Chapter 20: Birth of the Octagram
Though it only lasted for a few short seconds, the kiss left both Rimuru and Milim breathless as they finally parted. Both of them chose to completely ignore everyone in the room who were staring; some with bewilderment like Valentine and Dagruel, others with 'I knew it' looks on their faces, like Guy (who was smirking) and Leon while others didn't knew what to make of it, like Dino and Carrion. Veldora also rolled his eyes, but also had a genuine smile; Shion was looking at them, barley holding herself from squeeing out loud. The two continued to stare in each other's eyes for a few moments until they quickly- and quite more passionately that before- vent in for another. Milim had to tip-toe to get a better position while Rimuru held her even tighter than before.
Ramiris, meanwhile, was freaking out. 'Eh? EHHHHHH?!' she shouted in confusion, a blush on her face 'Wh-wa-wa-wha...when did this happen?!' she shouted, and Guy had to roll his eyes. If she hadn't picked up on it after all the mushy stuff Rimuru had said during the meeting, then she must have been particularly slow this cycle. She looked over at Veldora, who just shrugged.
Frey looked on in contentment, smiling softly at the two. She could finally feel less guilty for keeping Milim away from her beloved with her problems.
Dino looked on with embarrassment 'Ah, I feel kinda bad for watching...' he said groggily
-'Then stop watching.' Valentine said as he shook his head. Behind him, the real Valentine had to do a double take, unsure on how to react. She chose to try and ignore it. She failed.
Finally- though actually it was only a few seconds- the two lovebirds drew back, eyes glossy. Seeing her look up to him like that, Rimuru smiled softly and cupped her cheek in one hand. She placed both hands oh his chest and they began approaching for another round. However, when they were just inches away, a cough interrupted them. The two's eyes bulged as they looked over at Guy, blushing. The demon simply continued to grin
-'Sorry to interrupt...' he said as he enjoyed them squirm under his gaze 'But perhaps you could...continue after we're finished here?'
The two quickly put a bit of distance between themselves, though Rimuru still had one hand around her shoulder. He began scratching his head while she tried very hard to look like it was no big deal; needless to say, she was failing, as her blush just grew bigger.
-'Eh he, yeah, sure...' Rimuru said through his embarrassment, avoiding eye contact with anyone in the room. He looked over at a blushing Milim as she was doing the same 'Freaking cute...' his thoughts quickly went in some other place than what Guy wanted, so he forced himself back on track 'No, no! I have to focus...FOCUS!' he shouted to himself. He could swear he heard Raphael say something snarky, but he ignored it. 'Let's ah, let's go back to our seats then...' he said, more to himself. Milim nodded and they began walking away, Rimuru to the opposite side from Guy while her next to the demon. Suddenly, Milim stopped
-'Wait!' she shouted and quickly ran over to Frey; Rimuru stopped just as he reached his chair and looked at her 'Hey Frey, you still have those right? You kept them safe?' she asked exitedly. The harpy smiled and sighed
-'Of course I have them Milim...' she said as she activated a magical array to extract something from her storage space 'Honestly, you think I'd forget?' she asked exasperated as he gave Milim what she wanted. They were the Dragon Gauntlets he had made for her as a gift. He blinked as he watched her hug them tight to her chest, squeeing.
-'Ah, you still...have those?' he asked sheepishly. She quickly shot him an offended look
-'Wha...of course I still have them!' she said, then put on the biggest smile he had seen yet 'They were a gift from you!'
Rimuru had to try very hard to keep himself from melting into a puddle then and there, and he was certain he had a big blush on his face that everyone could see. Even so, he tried to play it off by saying 'Oh, of course...' and quickly sat down. Still smiling, Milim quickly hopped over to her seat, ignoring Ramiris' glare.
-'So are we not gonna talk about...' the fairy wanted to say, but Guy shot her a look that clearly said 'no, we are not.' and she shut up.
After finishing staring down the fairy, Guy snapped his fingers. In an instant, the spatial manipulation spell used to enlarge the room was gone and everything was back to normal. He looked over to Rimuru and said 'Mind putting the table back in?' Rimuru blinked, having almost forgotten about that. He quickly made it appear again. No sooner than it did, Dino slammed his head back onto it for support.
-'Alright then, if we're finished...' Guy said as he rolled his eyes at Milim, then looked at Rimuru intently 'As you easily defeated Clayman, from this day forward I shall allow you to refer to yourself as a Demon Lord. Any objections?'
-'Absolutely not!' Milim was the first to speak up, still holding the gauntlets.
-''None, none!' Ramiris quickly said 'I believed in Rimuru from the start! Yeah!'
