Chương 6: A Fascinating Elf
Rimuru Tempest
It all started with what should have been a routine mission: investigate mana surges in the Beast Glades. "Probably just a rogue monster," they said. "Nothing too dangerous." Easy money, right? Except nothing's ever that simple.
I was midway through the Glades, swatting at overgrown vines and grumbling about Raphael's sassy remarks, when I got ambushed by a pack of mana-infused wolves. Not exactly challenging, but they were noisy enough to make my trip annoying.
I was about to finish them off when a wave of emerald light streaked through the clearing. Thick vines erupted from the ground, wrapping around the wolves like living chains before snapping tight and shattering them into mana dust.
"Seriously?" I muttered, turning around to find the source.
And there she was.
Alea Triscan, standing atop a tree branch like she'd just stepped out of a hero's ballad. Her sword rested casually on her shoulder, and glowing green magic pulsed faintly from her hair.
She hopped down effortlessly, brushing an errant leaf from her shoulder as she smirked at me. "You're welcome."
I blinked, thrown off. "Wait... you're—"
"Yep," she said, cutting me off. "And you're still alive. Impressive."
My frown deepened. "I'm fine, by the way. Not that anyone asked."
Her smirk widened. "Oh, I wasn't worried. A Special Grade adventurer like Rimuru Tempest doesn't need rescuing... or does he?"
I crossed my arms. "I wasn't exactly struggling."
"Sure you weren't." She sheathed her sword and tilted her head, studying me with a look I couldn't quite decipher. "You know, you look better than the last time I saw you. Less broody. Did someone finally buy you lunch?"
That caught me off guard. "Wait—you remember me?"
"Of course I do. Young guy sitting on a fountain looking like he just lost a duel with life itself? Hard to forget."
"I wasn't that bad," I muttered, though even I didn't believe it.
She chuckled. "You were, but I guess it worked out. Nice to see you've graduated from mopey loner to a mysterious legend. Not bad for someone who told me to mind my own business."
I rubbed the back of my neck, unsure whether to feel flattered or annoyed. "I didn't ask for help then, and I didn't need it now. And I didn't tell you to mind your business, I told you I was fine!"
"Sure, sure," she said, waving a hand dismissively. "But isn't it nice to know someone's looking out for you? Even if that someone is me."
I raised an eyebrow. "And why, exactly, are you looking out for me?"
"Because you looked like you needed it back then. And now? Let's just say curiosity got the better of me. You don't see special grades walking around every day."
"Like you aren't one yourself," I replied, deadpan.
"Oh, don't be like that," she teased, stepping closer. "Special Grade Rimuru Tempest, rising adventurer of a dozen rumors... slayer of vines?" She pointed at the tangled mess of undergrowth I'd been cutting through moments ago.
"Whatever helps you sleep at night," I shot back, grinning despite myself.
Alea laughed again, this time leaning just a little too close. "Well, lucky for you, I happen to be good with plants. Want me to clear the way? Or are you going to brood your way through the forest like old times?"
"I wasn't brooding!"
"Right, and I'm just an average swordswoman," she quipped, her tone practically dripping with sarcasm.
We stood there for a moment, her light bluish eyes locked on mine, and I couldn't help but think how ridiculous this situation was. A chance meeting from months ago, now turned into... whatever this was.
Finally, I sighed and gestured toward the path ahead. "Fine. Lead the way, Miss Expert Botanist."
She gave an exaggerated bow, her grin returning full force. "Anything for the great Rimuru Tempest. But just so you know, I'm charging you for this."
"For what?" I asked, already regretting indulging her.
"Entertainment," she said over her shoulder, striding confidently into the forest. "You're fun to tease."
We ventured deeper into the forest, arguing, bonding, and—dare I say, flirting—along the way. We then sat in a clearing comfortably, the tension from earlier fading into something lighter, almost enjoyable. That's when she shifted, leaning over me with an expression I couldn't quite read.
