He must be in his mid-twenties now, but he still looks like a high school student.
When asked why, he said it was some kind of curse.
When he came to this world, he apparently couldn't acquire unique skills or special abilities, but his physical abilities developed to an unusual degree.
"Wow, it was a big deal.
Actually, I noticed something was strange about five years later..."
He said, scratching his head and laughing.
Thanks to this, it seems he has never had a girlfriend. He's a really likable guy.
"Wow, really! That's a shame, that is!
Haha. What? You'll get along soon!"
I sincerely comforted him.
"By the way, Mr. Rimuru, you're a monster, right?
You seem to have passed through the barrier of the guild headquarters without any problem?"
"Huh? Yeah, I'm a monster. My true form is a slime. This is a bit of trivia, so keep it a secret!"
"No, no! You used the word 'trivia' incorrectly!
But, that's not the point. Eh? Why is a monster building a village?"
"Eh? No, monsters building villages aren't that rare, you know?"
"No... I've never heard of it..."
"Is that so?"
"Yes."
We looked at each other for a while.
What can be done.
Since we've become acquaintances, the Grand Master of the guild (?帥グランドマスタ?=Grand Master).
To get rid of the image of a suspicious monster village, I decided to tell the truth.
Thinking about it, Shizu probably guessed my true identity from my aura. I think she's an amazing person.
Usually, no one would even think of being reincarnated as a slime in another world.
"Actually, I'm a bit embarrassed. I'm an 'alien'..."
"What are you talking about, you.
By the way, this is the first time I've heard of aliens coming here!
Maybe..."
"Did I get caught.
Yeah, my true identity is a mysterious hero who changes form and fights!
I'm Kamen RaXder!"
He said, "How about it!" and then,
"Wow! I've seen Kamen RaiXder too!
So, you must be... a Japanese person!"
Hehe.
Throwing out a topic that only people from the same hometown would understand is a surefire way to connect.
If he had said he didn't know the original, I would have thought of something else.
From then on, we talked about various things.
Our stories since coming to this world, Shizu's final moments.
Life here, magic.
Topics from the other world. He reacted so enthusiastically to the final episodes of anime and manga that he leaned forward.
"Master! Please, please teach me!"
"Hehehe. Expensive? Most of the anime you want to know about have already finished!
Of course. I'm not careless about such things? I keep an eye on them.
It's part of my gentlemanly upbringing!!"
"Yay???!!! Please, please!"
His desperate desire was evident.
In the middle of this, the secretary sister brought in tea, and she almost dropped the tray, her eyes wide.
Maybe I was being a bit too playful.
It's natural to be concerned that he couldn't keep up with his favorite manga.
Some of them hadn't even started, let alone finished... (1)
The more interesting they were, the worse the quality.
I hope a Japanese "Isekai" person with knowledge will come in about ten years.
Of course, we also had serious conversations.
Mainly about the future.
"Mr. Rimuru, coming to the capital isn't just to meet someone from the same hometown, is it?
Your goal is, after all, 'return,' right?"
Return.
That's right. I've been thinking about it. But, I've also given up.
I'm already dead. But for them, the young ones, return is their goal.
"Is it possible?"
In response to that question, the answer was silence.
It's not that simple, is it.
If it were possible, he would have returned already. I had thought that might be the case.
"It seems to be a one-way trip. This world is like an antimatter realm..."
And I explained what I had learned.
To summarize, the world of the previous life is the material realm, a world without mana.
This world is overflowing with mana, and it's a world where spirits, devils, fairies, and yokai can manifest.
So, while it's possible to go down, it's impossible to go up.
Once the body has been antimaterialized, it can't return to the material realm.
"But it's not impossible.
Given the legends of goblins and devils in the material realm, if certain conditions are met, it might be possible to move."
The conversation ended there.
It's probably still in the research stage.
That's his goal. It seems he will continue his research in the future.
"Well, I'm fine as long as I can live a peaceful life.
Now that I have a village and companions, I want to enjoy life.
The main reason I came here this time was to talk to someone from the same hometown.
There's another purpose, though. That is..."
Another purpose.
To buy magic stones and visit the capital. To see a certain level of civilization.
But the most important purpose.
That is, to learn magic!
"That's what I came for.
I told you about it, and I thought I'd take a tour of the library and other places after that."
When I said that,
"Indeed. Magic, that's great...
I wanted to learn it too, but for some reason, I can't use it completely.
I think it's because of the changes in my body.
Magic, it was a long-held dream..."
He seemed to understand the dream of a man.
Of course, if you have it, you want to be able to use it.
"Right, how long do you plan to stay in the capital?"
"Huh? Yeah, I thought I'd like to look around for about a month.
After that, it depends on how the magic learning goes."
"Then, can you stay for three months?"
When I asked why, it seemed there was a shortage of teachers at the capital's academy.
There are many arrogant students, and it's too much for a B-rank adventurer from the capital.
A new A-rank teacher is expected to be appointed at the start of the new school year, so they wanted someone to take over for the next three months.
