Rimuru stood on top of a metal floor with his eyes gazed onto whatever was in front of him. He eyed onto the papers he has on his hand and silently read them, undisturbed by the loud sound ahead of him.
Steels banging and blinding lights shined frequently, reflected by the water below. The sound of cutting of a hard object is very common on the room as well.
Sounds of footsteps approached from behind unannounced, he pay it no mind as the familiar voice showed itself.
"I have return, my lord." The figure in black bowed 90° degrees to him.
Rimuru took a look behind him, "Ah, Diablo! Remind me again, where have you been?" He asked with little to no suprise with his tone.
Diablo raised himself, "My lord, i was doing the mission you requested."
"Ah of course, so you brought...how many?" He finally turned facing Diablo, unintentionally shined and giving a full view for Diablo to feast.
"My lord, you are just as gracious as the day i met you. And for your question my lord, more than 3 thousands."
Rimuru briefly twitched from this answer in which Diablo noticed it.
"That is...a lot."
Suddenly, without any warning, Diablo prostrated to Rimuru.
"I apologies if my action displeased you my lord. I shall face any consequences whatever you see fit."
"Oh, no no no. It is fine, although tedious, it is probably better this way." He put his hand on Diablo's shoulder, Diablo turned up and uh......
The reflected light from the water shined Rimuru's back and his front shadowed, it's like facing your god or something. It's all too beautiful for Diablo, especially his lord's sweet and warm smile.
"You did well, so as your lord, i shall gave you a reward befitting for your service."
For those who have eagle like eyes, they can see a tiny tear formed on one of his eyes.
"Now, would you kindly show me where they are?"
___________________
The sun shines with breezing winds, the sound of wooden wheels traversed the dirt road with the forest damped the sound. Columns of carriages traversed through the wood with a gentle pace. No human in sight, for all of them are monsters.
Goblins, Ogres, Dragonoid and the likes were the only one present, even tho they do look human. Inside one of the carriages that was near at the front, a woman with a horn, wore purple blazer and purple skirt.
Shion fixed her almost falling glasses as the carriage hit another bump, "Are you sure that this is the most smooth one than the others, Benimaru? As far as i recall, the carriage always jump like a child playing trampoline."
A large grey wolf appeared beside her carriage, "Apologies, but yes. The other roads are nothing but rocky hills or sand dunes with a size of a mountain."
"Liar." She said.
"No, i am not." He responded.
Shion huffed and returned inside the carriage as Benimaru stay beside her carriage.
He sighed, "You really changed a lot, don't you?"
"Hmm?"
A sudden gush of wind hit him from the side followed by a petite figure with 2 tails on it's head. This, of course, caused him to almost flipped back.
"WOAH??!!"
"Tehee, sorry!" Milim apologize as she hover beside him.
He sighed again.
It was night, with the moon seemed to be in half as it was covered by the clouds. The forces for the Labyrinth reside on an open field of green, just beside the main road.
Campfires with their white smokes slowly rising in the air, with the chattery of peoples around the fire as they drank and feast for the night.
It was mostly lively, as some also played music instruments, ranged from a simple barrel to flute, guittara to Lyre and Bagpipes.
At the corner end of the camps that was also near a tree, Shion gazed onto the fire as she put a marshmallow on a stick near the fire. Footsteps approached her from where the liveliness come from.
"There you are, i thought you'd be drinking around with your men. And yet here you are, all alone by yourself." Benimaru said as he took a seat across her on a log.
Her gazed pierced at his soul, "If you have a problem with that, then i would lovely throw you to the mountain behind you." She took one of the stick and ate the marshmallow.
A sweat formed on Benimaru's forehead as he chuckled, "My my, you really put some thorns in your words."
Silent ensued as they both just gazed at the fire with a stick in each their hand.
"You know," Benimaru broke the silence, "They really like the marshmallow, Still couldn't believe that it was made by some water, sugar, and some other common stuff around the woods."
"I can see that." She responded monotonely without sparing a glare.
The silence ensues again.
...
"You really change a lot you know?" He said yet again.
Shion's eye brows rised, yet her eyes remain fixated at the fire, "You said that earlier, how so?" She still wondered on what he meant.
He put another marshmallow onto the stick, "Well, your cooking isn't suck, that's a first."
Instead of a fiery and full of hatred gazed from Shion, he received a mature chuckle from her, to his surprise.
"Yeah, i still can't believe that THAT was me, just months ago." Shion added, her gaze turned calm.
"Well, it's an upgrade. Your attitude also change, for better or for worse."
