After seeing just how pitiful this version of Sensei is right now, earlier, I needed to figure out why, and what he has done in this timeline. So, I began an investigation by breaking into the small defenses he put around his room.

It felt a little rude, knowing Sensei put a lot of effort into those barriers, but it needed to be done. It wouldn't be the first time I've broken into this room, well, maybe just the first time in this timeline.

Then again, I didn't really closely examine the memories I had here.

I checked the closet for the Kijin, and he wasn't there. I checked Rimuru's desk for papers from Tempest, nothing. I checked his clothes for stuff made by Shuna, and I only found a few silk clothes that didn't look particularly well put together.

Now though, I was sitting above our teacher, looking at him closely with my skills. I may not have full access to my Ultimate Skill at the moment, but I can at least manage to access Universal Perception at a very short range if I put all my effort into it.

Rimuru doesn't have Gluttony yet, it's just Predator. He's also too small, his diameter is at least two centimeters smaller than he should be at this point.

It's… frustrating. He shouldn't even be here, and I shouldn't even be 'awake' yet!

Maybe he'll get himself killed early too…

I shook off my thoughts and tried to focus again so I could check him over for magic circuits with any potential subordinates… I again didn't really find anything though.

It was almost like Sensei didn't know anyone in this timeline.

I felt a little movement in his magicules though, as he seemed to wake up.

So immediately I put on my little girl eyes and face and pretended to just be worried. Well, at least for a different reason than the reasons I was actually worried. "Teacher... you have to leave us now, don't you?" I innocently asked him after making sure he was conscious.

Rimuru shakes a bit and transforms into human form. "Hm…? What are you doing in my room, Chloe?"

"What do you mean? I just opened the door." I tried to pretend nothing was up at all.

"But… I swear I locked it… I even remembered putting a barrier up." He looked disturbed for a moment, in a very cute way.

Sensei… That's adorable. A little slime like you could never stop me!

"I guess you forgot." I tilted my head and pressed my finger to my chin.

"I guess I did… So, why are you up?" Rimuru rubbed his eyes. "It's the middle of the night."

"Well… I'm just worried that Sensei will leave. You healed us… That's all you said you'd do. So I couldn't sleep."

"Leave you? No, even though you're no longer in danger, that doesn't mean I need to leave. My job isn't done yet." Rimuru paused. "Why are you calling me Sensei? You don't usually call me that."

I decided to ignore Sensei's silly questions for the time being.

"But don't you have other people relying on you back home?"

"People back home? Well, I guess so, but they don't exactly rely on me, per se. I'm sure my friends miss me, but it's not like they can't function without me."

"What about Tempest?"

Rimuru stared at me for a few moments, before he seemed to get a small light in his eyes. A bit of hope swelled inside me.

"My family name? What about it?"

All that hope was immediately dashed.

That crystalized my suspicions. He doesn't have Tempest, he doesn't have responsibilities he has to return to, and he doesn't have subordinates to save him from himself.

Was that how different this timeline was from what I could remember? I'd already realized that many things were off, but if he didn't even have Tempest…

"I plan on staying with you five for a long time," he continued, cutting off my thoughts.

His beaming smile was genuine and warm, but even that wasn't enough to dispel the unsettling chill that was running down my spine.

This is wrong… this timeline is wrong. But I didn't have the heart to kill him myself, and it would be difficult at the moment anyway.

No… I won't... This time I'll take care of this version of Sensei the right way.

Rimuru seemed to get worried for a moment, leaning away from me.

"Are you sure? Are you sure you can stay?" I innocently asked him.

"I may have to leave occasionally, maybe for weeks or even months at a time, but I want to watch you all grow up. You have a future to look ahead to now and I want to see you achieve your goals, whatever they may be."

Goals, goals… What would I even do with a timeline like this? I could run away with him, and take him for myself. The war though, what to do about it? I guess there isn't much I could do to help. I'll just keep him safe since clearly Sensei is weaker than even I am right now.

I hugged him tight. "I just want to keep you safe."

"Hehe." He patted me on the back of my head. "You don't need to worry about me, I'll be fine. Isn't it my job to keep you safe?"

"No." I didn't want to lie about that at least. It was much too important.

