Punctuation Key:
"Spoken dialogue"
'Quoting'
*Action*
Emphasis
Internal thoughts/talking to Ciel
[[Ciel talking]]
{{Thought Communication}}
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Third Person POV
The crystal, activated by Rimuru, glows and begins to project an image in the air. The picture is fairly dark, first depicting what looks like a large crowd. In the center of the mass appears to be a stage, the only lit-up part of the room that's being shown. The 'video' zooms in on the stage, revealing three people standing on it, two of them singing and all of them dancing.
What Diablo had Veldora bring to Walpurgis was the recording he made of the dem-dol concert Rimuru and Iruma helped Kuromu in. He wanted to bring it himself, but after Rimuru refused to take him along, he resorted to using Veldora, the one person that can teleport to Rimuru's side at any moment. He's also easy to convince to do little things, so Diablo had no trouble at all getting Veldora to do this little favor.
"Wait a second...is that Rimuru?" Guy asks while peering curiously at the image.
"Oh my...I think it is..." Luminous responds, also intensely staring at the picture.
"...I don't need to see this," Leon mutters and walks away.
"Isn't one of the others that Iruma kid he brought with him, too?" Dino asks.
Rimuru, on the other hand, is starting to panic as he realizes what this video is.
"Wh-what the h-hell...?!" Rimuru mutters in disbelief, his cheeks turning bright red as the embarrassment sinks in.
"I-is th-that...?" Iruma stutters, also equally shocked and red in the face.
"So that's what was on that crystal...how interesting..." Veldora says.
"I change my mind. We're not watching this!" Rimuru says, reaching for the crystal, but Luminous' words stop him.
"If you don't let this finish, I will show Hinata those pictures we-" Luminous starts to say but Rimuru interjects.
"Don't try to blackmail me again Luminous because I'm not letting it happen this time. If you show Hinata those photos, I'll ban you from attending concerts in my country." Rimuru retorts, glaring at Luminous.
Luminous is silent for a moment, surprised that Rimuru didn't give in to her manipulation this time.
"See? It can go both ways, so don't push me anymore today. You've all seen enough." Rimuru says as he snatches up the crystal causing the image to disappear.
"I understand; I didn't realize I had struck that strong of a nerve. It's a shame, but I suppose I will have to live with what I got to see." Luminous says with a bitter smile.
"Yes, you have provided us all a lot of entertainment today, Rimuru, in multiple ways so I guess I can let it go," Guy adds.
"But you looked like you were having fun, Rimuru...why can't you show us the rest?" Milim complains, also looking a little jealous.
"I wasn't having fun! I was doing a favor for someone, that's all!" Rimuru insists.
"Y-yeah! M-me too!" Iruma adds.
"Ugh...I've had enough for today, I think I'll leave early after that whole mess. C'mon Iruma, Veldora. We're leaving."
"Awww....Rimuruuuu! Whyyyy?! Can't you just stay a little longer?!" Milim pleads.
"Sorry Milim, but I have to get going. I have some stuff I need to take care of." Rimuru replies.
"You better play with me soon...I've missed you!" Milim says with a pout.
"Another time, okay? Maybe next time I'm back in Tempest." Rimuru offers.
"I guess that's okay..." Milim pouts and crosses her arms.
Rimuru opens a gate and starts to step through it, followed closely by Veldora and Iruma.
"Are you...mad at me, Rimuru?" Veldora asks hesitantly.
"..." Rimuru doesn't say a word and continues walking.
The three people step through and end up in Rimuru's office.
Iruma POV
I'm exhausted after the ordeal I just went through. First the thing with Rimuru and then that video of Rimuru and me on stage...I just can't take much more. The shock of that video being revealed did help me temporarily forget about the gruesome scene I witnessed earlier, but that didn't last.
Now, to make things even worse, Rimuru seems to be angry at Veldora and I'm scared of what she may do to him for bringing that strange crystal containing that video to Walpurgis. She seemed even more embarrassed than I was when it started playing for all to see at the meeting.
