Punctuation Key:
"Spoken dialogue"
'Quoting'
*Action*
Emphasis
Internal thoughts/talking to Ciel
[[Ciel talking]]
{{Thought Communication}}
I also have a discord server for discussion, questions, suggestions, or whatever. https://discord.gg/SVkTU2CQ2s
Iruma POV
Gobta takes me through the streets to a strange-looking building. The security going in looked pretty tight, but once again, it seems that Gobta is well-known enough to get through without much difficulty. The man guarding the entrance did ask a few questions about who I was and why I was with Gobta, but the mentioning of Rimuru's name and the fact I'm their guest was plenty enough to satisfy him.
Along the walls is an assortment of doors leading to smaller rooms. There is also what looks like a reception desk run by a goblina. Her eyes light up and she sits up in her chair a little straighter when she notices us; Gobta in particular.
"Oh, Sir Gobta! Nice to see you again!" The woman says familiarly. She clearly knows Gobta personally, or at least talks with him fairly regularly based on the casualness in her tone.
"Nice to see you too. I'd like two tickets for teleportation please." Gobta says to her.
"With custom coordinates, right? The usual ones?"
"You know me too well!" Gobta says, smiling widely at her. She blushes and turns her head away slightly.
"How would you like to pay this time?"
"My executive account please."
"More official business?" She asks.
"You've got it!" Gobta replies.
"You're such a busy man, Sir Gobta! Always making trips on behalf of Tempest. You go to Dwargon on business, what, at least twice a month?"
What is Dwargon?
"Yes I am, but make sure to keep this trip off the records; it's a secret mission." Gobta says to her with a wink, causing her to blush a little again.
"My lips are sealed, Sir Gobta." She replies in a hushed voice.
The goblina takes a few moments interacting with some sort of strange device with a screen. It doesn't quite look like a computer, but something similar. For one, it doesn't have any cords attached so it can't be running on electricity. Maybe it's magic-powered? That seems to be the trend around here.
The thing prints two small slips of paper and she hands each of us one. With both of us now having a ticket in hand, the goblina leads us across the room.
She gave me a puzzled look as if she was wondering why I was with Gobta, but she didn't ask anything since Gobta told her that this trip is a secret. I still don't understand where Gobta is taking me, but I at least understand that that was a lie on his part.
The room she brought us to is one of the few with a strange-looking panel to the side of the door, the others having a simple sign. On the panel, there's an assortment of what appears to be buttons with strange symbols on them is embedded in it. Magic runes maybe? I think I saw something similar in that array that I tapped my resurrection bracelet on earlier.
The goblina touches a deliberate combination of said symbols/runes, causing them to light up as she does before turning to us again, smiling and gesturing for us to enter.
"There, I've set it all up for you. You may proceed. It may take a minute or two to charge before departure, although I'm sure you are already aware of that Sir Gobta." She says in a way that makes me think it's rehearsed. It seems like something she has to say to everyone, all except for that last part which was in a warmer tone.
Gobta steps inside with confidence and I follow closely behind, a little reluctant. The door gets closed behind us. The strange, metal floor I find now under our feet has an elaborate pattern inscribed into it. The lines of the engraving begin to glow, their light slowly growing in intensity.
"Wh-where are we g-going Gobta? What's th-this 'Dwargon' she was talking about?" I ask, kinda scared to teleport somewhere unknown.
"The Armed Nation of Dwargon." He answers.
'Nation'? So this takes you to a different country?
"W-wait a second Gobta! A-are we leaving the country? Didn't Rimuru tell you not to bring me outside of Tempest?!" I ask nervously, feeling like I'm being dragged into trouble by this hobgoblin again.
"It'll be fiiiiiine!" He replies enthusiastically. When he sees my still-apprehensive expression, he continues. "The dwarven kingdom is a close ally, so it's perfectly safe! I had a little trouble the first two times I went there, but now? Not a chance!"