Rimuru leans forward and tries to lift my head to look into my eyes, clearly worried. "Chloe…?"

I'm quick to get off of him and go to the door. "I'm going to bed, Sensei. Make sure to put your barrier up, okay? Don't forget again."

"Yeah, I can do that. Goodnight, Chloe." Once I was out of the door and into the hallway, it became obvious that the door was locked, and then a barrier went up around the room.

"Come on man, you gotta have something better than this…" I was trying to complain and bargain with a carriage dealer, who did not look at all amused with my attempt.

I was never the best at haggling, but I consider myself decent enough.

"I can assure you… Sir, this is the best carriage we have on our ledger. It has a bed! An adventurer like yourself should understand how grand that is. I've never even heard of a carriage with a cooking corner." The dealer grumbled to me. "You could buy a camping set at one of the many stores downtown, so please don't try to pressure me on this."

"How can this be the best? I at least want a place to heat water, come on." I looked at the ground, feeling kinda like a jerk, but I needed the best stuff for my kids.

Oh no… I've turned into my mother…

"It is, I don't know what else to tell you. Can you make your purchase or leave? I respect you sir, but you are causing a commotion in our lobby." The man seemed unsettled by the idea of calling the guards to force me out, so I decided against making any more of a scene.

"Alright, alright. I get it. I'll just buy this one…" I started writing down my information on the form, and the theft insurance, then handed over the coin.

I almost felt robbed spending that much, but it was for the kids. They better not complain about its mediocrity.

With my five students, and also Professor Tiss, we were sitting in the carriage I'd bought for this occasion.

What occasion? The Free Academy's outdoor training event! This would be Class S' first time participating, but I was insistent on the school giving my kids a chance to shine.

With all the effort they'd been putting into using their spirits effectively, I thought it best to give them a real challenge that wasn't just sparring sessions and weapons/magic training, which this outdoor training would be.

The one thing I requested, though, was staying with them for the event. Normally the teachers would tag along with another teacher's students to evaluate them, but since I planned on leaving for a while soon, I wanted to spend as much time with my students as possible beforehand. It was simple enough to have it arranged that another teacher be the supervisor for the kids I would've ridden with otherwise.

I wouldn't be grading anyone, though, because of bias or whatever; that was Tiss' job here, which was why she was with me and my group. I was just grateful it wasn't Jeff that was assigned to Class S, because that man seems to have it out for me. The way he's always talked down to me is infuriating and I wasn't confident he wouldn't hold our little rivalry against my kids if he was in charge of their scores. Hopefully, Class S winning this competition would be enough to put a stop to that.

So, Tiss and I were relaxing in the carriage, while my five diligent students were talking with each other about their plans for the test, all holding their new weapons I had gotten for them.

A little analysis here, and a touch of replication there, paired with a previous visit to a nearby blacksmith's shop was enough to get my kids fully armed and ready for this.

Alice got some throwing knives, Chloe got a thin rapier-like sword, Kenya got a broader, heavier sword plus a small buckler, Ryota chose a bow, and Gale got a large shield and spear. All weapons they'd chosen based on their trial runs with practice weapons during class.

I did have to pay for this carriage, though, so I still had to fork out some money. Thankfully, teachers at the Free Academy get paid fairly well, and I could pad out some income by doing a bit of monster slaying and material gathering if needed.

Unfortunately, even with that, I couldn't get a big one. So it was less like the camper trailer I was envisioning, and was closer to a few benches with a bed in between them.

"You went all out, Rimuru."

"Hm? Did I?" I asked, not really seeing it the same way. I wanted better, but what I wanted didn't seem to exist here, at least not where I looked. Maybe that sort of thing is reserved for nobles and royalty, which I definitely am not.

Tiss giggled lightly in response even though I was in no way trying to be funny right now.

I grumbled softly, feeling the creeping sense of being belittled. "Well, I guess it was the best we could do. I hope you enjoy it."

"Oh, I'm sorry Rimuru, that was meant to be a compliment. You always seem to pour your heart into your work and this is an example of that."

"Oh–well, um…" I ducked a bit, not sure how to feel. Sheepish was my first reaction, it was nice she'd noticed, but… "I've tried my best, but nothing would've happened if my kids weren't as great as they are. All five of them have been working so hard to improve themselves."