I just want to go home, back to Grandpa's mansion.
I follow Rimuru through the portal she conjured up and I find myself in Rimuru's office again. There's a moment of silence before Rimuru glared sternly at Veldora with her hands on her hips.
"Is it true that you had no clue what was in that video? Don't lie to me," she says in a very serious tone, scrutinizing Veldora's reaction.
"I promise! I swear on our friendship that I was completely unaware of what was on that crystal!" Veldora insists quickly.
Rimuru continues staring him down before closing her eyes for a second and putting on a calmer face.
"Alright. I believe you."
Rimuru pauses, looking like she's considering something before breaking the tense silence in the room.
*sigh* "Veldora." Rimuru says sternly. "Come here."
"Wh-what are you planning, little brother?!" Veldora asks, sounding scared of what Rimuru might do to him.
"Don't 'little brother' me right now Veldora and come here!" Rimuru commands.
Veldora sheepishly steps forward, closer to Rimuru and I brace myself for whatever Rimuru is going to do to him as punishment.
Rimuru leans close to Veldora's face and softly whispers something into his ear. Whatever was said, it caused Veldora's face to pale and he gasps in shock.
"H-how could you do something so horrible, Rimuru?! You ruined it for me!" Veldora shouts as he backs away from Rimuru.
"That's what you get for bringing that crystal! Now go back to the Labyrinth and do your job!" Rimuru orders.
"C-can't you at least tell me when that happens?!" Veldora asks, sounding very desperate.
"Nope."
"You're so mean..." Veldora whines before leaving.
"What...what did you say?" I ask, very confused by that whole interaction.
"I spoiled something major the manga series he's currently reading," Rimuru says casually.
That's...surprisingly not that bad...after seeing what Rimuru did to Beluran I half-expected something more violent.
It still wasn't nice, but I get why Rimuru is upset with Veldora for bringing that embarrassing video to an important meeting.
"Oh..." I respond.
"Well, I couldn't go too hard on him if he truly didn't know what was on that crystal. That was more Diablo's fault if anything." Rimuru replies with a shrug.
"Can...we go home now? To the Netherworld, I mean..." I ask.
"Yeah, sure, we can head back now if you want. Or if you feel like having that talk I promised earlier, we can do that right here and now." Rimuru replies.
"N-not right n-now!" I insist. I'm not ready for such a heavy subject and all I want to do is go home and rest.
Rimuru seems puzzled by how insistent I am but her confused expression only lasts a moment.
"Okay...we'll head back then." She says calmly.
Rimuru looks at me worryingly before turning away and opening another magic gate.
I once again step through the portal and find us both in Grandpa's mansion. Some of the tension I was feeling eased as I looked around at the familiar surroundings.
The first person to greet us after arriving is Diablo.
"I was not expecting your glorious presence to grace me again so soon, my Lord. Did the Walpurgis banquet go well?"
"I wouldn't say that exactly, but I do have something to discuss with you."
Diablo's eyes light up with excitement. He seems to believe he's about to be praised.
Did he think that showing that video was something Rimuru would appreciate? It seems like it...
"Yes my Lord?" Diablo asks excitedly.
"Go back to Tempest. One week; no work." Rimuru commands coldly.
Isn't that just a vacation? How is that a punishment?
Even though I'm confused why that would ever be a bad thing, it seems to be devastating to Diablo since his smile immediately shattered as soon as he comprehended what Rimuru said.
"M-my Lord?!" Diablo asks with a shaky voice, shocked by Rimuru's words. He looks like he's on the verge of tears.
"You heard me." Rimuru continues.
"Wh-what have I done to earn y-your ire, L-lord Rimuru?!" Diablo pleads desperately.
"You're a smart man; I'm sure you can figure that out on your own over the next week. Now, go." Rimuru replies offhandedly.
Diablo's lip quivers and tears prick the corners of his eyes before he suddenly bows.
"Y-yes my Lord..." Diablo agrees regretfully, seemingly trying to hide how hurt he is by this.