"Well, thanks i guess." She gazed knto the fire once more, followed by the silence.
Their eyes finally met, one filled with pure innocent yet cold dead eyes while the other's in a calm yet fiery gaze. His voice turned flat yet she can still felt the heart it comes with.
"Why and how? You might as well be someone else wearing her skins, but you're not, you're real. Who are you? Heh, might as well ask what are you?"
...
Of course. When someone you knew and love like a family suddenly change, from the beautiful cheery smile onto the most professional fake smile. Just like one turned from a child life that was filled with happiness and transformed into a lifeless uninteresting and depressing life.
Like how the dead return to the living.
Seconds past as their gaze locked onto one another before Shion broke it when she look at the fire again.
"I guess it's because of our lord." She answer as she poke the fire. "When i came back, i felt like i woke up from a dream, a nightmare so to speak, and in that dream i felt i..." She paused.
Benimaru tilted his head, his eyes filled with worries as his childhood friend pondered.
"I lost something, or something latching onto me like a parrasite." She added, "Like a switch, i felt like i couldn't be like how i used to."
His worries began to increase by how calmly she stated all of her words as if they were normal, "Yet it felt you were no longer that cheery-"
"Because i was probably trying to be like our master." She suddenly cutted him. Benimaru's eye brows went up in question.
"You know, when he's much more calm and calculating, more cold and realistic. Yeah, that's also infected me." She poked the fire with a stick again.
"The way he think, the way he speak, his walk. Almost everything, you may not know but that paper works i was working on, kinda felt fun."
"You remember when i was at Treyni's bar? Once, Sakes was my favorite. And now, wine is. Maybe it is sour, but i like it a lot. Rather than being drunk and uncontrollable, i wished to appreciate the art they work into."
She turned her eyes to his, it wasn't a cry of help or a heartless red eyes that would kill everything in sight. It's just her, the beautiful violet eyes filled with curiosty and purity of a child, accompanied by her cold, static face.
It's just her, Shion, the friend that he grew up with, the friend that he bled with before they found their master. She's still that child, it's just that she grew up, and now he's too.
He still missed the old days, full of shenanigans and smile. But even when the current days filled with his friends became much more professional and showed not a single of emotion, they are still there.
He heaved a defeated yet a relief sigh, "You really change a lot, huh?" He poured a glass of Ocha from the crate between them, and took a sip of them.
"Why of course, no one can be a child forever. Unless those with mental issue."
"And your humor sucked."
"Unlike you who suck the tits of a reptile and a canine."
The drink on his mouth burst into a mist as he sprayed it to the fire in front of him, causing it to died down.
"Shion, what was that for?!"
She calmly put the fire back on, "No need to deny, i've known about the marriage proposal from our master office. And the occasional squeaks from-"
"That was still uncalled for!"
"Consider this the payback for you inability to navigate through that rough mountain. Beside-" She gently make another marshmallow stick, "i'm quite in love with myself."
"Yeah, go f@$k yourself."
"That would be delightful if i have Souei's ability."
"What is wrong with you?" He wondered on why she acted like this, this wasn't her through the year he walked with her and he's sure there's no one that tried to influence here.
Unless of course, she's copying a certain someone memories.
He muttered silently as he dealt his existensial crisis, "Rimuru-sama, what have you done."
__________________
Under the moon lights, a lone old man sat on a chair as the hearth warmed the cold air sorrounding him. He gazed onto the fire, breathing calmly as he also enjoy the atmosphere.
The glass dome enhanced the beauty of it all as it showed the moon in it's all glory. Even the bone chilling air may striked, the warmness still reign supreme.
Then, footsteps echoed through the room. Even in the dead of the night, there's always someone that still walks, and the old man wondered who could it be.
A servant perhaps? But even then, they would be much more slower than this one, this one seems to be in a hurry. And just like that, the golden like double door swung opened.
Revealing a little girl with an eyes of a crow, her blonde hair is a contrast to her already deadly stare. She wore a white dress that covers everything, even her hands, as if she were wearing an oversized clothing.
She looks cute if it weren't for her expression.
She slowly walked to the old man, the old man seems to ignored the lass and continued to look like he's mourning for his inexistent lover. She sat on his lap, in which the old man finally acknowledged her.
"Ah, what is it?" His voice, even with his age, he sounds quite young and welcoming.
"The slime, Grandpa." Her voice sound so childish and innocent, yet her gaze is that of the mad.
The old man sigh, "I knew this would happen." The little girl jumped out as the old man stood up.
He opened a glass door and walked onto the rail on the balcony, with the little lass followed him with her little taps.