Gobta telling me that he had problems when he visited that place doesn't ease my nerves at all, but I think it's too late for me to back out of this. I'll just have to trust Gobta when he says it's safe.
There's a quick flash of light, causing me to wince and close my eyes. I rub them a little as they water from the blinding flash and when I uncover them I find myself on a street. We're off to the side, but the place is bustling as people walk around us to get to wherever they are headed.
I'm still clutching my ticket in one hand as I look around.
"Make sure you don't lose that. I'll have to pay for a trip back home if you do." Gobta says.
The ticket must be a round-trip one then I suppose, so I'll have to make sure not to let it out of my sight.
I nod my head in acknowledgment.
This place is definitely not Tempest, the buildings appearing to be embedded in the rocky cave-like walls to either side of the street. We're kinda underground, but there is still light coming from the sun poking between the stone overhead. It's a lot more cramped but not to the degree of being uncomfortable.
The mix of people here seems to be different too, most of them looking human for the most part, but almost all having short and stocky builds.
"Are those dwarves?" I ask Gobta, piecing together what they probably are since Gobta called this place the 'dwarven kingdom'.
"Yup." He says. "But that's not who we're here for. C'mon!"
What does he mean by 'who' we're here for?
Gobta pulls me so I'm facing toward the building we teleported in front of.
I see a sign above the door reading 'Butterflies of the Night'.
Is this the 'Butterflies' Rimuru was talking about?
"Here we are; the 'Promised Land'!" Gobta says as he gazes up at the sign.
"What is this place?" I ask.
"You'll see once we're inside. It's an amazing place where dreams and fantasies become reality!" Gobta announces, his eyes sparkling with excitement.
With a large grin on his face, Gobta swings the entrance open. I peer inside and see a variety of girls and women wearing a variable amount of clothing. Some...quite revealing, making my cheeks turn hot. I freeze in the doorway, stiff as a board, intimidated by what I'm seeing.
"Oh, Mr. Gobta! What a surprise!" one of the ladies says as she notices us.
I notice her ears are pointed so she must be an elf. She's very pretty and gets uncomfortably close to both of us, stroking the side of Gobta's cheek with a seductive look in her eyes.
"Sh-should I even be h-here?" I ask with a stutter as I start to realize this might not be a place for someone my age.
"Oh, you're fine! You're old enough to handle some beautiful ladies!" Gobta reassures me, but it doesn't help at all.
"Who is this cutie?" The elf asks, now gazing at me with her pretty eyes.
"I-I'm Ir-iruma..." I manage to squeak out a response while looking down at my feet.
"Aww...he's shy!" she responds in a babying voice, making me feel even more uncomfortable. She reaches out as if to pinch my cheek, but stops mid-motion.
The sound of glass shattering rings in my ears and I feel an immense pressure fill the room.
"Gobta." I hear a deeper, yet familiar voice come from off to the side, out of my line of sight when I first looked at the room.
The smiling faces of all the elf ladies snap to looks of surprise as they turn their attention to the source of the voice.
Rimuru. A very upset Rimuru.
Oh nooo...
The sound must've come from the cup Rimuru she was holding, now pulverized to almost nothing in her angrily clenched fist, the remains now on the counter of the bar below it that Rimuru is sitting at.
Rimuru stands up with purpose and starts approaching me and Gobta, the elf ladies making way for her with scared expressions spread across all their faces. They all look terrified and some of them are clearly baffled, not expecting Rimuru to act like she is right now. I'm in a similar state of shock, only having seen Rimuru at this level of anger once.
"Mr. S-slime?" one of the elf women asks them cautiously as Rimuru passes by her, but Rimuru is solely focused on Gobta right now and doesn't pay her any mind.
The room is dead-silent outside of the sound of Rimuru's boots as she slowly makes her way toward us. The pressure I've been experiencing increases as Rimuru draws nearer, making it hard for me to even breathe and freezing me in place.
"What the hell is Iruma doing here?" Rimuru asks quietly once she gets somewhat closer. Her tone and expression are ominously level and calm, but I know that she's extremely upset right now.
