Chapter 63: A wild Demon Lord has appeared!
– Haru –
We were still outside my restaurant in Rimuru's world.
"...Slimes can wriggle everywhere, right?" my mom purred, leaning in just enough to give Rimuru a good view of her cleavage. She flicked one tail upward and brushed it against his cheek, which made him stutter and go bright red.
"W–we definitely can!" Rimuru said with a small stutter.
I facepalmed in embarrassment. "Oh my god..." I muttered under my breath. But she definitely wasn't paying me any attention.
Amy-chan crossed her arms and let out a frustrated huff. "I can't deal with this," she announced. She turned toward me and gave a dismissive wave. "Thanks for the power-up, Haru, but I'm heading home to watch the latest Naruto episode."
"If you actually want to meet the real Naruto, you can visit the Leaf Village anytime, you know..." I tried to point out.
Amy-chan pouted. "It's not the same," she insisted, before she headed to the Fox Hole to leave.
Naruko puffed her cheeks next to me. "Hmph. My life is way cooler than some dumb cartoon!" She was obviously annoyed.
I turned to her. "So, what do you want to do now?" I asked.
Naruko's eyes brightened at my question. "I want to go home for a bit and then bring Naruto to this world," she said. "If I'm going to be stuck as a fox girl forever, then he gets to share my fate! Plus, the Nine-Tailed Fox will definitely die if he goes through the same process I did..." she added vindictively.
I opened my mouth to protest, but thought better of it. Life in her world wasn't an anime where the power of friendship always wins out. The Nine-Tails was a massive pain, and maybe it was better this way. If Kurama died, it'd be impossible for the Ten-Tails to ever be revived.
Naruko suddenly leaned over and pressed her lips to mine in a quick kiss, her new tails curling around me for a few seconds before she pulled back and gave me a playful wink. "I'll see you later," she said with a wink and followed after Amy-chan.
A glance to the side confirmed that my mom and Rimuru were still at it. I could hear.
...Rimuru stammering something about how he perfectly controlled his slime form. How he could… wriggle it around and even make it vibrate.
My mom laughed in that sultry voice of hers she usually saved for business deals. "Ara, that sounds like it could be a lot of fun. I'm older than most modern science, but that doesn't mean I don't like to experiment..."
"Nope," I murmured to myself, deciding not to listen any further. She was clearly way too excited after her power-up and that had somehow made her horny...
I didn't need any of these mental images.
I wandered off deciding to go for a walk. I found myself walking aimlessly until the trees started getting dense. I headed deeper into the Jura Forest, which was supposed to be home to all sorts of monsters.
Hopefully they would make for some good ingredients.
…As I wandered through the Jura Forest, I couldn't help but wonder where all the monsters were. The place was supposed to be teeming with them, yet I'd barely seen anything interesting.
And then I passed by a particularly massive tree, where I felt a pulse of magic.
Instinctively, I tensed, my ears perking up as I turned my gaze toward the trunk. A moment later, the bark shifted and split open, revealing a beautiful woman with green hair stepping out as if the tree had birthed her into existence.
A dryad.
Her long green hair flowed like vines down her back, her golden eyes sparkling with mischief as she gave me a slow, knowing smile. Her skin had an almost unnatural smoothness, and her body… well, let's just say she had the kind of curves that could tempt weaker men into throwing away all common sense.
"Well, well," she purred, her voice as smooth as honey. "It's not often I get such a handsome and POWERFUL visitor. Welcome to my tree, traveler. Would you care to stay a while?"
I didn't miss the way she let her fingers trail down her own arm, drawing attention to her ample chest. I cleared my throat. "Uh, thanks, but I'm just passing through."
She tilted her head, stepping closer. "Are you sure? I can be very… accommodating."
A shiver went through me. I'd heard stories about dryads before, and even though I'd never met one in person, I wasn't about to risk it, even if I actually doubted she could harm me.
Besides, I already had more than enough on my plate with the women in my life. I wasn't the type to fool around with whoever threw themselves at me.
"I appreciate the offer," I said, forcing a polite smile, "but I'll have to decline."
She pouted, crossing her arms under her chest, which only served to push her cleavage up more. "What a shame. Handsome and disciplined? You're a rare one."
