All was quiet in Rimuru's office. He was sitting at his desk, swaying in his chair, staring at the ceiling.

- You know, Ciel," he finally said, "I was thinking, what if I took a vacation?

- Mr. Rimuru," her calm voice echoed in his head, "you just finished some important business. Isn't that enough for a vacation?

- Eh, you don't understand," Rimuru replied with a slight smile. - Rest isn't just sitting around doing nothing. It's something more interesting that will allow me to energize and relax.

- I assume you're going to explore a new world again like last time?

- That's right! But this time I'll be limiting my powers. An important point, you know.

Rimuru created a clone. The new "Rimuru" looked just like the original, but with serious power limitations. He then carefully removed his main body into an imaginary space where it wouldn't interfere with what was happening, and his consciousness was completely transferred into the clone.

- All set," he said, checking that the clone was okay. - 'Let it be like it was on vacation.

At that moment, Ciel intervened:

- 'Master, I have notified everyone in advance of your vacation. All your duties have been transferred to the 12 patrons. They will temporarily manage things and keep things in order in your absence.

- Excellent! - Rimuru replied with a smile. - That way they'll all have fun and I'll have peace of mind!

He opened the portal, preparing to go to the new world.

- Well, let's go on an adventure! - He said, winking at Ciel, and stepped into the glowing vortex.

- If this can even be called a vacation... - her voice sounded as Rimuru disappeared into the portal.

The forest he ended up in was quiet and dense, filled with tall, slender trees whose tops reached into the sky, almost blocking out the sunlight. Through the canopies, rare rays broke through, casting golden glints on the ground, covered by a soft carpet of fallen leaves.

Rimuru, enjoying the new world, continued moving through the forest. His steps were steady, and despite all his power, he wasn't in a hurry, trying to soak in the atmosphere of this unusual place. A light breeze rustled the leaves, and the sounds of the wild nature created a peaceful picture, one Rimuru hadn't often encountered in his travels.

— Siel, can you tell me a little about this world? — he asked, addressing his companion. His voice carried calm curiosity. — What awaits me here?

Siel, his faithful companion, connected to his thoughts.

— Of course, Master. This world is divided into several parts, and in each of them, people are desperately struggling for survival. They live behind walls because titans, giant creatures, attack them, destroying everything in their path. However, they don't know that there is a world beyond these walls, and most of them believe that this is the only place where they can be safe.

Rimuru nodded slightly, absorbing the information but putting it aside for further analysis.

— Interesting... Titans, you say? Sounds like a serious threat. But why can't they get out from behind the walls? I understand their strength isn't enough to break all these fortifications?

— Not quite. Titans are indeed dangerous, and their numbers are great. The walls protect people from the titans. People try not to leave the walls, afraid of encounters with them.

Rimuru continued to walk through the forest, immersed in his thoughts. He realized that his options here were limited, and suddenly turned to Ciel:

- So, Ciel, these clone restrictions... It's for a reason, right?

- 'Yes, Master,' Ciel replied. - 'This clone was created with some restrictions. I have prepared a small imaginary space for it with the necessary resources - food, potions and other things. But if you plan on using it all at every turn, you might want to reconsider your plans.

Rimuru grinned. 

- Ah, so you decided that a vacation would be more fun if it was a little more difficult for me, right?

- Yeah, that's exactly right. It's too easy and you'll get bored quickly,'' Ciel replied with slight sarcasm. 

Rimuru chuckled and decided to test how his power worked. He raised his hand sharply and slammed his fist powerfully into the ground. The ground around him literally opened up and a dent about a meter in diameter was formed. The trees snapped, but did not collapse. Rimuru immediately realized that if he kept this up, it would cause quite a commotion.

- Yeah, "a little more complicated" is definitely your thing! - He said with a smile as he looked at the result. 

Then, taking a quick step back, Rimuru added with a chuckle: 

- Alright, I'd better get a move on, or if anyone notices, I'll definitely be in trouble.

Rimuru, chuckling softly, walked away.

Several hours passed, and Rimuru noticed the forest starting to thin out. Ahead, among the trees, he noticed something massive. Approaching closer, his gaze stopped on a giant wall. It was one of the very walls Siel had told him about.

His eyes widened when he realized he was facing Wall Maria. After walking several kilometers, he stumbled upon its enormous walls, which even he, despite all his might, couldn't help but be impressed by.

- Wow," Rimuru said as he surveyed the scale of the structure. - Even for a world like this, it looks impressive.

After Rimuru came across the gigantic 50-meter wall, his interest didn't wane. He was impressed by its size. Rimuru walked up to the wall and noticed the gate begin to open. The guards, focused on letting people through, paid no attention to what was going on around them. He waited for the gate to open wide enough and took advantage of the moment and walked quickly and quietly inside the city, hiding among the passing people. Soon he was in the shadows, completely unnoticed.