With a half-hearted wave of his hand, Diablo conjures up a portal, presumably to Tempest, and shuffles through it, glancing over his shoulder while wearing a pitiful expression at Rimuru as he does. Rimuru continues to watch him with her arms crossed and a stern expression on her face, unaffected by Diablo's pleading eyes.
I feel worse for him than I did for Veldora since this 'punishment' seems to be very upsetting for Diablo. Even though I was directly affected by what he did I still don't want him to cry.
The portal disappears after he's clear of it and Rimuru drops her arms and sighs, relaxing a little.
Sullivan POV
I caught the end of Rimuru's conversation with Diablo but before I could ask Rimuru about it, Iruma ran up to me and hugged me tightly. At first, I was warmed by receiving affection from my grandson, but the experience went on longer than I expected. After a long moment, Iruma is still clinging to me in a way that tips me off to something being wrong.
"Is something wrong, my precious grandson?" I ask him softly.
"I just...need a hug," Iruma says, still embracing me.
"Are you sure? You are normally affectionate, but not normally so clingy. Did something happen?" I continue asking, growing more concerned.
Iruma doesn't answer and just continues sticking closely to my side.
It takes a moment before Rimuru speaks up and answers for him
"He may have seen something a little...upsetting," Rimuru says, grimacing at Iruma who's still hugging me tightly. "We should probably talk about it."
Saw something...upsetting?
I immediately become upset by the idea of my grandson being exposed to something bad, but I stop it from reaching my face.
Rimuru gestures for me to follow and begins walking toward the dining room. Iruma is still sticking very close to me as we follow her. When we reach the dining table, Rimuru sits down and I do the same, along with Iruma. Opera is close behind, standing off to the side and listening.
*sighs* "How do I explain this..." Rimuru says while rubbing their temples. "I'll keep this brief since it's late," Rimuru says.
"Opera, go prepare some tea," I order, wanting some tea to calm my nerves.
"Right away, sir," Opera says with a bow and heads to the kitchen.
"I guess I should start by saying that Walpurgis didn't go as planned. The main subject of discussion was a potential new Demon Lord, but that person ended up saying and doing some stuff I didn't expect." Rimuru says as she leans back in her chair and crosses her arms.
I nod in acknowledgment but don't say anything as to not interrupt Rimuru's story.
"The candidate was chock full of arrogance and completely lacking in common sense. I knew going in that he might be a problem, but he exceeded my expectations when it comes to being an idiot. Throughout the meeting, he did and said many unforgivable things which forced my hand and I ended up taking action. I don't regret this, but having Iruma with me was a mistake in hindsight."
I wonder what she meant by 'unforgivable things' and also Rimuru 'taking action'...she is being quite vague but I get the feeling I shouldn't push the issue further.
I know what Rimuru truly is, despite me treating her as a granddaughter the last few months, so I know that pushing too far is not a good idea. I do need to ask a few things, though.
"Was my Iruma safe? What you're telling me is quite worrying, Rimuru."
Before Rimuru can respond, Opera comes back with the tea and pours us each a cup. I take a sip and try to enjoy it despite my worry. Iruma doesn't seem to want his and is simply staring at it instead of drinking it. Rimuru takes a few casual sips of hers before continuing with her explanation.
"I assure you that Iruma was perfectly safe the entire time; I took measures to ensure that. It's just some of the things I had to do may have...conflicted with his human sensibilities...as I said, I feel bad that it scared him so badly but what I did was necessary." Rimuru says before downing the rest of her tea and standing up from her seat.
"I'll let Iruma fill you in on the details for now since I, unfortunately, have a ton of paperwork to do; I just acquired enough land to double my territory and I need to sort out some things related to its future administration. Excuse me." Rimuru says calmly before walking out of the room, leaving me puzzled.
I'm left with many questions, so I decide to do as Rimuru says and ask Iruma for some details. I'm still very concerned about the state he's in, still staring at his cup of tea blankly. Whatever it was he saw, it was traumatizing for him.
