That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime (WN) - Chapter 300：Visit to the Unknown

I deactivated the time suspension.

“…We should charge in and neutralize the effects of the gravity waves!”

“And then Miss Jegyll can…”

“I can go with you! I came this far, after all. And I intend to go until the end!”

All at once, things became very noisy again.

I would have to make them all calm down once, so they could listen to what I had to say.

While the immediate danger was gone, the root of the problem had not been solved yet. To be precise, while the world had not been destroyed, the planet was still dying.

I opened my mouth to say something, but it turned out that there was no need.

Michelle had opened her eyes.

“Silence!”

A shout.

That was all. Those who had been talking about a plan, in which their lives would be at risk, now closed their mouths and looked at Michelle with expressions of shock.

“Michelle!”

“General Michelle. Did you succeed in controlling it? But, how did you reconnect your ‘brain’?”

“No, that’s impossible! Even after regaining control of your body, it would still be impossible to stop the energy in your state!!”

“General Michelle, according to my partner, you are currently in a stable position. But are you really okay?”

Questions that were full of disbelief were being thrown around.

It was no surprise.

The problem had been solved so quickly that it was hard to believe it.

“I know that you all have a lot you want to say, but wait. I must thank my saviour first!”

With these words, the others seemed to regain their calm a little.

And then their gazes turned to Veldora and then me.

Boing.

A light blue sphere—well, more of an ellipse—creature.

And even I knew that my appearance was suspicious.

However, Michelle looked straight at me.

And then she said:

“So, it’s you that saved me and this world? You have my thanks.”

Amazingly, this Michelle person seemed to understand what had happened while time had stood still.

Perhaps she had grown mentally when her ‘brain’ was cut off from her body?

Either that, or it was an effect of the special substances birthed from the Mobius System. Apparently, Veldora had not been able to use ‘Appraisal’ due to outside disturbances. The Mobius System was so mysterious that it was no wonder Master Ciel had an interest in it.

In any case, this would make things easier.

Michelle seemed like a leader here. She had that sense of authority that allowed her to dominate the others. And it would make it easier for me to talk if someone in her position was able to understand things.

I intended to negotiate about the future in detail.

With this thought in mind, I transformed into a human as a show of politeness.

I felt more relaxed as a slime, but it was hard to look people in the eyes.

“Hello. I am Rimuru. It seems like my comrades have caused you a lot of trouble.”

“I’m Michelle. They haven’t caused any trouble at all. It was I who asked for their aid.”

Michelle answered back. She sounded a little nervous.

Next to me, Veldora was mumbling. ‘Don’t use such lukewarm words. Introduce me as a sworn brother!’ I would definitely bee ignoring him.

Regardless, he was clearly going to leave everything to me. So I left him and looked around the room.

Before I knew it, a hushed silence had fallen over the place.

And their eyes were piercing into me.

Why?

Don’t they realize how uncomfortable it made me?

I wondered, but I couldn’t just say goodbye and leave now.

There were still problems left to solve.

“Now, I’m sure you all have different opinions, but surely you agree that this chaos must be stopped? I want to discuss the future. Is that all right?”

Veldora and the others had sided with the Resistance.

That meant they had gone against the Empire, and yet, they were also somehow allies with Michelle.

In other words, things were not so simple. There was a lot happening behind the scenes.

And as things had escalated so far, it seemed like the proper thing to do was to make everything clear.

“Of course. And I would like the leaders of the resistance to hear as well. There is no point in hiding anything now. It will expose the Empire’s shame…but this is not the time to worry over such things…”

Michelle said. Then she smiled with an insightful look.

She accepted my suggestion and began to talk about the hidden truth.

“…Tribes warring, language barriers, economic disparities, religious differences. In view of all of these things, my father, Almsbine, decided who would become residents of the city. It was all a gamble for the survival of our species. I still feel that it is meaningless to argue about good and evil in this case. After all, our civilization would not exist today if he had not enacted this.”

Michelle finished there.

That was the full story of the project.

Of course, you could try to persuade those who had been cut off and abandoned, but you were not likely to make them understand.

But an administrator had to make decisions. She said.

They would have talked if things could be resolved that way. However, when one side profited while the other suffered, there was nothing you could do to reach a consensus.