"You know, if you wanted to thank me properly, there is one way..."
And before I knew it, she was on top of me, her face hovering inches from mine, her warm breath tickling my skin.
———
I'd always wondered when I'd get a girlfriend. The thought had crossed my mind countless times. I'd imagined the kind of person she'd be—someone kind, smart, maybe a little funny.
But as I lay there, with Alea Triscan resting atop me as we lied in the grass in the middle of the Beast Glades, her warm breath brushing against my skin, I couldn't help but feel like I'd stumbled upon something far rarer than I had ever hoped for. Something that couldn't possibly be as simple as it appeared.
Her eyes met mine. "Do you want to have sex?" she asked, her voice light, almost playful.
I blinked, unsure if I'd heard her right. "What are you saying?"
Alea shifted, her lips curling into a grin. "You won't mind my company anymore, right?"
I felt my non-existent heart skip a beat. I opened my mouth, but the words came out with less confidence than I intended. "No! That's not something you should do casually."
Her smile faltered for a split second, but she recovered quickly. "How rude. I'll have you know I'm still a virgin."
I blinked, completely thrown off by the sudden revelation. My mind stuttered to a halt. "Eh?"
"But I do like you very much," she continued, as if we hadn't just discussed something absurd. "I'm fine with losing it to you."
I stared, processing her words. What an airhead. She's treating this like it's a sport!
She seemed to sense my hesitation. "I'm half-joking, you know. It'd be bad if things got awkward between us."
We just met today, though. I shook my head, unsure whether to laugh or sigh. "Half?" I shook my head in disbelief, trying to make sense of her strange, matter-of-fact approach.
"Yep, half," she said, her grin widening. "But if you seriously want to, I'm fine with that."
My mind raced, spinning in circles as I tried to process everything. This was not what I had expected when I woke up this morning, not in the slightest. I'm being tested. I'm really… really, being tested. I took a deep breath, trying to focus, but nothing seemed to clear the fog.
"I… I'm going to have to say no."
I wasn't sure if I was relieved or disappointed by my own answer, but I knew it was the right choice. I couldn't let myself be swept away by something so reckless, especially not now.
Alea blinked, then gave a light chuckle, rolling off me and sitting up in the grass field. "That's too bad. You really are an odd one," she said, glancing at me with a faint smile. "Most people would've jumped at the chance."
"Maybe," I admitted, sitting up and brushing the grass off my clothes. "Sure, you're hot. But I'm not most people."
She chuckled. "That much is obvious," she said. "You're either incredibly noble or just hopelessly clueless."
I wasn't sure whether to take that as a compliment or an insult, so I settled on a noncommittal shrug. "Or maybe I just have standards."
Alea tilted her head, her eyes narrowing playfully. "Standards, huh? Is that what you call it?"
I rolled my eyes but couldn't help the small grin tugging at the corner of my lips. "Think whatever you want."
The two of us sat there for a while. Despite the bizarre turn our conversation had taken, there was an odd sense of camaraderie between us, as if our strange, sudden, and unexpected connection had forged a bond neither of us had expected.
"You're not from around Xyrus, are you?" Alea asked after a moment, her tone more serious now. "There's something different about you."
"You could say that," I said carefully. "I'm just passing through."
"Passing through, huh? Well, you might find that this world has a way of pulling people in, whether they like it or not."
I nodded, not trusting myself to say more. She didn't press the issue, and for that, I was grateful. Instead, she leaned back on her hands.
"You know," she said, her voice softer now, "for someone who seems so composed, you're surprisingly easy to fluster."
I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "And you're surprisingly good at catching people off guard. Both then and earlier."
I remember the time when I first arrived in this world. I was hopeless back then—filled with contemplative and negative thoughts that I never knew how to continue with my life forward. She was a ray of sunshine back then, even if I didn't act like it.
Her grin returned, brighter this time. "I'll take that as a compliment."
