"So, do you think you can do it?" I asked curiously.
"Of course! It's nothing outrageous." Kaijin grinned as he spoke in front of me. "In fact, since it's you asking, lass, we'll put everything on pause and get it done for you."
"Y-you don't need to do that." I waved my hands in front of me, causing a chuckle to come from my left.
"It's fine, Lady Suu; we don't have much to do at the moment anyway." Kurobe said as he finished putting away various weapons he had crafted.
Once done with that, he walked over while saying, "And besides, I did promise to help make a weapon for you, didn't I?"
"I guess. I just don't want to rush you if you're busy with other things." I mused, shifting my weight slightly.
I was currently sitting within the forge, the fire crackling to my side in the large medieval-looking furnace. Standing across from me were Kaijin and Kurobe, the two smiling as my eyes drifted around the room. While there were some weapons and armour on display, most of the items that were decorated here were stored in a separate storage area at the back of the building.
Anyway, what had we been talking about, you might be asking? Well, I had finally decided upon a weapon and had come to talk to these two about it. It had honestly taken me longer than I had expected to come to a decision, however after testing everything I could think of I finally found one that felt right. Additionally, I had also come to ask about getting weapons made for Yin and Yang, something that they had also agreed to.
"Well, you're in luck; we're not currently busy at all." Kaijin chuckled with a grin. "And even if we were, we'd still get you all sorted out first because we want to help you, little miss."
(I still haven't gotten fully used to people wanting to help me so much...) I sighed internally, although I couldn't stop my lips from curving upwards slightly.
"Still though, I do have a request if you'll hear me out." The dwarf said suddenly, pulling my attention back to him.
"And what would that be?" I asked, tilting my head to the side curiously.
"Well, while I don't know much about phoenixes, I did hear a few stories over the years." He began to explain. "One of which is that the feathers of a phoenix can be used in forging to create powerful magical weapons and artifacts."
"Really? I've never heard of that." Kurobe mused, surprised by his words; I was taken aback as well.
Kaijin nodded before going on to elaborate more. "Well, it's just a rumour I overheard back when I worked for King Gazel, although I never got the chance to find out if it was true or not."
(Great Sage, what do you think of this?) I thought as the two talked.
[Answer. The possibility of such a thing is seventy-six percent; phoenixes are highly magical creatures and as such their bodies contain large amounts of concentrated magicules.] The familiar mechanical voice came a moment later, echoing in my head. [The chance of your feathers having a positive effect when they are used in the creation of magical items or weapons is high.]
(Oh, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to try then; after all, it's not like my feathers won't regrow almost instantly thanks to my regeneration.) I hummed internally.
For a moment I mulled it over before speaking up. "I'm guessing you wanted to ask for some of my feathers then?"
"If you'll allow it, little miss." Kaijin responded simply, clearly having no desire or intention to force the matter.
"I don't mind." I said, reaching for one of my wings and pulling out a feather; it regrew almost instantaneously as expected.
I did this a few more times until a small pile of black and golden feathers was neatly piled before us. "There, is that enough?"
"A little more than enough, to be honest. I honestly wasn't expecting you to give me so many." He blinked at the pile and Kurobe nodded in agreement.
"Well, it's not like pulling them out hurts me; additionally, they do regenerate relatively quickly." I shrugged, unbothered, before realizing something and quickly adding, "However, if they do have some kind of effect, please don't go spreading it around, at least until we can inform the others about it."
"Right; if someone malicious found out it could cause problems." Kurobe mused, clearly understanding my concern.
"My lips are sealed." Kaijin said seriously.
"Thanks." I smiled in appreciation. "Now that's all sorted out, I'm curious how you make weapons and stuff here." I said, and immediately realised I had just opened the floodgates as I was soon bombarded with information.
We chatted for a bit after that; the two were incredibly passionate about the work and I was more than happy to listen for a while. After a bit, though, I decided it was probably time to head out and quickly bid my farewell. They waved me off as I stepped outside and breathed in the fresh air, glancing around with a soft smile on my face.
Honestly, a lot has changed in our town recently, mainly the fact that many of the tents that used to make up the majority of the structures have steadily been replaced with actual wooden buildings. Of course, there were still some tents remaining, but it wouldn't be long before they were replaced as well. I was honestly quite impressed at the speed of construction; although considering the fact that this world had literal magic, I suppose it makes sense that such things wouldn't take anywhere near as long as in my old world.
Anyway, I made my way over to the town hall of sorts. It was the biggest building in the area and was close to the centre of town. It was also more than just a big meeting place, it was the area where Rimuru and I had now been staying. It was honestly a little too fancy for me; my bedroom alone had taken a while for me to get used to, considering how big it was. Either way, once I arrived I was met with quite an odd sight: Rimuru, Benimaru, and Hakurou all sitting around a table, although something was definitely up.
