Ciel: <>
Voice of the World: <<>>
******
It had been a few hours since Kaval and his party had left Tempest, and at this moment, inside a quiet house, Shizu gently stroked Rimuru's hair as he rested his head in her lap.
"Was it really necessary, Rimuru-san?" Shizu asked softly, her fingers gently threading through his hair. "Did you have to spread false news of my death?"
"Hmm... I won't say it is necessary, but it is going to lead to a lot of fun interactions with two interesting people," Rimuru replied with a playful grin on his face. "And fortunately, you do know these two people quite well."
"Oh, do tell, who are these interesting people?" Shizu asked, her curiosity piqued as she looked at her lover.
"Well, Hinata and Yuki, of course," Rimuru said, grinning as he watched Shizu's eyes widen in surprise.
"Wait a minute! Are you talking about my former students?" she asked, and the playful look in his eyes answered her question. "What did they do to catch your attention? And why would they have upset you?"
"No, they haven't done anything yet, but they will once they hear the news," Rimuru smirked. "Honestly, Shizu, didn't you notice how troublesome both of those problem children can be? Especially Yuki."
"Huh? What do you mean?" Shizu asked, genuinely puzzled. She hadn't perceived anything alarming about her two former students.
"Well, allow me to enlighten you, Miss Observant Teacher," Rimuru sarcastically mocked, as Shizu playfully pinched his arm. "Firstly, Hinata—she was a good friend, but damn, that woman can be quite insufferable at times," he said, letting out a tired sigh. "Sometimes, she can be too stubborn and arrogant for her own good. Plus, her past and the country she serves right now only exacerbate her narrow-minded thinking. Overall, I think a lesson in humility would do her good."
"And Yuki..." Once again, Rimuru sighed, his face displaying disappointment. "That kid is smart and persistent, but ultimately, he's just a moron." Rimuru was honestly very disappointed in Yuki. When he had first met the boy, he had genuinely believed they could become good friends. However, Yuki kept annoying Rimuru with his nonsensical schemes, and in the end, he bit off more than he could chew... fucking moron.
"Anyway, forget about him," Rimuru spoke softly as he caressed Shizu's cheek gently with a reassuring hand, his thumb stroking across her soft skin. "I think I know a better way to spend our time." He stood up, closing the distance between them, and his lips locked onto hers in a passionate kiss. Their breaths mingled together as their tongues danced playfully inside each other's mouths, exploring and tasting. The sound of their kiss filled the air around them, punctuated by the occasional soft moan escaping from their lips. His free hand found its way around her waist, pulling her close against him.
His touch ignited a warmth within her that spread through her body like wildfire. She could feel it in her core, pulsing with need. Her hands clenched in his shirt as she pressed her body closer to him, craving more of everything that was happening between them.
Rimuru broke away from the kiss after what felt like an eternity, though it was probably only seconds, nipping at Shizu's bottom lip teasingly before pulling back to look into her eyes once again. "Should we...," he began huskily. "Should we head upstairs?"
In response, Shizu simply nodded, mirroring the desire and intensity in Rimuru's eyes.
******
A few hours later, as Shizu and Rimuru were making love inside his room, outside the door, Testarossa found herself grappling with a maelstrom of emotions she couldn't fully understand.
Earlier, Testarossa had come to Rimuru's house to deliver the daily report on the village. But as she approached his room, the unmistakable sounds coming from within made her pause. Realization dawned quickly, and she turned to leave quietly. However, she froze in place when she heard Rimuru's voice, filled with warmth and affection, declaring his love for Shizu.
Confusion and anger welled up within Testarossa, emotions foreign to a demoness like her. 'Why am I so angry?' she questioned herself, struggling to make sense of her feelings. 'I am a demon, loyal to Rimuru-sama. It shouldn't matter to me whom he chooses to love or be with... So why does it feel like a thorn in my heart?'
Rimuru's passionate words to Shizu reverberated in Testarossa's mind, 'I promise you, I won't lose you ever again! You will be mine as long as you will have me.' Each syllable felt like a dagger, stirring a whirlwind of jealousy and a deep, unfamiliar sense of loss. She clenched her fists tightly, fighting to keep her emotions in check. Memories of her time with Rimuru, especially their journey to Dwargon, flashed through her mind, intensifying the ache she felt.
'No, this is wrong. I can't let my mind wander there,' she reminded herself sternly. 'I am a loyal servant of Rimuru-sama. I must overcome these irrational feelings.'
