You are the father!

A.N/ Notice! The first few paragraphs are oddly good and there is going to be a wholesome extra scene at the start. High risk of wholesome poisoning, sugar crash, heart attacks due to the formation of plaque (the thing that attack) from sugar, and high blood pressure.

Debilitating jealousy, depression/sadness, and exploding from anger due to reflecting on your life and seeing how terrible it had been, and how many mistakes you've made in your life compared to what you could've got.

All of the above and more are dangers of reading the following. You've been warned.

(Lol. I just wish I didn't accidentally make it sound creepy, the wholesome extra, that is.)

~Rimuru~

Feeling the cold breeze submerged in the aroma of lavender and roses, coupled with the sun's light embracing me with its warmth, I slowly open my eyes, lavishing in the gentle feelings coming to my face, and that of the soft, yet somehow endearingly strong surface cushioning me hear and shoulder.

'Uh... what is this...?'

When my consciousness sparked, and my eyes were ajar, other than the sight of the sun rising up, lightening the cloudy, yet slightly dark sky, and greeting the world with a good morning, my face was covered by a few strands of shimmering silver turning gold by the orange light of the morning star.

I held one of them with my free hand, rubbing it between my index finger and thumb, and feeling its smooth texture, making silk feel like a broken stone in comparison.

I moved my hand upward, trying to find the root of the strand. Going above my head, I reached what felt like a calm ocean, with its strand-like reverse quietly flowing in each direction.

When my eyes fully opened, I was greeted with the sight of Luminous peacefully sleeping, laying her head over mine.

'No wonder I feel so much better than before...'

I slowly removed my hand from her back and tilted her head to the side a little, making me able to slide from between her head and shoulder.

Her head was now on my hand, allowing me to see her face with its delicate features, and a small smile, absorbing every last bit of my attention.

I stayed there, just staring at her face and patting her.

'Ah! I shouldn't keep her like that for long, or I might hurt her neck...'

Realizing that, and without averting my gaze from her, I created a slope of soft soil behind me, so that we could lie on it, yet I unconsciously made it overgrown with flowers of blue -from deep to light blue-, crimson red, and most importantly, silver.

I laid down on it, while I put Luminous on my right shoulder, close to my chest, with my right around surrounding her, hugging her, and bringing her closer to me.

I kept looking at her, feeling her every motion and softly caressing her hair, all the while resisting a strong urge that's been building up from the moment I woke- From a month- No... From over two years ago...

'I'm sorry Luminous. I hope that you will forgive me...'

I brought her closer to my face, only to notice her eyes twitching, the lids slowly opening like a gate letting everything outside enter her mind.

'She's waking... It might be inappropriate, perverted, and a wrong act... It might destroy everything between us, yet I can't hold back anymore... I can't stop... I'm sorry, Luminos.'

A flowing wind encompassed us, plucking the petals into the air, making them dance like glowing fairies to its waves.

I felt my heart(?) pumping faster and louder, rhyming with the movement of the air and the petals dance. My blood(?) rushing through my veins(?) to my head, overflowing it with heat, not helped by seeing Luminous so close with much more clarity than before.

But that didn't stop me, as I've steeled my will to presume and fulfill this urge no matter what.

Luminous' face glowed with a pink hue, yet her eyes barely open.

*smoch*

My lips connected to her cherry-pink cheek, while my hands fully embraced her in a tight hug. Her eyes opened widely and her mouth agape the moment she notice what was going on.

Yet she almost instantly shut them, with her expression having nothing but a content grin.

〘"|Kyaaa!!! He did it!!! *nuclear nose bleed*|"〙

It lasted one blissfully long second, a second that I will remember forever.

When we separated, Luminous, while her eyes still closed, fell down and instantly started snuggling on my chest with an ever-expanding smile.

While glancing at Luminous, I also noticed how Ouroboros was ignorantly sleeping through the whole time, which I thought was cute.

Luminous: "I wouldn't mind another small nap..."

My vision was halved from the tips of my mouth pushing my cheeks up, making them cover my eyes.

Both my hand rotated around her, hugging her close to me, making sure that she won't have to experience the freezing loneliness before putting my head almost atop hers, and sleeping in what heavens couldn't even try to match for the second time in the same day.

...Time skip...

We woke up- Ahem. We jumped from our nap, panicking.

'Great Sage, what time is it? Are we late?! We should quickly get back, or they might think we disappeared!'

"Don't worry. I figured that it might take you a while, so I prolonged their sleep."

Luminous: {And since when were you able to do that?}

"From the start."

Luminous: {Wait, then-}

"You need to be fast because they are waking up."

Deciding to not argue any further, we dashed to the village at high speed, though not at our top speed, as there was no need to go that fast.

Ouroboros, who woke up when we started moving, was once again trying to stay still despite the air stretching him backward. Seeing his futile attempts, I patted his head with my free arm and pushed him behind my head.

On our way, we discussed what we will do, and our plan for the village. When we were done, Great Sage asked me a question.