Gobta attempts to flee out the door, but before he can move more than an inch, Rimuru instantly appears in front of us and grabs him roughly by the arm. Gobta winced as Rimuru clutched him aggressively, painfully digging her fingers into his skin and drawing blood as she does.
"L-lord Ri-rimuru! I-I didn't think I'd s-see y-you here!" Gobta says with a fake smile, trying to hide his fear.
"I-I...um...I di-didn't know...uh..." I try to explain but the words don't come to me properly.
Rimuru turns her head towards me. She's smiling, but not in a happy way.
"I am asking Gobta a question right now, Iruma. Please be quiet." She says simply, a large amount of pressure behind her words. The way she's speaking to me is much different than normal and it's terrifying.
I quickly nod my head, not wanting Rimuru to get even angrier at me.
"Now I'll ask again Gobta. Why. Is. Iruma. Here?" Rimuru asks, her words like daggers piercing into Gobta.
"For fun...?" He replies hesitantly, his pitch rising at the end making it sound like a question.
"You idiot!" Rimuru finally snaps, raising their voice. "This is a bar and Iruma is just a kid! You weren't supposed to take him anywhere outside of Tempest!" Rimuru lectures, clutching and twisting Gobta's arm harder in punishment as she does.
He squeals and whimpers before managing to get a few words out.
"I-I know...I just wanted to give Iruma a good time before he had to go back with you..." Gobta whines.
"There are plenty of places that are more kid-friendly that you could've taken him to for fun! Ugh...what a mess...what am I gonna say to Sullivan? If he finds out his grandson went to a place like this...dammit!" Rimuru complains, holding her head in frustration with her free hand, her other one still holding Gobta's arm at an uncomfortable angle. Rimuru sighs before turning her attention to Gobta again, a little calmer after seemingly sorting out their thoughts.
"Now...what to do with you...hmmm..." Rimuru says ponderingly.
There's a small pause filled with an unsettling silence as Rimuru decides on Gobta's punishment. Unable to take the tension any longer, Gobta breaks the uncomfortable quiet.
"P-please don't send me to work with Ultima..." Gobta whines.
"Work with Ultima? Hmmm...I wasn't thinking about that, but now that you mention it..." Rimuru grins.
"Nooooo...anything but that! Last time I had nightmares for weeks!" Gobta protests further.
"What, you don't like participating in interrogations? Ultima got a new toy yesterday, so I'm sure she'd love a little assistance with them." Rimuru says in a teasing voice.
Ultima...got a new 'toy'? Do they mean that man that attacked her yesterday?!
"Lord Rimuru! Please! Please don't make me see that stuff again!" Gobta pleads.
"I'll have to think about it, but for now, go home."
With a wave of her free hand, Gobta vanishes, leaving the one she was holding him with empty. Rimuru must've teleported him back to Tempest.
Rimuru then turns their attention to me, wearing a blank expression.
I start to tremble in anticipation of a scolding, but Rimuru quickly turns back toward the group of elves behind her.
"Here I am again, causing trouble for all you nice ladies," Rimuru says apologetically.
"You are no trouble at all, Demon Lord Rimuru." The elf says with a polite bow.
Rimuru frowns slightly when she says this, not liking something about what the woman said.
"Please don't address me with my title while I'm here...I like to keep things casual when I'm relaxing like this. I'm not here on official business so treat me like you would any other customer." Rimuru says calmly.
"S-sorry...Mr. Slime..." The woman says, correcting herself.
"It's all good, there's no need for you to apologize. After all that hullabaloo I should get going though, but first...here." Rimuru says as she tosses a small bag to one of the elves. The metallic clinking noise it made as it was caught makes me think it was full of coins. "That should cover the drink and the broken glass. Plus a little extra for the trouble."
"No worries. We look forward to seeing you again."
"I'm glad. Have a good night, all of you." Rimuru says with a wave.