"What do you know?" The old man asked.
Unexpectedly, the little girl replied him with an almost robotic, cold calculative voice, "They have just arrived near the border, but i don't see the slime. Only his subordinates and those lizards, including their master."
The old man hummed, "It seems we have to used that dragon huh? Well, if the slime isn't there then it should be a piece of cake."
He turned around, "Isn't that right? Master of the free guild?"
From the shadow, a man dressed sharp came out to the moonlight. "It is, but a reprecaution wouldn't hurt, would it?
The old man's eye brows raised, "Another one? What i do not see of that slime? Power? Wits? Connection? What is it?"
Yuuki hold softly the curtain, inspecting it's beauty of craftmanship, "For once, the 2 spies from the empire hasn't got anything aside from entertainment."
The child flinch, "The empire? Are they considering them as a threat? A newborn nation is a threat to the long standing Eastern Empire?"
"Most likely," Yuuki responded, "apparently Mister Rimuru has a lot of counter measure, even with a minimal presence of his pawn."
He paused a bit as he slowly walked to the balcony, "The first time i met him, he was like a naive child with the wits of the old. Trying to uncover the secrets of the world and united it with peace."
He put his palm to the moon, "But of course," He clenched his fist, "Falmuth attacked, and it awaken something from him."
"The demon lord evolution thing?" The girl asked, and was responded by Yuuki's chuckle.
"No no no. I think he became what he used to be, just right before he was reincarnated. A man, an old man who has seen a thing or two. Probably lived long enough to see almost everything in the world."
The child asked again, "What's make him so dangerous then? All you say is that he have some experience this and that, what-"
"Maria." The old man calmly called, stopping her to spit anymore words.
The old man sigh, "I see. Just like me, with that age of his, he would have known what exactly to do, especially with that power and pawns he has."
"Yes, even with the dragon and Maria on the ground, they would still won, with or without him."
"So, what do you suggest?" He asked.
Yuuki pondered a bit, "He may be cold and calculating like you, but just like you as well, he has a soft heart and a looooot of people are in it." Playing with his words like a child, their eyes met as they understood one another like the back of their hand.
The old man lips curved up a bit as he raised his head, "Oh, and who's the lucky one might be?"
He smirked, "Me."
_________________
Rimuru flipped through pages of papers and pictures. Just like any other day in the office, paperworks.
Although unlike any other day in the office, this is not the office he usually be at. Unlike the white granite with golden tint and slightly golden like wooden furniture, this is is dark.
Instead of the wealthy prowess, this one cold metal with disturbing sounds of engines and steel getting cutted somewhere.
A man in a suit with a tiger motive tie, came walking in without a knock on the door.
"Rimuru?" The familiar voice from a man with such pride and tendency to destroy.
"Yes, brother?" Rimuri replied without sparing a glance.
"What's that?" The voice came from behind Rimuru as he gazed onto whatever Rimuru is looking at.
"Hmm? Isn't that Violet? You're hiring her?"
"Yea, don't know if you noticed, but we got 2 intruder that almost breach beyond the 100th floor on a daily basis. If it weren't for your weird ass barrier, shit would hit the fan very quick."
"Huh? So that's what that energy was, i thought it was Zegion."
"Right. We need a lot more man power specialize in internal security, counter intelligence, and probably some small 'deep behind the enemies line' taskforces. I put that job to Diablo, never thought he be giving 3 thousand of them, including the primordial one." He flip through the paper again as Veldora's eye brows went up.
"Wait, that's-" Rimuru gave him the paper that interested him, but before Veldora read it, another one piqued his interest.
"3 of them? Are you mad?!" Some may thought Veldora was angered with his raised voice, but Rimuru knew it was out of worry, and it confused him.
"Pardon?"
"Why is there 3 other primordial on the hired section?" He asked calmly.
"Where is this going?" Seems Rimuru also catched up to what he's going to say.
"Guy, he's probably not happy with his sisters under your command. They're also mentally unfit for the future you're trying to reach!"
"That's why i put then on a leash, Diablo. He may be a fanatic, but he's not a moron." They both bantered like how an italian would, with arms flying around with their hands making weird shape.
(No offense, sorry.)
"And the fact that he pursuade 3 thousands of demons to be under you?" For some reason, Veldora gave him the side eye.
"A thousand for each, i'm not gonna hired all of them. Like i know a thousand name for all of them." He get's back onto reading the paper.
Veldora sighed as he read the paper again, "You're probably gonna be eaten alive by him, but whatever, we ball."