Steeling her heart, she walked out of Rimuru's house while trying to suppress the storm of emotions raging in her heart.
******
A few days later, Rimuru wandered around the village, taking in the progress that had been made. The past few days had been some of the best of his life. With Shizu now a part of his life, he had achieved one of his major goals of reliving his life.
However, two things had seemed odd to him over the last few days. The first was Testarossa's behavior, which had become quite baffling. She felt more distant than before; even her reports were now brief and to the point, unlike earlier when she would include her own suggestions and recommendations. The second was Ciel, who, for some reason, had become unusually quiet unless he initiated a conversation with her. Though he would never admit it, he missed her sass.
Shaking his head, Rimuru decided to ask Shizu about it later and went to the building he was using as his office for now. Then just as he sat down, a woman with green hair and blue eyes suddenly appeared with a swirl of leaves. She had a semi-transparent form and her body was surrounded by vines.
"Hello, ruler of this village. My name is Treyni, the Dryad," the woman said with a bow. "Please forgive my sudden visit, but circumstances have forced my hand."
"I am Rimuru Tempest, ruler of this village," Rimuru replied, masking his surprise at Treyni's sudden appearance. "So, to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?"
"I come with a grave request," Treyni said, a smile never leaving her face. "I ask you to vanquish the Orc Lord."
"Vanquish the Orc Lord, you say? Who am I, The Slime Who Lived?" Rimuru chuckled, shaking his head while ignoring Treyni's confused stare. "But the real question is, why me?"
"Of course, you're joking, Rimuru-sama," Treyni chuckled. "Who else would be better suited to handle this problem than a mighty being like yourself?"
"Oh? And how can you be so sure of that?" Rimuru raised an eyebrow.
"We Dryads are Mangers of The Great Jura Forest, and the forest reveals to us the creatures that dwell within it," Treyni explained. "It has told us about your strength and the dangerous demon you have in your service."
"You've gathered quite a bit of information on me," Rimuru said, tilting his head with an unreadable expression. "It seems this forest is more sentient than we realized."
"Indeed it is, after all, the forest has been alive longer than most of its inhabitants," Treyni replied with a smile. "Now, I ask you again, ruler of this village, will you help stop the Orc Lord before it becomes an even greater disaster?"
Rimuru rubbed his chin, deep in thought. After a moment, he looked up at her and said, "Fine, I'll take care of this, but I'll need two favors from you in exchange."
"Of course, as long as it's within my power," Treyni replied.
"First, tell me about the current major powers in this forest," Rimuru requested.
"Considering their numbers and combat capabilities, there are two major groups: Ogre Village and Lizardman Village," Treyni explained. "These are also the most at risk of being attacked by the Orc Lord and his army."
"In that case, as the first favor, I want your help in arranging a meeting between our village and these two," Rimuru said. "One of my most trusted subordinates will accompany you in three days. Take her with you, explain the situation to the villages, and she will handle the rest."
Treyni nodded in agreement. "And for the second favor?"
Suddenly, the temperature in the room dropped as Rimuru said, "I want you and the other Dryads to support me when I declare myself the ruler of this forest."
Treyni stared at him for a moment, clearly processing his words, before bowing. "As long as you can handle this problem and provide protection for me and my sisters, I don't see any issue with that," she said. She knew that what she was promising Rimuru was a significant commitment, but she was also aware that, with Veldora gone, it wouldn't be long before human nations might attempt to conquer the forest for its resources. She believed it was better for the forest to have a protector in case they needed to fight for their survival.
"Great. Visit me again in three days while I gather more information on the Orc Lord," Rimuru said. With a final nod, Treyni vanished from the room.
'Looks like this timeline is already starting to snowball into unknown territory,' Rimuru sighed and summoned Moss, who appeared kneeling in front of him. "Moss, there's an Orc Lord rising in the Jura Forest. I want information on that," Rimuru said, and Moss nodded in acknowledgment. "I also need to know more about the Ogre and Lizardman villages, including their leaders."
Just as Rimuru was about to dismiss him, a thought crossed his mind. "Also, there's an elf who has been spying on the village," he added. Moss nodded again. "Inform her about the Orc Lord as well." With that, Rimuru dismissed Moss.
'Now this information will reach Gazael, then Fuze, and from there to the Free Guild. Slowly, everyone will learn about the rising Orc Lord,' Rimuru thought with a smirk. 'And when that happens, all eyes will be on this forest...'