Rimuru pulls the hood of her hoodie over her head and gently pushes me out of the doorway. She does a double-take both ways down the street and pulls her hood down a little more. Grabbing ahold of my wrist, Rimuru pulls me into the bustling crowd and leads me down the street before dipping into a narrow, dark alley. I didn't put up any resistance since I knew that it wouldn't do me any good.
Rimuru stands there for a moment with her eyes closed, not saying a word.
"A-are you mad at me?" I ask.
"Shhh! No, I'm not upset with you but I need you to be quiet for a minute. I have to be discrete and I need to focus since Ciel refused to help me with this..." Rimuru whispers before closing her eyes again.
Confused about what Rimuru is talking about, I look around us a little. I quickly notice something under my feet; A deep purple magic circle forming on the ground below both of us. It's much more elaborate than the pattern that was engraved in the disk that I stood on to get here.
Without much warning, we teleport somewhere else. Something about it felt different than the other times and the strange sensation accompanying it lasted a bit longer.
Looking around again, we seem to be in Rimuru's office again.
"Okay...I think we're in the clear." Rimuru says quietly with a relieved sigh. She walks over to the chair at her desk, sits down, and slumps in it, her hood slipping off her head as she does. "So much for relaxing..."
I stand in the middle of the room, feeling awkward as Rimuru lays in the chair with her eyes closed and arms behind her head, completely silent for a minute. After the uncomfortable pause, Rimuru opens one eye and peers at me.
"You, me, and Gobta being at that bar. That stuff never happened, do you understand?" She says sternly.
"Wh-what?"
"We're gonna keep tonight's events a little secret, so forget that ever happened, alright?"
"Y-yes...of course..."
"Good...glad that's taken care of," Rimuru says, sounding truly relaxed for the first time since we were reunited.
I fidget in place, still not over how scary Rimuru was with Gobta a few minutes ago.
"Did I scare you?" She asks sympathetically, noticing my discomfort.
"Y-yes you did..."
"Sorry, but I had to go hard on Gobta; he really messed up. I was expecting him to screw up again, but not that badly." Rimuru explains, but it doesn't really cheer me up.
I feel bad for Gobta since it seems like he's gonna be punished pretty harshly. But, in the end, it was Gobta's fault, and the reason Rimuru got mad was on my behalf.
"Don't worry, Iruma, Gobta's probably just going to get some extra work to do. Half of his punishment was me scaring him." Rimuru continues after noticing that her words didn't calm me down at all.
"R-really?" I ask, surprised.
"Yup. Since we're keeping this incident on the down-low, I can't really give him anything harsher than that. But still, I don't want that to be the last thing you experience while we're here, so how 'bout I show you one of my favorite spots? The view's even better than the one I showed you from that window, especially at night." Rimuru says.
Excited by that idea, I agree.
I was expecting Rimuru to teleport me there, but instead, it seems like we're gonna walk. I think she's picked up on the fact that I don't enjoy it when she does that.
I follow Rimuru outside and I can see that the sun's light is fading as it dips below the horizon. There are streetlights along the road though so seeing isn't a problem. Rimuru pulled her hood up again soon after we get onto the street.
"Why are you doing that?"
"To avoid grabbing too much attention. It's not a perfect solution, but it helps with the general public without perception skills. I thought you would like it better if we aren't stopped by a bunch of people who're excited to see me."
Even with the fading light, the happy, cheerful feel of the city is still there. Laughter and music fill the air, coming out of different buildings as we make our way down the street. Even with her hood pulled up I can see that Rimuru is smiling contentedly as she looks at all the people around us. A proud smile, but not arrogant.
"Seeing stuff like this never gets old..." Rimuru says quietly to herself, still smiling.
"What doesn't get old?" I ask.
"You heard that? You see, I just love seeing everyone so happy, so peaceful. It makes me want to protect all those smiles, y'know?" Rimuru says happily.