-'Yeah, no objections here.' Carrion said with a smirk
-'Or from me' Frey said
-'I do not care who becomes a Demon Lord, so he can do whatever he pleased.' Leon said bored.
Yawning, Dino spoke up too 'I guess it's fine...'
-'Indeed.' Dagruel said 'He has more than proven himself. And even Veldora approves of him, which is enough for me.'
-'Hmph, fine.' Valentine said with a huff, arms crossed 'Though personally, I would never want to allow a lowly slime to become one of...' he wanted to say, but was swiftly interrupter by a loud fist pounding the table. Everyone turned to look at Milim, who was staring angrily at the vampire
-'Watch your damn mouth, Roy!' she screamed loudly. The vampire was about to say something when Veldora quickly spoke up too
-'Yeah, how dare you insult my friend, you mere servant!' he said with annoyance. Rimuru quickly saw where this was going and wanted to stop him, but it was too late as the dragon continued as he looked at the maid behind Roy 'Oi, Milus, watch how you discipline your stupid servant before that mouth of his get's him killed!' the idiot said without a care in the world. Rimuru had to facepalm. Things then got worse
-'I'm sorry, I am but a humble maid of Lord Valen...' she tried to say, but
-'No, you're definitely that vampire Demon Lord I met way back when!' Veldora quickly butted in 'Remember? I think I blew up your city or something...' he casually said with a smile. Rimuru had to bury his face deeper in his palm. He peaked through his fingers to see the vampire woman look furious as hell.
-'No, Master!' Ramiris quickly went over to him and tried to whisper, but everyone could hear her 'Don't do that! Valentine is hiding her identity! It's a secret that the current Demon Lord is a proxy!' she said; Veldora gave her long 'oh' stare.
'It's not a secret now that you said it in front of everyone...' Rimuru thought. If he though the vampire was furious before, now she was absolutely livid, giving Ramiris one hell of a death glare. Seeing that, the fairy quickly hid behind Guy. Milim looked at her in surprised, and from the look on her face Rimuru could tell she was about to say the exact same thing, and it looked like Valentine suspected as much because she was giving her a glare too. Milim tried to brush it off by whistling, but she couldn't whistle so she was blowing air. Meanwhile, Veldora too was avoiding eye contact with anyone. Rimuru sighed, exasperated.
-'Listen, dragon, I...' Roy tried to say, but the true Demon Lord
-'It's fine, Roy. No need to say anything. It's too late now.' she said, sighing. The proxy Demon Lord quickly shut up, looking down. The real Valentine glared again at Veldora; if looks could kill, Rimuru was certain even Veldora would be dead on the spot 'You wretched, evil dragon.' she said through gritted teeth 'Why must you always ruin everything?!' she walked in front of the dragon 'Can you not even recall my name?'
-'It's not Milus?' Veldora asked, stumped.
-'Enough!' the vampire shouted as an aura enveloped her 'You shall call me Valentine.' her aura engulfed her in a bright light that dissipated quickly, revealing her in a new Gothic-like outfit. No longer needing to hide, she let her aura free, startling everyone who didn't knew who she was like Carrion and Frey, who had shocked looks on their faces; even Leon looked surprised.
'Whoa' Rimuru though as he observed Valentine's aura in it's entirely 'The other one was no slouch, but she's on a completely different level.' he continued to observe her, trying to get a grip on just how powerful she was. She wouldn't pose much of a challenge to say Milim, but he would definitely not want to fight her.
Valentine moved to Roy's side, who bowed deeply 'My humble apologies, my Lady.' he said, ashamed. However, she didn't look particularly upset at him.
-'It's fine.' she said with an even expression 'Roy, I want you to return back to the sanctum ahead of me. Something has been bothering me...' he looked up at her as he continued 'That clown looking intruded you chased away recently...I think he may have some connection to Clayman.' Rimuru perked up when he heard that. The man bowed again
-'As you wish, my Lady.' and the vanished in a cloud of bats.
Rimuru looked on as the vampire sat herself in Roy's seat. She turned to look at Rimuru 'I apologies for my servant's impudence.' she said, sounding more like she was saying it out of courtesy and didn't actually meant it 'I for one have no objections.' she finished as she looked away.
-'Ah, no worries...' Rimuru said awkwardly.
-'Well then, officially...' Guy said as he looked on 'Welcome among the Ten Great Demon Lords, Rimuru Tempest. Here...' he threw something at him, and Rimuru quickly caught it; it was a ring 'That ring will allow you access to this room whenever you like.' the demon clarified; Rimuru nodded and stored the ring away in his stomach. 'Before we move on to other topics, dose anyone have anything else to say?' the demon asked.
