Punctuation Key:
"Spoken dialogue"
'Quoting'
*Action*
Emphasis
Internal thoughts/talking to Ciel
[[Ciel talking]]
{{Thought Communication}}
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Iruma POV
Rimuru takes me to a building for this class with Hinata that she set up for me to attend earlier. After walking down a few hallways, we reach the classroom. I'm still a little scared to go since Hinata is the teacher, but I think I'll be alright.
The two of us walk inside and all eyes are immediately on us. Hinata, all the students, everyone. The room is filled with students of a variety of races, maybe around two-thirds of them appearing to be human. They all look close to my age, some looking a few years younger and some a few older.
Rimuru isn't paying the students any mind though, her eyes solely focused on Hinata who's across the room, appearing to have been preparing to start class before we interrupted. She's dressed a bit differently than the last time I saw her, now wearing something you'd expect a teacher to wear along with a monocle in front of one eye.
"Who are those two?" one of the human students asks curiously.
"You idiot, that's Lord Rimuru!" a hobgoblin student responds scoldingly, staring daggers at the first student.
"What?! Th-the Demon Lord!?" the human student asks, looking both shocked and a little scared.
"Yeah! Show him the respect he deserves!" another monster student adds.
"I-I will, I'm sorry! I didn't know what he looked like, I just moved here recently!" the human boy insists desperately with a panicked, apologetic expression on his face.
"Who's the other guy though? I've never seen him before..." another student asks.
"I don't know..." one of them responds.
It seems like our arrival has shattered the quiet in the room, and Hinata doesn't look too happy about it. She marches over menacingly, all the chatting students falling silent as she passes them. She points to the door, gesturing for us to step outside.
"That is exactly why I can't have you in my classroom!" Hinata scolds Rimuru sternly once we're no longer inside.
"I'm sorry! I just wanted to bring Iruma here just like we talked about, that's all!"
"You didn't have to go inside yourself you fool! Now my students are all worked up!"
"I'm sure you're fully capable of calming them down, Hinata. Sorry again, I'll leave so I don't distract them all again, okay?" Rimuru says, giving Hinata an apologetic pat on the shoulder which she brushes away irritatedly. The gesture made Hinata's already red face turn redder, but I can't tell if it's from anger or something else.
"Just...go!" She says angrily as she whips around and goes back into the room, leaving Rimuru and me in the hallway.
Rimuru lets out a small chuckle as the door closes behind Hinata.
"Alright, you better get in there yourself. Have fun!" Rimuru says while nudging me towards the door.
"Uhhhh...are you sure? She's all mad at us now, maybe I shouldn't go."
"She's mad at me not you, so don't worry about that."
I hesitantly open the door and step inside, leaving Rimuru out in the hallway.
Once again, everyone is staring and muttering but this time at me alone. Hinata, now back at the front of the room, glances at me once before returning her attention to her class preparations.
I make my way through the classroom, feeling very awkward as all the eyes of the other students follow me as I do. Well, one student wasn't staring at me like the others; that being the boy who was scolded for not knowing who Rimuru is. He's, instead, staring down at his desk, looking both scared and regretful. I decided that I'll sit next to him since one of the few open seats happens to be the one directly to his right.
At the sound of me pulling the chair out, he looks up at me. He immediately looks a little scared by me being near him and leans back slightly.
"Hey, y-you're that guy that was with Demon Lord Rimuru just a minute ago, aren't you?" He asks, his voice shaking a little.
"Yes," I reply.
"D-did he tell you to p-punish me or something? I didn't mean to disrespect the leader of Tempest...I really didn't..."
"No, he didn't, I don't even think Rimuru noticed you."
"Really?"
"Really. Rimuru isn't as scary as you're thinking...well, he can be, but not over someone not recognizing him."
"Wow...you're addressing the Demon Lord without title..."
"We're friends so yeah."
"Who are you anyway?"