And if that happened, they would run out of resources while discussions ran on. Mankind would be destroyed.

But, even then…

“That’s not enough, Michelle. Even after that, there was no future for us…”

I man muttered quietly. He was sitting on the ground and looked exhausted.

And yet the voice rang around the room, and everyone heard him clearly.

“Fudora…what are you…?”

He’s called Fudora, huh?

He was the man who had been fighting the raging gravity waves next to Michelle until the end.

Appearance-wise, Fudora was a young man. And yet he seemed aged, somehow.

The voice was just as tired. But he spoke so that everyone could hear him, not just Michelle.

It was full of despair, and yet it was an accurate analysis of the current situation.

“We don’t have a future. Even if we used our remaining resources wisely, there is still a limit to how many humans we can support. There was nothing to spare for the people outside of the city who called themselves the Resistance. Even within the cities, West does not have much time. North is already starting to crumble. That is why…we needed the Mobius System…”

He said this very weakly.

It was very close to what Master Ciel predicted for this world’s future.

“…Wait. What do you mean? Didn’t we go through with the contamination removal plan as a way of fighting against those predictions?”

“No, Michelle. That was just our official stance. The Super Beasts were born as a way of leaving the roots of mankind’s possibilities. We created lifeforms that could live under harsh circumstances and hoped that they would become intelligent. We humans cannot live in undeveloped land. We can’t do anything once severed from our civilization. It’s not enough to decontaminate the world.”

Fudora said.

And then he laughed as if he had gone mad.

Then voices rose and the arguments began…

◇◇◇

That’s it, really.

According to Master Ciel, ‘As they have not inherited the technology, they are not able to lower their civilization level.’

They needed those cities to maintain their current lifestyle. And that required immense energy.

Apparently, all of their food was automatically grown as well. They did not even know how to do it all by hand anymore. Their civilization had become too convenient. They could not return.

And now, their world was contaminated.

They would need to cultivate the earth after they purified it.

However, there was no water.

The ground was dry and unfit for growing crops.

There were no rivers, it was just barren wasteland as far as the eye could see.

Not only that, but it seemed that even the seas had dried up.

You could not see the sun. It really did look like it was the end of the world.

Really, it was astounding that humanity had survived at all.

So there really wasn’t any hope of getting out of this situation by human hands. So the only way was to make use of the cities…but they had limits.

Nuclear fusion reactors didn’t create energy out of nothing. You needed fuel.

So, considering all of that…

This world had no future.

…And so that was why this man called Fudora and seen hope in the Mobius System.

And he had tried to kill everyone who might get in his way, just in case his plan failed.

In other words, humanity needed to be culled.

Perhaps this Fudora had the resolve to commit heinous crimes.

It seemed like they were discussing having him executed. And giving my opinion on the matter wouldn’t help them solve anything.

However, I had every intention of stopping something as troubling as an execution.

Fudora seemed quite smart. Perhaps I could find a use for him if this world was going to execute him.

I would use this problem as a way of negotiating in my favor.

Fudora’s testimony had revealed the truth to everyone, so that would make things easier.

No one would accuse me of doing things on my own later.

I had a plan.

To be precise, I would make this world indebted to me by solving their problem, and then I would take Fudora as payment.

At the same time, I would close my eyes towards all the things that Veldora and the others had done.

Besides, it didn’t seem like any continued talks would lead to anything good. It was best to go ahead and solve the problem.

“I know you all have your reasons. You must have a lot to say. However, I would like it if you left things to me now. And with that, we can wipe the slate clean. As for the future, we can talk about it once you’ve seen the results!”

I interrupted their conversation with this declaration.

In any case, they couldn’t ignore me now. And it was to my advantage that they seemed a little exasperated.

Usually, interactions with other worlds had to be conducted more carefully.

That’s why I had told them not to go…

However, since Veldora and the others had already gotten so involved, I couldn’t abandon them.

To put it bluntly, I would have trouble sleeping at night.

Still, it would be necessary to give Veldora and Ramiris a long, hard talk about the importance of prudence.

But that could come later.

How much could I interfere in the affairs of this world—should I interfere at all? It was a difficult question.

