I am Rimuru Tempest (Another Version)

(Early chap, cuz why not?)

Wandering through the school halls of Englassia, Rimuru eventually arrived at the classroom where the kids were excitedly talking and laughing. He could hear them through the door, with Shizue playing along and causing their excitement to grow even more.

Reaching his hand to touch the door. Rimuru couldn't help but smile slightly. 

It had been three weeks since Walpurgis. Three weeks of non-stop work, meetings, and decisions, yet somehow, amidst all the chaos, there was a strange sense of calm. A calm which overtook over the slight paranoia and anxiety he still had left from Prophet.

Though, maybe, that was just because Shuna had returned. She had a gift for getting him in a good mood. It almost wasn't a fair fight.

She had left Diablo to manage Jistav, which turned out to be one of the best decisions possible. It was terrifying just how capable of an assistant Diablo was. Judging by the fact that he was a Primordial, maybe that was to be expected. Guy and Testarossa were also terrifying when it came to their strength and competency levels. However, Guy was on an entirely different level of strength.

There was plenty to do back in Jistav, particularly Amrita. It had been practically running itself for years. Clayman had been too focused on his plans for creating a Demon Lord, leaving the city to its own devices. But that neglect had come with its own share of issues. Bad habits had grown unchecked. Issues that, while not critical, needed to be addressed before they could fully integrate with Tempest.

He had spoken one time with Luminous, and they would delay their "war" until Tempest had finished stabilizing, which worked all the better because it would be a nightmare to deal with the logistics of a staged war when you have two entire kingdoms to deal with.

In the end, though it had taken longer than he had hoped, they were ready to bring the kids to Tempest.

Technically, the renovations were not finished. But the longer the kids stayed in Englassia the more risk they would be in.

Taking in one final deep breath, Rimuru burst through the door with a wide smile.

"Missed me?" He asked, and just as he finished speaking, the room erupted in excitement.

The students all quickly left their seats before running to him, their voices overlapping over each other as they swarmed him.

"Rimuru!" Chloe shouted, the mask resting on top of her head, almost falling down as she ran.

"Mr. Tempest." Alice, Kenya, and Gale all exclaimed.

"Rimuru-sensei!" Ryota blurted out.

Rimuru couldn't help but chuckle as he saw them all suddenly stop around him, giving him slightly confused looks.

"Why do you look so old?" Kenya was the first one to ask. The last time they had seen him was before his awakening, so he looked like a young teenager. Now, he looked to be in his early 20s, which was quite a noticeable change, even with just the change in his height.

"Happens, you know?" He replied, his tone teasing. He ruffled Kenya's hair, causing the boy to frown slightly, still processing the change.

Hearing his answer, Alice's eyes widened with concern. She grabbed onto the edge of Rimuru's shirt, clutching it tightly as she began to panic.

"You won't die from getting too old, right? Next time we see you, you won't be a grandpa, right?" She asked, panicking more and more as her mind pictured him looking like a shriveled old man on his deathbed.

Rimuru couldn't help but burst into laughter at her question, ruffling her hair, too, as he answered.

"No, no, this is a one-time thing." He assured them as he crouched down to their level. "You're all stuck with me looking like this. I'm not going anywhere, and I'm definitely not turning into an old man anytime soon."

All of them exchanged a glance with each other before shrugging and simply accepting it. They were in a world full of magic, and he himself was a Slime, so everything could be possible.

"Hmm, you gotta give me at least like 10 to 20 years before I become an old man. Or would that be my midlife crisis?" Rimuru added, chuckling as they gave him concerned and annoyed looks.

Shizue, standing nearby with a gentle smile on her face, couldn't help but join in on the laughter.

"Don't listen to him." She called out, shaking her head as she walked closer to the group. "If you let him mess with you now, he'll never stop."

Hearing her, the kids burst out laughing as their excitement took over again. They were all trying to explain everything they had been up to since Rimuru had last seen them. Kenya jumped onto a desk and pulled out the sword Rimuru had gifted him before imitating some of the Sun Breathing poses.

Yet, before the rest of the kids could follow along, Shizue drew their attention.

"Alright, alright." Shizue began, almost unable to hide her smile as she put on the most serious voice she could muster. "You are all overwhelming Mr. Tempest. One at a time, ok?"