"Was this potential Demon Lord what scared you, Iruma?" I ask nicely, feeling a little bad about probing him when he's upset but I need to know what's going on so I can help.
"N-not exactly...he was scary, but th-that isn't the reason I'm so upset..." Iruma responds quietly.
He pauses for a moment, hesitant, before continuing.
"I-I'm scared of Rimuru..."
Scared...of Rimuru? What could have possibly happened to cause that?!
Over the last few months, Iruma has grown close to Rimuru, so I don't know what could have possibly shattered that relationship badly enough for my precious grandson to become afraid of them.
"Why is that, my grandson? You two have become so close over time and she's promised to protect you. Does this have to do with what she did to that potential Demon Lord?" I ask, wondering if this has to do with Rimuru 'taking action'.
Iruma nods subtly while staring at the floor.
Opera, who has been silently listening from the side, seems to be getting progressively more scared by what's being said.
"S-she k-killed him...r-right in front of m-me...t-the candidate..." Iruma says, forcing his words out.
This is bad...
Iruma went through a lot in the human world before I adopted him, but as far as I know, he has never witnessed someone dying, let alone being killed by someone he knows. Iruma is so innocent that seeing something of that nature would be a harrowing experience for him.
"It was to p-protect me though...he tried to k-kill me with a poisoned knife. That's what...s-set Rimuru off..." Iruma continues hesitantly. "It's j-just...the way s-she went about it was so c-cruel..."
Honestly, I probably would have done the same thing based on what he's said already. If someone tried to kill my precious grandson...no, calm down Sullivan, you need to stay calm for Iruma...
As I believed, it seems that Rimuru was indeed protecting Iruma, which I am glad for but seeing Iruma so upset is hard for me. Still, I need to know more about what happened.
"I can tell this is hard for you Iruma, but please continue. I will make sure to have a talk with Rimuru about this later so you don't have to, alright?" I say to push him to continue.
"F-first Rimuru 'showed off'...that's how she worded it. I couldn't see it, but I could feel it, even though Rimuru put some kind of protective barrier on me to keep me safe. A pressure she was giving off that was bad enough that the other Demon Lords were putting up barriers of their own to protect themselves from it too."
Yes, I remember feeling something like that the first day we met Rimuru. I didn't believe she was the source at first when Opera told me, but I did after learning that she was indeed a Demon Lord.
"That sounds like an aura to me...and you say even the other Demon Lords were afraid of it?" I continue asking.
Iruma nods.
"I suppose that aligns with what Diablo has told me about Rimuru...for demons, or any significantly strong magic-based being, an aura itself can be considered an attack due to its sheer density. It can also be used as an intimidation tactic used to coerce weaker beings to submit without fighting directly. But for the other Demon Lords to be put on guard by it..." I respond.
That's a concerning thought, but not out of the realm of possibility after some of the stories Noir, I mean Diablo, has told me during his stay in my mansion. Rimuru has achieved some very impressive feats according to him, although I suspect that some of Diablo's stories are a little embellished. He has always been quite dramatic...but that is beside the point. If Rimuru's aura alone is enough to make the Demon Lords take moves to protect themselves, that means she is overwhelming in power even when compared to other beings like herself.
"After that...bad stuff happened. First Beluran did something that killed the two people that came with him. He somehow gained a power-boost from taking their lives I think, based on what Rimuru said. I think that just made her even angrier..."
This 'Beluran' killed his own subordinates? How nasty...I can see Rimuru being upset by something like that since she seems quite close with her own.
"Then things got brutal...Rimuru moved faster than I could see and cut Beluran up very badly. Slashing, punching, kicking. Giving him time to heal in between rounds of attacks. Making him suffer from every strike! Blood was everywhere! This went on for a while until...Rimuru decided to end things...I begged her not to! I said she didn't need to kill him, but Rimuru didn't listen! She said it was his fault she was doing all these horrible things to him!"
Rimuru must have been very upset to behave that way...I wonder if she is fully okay herself after doing such a thing?...oh, here I am thinking about Rimuru like a grandchild again...
