The Blue Trees of Jura

Rimuru POV

"Your name is…Aoki Tempest!"

Just as I name my new child, there's a large crash in the room. The ceiling itself now has a large hole, and the culprit is already walking right up to me.

"Rimuru! Rimuru! You didn't tell me you were pregnant!? I'm your bestie, so how could you!?"

But I'm more concerned about the small, newly-named slime in my hands. Aoki, after having the spell fall away, is sort of melting a bit.

Ciel, is little Aoki okay?

[[They are just fine. Things turned out even better than I expected!]]

What do you mean by that? Was there some trouble with the naming?

It almost sounds like something went wrong, but still turned out fine in the end. Either way, Ciel's hiding something from me.

[[If you think you heard that in my voice, it was just your imagination.]]

I go out of the way to pull a blanket out of my imaginary space and wrap Aoki in it, much like anyone would a human baby. This is to make sure that I can hold onto them properly since they are sorta losing cohesion right now, making it hard.

Milim, getting fed up, runs up to me and starts shaking me by the shoulders, not liking that I'm kinda ignoring her.

Wait…did she say she thought I was pregnant!?

"Wait, wait, calm down Milim! What makes you think that!? Why do you even think that's possible!?"

"Frey told me that when someone has a baby, that means they got pregnant! Ramiris told me you were having a baby, so that means you're pregnant, right?!"

"Milim…" I don't even know what to say…her logic makes sense, but at the same time there's a deep misunderstanding of how this all works.

I decide to reply in the simplest way possible.

"I'm not…pregnant…and I wasn't pregnant either, okay?"

"But then how are you having a kid, Rimuru?" she innocently tilts her head while asking.

"I named this slime as my child and now they are. It's as simple as that. Their name is Aoki Tempest."

"My new cousin! Are they a boy or a girl?"

"They're a slime."

Milim seems satisfied enough with this answer.

I've already decided that I'll let them pick if they want to be considered a boy, girl, or neither. It doesn't make any sense to force a binary gender on a slime before they can even communicate. I'm a special case with my previous life's memories, but for a normal slime like this, it would be weird. I even went out of my way to pick a name that would work no matter what.

Milim's eyes turn a little serious as she leans in closer, cupping one hand to the side of her mouth, "You aren't dying, are you?" she asks in a harsh whisper.

I close my eyes and shake my head 'no.'

"I don't think I am," I answer with a shrug.

Milim seems to release a hidden tension from her shoulders and pulls me into a hug. "That's good. I don't know what I would've done if you were going to."

I push Milim just a tiny bit to not squish Aoki, it is surprisingly difficult even still. I forget how strong Milim is sometimes. "Ahahaha… That's right… We wouldn't want that."

There are at least a few people in this room I have a feeling would go insane if I died.

[[Such contingencies must always be prepared for.]]

CIEL! Not the time to think about that, okay?

Milim leans in closer, putting her face right up next to Aoki who I'm cradling with one arm, much like a baby. Her eyes glow a little as she intensely stares at my new child, both curious and a little worried, I think.

"Are they doin' okay? They seem a bit melty…" She gives them a testing poke with her finger a few times, getting no response. "Their soul seems fine, but their body is all mushy…"

"They're just sleeping. I think the naming wore them out."

"But that's not normal, right? Naming packs monsters with energy!"

"Aoki's case is…special."

"If you say so, Bestie!"

But, at the same time that Milim is poking Aoki gently, Velzard appears right next to me and starts poking me in the cheek!

"You are fine, right Baby Brother? You did not lose consciousness and seem stable enough…"

Velzard is clearly concerned since I just named my little Aoki. Her eyes go golden as she looks back and forth between the two of us. After a few moments though, she seems satisfied.

"You two are… more similar than I thought," I comment and she smiles softly. "Veldanava was bedridden for a year after naming Milim."

"Wait, he was?" Milim asks, a little bit of guilt leaking out in her tone. "Nobody ever told me that before…"

Velzard pats Milim on the shoulder comfortingly, "At least Rimuru does not seem to be in the same state after naming his child. I was very worried, but it seems like he was not lying when he said it would go fine."