There's no rush, and it would be good to accept...
While I was thinking about it,
"Teacher's dormitory, three meals a day, and 10 silver coins per day.
Moreover! You'll be given a free pass to the capital's library?"
"Of course, I accept! We help each other when we're in trouble!"
"Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!"
We shook hands with smiles, and I got a job in the capital.
After parting ways with Yūki, I completed the necessary procedures that day and informed them that I would move into the dormitory the next day.
The arrangements were quickly made, and the move to the dormitory was completed without any problems.
I only stayed at a capital inn for one night, but the service was quite good.
Two meals were served, and they were quite delicious. The seasonings were also abundant.
The inn I stayed at was on the cheaper side, but it had a large bathroom. It was impressive.
In the countryside, it's rare to find an inn with a bath.
But since I'll be staying for three months, living in the dormitory is more convenient. I quickly moved in.
I was a bit reluctant, but 4 silver coins a day is a bit high.
The salary is 10 silver coins a day for the days I work, but nothing is paid on days off.
It can be considered a high-end place in the capital, but it's fine if I save.
Since my work starts tomorrow, I decided to go to the library today.
There was a limit on entering the magic book section.
When I showed my adventurer card, I was able to enter without any problems. It seems the promise made when I accepted the teaching job was kept.
The capital's library, while not the royal library, is still impressive.
The royal library is inside the castle and can only be visited by the royal family and court mages.
It seems that's the case in any country, as there are national secrets and magic that can't be seen by foreigners.
However, this library is not of low value.
The library I'm in now has secret techniques collected by adventurers. Ancient magic discovered by free guild adventurers is also gathered here.
In other words, this library can be said to have a value comparable to the royal libraries of various countries.
Impressive.
I was lucky to have such an opportunity as soon as I arrived in the capital.
This is thanks to Yūki, but my usual good behavior is also a big reason.
I quickly started browsing the magic books.
If I were to read them properly, I think it would be impossible to finish in a lifetime.
To all the serious scholars around the world, I apologize!
While apologizing in my heart, I read through them one by one with the "Great Sage."
From the outside, it might look like I'm just flipping through the books and putting them back on the shelf. But in reality, I'm storing them inside my body.
That's right! I'm completely copying them.
Using the "Great Sage" and "Glutton" in parallel, I'm doing a high-speed copy of the magic books.
I left the content confirmation for later. Unfortunately, it's not possible to use magic just by storing it.
But I was able to create a list of the magic books I wanted by storing and copying them.
I'll study them in order, starting with the necessary ones. For that reason, I continued to store them without even looking at the titles.
I couldn't even store a tenth of the books in one day, even if I worked all day.
I'll have to visit the library frequently during my breaks from work.
Thus, my holiday passed. But I have no regrets.
It's a minor matter compared to the goal of learning magic.
Now, the first day of work.
I also learned on the day I started that it would be a tough job.
More of a warden than a teacher. Shizu had said there was no one to fill the gap she left behind. My job is to take her place.
Yūki, in addition to being the Grand Master of the free guild, was also the principal of the free school.
He was the principal. He said it was an honorary position, but it was impressive.
After coming to this world for about ten years, he developed the free guild and even runs a school.
In a sense, he's a role model for adventurers.
This school has a side to it as a training institution for guild members.
Therefore, it's divided into departments like the guild, and common classes are elective.
The class I was assigned to was a special class without a homeroom teacher, commonly known as the S-Class.
However, the students are said to be around elementary school age.
The original homeroom teacher, Iizawa Shizue, was known as a ghostly warden. That is, Shizu.
She was also a hero with the nickname "Ruler of the Blazing Flame." It's a pity to be compared to such a person.
All of them, overwhelmed by the students' enthusiastic response, had run away from the school.
I heard this when I greeted the principal in the staff room.
"No, I think it's difficult for someone like you to handle these kids...
No matter how much you're a B-class adventurer...
Well, since you were introduced by the principal, please let me know if it's too much."
The principal was worried.
Hahaha. Just a bunch of kids! I thought.
"Hey! From today, I'm your homeroom teacher..."
I tried to greet them in a friendly manner, but a flaming sword came at me.
I dodged in a panic.
"Ken-chan, what the hell???!!!"
"That's my ultimate move? I just finished it!"
"Still, the finish was sloppy. I dodged, didn't I?"
And so on, the noisy kids.
The blackboard where I was standing was cut in half and burning.
Oh no. This is not good. The class is already in chaos!
It's inevitable that the language becomes a bit rough.
I wanted to go back.
Here, in this other world, is it okay for a teacher to use violence without being punished or bullied?
In front of me were five kids.
This is a gathering of problem children.
Commonly known as the S-Class. A special class composed of people from other worlds.
Kids that Yūki had saved from all over the world.
They're still elementary school age, but their abilities are terrifyingly high.
To be honest, I underestimated them.
I thought they would be more well-behaved. They're looking at me with eyes full of hostility.
Do I really have to take care of these kids for the next three months...
I felt depressed for the first time in a long time.