"...there wasn't anything left when Rimuru was done with him..." Iruma reveals quietly.
"Nothing left...?" I ask, slightly hesitant to learn the answer.
"No...Rimuru ate him...by summoning some sort of swirling black cloud that I think I've seen a few times. There wasn't even any blood on the ground afterward." Iruma clarifies.
"That is...unsettling...you said this was in response to him attacking you?" I ask, still shocked by the idea of Rimuru 'eating' her opponent.
"Y-yes...I know Rimuru was trying to protect me, but...I've never seen that side of her and it was terrifying..." Iruma says with a pained expression, staring at his feet.
I steel myself to reassure my grandson that he has nothing to worry about.
"I understand you are scared, Iruma, but I don't think you need to worry about Rimuru hurting you," I tell him calmly while patting him on the head.
"I'm not scared of Rimuru hurting me, but seeing her murder someone...I just can't see her the same way now..." he replies, still sounding scared.
"Do you wish for me to ask her to leave? I can do that if you don't want Rimuru to be your protector any more." I offer. I still believe that Rimuru poses no risk to Iruma, at least directly, and she already seems regretful about Iruma witnessing what he did. But if he doesn't want Rimuru around, I will ask her to leave.
"You don't need to do that...what if she gets mad at you?"
"I will still do it for your sake, my beloved grandson."
"Thanks, Grandpa...b-but you don't need to do that, okay?"
"If that's what you want," I reply with a smile.
Iruma yawns and rubs his eyes. It's clear that he's very tired.
"I think I need to get some sleep, today was exhausting..."
"Sweet dreams, Iruma. Get some well-deserved rest and I'll make sure to have Opera make an extra special breakfast tomorrow morning." I say sweetly.
"I'll look forward to that..." Iruma mumbles, sounding slightly groggy after yawning.
Iruma POV
I stand up and head upstairs. Before entering my bedroom, I can't help but look at the door to Rimuru's room, thinking about what she did earlier. I can still see it; all the blood, Rimuru looking at Beluran with stone-cold eyes, Beluran's body disappearing as if it never existed in the first place...all of those images haunt my mind.
I'm almost certain I'll have nightmares from it, but I need to sleep since I have school tomorrow, so I go to bed anyway.
What am I going to do? Should I have Grandpa ask Rimuru to leave? How would Rimuru react to that? She seemed so upset by the idea of me leaving so I don't think she'd take it well...I don't think she would get violent though...
This isn't the time to think about something like that. Sleep is what I need to focus on right now...
Sullivan POV
"Lord Sullivan, do you believe it is still safe to have Rimuru continue to stay here?" Opera asks, finally speaking up now that Iruma is in bed.
"Rimuru is someone that will keep their word; I know this from not only our interactions over the last few months but Diablo's testimony as well. In the end, she was protecting Iruma, even if her methods were upsetting for him." I respond.
"But...someone capable of all that...I knew she was dangerous from the day I met her, but I could not have imagined..." Opera says, showing signs of fear.
"When Diablo returns, I will have to ask him some more questions about Rimuru. For my peace of mind, I would like to learn a bit more about her and her capabilities. Diablo has told me some stories, but after hearing about what happened, I must gather more information."
Opera nods in agreement.
"I will have to talk with Rimuru herself as well, but carefully of course. Maybe I could have you take care of that task for me, Opera?" I ask half-teasingly to lighten the heavy mood.
"S-sir?!" Opera asks surprisedly, his eyes bugging out slightly at the idea of having to confront Rimuru.
"Oh, don't make a face like that, Opera! I am just kidding!" I chuckle at Opera's scared expression.
"This is not the time to make jokes, sir..." Opera says, sounding mildly annoyed by my little joke.
I simply chuckle some more at his reaction.
"I suppose we should get some rest as well. Have a good night, Opera." I say, finally finishing my hell-gray tea and standing up from the dining room table.
"Same to you, Lord Sullivan..." Opera replies, bows, and leaves the room.