"Master, can I ask you a question?"

'It's odd that you're asking me that, but yes, you can ask.'

"What do you think about what happened yesterday? You look very happy as of right now, so could you tell me your favorite part?"

'It was great! I had finally been able to clear my mind, go visit beautiful places in peace, and even had refreshing sleep! I don't really have a favorite part, I could say that it in its entirety was my favorite.'

"|He didn't mention the kiss, but I'm sure that he remembers kissing Luminous... Then that means that's his way of... *Looks at Luminous' dumb smile* *Looks at Rimuru's dumber grin* *Looks at the tightly held hands and the nonexistent space between them* *Have an even dumber grin* ...Not rushing things, but it also meant his acceptance of his emotions~|"

We reached the village a little after, finding that most of the hobgoblins, goblinas, and wolfs has woken up, but some of them were still laying on the ground asleep.

'Is it just me, or do they look different from before?'

"Due to Master being stronger than before, they all evolved a bit more than before, making them seem a bit bigger or different. Some of the stronger ones evolved into ogres."

'That makes sense, but it doesn't explain the wolves.'

"It's because unlike before, each and every one of them has a name, added to that the fact that their evolution is much more affected by the blessing they were given. They didn't evolve into [Discord Wolf] (Discord means disagreement and mess, which could be considered a synonym for Chaos) instead of [Tempest Wolf]"

Rigurd: "Rimuru-Sama! Luminous-Sama! You're safe! We've been looking for you for a while now, we worried that something bad might've happened to you!"

Rigurd screamed while running towards us. Most of the inhabitants were in the center of the village -the place we named them at- while the rest few were going all around looking for something, presumably us.

Luminous: "You don't have to worry. We were just taking a walk while waiting for you to wake up."

Rigurd reached us and kneeled in front of us, greeting us overly respectfully, as he probably felt ashamed for whatever reason.

Luminous: "You don't have to worry. You didn't do anything wrong, nor could you have known that we just left for a while. Regardless of that, summon all the citizens to the village center, again."

Rigurd: "Hai, Luminous-Sama."

He then moved to the center, while presumably using [Thought Communication] to inform everyone that we've returned, and to gather at the center of the village.

As most were already there, we need to wait only for the ones that went outside to look for us.

'Yesterday I thought I had to do it, but it turned out to be today...'

A few minutes passed, and all were now ahead of us, patiently waiting for what we had to say.

'I have to abide by what Luminous said...'

Rimuru: "Now that everyone is here, I want to first congratulate everyone on their evolution, no matter what they evolved into!"

At these words, the crowd flared up with cheers and congratulatory words to everyone, especially to the few that evolved into ogres.

'I have to focus, I must control my emotions...'

Luminous: "Everyone, quiet."

Her words were cold and effective as steel, none dared to make a loud breath after her command.

Rimuru: "Now to the main reason I brought you all here, and it's to put on the new rules that everyone must follow."

I took a deep breath, bracing myself as much as I could for what I feared will happen throughout the last week.

Rimuru: "The first rule is: No infighting. Do not ever fight or hurt any of each other.

Second Rule: Do not belittle other races now that you have evolved, that's especially so for those who have become ogres. Just because you've become stronger, doesn't mean you're the stronger, and those who are weaker than you could one day become stronger and take revenge."

'I can't do it... I shouldn't- I mustn't disappoint Luminous... I'm doing it for them... I'm just preparing them- empowering them for what's to come... It's... for them...'

A turmoil raged inside of me, halting me for a quick second, but years of experience made my face betray expressing what was inside of me, yet the same couldn't be said for my hand.

Rimuru: "Third and last is: Do not attack humans... Unless forced into a fight with no other choice."

'I'm sorry... B-but I couldn't do it... I can't see you all dead again...'

Luminous: "After the rules, we have to secure our survival. All of you, each Hobgoblin/Goblina and Discord Wolf would for a due, as in a team of two. As for the ogres, you are strong enough to fend yourselves for now.

"All of you would be designated into three teams: First would collect everything and hold it while moving to our new settling location. The second would circle around the first, hunting and gathering fruits, while the third would protect the first two.

"As for us -Me and Rimuru-, we would go to Dwargon to get the help of artisans so we could start our new infrastructure. If any of you have ever gone there, raise your hand so we could bring you with us as our tour guide."

Only one 'Hobgoblin' raised his arm, the infamous Gobota.

Luminous: "Prepare yourself. We will get going in a few hours."

I rotated to look at Luminous, but only to find her staring back with a faint frown and a worried expression dressing her eyes and looking back at me.

Ouroboros, who was on her shoulder and rubbing her cheek, suddenly stopped and looked at me, with the same worried expression.

She dragged me a bit deeper into the forest, close yet unnoticeable by anyone in the village. She created a swelling dome of wind around us, blocking all sound from entering or exiting.

Luminous: "Rimuru-"

Rimuru: "Thank you... Thank you for yesterday. If not for you, I would have never been able to make the choice, I would have chosen to let them suffer so that they could get stronger so that they will be prepared for the war, the fights... everything...

