NOVEL NEXT Chapter 14: Slime Diaries / Veldora’s Journal.
(I wanted to do an intermission chapter in which I tried out something different. So this is my first Slime Diaries / Veldora's Journal. A little something to get the creative juices flowing. I really enjoyed writing this and all that happens here is canon and part world-building, but feel free to skip from section to section if you aren't interested in one part.
This is basically six small chapters in one. Also, I definitely recommend checking out the final Veldora's Journal Section. As always, any feedback is welcomed.)
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[Gazel's Spies]
Deep within the nation of Dwargon, King Gazel Dwargo sat with a firm expression. After receiving a note indicating that his former commander, Kaijin, had fled the country, Gazel had dispatched spies to track him down. Kaijin possessed crucial information about the Dwarven Engineer Corps, and if he had defected to an enemy nation, Gazel would have no choice but to consider him a threat and eliminate him.
However, the report he received was baffling.
"A nation of monsters, led by a slime that names monsters day by day?" Gazel mused, eyebrows furrowing in disbelief. The details were even more concerning: 300 ogres evolving into Kijin, nearly a thousand Hobgoblins, and strange black wolves. This could only be classified as a Disaster-Class threat in the near future.
His spies, all top-class operatives, had been noticed and attacked by these monsters, which was alarming in itself. Gazel couldn't let his worry show; he was a king, and his composure was crucial. He listened intently to the report.
"After tracking them down, we managed to spot an Orc Lord army," Henrietta reported, drawing worried whispers across the room. She continued, "However, the leader of the monsters was able to take care of the Orc Lord, even after it evolved into an Orc Disaster. In fact, I believe he was the one to cause the Orc Lord to evolve."
Countless whispers erupted across the room until the king slammed his fist, silencing them and allowing Henrietta to continue.
"Several humans have been welcomed into the town. It appears they are not a threat to humans unless provoked. They might have seen our spies as a declaration of battle, which would explain why they attacked on sight."
Henrietta's report detailed the state of the town and its rapid expansion, all under the name of Veldora's Prophet, or as he was also known, Rimuru Tempest.
'Kaijin… what the hell have you gotten into?' Gazel thought, shaking his head in disbelief.
"Gather the Pegasus Knights," he ordered, his declaration met with gasps of surprise.
"I will march there with them to test this ruler of monsters. If he is a threat, we will eliminate him. However, we must be cautious not to awaken Veldora's wrath. Diplomacy will be our first approach."
"But, my king-" one of his advisors began, only to be silenced by Gazel's heroic aura.
"I have spoken. This is an order from your king. If this leader is connected to Veldora, we must proceed with caution. I must see him with my own eyes."
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
[Bugs in Tempest.]
As Rimuru continued to explore the outskirts of Tempest, he suddenly received a notification from Great Sage. Rushing to the location, he found two severely injured insects: a bee and a beetle.
He had heard rumors of the legendary Zegion and Apito in his past life, so he had been searching for them ever since he had recruited the Ogres, and this was the moment he had been waiting for.
With some effort, he managed to convince them to come to Tempest, healing them using parts of his own body. Ultraspeed Regeneration made it easy. He wanted his new VIP citizens to be as strong as possible.
After naming them, Zegion and Apito began following Rimuru everywhere, even though he had set up an intricate tunnel network for them to explore and enjoy, courtesy of his newest Queen Ant, Marie Antoinette.
Rimuru had dispatched one of his Tempest Wolves, Wolfgunblood, to track them down and locate their nest. Naming the queen had almost drained all of his magicules, but with the Queen named, all the ants evolved. From a Giant Ant Queen to a Goliath Ant Queen, the Giant Ants became Goliaths too. However, thanks to Sage, they all obtained skills that allowed them to change their size if needed.
The ants moved into Tempest, creating an intricate network of tunnels under the city with rooms dedicated for use in case Tempest was ever attacked. Once they hired a good wizard, they could set up teleportation circles for better evacuation.
The ants also started working with the High Orcs on building roads and expanding Tempest. If the High Orcs were good builders, the ants were on another level. They moved in perfect unison, without a single wasted movement, constructing everything for their Queen.