(Why is Benimaru sweating so much and why is Teacher hiding his presence?) I thought in confusion while looking the two over.
"Oh, hey Suu." Rimuru said, waving me over to the table once he noticed me. "Good timing by the way, Shion is about to make me that special meal she was talking about before."
"Hi to you as well." I replied, taking a seat at the far end of the table. "Didn't you say you were going to do that a bit ago? Why'd you only get here now?"
"We had to visit Shuna and a few others first, very important business and all that." He shrugged, averting his eyes from my blank stare.
"Gotcha…"
(He really was just trying to get out of training, wasn't he?) I grumbled internally.
"Also, I don't really know how to ask this, so I'm just going to come out and say it." I said, glancing at the two kijin. "What's up with those two?"
"I wish I kne-" Before he could finish that sentence, however, the door to the kitchen opened and out of it came the figure of Shion.
"I'm done~"
The purple-haired Kijin entered with a large smile on her face, practically glowing with both happiness and anticipation. Just then, though, a massive shiver ran through my body as a feeling of dread seeped out from the back of my mind. My brain honestly stopped working for a second as I glanced around in panicked confusion, trying to figure out what the heck was going on.
It didn't take me long to figure out why my instincts were screaming to run, mainly because Shion was quick to place the source on the wooden table in front of Rimuru. And God, I don't even know how to describe what I was looking at, if I'm being honest. But one thing was certain: the thing on that plate definitely was not food of any kind.
(She... she can't... she can't seriously think that counts as food, right?) I thought, my face paling slightly.
Then a realization struck me and a full-on shiver ran through my body. (Wait a second... she wasn't planning to make me eat something like that... was she?)
Unfortunately, it was then that she noticed me. "Oh! Laby Suu, do you want some?" Those words, that innocent smile, they filled me with more dread than anything else I have felt since arriving in this world.
(She was!) I screamed internally.
"N-no thank you... I've... erm... already eaten today, as well..." I stuttered, taking a step back, as I did I noticed Hakurou nod at me in approval from the corner of my eye.
"Oh? Well that's a shame. Maybe another time then." Shion sighed, and I mentally noted to always have an excuse on hand just in case.
The stuff looked like a purple-and-blue toxic sludge that gave off an aura more terrifying than even the tremor lord I had fought. In fact, the most horrifying thing about it was that even my Wind Speaker skill seemed to desperately wish to avoid it at all costs. Normally, when the wind around me picked up it was steady and flowed like a gentle breeze, only becoming slightly more sporadic when I was in danger. This, however, wasn't even close to the case right now, with the wind seeming to churn and shiver in what I perceived as absolute disgust. If this were the reaction of an actual person, well, they would probably be violently emptying their stomachs onto the floor right now.
"Anyway, here you go, don't forget your spoon, my lord." Shion said, completely unaware that Rimuru's eyes were practically begging everyone in the room for help, eventually landing on me.
(D-don't look at me!) I thought in panic, becoming quite flustered. (I can't help, just turn your tongue into slime or something so you can't taste it.) Unfortunately, I could neither bring myself to say that out loud, nor did I know if he could actually do that.
Just then the door behind me flung open and two figures walked in. "Whew. I don't know about you, but I'm starving."
"Eep." I was already on edge, so the sudden arrival of Gobta and another hobgoblin startled me. "Don't do that!"
"Sorry, Miss Suu." Gobta chuckled, rubbing the back of his head as he walked past me.
"Please forgive us." The hobgoblin with him, Gobzo, I think his name was, bowed slightly, stopping to apologise.
"It's fine, just be more careful, please." I sighed and he nodded politely. He was about to respond, but his words were suddenly cut off by a horrible gagging noise.
"Huh? What's happening...?" I trailed off as I turned and saw the terrible scene before me.
There was Rimuru, his arm outstretched behind him, the spoon in his hand jammed into Gobta's mouth; it wasn't hard for me to figure out what had happened. (T-that's... that's just cruel...) I thought, my face paling even further.
What followed was, well, let's just say it wasn't a pleasant experience for the short hobgoblin. His usual green complexion turned a dark purple, his mouth filling with foam as he collapsed onto the ground and began rolling while clutching his neck. After several long seconds he went completely still, his eyes rolling back as he twitched on the floor uncontrollably.
(Oh... oh God...) Fortunately, I could tell he was still alive, although I bet he wished he wasn't right now.
"Shion..." Rimuru hissed, causing the kijin in question to stiffen.
"Y-yes!"
"Next time you want to cook something, get Benimaru's approval first." Rimuru muttered, much to the redhead's horror.
(I... I would feel bad for him but... well, honestly I'm just kind of glad that it wasn't me...)