The ice-blue light silently pierced through Ifrit's body. The vitality in his eyes slowly faded away.
"…Is it over?"
Rimuru murmured.
Ifrit's form dropped like a torn kite, collapsing lifelessly to the ground.
Notice! Host has defeated the Demon Lord-level entity Ifrit. Skill [Predator] activated successfully.
Acquired Skills: [Flame Transformation Hell Array], [Incarnation of Flame], [Demon Flame]…
Notice! Trait [Lord of Ice] detected. Interference in skill acquisition detected… Mutation successful!
Skill Conversion Initiated:
→ [Extreme Frost Hell Array]
→ [Incarnation of Ice]
→ [Ice Flower]
S-Rank material detected nearby! Extract now?
Granstar didn't even need to think.
"Yes. Extract."
Extraction successful!
Obtained: S-Rank rare material – Flame Demon Heart.
Granstar looked at the new materials now lying quietly in storage. The corners of his mouth almost reached his ears.
"Rimuru, what are you spacing out for? Hurry up and devour Ifrit's body."
"…Oh, right."
Rimuru stepped toward the charred remains of Ifrit and activated his skill without hesitation.
[Predator] – Activated.
Inside a quiet room, the atmosphere was both serene and heavy with tension.
Miss Shizu lay motionless on the bed. Her breath was faint, barely perceptible. Slowly, with great effort, she opened her eyes—gaze distant and clouded.
Rimuru had believed that devouring Ifrit would completely heal her. But reality had proven otherwise.
"Great Sage… Why? We already defeated Ifrit… So why is Miss Shizu still like this?"
He called out inwardly to his unique skill, voice tinged with worry.
After a brief pause, the familiar, calm voice of Great Sage responded:
Analyzing… Analysis complete.
Notice! Due to Miss Shizu's long-term parasitic fusion with Ifrit, her physical functions had been unnaturally sustained. With the elimination of the parasite, her time—previously frozen—has resumed.
As the Great Sage explained, Rimuru's expression grew increasingly blank. This outcome… he hadn't anticipated it at all. For a moment, he stood there, helpless.
Shizu, meanwhile, lay quietly. Her mind, caught between lucidity and haze, began to drift into memories.
In the beginning, she hadn't belonged to this world.
She had been a Summoner—dragged into this realm when another was on the verge of collapse.
The one who had summoned her was the so-called Demon Lord, Leon Cromwell.
He granted her a second life… at a cost.
In exchange, she was forced to coexist with the Flame Spirit—Ifrit.
From that day on, she lived like a puppet, emotions stripped away, her will at the mercy of the Demon Lord.
Years passed in a blur of fire and silence.
Until one day… a figure appeared.
The Chosen Hero Chronoa.
She had found her abandoned in Leon's castle—but didn't kill her.
Instead, she listened. Patiently, kindly, she heard the story of her suffering.
She gave her the Anti-Magic Mask, which helped suppress Ifrit's rampage within.
After that, she followed her—battling monsters, gradually learning to live again.
Eventually, the hero left. But she endured. Decades passed.
She defeated countless foes and earned the title: Explosive Flame Dominator.
Her appearance remained unchanged—perhaps due to Ifrit's influence.
Later, she retired, becoming a teacher for children with experiences like hers.
She still worried about two of them. Their personalities couldn't be more different, but they had grown… matured…
And now, here stood Rimuru and Granstar.
She looked at them with eyes half-closed, but filled with clarity.
"…Mr. Rimuru. Mr. Granstar… I believe you're both from another world, aren't you?"
Her voice was frail—so soft it seemed it could vanish at any moment.
"…May I ask you for one final favor?"
Granstar and Rimuru both looked at Miss Shizu in surprise. They hadn't expected that, even at such a critical moment in her life, she would still have a request.
"Okay, Miss Shizu. Tell us," Rimuru said gently.
A flicker of complexity crossed Rimuru's eyes as he gazed at the beautiful woman lying on the bed. A strange, indescribable emotion surged in his heart.
"I'm still a little worried about the children… I hope you can help take care of them…"
Shizu's voice was weak, each word spoken with effort. Her eyes drifted upward, staring blankly at the ceiling, as if lost in distant memories.
A single crystal tear slid down her cheek—one of relief and release.
"Actually… I always wanted to find that man and ask him why… Maybe I just wanted his approval, even at the end..."
Her words were heavy with sorrow and regret, underlined by a deep sense of helplessness.
"The Platinum Demon Lord… one of the strongest among them?"
Granstar murmured as he lowered his head in thought, Shizu's words weighing on his mind.
"I hate this world… but I can't bring myself to truly hate it…"
Her voice grew softer and softer, like a candle flickering in the wind, threatening to go out at any moment.
After glancing around at everyone present, Shizu's gaze finally settled on Rimuru. There was a gentle warmth in her eyes.
She didn't fully understand why she felt such a deep sense of closeness to the person before her, but the feeling was real—undeniably so.
"Mr. Rimuru… I don't want to be consumed by this cruel and merciless world. Please… allow me to sleep forever within you."
"Just like how you devoured Ifrit before… Could you do the same for me? It's… my only wish."
Rimuru looked at her in shock. Sorrow quietly welled up in his heart.
Was someone fated to walk alongside me truly about to leave…?
"Miss Shizu, I…"
His voice trailed off, his throat tight, as if choked by emotion.
Shizu met his gaze with pleading eyes and whispered one final word:
"Please…"
Faced with her heartfelt request, Rimuru finally made up his mind. He slowly bowed his head, then nodded solemnly.
"I promise you."
His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a steady, unwavering resolve.
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