I chuckled awkwardly. "Yeah, that's me. Anyway, I'm actually looking for some monsters to hunt. Any idea where I can find something good?"
The dryad sighed. "I don't eat meat, but I hear other monsters love hunting the GIANT spiders to the west. Their legs are thick and apparently taste just like something called 'crab.'"
"Crab, huh?" That definitely caught my interest. I don't think I'd ever tried spider before...
I gave her a nod of thanks and was about to head off when she smirked at me. "You sure you don't want a quick fuck before you go, handsome?"
I nearly tripped over my own feet.
"...I'm good, thanks."
Her laughter followed me as I ran westward. A couple of minutes later, I was deep in spider territory. Webs covered everything—treestrunks, rocks, even the ground in some places. But strangely, there were no spiders in sight.
"Hmm, where are they?"
Then I heard it.
Chittering. From above the treetops nearby.
I looked up and gaped in shock. Those weren't 'tree trunks' around me.
They were legs. Massive spider legs.
A spider bigger than my entire restaurant loomed overhead, its eight massive legs shifting as it prepared to strike. Those legs lifted high before slamming down toward me like giant spears.
I rolled out of the way, dodging as they impaled the ground where I had just been standing. I slashed with my claws. One of the spider's legs was severed instantly as the monster let out a shriek.
It wobbled but steadied itself. It still had seven more legs, after all. The one I caught off flopped to the ground and as soon as I caught its scent my mouth watered. So much meat. The dryad wasn't kidding. It really did smell like crab! I couldn't wait to cook some of it up!
There's just something about monster meat—the way it always smells delicious and richer than anything from normal animals.
I sat on a log, tending to a campfire as the scent of sizzling spider meat filled the air. The giant spider I had killed earlier had given me plenty to work with. Eight massive legs, each the size of a tree, were piled up beside me, ready to be cooked. I had already brought out a griddle from my storage space, where chunks of thick, tender meat sizzled, the juices searing into the metal. A pot nearby was filled with melted butter, bubbling slightly, just waiting to be drizzled over the cooked meat.
Yes, I carried all this around with me at all times. Any self-respecting chef capable of magic should do the same. You never know when you'll need to cook a feast in the middle of nowhere.
Suddenly, a loud growl echoed next to me, breaking my focus...
I turned my head and blinked in surprise. A girl with pink twin tails stood there, staring at me with wide, sparkling eyes. She wore what looked like black bikini bottoms and a short white top, showing off her toned stomach.
More importantly, she was drooling—like, a lot—and her stomach let out another loud growl. She was absolutely locked onto the food.
"Hey there," I said with a grin. "Pull up a log if you're hungry."
"You'll share some with me!?" she asked, her voice filled with excitement.
"Of course. I'm a chef, and I'd never turn away someone who's hungry."
"You're the best, demon fox!" she practically squealed before turning to a nearby tree. Without warning, she slammed her fist into it. The entire tree exploded into splinters, shaking the whole damn forest. Then, with an effortless yank, she pulled the stump clean out of the ground—it was bigger than she was—and casually carried it back over. She jammed it into the dirt, sat down, and beamed at me like nothing had happened.
I blinked at her display of raw power, but honestly, I couldn't help but chuckle. This girl was something else.
"The name's Haru," I introduced myself.
"I'm Milim! Milim Nava!" she said with a big, proud smile. Then she waited. And waited. Tilting her head in confusion. "…You don't know who I am?"
"Nope. Should I?" I asked curiously.
That only seemed to make her even happier. "Nuh-uh! It's nice to meet someone who doesn't for once! Hi, Haru!" she giggled.
"Hi, Milim," I chuckled back.
She practically bounced in place, her excitement bubbling over as she started rapid-firing questions. "Are you really a chef? Where are you from? How come I've never heard of you before? You're pretty strong!"
"Thanks, you're pretty strong too. And yeah, I'm a chef. I just got to this world today, actually. I run a restaurant called The Fox Hole—it connects to a whole bunch of crazy worlds filled with interesting people. That's where I usually spend my time."
"Aww…" Milim pouted. "And here I was going to offer to 'name you' and make you my personal chef!"
I blinked. "I already have a name?"
She shook her head. "No, no! You probably don't know, but in this world, powerful monsters can bestow names onto weaker monsters to make them more powerful. It's a huge deal!"
