Punctuation Key:
"Spoken dialogue"
'Quoting'
*Action*
Emphasis
Internal thoughts/talking to Ciel
[[Ciel talking]]
{{Thought Communication}}
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Sullivan POV
The election has concluded and Ameri won; now things will go back to normal. I'm in my office, preparing the paperwork for the Disciplinary Battler's disbandment; the consequence of their loss.
I'm finally starting to relax after multiple days of tension. There's still the matter of who spurred this entire incident, but I'm sure it won't be long before Henri and Rimuru find them.
Suddenly, the door bursts open and standing in the doorway is Rimuru, along with Henri Azazel standing behind her. She seems happy and satisfied with herself as she walks happily into the room.
"We've figured out who's responsible!" Rimuru declares proudly.
She seems quite happy... I'm glad.
"Most likely responsible. I still need to do the final interrogation." Henri corrects her and Rimuru's smile slips a little.
"That's great!" I respond, happy that whoever cast that spell will be caught.
"Wait a sec...I? Not we?" Rimuru asks, questioning Henri in a darker tone than before, her smile still present but no longer reaching her eyes.
"Yes, this is a matter for adults now, so I shall take it from here on my own." Henri continues.
The smile immediately drops off Rimuru's face in response to that.
This is bad...
"After all that work I did, you think you can just leave me out of the best part?!" Rimuru asks, her voice rising in volume.
"The...'best part'...?" Henri asks confusedly.
"Yeah! The climax, the conclusion! The moment where I get to see the suspect's face when they realize they're caught! The satisfaction of finishing the job!" Rimuru continues vehemently, getting progressively more agitated and higher pitched as she does.
"You have done your part, now allow me to do my job properly," Henri coldly responds to Rimuru.
"You've got to be kidding me...after all that time and effort, you're just going to drop me like I did nothing at all!" Rimuru complains, starting to get upset with Henri.
This is getting worse, this is not good...
"Henri, you should-" I start to say, but Henri isn't listening.
"This is not something you need to get involved in, Lord Sullivan." He retorts, interrupting me.
"So you won't even listen to someone of a higher rank then? I guess I'll have to get serious if I want to get my way." Rimuru says, shrugging with a slight smirk.
Get...serious?! Oh no...this could be bad...very bad!
"Rimuru, whatever you are thinking of doing, please calm down and consider the consequences first!" I say, not wanting the school to be destroyed if she becomes truly angry. I still remember how her aura felt at the Kiriwo incident...
"Yes, if you are planning on persuading me by force, I will not allow it!" Henri adds sternly.
I fear for this demon's life...
"Oh, this is more effective than force. I really didn't want it to come to this, but I see now that I have no choice." Rimuru replies, sending shivers up my spine.
"Rimuru, wait a moment!" I hurriedly say, trying to stop her.
"Nope. It's too late, I'm gonna use it. My secret weapon." She continues, slightly grinning, and not in a friendly way either.
I back away from her a little, scared by whatever Rimuru is about to try. I know some of what she's capable of, and I have no clue what she means by 'secret weapon'. But due to her status, it can't be good.
Rimuru closes her eyes, tilts her head downward, and when she looks back up...
Wide, pleading eyes and a pout on her lips; an extremely cute expression that melts my heart.
"Pleeeease let me go with you, Mr. Azazel!" Rimuru pleads in a significantly higher-pitched voice to the Chief of Police.
If Rimuru made that face in the tiny form I first met her in, I would probably die on the spot!
"I will not give in to your manip-" Henri replies.
"B-but I really wanted to..." Rimuru mutters sadly, interrupting Henri's protests, her eyes somehow swelling with water.
"I know you are just acting, so sto-" he continues, gritting his teeth with frustration, but I can tell his stern façade is already slipping.
"I-I was looking f-forward to it s-so much..." Rimuru says with small tears leaking from the corners of her eyes, making her act even more effective.
"I can't...I'm not...ugh, fine! I give in! Just stop looking at me like that!" Henri says, finally letting Rimuru have her way.
Rimuru's pouting ceases immediately and she goes back to her normal demeanor frighteningly quickly.