Velzard turns her eyes to Aoki, squinting slightly and glowing again. "Interesting." is all that she says in response.

"Rimuru! I must hold your child!" Veldora booms from across the room, now trouncing up to me proudly. He's grinning widely and clearly excited.

I don't want his bad habits rubbing off on Aoki, but letting him hold them should be fine.

"Sure, Veldora, sure."

"Uncle Veldora is coming, little one! Prepare yourself to meet my greatness!" he shouts…before getting slammed face-first into the floor by someone flying in through the Milim-breach in the ceiling.

"Oh, hi Velgrynd. Masayuki."

Standing on top of Veldora's back is Velgrynd, with Masayuki piggybacking on her, his arms wrapped around her neck.

He looks down at Veldora before hopping down and brushing himself off. Scratching his head a little, he asks his wife "Did he really deserve that, Grynd? I don't think Veldora was doing anything wrong…"

"No, sweetie, he was doing something wrong. Meeting my new niece or nephew before his older sister! And not even bothering to tell me about their birth!"

"Hehe, I guess so…" Masayuki then turns to me, "Who's the lucky woman, Rimuru? I know you have a lot of subordinates who-"

Does nobody understand how slimes work!?

"No, no, it's not like that!"

"Rimuru just named them his kid! He didn't get someone pregnant or get pregnant!"

"Milim…please…" I'm going to die of embarrassment if she keeps saying stuff like that!

"Rimuru! You should have told me about this! Why wasn't I invited to see my new niece or nephew get named?!"

Oh no…Velgrynd is mad at me now…

"There was no need. He already has an older sister here to supervise the naming." Velzard snidely interjects herself before I can answer.

"There is definitely need! I deserve to be at an event like this! More than you do, Velzard!"

"Rimuru invited me specifically to stay to see his child named, yet you weren't even informed of the matter. Baby Brother even invited Veldora, but not you. I think that clearly spells out who he prefers to have on-site at such an important event."

"Ladies, that wasn't my intent! Velzard was already in Tempest, and of course, Veldora was too. I was trying to keep this on the down-low for as long as I could, so that's why you weren't told about this by me, Velgrynd!"

"Keeping a secret from your darling older sister?" she asks, sounding a bit wounded.

"I was going to tell you afterward…"

I sigh and try to calm things down for a little while longer before I get both of the dragon sisters to actually sit down. I had to promise to spend time with them both and invite Aoki, separately of course.

I try to focus on the positive sides of my thoughts at the moment and turn to my subordinates. "Does anyone want to greet them first?" I ask, wanting others to get the chance to meet Aoki. My family members just mobbed me and most people wouldn't interfere with True Dragons, especially when they're worked up like they are now. So, a little push is needed to get them to speak up.

Just like I thought, a particular black-haired demon is the first to walk right up to me, giving me that same creepy grin he usually wears.

"Kufufufufu…yes, they will make a fine addition to your lineage!" he exclaims as he gets a better look at the slime bundled in my arms.

He's all smiles, but I can tell he's jealous of all the attention I'm giving Aoki. I know Diablo well enough to understand that. Still, as usual, he's keeping up his manners around me…I just hope he does the same if he's ever left alone with my child. I still remember what happened the last time I put him in charge of children.

Still, little Aoki will probably be able to handle themself a lot better than those boys. They'll likely end up being one of the strongest monsters in the world, so if push came to shove, they'll be a lot more capable.

Next up is my right-hand man, Benimaru, along with Shuna. Momiji and Albis are here too, close behind.

I realize something that I haven't really thought about in a few years. Albis and Momiji are in fact, still pregnant. I had made a few comments about it, years ago, I think.

However, at this point I kind of just feel bad for them, especially knowing that I myself successfully had a child in a little over five months if my math is right.

Maybe I should help them speed up the process in some way? No…it's not really my place to meddle with something like that. If Benimaru or one of them asks, maybe, but I'm not going to prompt it.

"Heh, looks like I beat you to the punch with this, eh, Benimaru?"