"Is that so?" I said, curious but not really interested in getting any stronger at the moment.
Milim looked almost surprised that I wasn't jumping at the offer.
I decided to shift the conversation back to the food. "It's ready." I pulled out a second plate from my inventory, along with some outdoor silverware, and handed Milim a full serving of cooked spider meat, complete with a dish of melted butter for dipping.
The moment she took her first bite, her entire body tensed. Her eyes literally sparkled as she let out a moan of absolute delight. "THIS. IS. THE. BEST. THING. I'VE. EVER. EATEN. IN. MY. LIFE!" she declared, her voice practically echoing through the trees. She didn't stop until her plate was completely empty. Then she pointed at the pile of uncooked spider legs and shouted, "I WANT TO EAT ALL OF IT!"
I chuckled, flipping another piece of meat on the griddle. "Careful what you wish for—I never leave someone hungry."
Milim grinned, her stomach growling in agreement. It looked like I'd be cooking for a while.
...
By the time I finished grilling another batch, Milim had already finished two more plates. She had an endless appetite, but I wasn't complaining. It was fun watching someone enjoy my cooking so much.
As I flipped another piece, I decided to ask, "So, what's a strong girl like you doing out here, anyway?"
Milim swallowed her food and grinned. "I was bored! And then, all of a sudden, I sensed three ridiculously strong beings show up in the forest, so I came to check it out!"
Three...? Was talking about my mom, Amaterasu, and me?
"You sensed us from that far away?" I asked.
"Duh! I'm super strong, you know! One of the strongest!" she said proudly, puffing out her chest.
I raised an eyebrow. "That so? How strong are we talking?"
Milim smirked and put her hands on her slender hips. "I'm a Demon Lord!"
"I don't know what that is." I shrugged at her and she deflated.
"Aww... That usually gets a bigger reaction..." she mumbled.
Once Milim was completely stuffed, there were only four of the giant crab legs left.
Yeah… the cute 'demon lord' sure could pack away a lot of food.
"That was super good," she said, rubbing her still-flat stomach. Then her eyes lit up again. "Wanna fight and burn off some of those calories?"
I chuckled at her enthusiasm. "Tempting, but I actually need to get back to my restaurant and check up on my mom... and Rimuru..."
Milim tilted her head, curiosity flashing across her face. "Ooooh, your mom? What's she like?"
I raised a brow. "She's… well, she just evolved into a twelve-tailed fox demon and might be the strongest being in Japan now."
Milim's jaw dropped. "Whoa! That's so cool! But wait… who's Rimuru?"
I sighed, rubbing my temple. "He's a slime… that was flirting with my mom. And she was into it."
Milim blinked. "Woah. That's weird… but hey, you know what they say—love is love?" she said with a thoughtful tilt of her head. Then she frowned. "Although I've never really been in love before. I wonder what it's like."
I shrugged. "It's nice. You feel a lot more fulfilled and a lot less lonely, I guess?" I said, thinking about Naruko.
Honestly, I was happy for my mother. It had been a long time since Kunou's dad passed away, and she never really talked about my father much. If she was moving on, then good for her. Though… she'd probably have to share with that Shion girl, given how crazy she was about Rimuru too.
Milim pouted a little when I reminded her I had to leave. "Aww… I was having fun! I'm always so bored on my own!"
I thought for a second before smirking. "I can't fight right now, but we can throw down later if you want." Then, without really thinking, I reached out and patted her head.
Milim blinked in surprise before giggling, leaning into my hand. "You're fun, Haru."
"If you want, you can come back to my restaurant with me," I offered. "There are plenty of people there, and you'd make friends in no time."
Milim's pout instantly turned into a beaming smile. "Really!? That sounds fun!"
I sighed dramatically. "I'd have said Rimuru could be a good friend for you, but who knew he was so devious when it came to women?"
Milim scoffed. "I don't want a guy like that as my bestie anyway! I've decided that you'll be my bestie from now on!" she declared with a grin. Before I could react, she smirked mischievously. "Oh, and I name you Haru!"
"Huh…?" was all I managed to get out before my vision blurred and my whole body swayed. I barely had time to process what was happening before everything went dark.
"Now commencing evolution…" the voice of the world echoed in my head.
…Shit.
XXX