Suddenly, Frey raised her hand 'If I may...' the demon nodded for her to continue. 'There is something I would like to do; I have given it some though and think it's for the best.' she drew a short breath 'I would like to step down from the title of Demon Lord.' everyone at the table looked confused at her declaration. Some, especially Milim, had a sudden worried look on their faces.
-'I see...would you mind telling us why?' Guy asked, sounding somewhat disappointed.
-'Yes. You see, after seeing how powerful our new member here is...' she said, casting a quick glance at Rimuru 'I do not believe I'm fit to be a Demon Lord. Even Clayman, at the end, was too powerful for me...'
-'But Frey, you are the Sky Queen!' Draguel spoke up 'No one is better at aerial combat that you. There's no need to put yourself down like that. If you fought Clayman in the air...' he wanted to say, but Frey quickly cut him off
-'Thank you, Dagruel, but that is just an excuse.' she said 'We do not always get to chose our battlefield. I was- and still am- to weak in all other fields. And so, I would like to step down...' she looked at Milim with a sudden, almost mischievous smile 'And become Milim's subordinate instead.' she said.
-'WHAT?!' Milim shouted, standing up and slamming her hands in the table 'Wh-where did that come from?!' she asked, panicked 'I haven't heart of it before!'
-'That's because I didn't tell you...though I have been thinking it for a while.' Frey answered 'I didn't tell you because you would have rejected me.'
-'I'm rejecting you now too!' Milim shot back 'I refuse! No way! If...if you become my subordinate, then we won't be equals anymore and...and...we won't be talking and hanging out like usual!' she said, almost crying
-'We can still do that, Milim.' Frey said with a kind smile 'I promise things won't change much. Besides...' she began, dropping the smile and looking more like a stern teacher 'Don't you think it's about time to get serious and properly lead your followers?' she asked
-'Not really.' Milim said with a deadpan expression, still not convinced. Frey sighed. 'They'd been doing just fine on their own for like a thousand years...' she finished, waving her hand dismissively
-'Still, you...' Frey wanted to continue, but suddenly she was interrupted by Carrion, who stood up besides her
-'Wait. I have something to say too.' he said, looking at Guy, who nodded to continue 'I too would like to step down and become Milim's subordinate. The reason is simple...' he said as he looked at the shocked dragonoid 'Milim beat me fair and square. No doubt about it, I was outclassed by miles. I'm no longer fit to be a Demon Lord either. So instead, I would like to be her subordinate, and build a nation with her at it's head.' he said, then smirked 'Besides, since you beat me, I think you own me and my people protection, don't you think?' he asked, enjoying the look of utter bewilderment that made its way to Milim's face.
Rimuru was conflicted; one one had, he agreed that Milim could use getting more serious (if even just a little); on the other hand, he felt really sorry seeing her rack her brain trying to get out of Frey and Carrion cornering her like that...
-'No no no NO!' Milim shouted, sounding seconds away from throwing a tantrum 'Like hell! I...I don't do followers or ruling, you guys know that!' she protested 'Come on! It's a horrible idea!'
-'Listen Milim...' Frey said with a sigh 'I'm very serious about this; you told me to trust you back when you found out about Clayman's scheme. And I did...and you really came through. I can say that...you're the first person I really, truly trusted with my life. That's why I want this...' she smiled, though her eyes didn't 'And I won't take no for an answer.'
'Scaaary!' Rimuru though as he saw her smile; it reminded him of a certain ogress' 'smile', and he really didn't like it. Not one bit; he was pretty sure it was over for Milim...Sure enough, the dragonoid looked really moved to hear that, if a bit unnerved by the harpy's smile.
-'So that's it, huh?' Carrion said, looking at Frey. He sighed, running a hand through his hair 'Guess some honesty from me too is in order too...' he looked at Milim, then began walking around the table until he was next to Milim 'Listen, I...when you beat me, it was a real wake up call. For a long time, I've been pretty arrogant, thinking I could take on anyone. I was actually looking forward to beating you when you declared war on me!' he laughed, shaking his head at his own hubris 'But that was just arrogance talking. I am weak; way to weak to stand as equal with the top monsters of this world, like you, or Guy... and...I'm really no longer confident enough to protect my people like I used to. That's all I want...' he said and, shocking Milim, he bowed his head 'I'm not asking for myself. I'm asking you for the sake of my people, as their pitiful, weak king, to accept my wish.' he said earnestly.