"Thanks, Henri. I'm glad you saw reason." Rimuru says, smiling again, her expression nothing even close to the pouting from just a moment earlier. "Well...now that we've resolved that little issue, let's go grab Schnell and have a little talk with him, alright Henri?"
Henri sighs, pushing up his glasses, before giving me a small nod and leaving with Rimuru, looking a bit regretful. I mentally offer him my condolences as I wave him off.
Iruma POV
After lots of congratulations and praise directed at Ameri, I decided to follow the Student Council when they left the auditorium since Rimuru ran off to go do something. The five demons are dragging Ronove away to grill him about his involvement in the spell cast on Ameri, his two battler members tagging along as well.
I heard Ronove muttering about 'his name already being cleared' along the way, but Johnny, fully convinced of his guilt, didn't listen at all. Apparently, while I was busy yesterday, Rimuru questioned him and wasn't convinced he was responsible, but that isn't stopping Johnny. I also heard rumors about Rimuru crushing him verbally in front of many of the students too. I guess I missed a lot yesterday while I was helping out the council and talking with Ameri...I'll have to ask Rimuru about what actually happened later.
Now in the Student Council's room with all of the others, Ronove is lying on a couch, appearing half-dead from the shock of losing. I think he's fine though, only being dramatic.
"Our President won the election in a landslide victory...I hope you're fully prepared, Ronove." Johnny says sternly, glaring down at the demon.
"...I'll have to dissolve my battler, of course... Ronove's crushed..." Ronove mutters, barely above a whisper. His two fan-members are sobbing their eyes out nearby, seemingly because of Ronove's 'condition' rather than their battler being disbanded.
"That's not what I meant!" Johnny shouts, pointing an accusatory finger at the middle of Ronove's face. "I meant the spell you used on the President! How dare you do such a thing!" he screams, grabbing Ronove by the shoulders violently. Ronove doesn't even react to this though, looking like he's in a daze from his loss of the election.
"What are you talking about? As I already told your rookie, if it's not flamboyant or excessive it isn't worth Ronove's time..." he mumbles, still almost completely out of it.
"That's it!" Johnny shouts even louder than before, losing his patience.
"Maybe we should listen to him..." I meekly say to Johnny, not liking the way he's treating Ronove. There's not any evidence outside of a potential motive that Ronove is responsible for the spell.
Johnny gets no time to respond though because a mere moment later, the door to the room opens. It's Rimuru, along with Ameri's father.
"Hey, Ameri, you wanna go find the dude who's most likely responsible for what happened to you? Your dad and I figured it out and we're gonna go question him." Rimuru says quickly to Ameri, completely ignoring what was already going on in the room before she arrived.
"Yes, we have-" Mr. Azazel starts to add something but doesn't get the chance to even finish his sentence before someone interrupts him.
"Iruma-chi! Iruma-chi! We figured it out!" I hear Clara's voice screeching from down the hallway.
Both Rimuru and Henri turn around, surprised.
"Slow down, Valac!" Azz's voice shouts from seemingly further away. "We must keep the culprit intact for Master Iruma! You will end up pulling his arm off if you don't slow down!" he continues to scold Clara.
It only takes them a few moments to reach the room, both out of breath, along with a third person I don't recognize.
Rimuru and Henri seem the most surprised out of everyone, staring at the boy that seems like he was dragged here by Azz and Clara.
"Who is that?" I ask, wondering who this boy is. I think I heard Azz call him 'the culprit'.
"I did as you said, Master Iruma, and I found who is responsible for the spell cast on President Ameri."
"I also helped catch the bad guy who did that to Lady Red-hair!" Clara adds.
"Hey!, I know him! He's a second-year!" Smoke says, pointing at the boy who has now been tied up by my two friends and is sitting on the floor.
"Yes, he's Schnell Eligoth. He's behind all of this." Azz responds.
"How did you come to that conclusion?" Mr. Azazel questions.
"I overheard the New Magic Battler members complaining about a stolen book on transformation magic." Azz continues.