Though Rimuru would be grateful if Antoinette stopped trying to mate with him, even after evolving, she had simply become a more humanoid insect with the upper torso of a humanoid and the bottom half of an ant. However, her face and upper body still resembled that of an ant.
It was a truly disturbing feeling when you knew a bug was giving you bedroom eyes.
Her unique skill, Brood Mother, allowed her to spawn countless warrior and builder ants. She could create even stronger offspring if she mated with another creature, but the father would have to take the entire loss of magicules from creating a child, practically a death sentence.
Seeing Antoinette eyeing up Zegion, Rimuru defensively stepped in front of the innocent beetle.
"Don't mess with my boy. He has a great future ahead of him. As your king, I forbid you from laying your hands on either Zegion or Apito."
Antoinette sighed, her antennae twitching in disappointment, but she nodded in submission to her king's command.
Rimuru could have sworn he almost heard the Queen let out a sad cry, but he decided to ignore it as he led his two warriors back upstairs, away from the dangerous eyes of the Queen. Marie might have been loyal to him until the day she died, but her flaw was her relentless desire to create stronger offspring to serve him.
With Zegion and Apito trailing behind, Rimuru continued his rounds. He stopped by to visit Shuna, who was diligently working on new designs for the city's uniforms. Her dedication to her craft was something Rimuru deeply appreciated.
Next, he checked on Silk and Motharella, the leaders of their respective races. They worked tirelessly to produce the silk needed for the city's clothing. As he approached, the massive spider and moth both came up to him, their movements synchronized and respectful.
Though since he could tell what they really wanted was a head pat, he gave it to both of them, earning a happy dance as they returned to work.
His day continued with him and his two new followers, both happily walking behind him as they continued to explore the town.
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
[Shion's Cooking]
As Shion swung her sword with precision, she cast a sidelong glance at Rimuru, who was happily munching on some snacks Shuna had made. His smile was warm, making Shion's heart flutter with excitement and joy.
'If only I could bring out a smile like that from him… from my lord, the man I've sworn to protect... the man who I...'
She couldn't even finish that thought without blushing, remembering the two kisses they had shared. Her soul felt like it was about to jump out of her heart with excitement as she relived those moments.
Cooking? She could cook. Or, well, she was sure she could now… Back in the Ogre village, she had gotten banned from cooking, but now that she was a Kijin, she was bound to be better… no?
With a determined expression, she turned towards Rimuru, who was holding a small sandwich in his hands and looking so happy. She nodded to herself. No matter what, she would bring out that smile from him with her own food.
But it would be super embarrassing if she gave him food that made him like Benimaru or her friends did in the past. Maybe she could use Gobta as her test subject. The little goblin had cracked a few jokes that had really pissed her off, so he could help her out as repayment.
'Maybe I should ask Benimaru for help too,' she thought, as she saw Rimuru finish his food and then, in a flash, appear in front of her.
"Are you ready?" he asked, a mischievous expression crossing his face.
"I'll fight until I can't move anymore," Shion said, feeling a warm sensation spread through her as she looked forward to the kiss. "I'll get that reward from you this time."
As she readied her sword, she felt her entire body focus.
"I look forward to it," Rimuru said, his katana appearing in his hand as his expression turned serious. Then, in an instant, he vanished.
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
[The Dwarven Architect]
"Ah… this is the life," Kaijin muttered, a contented smile spreading across his face as he heard a soft giggle beside him.
After moving to Tempest, he had met the love of his life, Sumisu, a beautiful Kijin woman with long white hair and expertise in architecture. They had crossed paths during the layout process of Tempest. Both being workaholics, they often found themselves working late into the night, alone together.
Kaijin had finally found someone who truly understood him. He glanced at his brothers, who had paired off with Goblinas, and couldn't help but laugh more happily. His decision to move to Tempest had been the best one he ever made. Hopefully, Gazel wouldn't hold it against him.
He had always been a lone wolf, but now he had a true purpose: to build a place where he and Sumisu could enjoy the rest of their lives.
Together, they had transformed Tempest from a great city into an unparalleled one. Sumisu had awakened an analysis skill when she evolved, which allowed her to refine his ideas to perfection. Their synergy was incredible, leading to innovations neither could have achieved alone.