"My name is Iruma. I'm just a friend of Rimuru's, nothing more."
"A friend of Demon Lord Rimuru, huh? Well, I should tell you my name too. I'm Aiden, my parents are adventurers who just moved here to take advantage of the Labyrinth. I've been here less than a week so I'm still figuring out how stuff works in this place. Since you're friends with the Demon Lord, maybe you could tell me a few things about Tempest? I don't wanna offend anyone just like I did a minute ago."
"You didn't offend Rimuru, I'm sure about that, but I probably know less than you do. This is only my second day in Tempest and I'm just visiting."
"So we're kinda in the same boat when it comes to being familiar with this place then?"
"Yeah, I guess."
"Still...a teenager being friends with a Demon Lord...wait, you are a teenager, right? You look like one, but I've heard some of the people here don't look their age"
"Yes, I'm 14. I get what you mean too, Rimuru doesn't look his age...I think. I actually have no idea how old Rimuru is...I at least know he's older than he appears."
"Demon Lords live a long time I think, so he could be very old I bet," Aiden says, covering his mouth when he realizes what he just said. "...wait, please don't tell the Demon Lord I said that! I wasn't trying to be rude!"
"Haha, I won't, I promise."
"So, how did you become friends with a Dem-" Aiden starts to ask before being interrupted by Hinata loudly clearing her throat to grab everyone's attention.
"Good morning, my students. It is time to begin today's lesson. I expect you to give me all of your attention today, despite that little 'interruption' we had a moment ago." Hinata says, a small expression of irritation developing on her face as she emphasizes the word 'interruption'.
The buzz of many conversations among students in the room ceased immediately when Hinata started talking.
"Today we will be covering Demon Lord Rimuru's ascension to his current position among the Heptagram. Could one of you please tell me what the Heptagram is?" Hinata asks, eyeing all the students for one to provide an answer.
One student raises their arm in the air enthusiastically.
"Yes?" Hinata says as she points at the student with their raised hand.
"All of the current Demon Lords are collectively named that, right?"
"That is correct. There are currently seven Demon Lords, Rimuru Tempest, the king of this country, being among them." Hinata explains, giving the students a moment to take down notes before continuing. "What is Demon Lord Rimuru's title? Each of the Demon Lords has one. For example, Demon Lord Milim. She is dubbed 'The Destroyer' for her destructive capabilities."
Another student, this one an orc I think, raises their hand. Hinata nods in their direction, signaling them to talk.
"Isn't it 'Lord of Monsters', Ms. Hinata?"
Hinata shakes her head with her arms folded. "That is one of Demon Lord Rimuru's titles, but not the one I'm referring to. Does anyone know what one is his official Demon Lord title?"
"'Chaos Creator', Ms. Hinata. That's Lord Rimuru's Demon Lord title." A third student answers, sounding confident.
'Chaos Creator'? That's a pretty ominous title for Rimuru...
"Correct. Demon Lord Rimuru is called the 'Chaos Creator' due to the...unconventional...changes he brought to the world. You see, Demon Lord Rimuru is a reincarnate and otherworlder and used knowledge from his previous life to build the Jura Tempest Federation. But, I digress. We were discussing his earning of the Demon Lord title. Could someone please tell the class what spurred Rimuru Tempest to become a Demon Lord?"
Nobody raises their hand.
"None of you know? Well, that's fine. You are here to learn, after all. Before taking the title, Demon Lord Rimuru befriended and allied with a few of the Demon Lords and became one by their recommendation. He was already viewed as one in a sense, being a leader of a nation of monsters, by humanity beforehand so making it official was the obvious action to take."
That doesn't sound right...didn't Rimuru tell me she became a Demon Lord to fix the consequences of a horrible mistake she made?
Rimuru said nothing about becoming a Demon Lord because a friend told her to...well, she did say that she made friends with a Demon Lord and that Demon Lord asked if Rimuru wanted to become one herself, but she turned down the proposal. Rimuru had another reason much more important than what Hinata's saying right now. But, why would Hinata be lying?