"And I was playing a video game with Lead and he said a 'Prim and Proper' dating game his battler had went poof! He couldn't find it anywhere!" Clara adds excitedly.
"When we both discovered that you tasked us with finding the person responsible for the spell, we put the pieces together and realized that these two incidents were connected with that." Azz explains.
"Yeah! And when we found him, he was already cooking up a new batch of potion to use on Lady Red-hair!" Clara adds.
"Thank you so much, you two!" I exclaim, very happy that they managed to catch him.
The fact of the matter sinks in and the members of the Student Council all begin to grow angry.
"So it was you all along!" Grave shouts, both shocked and mad.
"You were plotting to bring about the President's deliberate downfall, how dare you!" Johnny yells, grabbing Schnell by his collar and lifting him off of the floor by it.
Schnell reacts in a way I wouldn't expect, though, an evil grin peeling across his lips and a chuckle escaping them as well.
"What downfall?" he asks arrogantly, chuckling a little, causing Johnny to release him in surprise.
"You imbecile!" Schnell continues. "You'd have to be truly ignorant to believe that was the point of my machinations!" He declares in a tone much like a supervillain from a cheesy movie.
"My goal is something far grander! You see, my most ardent ambition is...to burn the vision of a ladylike President Ameri into my eyes!" he declares arrogantly to the entire room, grinning from ear to ear.
"S-so Schnell is actually one of the President's groupies?!" Kimaris asks in shock.
"Yes, he's in charge of her fan club..." Rimuru mutters quietly, finally saying something after being uncharacteristically silent during this entire exchange.
She seems very sullen for some reason.
"Yes, I've truly admired the President for ages! Her power, her confidence...utterly ~captivating~! So I wanted to see the rare, dainty, and ladylike version of the President as well! And before too long, the want became NEED! It is my duty as her greatest admirer and president of her fan club to see all sides of her!" states Schnell in a swoony tone.
"You do realize I am right here, young man," Henri says in an icy tone.
"Wha-?"
"I am Ameri's father, and I won't allow you to go any further with this 'plan' of yours."
Schnell starts to sweat, stumbling backward away from the scary, tall man who's now looming over him ominously.
"Father, let me take care of him myself," Ameri says in an equally cold tone.
Henri smiles evilly at Ameri's idea and steps back, allowing her to get up in Schnell's face.
"That's my daughter! I'll allow you to take care of his punishment if you wish!" Henri says, grinning proudly.
Ameri then orders her members to take him away to do 'Council duties times fifty', which from the little I've experienced helping with them, sounds like hell to me.
"Thank you, Father...and thank you to the rest of you. You've all worked so hard to help me in my moment of weakness and I greatly appreciate your hard work." Ameri says with a genuine smile.
"I'm honored to be of service to you," Azz says with a small, polite bow.
"It was nothin'!" Clara replies, giggling happily.
"I can't believe it...they beat me to the punch! Stole my fun at the very last moment!" Rimuru mutters from a corner of the room she retreated into at some point during the conversation.
"Rimuru?" I ask, a little concerned.
"After all that work and time...I still failed! Even with help from someone else I still didn't solve the case before someone else did!" Rimuru complains.
"It's not that big of a deal! In the end, all that matters is that the guy was caught, right?" I say, trying to de-escalate the situation.
"You know what? I don't even care anymore...I'll see you later, Iruma..." Rimuru mutters, clearly still upset but slightly calmer, before leaving the room.
Once the door slams shut, I experience something I've felt before; that same pressure that comes with a release of aura from Rimuru. It wasn't as intense as any of the other times it's happened, but it was still jarring and uncomfortable despite only lasting a split second.
Everyone in the room froze, likely having experienced the same fear-inducing sensation I did.
"What in the Netherworld...?" Ameri mutters.
The students all question what just happened, but Mr. Azazel simply grits his teeth. I remain silent. He, of course, felt it like the rest of us and seems to understand where it came from just like I do.
"I must get going...I have something to deal with, it seems." Henri mutters and also leaves.
It seems like it fully knocked out Ronove, who was already acting out of it from the shock of losing the election.
