(Attendances… plz…)
….
After Shizue asked her question, she looked at Reinhard, her gaze steady, hoping for an answer. But then she seemed to catch herself, a flicker of regret in her eyes. "Oh! I'm sorry if that was too personal," she said quickly. "How rude of me."
Reinhard just shook his head, his expression calm. "It's no problem," he said, then answered her directly. "It wasn't a skill. I just gathered the mana in the air into the stick and then released it at the Knight Spiders."
Shizue was confused. Her understanding was that people who were summoned or who appeared in this world were granted skills upon their arrival.
How could he wield so much power without one?
"Wait, wait," she said, holding up a hand. "I'm a little confused here. What do you mean it wasn't a skill? Then how did you do it?"
Reinhard understood her confusion instantly. This world's power system operated on a foundation of skills.
The number and type of skills one possessed depended on their race, their stage of evolution, or their raw magical capacity.
Normal humans didn't usually have skills unless they trained for years or were blessed in some way.
For someone to wield such power without a named skill was, to her, a fundamental contradiction.
"I understand why you're confused," he explained patiently. "But you can think of it like this: what I did out there wasn't from a skill, but through a sword technique passed down in my family. And in my world there are no such things like skills but a power system of blessings. Just like how this world's power system is based on skills, the world I come from has an entirely different system, based on blessings."
Shizue listened, and the final pieces of the puzzle clicked into place. It explained his power, his unique abilities, and why there were no rumors about him.
"So," she said, a new level of understanding in her voice. "You were already strong before you even came to this world, huh?"
"Yeah," Reinhard said with a simple nod. "You could say that." He looked at her, his expression still open and friendly. "Is that all you wanted to ask?"
To be honest, Shizue had expected some resistance, or an outright refusal to answer.
But she was surprised by how truthfully and honestly Reinhard had responded. She knew he was telling the truth; after decades of experience, you learn to read people and pick up a few things.
"Yeah," she said, a small, genuine smile touching her lips. "That's all. Thank you for answering my questions."
Reinhard smiled back. "No problem. Those questions weren't really that hard. And since you're a Summoned, too, I thought I could share it without any problem." He paused, his expression turning a bit more thoughtful.
"Though, I think you didn't really get the answer you were looking for, about finding someone from that place, Japan."
"I'm not really looking for anyone from there anymore," Shizue said, her voice a little softer. "My students and I were all summoned from that place, so I just thought that maybe you were, too. It was just a hopeful question."
Reinhard's eyes widened slightly in interest as one would expect to show Shizue. "Students, huh? Well, you did say you were older than you look. So that isn't too surprising."
Shizue let out a small, quiet laugh. "You… are kind of weird," she said. "Of course, in a good way."
Reinhard laughed a little too, scratching his cheek with his finger. "Well, I'll take that as a compliment." He glanced back toward the huts.
"If that's all… I think we should go back to our lodgings. Otherwise, Ellen will come looking for you, and Kaval and Gido will come looking for me."
"Yeah," Shizue said, pulling her mask back on. "You're right."
….
The Next Morning:-
The sun was shining brightly in the sky, and the goblin village was already a hive of activity.
Hobgoblins were back to work, their hammers echoing through the village. Goblins were tending to small vegetable patches. Children were chasing each other, their happy shouts filling the air.
Inside Rimuru's hut, the atmosphere was more serious. The trio, Shizue, and Reinhard were gathered with Rimuru, Rigurd, and Rigurd's son, Rigur.
They were discussing their departure. They still had a mission to complete, and the Great Jura Forest was a vast and dangerous place.
After considering their situation, Rimuru made a proposal.
"The Great Jura Forest is a very large area," he said. "Searching it for something "suspicious" could take you weeks. So, how about this? We can help you search. Rigurd and others know the forest better than anyone. In return, while you're here, you could help around the village with whatever you're good at."
It was a simple, logical offer on the surface. But Rimuru's true motive was a bit more complex.
He knew, deep down, that the "suspicious thing" they were looking for was probably him.
His arrival, his eating of Veldora for his own good, the protector of this village, it all started with him.
By sending goblins with them, he could keep track of what they were finding, all under the guise of being helpful. It would also put him and his village in a good light.
It wasn't a malicious plan. It wouldn't harm anyone. On the contrary, if they stayed in his village for a few days and saw that the monsters here were peaceful and organized, they would surely put in a good word for him in their report to the guild. It was a win-win.
Kaval saw the immediate advantages. "Well, I see no reason to deny an offer that can help us get this contract over with faster," he said, agreeing instantly.
"Yeah, no problem from my side," Ellen added cheerfully.
"I don't have a problem with it," Gido grunted.
"It's a good idea," Reinhard said with a nod. "And in return, as you said, we can help with hunting or construction."
Shizue, who had been silent, finally spoke. "I don't have a problem with it, either." This was likely to be her last journey.
Spending a few days in this strange, peaceful village with these interesting people… it wasn't a bad way to pass the time.
And with the goblins and Reinhard around, she wouldn't have to strain herself fighting.
"Hahaha, thank you!" Rimuru said, his slime body jiggling with satisfaction. "I know this will be a good thing for all of us. We can help each other out."
….
A/N: So, How was it?! New day new chapter. So dont forget to send power stones lets hit 1000 power atones if possible.
I'm thinking of letting reinhard stay in the rimuru village for quite some times after their investigation is over for some of his own research and intervention.
What do you guys think?!
Q: Should Reinhard Stay Back in the Village?!
-yes
-no
Next two chapters are already on my discord.
Melatonin, spawn and many more on my discord … thanks for beta reading this fic and not to mention suggestions too.
Hoped you all liked the chapter and all.
And if you want to read ahead you can do it by just joining my discord server.
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