tuition fee," Eleanora added.

They entered the academy and were led to what seemed to be a staff room, where they would meet the homeroom teacher of the students they would be assigned to.

Yuna felt a bit uneasy since she still hated being in a staff room, but she felt Rimuru's warm hand that was still holding hers.

Inside the staff room, they were met by a man who seemed to be in his 30s. "Professor Schoerg," Eleanora greeted him.

"If it isn't Eleanora-sama... and a bear?" Professor Schoerg exclaimed, surprised. He didn't even notice Rimuru since he was surprised by Yuna's appearance.

'Even though I'm only wearing a bear hoodie, the Comments of bears still remains, huh?' Yuna thought.

"This is the Adventurers who will be the escort," Eleanora introduced Rimuru and Yuna.

"Eleanora-sama, is this a joke? I only see a 14 or 15-year-old girl, though. Could she possibly be a girl who wants to enter the academy?" Professor Schoerg questioned.

"Pfft... Professor, I think you're mistaken. My fiancée here is already 16 years old," Rimuru said.

"And you are?"

"I'm Rimuru Tempest, also here for the escort mission, and I'm Yuna's fiancé. Don't forget that," Rimuru said firmly.

"They are respectable B-rank adventurers, and they are also the heroes of our kingdom, you know," Eleanora clarified.

"Rank B... and the heroes of our kingdom?" Professor Schoerg looked at them doubtfully.

So Rimuru and Yuna showed their guild cards, and as soon as the professor looked at the guild card, he noticed the emblem of the royal family, and his hand started shaking.

'Why is he shaking?' Rimuru and Yuna wondered.

"This is not fake, right?" the professor asked. "No, there's no way that this is fake," the professor answered his own question.

"So do you believe now? I guarantee it with my name, Eleanora," she assured him.

"I believe it, Eleanora-sama. And Yuna-dono and Rimuru-dono, please forgive me for my rudeness earlier," Professor Schoerg said.

"It's alright, professor," Yuna said and retrieved their guild cards, giving Rimuru his guild card, and the two put them in their storage.

"So, Yuna-dono and Rimuru-dono, do you need any explanation about the practice training?" Professor Schoerg asked.

"We was told that we just have to protect them in case of danger and report on their behavior," Yuna replied And Rimuru nodded.

"Yes, basically, let them be independent. Even if they make mistakes or their actions are bad, don't interfere. Only intervene if their actions could be dangerous," Professor Schoerg explained.

"You're telling us to do the difficult things," Rimuru remarked.

"That's why finding someone to do this is difficult," the professor replied.

Rimuru and Yuna thought that this was a hard task since they would be guarding children from high-ranking families.

"Where will this test be held?" Rimuru asked.

"You two, along with the students, are going to a village that is three to four days away by carriage, and you will be transporting wheat flour," Professor Schoerg revealed.

"It will take about 10 days for the round trip," Eleanora added.

"That means we will be going by carriage?" Yuna asked.

"That's right. That's why, Yuna-chan, your bears are forbidden, okay? Oh, and Rimuru-san, using Ranga is also forbidden. And don't even think of using the dragons that you two have," Eleanora said to the two, who were thinking of riding the two dragons.

"Dragon?" the professor asked in confusion.

Eleanora didn't answer the professor's question and immediately changed the subject to the journey details.

***

After listening to the journey details, they went to the classroom where the students they would have to guard were waiting.

"A bear?" one student exclaimed.

"Why is a bear here?" another student wondered.

However, there was only one student who had a different reaction—Eleanora's daughter, Shia.

All four students in the classroom were wearing uniforms—two boys and two girls.

Among the four, there was an intelligent-looking boy with slightly long hair, a seemingly cheeky short-haired boy, a girl with blond hair fashioned into drills, and, of course, Shia.

They all stared at Yuna, completely disregarding Rimuru, who was right next to her. Then the classroom buzzed with conversations. "All of you, be quiet," Professor Schoerg commanded.

"Professor, who is this bear?" one student asked.

'These kids have the guts to call my Yuna a bear, and they didn't even notice me,' Rimuru thought.

"Don't tell me that she is the additional member who is supposed to go with our party?" another student speculated.

