Chapter 12: Chapter 11: A Slice Of Norma
"Master Rimuru, I need you to listen carefully," Ciel continued, her voice devoid of her usual calm precision. "There's something happening... and it's not good."
"What's going on, Ciel?" His thoughts were already racing, trying to piece together the fragments of her warning.
She explained the expansion of fimament, caused by something unkown.
The firmament is the name of this omniverse, and this omniverse where he currently stays are expanding.
An expansion can build a bridge or connection between worlds which could either be bad or good, or that one omniverse can become part of that very omniverse itself.
Chances are it will erode the other one and erase it from reality.
Fortunately the cardinal world itself exist beyond the law of identity, so there wasn't any danger of erasure.
Till this day, the gift of the deceased god veldanava still somehow manages to saves them.
Now they have to prepare to hostile visitors, worse. World eaters would lay waste to their world. This was the risk of expansion. Excluding erasure of one's reality.
In a sense, currently cardinal is one of the safest omniverse next to the expanding firmament.
Ciel also explained the identity of -the pressence- the very god of this world.
It's creator.
He was a several layer above them, and unlike them.
He's omniscient.
The same train of thought crosses, what exactly is omniscience? When one lacks knowledge of one thing.
Doesn't that mean they are not entirely omniscient?
If he said he didn't know the cause, then theres a zero chance that ciel will be able to unveil it.
They also can't stop the expanding firmament.
Even time manipulation wont work or time travel. It will only change the world's perspective, a rewrite in history but the expansion resumes.k
For now, all they could do is prepare.
"Alarm the others, put the world at max defense"
Great, just great.. Where is my rest? What is rest even?
"Im going to return now" rimuru told ciel.
But instead of opening a portal right away, ciel said to rimuru "it would be better if both of us would stay here, it will atleast take 121 years for the firmament to expand to us, we have a long time, the voice of the world is already working on the world power"
Thats one weight off rimuru's back.
"Then, call me if anything happens. I'll be here always"
Next day..
Rimuru woke at 2:00 a.m., staring at the dark ceiling of his modest bedroom.
Not that he needed sleep—being a slime evolved god, sleep was purely optional.
Sleeping to feel human, still not forgetting his identity as mikami satoru.
Stretching as if he'd woken from a deep slumber, Rimuru got up, donned a simple apron over a casual shirt and pants, and headed to the kitchen.
With a flick of his wrist, the stove roared to life.
Bowls, mixers, and trays seemed to move on their own as he expertly crafted dough for cinnamon rolls, baguettes, pastries, and more.
The air soon filled with the warm aroma of freshly baked bread as Rimuru worked tirelessly, shaping, baking, and arranging everything with precision.
By 6:00 a.m., the bakery was alive with the enticing scent of sweetness and warmth.
The counter was stocked, shelves lined with golden crusts and glistening pastries, and the coffee pot bubbling away.
Just as he unlocked the door and turning the sign, the first customer of the day arrived.
"Morning, Barry," Rimuru greeted, smiling as the man practically flew through the door.
Barry Allen, aka The Flash, grinned sheepishly. "Morning, Rimuru! Uh… I learned my lesson from last time."
Rimuru chuckled. "Oh? but isn't this way too early?"
"Exactly!" Barry rubbed the back of his neck, scanning the display "I'd rather go sleeping early than not tasting these addicting bakes, you sure you didn't drugged this?"
"Oi, don't jinx it. What if it magically suddenly has some magic sprinkles in it!" Rimuru said, sliding a warm tray of cinnamon rolls onto the counter.
Barry's eyes lit up. "I'll take six of these... no, wait—ten. And throw in a dozen croissants, four danishes, and... ooh, those muffins!"
Rimuru started packing the order, shaking his head. "You're running a marathon or feeding a small village?"
Barry smirked. "Both." He glanced around before lowering his voice. "You're.... Tempest.. Right?"
Rimuru paused, then smiled gently. "Huh?"
"Nothing" Barry nodded, his usual lighthearted demeanor replaced by sincerity. "Well, just… be careful, okay? You're important to a lot of people."
"Noted. Now, pay up before I eat these myself."
Barry laughed, paid for his massive order, and ran off on his way.
By 7:00 a.m., Anna and Lucas arrived, both greeted Rimuru with their usual energy—or lack thereof.
"Good morning, Miss Rimuru!" Anna chirped, her ever-present bright smile lighting up the room.
"Morning," Lucas added quietly, already grabbing a mop to start tidying.
"Morning, you two," Rimuru replied, not bothering to correct Anna's "Miss" comment. Everyone thought he was a woman, and at this point, he'd just accepted it. If it made them happy, why ruin the illusion?
He has nothing to show down there anyway, well he could make one. Now one question lingers. How long is okay?
Hey, a man can dream. So you can't blame him for thinking like that.
Anna frowned, glancing over at Rimuru. "You're sure you're okay?"
"I already told you, didn't we do this already??"
Lucas stopped mopping and looked up, concern etched on his face. "Yeah. People are worried, you know"
Rimuru sighed, waving a hand dismissively. "I appreciate the concern, but I'm fine. Really. I just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time."
"That's still dangerous!" Anna scolded, crossing her arms. "You're not like superman who is invincible, you know!"
Rimuru smiled at the irony but kept quiet. "Noted. Now, how about you both help me with the morning rush instead of lecturing me?"
"Fine," Anna grumbled, but the smile quickly returned to her face as she tied on her apron.
The first wave of customers arrived soon after.
"Rimuru! Thank goodness you're safe!" Mrs. Thompson, a regular, exclaimed as she bustled in, her scarf flapping in the wind.
"I'm fine, Mrs. Thompson," Rimuru reassured her, handing over her usual loaf of sourdough.
"Well, don't go running off to dangerous cities anymore!"
"I'll do my best," Rimuru replied, stifling a laugh as Anna gave him a pointed look from behind the counter.
A young man entered next, nervously fidgeting as he approached. "Uh, Rimuru, I just… wanted to say… thanks for being safe... ANd uuhhh" his cheeks puffed red and slid something in his pocket, he whispered "damn it, i can't even look at her straight"
He sped past towards the counter with nervous looks "i'll take" he began randomly pointing his finger everywhere and ending up with a bag of order.
That was weird, rimuru thought
The rest of the morning passed in a blur of orders, laughter, and the occasional heartfelt worry from the townsfolk.
By midday, the bakery was bustling as usual, the chaos a comforting reminder of the normal life Rimuru was trying to preserve.
For now, this was enough.
Even if the world—or multiverse—was shifting around him, he'd hold onto this little slice of peace for as long as he could.