As they spoke, Rimuru couldn't help but notice just how much their strength had grown. They appeared to be adapting to their Elementals perfectly. At this rate, they would be stronger than Shizue had been during her prime before she met him. Even without too much practice, they were bound to become absolute powerhouses.

However, as he listened to them, he couldn't help but notice that one of them was more quiet than the rest. 

"Oh, and I gotta go meet up with Grandpa Hakuro again!" Kenya exclaimed, his eyes sparkling with excitement. "He promised to teach me how to fight. I wonder what he'll think once he sees my new fighting technique!"

Gale and Ryota nodded in agreement, their own excitement mirroring Kenya's. It was clear that they had been training hard, eager to show off their new skills.

Alice suddenly remembered something, her face lighting up with enthusiasm.

"Ah, that's right! Aunty Sumisu said she was gonna make me a few more plushies. I wonder if she finished them yet."

He could see that they were about to get sidetracked again, so he decided to bring in some order by getting their attention.

"Alright, since everyone is so excited about Tempest, how about we head out? Everyone should go grab their bags and come back here. The last one back gets extra homework." 

The mention of extra homework was like a spell. Instantly, the room went still, the kids freezing in place as the challenge registered in their minds. Then, in a flurry of movement, they bolted for the door. 

Kenya, already halfway to the door, was muttering in frustration as he realized he hadn't packed his bag beforehand.

One by one, they disappeared into the hallway, their excited voices echoing in the distance as they raced to be the first to return. Shizue even had to run behind them to make sure they wouldn't cause a mess along the way. All but one left.

Chloe had stayed behind, standing silently as she took off her mask and held it up to her chest. She had been the most quiet when everyone else had been sharing their stories, and this gave Rimuru the chance to finally speak to her.

"You aren't going?" Rimuru asked gently, crouching down again to meet her at eye level.

Chloe shook her head slowly before turning to point at some books resting on her desk with her eyes.

"I have everything I need here." She answered.

"Are you ok?" Rimuru asked softly, to which she shook her head and ran to give him a hug.

Chloe held the hug briefly before letting go, appearing a bit more relaxed.

"I— had a nightmare." Chloe said quietly, averting her eyes for a moment before finally looking at him.

Hearing her, Rimuru frowned slightly. He had a good idea as to what this nightmare might have been. The Spirit of Time, the being that had given him the skill Prophet, had fused with Chloe. Whatever she had seen, it was likely similar to what he had witnessed with his own skill.

He had wanted to analyze Chloe again, to see if there was any trace of the Time Spirit left inside of her, but now that he was standing in front of her, he realized she had nothing.

Raphael had tried everything, using Asmodeus and even trying to activate Prophet to try to detect the Time Spirit. But it was as if it had entirely vanished after merging with Chloe. Her soul was now unusually strong, especially for someone her age, but beyond that, there was no sign of the Time Spirit as if it had never been there.

"You know…" Rimuru said softly, trying to reassure her. "I also had a nightmare."

Chloe blinked, her eyes widening in surprise.

"You did?" She asked in genuine confusion.

"Yeah, I did. And it wasn't a pleasant one either." He admitted. "But you know what I learned? Nightmares might show us scary things, but they don't define what happens next. We can still change things."

Chloe's expression softened slightly as she heard him before her eyes were filled with determination. The slight anxiety she felt vanished as she took a few deep breaths.

"Sounds good." Chloe whispered, her voice steadier now, a flicker of her usual strength returning.

Before Rimuru could respond, the door to the classroom burst open with a loud crash. Alice and Ryota came barreling in.

"What? No, that's cheating! You didn't even grab your things!" Ryota exclaimed while Alice nodded energetically in agreement, her cheeks puffed out, pretending to be frustrated.

Gale was next to stumble in, looking a bit more composed than the others, but it wasn't long before Kenya came racing through the door, out of breath and with a half-open bag slung over his shoulder. He had left a trail of clothes behind him that Shizue had been picking up.

"Alright, Kenya is our loser today." Shizue announced with a soft laugh as she ruffled the boy's hair, her touch gentle but teasing. Kenya pouted in response, his cheeks flushing in embarrassment as he muttered under his breath, trying to salvage his pride.