It was true. Kenya and the others saved themselves, I just beat down the path for them. I couldn't have done anything if those kids didn't want to live… Shizu did most of the work anyway, I just took the last step for her.

Tiss giggled, "well, it's still a good thing you came along. I wanted to help those kids, but I guess I just couldn't connect with them the way you have." She sighed wistfully, glancing to where they were chattering excitedly up front.

"...um, yeah. They're good kids." I had no idea what else to say, and decided to just end the conversation there.

Now that I wasn't focused on the conversation, I noticed Chloe was turned back looking at me and Tiss. Her face was all red, and she had a pouty look on. I guess one of the others won an argument against her, she didn't like to lose after all. Next time, Chloe.

"I'm always amazed at how well you handle them," Tiss's voice drew me out of my thoughts. "You must have had kids in your previous life, right? You even handle the other students remarkably well."

"HA!" I couldn't help it, a quick, sharp laugh burst out of me. The kids turned around to see what was up.

"No, no, it's fine guys," I chuckled, waving them off. They shrugged, happy to go back to their banter.

"I wasn't even married," I told Tiss. "Kinda wish I was, but it is what it is, I guess… I did have nieces though. I guess it's for the best, one less person left behind after what happened. Though, I do feel bad for Tamura…"

I suddenly realized I was rambling a bit, Tiss staring at me with a friendly, slightly confused smile as I trailed off.

"W-well," I turned away, "I didn't have much, is what I was say–ING!"

Suddenly the carriage bounced dramatically, hit a rut or something, and I was propelled straight up off my seat and into the ceiling, hitting it head first and landing on the floor with a thump.

"...ow," I said reflexively, absent-mindedly rubbing my head. I guess it's a good thing I have [Pain Nullification].

"Oh my gosh, Rimuru, are you okay!?" Tiss was immediately on her feet, impressively balancing on the jostling carriage while crouched next to me. She grabbed my head, turning my face toward her first at one angle, then another. She combed through my hair, feeling for any bumps.

"Uhh…" I sat there frozen, not sure how to react to Tiss doting on me like I was one of her students, but thankfully she seemed to notice the problem before I had to say anything.

"Oh–OH! I'm so sorry!" Just as quick, she sat back in her seat, dusting off her skirt. "I just… wasn't thinking… you're okay, right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," I said, fixing my hair a bit. "Don't worry, I know what I look like." It was only natural that her first reaction to me getting 'hurt' was that if you take my appearance into consideration.

I heard a snicker from Kenya, Alice looking like she was trying to hold in her laughter as well. I gave both of them a stern look and they quickly turned back around, acting like nothing was unusual.

Hopping back up, I tried to sit down next to Tiss, but before I'd even noticed she'd moved, Chloe was wedging herself between us on the bench.

"I want to sit by Sensei in case he falls out of his seat again!" She declared, glaring at Tiss.

"Uh…" What was that about? "Don't look at people like that, Chloe. It's not nice. You can still sit with us though." I gave her hair a playfull ruffle, which earned me another scowl from Chloe, though not as severe.

After fixing her own hair, Chloe grabbed my hand tightly. It seemed to make her happy again, so I didn't complain.

"Stop!" Gale suddenly shouted up front, instantly putting Tiss and myself on alert. The kids were piling out of the carriage, forming a defensive line against a shapeless opponent in the path.

Literally shapeless. Well, slime-shaped. It was a purple slime.

Tiss and I came to the front to observe, making ourselves comfortable. I was a bit curious, this was the first slime I'd seen that looked so different from me. The slimes in Jura all looked the same, including myself–round, streamlined, a beautifully soft blue, and delightfully bouncy. This guy was a whole other monster, literally.

It was bigger, for one. About the size of one of the kids, and not nearly as smooth in shape. It looked like a blob of purple sludge, standing semi-upright; really gross stuff.

I wanted to try having a conversation with it, but it didn't look very friendly, and I couldn't do that with Tiss around anyway.

Rest in peace, strange, gross-looking slime-like monster. It's technically not even a slime, right? I couldn't be related to anything THAT disgusting!

