A slime born in the [Sealed Cave].
Thanks to the fate that tied her to Veldora, the one who came to be called Rimuru Tempest was a completely different person from the one in Adelio's memories.
"...Huh...?"
"...How did I end up all the way in a tavern...?"
It was true that she had also been reincarnated into another world because of a random murder, but everything else that made a person who they were had been different: her previous life, her values, her personality, even her gender.
"...I was only planning to recruit the [Dwarf]s today..."
The path she had walked until now was the same one Adelio knew, but the reason she kept walking it was not for self-satisfaction. It came from something even greater than Adelio had imagined... a sense of responsibility.
A sense of responsibility toward others, born from her former profession as a nurse.
"...Well, it can't be helped... Besides, I was a little curious about this fated partner thing too..."
It would not be long before she learned of Adelio, and Adelio learned who she really was.
**
"Ah, I can see something now~"
Not long after the fortune-telling [Elf] placed her hand over the orb, a blue light began to flow inside it, then gradually took the shape of a person.
"Oooh..."
"......"
Rimuru, who had been embarrassed just moments ago, was now staring at the orb with obvious interest, while Adelio quietly watched her from the side.
"No prizes for guessing. It's probably going to show Shizu."
Judging that Shizue would appear just like she had in the novel, he slowly shifted his gaze away from Rimuru and toward the door.
Watching how Rimuru would react sounded fun, but unfortunately, it was about time for the troublemaker to show up.
Ding~
"...Tch."
The mustached man clicked his tongue in irritation the moment he stepped into the tavern, ignoring the greetings from the [Elf]s.
He had arrived with a single attendant in tow. He was Vester, born from a marquis house and one of [Dwargo]'s ministers.
"...Kaijin."
After ordering a drink from the madam, he muttered the name of his former superior, Kaijin, then twisted his face into a sneer as if trying to hide his irritation.
"...Just like the novel described. He really does have that prickly look about him."
"Here's your Blood Wine~"
Recalling the description Rimuru had given in the novel, Adelio accepted the wine he had ordered earlier from the madam and prepared to quietly watch the incident Vester was about to cause.
"It would be easier to step in myself, but until the trial is over, it's probably better if I just watch..."
But contrary to his expectations—
"...Huh. So this is my fated partner?"
—the moment he heard Rimuru speak beside him, Adelio, who had been taking small sips from his glass, reacted on instinct.
"......!"
It was a familiar phrase, one he had heard in a dream long ago and forgotten.
And with those words, the memories from that dream, once scattered like a mirage, began to rise back to the surface.
"...No way..."
In the next instant, Adelio looked at the orb in the fortune-telling [Elf]'s hands—and froze in shock at the figure inside.
Ash-gray hair. Blue eyes like the open sky. Two swords, one black as pitch and one silver.
Features so familiar that he could recognize them at a glance, even from a distance.
The person appearing inside the orb was none other than Adelio himself.
"Oh~"
"Wow! He looks like some nobleman~"
"A rather handsome young man."
The brown-bearded [Dwarf] sitting across from Rimuru, Kaijin, stroked his thick beard as he continued.
"Looks like you fancy him too. Your color's gone red."
"W-what? N-no, my color doesn't change!"
As Rimuru hurriedly shook her head and denied it, flustered by Kaijin's words, the fortune-telling [Elf] smiled at her as if she were adorable.
"So you really are curious about who your fated partner is, little slime~?"
"Uh... a little...? He kind of looked East Asian too..."
Rimuru trailed off mid-answer and stared off into the distance.
As the [Elf]s and [Dwarf]s chuckled softly at the sight—
"Are you quite all right, Lord Kaijin? Taking your time in a place like this?"
—Vester rose from his table with a mocking expression.
"Is this really the time to be relaxing? Surely the delivery deadline for those longswords—"
"—I delivered them earlier."
"If you failed to meet the deadline, then... what? You delivered them?"
Vester hated Kaijin, a commoner whom King Gazel trusted, so he had always preserved his pride by making unreasonable demands of him. But this time, that petty scheme had failed.
Because Kaijin had a monstrous slime on his side, one capable of duplicating everything it consumed.
"That's right. All twenty of them."
"Th-that can't be..."
"If you don't believe me, would you like to check the delivery form?"
"...Ahem... I see. If they were all completed by the deadline, then I have no issue with it."
Pressed by Kaijin's firm response, Vester quickly backed down.
Of course, he had not truly given up. He had merely changed targets.
"More importantly... that thing over there. That."
"...Me?"
Since his tricks had not worked on Kaijin, Vester's contrarian streak flared up for no reason, and he frowned as he pointed at Rimuru, who had been quietly watching.
"This won't do. Bringing such a lowly monster into a refined establishment like this... it's making me sick."
Covering his mouth with a handkerchief and adding that he felt like vomiting, he turned to the madam, who had just brought over the drink he ordered.
"Hey. Does this place allow monsters in now?"
"Ah... even if you call it a monster... it looks like a harmless slime..."
"What? Are you saying it's different just because it's a monster? Don't tell me you're about to spout nonsense like slimes aren't monsters."
"N-no, of course I didn't mean that."
It was sophistry anyone could see through, but perhaps a veteran was still a veteran. The madam's smiling face did not waver in the slightest.
"Minister, why don't you calm down and have a drink? Here, please~"
Perhaps she had guessed this would not end easily, because the madam stepped away from the table and personally offered Vester a glass.
"Hmph..."
But Vester was an even more narrow-minded [Dwarf] than she had expected.
"...This suits a monster much better!"
He tried to throw the drink at Rimuru.
Grab...!
He only tried.
"Minister Vester."
The one who had been quietly watching until then—
"A minister, behaving so crudely in a place like this?"
—was Adelio, and that was the moment he stepped in.
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