"Oh, now you want to talk to me, huh?" Rimuru mused. "And here I thought you were giving me the silent treatment."
"Ugh, not this again!" Rimuru groaned, creating multiple barriers around the room. He then commanded Ciel to appear in her human form, which she did. "Now tell me what the hell is going on with you."
"Don't say it's my imagination because it's not," Rimuru retorted. "Ciel, please tell me what's going on. You were born from the Lord of Wisdom, Raphael, whereas I was not. So, can you tell me what's happening?"
After standing there in silence for a moment, Ciel finally spoke.
"What!? No, I haven't been ignoring you!" Rimuru exclaimed in disbelief.
"Fine, what do you want me to do?" Rimuru asked wearily. "Do you want me to introduce you to everyone? Or have you sit beside me as my partner?"
"Okay, so what do you suggest?" Rimuru asked.
"A date... Oh, that's a great idea!" Rimuru beamed. "Once we're done with this Orc Lord business, I'll take you out on a date—just the two of us. How does that sound?"
Ciel said, a faint smile on her face.
"Great! Now I just need to figure out what's going on with Testarossa," Rimuru said. He then noticed Ciel staring at him with a blank expression. "What's with that look?"
"Well, trusting you has never gone wrong for me before, so I suppose I should trust you this time too," Rimuru said as he absorbed Ciel back into him and walked out of the office.
******
Outside the village, Rimuru stood on his favorite cliff, overlooking the settlement. After admiring his home for a few minutes, he resolved to address the issue at hand.
"Testarossa," Rimuru called, and immediately a white-haired demoness appeared before him. "There's a situation developing in the forest..." Rimuru then explained Treyni, the Dryad's visit, her request, and his own counteroffer and demands. "So, what do you think?"
"Hmm... I think you made a good bargain, my lord. Dryads are highly respected among the intelligent monsters of this forest as well as other humanoid races, and having their support will be a valuable asset in the future."
"Yeah, that's what I was thinking as well," Rimuru said with a thoughtful expression. "I'm wondering, though, how should I handle this Orc Lord? Even excluding myself, we have two people in the village who can handle an awakened Demon Lord, so the Orc Lord isn't a problem for us. The question is how and when we should deal with it."
"I think that decision can wait until the meeting, my lord," Testarossa suggested. "Depending on their attitude and willingness to accept your rule, we can decide our next course of action."
"True..." Rimuru nodded. Then he turned to Testarossa and asked, "Testa, what's going on?"
"I don't understand, my lord. What are you talking about?" Testarossa asked.
"I'm referring to your attitude over the last few days," Rimuru explained. "Especially since Shizu started living here with us." As soon as he said that, he noticed a clear shift in Testarossa's mood. "Testa, tell me what's wrong, and please be honest with me."
Testarossa stood silent for a moment before beginning, "I don't know what to tell you, Rimuru-sama. Even I don't fully understand what's going on," she admitted honestly. "In all of my existence, this is the first time I've served someone with my utmost loyalty and respect. Funnily enough, even Rouge couldn't manage that," she smiled slightly, recalling how Rouge had always avoided her and Noir with a burning passion.
"But that's not all. This is also the first time my summoner has seen me as more than just a tool. You, Rimuru-sama, made me feel like a person, made me feel like a woman," Testarossa looked up at him with a mixture of respect and adoration. "But then Miss Shizu came into your life, and new feelings started to emerge within me. These feelings are frustrating because I can't make heads or tails of them."
"So I decided to keep my distance from you and maintain a strict professional attitude to see if that would help," Testarossa explained.
"And? Did it help?" Rimuru asked kindly.
"No, it did not," Testarossa lowered her head. "It only made the storm within me even worse."
"Testa..." Rimuru took her hand in his. "Is there any way I can help?"
"I don't think so, Rimuru-sama," Testarossa shook her head. "This is something I need to figure out on my own. All I need is some time."
"In that case, you can take all the time you need," Rimuru said, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. "Do you want me to send someone else with Treyni to deliver the message about the meeting?"
"No, I won't let my personal issues interfere with my duties," Testarossa said, standing up straight. "I'm assuming there's a reason you want me to act as a messenger."
"Yep!" Rimuru said, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "I want to ensure that they understand attending this meeting isn't a suggestion but an order."
"Oh," Testarossa replied with a cruel smile. "In that case, I'll make sure they get the message."
"Yeah, make sure you do," Rimuru said, returning her smile.
To be continued...