Basically, I needed a pretext for saving this world.

The room fell quiet as soon as I spoke.

Then they all looked at me awkwardly.

I could even see fear in some of their eyes.

I don’t understand.

I went out of my way to become a human because I thought it would be rude.

That being said, I could very well make use of their confusion.

“Rimuru…Lord… What did you…?”

I ignored this question from Michelle as I turned to Veldora.

Veldora had been discussing something with Ramiris and Beretta while I had been distracted by Michelle.

It seemed like he was bragging to them about what happened while time had stopped.

While I was here, he acted as if the problems of Michelle and the others were none of his business.

He was telling them that it was because of him that the Mobius System would be installed in Beretta. Ramiris and Beretta listened to him with the deepest respect.

It was a little annoying, but I would let it pass.

I would have him work in exchange later on.

“Veldora. This world seems to be in danger, huh?”

“Hmm? Yes, it appears to be so. So, what are you going to do, Rimuru? Maybe we could just take the children with us?”

“No.”

“Hmph. How cold of you! We should save those that we can save. Then they can learn of my greatness!”

Veldora said. I smiled at him.

Veldora saw my smile and finally sensed the danger.

“Wh-what are you going to do? Put away that scary fan!”

I beat the air with the fan so that it cracked loudly.

Veldora was stunned as his eyes looked to me with worry.

“By the way, about your punishment for acting without my permission…”

I paused ominously and cracked the paper fan in the air again.

I continued only after confirming that Veldora’s eyes were shifting uncomfortably.

“I think I will exclude you and Ramiris from my next plan.”

“What!?”

“…Huh? Me too!?”

“Yes, why shouldn’t I? Both of you broke your promise and went off by yourselves.”

I said. Now it was not just Veldora. Ramiris was getting very nervous too.

Ramiris seemed to assume that she had nothing to do with it. Did she really think that I would overlook her?

If that was true, she was too naive.

“But I have nothing to do with this! I was just dragged in!”

“Wait, Rimuru! There is a reason here that is deeper than the sea!”

“Waaah! It’s not like that, Rimuru!! I was abducted by Master, that’s what happened!!”

“Hey, shut up!! Stop spouting lies! You were quite happy to plot along with me!”

And then the ugly fight between them began.

“…However, I have considered the possibility of not asking about it. Thankfully, I am the only one who knows about your little escapade. So, it you would listen to what I have to say…”

I said this as if it were really too good for them. They immediately took the bait. It was quite amusing.

“KA-HAHAHA! Well, why didn’t you say so sooner. Ask us anything you want, Rimuru!”

“I’ll do anything, okay? Leave it all to me!”

They were so easy.

“…I’m not sure…”

“I swear to keep my promises from now on! We won’t run away!!”

“Me too! Besides, it’s more interesting with you there, Rimuru!”

Veldora and Ramiris made their desperate appeals.

Beretta was looking at them with exasperation. It was as if he knew that this would happen.

Well, no real harm had come from it, and they both seemed to be sorry.

“So, no more forestalling?”

“Yes!”

“I promise!”

They might do it again once they forget their fear, but they should be obedient for a while.

This was enough for now.

And so I nodded and forgave both of them.

◇◇◇

“So, what is it you want us to do?”

“I’ll do anything!”

Both of them rushed me on as if they were still worried that I would change my mind.

They really didn’t need to. I wasn’t mad anymore.

And so I left it in the past and answered their question.

“I can’t really leave this world as it is, so I want to save it as soon as possible. That will be easy for you two won’t it?”

I said casually.

“Hey, hey. Are you sure, Rimuru? Wasn’t it you that forbid anyone from interfering too much with this world?”

“E-exactly? Saving this world? We won’t be able to do that while looking like we’re not involved?”

It was incredibly rare for these two to say something that made sense.

Perhaps it was due to my daily efforts to educate them. There was a sense of normalcy that had taken root and was growing.

However, it was a bit late for that.

“How can we leave this world and go home, when we know that it’s headed for destruction?”

Not being able to sleep at night would be the least of my problems.

It would be one thing if I didn’t know about it. But now that we did, I didn’t think it was wrong to lend them a hand.