[[Notice: by definition, the monster referred to is a species of slime. Analyzing… Purple Slime: a slime-type monster dwelling in mountainous regions in the Western Nations. It feeds on mineral and plant matter, but is quite aggressive when confronted with a living target. This individual exhibits…]]

Okay, okay! That's all I needed to know! Sheesh, the Sage was way too eager when it came to these kinds of things.

[[Notice: information is pertinent to individual Rimuru Tempest's survival as a slime-type monster.]]

Are you talking back to me?

[[Answer: unable to construct response to prompt.]]

While I was chatting with the voice in my head, the kids had been formulating a battle plan. This monster moved quite slowly it seemed, they'd had plenty of time to argue while it approached.

"Come on, Alice! You should give it a shot!" Chloe was encouraging her, holding her sword towards the monster.

"Yes, you wanted to be the one to kill the first monster that attacks us," Gale said. He was looking uncharacteristically evil at the moment… Gale, I take back what I thought about you being mature!

"Y-yeah, now's your chance." Even Ryota was getting in on this! What sort of hazing was this!?

"Hmph." Alice, meanwhile, was staring at the blob in pure revulsion. "I am not going near that disgusting thing! It looks like something that would come out of Kenya's nose!"

"But it's the first monster," Chloe tried. "It'd make you the coolest one here!"

"Still no!" Alice shouted, "I'll take the other first monster we see next, okay!?"

They were all such children… I couldn't help but snort at their antics.

While the kids were arguing about that abomination which was definitely not a slime, it had gotten closer, and with surprising speed it lunged at Kenya.

"Kenya!" I jumped to the ground, ready to intervene if that thing somehow wrapped around him, (I knew how slimes hunted and it was never fun for the prey.)

I wasn't supposed to interfere with this event, but Kenya's life was way more important than them all not being disqualified from the outdoor training. Before anyone could make another move, though, Kenya retaliated.

The sound of a massive explosion suddenly bombarded us, the area filling with steam as a hot, goopy substance flew from the point of impact. I heard Alice's shrill scream.

Then the fog cleared, and a new shape oozing purple goop appeared in place of Kenya and the slime, standing there with his red-hot sword still held out.

"Blech! Ew, that tastes disgusting!" The purple blob revealed himself to be Kenya, entirely coated in the remnants of the Purple Slime as he hopped about, dropping his sword as he tried to wipe the nasty gunk off him.

"Eeeeeeeeek!" Alice shrieked, also dancing around like a madman. "It got on my clothes! Ew, ew, ew, ew, EWWW!"

"For crying out loud–" I broke myself off, calming down a bit now that the scare was over.

No longer worried for Kenya's safety, though, my mind had new things to consider.

That slime… just erupted…

[[Answer: individual Kenya's flaming sword caused a steam explosion to occur within the Purple Slime, destroying the individual's cohesion, therefore causing it to mitosize itself.]]

Yikes! Could that have happened to me when fighting Ifrit!? I asked internally, that was horrible!

I never thought I'd be so dismayed about a pile of goop. It was like the disturbed human emotions of my last life when I saw something gory or nasty, just for slimes instead…

Great Sage, I said, remind me to never take in a hot object like that without cooling it off first.

[[Notice: isolation within the unique skill [Predator]'s [Stomach] would render the danger irrelevant. Additionally, extra skill [Thermal Fluctuation Resistance] would prevent such an outcome.]]

Do it anyway! I ordered, I'm not taking chances with this!

I could get stabbed and sliced all day, but if I outright exploded? Good-bye, new slife.

[[Notice: the individual Rimuru Tempest could recover from this degree of damage with extra skill [Ultraspeed Regeneration], provided enough magicules are present.]]

I gave you an order, Sage. We're done here!

I almost thought I heard an annoyed "hmph" at that, but I must have imagined it. What was more important was seeing how the kids were. That purple goop stuff wasn't acidic or anything, right? How did I dissolve stuff as a slime again anyway?

[[Answer: with the extra skills [Absorb] and [Dissolve].]]

Just be quiet for now, all right?

I tuned back in to reality to realize the kids were arguing about something, which is when I realized what the sage said, the slime mitosized… Which meant it had split into lots of little slimes.

They were cleaner now, since all the rock sludge was left behind when the original big slime exploded, just little purple things no bigger than grasshoppers.