The sun began to set, casting the glades in a warm golden light. Alea Triscan felt unique unlike anyone I'd ever met in this world, and though I didn't fully understand her, I couldn't deny that she intrigued me.
"We should head back," I said, pushing myself to my feet. "It's getting late."
Alea stood as well, brushing off her clothes gently. "Lead the way, oh noble one."
We head back to the hub of adventurers undergoing missions in the Glades.
◇◇◇
Alea Triscan
It started as nothing more than a chance encounter—an ephemeral moment that, in hindsight, seems almost too serendipitous to be real. I had been passing through Xyrus, running errands that felt beneath someone of my rank but needed doing nonetheless. It was late afternoon when I saw him.
He was sitting on the edge of the central fountain in the middle of the square, head bowed and shoulders slumped. The world around him moved with as usual, but he seemed utterly still. Like a stone in a rushing river, unmoving while everything else flowed past.
Something about him caught my eye. Maybe it was the way he carried himself, as though he bore a regret so heavy it had all but crushed him. Or maybe it was the way his presence felt… off. I remember walking up to him, my curiosity getting the better of me. I didn't even plan what to say; the words just spilled out. "Are you okay?"
He looked up at me then, and for a moment, I felt like I'd been pinned under the gaze of something incomprehensibly profound. His crimson eyes—deep, weary, and oddly captivating—told a story I couldn't begin to comprehend. But he shook his head, muttered something about being fine, and waved me off.
I felt destiny reveal itself to me through the iridescence of his gaze.
I should have left it at that. Most people would have. But as I walked away, I couldn't stop thinking about him. That nameless young teenager sitting by the fountain lingered in my mind like a puzzle I couldn't solve.
Weeks passed, and life carried on. Then came the rumors.
They spread like wildfire: an adventurer who had soared straight to Special Grade after a single assessment. People whispered his name in awe and fear—Rimuru Tempest. At first, I dismissed it as another exaggerated tale. Stories like that always found their way into every nook of the floating city, only to fade as quickly as they came.
But then I heard more. Tales of impossible feats, raw power that defied logic, and a presence that left even seasoned adventurers in stunned silence. And when I finally saw his face, I realized the truth.
The man from the fountain, the one who had looked so utterly defeated, was the same man the entire Adventurer Guild now spoke of.
Rimuru Tempest.
I won't lie; my interest in him became an obsession of sorts after that. I couldn't help it. How could someone go from looking like they had nothing left to give to becoming a legend almost overnight? What had he endured to rise so quickly, and what kind of strength lay beneath that calm exterior of his?
So, yes, I sought him out. Not because of the rumors—though they certainly added to the intrigue—but because I needed to know. I needed to understand the man who had sat on that fountain looking as though he'd lost everything, only to become someone who could move mountains.
When I finally crossed paths with him again in the Beast Glades, it felt like fate had decided to humor me. There he was, swatting at vines and looking mildly irritated, as though he had been inconvenienced by the very forest itself. And when those mana-infused wolves attacked, I couldn't resist stepping in. Not because he needed help—clearly, he didn't—but because I wanted to see how he'd react.
And oh, did he react. The way his brow furrowed, the way he turned to face me with that mix of surprise and exasperation—it was like watching a storm try to make sense of a breeze.
Rimuru Tempest is… fascinating.
He's infuriatingly modest for someone of his caliber, but there's a subtle confidence about him that I can't help but admire. And when he speaks, there's an implication of equal parts humor and wit that makes every conversation feel like a game I don't mind losing.
I meant what I said to him earlier—about wanting to have sex.
Partly because teasing him is so much fun, but also because it's true. I'm drawn to him in a way I can't fully explain. It's not just his power or the mystery that surrounds him; it's him. The man who looks no older than fifteen but somehow balances strength and vulnerability, who can cut through a horde of monsters and still look like he'd rather be anywhere else.
Rimuru Tempest is a puzzle, and I've always loved a good puzzle. But this one? This one, I think I'd like to keep solving for a very long time.
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