"She is too short, so that's impossible," someone added.

While the other students freely voiced their thoughts, Shia smiled and waved at Yuna and Rimuru.

"Alright, all of you shut up and stop calling my fiancée a bear," Rimuru said, making the students quiet down.

Their professor then started introducing the two and apologizing for the children's actions.

"They are the adventurers who will be your escorts," he announced.

"What are you saying, professor? No matter how I look at it, they are younger than us," one student protested.

"That's right, professor. Stop joking, please," another student chimed in.

The girl with blond drills seemed particularly upset.

"I'm not joking. They are full-fledged B-rank adventurers. They came here because I asked them to be your escorts. There is no one here who would disrespect my recommendation, right?" Eleanora defended.

The students were making a racket, but Eleanora explained further, almost as if it were a threat.

"Don't worry. I guarantee their ability," she assured them.

However, the children still didn't believe it. No matter how they looked at Rimuru and Yuna, they appeared young. Rimuru looked about 18 years old, and Yuna appeared to be 14 or 15 years old.

"Eleanora-sama, are they really rank B? I was taught that it was really difficult to rank up to that point," the girl with blond drills inquired.

"Of course, it's difficult. Just with that, you should understand how impressive they really are," Eleanora replied.

"But, Eleanora-sama, if they really are B-rankers, there is no way that I wouldn't know about it, right?" the long-haired boy interjected while pointing at Yuna and Rimuru, showing off his knowledge.

"Hmm, are you sure you haven't seen them?" Eleanora asked, since she didn't know that there was still someone from the capital who didn't know the appearance of Rimuru and Yuna.

"No, I don't know them," the boy replied. So Eleanora said that they came from Crimonia, knowing that Rimuru and Yuna would appreciate it if she hid the fact that they were the heroes who fought the monsters that stormed the capital.

"Still, if these two could become B-rank adventurers, I can become an A-rank," the short-haired boy joked.

'It seems that there is someone who enjoys judging others based on appearance,' Rimuru thought.

"Hey, Shia-san, did you know that the academy had such a ridiculous plan? They expect them to be our escorts. Honestly, won't we be the ones who have to protect them?" Cattleya complained.

"Fufu, Cattleya-san, that's not true at all. They are the best escorts we could have. Even if I had the choice to go with an S-ranked adventurer, I would still choose them," Shia defended.

"Oh, Shia-san, do you know this blue-haired boy and the bear?" another student asked.

"Just a bit," Shia replied.

"Really?" the student questioned.

"I thought this practice training would be boring, but now I'm happy it won't be," Shia expressed her change of heart.

'did she just have a change of heart?' is what Yuna Thought.

"Really? Personally, I don't want to go since it seems troublesome," another student shared their reluctance.

"Anyway, these two will be your escorts. You have no right to refuse," Eleanora intervened.

"Eleanora-sama, can't we abandon them?" one student proposed.

"I don't mind," Eleanora replied.

"If it's okay even if they dies, I won't say a thing," another student coldly commented.

"I am also okay with it, of course....," a student wanted to add more, but Rimuru who had enough spoke.

"Alright, you kids, that's enough. All of you think you know everything, right? Then prove to me that you're all strong enough to be able to say those kinds of words." Rimuru challenged the students, surprising Eleanora and Yuna.

"....."

The children didn't answer since they didn't know how to respond.

"No answer? So all of you are nothing but spoiled brats who can't even take responsibility for your own words? If that's the case...." Rimuru didn't get to finish what he was saying since Cattleya spoke up.

"We're not spoiled brats," Cattleya said.

"Well, it looks like someone is brave enough to speak. But you know, it's easy to talk than Done. So during this test, show me what all of you can do!" Rimuru said and dragged Yuna out.

The room was left in silence until Eleanora broke it.

"Then, everyone, please be ready for the test," she said.

Meanwhile, Yuna and Rimuru went on a date to relieve their frustration.

"Is it really okay to say those words to those kids?" Yuna asked while eating a meat skewer.

"Well, they need someone to tell them that. And I want them to know that they can't judge a person based on their outer appearance," Rimuru said.

Yuna only smiled and wrapped her left arm around Rimuru's right wrist, and the two enjoyed their date.

---End---