(Risa POV)
A couple weeks passed after the kijin joined our village. Thanks to them, things changed around town, especially with my routine. Every morning, Benimaru, Shion, Soei, Hakuro and I would go into the Sealed Cave to train our new powers. We'd all spar together for an hour or two, before Shion and Soei left to do their 'jobs.' Meanwhile, I'd stay down for the entire morning. After Shion and Soei left, that was when things truly got intense.
…
(Rimuru POV)
One morning, Rigurd caught me while I was inspecting one of the new houses we were putting up.
"Lord Rimuru. A few people are beginning to get concerned. We've been hearing more loud explosive noises than usual from the cave."
"Oh. I'm sure it's nothing, but don't worry. I've been planning on checking it out, anyways."
"Right! And I'll accompany you, my lord!" Shion exclaimed happily. Anything to keep her from fighting over me with Shuna.
We went over to the Sealed Cave, where Hakuro, Benimaru, and Risa were training in the very back part, where Veldora had once been. As we walked down the path, a flash of white light flew straight toward Shion's neck. Jumping into action, I instantly gobbled it up with Predator.
"Whoa!" I was pretty sure that Shion would've been… mostly fine, but still. When we got down to where they were training, we saw anything but a friendly spar.
A blade flashed right over Benimaru's head. He narrowly ducked it, only to meet Hakuro's blade, which also came out of nowhere, with his own. Though they were using wooden swords, I'd swear that I could hear the clang of steel on steel. What was the point of using wooden swords when a single swipe gouged out a chunk of the rock wall behind them. Benimaru and Hakuro disappeared for a moment, a white slash of light coming from Risa, which gouged a chunk out of the rock wall behind them. Benimaru responded with a flash of his own light, which both Risa and Hakuro neatly ignored, using some sort of Art to allow it to nearly slice right through where it looked like their bodies were as they clashed swords a dozen times in an instant. Then, Benumaru shot some sort of fireball at them with an Art of his own, but they simply slashed right through it with their swords, Risa's sword sending a white light in Benimaru's direction. Finally, Hakuro disappeared from sight, appearing behind Benimaru, his sword pointed at the other kijin's neck. Apparently, that was enough to deem Benimaru 'out,' because after that, Risa and Hakuro went at it. Eventually, Hakuro's sword exploded in his hands, ending the match in a draw.
"I apologize, Sir Rimuru. We were rather occupied, so your presence escaped our notice." Hakuro was the first to notice me, though I was pretty sure that he'd noticed my presence right as I'd arrived.
"I do apologize that you had to see such a shameful display from me, Sir Rimuru." Benimaru apologized.
"Well, I heard you guys were training, so I'm the one who should apologize for just dropping in like this. Doing well, I suppose?" I asked.
"Well, Hakuro's regained enough of his youth that he's stronger than a man half his age, and Risa picks up Arts the first time she sees them." Benimaru explained, "I'm still stronger than Hakuro, but that simply isn't enough…" His face visibly soured. His stores of magicules did, in fact, outclass Hakuro's, but they were still nothing compared to Risa's.
"Young master, don't be so hard on yourself. The young lady is a once in a lifetime talent. You can't compare yourself to her. Just remember to lend an ear to your sword, become one with it. Neither of us will ever lose to you until you at least achieve that." Hakuro made sense. Risa's Processor helped her comprehend the world around her with accuracy and speed that placed it almost in the Sage's league, and she had the instincts and reflexes of a 'real' monster to back it up. In a way, it made sense that she could pick Arts up like I could with magic. She wasn't quite on Hakuro's level yet, but it wouldn't take her too long to surpass him.
As I left the cave, my curiosity sated, Soei appeared from my shadow.
"Lord Rimuru. I have completed my cocoon gathering. On my way back, I spotted a group of lizardman. Seeing them so far from the marshes struck me as odd, so I thought it best to report it to you right away." Despite the fact that he didn't seem like he'd exerted himself at all, I was sure that Soei had rushed over immediately upon seeing the lizardmen.
Lizardmen and orcs, though? Strange. Something was definitely going on around here.
…
A few days passed. All of the kijin were hard at work, Shuna making clothes with Garm, Kurobe making weapons for everyone alongside Kaijin, Soei creating some sort of security perimeter around the village, Benimaru creating a standing army for us, working hard with Rigur to figure out exactly how it was going to work without disrupting the organizations that we already had in place, and finally Hakuro, who was training some of our goblins in swordsmanship, since Gobta had been stupid enough to say that he wanted to learn. Gobta was regretting that now.
Side note, yesterday, Shion had decided to cook for me. Upon hearing that, Benimaru, Soei, and Hakuro had mysteriously vanished using their skills or arts.
As it turns out, they all knew something horrifying that I didn't know.
"Umm, Shion? What exactly is this?"
'A simulacrum: The tendency to see a face in anything with three distinctly visible points.' The Great Sage responded for me.
It's a salad, my lord!" Shion told me cheerily.
'So… this purple slop isn't creepily winking at me? AND HOW IS THIS A SALAD?! IT'S SETTING MY DANGER SENSE OFF LIKE NOTHING SINCE KING GAZEL! AM I GOING TO DIE LIKE THIS?! GREAT SAGE HELP ME!' Find someone who could blame me for freaking out like that, and I'd show them that purple slop.
'Report. If you close your eyes and insert the spoon at an angle to your right, you are less likely to die.' Trusting blindly in the Sage, I followed its advice.
…
Anyways, today I was training my swordcraft under Hakuro's instructions, when I sensed Soei's alarm system going off. Someone had entered the village. Immediately, I went to check it out.
According to Rigurd, it was a lizardman envoy, just like we'd figured. They weren't actually here yet, but they'd sent a messenger ahead, telling us to gather the entire village near the village entrance.