"I was going to propose that Ronove joins the Council, but he seems to have passed out. I will propose it to him tomorrow." Ameri says to the now-unconscious Ronove still lying on the couch.
"Why though?" I ask, very confused why Ameri would even want that.
"I enjoy being pushed to the brink like that; it's thrilling and keeps me sharp. Ronove might try to overthrow me again, but next time I'll be ready for it!" Ameri says with a determined look in her eyes.
"Oh..." I mutter, dumbfounded.
"Now that everything has been taken care of, you should probably go after your sister. She seemed quite...upset." Ameri suggests.
"I'll see you both later, okay?" I say to Azz and Clara.
"I will see you then, Iruma sir." Azz responds.
"Bye, Iruma-chi!" Clara says, waving at me happily.
Worried about what I might find, I cautiously step out into the hallway. If Rimuru is angry enough to lose control, I really don't want to make things worse. I know how Rimuru can get when truly angry, and I'd rather not see that side of her again.
Peering down the hallway in both directions, I see neither side of her since Rimuru is nowhere to be found. I'm tempted to use my ring to contact her, but I decided against it. I think Rimuru might need some alone time to cool off.
Rimuru POV
Now standing outside of the school, I try to calm down. Damn am I pissed about what happened back there. The fact that those two kids figured it out before I did is so embarrassing! It really does prove how useless I am without Ciel...
[[Master, you are not useless.]]
Yes, I am...there's no way I'd have gotten to the point I have without your help and you know that! Even you were saying I wasn't a capable leader...
[[That was simply a joke, Master. I did not mean that seriously, you should know that.]]
So you've picked up my bad habit of making mean, inappropriate jokes then? That's not the best 'human quality' you've developed over time, I have to say.
[[...]]
I chuckle softly to myself at Ciel's rare silence.
Thanks for humoring me and letting me try and fail, Ciel. Sorry if I upset you by leaving you out of this.
[[You did not fail by definition, Master, you still successfully found the culprit, even if it was after someone else did the same.]]
I suppose I did...I still don't feel very good about it though.
Leaning against one of the outer walls of the school, I sigh and slump to the ground.
I'm not really in the mood to go back in there...what do you think about taking control for a while?
[[If that is what you want, Master, I will oblige.]]
Thanks...I appreciate it. Do you think you could dig up a movie for me to watch? You know, from my memories?
[[Certainly. Any specific requests?]]
Nah, surprise me. Just don't pick something I hate, haha...
Sullivan POV
Alone in my office, I sit at my desk.
I'm fully engrossed in my work, my face all but buried in the stacks of files and papers on the surface in front of me. This peace doesn't last long though since without warning I hear a voice right next to me.
"I require access to the 'staff only' section of the library." someone says bluntly.
I jump, nearly throwing my pen across the room, and rapidly look to my side. It's Rimuru, standing not even a foot away from me, staring at me coldly.
"Oh my, please don't do that Rimuru! I nearly died of shock just then!" I complain, clutching my chest in surprise.
Rimuru gives me a blank stare, not showing a modicum of remorse for scaring the bejeebers out of me.
This isn't like her at all...is she alright?
"Are you okay, Rimuru? You're not behaving like your usual self." I say, troubled by her sudden cold demeanor and lack of empathy.
"I am not Rimuru, but Ciel." She says, blinking and reopening her eyes, revealing that they are now bright red. Apparently, she can hide that change when she wants to. With another blink, her irises return to Rimuru's golden hue, still lacking the warmth her eyes normally express.
I panic, "O-oh, my apologies...I suppose that would be fine...but why is it that Rimuru is not...um...out?"
"Master wanted to be alone, so I was permitted to use his body in the meantime." She responds, still expressing very little emotion.
"I see...can I ask why Rimuru wants to be alone?" I ask, a little worried.
"No," she coldly responds, still glaring at me.
There's an awkward silence as I wait for some kind of justification from Ciel, but it never comes.
"Alrighty then...here's the key so you can enter without any issues," I say, gently tossing the key to her.
Ciel catches them in her hand without any difficulty.