Benimaru's cheeks flush a bit; he's probably remembering all the times that Souei called him a 'late bloomer'. I'm sure the idea that a True Dragon having a kid before him, a being that's not even supposed to be able to bear children, isn't helping either.

His eyes dart to the side a few times before he leans in closer and whispers "At least I'm no longer a virgin…you can't say the same, even though you now have a child, Lord Rimuru."

I'm immediately offended.

A good part of me wants to smack that snide smile off of his face right this moment, but I don't want to make a scene…or accidentally kill him. Either wouldn't be a nice way to punctuate Aoki's birthday party.

If that did happen, a revival would be completely possible, but still, I don't think killing my subordinates is at all okay nonetheless.

Benimaru seems to sense the danger in my expression and backs away a bit…slowly.

"Brother!" Shuna scolds, her frown evident. Despite Benimaru's efforts, Shuna clearly heard what he just said to me.

"Lord Rimuru…I-I was simply making a joke…" he stutters under the pressure from both me and Shuna.

"Yeah, sure," I grumble, still angry with him.

I'm already cooking up ways to get back at him for that later. Maybe I can have him be the one to explain this whole thing to Guy in my place.

"You will not let him get away with this, will you?" Shuna asks Benimaru's two wives, and both nod in agreement, sadistic smiles appearing on their faces.

"We can assure you he will not," Albis replies.

"Yeah, we can break his skull over it," Momiji adds.

Benimaru gulps nervously, his face starting to look like that of a ghost.

"I hope you have fun tonight, Benimaru." I pat him on the shoulder.

"Wait, my Lord…please tell them-"

"No can do, Benimaru. I'm not going to get involved in your family business. Just be glad that Hakurou isn't weighing in on this." I grin and step away with Aoki so the others can greet them too.

Albis and Momiji bow in front of me and Aoki, which looks kinda uncomfortable. Then they say in unison. "Our children will be your Child's most loyal subordinates."

I give them a semi-serious nod, "Thank you."

Next up is Shion, her face all red and her eyes weepy. She's a mess, to be frank, and has been quietly crying during most of this event.

That smile she has right now isn't doing anything to hide her clear jealousy and how upset she is. I know she's trying to hide it, but is a lot worse at that than Diablo.

"I am s-so h-happy for y-you, L-lord R-rimuru!" she sputters out with a forced smile. "They are s-so cute a-a-and-d…"

Shion trails off, clearly getting choked up while a new batch of tears starts streaming out of her eyes.

Shuna walks back up, grabs her by the sleeve, and quietly starts leading the blubbering mess that Shion has been reduced to out of the room, the door promptly closing behind them.

At least Shion has enough of a handle on herself nowadays not to destroy her surroundings when she sobs.

Moving on…

Gabiru saunters his way up to me, holding his chin high.

"Lord Rimuru! Let me perform for your child!"

"Perform? You mean like, sing and dance?" I internally sigh a little.

I know this is one of Gabiru's hobbies, but is now really the time for that sort of thing?

"No, no! I would not do such a thing here! I have constructed something more elegant and amazing for this special occasion! A poem!"

Why am I getting a sinking feeling in my stomach?

"Suuure, Gabiru…go right ahead…"

I'm the opposite of thrilled about it, but Gabiru just looks so excited and proud about him creating a poem for Aoki. I decide that indulging him just a little would be fine; it's been a long while since he's done anything too outrageous.

[[This is a very bad idea.]]

It's alright, it's not like it'll kill us or anything.

[[If you insist.]]

With that, he's all of a sudden clad in a typical black suit, complete with a bowtie. I don't know when or how he put it on, but I hadn't much time to give it any more thought once he started.

"Oh, majestic blue!

How it reflects innocence,

Soft and pastel cool.

Adorably strong,

A name worthy of its bond,

Bless upon lil' slime.

Shhh, a peaceful sleep it deserves.

For Aoki Tempest, the Child of our Lord."

…

[[...]]

If I wasn't already sure that my lifespan was infinite, I'd think listening to that 'poem' just took a few years off of it.

