Chapter 21

We were on the way back to the village and it was a sad atmosphere. Shizu was not looking good. I mean, she was literally dying right now. She'll be lucky to make it to tomorrow.

"Hey everyone. I know it's a little sad right now, so how about I tell you a story to help cheer y'all up?"

"What kind of story Artoria?" RImuru was a little curious and the adventure group also perked up their ears.

"It's a story of King Arthur. Now before you say anything, trust me when I say you haven't heard of this one before."

Ellen looked a little confused. "I haven't heard of anyone called King Arthur in the history I know."

"It's a legend, a myth, whatever you wanna call it. Not something exactly one hundred historically accurate. I'll try to fill y'all in on the gaps while I go on 'cause it will be confusing for y'all to understand it at first."

"Arotria, I've heard of the legend before. The whole pull sword out of the rock and so on. How will this be any different?"

"Rimuru. Just hear me out for a bit. Give it a chance before you say anything."

"Alright fine. Bless our ears with this wonderful story then."

It is going to be hard to keep a straight face while telling it.

"Let me tell you about the story of King Arthur and how he defeated the Saxons with the help of highly advanced alien robots."

"Excuse me. What?" RImuru's question was essentially what was on everyone else's mind. Ellen and her group were more confused since they probably hadn't heard a sentence spoken like that before. 

"I told you, this isn't your usual King Arthur story."

"This sounds absurd and crazy. It kind of makes me wanna hear more."

"Well. It starts with Merlin finding the Knights of Iacon and getting a staff that controls a robotic alien dragon…"

/\\//\\//\

"I don't know what to make of what you told me." Rimuru was trying to piece together the story I just told him. I'll admit, it was kind of funny telling it. Ellen's, Gido's, and Kaval's reactions to me saying a bunch of absurd things. Most of the time was spent trying to fill in gaps and knowledge about certain words and other things about the story. 

Ellen was kind of smart here. She told me that this story seemed to be part of some kind of bigger plot and story. She was right about that, but I'd like her to try to figure out some of the "issues" with the timeline and continuity. Not that it matters to me though, they were awesome and that's all that matters to me. 

We arrived at the village and it was sort of normal. There was no damage from Ifrit, but the "problem" here was all the ogres trying their best to interact with the goblins and direwolves. Rigurd was doing his best trying to explain that they meant no harm and they were merely trying to find a new home while reiterating that I was vouching for them. 

"Rimuru put Shizu to rest in one of the tents. I'll take care of this little interaction. You adventurers stay. We need to have a tiny little talk later."

I went towards Rigurd and the ogres. It wasn't like some big argument or whatever. No violence or anything of that sort. It was more trust issues towards the ogres who were going to be living here. 

I rode up to them and just made a loud announcement.

"Everyone! They are ogres and they are looking for a new home. They can be trusted and don't mean any harm. They will help the village to develop faster than what you have seen."

It was the same thing Rigurd was trying to say but when it was coming from me it had a lot more weight. The goblins hearing what I said, were very quick to welcome them. The ogres were also kind back to them and it created a much more positive atmosphere than before.

The chief of the ogre village came up to me looking like he just had an epiphany. 

"So you're actually one of the leaders of this village. I had my suspicions when you told us that your word would be enough to give us enough credit when we entered this village. That hobgoblin named RIgurd was way too excited when he heard that you sent us. He was all excited saying that you were back. Was this your plan from the beginning?"

He's smart to catch all these things. Something that his son would need a lot more of. No disrespect to him though.

"You're a good leader for the ogres. Most people would have a hard time connecting the dots. I won't say anything, but just know that soon you will find that what I did will have changed the ogres lives for the better."

I left the ogres and goblins to get to know each other better while I went to Rimuru. 

He was just coming out of the tent and it was obvious that he was looking sad.

"I assume that she's sleeping right now?"

'Yeah, she is." 

"I'm not good at this kind of thing Rimuru but you will have to face the reality soon about this situation."

"Is it possible to save her?"

"Rimuru, I would wait for her to get up and talk to her. You have known her more than I have and she will trust and listen to you more than she will me. After all, you're her fated one. In her eyes, I'm just a stranger and she won't really listen to me about her life when she has decided what to do. I know you know that she won't live for much longer. In my eyes, it's best to respect the requests and wishes of someone who is about to die. Let them decide how they want their life to end and if they want to be saved."

Rimuru was just pondering about what I said and I could see the conflict in his eyes. I don't exactly one hundred percent know what he's going through, but I can only say that it's very unfortunate that he has to go through such grief so early on in his new life.

"Rimuru take the time you need. I recommend getting to know the ogres. They are new residents who will be living with us. It might not be much, but social interaction and a perspective from the outside is sometimes what we need when going through a difficult time."

I rode off to Ellen and her adventurer group for a short talk. 