Some of them were the size of large rats, but no bigger than that.

Each just looked like a purple version of myself from back in the sealed cave, and while it freaked me out for a moment, I quickly found them quite inviting.

Then I fully took note of what the children were arguing about. "Ew, they are really gross! They are all over me!" Alice was complaining vividly about all the slimes on her.

"They are like sensei… but aren't." Chloe mumbled to herself. I tried to ignore how creepy she was being and instead focused on the others.

Kenya was trying to squish one with his boot, but was being stopped by Gale. "Come on, these things are monsters, it's our job to exterminate them…" Kenya whined at the other boy.

"Teacher is right there, have some more tact." Gale quietly said, refusing to let the kid kill any more of them. Kenya had obviously already squashed a good ten of them before his intervention, though.

"Ken, come on… They aren't even attacking us anymore. They are just little things… and you'll creep Teacher out if you just go killing them." Ryota urged from the sidelines.

"Why would Professor Rimuru be especially upset about this?" Tiss asked, looking confused.

"Nothing!" Four of the kids responded at once.

"He just thinks slimes are cute." It was Chloe who said that, and I liked her explanation the most. It was the easiest to work with, even if it wasn't entirely necessary.

"Only when they are little like this, and not gross like that big guy was." I passively kneeled down and picked up one of the little grasshopper sized ones.

Yeah… the small ones are kinda cute… but that didn't matter.

I set the small monster back down and watched it hop away with the others, them quickly disappearing into the grass to the sides of the road.

"Alright kids, let's go. No threatening monsters here, the little ones will probably be fine."

As we approached the estate of Count Guratol, our destination for the first part of the outdoor training, I started feeling uneasy for some reason and fidgeted in my seat.

Sensing my unease, Tiss asked, "Is everything alright? We're almost there now."

"I'm just sick of sitting in this carriage. It's been four days now." I lied to her since I didn't know what it was that was bothering me, so it's not like I could give her much of a real answer.

"Yes, it will be nice to step out and stretch our legs, won't it?"

"Yeah," I agreed, nodding. Maybe I just need some fresh air…

I started wondering if I really had become accustomed to living in civilization again, which was something I somewhat lost during my first few months in this world. But, that didn't entirely make sense here since the trip itself was perfectly pleasant, outside of encountering that viscous purple freak of nature that wasn't a slime at all, trust me.

As we pulled through the gates of the Count's estate, I saw several attendants assemble in front of a large mansion. One of them opened the door, and a tall man stepped out and began descending the stairs towards us.

"Welcome, young adventurers!" He greeted us as we pulled around. "You're early!"

"What can we say? We're pretty awesome!" Kenya smirked, preening.

Stepping to the front of the carriage I rapped him on the head sharply. "That's a Count you're addressing," I scolded, "show some respect." The last thing we needed was to anger the local nobleman that was supposed to house us for the next day or so.

"Haha!" The Count chuckled, "no harm done. Anyway," he moved his arm in a gesture to present himself, "I am Count Guratol, pleased to have you. Go ahead and step down, we can take care of your belongings."

On the ground, where it became clear exactly how many of us there were, Count Guratol's expression changed to confusion, though the pleasant smile remained. "There are six of you," he observed. "I thought this test was only done in groups of five."

"Oh, that's 'cause Professor Rimuru is our advisor!" Kenya slapped me on the back, pushing me forward. "He's super strong!"

Dang, this kid's been growing stronger by the day! Last time I checked, Kenya wasn't able to budge me if I didn't want it. I was caught off guard this time, but it still showed his growth.

"Pleasure to meet you, Count Guratol. My name's Rimuru Tempest," I smiled, opting not to embarrass myself by offering to shake hands. I wasn't even sure if that was appropriate here. "Like he said, I am the advisor for Class S."

See, I side-eyed Kenya, this is how you act when you're an adult.

"Oh! My apologies," the count smiled. "A pleasure to meet you as well. And good to see you, Miss Tiss," he turned to her.

"Wonderful as always to see you, sir," Tiss smiled.

"As I was saying," Count Guratol continued, "we weren't expecting any parties to arrive this early. We're still in the process of preparing your rooms, but you're welcome to come inside or explore the grounds while you wait."