"His declaration to the world of his acceptance by the other Demon Lords came soon after what is called 'The Tempest-Falmuth Tragedy', would one of you elaborate on that event for me?"
"Falmuth attacked Tempest while Lord Rimuru was out of the country!"
"Yes, and why did they attack?"
"Greed and prejudice against monsters."
"That's right. At the time, Falmuth, now called Farmenas, was the center of trade among the Western Nations. They saw Tempest, a new country developing trade routes and producing superior products, as a threat to their income and because its inhabitants were all monsters at that time. This led to them attacking Tempest, unprovoked, before sending an army to finish off the rest in their lord's absence." Hinata explains. When she was talking about Rimuru being absent from Tempest during the attack, I noticed her eyes dart to the side for a moment and her lips curl inward slightly. I wouldn't have seen it if it wasn't for the fact I was sitting relatively close to the front of the classroom.
Whatever that was, it was brief, but I think something about that part of the story bothered her. Guilt or regret maybe? It's hard to tell.
Hinata clears her throat before continuing, composing herself and perfectly hiding that almost-guilty expression.
"What ensued was a war; a bloody war with losses on both sides. A combined force of 20,000 soldiers from Falmuth and the Western Holy Church along with an unknown number from Tempest clashed in that battle. The bloodshed awakened the Storm Dragon, releasing him from his prison of 300 years, causing both sides of the battle to be completely wiped out by his rampage. One of you please tell the class what happened after that?"
"Lord Rimuru reasoned with the Storm Dragon and now he's an ally of Tempest."
"That is correct."
That doesn't sound right either...Veldora said Rimuru ate him and broke him out of his seal. Nothing about a war causing his prison to break...
I'm starting to be bothered a lot by these inconsistencies.
Why would Hinata lie about this?!
Aiden notices the confused look on my face and nudges me gently with his elbow.
"Is something wrong?" Aiden asks in a hushed voice.
"No, nothing," I reply quietly, trying to force my worried expression into hiding.
He gives me a suspicious glance before returning his eyes to Hinata and her lesson.
If the army from Falmuth was completely wiped out and Hinata is lying about Veldora doing it...who killed all those people...?
Then an idea hits me. A horrifying idea; one I can't accept as being true.
Rimuru said something about 'sacrificing her last shred of humanity' or something similar back when I asked her about how she became a Demon Lord. Rigurd also said that people have crossed the line in the past and Rimuru lost patience with them, 'paying the price' for their actions. Could this have been one of those times?
She couldn't have...there's no way...
The thought makes me feel sick and my breakfast from earlier threatens to come up into my throat. I quickly raise my hand to be excused, not wanting to spend another second in this classroom.
"Yes?" Hinata asks.
"Can I please leave? I don't feel well..."
Hinata raises a questioning eyebrow at me but still nods when she sees how sick I probably look. I wouldn't be surprised if my face was green right now with how I'm feeling.
So, I quickly escape the classroom without another word.
There's no way...there's no way that Rimuru would do something like that...
Once back out in the hallway, I take some deep breaths trying to calm down. My head is buzzing with worrying thoughts about Rimuru and what she's capable of. But, after a few moments of focusing on halting my panic, I manage to calm down.
I was wrong. I've convinced myself that I was wrong back there. Rimuru wouldn't do that. I must be remembering things incorrectly and it's causing me to make assumptions...yeah...that must be it...
"Iruma!" I hear a familiar voice to the side of me. I was alone just a moment ago so I jump in surprise.
"What?" I ask surprisedly, a little startled by Rimuru's sudden appearance.
"Are you alright? Hinata said you weren't feeling well. Do you have a fever? Are you sick? The germs might be different from earth or something so I hope you didn't catch a bug..." Rimuru says quickly, touching her hand to my forehead to see if I have a fever. She's staring me in the eyes intensely, her golden ones full of concern and worry while she fusses over me, trying to determine if I'm sick or not.