When I got to them, I got off Dun Stallion and told him to just rest. I looked at her group and they seemed anxious. I know why though. Ellen probably told them that I am a spirit, but I'm willing to bet that she hasn't seen a spirit like me before.

'Come on, let's go inside the tent for a talk. Don't be so stiff, this isn't something serious so calm down and let's chat."

We went inside the tent that was given to them when they arrived to the village the first time.

The buildings were still tents, but they were more like luxurious tents. Think of "glamping" and that is what we have right now.

We entered the tent and we sat down. I was on one side and the rest of the three were on the other side. 

I opened up with a little question to get straight to the point.

"So. What is your true purpose here?"

Ellen and her group were contemplating what to say and I could tell that Ellen talked to them about me. 

Even though Kaval was supposed to be their "leader" it was Ellen who spoke for them.

"We're adventures from Blumund. We've come here to investigate a gathering of monsters in the forest."

"And what do you think so far?"

"The monsters are very friendly and accommodating. We don't really see a danger here."

"What about me then? I know you're an elf and I know you that you know that I'm a spirit. It doesn't take a genius to know who exactly has the potential to be the most dangerous here in this little village."

"What kind of spirit are you? I don't think I've seen or heard of a spirit like you."

"I'm not telling you. It will come out eventually, but not right now. It's something best kept under wraps as long as possible until it's safe to say. Some people know some parts of what I am, but not the full picture."

"Are going to do anything to us?"

"No. I'll stop here for now. I would like to talk to you guys more, but we don't really have the time since Shizu's life is hanging on by a thread and there's some stuff to sort out with the village."

"Wait. Will Shizu live?"

"I would start coming to terms with the worst if I was in your position. For now, stay in the village for as long as you need to or at least until the situation with Shizu resolves."

I left the tent and decided to stop at Kaijin's place. I need him to make me proper horse equipment—mainly a saddle and reins, and also horse armor.

Heh. Horse armor. I can't think of that while also not thinking of Skyrim. They might as well go hand in hand with each other. 

I go to Kaijin's tent and enter. I see a pleasant surprise. I can see them taking shape. It won't be too long until they are ready. 

Kaijin looked up at me and immediately took off his goggles as he addressed me. "Ah, Miss Pendragon, what do you need? If it's about those weapons you showed me, they aren't done yet."

'Now it's 'Miss Pendragon'? Whatever.'

"Don't worry about those, they're not that important. What I need from you is to make me a saddle and some horse armor. Make sure they both fit together though. Just ask RImuru for the magisteel. Trust me when I say that he has more than what he knows to do with."

"I can certainly do that. Do you need it as soon as possible?"

"Make it a priority, but there's no need to feel rushed. Take your time to make it as best as you can."

"Alright, let me know when you're done with it. Oh, by the way, you'll be getting a new blacksmithing partner soon."

"Are you talking about those ogres? I don't want to sound mean, but I don't think they really have 'blacksmith material' among them."

"Trust me Kaijin, you will be very surprised."

I left the tent and went toward where RImuru was. He was very close to the tent where Shizu was. I saw him with Rigurd and the ogre village chief. 

Rimuru noticed me and I could already tell what he was thinking. "Artoria! What is this about an army of orcs rampaging around the forest?!"

"I assume the ogre chief told you?"

"Yeah, I pretty much got the whole gist of it from him and what you did. Also, you got a horse now?"

"Yep. I got a horse now. I even named him."

'You actually named something?"

"Hey, I never said that I wouldn't name anyone, I just said I'm selective with who I name. Anyway, what do you think of the ogres?"

"When Rigurd first came to me talking about ogres coming to the village, I thought they would look a lot more taller and extra buff. I'm surprised they look more 'human' than I thought."

"I'm guessing you're going to name them?"

"If they decide that they want to live here then yeah, but it looks like they may not have much of a choice since there's a massive orc army in the forest."

"We don't have to worry about that right now, but we will have to confront the issue soon. Also, don't name them right now. It's going to take a very long time to name the ogres even with the magicules you possess."

"How long are we talking about?"

"You could name around four to six ogres at a time depending on the strength of each individual and that's assuming you're willing to shut down for three days each time. It will take a few months probably. If you are going to name them, just start with a few of them."

"You gotta help me out with this one. Please?"

"I'll name only one."

"Only one? Why?"

"No reason. Just felt like it."

We just spent the rest of the time talking and trying to convince the ogres to fully embrace living here which means seeing us as the leaders of this village and therefore have to listen to our orders and commands instead of the former chief if they decide to. 

There was quite a bit of opposition, mainly from his son, but not so surprisingly, there were also some supporters, like the princess. It never got so extreme as for there to be a split of two factions, mainly because the ogre chief made sure things didn't get out of hand. 

Ultimately, there wasn't a full decision so we just left it for another day. 