Milim was staring at him, blinking rapidly as her mouth moved but didn't make any sound. She looked at the still bowed Carrion, then at Frey, alternating between them for a few seconds and her brain tried to come up with something. She was obviously conflicted, Rimuru realized; one one hand, she wanted nothing to do with actually ruling anybody, but on the other the two's words obviously moved her and she wanted to not disappoint them. She was thinking so hard, Rimuru could swear he saw steam come out of her ears. Finally, her eyes landed on him, looking for some encouragement, or anything really. Rimuru, hopping to make it easier on her, offered a warm smile and nodded for her to accept. Her eyes softened a bit, and she looked to calm down a bit. She looked away, rubbing her face, before looking at Carrion, then at Frey, before finally sitting down in her chair a bit to forcefully
-'Arg, fine...FINE! I don't even care anymore, so do whatever you want...' she said through a pout and crossed her arms. Carrion stood straight, looking at her with gratitude. Soon, Frey moved away from her seat and made her way to sit next to Milim too. The dragonoid looked over at Guy, who had been observing the unfolding scene with great amusement 'That okay with you, Guy?' she asked disinterested. The demon chuckled
-'No objections. It's a shame though, Carrion...' he said as he looked at the beastman 'I expected that you would have awakened as a True Demon Lord given another century.' The Beastmaster laughed as he placed a hand on an annoyed Milim's shoulder
-'HA HA! Don't worry...just because I'm joining Milim doesn't mean I'm not aiming to get stronger!' he boasted
Guy looked satisfied with hearing that. He wanted to say something, but Rimuru talked first 'Ah, with Frey and Carrion gone, I guess we aren't the 'Ten' Great Demon Lords anymore, huh?' he said more like an afterthought, not thinking much of it. However, the revelation sent a chill through the room. He looked around, unsure at why everyone was suddenly looking so serious.
-'Oh no...' Milim said, sounding panicked 'Rimuru, what have you done?!' she asked, mortified 'We were just about to wrap this up to!' she finished as she grabbed her head as if preparing for pain. Rimuru was about to ask what she meant but
-'God, not this again...' Dino spoke up, slamming his head repeatedly against the table and giving Rimuru the stink eye
-'Uuuuug! Please, can we not do this now?!' Ramiris screamed at his accusingly.
-'What?' he asked, confused 'What did I do?'
He saw everyone turn to Guy, who had an crazy serious look on his face. The demon pursed his lips and said 'This won't do. This won't do at all...we...must come up with a new name for ourselves!' he declared, and almost everyone groaned.
Rimuru was really confused now 'Eh, a name? Is...is that really important enough to...' he was about to ask if it was really something Demon Lords should be concerned about, but Guy was not having it
-'Of course it is!' the demon billowed 'How can we, the strongest in the world, strike fear and respect into the hearts and minds of the mortal races without a proper name?! he said, but Rimuru was still not convinced 'A monster without a name is weaker than a named one, after all!' the demon argued. That, Rimuru though, made more sense, but still
-'Arggg, are we really doing this?' Dino asked looking up 'Last time we spent...frigging...forever in here thinking up a name...' he said, looking as if he was remembering something traumatic 'It was hell...' he finished; the others didn't look much better
-'You said it...' Milim agreed, sounding despondent 'and in the end, we could't even come up with something!' she emphasized by slamming a fist on the table
-'Yeah, we just stuck with 'the Ten Great Demon Lords' because that's what the humans called us...' Ramiris interjected, sounding almost ashamed to admit it. Many nodded in agreement
-'Still, we need to come up with a respectable name...' Valentine said with a far to serious voice for the topic, at least Rimuru though so as he looked at her shocked. Even Leon nodded vigorously in agreement. 'No, seriously, am I the only one who thinks this is kinda dumb?' he asked himself
Notice: yes, Master; yes you are Raphael said, making him twitch; was she agreeing with them? Or was he just going crazy? He could't tell.
-'Then let's get started, people!' Guy shouted. Everyone groaned again, and began thinking. They though for a few more minutes, when suddenly Ramiris spoke up
-'Oooooh! How about...' she sounded really exited about her idea 'The EIGHT Great...Demon...Loooorrr...' however, she never got the chance to finish, as everyone shot her a look of disapproval. She trailed off at the end and shut up, realizing herself how stupid it sounded. Again, silence fell on the room.
-'Screw it, I give up.' Milim said, imitating Dino and leaning her head on the table 'Wake me when someone get's an idea...' she muttered.
-'Kwa hahahaha!' Veldora laughed; Rimuru suddenly got a very bad feeling 'If you have a problem finding a name, Rimuru is pretty good at it! You can count on him!' he said
'This old, scaly, otaku bastard!' Rimuru shouted in his mind, pissed.
-'Oh, that's right!' Ramiris suddenly spoke up; he glared at her to stop, but she was oblivious as usual 'He named by Beretta super fast! He can totally do it!' she said with a cheer. Rimuru continued to glare, then noticed Guy was looking at him expectedly. He could feel a cold sweat running down his face
-'Dose he?' the demon said with a faint smile 'In that case, Rimuru, as the newest Demon Lord I give you the privilege to name us!' he said cheerfully.