"I'm fine, Rimuru, I just felt nauseous all of the sudden...I'm alright now though." I say as I gently push Rimuru's hand off of my forehead, forcing a smile onto my face.
"You really scared Hinata, you know. She sent me an urgent 'thought communication' saying you suddenly left class looking like you were gonna throw up."
"I'm sorry..."
"You have nothing to be sorry about. I'm just glad you seem to be okay. If something like this happens again, that's what that ring of yours is for. Contact me. Immediately. Even though we're not in the Netherworld right now, that doesn't mean I'm not still trying to keep you safe." Rimuru says while giving me a warm smile.
Rimuru POV
Damn, that gave me a scare!
The last thing I expected was for Hinata to contact me in a panic like that saying that Iruma might be sick! Well...maybe she wasn't panicking per se, but she was at least worried about Iruma quite a bit, showing that soft side of hers.
Thankfully, Iruma seems to not be sick at all, but I get the feeling that something might still be wrong with him. He doesn't appear to be sick, but the look he had on his face when I first teleported next to him was concerning. He looked freaked out and worried, but I don't know what about. Was it something in Hinata's class? Was some jerk of a kid mean to him and he used the excuse nausea to escape? Nah, Hinata wouldn't allow something like that in her classroom; she has eyes like a hawk. But what, then? Maybe it really was just nausea and he was worried about the potential scene he made in that classroom.
Iruma POV
"Why don't I buy you a snack? You're not still feeling nauseous, right?"
"Yeah, I feel fine now. A snack would be nice."
Just like Rimuru, I love food and have a huge appetite so a snack is almost always welcome when it comes to me.
We head back outside and Rimuru leads me to somewhere that I recognize. It's that meat skewer stand that Gobta took me to yesterday.
When we get to the front of the line, Rimuru orders two skewers for each of us.
"Would you like to pay your tab as well today, Lord Rimuru?" The vendor asks.
"My tab? I thought I paid that off before going on vacation..." Rimuru mutters, sounding confused.
"Sir Gobta was here with that boy yesterday and said that he had permission to put both of their purchases on your tab, My Lord."
"He did, did he?" Rimuru asks that warm smile from earlier long forgotten, replaced by a dark one. "Here. I'll pay it off today; how much?"
The vendor, looking a bit shaken by Rimuru's current demeanor, says an amount, and Rimuru hands him some shiny coins. I didn't see Rimuru reach into a pocket or anything beforehand so it's almost as if the coins appeared directly into her closed hand.
"If Gobta says that he has permission to use my tab again, please don't listen to him. You didn't do anything wrong this time, though, so don't worry." Rimuru says to the vendor before turning and leaving. I hustle behind her as she quickly walks away, looking quite annoyed.
"That stupid, melon-headed hobgoblin!...why does he have to do stuff like that?!" Rimuru mutters angrily, a scowl distorting her face. Then she turns her still-angry eyes to me. "Did he do that at other places too?"
I quickly nod my head.
Rimuru sighs when she sees my expression and seems to calm herself somewhat as she does.
"Don't be scared, Iruma, I'm not mad at you," Rimuru says calmly. "I'll have to piece together what he's cost me and make him pay for it; in multiple ways," Rimuru says ominously. "That can wait until later, though. I think it's about time you meet Chloe. I've tracked her down so all we need to do is teleport to where she is. She's visiting a friend of hers and an acquaintance of mine right now. I'm sure he wouldn't mind too much if we visited him ourselves."
"Isn't that kinda rude, though? Showing up at someone's place without an invitation..."
"He won't complain since Chloe is there with him. He's very attached to her so I think he'd actually prefer this over me taking her back to Tempest to meet you."
"If you say so..." I respond hesitantly.