/\\//\\//\

It was time. I felt Shizu was up and Rimuru felt it as well and he immediately went into the tent. I decided to stay outside since this was something between Rimuru and Shizu. 

I made sure no one would disturb them until Rimuru came out himself. I may not have been able to see it, but I could feel it. Shizu was aging very fast.

The village was still going business as usual, but I guess they seemed to feel that something was a bit off. Makes sense, it's not like I'm trying to hide it or anything. 

Ellen and her group came here to check up on Shizu, but I simply told them that now was a very bad time to enter. I tried putting it nicely for them using euphemisms, but they were smart enough to connect the dots and know what I was really trying to say. 

A little bit more time passed, and I felt that Shizu was reaching her limit. She was desperately hanging on so she could tell Rimuru about her students and about Leon Cromwell. 

And then it happened. Rimuru ate her. It was kind of weird. A moment as sad as this, and it happened just like that. There wasn't any kind of notice or anything like that that showed Rimuru ate Shizu, at least until he came out himself. The world went on as usual. 

I saw RIgurd come up with the clothes for Shizu.

"Ah, Miss Pendragon! You're still here for Shizu? I brought her some clothes to make her more comfortable!"

"Rigurd, It would be better to wait. Now is not a good time. Just wait for Rimuru to come out himself."

Rigurd followed what I said and also waited for RImuru to come out of the tent. He stood there patiently by the side, waiting.

/\\//\\//\

I reckon about an hour passed until Rimuru finally showed himself. He popped his head out and wow, talk about a pretty face. That androgynous face with long blue-silver hair and gold-yellow eyes. I would say he looks more female than androgynous, but his new look is based on Shizu so there's that.

He must only be wearing the shirt that Shizu had and nothing else. He must be a little shy thinking that he's only wearing a shirt and nothing else. I don't know why he appeared like that though, he could have just turned into slime form, looked for some proper clothes, and just turned into human form with them. He'll think of that later himself though, so it doesn't really matter. 

I looked at him and he looked at me. "So Rimuru, I assume that you have yourself together now? Or at least in better shape?"

"Uh, yeah." He's in need of some cheering up it seems. 

"Rigurd, hand me the clothes you brought."

"Of course. Here you go."

"Here Rimuru, put these on. Since you only have your head out, I assume that you're feeling shy and embarrassed. They'll fit you. Rigurd brought them with Shizu in mind and seeing how you are now, they'll fit like a glove on you." I handed the clothes to him and he grabbed them before he went back into the tent and finally showed himself fully in his new human form.

I'm not going to lie…he's very short. Like, I'm taller than him and that's kind of saying something. He was dressed in a direwolf vest, a white shirt, and some pants. It's basically an outfit of pelts for now, but it looked good so there's that. 

"Artoria. You know what happened and what I did? You're treating me the same even in this new appearance."

"Of course I do Rimuru, It's not hard to find out what happened especially with senses like mine. I'm not really good at this kind of stuff, but if you want to talk you can come to me. But right now, you have other things to worry about like explaining to Ellen and her group about what happened and giving them closure, talking with the ogres, and making some plans about the massive orc army in the forest."

"Artoria, is that really necessary at this time?"

"Look, I know how it sounds, but that's just how it is. Unfortunately, right now, we don't have the time. You'll have to get through it at the same time as all this, but you have a whole village behind you. Don't forget that." 

The new appearance of Rimuru spread throughout the village like wildfire. The fastest to hear the news was Ellens's group and they immediately came to us. It's like they unlocked a speed skill or something.

They were taken aback by Rimuru's new appearance and they all had the same thought. 

"Shizu? Rimuru? What's going on?" 

RImuru looked at me for help, but I sort of, kind of, just left him on his own. He would have to explain it himself without my help on this one. It won't be hard, Ellen's group is kind and understanding. They'll listen to his story first from his side before making hasty judgments. 

"Go on Rimuru, don't worry." I gave him some encouragement.

"Ok, so it happened like this…"

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

(Authors Note)

So guys, we did it. We reached half a million views on this fan-fic. 500,000 views on this fan-fic and still growing. The fact that we reached this number in such a short amount of time is just phenomenal.

Ok but seriously, I didn't expect this. This has done more numbers than I thought it would. I know there are some bumps in this fan-fic, but just know that I'm trying my best. I'm only one person, so some mistakes and things like that are bound to get through, but I try my best to try to keep it to a minimum.

But even with all that, the support I've seen with the views and power stones helps to keep me going and at least know that I'm doing good enough for people to want to take their time to read this.

I do this as a hobby and I'm an amateur at this, but did you know that the word "amateur" has origins in the Latin word "amator"? That word means "lover" and the word "amatuer" was later adopted into french for someone who does something just for the love of it. There's a little more to it than that, but that's the gist of it. 

You could say that I'm doing it for the love of the game. Hopefully you learned something new today.

Once again, thank you.

Beli4l out.