Before him appeared the city of Shiganshina. The people here seemed to live carefree, completely confident in the safety provided by the walls. They didn't live in constant fear, as one might expect, and calmly went about their business, knowing that the titans couldn't get inside. For them, the walls were not just a physical barrier but also a symbol of their safety. In this world, beyond the walls, anything could be out there, but inside, there was a world where there was no place for fear.

— Siel, you said the titans haven't attacked the walls for 100 years, right? — asked Rimuru, strolling through the street. His gaze paused on the local inhabitants, who joyfully went about their everyday tasks, laughing and chatting with one another.

— Actually, 107 years. It's been 107 years since the titans last attacked. People have gotten used to living under the protection of these walls and don't feel threatened, — replied Siel. — They're confident the titans will never break through.

— Strange... — Rimuru thought for a moment. — These people are so sure of their safety. They don't think anything could disrupt their peace?

— They live with the belief that the walls are an impregnable barrier that will protect them from all harm, — said Siel. — They don't feel threatened because they believe the titans can never breach them.

Rimuru nodded, understanding that for these people, the walls weren't just physical protection but also part of their worldview. They lived in this bubble of safety and didn't think about what might lie beyond it.

He continued walking through the city, and soon his gaze fell upon a small girl sitting on the steps of a house. She was intently watching the passersby, but when she noticed Rimuru, she quickly looked away as if avoiding extra attention.

Rimuru approached her and, regardless of the circumstances, decided to do things his way. From his imagined space, he pulled out a small bundle and carefully opened it. Inside was a baked nut bun — a rarity for the residents of this city.

He offered it to the girl.

— Here, this is for you, — Rimuru said gently, with a soft smile.

The girl was initially surprised, looking at the bun, but then, realizing it wasn't a trap, she cautiously took the treat. At first, she hesitated to try it, but soon her face lit up with joy.

— Thank you! This is so delicious! — she said, smiling as she accepted the food. — You're so kind!

Rimuru nodded and quietly walked away, feeling his heart warm from the girl's sincere gratitude. He rarely got to experience such simple joys, but in this world, everything felt different.

The next day, a reconnaissance team arrived in Shiganshina. The city greeted them with mournful silence, for everyone knew that each surviving soldier brought not just news, but the consequences of those horrible battles.

The group, accompanied by several soldiers, brought with them the heavily wounded and the dead. Among them was a mother, desperately trying to find her son.

— Braun! Braun!!

One of the soldiers, noticing her panic, sighed heavily and said:

— This is Braun's mother. Bring it.

The woman, in fear, stretched out her hands as a package containing her son's remains was handed to her. She couldn't believe what she was holding. Tears streamed from her eyes, but she tried to keep up a semblance of composure, though her voice trembled with pain.

— My son... Was his death in vain? Even if he didn't do anything heroic, didn't he contribute to humanity's victory in some way? — her words were filled with despair, as if she was searching for some kind of comfort, some meaning in the tragedy that had occurred.

The scout standing nearby nervously shifted his gaze from her to the ground, his voice trembling with guilt.

— Of course... No. This time... we screwed up again. I'm a worthless piece of crap. We didn't even find out where "they" came from.

The woman, hearing these words, nearly collapsed to the ground. She held back her sobs, trying to find some firmness within herself.

Meanwhile, Mikasa was dragging Eren home from the crowd because he had hit a man in the head — the man had dared to speak ill of the reconnaissance team. Mikasa was trying to keep them from attracting too much attention, but it was clearly hard to keep Eren in check when he was angry.

Suddenly, someone appeared in their path, and they collided. Mikasa froze, staring at him. This was someone she definitely hadn't seen before. He stood there, seemingly unaware of what was going on around him, but his presence seemed to overshadow the space around him.

His skin was unusually light, almost pearl-like, and his eyes were bright yellow, as if they could see through everything around him. His white hair had a slight blue tint and reached his shoulders, neatly styled, as though shaped by nature itself. His face bore no expression of weariness or tension, but rather a calm, almost indifferent one.

Mikasa couldn't tear her gaze away for a few seconds, as if she couldn't understand why this stranger had captivated her so. Tilting her head slightly, she swallowed, trying to regain her composure.

— Excuse us, my brother and I are in a hurry to get home, — she said, her voice trembling slightly.

Rimuru, looking at her and Eren, nodded with a light smile, not showing any surprise at their meeting.

— Oh, no problem, — he replied softly, feeling how this moment piqued his interest. He couldn't exactly understand what that strange feeling was, but it was pleasant and slightly exciting.

After walking through the city a little longer, Rimuru began to feel that something was off. Suddenly, the ground beneath his feet trembled, and the sky seemed to darken, as if the very atmosphere heralded disaster. Rimuru frowned and looked toward the smoke rising in the distance.

Turning his head, he noticed a huge figure — a titan, 60 meters tall, its head towering over the 50-meter wall.