"But I would've always blamed myself, self-destructing at how I hurt them, being unable to protect them, at how I've chosen the wrong choice, and how I should've chosen their safety as a priority."

I open my hand, the one holding into hers, surprising her for a moment before she noticed me falling on her with my arms open, hugging her with all my heart.

Rimuru: "Thank you for allowing me to choose what's best, for giving me the reassurance that there's someone for me even if I didn't choose what will make them the most prepared.

"...Thank you for giving me the strength to choose their safety and happiness instead of their arbitrary 'strength'."

With a solemn, low voice, I opened to her my worried heart and thanked her for more than what I stated, yet my words couldn't encompass my emotions.

Ouroboros slipt from her shoulders to mine as her hand ensnared me in her embrace, covering me with comfort, making me more firm on my choice.

Luminous: "Pff- Rimuru, that's silly of you. You didn't need to worry about their strength or power, we could just increase it later. And didn't I tell you to not hide these things from me?"

Rimuru: "Hahaha~ I'm sorry, I didn't want to burden you with this, but I guess I already burdened you with my mess... You are correct, I am silly."

She brought her hand from my back and put them on my chest before slightly pushing me away. Ouroboros, who had gotten his space after a 'long' wait, coiled around my neck like a scarf without a moment of waiting.

Luminous: "It's good that you understood. Now, let's get back and prepare to go to Dwargon."

And with a snap of her fingers, the dome around us dissipated, But... *Tshhhhhhhhhhzzzzzzz* A repeated sound of trees falling to the ground appeared the moment the dome disappeared.

Rimuru: "Oi, Luminous, what was that about?"

Luminous: "... I think I might've missed up while deactivating the dome and launched it as a few blades of air, hence a few trees fell down."

Rimuru: "Well, it doesn't really matter. Let's just go back."

I quickly lunged my hands toward hers, trying to hold it. She didn't resist, but her hand interlocked and held into mine.

With Ouroboros spinning his head around as if he was looking for something, we went back to the Village with haste.

... A few hours later...

Luminous, whose cloth changed appearance into that of a mainly black-sleeved dress with a knee-long skirt with slight folds and curly at the end. Her chest area -around her cleavage specifically-, her cuffs, the curls, and the shadows of the folds were colored white.

She also wore long, tight, pure black pants, emphasizing her slender looks and charming thighs. And a pair of mildly high and wide heels.

A.N/ I suck at describing clothes. I'm not going to spend hours upon hours trying to draw it, especially since this one is hard to imagine, let alone draw.

She was giving the details of the village's new location to Rigurd, while I, wearing the exact same clothes as before, was instructing Rigur on what to do in almost every situation.

'Great Sage, why can't my clothes change like luminous' clothes?'

"Because unlike you, I had a long time to change and upgrade Luminous' clothes, and let them slowly be injected by magicule, the same can't happen to you. At this point, you might as well just wait until after Coming from Dwargon, then you'd be able to ask for as many clothes as you want."

'Eeehhhh. I guess Luminous have the better luck when it comes to clothes...'

Gobota: "Rimuru-Sama, Luminous-Sama, why are you always holding hands? Are you two-"

Gobota, who came down from his wolf, Vinral, was suddenly cut short as I kicked his jaw with my left leg and Luminous kicked his temple with her right leg, endossing a concussion strong enough to instantly knock him down while he flew a few meters backward.

Rimuru: "Alright. This should be everything. Ranga, come out so we can travel on you to Dwargon."

Nobody dared to say a thing about Gobota, not

Ranga: "Yes. Rimuru-Sama."

Ranga said when he came out of my shadow. Instead of his iconic bluish-grey fur, his fur was now black as a night. Instead of the old unicore horn, he had a black reddish black blade sprouting from the now six-pointed star at his forehead.

Before I could take a step forward, Ouroboros jumped from my neck and enlarged midair, before reaching the ground with his gaze focused on ranga.

Other than being larger than before, and his black underbelly being more visible, his tale was tipped like a blade, and around his eyes were scales extruding larger than everywhere else, with their middle parts being colored the same rainbow as his eyes.

A.N/ We do NOT talk about this abomination of a "drawing"

Ouroboros: "I will not let you pick up Dad!" He said with a very high-pitched, childish voice.

Literally everyone: "NANI?!"

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A.N/ 2800+ words.

God, the first part sucked away all of my passion and creativity, but I somehow did it, even though it needed two/three (can't remember) days.

Please for the love of fuck pretend like that drawing is made by your imagination. It's soo bad!!

That aside, I hope you've noticed how I'm planning to start the real plot.

Also, by discussing with someone, we have come to the decision that they shall smooch this chapter, hence going on the wholesome path.

What would happen if they didn't? Then the story would go through the other path, the traumatic path, which as you know, is my specialty. I love breaking the characters' minds and bodies like a madman after all.

Anyway, see you whenever, and have good life!