"Thank you for your cooperation and upholding the agreement you made with my Master." She responds.
"Agreement?... Oh, yes, you mean the one we made soon after meeting." I say to Ciel, but she's already heading out the door, seemingly having lost interest in me after getting what she wanted.
Iruma POV
Later in the day, with Rimuru being completely missing from our classes, I'm wandering down one of the many hallways of the school. While passing by the library, I see a familiar face exit it. It's Rimuru, and she doesn't look very happy. Actually, she doesn't look upset like she was earlier either; her face is almost completely emotionless.
Still a little concerned after watching her leave right before seemingly losing control of her magic, I approach Rimuru.
"Are you okay, Rimuru? I was worried after you stormed off earlier...I also felt that thing that happens when-" I start to say, but freeze mid-sentence when Rimuru looks over at me with cold eyes.
I take a step backward, reminded of the times she's scared me when angry.
Rimuru blinks, revealing red irises.
Oh...so Ciel is in control right now...no wonder Rimuru seemed so cold and emotionless.
I had no clue that she could disguise her eye color, but with all the crazy abilities Rimuru seems to have, it doesn't surprise me much.
"Master is preoccupied. You have no reason to worry about him." Ciel responds coldly.
"S-sorry I bothered you, Ciel..."
I turn to walk away, intimidated by Rimuru's 'partner', but I have second thoughts. If Rimuru was truly as upset as I believe she was, I should try to help. She's done the same for me multiple times so I need to repay the favor. I never did like being indebted to people so even if it's something small, I should try to talk with her.
"Ciel...?"
In response, Ciel glances in my direction again, giving me an even colder glare than the first. I recoil slightly but persevere.
"Can I please just talk to Rimuru? I know you said Rimuru was preoccupied, but I really need to..."
Ciel squints her eyes at me slightly, not looking too happy that I kept pushing. But then, just as I start to get uncomfortable under Ciel's stare, the red in her eyes fades to gold and the warmth in her expression grows. Rimuru has taken back control, it seems.
"Hey, sorry about that. I was just having a little 'alone time'." Rimuru says, chuckling and scratching the back of her head awkwardly. "I really am sorry about earlier...I just felt like I failed and started beating myself up about it."
"Oh, it's fine. I just wanted to make sure you were okay!"
"I'm perfectly fine, don't worry about me!" Rimuru says with a big smile, waving off my concern. "So, uh...has your ring been causing you any trouble?" she asks suddenly.
"What do you mean?"
"I don't know...maybe it's done something weird perhaps?"
Is Rimuru aware of Ali?
"I guess it has..."
"So you are willing to tell me then!" Rimuru smiles, clapping her hands together happily.
"Huh?"
"I was waiting for you to bring Alikred up, you know," Rimuru says, chuckling a little.
"W-wait...how long have you known?!" I stammer, surprised.
"Remember, that ring is attached to my magic so, of course I'd know as soon as he came out of it!" Rimuru declares, lightly chuckling.
"I guess that makes sense..." I mutter, still a little taken aback by the fact Rimuru's known about Ali this entire time.
"Don't look so betrayed! I didn't feel right approaching you at first since you were upset with me at the time. I decided to wait for you to come to me about him when ready, that's all." Rimuru says before training her gaze on my ring. "Alright, little dude, come on out so I can actually meet you."
A familiar billow of black smoke emerges from my ring, quickly coalescing into the humanoid form Ali takes, taking a deep bowing position.
"Y-yes, of course, it is wonderful to meet you, Lord Rimuru!" Ali says, stuttering a little for some reason. He's watching Rimuru intently, looking almost scared as he stares at her face.
"Huh? Why the formality? Just call me Rimuru." Rimuru says, sounding a little annoyed with the way Ali addressed her.
"I was told to...um, 'address you with proper respect' by Miss C, otherwise I'd be..." Ali gulps nervously "...punished." Ali continues, his voice and body shaking terribly with that last word.
"'Miss...C'?" Rimuru asks, looking puzzled and tilting her head to one side.
Wait...Ali was saying 'Miss C'? He always talks so fast that I thought he was saying 'Missy'...