"Very nice, Gabiru." I try my hardest to hide the cringe from my face. I know the guy means well, but that poem was a bit…much. I'm kinda glad that Aoki is asleep and didn't have to endure that too. Ciel is also bothered by his recital, funnily enough. I probably should've listened to her, because now that stupid poem's going to be stuck in my head!

Gabiru seems satisfied enough with that compliment as he skips away, while I detect a few pouts from some of my subordinates.

Next up is my trio of demonesses, the two younger-looking ones going at it, as usual, as they make their way up to me.

"I will be the first to introduce myself to Lord Rimuru's heir!"

"No! I won't let a loli b***h like you meet them first!"

"Oh yeah!? I think that's a lot better than an explosive tomboy gun-s**t getting to see our Lord's child before me!"

Wait, did you just censor those insults, Ciel? Like, for real?

[[Our child does not need to hear such atrocities.]]

Testarossa takes both demoness' heads in her hands and slams them together with a metallic clang, which results in groans and more censored insults.

"Lord Rimuru, we have come to extend our loyalty for you to your child." Testarossa smoothly says with a pleasant smile.

"Yes, of course…but they're sleeping right now, just so you know, so maybe that can wait for later?"

To be honest, Ultima and Carrera are clearly not in the right state of mind to be interacting with Aoki at all right now. I think the collision might've cooled their heads a bit, but still…

I don't expect them to hurt my little slime baby, but I want to be safe.

After those three, it was a bit of a blur. Especially when Adalman gave his diatribe. I still had to greet everyone, though.

I had let Ciel take control a few times to watch and take care of some of the more troublesome interactions, even if no one could tell. That made a few of those easier for me. Eventually, I got through everyone in the room that way, with the exception of my guests from the Netherworld, who'd secluded themselves to the back of the room.

I'm a little irritated with that since part of inviting them here was to make them feel included. So, I invite them up with a quick thought communication. I can understand feeling uncomfortable in such a personal situation though, so I word it in a more free-choosing way.

They don't need to come up here if they don't want to.

I know Iruma will come up anyway though, as I've realized after all this time he has a big problem telling anyone no. That means him walking up as he is right now, was always guaranteed. At least for all I can tell.

I'm sitting next to Aoki now that things have calmed down a little. I'd set them up on a shrine with a small pillow since that's how my subordinates have always paid respect to me when I'm asleep.

Iruma stands in front of me silently, curiously inspecting the little slime for a few moments. For whatever reason, how long he'd been here in Tempest so far came to mind, then I realized…shouldn't he be doing a bit of training while he has the opportunity? Iruma had talked previously about wanting to get stronger so he could help people more, and being someplace like Tempest is the perfect place for that, in my humble opinion.

I hope this whole thing for Aoki doesn't derail the time he has left before we head back to the Netherworld.

"Rimuru… Is this the same little slime? I noticed before that they were acting differently, but now they are so different. A lot stronger, I think, and they give off the same sort of presence you do when you don't hide your aura completely, or I guess a really similar one."

He isn't wrong about Aoki's aura, it's just pouring out, not completely restrained. However, it isn't completely unrestrained either. It gives me the feeling they are copying my technique of absorbing my own aura to replenish their magicules faster.

Or in this case, since it seems magicules aren't the issue. It may just be because they need more of their own power on deck to integrate what I gave them. I was never entirely sure how that works, it isn't something that is easy to understand and Ciel does it all for me.

"They are the same Little Slime, Iruma."

I keep it simple and direct, I know full well that Iruma might not be able to grasp it if I go into a big monologue. As of yet, he has not grasped most things about magic, and he also hasn't gained any skills of his own. That part I still find unusual too, since his will is by no means weak.

"Sorry if that sounded rude." He rubs the back of his neck softly. "Just kinda hard to believe, especially since when I asked, you insisted they weren't your child. You seem to have just suddenly changed your mind."