Before I can respond, A small child, maybe four or five years old, comes running at us, not looking where he's going. The kid ends up running straight into Rimuru, bumping into her leg.
Rimuru looks startled for a moment because she was lost in thought when the child ran into her. She looks down at them with a concerned expression before crouching down and holding out her hand.
Having fallen from bumping into Rimuru, the little boy looks like he's on the verge of tears, but as soon as he sees Rimuru's face, he almost immediately calms down.
"Hey there kiddo, you should look where you're going," Rimuru says sweetly.
The kid just sits on the ground, staring at Rimuru's face, not moving or saying something.
"You're so pretty..." he says innocently.
There's a small pause before Rimuru responds.
"Y-you think so? Well, thank you for the compliment." Rimuru replies, a tiny hint of irritation slipping out in her voice.
The kid isn't wrong, Rimuru is pretty, but I know for a fact they don't like people pointing that out very much.
He finally responds to Rimuru's outstretched hand and she helps him stand up. After getting to his feet, he continues to stare up at Rimuru's face with his mouth slightly agape.
"Rex...Rex! Where did you run off to!?" I hear someone's voice call out from the direction the child ran from.
(AN: The kid's name is a reference to someone in my discord server.)
"Is that your name?" I ask him after hearing the person.
He nods his head slightly.
"It seems like someone is looking for you," Rimuru says to the kid named Rex, ruffling his hair a little before picking him up by his armpits.
A woman pushes through the thin crowd, her face wearing a desperate expression as she looks around frantically.
"He's over here!" Rimuru calls out, waving one arm in the air while holding the little boy with her other.
This immediately grabs her attention and she makes a beeline for Rimuru.
"Oh thank goodness!" She says, sounding relieved as Rimuru hands her the child.
"Sweetie, you can't run off like that! You had your mommy so scared!" The woman says to Rex.
Now holding Rex, she looks at both me and Rimuru.
"Thank you so much! I was worried that someone bad might get their hands on him."
"No problem at all," Rimuru says with a friendly smile.
"Yeah, we didn't even do much..." I add, feeling awkward about being thanked for something that any decent person would do.
The woman then stares at Rimuru's face, much like her child did a moment ago.
"Wait a moment...those eyes...that face, I think I recognize you..." The woman says before a look of realization replaces the puzzled expression she was making. "Aren't you-?"
"I'm nobody. Have a good night, ma'am." Rimuru says curtly before hustling away from the woman, once again pulling me by the wrist. She also pulls her hood down further again so the woman can't get another look at her face as we leave.
"That was close..." Rimuru says once we're out of sight of the woman. "If she had recognized me and said my name out loud, we would have been held up for a long time. Is it okay if we teleport the rest of the way? I know you don't like it, but I'd like to avoid another situation like that if I can."
"Sure, Rimuru. I don't want to grab a bunch of attention either."
Rimuru quickly teleports us to our destination. It's a grassy cliff, one with a single tree near the edge, along with a small stack of rocks. In the time it took us to get here, it's gotten fully dark out, making the sea of lights below stand out even more. This must be Tempest, from an overhead view.
Another vast expanse of glowing specks stretches above us as well; a sea of stars as far as the eye can see. The combination is breathtaking; one of the prettiest things I've ever seen.
"Woooow..." is all I can say as I stare at it.
"Told ya," Rimuru says, grinning at my reaction, but it doesn't last long. She soon turns her attention to the pile of stones nearby and her expression saddens.
"What's wrong?" I ask.
"Nothing...nothing's wrong," Rimuru says, her smile returning as she looks back at me. "Just enjoy the view for a few minutes. I need to grab Sullivan so we can all return to the Netherworld. You should get some rest in your actual bed since we have school tomorrow."
Third Person POV
Deep in the Labyrinth of Tempest, two demons are having an intense battle. A fight for fun, one between two friends. The air is lit up with a flurry of spells shooting between the two men suspended in the air. One greatly outclasses the other in strength, but a quick defeat would be no fun, so he is holding back a great deal. Smiles are showing on both of their mouths and the sound of laughter fills the air, mixing with the roars and booms of the spells they continuously hurl at each other without hesitation.