"By the way, how's the faceless project going?" Rimuru asked, since apparently Veldora and Ramiris are currently in charge on whatever the research their doing.
"Bad. They can't follow basic command and the ones do just exploded in the next second."
Rimuru freezed for a second, "...What do you mean, exploded?"
"Literally, takes days to cleaned up the pile of guts and blood on the testing ground, not sure why that happen. But we're working on it." Veldora reassured him, which does not work at all.
"You sure we're not making the world angry? I haven't hear it's voices lately."
"Nah, that's just nothing, it do be like that sometime. If it did, they would already make a move."
"They?"
"The angels." He stated.
"Angels?" He asked.
"The angels." He asnwered once again.
Veldora continued, "Just like Ramiris said, the higher the technology, the more likely the Armageddon to happen."
"Can they detect our tech?"
Veldore approached the coffee machine across Rimuru's table. "Luckily for you, you have me. All of it got covered by my presence." He pressed some buttons.
As they continue, Veldora broke the ice.
"Whu does this have,-wha?"
Veldora seems bewildered at something on the coffee machine. Rimuru heard his chuckle and so he asked.
"What is it."
"Manual, semi automatic?"
"Oh, that's the uh-"
"It's a weapon isn't it?" Veldora's laughter seems more like how a dog whimper, followed by Rimuru.
Rimuru stood up and made a gesture of holding a gun, "I need more coffee, chuguchuguchugu!"
They both have a whole heartly laugh with their shitty jokes.
Somehow, the most mundane and cringe situations, could turned into the most memorable memories between friends.
Such if life in the zo-
"GAYS-I-I-I MEAN GUYS!!!" Ramiris burst through the double metal door to see them both still laughing and slap each other backs.
"What the? Anyway, the dungeon task force is in danger! They just faced a high level threat, there's an undead dragon inside and Milim is not responding!"
Rimuru and veldora freezed, "Pardon?"
_____________
"Milim-sama!" Shion softly tackle Milim as they narrowly dodge the dragon attack.
"Milim-sama, are you alright?!" She noticed her locked gaze onto the dragon.
She felt a tug on her blazer, "Shi-Shi-Shion, hel-help..." she felt her voice shiver as she hold Milim tightly yet filled with love to her chest.
Shion turned to the dragon, someone slowly rised on it's back. It look like a child in noble clothe, with a blonde twintails to the front.
"My my, didn't expect the effect to be immediate. But no matter, little one, for i shall tear you apart." The girl stood with pride on it's head and welcome them with open arms as the dragon open its mouth with fires blazing inside.
Just before it fires its breath, something strike the dragons cheek causing it fly to the cave wall, leaving a cloud of smoke in its wake. Yet the girl on top, jump and landed safely without a sweat.
"My my, an interruption for my opening? Even my dress is dirty, but no matter." Her innocent voice contrasted to her red blood gaze.
As the cloud of dirt cleared, a lone man in red took a stance with his black with red line nodachi over his head.
The girl smirked as she bowed and raise her long skirt like how a noble would greet, "Mariabell Rosso, what is yours? Oh warrior of red?"
The man in red blood kimono with fire motive, stood firm as he filled his tounge with sharp thorn of poison.
"If the soul of a crying child." He grip the blade hard with blood slowly flow and covered the blade.
"Is truly, Thy longing." He unsheathed the blade with his hand pouring blood all over it.
"Then, claim it!" Finally, he took a stance with his blood on the blade turned into a blood like fire, engulfing it to the fullest.
The dragon from before recovered and open it's mouth once again behind the noble girl. She smirked and raise her hand on the air as if to gave signal to the dragon.
Shion hold Milim firmly as she stay out of the firefight, leaving Benimaru alone to face such blood thirsthy adversaries.
Just before the signal was given, Benimaru muttered with such silent that only us could heard or read.
...
...
...
"I'm going to skin you alive."
_________________________________________
I have nothing to say.....
I mean, if im being real, it took a lot of time to actually find an idea, which is kinda annoying but a bit relief since im not the only one.
No worries, i still like doing this, although i read a lot of other author books recently.
Since Rimuru's sort of change, i also want to alter the subordinate personality as well, especially Shion.
I kinda want to make her like another daughter of daddy Rimuru but a bit more cold like Hinata, possibly more mature.
Yes, different Shion, not the idiot Shion we love. But seriously, i kinda want to make her smart and be like a scary strict secretary.
Leave a vote, comment and share if you would, really appreciate it.
So anyway, thank for waiting for this new chapter. See you all again, in the next chapter (in valve time).