Some of the kids laughed at Kenya, until Rimuru clapped his hands to gather their attention.

"Alright, alright. Everyone ready?" He asked, and after getting a nod from everyone, he let out a grin. "Good." 

He snapped his fingers, and in an instant, the world around them shifted.

Suddenly, they were high above Tempest, the growing city below them. A few Hippogriffs almost instantly flew by, mounted by Hobgoblins, and they quickly turned around and spun in the air, giving them some space.

"Lord Rimuru!" Goose shouted out, raising his visor. "You startled us. We almost attacked you by accident."

"AHHHHH!" Before he could answer, Alice, Kenya, and Ryota let out shouts of surprise.

Most of the kids had let out surprised yelps, their arms flailing as they scrambled to stabilize themselves.

Giving a wave of dismissal to Goose, Rimuru chuckled as he felt Gale, Ryota, and Chloe grab onto his shoulders and arms for balance. Meanwhile, Alice and Kenya grabbed Shizue, who was closer.

"You all have entered through the front door, so I thought we should try out another way in." Rimuru joked. "Hey, look, I can see my house from there."

The next moment, they all began to drop. Most of them let out yells of both excitement and fear as they fell. Yet, as they approached the ground, they slowed down until gently landing on the ground.

"That was awesome!" Kenya exclaimed, his voice full of awe as his eyes sparkled with excitement. He puffed out his chest proudly, but the effect was quickly ruined when Shizue ruffled his hair again, causing him to blush and pout. "I was trying to look cool…" He muttered, glancing away as if to hide his embarrassment.

"Geez, Rimuru-sensei, you're too mean," Alice chimed in, her tone half teasing, half exasperated as she fussed with her hair, which had gone wild from the fall, and made sure she still had her plushy. "Look at this! I almost dropped Sir Floof."

"Aye, sorry about that." Rimuru chuckled as a few Shadows emerged from the ground. "They'll take your things to your rooms. Come on, follow me. There's something I've been looking forward to showing you."

"Make sure you behave with Mr. Tempest, ok? Hinata wanted to contact me, so I won't be able to join you. But Rimuru will let me know if any of you are messing around." Shizue told them, and after getting a round of nods, she waved goodbye and stepped away.

After the kids passed off their bags to the Shadows, they began following Rimuru through the streets of Tempest. The city had grown since their last visit, but despite the amount of construction happening around them, the wide roads kept things moving smoothly. 

Scaffolding climbed up the sides of buildings, and the distant sound of tools echoed through the air, but none of it seemed to slow them down as they wandered deeper into the heart of the city.

"We are off on a secret mission…" Alice hummed playfully out of habit. Her sudden song caused a wave of laughter to ripple through the group, with the rest of the kids joining in, chuckling as they sang along, their voices drawing smiles from the citizens passing by.

The streets around them seemed to buzz with life, but soon the atmosphere shifted as they began to pass by a section of the city far more vibrant than what they had seen before. All of their eyes widened as they took it all in, but Ryota appeared to be the most excited.

"Woah…" He breathed, his gaze sweeping across the buildings. 

The area had transformed into a colorful, dynamic space, with gigantic murals stretching across walls, statues standing proudly at intersections, and artists of all kinds hard at work. People darted about with brushes and chisels, some carrying massive slabs of stone, while others were flying to reach the tops of their grand creations.

"What happened here?" Ryota asked, his voice full of awe as he turned to Rimuru.

"Remember Ramiris?" Rimuru asked, glancing at the kids. They all nodded eagerly. "Well, thanks to her, we've got a 'bit' more protected land to work with now, so we're expanding the city's layout. One of the new areas we're developing is dedicated to the arts. It's part of our effort to promote creativity and expression in Tempest."

As they continued walking, Alice suddenly jumped in fright, grabbing onto Rimuru's arm and pointing at a nearby wall with wide eyes.

"That painting just moved!" She exclaimed. She peeked out from behind Rimuru as the painting, now sporting a mischievous grin, began silently laughing, pulling silly faces at the kids before scampering along the wall as if it were alive, trying to 'run away' from their gaze.

"Ah, don't mind them." Rimuru chuckled. "Gutmut's still working out a few details with his Skill."

As if on cue, a Kijin with long white hair stepped out from a nearby alley. His clothes were splattered with colors, as he waved around a brush.

