Black Widow

Black Widow

Watching the live broadcast on TV, Rimuru nearly spat out her drink.

Was this a joke? What was supposed to be a Press Conference to witness Iron Man's birth had gone completely off the rails because of her little butterfly effect.

The mighty Tony Stark had actually been questioned until his face turned green by a crowd of reporters.

Honestly, she had never intended to steal Tony's spotlight or headlines!

"Silver Armored War God? That name isn't bad!"

Hearing the nickname the reporters had given her, Rimuru was generally quite satisfied.

As for nicknames, Rimuru had once considered things like "Silver Winged Knight," "Brave Warrior of the Wind," "Strike Freedom," and "Wings of Freedom."

But they all felt a little too cringey. Now, she no longer had to agonize over it.

Just then, Aiya's voice sounded.

"Master, a guest has arrived."

"A guest?"

Rimuru looked puzzled. She had been in this world for nearly a month, but she really did not know many people.

When Aiya brought up the recording from the entrance, Rimuru was immediately speechless.

What guest? This was trouble!

The visitor was none other than the renowned Black Widow, a dangerous woman who was beautiful, capable, and exceptionally good at lying.

In the video, Black Widow had her long hair pinned up and wore an office skirt suit with black stockings, high heels, gold-rimmed glasses, and a folder in hand. She looked every bit the elite white-collar professional.

Black Widow truly deserved to be the Avengers' beauty icon, making Rimuru's eyes light up.

But Rimuru would not lower her guard because of that. Black Widow was the sort of woman who lied more smoothly than she told the truth.

"Aiya, help me scout the area around the Villa. How many S.H.I.E.L.D. agents are lying in wait?"

"Yes, Master!"

Under the control of the intelligent program Aiya, every surveillance camera in the entire neighborhood was brought online.

Aiya also dispatched several miniature drones no larger than mosquitoes.

"Master, no suspicious individuals were found nearby!"

Just Natasha alone?

Had S.H.I.E.L.D. changed its strategy, or did they think Black Widow alone could handle her?

Either way, Rimuru was not afraid. Friends were welcomed with fine wine; enemies were greeted with shotguns.

Rimuru did not actually bear S.H.I.E.L.D. any ill will.

Though it had been infiltrated like a sieve and had practically become Hydra in all but name, most of its agents were ordinary people who knew nothing.

They genuinely believed that everything they did was meant to protect the world's safety and stability.

More importantly, whether it was S.H.I.E.L.D. or Hydra, what did either have to do with her?

The instant Black Widow saw Rimuru, her eyes lit up.

Blue hair, a petite figure, delicate features—especially those golden eyes, which gave her an exceptionally clean and pure impression.

Honestly, Natasha had a very favorable impression of this alien named Rimuru.

Rimuru's existence was no longer a secret to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s upper ranks.

Especially after Rimuru piloted the silver armor in battle against Iron Monger last night, the Director's assessment of her had risen by several levels.

Powerful, mysterious, dangerous, yet restrained, and doing righteous things.

All of this had prompted Nick Fury to decide on a gentle approach toward Rimuru!

To Nick Fury, aliens were not a problem. As long as they did not threaten the world's security, everything could be tolerated.

If they could be brought into S.H.I.E.L.D.'s service, that would be even better!

The Skrulls he had taken in were still his allies, after all!

Natasha adjusted her glasses and smiled sweetly. "Sorry to disturb you. My name is Ivy Timothy, and I am the community social services director. Yesterday, I received reports from residents that a school-age child in this neighborhood was not receiving education in accordance with the Education Law, so I came specifically to look into the matter today."

As Natasha spoke, she handed over an ID identifying her as the community director.

Studying the community director ID, Rimuru sighed inwardly. As expected of S.H.I.E.L.D.—their fake IDs were truly professional.

But...

What the hell was this about a school-age child not receiving education under the Education Law?

Were they trying to urge her to attend elementary school? Rimuru immediately felt a deep sense of malice!

In her previous life, he had nearly finished college. Going back to attend elementary school with a bunch of bratty kids was enough to make him shudder just imagining it!

Noticing Rimuru's microexpression, Natasha adjusted her glasses and revealed a meaningful smile.

As an agent, reading expressions and behavior was an essential skill, and she was among the best at it.

This Rimuru really did have a problem. This fake ID had been specially made by S.H.I.E.L.D.'s internal logistics department; even an official from the education bureau might not be able to tell whether it was real.

Yet Rimuru had merely glanced at it and shown a hint of distaste.

That was worth some serious thought!

How could Natasha have come unprepared when dealing with someone like Rimuru, who possessed Superpowers?

She had a medicine capsule hidden in her gums, specifically designed to counter anesthetics. If she sensed anything unusual in her body, she only needed to bite it open.

She also had high-tech patches behind her ears designed to counter telepathy. If any external psychic force tried to read information from her mind, the patches would heat up to warn her.

But so far, the patches were functioning perfectly normally.

Rimuru had not used mind-reading on her. Or rather, Rimuru truly did not possess abilities such as telepathy or mental control.

As a top S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, Natasha was quite confident in her professional discipline. During this brief interaction with Rimuru, she was certain she had done nothing inconsistent with her identity.

So how had Rimuru learned her true identity?

It seemed Rimuru might be even more mysterious than she had imagined, and knew far more than she had expected.

Natasha grew even more interested. "Aren't you going to invite me in for a seat?"

"Please!"

Rimuru openly invited Natasha inside. Sooner or later, she would have to give S.H.I.E.L.D. an explanation.

She did not want them watching her day and night, then trying to assassinate her every so often.

She knows who I am, yet she's inviting me inside so openly. She really is bold because she has the skill to back it up!

Natasha's heartbeat quickened. It was tense, thrilling, and strangely fresh.

"What would you like to drink? Tea, coffee, cola, soda... I have none of those!"

Natasha rolled her eyes, somewhat speechless. What a childish sense of humor—but for some reason, she found it rather amusing.

"I'm not thirsty, so let's skip the drinks."

"Fine!"

Rimuru readily accepted. Even if she had actually prepared something, Natasha probably would not have drunk it.

Agents—an occupational hazard. They always liked being suspicious of everything.

"Can you tell me your real purpose now, the famous Miss Natasha Romanoff?"

Natasha narrowed her beautiful eyes, and her body suddenly tensed. But soon afterward, she gradually relaxed again.

"You truly know more than we imagined. Can you tell me how you learned my real identity, alien girl?"