Rimuru returned the smile, a bit to forcefully, and said 'Ah, no thank you...'
Guy continued to smile serenely. Then, the entire table broke in half, startling everyone (especially Dino and Milim, who were still leaning on it). Rimuru stared at the broken table, then at Guy, who got up and began walking to him slowly, still smiling. 'Of course you will accept...' the demon said softly. Rimuru continued to watch in a panic, trying to avoid eye contact 'It a very honorable request...' he stopped right in front of the slime and grabbed his chin, forcing him to look him the eyes 'This is all your fault for reducing out numbers, isn't it?' he leaned in uncomfortably close 'You should...take responsibility...' he said with in a low voice, then began to lean in, next to his ear; Rimuru was really starting to panic when suddenly, Guy was pulled back with a yelp
-'Gah, what the...' the demon said as he looked at the culprit; it was Milim, who had grabbed his hair and pulled him backwards, and she looked ready to kill him on the spot.
'Oh oh...' Rimuru though as he watched her sport the angriest expression he had ever seen on her; everyone else in the room froze too, some looking ready to scram to safety at a moments notice.
-'What the fuck do you think you're doing?' She said in a very, very dangerous tone that made everyone flinch, but the demon did not seem especially concerned, more like annoyed at being interrupted
-'Oh don't give me that...' he scoffed 'I was just asking nicely...' he said
'There was nothing nice about that!' Rimuru wanted to scream at him, but wisely kept quiet.
-'Nice my butt, you bastard!' Milim shouted in his stead, looking angrier by the second 'Keep your hands- and lips- away from my Rimuru, or else!' she warned, raising a fist for emphasis
-'Damn brat!' Guy said dismissively
-'You wanna fight?!' she shouted, aura flaring up, but he continued to be unmoved. Everyone else in the room, however, was sweating bullets.
-'Why don't you go bother someone else?!' the demon said, flaring some of his aura too as he got right up in her face
-'Why don't you go whore yourself to someone else?!' the dragonoid shot back, preparing to attack
Rimuru decided that enough was enough; he had to end this before it escalated into something really, really bad. 'Okay, okay, STOP!' he shouted as he quickly got in between the two 'I...I'll do it, okay!' he said, looking up at Guy 'So chill, yeah?!'
Guy looked down at him, his aura dispersed instantly. After a few tense moments, he finally smiled and simply said 'That's all I wanted. Thanks.' and proceeded to move back to his seat as if nothing had happened. Rimuru turned to Milim, who was looking kinda sheepishly and apologetic. 'Maybe she didn't expected that to escalate so badly? Whatever, at least she stopped Guy from molesting me...' he smiled awkwardly and she smiled back, then quickly moved back to her seat; she and Guy pretended the last few minutes never happened. Rimuru sat back down, and the next instant Guy snapped his fingers; the table put itself back together, like magic.
-'Alright, I'll think of a freaking name' he said crossing his arms 'but don't complain afterwards if you don't like it, okay?' sighing, he began thinking. And thinking...and thinking...this was more difficult than he imagined...
While he was thinking, he began looking all over; looking up, he noticed the roof of the room had an image of the sky projected onto it. 'The stars...' seeing the beautiful sparkling sky, he had an idea
-'How about...the Octagram?' he asked the assembled Demon Lords, who all began looking at each other. One by one, they began to nod.
-'Hm, not bad...has a certain mystique to it...' Valentine said
-'Indeed.' Leon agreed
-'Dang, just like that huh?' Dino said through a sigh 'Why do the rest of us even bother...'
Guy listened to the others give their approval and grinned 'Quite a lovely name; it's settled then. From today onward, we shall be feared and respected under the name 'Octagram'!' he declared, and everyone began clapping
And thus was born the Octagram, or what some people would call the Eight-Star Demon Lords, and the beginning of a new age. It's members were:
Guy Crimson, Demon, The Lord of Darkness.
Milim Nava, Dragonoid, The Destroyer
Ramiris, Pixie, The Labyrinth Master
Dagruel, Giant, Continent's Wrath
Valentine, Vampire, The Queen of Nightmares
Dino, Fallen Angel, The Sleeping Ruler
Leon Cromwell, Demonoid, Platinum Saber
and Rimuru Tempest, Slime, The Newbie
-'And now, the last issue we have to discuss; the distribution of territory.' Guy announced, and one of his maids brought out a large map that she unfolded onto the table.
