Saga of Slime and Devil (Remake)

Vol 3 | Chapter 5 | Family's End

The woman's short teal-green hair flowed in the breeze as she walked down the city street. Her long purple dress and cloaked cape fluttered in the wind, slowing her down as she kept pace with the knight escorting her.

The knight wore crimson armor with gray-silver hair. Despite at times coming off as more of a stupid mess, the fact remained that he very much radiated the aura of a Champion he claimed to be.

The man, named Youm, was widely celebrated as the man who took down the Orc Lord. The woman, named Mjurran, knew this for the lie that it was as it had been the King, Rimuru Tempest, who took down the Orc Lord; Despite the story that brought him to fame being a complete fabrication, that hardly made him any less suited for the role.

He was charismatic, strong, and skilled. While he may not have been when he took up the role, he now was strong enough that he may have actually had a good chance against the Orc Lord, at least before its evolution into the Orc Disaster.

Officially, she had just joined his party as a mage. In reality, however, this was all a lie. She was using him, though she took no joy in doing so. The goal was to infiltrate Tempest. Sure, she could've come in normally like one of the many tourists or immigrants that began flooding to the town, but by attaching herself to Youm, she could alleviate at least some suspicion.

Looking around at the lively town, streets bustling with people socializing, selling goods, and seemingly preparing for some grand event, it brought her much shame knowing what she had to do next, but she had no choice, her will was no longer her own. She was a puppet of the Demon Lord Clayman, bound to his decisions so long as he held her true heart.

What the Demon Lord wanted Tempest for was beyond her knowledge, but with this seemingly being only one part of a grander plan, she imagined he wasn't working alone in this endeavor.

For now, she had made her way into Tempest under the ruse of being a party member of Tempest's close friend Youm. All that was left was to blend in and wait for the call. It could be days from now, it could be months, it could even happen in a few minutes for all she knew. Whatever the case, she was ready at all times, but she had to look the part of a normal mage, at least for now.

"It is great to see you again, Youm. Who is this you've brought with you?" Mjurran's focus returned to reality as she saw Youm standing in front of a pink-haired kijin dressed in a red and white kimono. The style was common among some of the Tempestian women she had seen, but the kijin's stood out among all others as especially extravagant, with the girl having the aura to match.

Youm gestured his hand toward Mjurran, explaining, "This here is Mjurran. She's joined our party as a mage. She's quite a skilled one too, probably the strongest of all of us."

The kijin woman made a polite bow to Mjurran with a friendly smile, "It is a pleasure to meet you. My name is Shuna, please make yourself at home. Feel free to explore around or try out the hot springs later."

Mjurran nodded calmly, "Thank you..." Mjurran looked around again at all the people working to set something up. She had noticed it on the way here but it was especially obvious near the town's center where they currently were, "Are you all preparing for a festival or something?"

Shuna clapped her hands and nodded with a smile, "Yes! Great Rimuru will be returning after a long absence in about a week so we're planning a large celebration for his return."

Youm nodded and folded his arms, looking back for a brief moment, "Yeah, I noticed there were a lot of the military folks around town. You usually see a few of 'em but there were a lot more than I remember seeing last time I visited."