Sullivan may not be as strong as Diablo, but that doesn't mean that he can't have a friendly bout with his old friend. He hasn't been able to use his magic unrestrained like this in a very long time. That is because a space like this does not exist in the Netherworld. A place where the death of your opponent means nothing, and destruction of the surrounding area has little consequence.
The room the two demons are having their fun in was designed for intense battles, so the level of power both are utilizing isn't posing any harm to its structure. It was made to withstand the power of Veldora Tempest, a True Dragon, so no damage has happened during this duel between demons.
They have been doing this for the last two days, only taking a small break to attend a party the previous night. Sullivan has been having too much fun to want to do much else. They started with a small tour soon after arriving in the monster country, but that did not last after Sullivan was shown the Labyrinth and its properties.
As Diablo explained the Labyrinth to him, a sinister grin peeled across his lips and he got a sparkle in his eyes that Sullivan knew well from the past.
"Are you wanting to have a little fight, my old friend?" Sullivan asks Diablo, already knowing that the demon would surely agree to the idea.
Diablo loves to fight, just like most demons do, enough so that he stopped himself from getting stronger for a good deal of time because it made the fights boring. But, something has changed about Sullivan's old friend in the time since meeting Rimuru. Diablo is obsessed with that slime, and Sullivan doesn't blame him. He himself has taken a liking to the Demon Lord who has been staying in his mansion for the last few months as well. Not on the same level as Diablo, of course, but that doesn't mean he can't see what about the slime interests his friend.
"Of course, why else would I bring you to a place like this?" Diablo responds.
Just as Sullivan expected, a duel is exactly what Diablo wanted, and so they asked Veldora if they could utilize his room for combat. Out of all of the rooms in the Labyrinth, that one is the most ideal for their purposes. Large, wide-open, sturdy, and rarely used since it is near-impossible for a dungeon challenger to reach; perfect. Veldora agreed under the condition that he could watch since he is also somewhat of a battle maniac.
So, the fighting began soon after the two entered Veldora's boss-room and has been going on ever since. Ceaseless use of various magics, dodging, blocking, and redirection. Cackling laughter and wide smiles. A feeling of exhilaration filled both demons' bodies.
"You have gotten stronger, haven't you?" Sullivan asks.
"Yes, all for the sake of my beloved Master," Diablo replies in-between attacks.
"I never thought I'd see the day when you would serve someone, Diablo. I was flabbergasted when I learned you gained a name." Sullivan says as he dodges another spell from Diablo.
"Yes, but I would not have accepted anyone but My Lord as a source of a name. I'm sure you have noticed his greatness in the time you have spent near him." Diablo responds simply.
"I do see why you chose him, but still. You have always been so independent and aloof so I can't help but be amazed." Sullivan continues.
The two men banter back-and-forth as they continue to fight and this continues for hours on end. Diablo defeated Sullivan many times, but with the resurrection properties of the Labyrinth, Sullivan simply respawned in the room and continued fighting as if nothing happened.
The cycle continues until late on the second day of their visit to Tempest when someone visits the room they've been dueling in, putting a stop to their antics.
Rimuru POV
It's time to go grab Sullivan so we can leave. He's been with Diablo the entire time he's been in Tempest as far as I know. Knowing Diablo, I'm a little concerned about what those two demons might be up to. My mind was a bit fogged at the time, but I think that Sullivan was not in the best shape last night like he'd been fighting or something. I hope Diablo isn't pushing him too far like he was with Opera.
Where's he at, Ciel?
[[The individual Sullivan is at the bottom of the Labyrinth; specifically, Veldora's 'Boss-room', as you call it, Master.]]