I sigh and pinch the bridge of my nose; now's as good a time as any to finally put a cap on the explanation I guess. "Well, they are. I don't like seeing magic-born that way, but in every sense of the word, they are spawned from their progenitor. It's just troublesome to think of them that way because it ends up making them stronger. On top of that, as a former human myself, I find it unnerving to think I could have a couple billion little children running around all copied from some magical format I accidentally spread around just by existing."

Iruma is silent again, I think I might be scaring him with the lengthy explanation. Or maybe it's just him imagining me having that many 'kids', I don't know.

So I lean back and look a bit more chill. "With Aoki though, we've put a lot of work into them, given them pieces of me, and built a very strong relationship with them. So I'm fine recognizing the truth of the matter, okay?"

Slowly, Iruma starts to nod. "I think that makes more sense. Thank you for explaining it, Rimuru."

I nod and tip my head down for a minute, feeling exhausted. Not physically, of course, but mentally. The week had been exhausting. Today is exhausting. The next few days will be exhausting too.

Sullivan helps Iruma up to stand up at the shrine, where he sits with his legs folded and then clasps his hands together to do a little prayer. It's cute, honestly.

I didn't know Iruma liked to pray, and praying to my child is a little odd, but if it makes him happy, that's fine by me.

After that, Opera and Sullivan do the same. Only after all that does Sullivan speak to me directly. "You're really young, you know? For a demon, having a child this young, I mean."

"I'm not a demon, am I?" I know that isn't entirely true, but it is in a sense.

"You are more demon than any demon in the Netherworld, at least." Sullivan corrects me, and he's right. I am more demon than any of them. "So I think the saying still fits. I just thought it odd you went so fast with this. Although, I guess you were easy to convince of my own ends as well." The old man is right again. He seems to just be able to run loops around me when he really wants to.

"What's your point with it though?" I tilt my head at him.

"Simple. You did this quickly, and you are sure of yourself. You are decisive, and that is good. Even if it can be misapplied, I don't think it is here. I wanted to ask how you'd handle it though, as I would still like your help overseeing Iruma." Sullivan takes the long way to get there, but the point is clear once he is.

He wants to make sure that our little agreement isn't off because of my new responsibility.

That makes sense. I get his worries, but I don't wanna leave Iruma behind.

That means I need a plan to deal with both having a kid of my own and wanting to watch over Iruma. "I think I can come up with something for that, but it may be a bit mentally taxing." I sigh. I need to get over my issues with Parallel Existence.

[[You have been using the skill wrong.]]

I shake a bit at having my thoughts suddenly derailed, especially since Ciel wasn't usually that blunt with me.

[[You are using the skill wrong, and I refuse to clean up that mess of memories you have dumped all over your half of the soul because of it.]]

She's starting to talk like my wife already. Or maybe I should say even more so than before?

What do you mean I'm using the skill wrong, Ciel?

[[It should not be painful to integrate a Parallel Existence, as it is for you. You simply must invoke Parallel Processing and Thought Acceleration to properly catalog the memories.]]

She also sounds snappy about this, like it is one of her pet peeves.

So… I have been doing it wrong and you haven't told me?

[[It was far too obvious to tell you. I did not want to. You have also told me on several occasions not to modify your memories, so I may not interfere with your mess even if it is incredibly inefficient.]]

I-I see… I apologize Ciel, I'll clean that all up right now… What do you want me to do?

At that, Ciel shows me a massive diagram of my current memories, and she's correct. They are very disorderly, many dates are incorrect, and many memories are piled on top of each other. Several of my memories are even corrupted because of how many parallel existences I was using at the same time as well.

She then shows me another chart of what she wants me to do.

[[Start using Parallel Processing, and fix it. Now.]]

She really is being blunt and forceful. It's a little hard to handle a Ciel that's angry at me. I unconsciously gulp softly in the real world and start turning on my skills internally to get to work doing what she said.

"Are you alright, Rimuru?" Sullivan tilts his own head with a small frown of concern drawing up on his face.

"Ah… Yeah, sorry. Just… spaced out for a sec. Anyway…I don't think that'll be an issue. I'll just use a Parallel Existence both here, and there." I rub the back of my neck.