One of their proudest achievements was an intricate system of hot springs, designed purely for relaxation. The springs were a marvel of engineering, seamlessly blending luxury with practicality. Kaijin often found himself marveling at their creation, the warm waters providing a perfect respite from their hard work.
As he sat back, enjoying the fruits of their labor, he felt a deep sense of fulfillment. Tempest was more than just a city; it was their sanctuary, a testament to their combined talents and shared dreams.
"Kaijin, are you daydreaming again?" Sumisu teased, her voice filled with affection.
"Just thinking about how lucky I am," he replied, pulling her close. "We've built something amazing here."
Sumisu smiled, resting her head on his shoulder.
"And we're just getting started. Now that we have magic runes we can inscribe to generate water from magicules, we can create an entire plumbing infrastructure…."
The two of them had begun to get carried away, planning for their future and how to improve Tempest even more.
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[The Kijin Chief]
Mamoru, Shuna's father, couldn't help but sip some tea with happiness as he saw the town around him. His daughter was happier than ever, and his stubborn son had finally decided to take on responsibilities as the leader of Rimuru's army.
"My tribe is truly thriving…." He muttered, chuckling to himself as he made a pun.
He hadn't realized it, but his people had stagnated for some time now. They hadn't made any progress. They were happy with what they had and never tried to expand. But that changed the moment he had accepted Rimuru's offer.
Standing, he walked through the town with a smile on his face, looking at the countless people working with a smile. He used to be a warrior, but thanks to having two children he had become significantly weaker.
So he had been left as the leader of the Kijin, but then, his daughter took that role from him.
He couldn't be more proud of her as he made his way to his daughter's workshop. She usually worked with seamstresses whenever she wasn't too busy helping Rimuru. As he walked in, he saw her with a warm smile, petting a gigantic white spider named Silk, accompanied by Motharella.
After Rimuru had eaten the Orc Disaster, he had begun to pass down skills using the skill he had obtained, which meant that the spiders and moths were producing even higher quality threads.
"Dad!" Shuna said as she caught him watching her, before running over to him and smiling. "Did you come here to check on us?"
Shaking his head, Mamoru answered.
"No… I was actually wondering if you could teach me how to sew, I am not really of much use elsewhere, so I wanted to learn how to do this. It's one of the few things your mother was always better at than me."
Hearing the mention of her mom, Shuna's expression became more nostalgic.
"Yeah… I wish she was here to see it."
After a few moments, the two of them chuckled before Shuna led him inside.
"Come on, you better learn how to make something nice for mom. We can make an offering for her later."
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
[Veldora's Slime Observation Journal]
Dear Journal, your favorite Storm Dragon here, Veldora.
After being eaten by the strange slime I've been watching him as he goes, and since I have full access to his memories, it was quite the journey to see how he worked. From the subjugation to the wolves to the goblin village, I am really looking forward to seeing what my new friend does next.
—
Journal, the audacity of this bitch.
Is that how that phrase is used?
Anyway, my new friend headed to the Ogre village and called himself my prophet. I tell ya, when I burst out laughing, I shook the entire void. This idiot is going to end up creating a cult under his name if he keeps going like that.
But hey, since he is calling himself my prophet, maybe all of the praise will go to me and not him…. Right?
Well anyway-
[Notice. I have already informed you of your need for cooperation in dismantling the Unlimited Prison. Using current processing speed, the estimated time until completion is 238 years, 6 months, 12 days, 13 hours, 41 minutes, and 14 seconds.]
[If you wish to return to the real world, assistance is required.]
Ah, there she goes again. Can't even let me enjoy the show. I swear that mean lady is-
[Understood. Lowering focus on examining the prison to enhance the assistance provided to Rimuru.]
"Wait, no! I'll be good! Please don't leave me trapped here! I am almost done watching all the anime and manga in this place!" Veldora suddenly shouted, catching the attention of Great Sage.
[Understood. Please assist with the process of examining the barrier.]
Letting out a sigh, Veldora nodded his head.
"I guess… So what do you need me to do?"
[...]