“Kaa-hahaha! Yes, that’s true. Then I will hesitate no further in helping them. That’s what you want, right?”

“Yeah. Do it.”

I gave my permission.

It would be a farewell once we returned to our own world.

And so there was no need to worry about being used over and over.

“All right! All right! Can I wake up the sleeping spirits and share the power?”

“I don’t mind, but that power…”

“Oh, don’t play dumb! Of course, I’m going to get it from you, Rimuru!”

Ah, I knew it.

Of course…

“Okay! You can trust me on this!”

But, I don’t trust you at all?

I thought. But Ramiris seemed very enthusiastic. There was no need to dampen her spirit.

Besides, she was right about one thing. Making the spirits active again would mean extending this planets lifespan.

In order to maintain an environment that was rich with nature, the role of spirits was very important.

And so the two began to act.

“Let’s begin then!”

Veldora shouted loudly as he returned to his original form.

A great, black dragon.

The aura he had been holding back was now unleashed, and immense energy now surrounded the planet.

Impressive. Seeing it like this, he definitely exuded a sense of dignity.

Unfortunately, Veldora’s everyday attitude ruined it…

“Kaaa-hahaha! I shall give you my blessing! Fertile Paradox!!”

Immense energy was unleashed into the atmosphere-it purified the toxins and caused a miracle-

Barren wasteland. Contaminated dirt. As I watched, it all started to fill with greenery.

The thick clouds that obstructed the sun began to be blown away by the storm.

The dark clouds that appeared were full of water that fell as torrential rain.

The terrain changed and gained color.

And when the rain stopped, the warm sunlight fell down on them.

-Veldora had revived the greenery, created water, and filled the land.

Well, well. It really was incredible when you saw it with your own eyes.

Now that I think about it, I had received a complaint from Ruminas after the great war.

The deserts had turned into jungles and the cities were swallowed up by the trees.

She strongly reproached Veldora for being excessive.

However, Veldora had run away. So I had to apologize profusely in his place.

Now that I saw the scene in front of me, I could understand her complaint a little more.

In conclusion, it was all Veldora’s fault.

I shouldn’t have been blamed for it. I had to pay some ridiculous reparations too. Honestly, I was starting to get angry just thinking about it. It was all Veldora’s fault.

Recently, I had felt that Veldora was lacking in restraint, but I suppose he had really been doing his best. It could not be helped.

It was a good thing to be reminded of what would happen when he did forget.

The miracle did not end there.

“Now, it’s my turn! Elemental: The World!!”

Ramiris shouted triumphantly as she used her power.

She stole more than a little of my ‘Nihility Collapse’ energy and used it to transform into an adult.

A beautiful, young woman-of course, the reality was that she was the same disappointing Ramiris who had the heart of a child.

Ramiris sung.

And her beautiful voice woke up the sleeping spirits.

And then-

The earth was blessed and regained the appearance of its golden age.

Flowers bloomed on the ground. The air became thick and sweet. It became a paradise for the spirits that could not be seen with human eyes.

This way, they wouldn’t be forced to develop dangerous things. The gifts of nature would bring new life.

It was quite impressive.

Ramiris really was the queen of the spirits.

Had she stayed like this all of the time, there would be no reason to despise her. It was too bad!

I only lent her my power. I would take it back as soon as she was finished.

Of course, she would definitely complain about it, but it was not good for her to have this power when she hadn’t grown mentally.

It was for her own good.

And like that, the planet was reborn.

They would be able to live without fighting each other for food and water.

◇◇◇

Now…

It was unlikely that Veldora and Ramiris, who were preoccupied with their work, would need any protection, but I still left it to Beretta.

And then I turned back to Michelle, who I had been neglecting.

Michelle and the others had become speechless. Their eyes were glued to the scene before them.

“Ah, sorry to keep you waiting.”

I said. Michelle turned to me with a look of surprise.

Yes, yes. I understand.

She was exasperated how ridiculous Veldora and the others were.

I could see a giant building behind them that had smoke rising from one of the upper floors. Apparently, it was also Veldora’s doing.

Michelle looked like she had a lot she wanted to say.

However, I was in no mood to hear it.

I had sworn never again to make the same mistake that I did with Ruminas.