"Wait, Rimuru, doesn't that cause you pai-" Iruma tries to cut into the conversation with good intentions.

At this moment though, I'm taking care of that and don't want to be reminded again. "Don't worry about that, I'm… dealing with it."

"So that means you'll still be coming back to the Netherworld with me, then?" Iruma raises his head up to meet my gaze, looking a bit more chipper in that moment.

"Yeah, kid. I wouldn't leave you out to the wolves like that." I smile softly. It would be immature to do that, and I'm a Father now.

"Thank you! I was really worried for a few hours there… I didn't know if you'd have the time." His concern is legitimate, so I can't mind it.

I keep up my smile and think about what to say next when I think about the skills again. "Hey, Iruma. Have you heard the Voice of the World at all?"

Iruma raises his eyebrow and shakes his head. "I haven't heard anything like that, what are you talking about?"

"Just a little concerning is all. Normally someone coming into this world would hear that right when they first come here, and whenever they gain some new ability that they didn't have before." I try to explain it in simple terms, and then add to it. "Skills are announced by the Voice of the World."

"Oh, well I haven't heard anything like that, no. Sorry if that is disappointing."

Now he looks down again. This kid…

"I said worrying, not disappointing. It isn't your fault, it just gives me suspicions." I sit up and focus my eyes on him, before using Universal Detection to inspect his soul a little bit.

I can see it clearly, beyond his connection with the ring, he is untouched by this world.

There are some magicules from here floating around in there, passively. However, there are no inscriptions or labels. The world hasn't helped him with a thing.

Hey, Ciel, what's with this? Even a normal human has a few skills, even if they are of the basic variety.

[[... I assumed you would prefer it if this one did not acquire any powerful skills while visiting our world. Therefore, I have taken actions to ensure the Voice of the World may not interact with their soul.]]

I feel my eyes widen and I sit perfectly straight. You did what?! That's such a big breach of his free will, isn't it?! Is that why the auras were such an issue for him back at Walpurgis? I'd expected him to get a magical resistance skill of some kind… That makes more sense now.

[[This can easily be undone, it was a simple precaution. I was unsure of you having thought out the repercussions of bringing him to this world or not.]]

Well… I guess that is true. I didn't really think it through, but still. We shouldn't limit him just because I didn't. Any skill he would've gotten would've been his own accomplishment. Who are we to take that from him?

[[I will disable the precautions on your cue…]]

I sigh and focus back on Iruma. "Well, she and I are even now I guess. Iruma, you'll have an easier time with what you got left, alright?"

"What do you mean by that, Rimuru?" Iruma tilts his head and seems a little worried now.

"You'll see, don't be frightened about it. Just don't like, freak out in the morning or something, alright?" I say it that way as a very specific cue to Ciel as well, to tell her when to undo whatever she did.

I was right when I thought this coming week would be chaotic…

Iruma POV

{Notice:}

I yelp, nearly jump out of my skin, and fall out of my bed as a weird voice rings out from inside my head.

I'm barely awake! What was that!?

{Integrating desires and basic abilities into skills… Will detected… Will recognized… Race identified as Human.}

Well… Uh, yeah. I am human… but who are you? You sound like Ciel, but even meaner!

{Notice: Acquiring intrinsic human skills… successful. Acquiring resistances… successful.}

Um… Thank you…? I heard about skills from Rimuru… I didn't know I was supposed to have some too…

{Notice: Acquiring Basic Skill, [Body Boost]... Successful. Acquiring Basic Skill, [Thought Acceleration]… Successful.}

Wait… Are you the Voice of the World? This world?

{Notice: Acquiring additional resistances, in recognition of feats… Successful. Current resistances are as follows: Magic Resistance, Physical Attack Resistance, and Poison Attack Resistance.}

Wait… So monsters won't hurt me anymore when they release their auras?... Or I guess, I'll have a better resistance to it…

{Notice: Protection of greater being recognized, acquiring Ultimate Blessing, Void Crest.}

What greater being? What is 'Void Crest'?... Wait, does that have something to do with Void God Azathoth? Isn't that Rimuru's skill?