"Ooh!" Kenya raised his hand. At least he's learning… I sighed internally.

"Thank you so much, Count Guratol," I intervened before Kenya could speak up. "Please give us one moment."

"Of course," the Count smiled.

A short distance away, the kids crowded around me and Tiss.

"Professor!" Alice blurted out, "I wanna see the mansion!"

"No, let's explore outside!" Kenya argued back.

"O-outside sounds nice…" Ryota commented, latching onto Kenya as always.

"Guys, calm down," Gale tried to persuade them, "we have two teachers, I'm sure we can do both."

"Actually," Tiss interjected, "Professor Rimuru seems tired. Why don't you all come with me? I'm sure we'll have plenty of time to see everything."

You look a lot more tired than me… I wanted to say something back, but Tiss had clearly noticed I was on edge.

"Are you really tired, Sensei?" Chloe asked innocently.

"Well…" I trailed off, considering my options. I was antsy, though I didn't know why, and it would be rude of me to step on Tiss' toes while she was offering me this break.

"It's okay, Professor," Gale interjected. "We'll be fine with Professor Tiss."

Yeah. They would be okay. I wasn't used to having someone copiloting while I watched these kids.

"He doesn't look that tired to me!" Alice argued, suddenly latching onto my shoulder and staring into my eyes. "You don't wanna leave us, right, Professor?"

Ouch. Those eyes. While Chloe elbowed Alice I realized that they weren't used to not having me around. Even outside of school, I was just a hallway away.

I loved these kids, but it was probably best for them to get some experience being away from me, considering I planned on leaving for short stretches of time soon.

"...I guess I'll go check out the town," I rubbed my head. "Maybe something to eat would help." We had passed through on our way here, and I was curious to see what a human city that wasn't Rura or Lond was like.

"Then it's decided!" Tiss smiled. "You all stay close to me. Have a good time, Professor Rimuru!"

She waved me off, and with almost no other choice I half-heartedly waved back, watching them walk off before I went to do my own thing.

I sat down in a restaurant to get a bite to eat, ordering a sweet nut-based cake from the menu. It wasn't nearly as good as Yoshida's stuff in Rura, but I did like it. It only made sense, this was a much smaller town and things like sugar were a luxury to begin with.

I was sitting in a corner booth against the wall, slightly shielded from the rest of the room. I picked this spot because I didn't want anyone striking up a conversation about whether I was new in town, if I was lost, and where my nonexistent parents were… stuff like that.

But despite the good food I couldn't shake the antsy feeling that had been bugging me since we'd arrived. Here I was hoping one of my favorite hobbies would ease my nerves, but nope. It was like there was something in the air. It had me all wired.

As I pondered the possible causes of my unrest I took another bite of cake, chewing slowly.

…are there different nuts in here? The nuts in the cake had been baked soft, and came apart without any effort, but I was definitely chewing on something harder and crunchier than those.

I glanced down at my piece of cake to see if I missed anything, and saw the handle of my fork in my hand. Just the handle. The head was missing.

I stared at it for a moment, chewed, and swallowed. Oh…

It would be really bad if somebody saw me do that. There was no trying to downplay just eating metal like a 'normal human.' I glanced around, but fortunately nobody had been paying attention to me.

Picking up my napkin, I pretended to wipe my mouth, covering it so I could scarf down the rest of the fork and hide the evidence.

Why did I eat it with my mouth?

I dunno. Barring the risks of exposing my slime-hood in public, it was nice. I enjoyed the texture, surprisingly.

Making a replacement under the table with [Material Creation], I ate the rest of my cake. As I was cleaning up the few crumbs that remained, I had a sudden idea.

The real fork tasted pretty interesting… but did something I'd made taste the same? Curious, I stuck it in my mouth, pretending to suck on it while I chewed off the end.

The texture was right, but the taste was bland. More than bland, it was tasteless. How strange.

Shrugging, I watched an elderly couple nearby stand up and walk off, leaving me alone in this corner of the restaurant, so I scarfed that down and made another one to leave behind.

Guess I'll have to stick to 'real' forks from now on.

Choosing to ignore the disturbing implications of my newly acquired taste, I paid my tab and left.

Maybe I should try jewelry next…