Take your complaints to the man himself!

And so I decided to tell them what I wanted to say and that alone.

“I think this planet will be restored soon if you leave things to those two. I hope you can then forgive them for everything they did.”

After I said this, all of the people including Michelle began to shake their heads vertically at an incredible speed.

This gesture seemed to have the same meaning here, so I guess they agreed.

So there would be no problems left between our worlds.

The only thing left was…

“Also, I have a suggestion if you don’t mind? It seems like you want to execute this Fudora guy. In that case, give him to me. I’ll punish him for you…”

That punishment would be being put in Ramiris’s research team.

I could expect advancements in our technology, which was more than I could ask for.

The airships in this world seemed like they could fly in space as well. The possibilities were endless.

Perhaps this was counting my eggs before they hatched, but…

“Pl-please wait! Would you please reconsider sentencing Lord Fudora to divine punishment!?”

A beautiful youth—called Alvin, said as he kneeled before me.

Divine punishment? That was an exaggeration.

I thought. But judging by their reactions, it seemed like the others feared me as well.

This was probably because Veldora had shown his abilities as a dragon.

They clearly saw me as being in the same class. Oh, well.

“No, no, no. It’s nothing like that…”

“Lord Fudora is…

I tried to explain, but Alvin began his passionate speech.

What it contained just confirmed what I had already guessed.

Almsbine, the previous emperor, had been suffering from a fatal disease, and so Fudora acted in his stead.

Fudora respected Almsbine and didn’t want his reputation to be tarnished. And so he decided to take all of the blame.

Well, it was a complicated problem.

The world was dying.

Should everyone die?

Or should a small minority survive?

When asked these questions, which answer was the right one?

An administrator’s job was to protect their people.

If was said that if you abandoned the citizens you were supposed to keep safe, then problems would arise for your government.

It would become a source of trouble in the future. An unbridgeable gap would exist between ruler and citizens.

As men of science, Almsbine and Fudora did not hesitate to choose the path of a small number of survivors.

It was the logical way to think, once you took emotion out of it.

However, it was a decision too heavy for a person to bear.

—However, they needed a sacrificial lamb.

That’s why Fudora was going to settle everything and entrust Michelle with his hopes for the future.

“Is that true, brother?”

“Aye, it is true, Michelle.”

Alvin nodded to her as he finished his defense of Fudora.

Fudora was sagging as if drained of all of his strength.

And so I patted him on the shoulder and nodded to him reassuringly.

Then I turned to Michelle and the others and said plainly:

“Please don’t worry. There won’t be anything so extravagant as divine punishment. But I am taking this man with me so you can ascend to the seat of Emperor and unite the world.”

If that’s what I have to say to get a new researcher! That was my true feelings on the matter.

However, their reaction was different from what I was expecting.

“Ohh… He will entrust the sovereign right to General Michelle…”

“Am I really worthy?”

“Huh? Uh, I think so?”

Weren’t things going in that direction?

Michelle was the daughter of Almsbine, the previous Emperor. So she should be the next emperor. That was supposed to be the right answer.

I had only said it because of those reasons. Their reaction was so overdone.

It made me frantic. Maybe I had been wrong.

Or perhaps they wanted Michelle’s older brother, Alvin, to become the new emperor?

If that was the case, then it was really up to them to talk about it and work it out.

In the first place, giving my opinion on the matter would be interfering with their government.

They were saying something about me entrusting the sovereign right, but I didn’t have the authority to do such a thing.

“Very well, then. I swear to protect and guide this world you have beautifully restored with all of my body and soul!”

Michelle said as she kneeled.

It really was so overblown.

Besides, it was Veldora who did the restoring. And Ramiris gave it the power to maintain its state.

Well, I did lend her the power. But it was those two that had put it into action.

I was pretty sure that Veldora and Ramiris would hate me for stealing the credit.

“Hmm… Good luck? Right, so you don’t mind if I take this guy with me?”

In any case, I had succeeded in leaving things pretty vague.

On top of that, I had acquired some valuable personnel. And while there seemed to be more than a few misconceptions, I was alright with it.

All’s well that ends well!

As it was too much trouble, I decided that there was no need to clear up any misunderstandings.