[...]
[Notice. Assist me with the process of examining the barrier.]
"Yeah, but how?"
[...]
[...]
[Notice. Generating a "Researching and Examining Unlimited Imprisonment for Dummies." book.]
With those words, the book fell onto his head. Veldora could have sworn that he heard irritation in the voice, but he must have been imagining it.
Opening the book, he began to read, his eyebrow twitching as he saw how it had been written for literal children to understand.
— — —
Dear Journal
Today my friend got married. And to a cute girl, no less, so happy for my bro, hope he doesn't choose the hoes before the bros….
Am I using that right?
Well…. I am taking a break from examining the barrier while the mean lady is away. I swear, she is so cold.
And, oh? It looks like my bro is about to do the dirty tango with his new wife.
Wait. Isn't he a slime?
I thought-
[Notice. Rimuru's vision broadcast has been stopped.]
"Huh. why? It was just about to get interesting! I have never heard of a slime having sex before." Veldora said before stopping.
"Wait, that's kind of weird. I don't want to leave the prison and then not be able to look him in the eyes because I was a peeping tom…"
[Notice. The reason for the broadcast stop is that it has been set to child-safe mode.]
"Child mode? But I am…. Is it because of the stupid question? I'm sorry, lady, will you stop with it?"
[Notice. Request Denied.]
— — —
Journal, the lady is so mean D:
I am working extra hard to get out of here, but nothing I do helps. It is just soo boring.
Ah, you must be wondering about my pal. Well, he just got to dwargon, used a nifty trick, and is about to enter a bar with some cuties.
Oooh, he's about to get a fortune-telling reading for his fated one.
My bro is already married and has a cute wife but is searching for another.
Good for him, the slime with a dick.
"Bwuahahahahahahahahaha." Veldora couldn't help but laugh as he saw what he had written before focusing on the screen again.
Yet he could only get a brief glimpse before the orb shattered, but that small glimpse sent a chill up his spine.
Dear Journal…
I think my bro is gonna get with my sis.
Does that make him my double bro?
Bro squared?
— — —
Dear Journal….
Why are we here… just to suffer?
Every time I start to have fun, the mean lady comes back.
But oh well, I am at least making progress. My unique skill Investigator is putting in his hard days of work. But at least I should get a new partner in crime when he eats Ifrit if all goes according to what I saw.
— — —
Journal
I am sad.
I don't get someone I can bully. My bro gave it to the hero lady.
Why are we here?
[Notice. Using the Degenerate skill, I could separate the consciousness of the fire spirit, Ifrit, during the rebuilding process. As a reward for your progress, here is your new pet. Take care of it.]
Veldora's mouth couldn't help but open in surprise as he saw a very confused fire elemental drop in front of him.
"Bwuahahahahahahahaha!" Veldora couldn't help but laugh, making the fire elemental crumble to the ground as he released all of his magicules.
[Notice. Continued progress is expected in order to keep pet privileges.]
Veldora's laugh suddenly stopped as he processed the words.
"Wait… are you treating me like a kid again?"
[Correct. Using information from "How to Raise Kids for Dummies" in order to encourage a good working environment.]
Dear journal… Please pray for me… at least my homie is out there having fun.
The mean lady is being mean again.
Though at least now I have a pet… I mean, a new pal to hang out with in here. That means the mean lady will only be half as mean since she has to split her meanness two ways.
[Notice. The pet cannot help with the examination process of the barrier. The burden lies on you, Veldora.]
Dear journal…
I want my homie to kill some people so that I can awaken my new skill and get out of here.
[Notice. You can awaken your skill without the need to leech off from Rimuru by working hard.]
D:
The mean lady is spouting nonsense again.
But hey, when my bro goes off to fight the Orc Lord, the mean lady is going to get distracted. This means I laze off and watch more anime with my new pet.
:D
— — —
Special Thanks to my Beta Readers/Editors: @LuluViBritania (FF.N, SB, WN and QQ)/-LuluViB|99th Britannian Emperor(Discord) and @Kiyan Tribe (FF.net/AO3/QQ) | kiyan_tribe( Discord)
Leave comments if you are reading! They really motivate me!