"Stop messing around!" He called out, scolding the painting. "Don't bother Lord Rimuru or his guests!" He turned to bow apologetically. "I'm so sorry, Lord Rimuru. It won't happen again."

Rimuru waved him off with an easy smile.

"No need to worry about it, Gutmut. Honestly, I'm impressed with how quickly you've made progress here. This place looks amazing."

Gutmut's expression brightened at the praise, a proud smile spreading across his face. 

"Thank you, Lord Rimuru."

Turning to the kids, Rimuru gestured to the artist. 

"Everyone, meet Gutmut. He and his crew are responsible for the incredible artwork you see around here. He'll even be teaching art lessons at the school from time to time. If you're lucky, you might get your own paintings displayed here one day."

The kids exchanged wide-eyed looks as Gutmut gave them a quick nod before hurrying off to another painting that had jumped out of the wall before simply collapsing into a puddle of paint. 

Alice and the others, now more intrigued than ever, began wandering around, their eyes drawn to every little detail of the art-filled district.

They stopped in front of an intricately carved statue, its figure tall and commanding, with sharp features that seemed familiar. Alice tilted her head, looking at it with curiosity.

"Is that… you?" She asked, glancing up at Rimuru.

Rimuru followed her gaze and chuckled lightly. 

"Ah, that one? Yeah, that's one of the less dramatic ones." He gave a small shrug, clearly amused. "Muruk, the artist, had a few... 'interesting' ideas for the statues at first, but we toned it down a bit. This one should move eventually, but Muruk's still getting the hang of his skill. For now, he can only animate the smaller pieces."

"What kind of statues?" Gale asked, to which Rimuru simply laughed off the question as he began to nudge them along to follow him to the next place. It was a massive building that was still in the middle of construction. Workers bustled around the site, carrying instruments, building materials, and pieces of what looked like stage equipment.

"This…." Rimuru said, gesturing toward the building. "It is going to be our new concert hall. We managed to recover a good number of instruments from Jistav, and right now, we have teams working to recreate them. Soon enough, we'll have plenty of instruments for anyone who wants to learn how to play."

The kids looked at the building with wide-eyed curiosity, imagining the future concerts and performances that would take place there. But it was Alice who perked up at Rimuru's words, her eyes lighting up with a mixture of excitement and sadness.

"Do you guys have a piano?" She asked, her voice quieter than usual. "My mom used to play the piano."

Noticing her expression, Rimuru recognized that this was a bit hard on her.

"Yeah, we have a piano." He reassured her with a gentle smile, reaching out to pat her head softly. "I'll ask Varuut to teach you as soon as he finishes learning it himself. He's actually Muruk's and Gutmut's brother; the three of them are quite the artistic family."

Alice's eyes widened a bit at that, and she nodded, her complicated expression easing just slightly.

Moving on, they began their journey through most major departments. Glizzard, Goober, Laios, and Falin led the massive kitchens that fed the workers and knights. And they happily provided them with a few snacks to eat while they moved on into the Labyrinth.

Glizzard, Goober, Laios, and Falin stood at the helm, each leading teams of cooks who were busy chopping, stirring, and plating meals with precision and speed. The aroma of freshly cooked food wafted through the air, making the kids' stomachs growl in anticipation.

"Ah, here comes Lord Rimuru!" Goober, a tall chef with an apron covered in flour, greeted them warmly. "Welcome! Just in time, too, we've prepared some snacks for you all to enjoy."

"Thanks, Goober." 

Glizzard and the others quickly put together a spread of delicious treats, crispy pastries, and fresh fruit. The kids eagerly accepted the snacks, their eyes lighting up as they dug in.

Giving them a few moments to finish up, Rimuru then led them through the city one more time before arriving at an intricate door that appeared to lead to a small building near the training grounds.

"It's been some time since you guys were here. But the Labyrinth's actually changed quite a bit too." Rimuru said as he opened the door.

— — —

Special Thanks to my Beta Readers/Editors: The one, the only, the amazing @Basilisk, And @Kiyan Tribe (FF.net/AO3/QQ/WN) | kiyan_tribe( Discord)

Go Check out Basilisk's great story "I'm a Daemon, so what?" 

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