Diving up the territories was not as arduous a task as Rimuru imagined; most of the other Demon Lords (at least those with territories; Ramiris and Dino did not have any) would see no change. Instead, the main issue was allocating Rimuru's domain, which proved quite generous: he was given the entirety of the Jura Forest, or basically all unclaimed land located between the already established nations, from the Empire in the East to Blumund and Falmuth in the West, and from Dwargon in the North to the Demon Lord Domains in the South. He was told he would have full autonomy, meaning he was allowed to do just about anything he desired with how he ruled his domain.
Speaking of the South, the other issue was Milim's domain; with Frey and Carrion officially under her command now, both of their lands- the Beast Kingdom of Eurazania and the Harpy Kingdom of Fulbrosia- were officially annexed into her domain, the Land of the Forgotten Dragon. Suffice to say, she was not exactly happy, but things got worse for her (at least she would say that): Clayman''s former territory, the Puppet Kingdom of Jistav, was left up in the air with no ruler, and so after a quick debate (and a lot of protest from Milim), it too was given to her to rule over. Thus, the entirety of the Southern Domains were swiftly and suddenly unified under a single ruler, becoming a new superpower overnight. Rimuru was certain that would cause quite the international stir, even without the infamous Destroyer being at its head. Of course, with Frey and Carrion at her side, Rimuru didn't think Milim would do much 'ruling', which he figured was probably for the best anyways. She would most likely be more of a figurehead, much like she had always been for her original domain.
And thus concluded the Walpurgis, the Demon Lord Banquet. With a satisfied smile, Guy looked over the map and nodded 'Well, I think this concludes the meeting.' he said as he stood up 'Thank you for your participation. I had my maids here prepare a feast for us, if anyone wants to join.' he offered. Valentine excused herself and left, looking very anxious to get somewhere, but Rimuru didn't exactly care at the moment.
-'Ah, until they set everything up... Guy, is there a room I can use?' he asked the demon as he got up
-'Hm? Yes...' he waved his hand and several doors suddenly appeared on the walls behind them 'You may rest in any of those rooms.' he said, sitting back down
-'Thanks. Erm, hey, Milim...' he said, drawing her attention from some conversation she was having with Frey and Carrion 'Mind if we talk. You guys too...' he said to the former Demon Lords. Nodding, the three followed Rimuru into one of the rooms, along with Shion, Veldora and Ramiris and her servants. Once in, Beretta closed the door behind him.
Once they were inside, Rimuru turned to look at Milim with a somewhat worried expression. 'So, what was it you wanted to talk about, Rimuru?' she asked as she noticed his worried look.
-'Ah, you know...boring stuff mostly.' he said with a half smile 'Like how we were gonna go about organizing all the prisoners we took for labor...' he said as he looked over to Carrion 'Stuff like that...' he noticed she was not looking too exited, so he continued 'There was also...something more personal I wanted to tell you...you have a right to know.' he said, then sighed. 'You guys should hear it too...' he said to Frey, Carrion and even Ramiris 'So maybe you should sit down...' he told Milim, motioning to the large sofa in the room. Though she looked hesitant at first, she went and sat down; he followed suit, sitting down next to her. Frey and Carrion each took one of the chairs near the sofa and waited expectedly for him to start.
-'So, there's a lot of stuff I have to say...guess I should start from the beginning...on the day I died.' he said, and began retelling his story; how he was a human in a past life, only to die one day and reincarnate into a slime into this world. How he met Veldora in the cave, befriended him and agreed to help him break out, ending with his ascension to Chancellor of the Tempest Federation.
Having finished the most important part of the story, he looked over everyone to gauge their reaction to his story. Frey and Carrion had stunned expressions on their faces. 'You're kidding...' Carrion eventually said 'Your a reincarnation? That's crazy...'
-'I heard about otherworlders, but this...' Frey said stupefied 'I never heard of someone retaining memories from a previous life...'
-'Kuhuhu...not surprising!' Veldora said from his spot behind Rimuru 'Even I never heard of something like that before. Rimuru is unique as far as I know!' he said with a grin. Rimuru felt embarrassed from hearing the dragon's praise, feeling like the little slime he was when they first met; shaking his embarrassment away, he looked over at Milim to see what she was feeling. She didn't look too surprised...'Wait, why is that? Did she suspect something?' he wondered; as if reading his mind, Milim answered
-'Ah, I though something was weird about you...' she said through a smile 'Could never put my finger on it...but my intuition was saying you were odd, and it never failed me before!' she laughed 'Guess you're even more special than I thought!'
-'That's right!' Veldora agreed 'It's good that you see that, Milim! Kwahahahaha!' again, Rimuru had to fight off embarrassment.