"Yes, that um...beautiful, smart, and wonderfully loyal wife of yours!" Ali replies quickly.
Does he mean Ciel?!
Rimuru's eyes widen for a moment before she grabs her face and sighs sharply. Then an alert, surprised expression forms on her face.
"No! Don't, Ciel! I can handle this myself!" Rimuru mutters, gritting her teeth and covering one eye with her left hand.
I can see a little in between her fingers, revealing that the eye she's covering is flashing between red and gold. Ciel seems to be attempting to take control or something based on what I'm seeing. This goes on for a moment before Rimuru pulls her hand away, the eye she was covering back to its normal golden hue.
Rimuru sighs before continuing, not looking like she's happy about having to deal with this.
"So...Alikred...it seems you gave Ciel a nickname?" Rimuru asks in a strained voice.
"Y-yes...I did give her a n-nickname." Ali admits fearfully.
"Well, Ciel doesn't like it, so don't call her that anymore. She's quite angry about it, actually." Rimuru says sternly.
"Why is she so upset?" I ask, wondering why a simple nickname would get someone as cold as Ciel enraged.
"She takes great pride in her name since I gave it to her. Calling her anything else is disrespecting that, in a way." Rimuru explains.
"Wait...so Ali has been calling Ciel 'Miss C,' right?" I ask, having realized that was what Ali was actually saying, not 'Missy'.
"I believe so," Rimuru replies.
"I always thought he was calling that person 'Missy'...I guess I misheard him..." I say, chuckling awkwardly at my dumb mistake.
"Gah!" Rimuru gasps, clutching her eye again. "Don't...call her that either...she hates that one even more..." Rimuru says in a strained voice.
"I'm sorry!" I immediately apologize, realizing that I've messed up.
"It's...not your fault...dammit, she's mad..." Rimuru mutters. "Alikred?"
"Uh...please call me 'Ali', um...Rimuru." he responds, sounding nervous about even talking with Rimuru, as well as not calling her 'Lord' as Ciel requested.
"Make it up to Ciel, okay? You've really messed up." Rimuru says flatly.
"O-okay, I will do exactly that right away! E-even if it means...oh, I don't want to think of what is about to happen to me..." Ali says, shuddering.
"She won't kill you if that's what you're worried about. I've told her not to." Rimuru says, reassuring him.
"That's...g-good to hear, I suppose. I shall be going then." Ali says with a bow before immediately retreating back into my ring.
"Poor fella..." Rimuru mutters so quietly that I barely hear her.
"What?" I ask, not sure if what I heard was correct.
"Oh, nothing!" she says with a wide smile.
Rimuru POV
After the 'nickname' incident, the rest of the day went relatively smoothly, thankfully. It's been an emotional rollercoaster up until after that, if I'm honest, and I'm feeling mentally drained at this point.
Lying on my bed since I actually plan on sleeping for the first time in the last week or so, I feel a sudden change in the flow of magicules within me. It's nothing major, but it's enough that I noticed. Over the years I've learned that this usually means Ciel is working on something. It can't be her punishing Alikred I think, since I could feel that happening earlier. I made sure she went easy on the guy since he didn't mean anything by it but when Ciel is that upset, I can only do so much.
Ciel...? What'cha doin' in there? I can feel that some of my magicules were drained a moment ago.
[[I am training Alikred and some of your magicules are required for the exercise he is performing, Master.]]
Then I feel another sudden redirection of magicules, this one bigger than the first. I have an overabundance of the stuff, so it's not a problem, but Ciel doesn't often drain my energy so jarringly.
Whoa...what kind of exercise? That's a serious amount of energy you just took!
[[That last sensation was his fault, I will make sure to scold Alikred again for causing you discomfort, Master.]]
It's not that...I just want to know what you're doing exactly, that's all.
[[Master, I will inform you of the results as soon as it is concluded.]]
Alright, Ciel, I'll be patient.
Once again, I experience another brief energy drain, but I try my best to ignore it now that I have some sort of explanation.
I trust Ciel, but for whatever reason, this is making me a little nervous.