After that, we were guided into the city, where we talked about the finer points.

I even promised to make schools once things had settled down and send students to help train them.

Michelle agree with this idea wholeheartedly and gave her consent.

As they wanted a way to contact us, I gave them a communication crystal.

Now it would be possible to contact each other if something happened.

Once the schools were finished and they were ready to receive us, they would send word.

And just like that, my first negotiation with another world came to a peaceful conclusion.

◇◇◇

-As an aside, Almsbine was still alive.

After returning to Tempest, Fudora took out the ‘brain’ that had been frozen, and said he wanted to research a treatment method.

In order to save Almsbine, who was afflicted by a fatal disease, Fudora had gone to the extent of saving him in a state of suspended animation.

My restorative medicine healed him completely.

We’ll just say that Master Ciel was also really good in regards to medicine as well.

Normally, she wouldn’t have helped them, but if it gave her an opportunity to learn more about the Mobius System, that was a different story-she didn’t exactly say it in so many words, but it was pretty obvious that that was what she was thinking.

It would be better if I didn’t interfere with this matter.

Veldora was very satisfied after being able to run wild.

Ramiris was the same. On top of that, we had a brilliant new assistant.

Beretta seemed to have suffered much as well, but he had acquired a new power that more than made up for it. Besides, the Mobius System would be installed in him once it was complete.

In the end, the visit to the other world was a fond memory for all three of them.

As for me, I was able to get some operating data from the Different Gate.

And with a friend from a new civilization, the possibilities seemed to have increased.

If you looked at the results alone, it was a great success.

However, you could never be too careful.

And so this definitely did not mean that Veldora and the others were now allowed to do as they pleased.

Troubling others and being troubled by them.

Like that, our lives continued…

◆◆◆

A day that future generations would call the ‘Day of Regeneration’…

Zaza saw it.

That overwhelming presence.

A being that was like a god from legend and myth.

The dragon.

(Really…could he really—have been the storm dragon…?)

His body shook with shock, fear and wonder.

The dragon only needed to roar once, and the thick clouds were blown away and the sunlight rained down on them.

The dragon only flapped its wings, and a tornado erupted and called forth thunderclouds.

The embodiment of the supernatural. A being worthy of that monicker.

Zaza was filled with joy as he looked up at the blue sky.

“Great dragon… I was so insolent…

Zaza remembered his attitude up until now as he muttered the words in shame.

And then…

—Kaaaaa-hahaha! You’re as stiff as ever!—

The voice of Veldora, that carefree man that he couldn’t bring yourself to hate, now echoed in Zaza’s ears.

“I see. Yes. It’s not like me… Until the very end, you are always ahead of me. Damn it.”

Zaza muttered happily.

Zaza could see the children running towards him.

Karman was there, on the other side.

And there was Sharma, Rindo and the other resistance members as well.

On such a beautiful new days as this, it would be an act against God to continue fighting.

That is what Zaza thought.

—And so it was on this day, that the Empire and the Resistance made an eternal peace treaty.

It was a historic moment, but it was easily overshadowed amidst the miracle that was the rebirth of the planet.

◆◆◆

Michelle had no words as her eyes were glued to the person.

The jiggly, mysterious lifeform had turned into the embodiment of beauty.

And then, the great words were formed.

The world was saved, and as the person who was left to unite it—Michelle made a promise.

-I will lead humanity so that it never pollutes this world again-

Translations by AsianHobbyist Website.

And this duty would be passed onto future generations of emperors.

And eventually—

…

…

…

The legend states:

The embodiment of beauty took the dragon and maiden with him and ascended.

The empire boasted prosperity after that, as if to prove the validity of the divine right of the Emperor.

And so future emperors declared that they had been chosen by God to lead the world.

However—

—If God were to determine that the emperor’s actions were not justified, the prosperity of this world would once again vanish, as it if it were nothing but a dream—

—Such words were inscribed.

And so the imperial family respected God and dedicated their bodies and souls in order to fulfill their role, which was the governing of the world.

This sovereignty given by God—after the Day of Regeneration, it became an unending tradition, and was the duty of the imperial family.

……

…

…

—And that was how the legend was born.

Of course, none of that had anything to do with Rimuru anymore.