Finishing laughing with Veldora, Milim put on a more serious expression 'Ah, but...why did you looked so worried earlier?' she asked emphatically. Rimuru blinked at her, wondering how he should say it
-'Ah, I mean...is it really okay?' hearing that, Milim just got a confused look 'You know...are you...okay with me having been a human?' he asked. She immediately looked insulted
-'What?!' she shouted, almost sounding outraged 'Why the heck would I have a problem with that?' she asked. He looked at her, stunned by her outburst; he did his best to ignore the sly grins that some people in the room were shooting at them. Ignorant of those, Milim continued 'Rimuru, I don't care that you're a slime, now...why would I care what you were in literary another life?' she asked with a warm smile that almost melted his heart. He had to do a double take as she put one hand over his and continued 'I mean, dose anyone actually care?' he continued to look at her, unwilling to break eye contact. If there weren't so many people around, he would have dragged her into a hug and started making out with her on the spot...
-'Of course we don't!' Shion shouted, breaking the mood 'No one in Tempest cares one bit!' she proudly declared. Milim looked over at her with a smile
-'Yeah, I didn't think so.' she said before turning back to Rimuru 'So you should probably stop fretting over that kind of small stuff!' she finished by drawing him into a hug, which he quickly returned. Most people in the room decided to look away until they were finished with their moment, though some- Ramiris- just continued to stare in bewilderment.
-'Okay.' he said as he drew back from her 'Thanks.' he finished with a smile; now it was Milim's turn to look embarrassed. He laughed softly and put a hand around her shoulder, then turned to her new subordinates. 'Well then, I think we should get on with the other stuff...' the two former Demon Lords, still grinning at them, nodded.
Rimuru then began going over the events that proceeded the banquet, such as how he destroyed the Falmuth army and the following summit he held with Dwargon, Thalion and Blumund and the general plan he had developed to deal with Clayman's invasion into Eurazania. Carrion was quite pleased to hear his warriors got the chance to assist and stick it to the ones who would have killed his citizens. He finished by giving them a detailed report on how the subjugation of the former Demon Lord's army went.
-'The last report from Benimaru said they had completed subjugating all the soldiers.' he said to the group 'They have been disarmed and are now set up in a temporary prison camp we set up just outside Eurazania...I guess in what's now my territory. Also, Clayman's castle is completely under my people's control; they are turning it upside down as we speak to find out any evidence they can about his plots. Hopefully they find something that leads us to his accomplice...'
-'I doubt that.' Frey said with arms crossed 'He was a fool, but not careless enough to just leave incriminating evidence just lying around. You probably won't find much...'
-'Maybe, but still, it's worth the shot. Also...' he looked over at Milim who was leaning her head on his shoulder 'I would like to hear anything you guys found out about who he was working with...' the dragonoid scrounged her face as she though
-'Nothing much.' Milim said, annoyed, as she lifted her head up 'Turdman was way to paranoid, so he never said anything too damning...at least while I was around.' she turned to Frey 'What about you, Frey?'
The harpy gave it some though 'Well, when he told me about the attack on Sir Rimuru...' hearing that, Rimuru quickly interjected
-'Ah, no please!' he said panicked, waving his hands 'Just Rimuru is fine, no need for formalities!'
Frey gave him an odd look, before nodding 'Right. When he told me about the attack on Rimuru outside Inglesia, he mentioned that his 'friend' really came through with the intel, knowing even precisely the time the 'slime' was leaving. That stood out a bit. How would he know the exact time like that?' she finished, looking at him expectedly. Rimuru brought a hand to his chin
-'Only a few people knew I was even there...I'm certain my identity was not found out by anyone I didn't want...' he pondered out loud. Not wanting to start pointing fingers when he had no evidence yet, he quickly dismissed it 'Still, a good enough spy might have ways to find out! Let's move on for now, if that's all you have...' Frey nodded in confirmation. It seemed Clayman was far more cautious with covering his tracks than Rimuru cared for. He pondered over what else they had to say, but decided they were small issues and could wait until later.
For a few more minutes, they talked about various trivia and personal things. Ramiris was quick to take the opportunity to batter them in question of how they got together, but the two tried their best to deflect them away. Eventually, Ramiris gave up, but she did have one final beef in mind
-'Ahhrrg! Now I remember! MILIM!' she shouted at the dragonoid 'You were mocking me, weren't you?!'
-'Huh? You'll need to be more specific...' Milim said with a smirk, making Ramiris even madder
-'That thing! That time when you showed up at my place a few months ago! When you were bragging about your new 'bestie'! YOU KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!' she screamed frantically while Beretta was holding her back from launching herself at Milim. The dragonoid, for her part, began snickering while looking away
-'I...I still don't know what you're talking about...HAHAHA!' then she started laughing her head off. Rimuru wanted to ask, but felt like he was better off not knowing, so he kept silent.