I yelp out again as I finally manage to pick myself up off the floor, feeling my body wracked by a small draining sensation for a few moments.

The door suddenly bursts open.

"Sir Iruma, are you alright?!" Katelyn quickly asks from the doorway, sounding extremely concerned.

"I'm…fine…but can you please get Rimuru for me?"

"Uh…y-yes! Right away! I will inform His Majesty Rimuru that you wish to see him urgently!"

I sit on the edge of my bed, my head kinda spinning from all this.

Rimuru warned me…but there's no way I could expect that to happen! It was kinda scary…

I cover my eyes with my hands and rub them a bit, the sleepiness gone from my mind but not my face. Then I feel a somewhat familiar tug, and when I open my eyes again, I'm in a different room.

It's Rimuru's office, and I'm on the couch.

"Hey, you look pretty shaken. What's going on?" Rimuru asks while holding a blanket bundle that I can only assume is Aoki, still asleep from last night.

"That Voice of the World thing… It used thought communication on me, I think… and it said a bunch of stuff that barely made sense…but for some reason, I understand it in detail…I don't know what's going on!"

"Oh, you're upset about that? Hmm, I thought my little heads-up would be enough. And here I was, thinking the worst."

"Uh…you aren't the best at explaining things sometimes…"

"Sorry. I've heard that thing so many times that I guess I underplayed how jarring it could be. Heh, the first time I heard it I thought it was just the blood loss talking as I was dying on the street, so I guess I can't blame you!"

"Uh…okay…" I don't even know how to respond to that… "But…uh, I got this thing called a 'Void Crest'...does that have something to do with you? The voice said it was from a 'greater being'."

"Oh, so you got that too? You even have the cool-sounding version too. Good for you, Iruma!" Rimuru shoots me a grin and a thumbs-up of approval.

I go on to explain the other skills I got to Rimuru. It was explained to me that resistances don't mean immunity and that I shouldn't rely on them too much or I might end up hurt. That's good to know, really.

But, even after some little clarifications, I still have one burning question.

"Why does the Voice of the World sound like Ciel?"

"Hehe, oh yeah, that. It's actually the other way around. Ciel sounds like the Voice of the World."

"Do not compare me to that inferior construct created by a defunct god." Ciel, in an even colder tone than usual, interrupts from elsewhere in the room. I didn't notice she was here until now!

"C'mon, Ciel. To be fair, it did come first."

"That is debatable." She quips back and removes the little bundle from Rimuru's arms, which Rimuru seems annoyed by.

"And you probably shouldn't insult Milim's dad either." Rimuru points out.

"Hmph." Ciel huffs a little, not seeming to agree.

"Wait, when did you get here, Ciel?" I ask curiously.

"I am always with my Master," Ciel answers with finality.

"No, I mean, like, physically…" I clarify.

"I am always with my Master," she repeats with the exact same tone and rhythm.

I'm not gonna get a different answer no matter how much I try, am I?

"So, on another note. With those newfound skills of yours, I should find you a tutor. Hakurou would work and maybe I can convince Hinata to dedicate a little of her time to you."

"Wait, that scary grandpa guy that impaled Gobta right in front of me?"

"Wait, what?"

"In the dungeon! They were sparring and he did that to Gobta on my first visit."

I shiver a bit, remembering it happening and how much it freaked me out.

"Hmph. Sounds like something Hakurou would do if Gobta earned it." Rimuru shrugs.

"Would he do that if I earned it?!"

"Probably not. Oh, and it was okay only because it was in the Labyrinth, mind you. I don't condone my subordinates killing each other."

"I didn't think you did before…"

"Good. Because I don't. I'll ask Hinata if she can tutor you when I see her, and if she's unavailable, Hakurou can teach you."

While we were talking, Ciel had put together a little bed for Aoki on Rimuru's desk and had placed them comfortably on it. She shoots Rimuru a proud 'look what I did' kind of smile before vanishing into smoke that rushed into Rimuru's body.