That's an odd place for him to be, but if Diablo is sparring with him, I suppose it makes sense. That's the largest wide-open room in the Labyrinth so sometimes it's used for friendly duels between some of my stronger subordinates as stress relief. Veldora doesn't mind since he's usually holed up in his bedroom reading manga if he isn't helping Ramiris. I also know that he enjoys watching people duke it out in there too, so that's another reason he doesn't object to others borrowing it.
"Do you wanna stay here a bit longer, Iruma?"
Iruma looks indecisive for a moment but quickly chooses.
"Can I?" he asks excitedly.
"Sure, Iruma. I'll be right back, I promise."
I teleport directly to Veldora's room and find myself witnessing a heated battle, the two demons hurling various spells at each other. I can hear both of them laughing as they chuck many strong, dangerous-looking spells at their opponent. Sullivan seems to be redirecting some of Diablo's magic back at him too, which is pretty impressive. Still, I can tell that Diablo is holding back. He probably put some kind of handicap on himself so he could have more fun with his old friend. He enjoys a challenge so that sounds like something he'd do.
Once my presence is noticed, they both immediately stop and descend from their mid-air duel.
"My lord, what do I owe the pleasure of your presence," Diablo says with a graceful bow.
Once again, Sullivan doesn't look to be in good shape, injured in multiple places assumedly from Diablo's attacks. He's smiling brightly, though, so I don't think he minds. Demons can be weird like that.
"Nothing much. I just wanted to let you both know that we'll be leaving soon. You might wanna prepare for it, Sullivan."
"Oh, is it already time for that? It seems I lost track of time while having fun in this wonderful Labyrinth that you have here! I haven't fought this much in centuries!" He exclaims.
"So you enjoyed yourself then? I'm glad." I reply, smiling.
"Yes, as you asked me to, I have kept my friend here busy and made sure he learned of the many wonders you have created within it over the years of your reign here. Instilling an appreciation for your pride and joy; your country and its people, was a necessity so I did exactly that!" Diablo states in his normal, overdramatic manner.
All I did was tell Diablo to make sure Sullivan enjoyed himself...
"Yeah, thanks Diablo. I think you've done well...although I heard you caused a little problem last night while I was incapacitated." I say. I had been made aware of what exactly went down while I was out, and I wasn't too happy about what I learned.
Diablo's prideful smile fades to a look of fear. I'm not even trying to be menacing, but the thought of failing me always gets Diablo like this.
"W-what do you mean, My Lord?" He asks, his voice shaking a little.
"I heard that you threatened Benimaru," I state flatly.
"He was responsible for your poisoning, My Lord! I was only doing my duty as your secretary, defending you from threats!" He declares in defense of his actions. I know his intentions weren't bad, but he went too far so I need to address this.
"Diablo, don't threaten my other executives. You know they'd never intend to hurt me, so let me take care of things if this or something similar happens in the future."
"Y-yes Lord Rimuru..." Diablo says with a pout on his face, acting much like a kicked puppy.
"Thanks for de-escalating things too, Sullivan," I say to the other demon in the room.
"Not a problem." He responds.
"Go ahead and prepare to leave now, Sullivan. Diablo, could you help him out, please? I'm gonna get Iruma ready to go."
"Certainly, My Lord," Diablo responds.
After letting them know that we're leaving soon, I go grab Iruma and take him to his guest room to pack his things up too. It doesn't take very long before both are ready to depart. Diablo's coming back with us, but I'm leaving Veldora in Tempest for sure.
I say my goodbyes to my top executives and friends before going to my office with Diablo, Iruma, and Sullivan. It won't be long before I see them again since I have a Walpurgis to attend in a week. I'm still not looking forward to that, especially after what happened with Luminous earlier. Pushing aside thoughts about what I'm gonna wear to that meeting, I clear my head and open up a gate directly to the doorstep of Sullivan's mansion. I don't wanna have it pop up inside and scare poor Opera.
We're greeted at the door by Opera, as expected, and Iruma immediately goes to his room to sleep. I don't blame him; he's had a busy two days. I turn in for the night as well, feeling the desire to sleep a little myself.