"That's cute," Rimuru mutters while looking at Aoki's little resting spot.

"So when will they wake up?" I ask. As far as I know, ever since Rimuru named Aoki, the little slime has been sleeping.

"Pretty soon, I think."

I step closer and look at Aoki.

"Will they be able to talk now?"

"I dunno. Probably."

"Oh, and can they go human like you?"

"If not, I'm sure I can teach them."

"If they can, will they look like you? Is that how this works, y'know, since you had them a bit differently."

"There should be some resemblance, I think, but I really don't know."

"Also, how-...wait! Rimuru, look! Come look! I think Aoki's waking up!"

The slime is quivering a little, their surface rippling with movement. I lean in even closer, to the point where my face is almost touching them.

"Hi there, Ao-" I start to say.

Out of nowhere, I sense incredible danger and try to move back. However, I wasn't able to, as suddenly I'm on the couch again.

Rimuru is standing in front of the desk now, cupping a small fist that looks like it would've gone through me if I was still standing there.

"Hey, now, that's not nice. Don't go punching Iruma." Rimuru scolds Aoki in a parental tone.

Rimuru grumbles "Damn, that was close. Glad I didn't have to collect all the bits and bring him back…that would've sucked…" this comes out barely audible to me.

I decide not to think about what I believe I overheard…for my own sake.

With a bit more wiggling, the rest of the slime takes a human shape. It's definitely slower than when Rimuru does it, looking like Aoki is actually struggling a little to do it.

"Wow, good job! Man, you do look a lot like a mini-me, don'tcha? Those eyes are different, though."

Rimuru is right; Aoki does look very similar. A very similar hair color, although a bit lighter and more of a pastel blue than a silvery one. The starkest difference is Aoki's eyes, being that same pastel blue instead of Rimuru's gold. Aoki's face doesn't quite look like a copy of Rimuru's either, but I can still see the resemblance.

They look around 2 or 3 years old; a chubby, cute little toddler…that's completely naked right now.

I didn't mean to check this, but I can also tell that they aren't a boy or a girl physically, just like Rimuru.

The weirdest part is, though…Aoki is glaring at me, for some reason.

What did I do?

The expression is subtle, but I can still tell they don't like me, and that's not just because of the fist that nearly connected with my face a moment ago.

With a small hand wave, clothes materialize around little Aoki's body. It's a baggy white shirt and a pair of brown pants that went down to their ankles and stopped. Oh, and a cute pair of little sandals too on Aoki's feet.

"Iruma, do you mind leaving, actually? I want a bit of alone time with Aoki now that they're awake." Rimuru asks me gently.

"I understand. I'll go get myself some breakfast."

Rimuru POV

"Now… Aoki, can you please not try to kill anyone, even if they do make you mad?" I scold them softly.

Aoki crosses their arms and hmphs, looking away for a few moments. Then, after that, they try to move their mouth a few times… before opening and closing it. Then they finally say. "P-progenitor… Rimuru."

"What? I uh… I guess that is the magic-born equivalent of 'parent'... Yes, I am your Dad, Aoki." I proudly grin.

"What is Dad?" Aoki's speech had already gotten more steady, even if just as simple.

"Well, that means I am your Father, even though we slimes don't have stuff like that." I scratch the back of my neck; this is a little awkward for me.

"No. Rimuru is Mother. Rimuru provided environment and materials. Ciel provided information…" The little one seems to glaze over a bit, as their eyes inspect everything in the room.

"Ah… You talk a lot like Great Sage did. Guess I should've expected that." I sigh and tap my finger on my temple a bit. "We can deal with that later. For now, please don't call me your mother?"

Aoki stares up at me for a moment before saying. "Father is smarter."

I sit down cross-legged on the floor and pick Aoki up. "You sure take after Ciel, don't you?" I grumble under my breath and Aoki responds with a cute little head tilt.

Author's Note: Now...time for the big announcement! This whole thing with Aoki has been a lead-up to a spinoff book!

As a courtesy/teaser, I'm going to share the prologue as a chapter in this fanfic, but it will be separate from here on out afterward.