-'AAAAAA! Yes you DO! Stop laughing!' the fairy cried as she struggled in Beretta's hands, which only made Milim laugh even harder
-'It...it's your fault for being so freaking GULLIBLE! MWAHAHAHAHA!'
The two's antics continued like that for a bit more before they tired themselves out, while the others watched in dry amusement. Then, like nothing happened, they got right back to talking casually like nothing happen. Rimuru figured this was their way of being friends; they must really have known each other long enough to not let small stuff get to them. Finally, one of the maids came in and announced that the feast was ready. As they got to leave, Milim noticed Frey and Carrion still sitting
-'Hey, guys, let's go!' she said, but they didn't budge
-'Milim, we aren't Demon Lords anymore.' Frey said 'We will stay here for now. Call us when you're ready to leave.' Carrion nodded in agreement with a smile. Milim looked at them, the sighed, deciding not to press the issue; the two, holding hands, then went back into the main room.
The feast was, in short, absolutely incredible. The food was on a different level than what even Shuna ever made; Rimuru though that it was no wonder Milim looked so exited when they got back. The two seated themselves next to each other, ignoring the looks the others were giving them as they were more focused on each other. Veldora too was seated at the table as a guest of honor. After making sure he copied (stolen) the food to reproduce back home, Rimuru brought out a special gift he had prepared: the brandy his people were making with the fruits from Eurazania. He was planing on giving them as gifts to the Demon Lords, so this was the perfect opportunity. Everyone quickly took to the high quality liquor, though some were very quick to have to much, such as Ramiris and Dino, who quickly got drunk; Milim, Veldora and Guy, meanwhile, all downed a bottle each, looking no worse for wear.
Rimuru looked between the fairy and the supposed fallen angel, who were both piss drunk from just a few swigs. He turned to Milim, confused, and asked 'Ramiris, I get it...' he said dryly as he motioned at the red-faced, staggering idiot, but then motioned to Dino 'But isn't he supposed to be more powerful that that? How the hell is he so...' he wanted to say 'drunk', but 'totally wasted' was more appropriate...
Milim snickered at the sight 'Heh, the idiot probably turned off his poison resistance at some point...and forgot to turn it back on!' she began to laugh, and Guy, listening in to the conversation, joined in. Rimuru imagined there must have been some kind of inside joke there, but decided not to ask.
The feast lasted a few more hours, but eventually it died down. Dagruel left first, hefting a passed out Dino on his shoulder like a bag of potatoes and leaving with only a nod. Leon was next, reminding Rimuru that he would invite him over at his place at a later date. When it was just him, Milim, Guy, Veldora, Ramiris and their servants, the oldest of the Demon Lords coughed and drew their attention
-'Well, this may be a bit late, but...congratulation.' he said with a sly grin, causing them to quickly blush when they realized what he was talking about. Not caring about their state, the demon continued 'Well, it's not any of my busyness anyway. But...' he stood up with a more genuine smile 'I wish you two luck.' then he left through one of the portals he made, leaving them alone in the room.
Scratching the back of his head, Rimuru looked over at Milim 'Well, I guess it's about time we leave too...' he said, and she nodded. He got up and presented a hand for her, helping her up. He silently asked Shion to call Frey and Carrion, who came shortly after.
-'Leaving?' Carrion asked as he entered the room. Rimuru nodded
-'In that case we should go too, Milim...' Frey said, but Milim quickly cut her off
-'We are. With Rimuru. To Tempest.' she informed her. Both Rimuru and her subordinates looked at her puzzled. She grinned as she looked at the two 'Hey, don't give me that look. I'm way to freaking tired to get right into your 'ruling' crap, so I'm taking a few days break in Tempest. And you two...are coming along!' she declared. 'Especially you!' she pointed at the harpy'I did tell you before that I'd drag you to Tempest for a break, didn't I? No objections!' she said, and began dragging Rimuru away. The harpy sighed, deciding not to argue for now, and just began to follow.
-'Well, most of my people are there anyway...' Carrion said while shaking his head. The group then began making their way to a portal, when suddenly Veldora called over
-'Hey, what about her?' he said, pointing at a passed out Ramiris on the table.
Rimuru and Milim both looked at each other and shrugged, before leaving without a word. The others, even Veldora, followed suit. The fairy and her attendants would remain in the room for a few more hours before she would wake up with an epic headache.
Author Note
Just a heads up: this chapter will not be the last, I'm planing to continue this at some point, but I will take a break for a while and come back some other time. I'm not burned out or anything, I'm just not sure how to continue the story from here with; I'll try a few different things and decide on what I like best. may take a few days, a few weeks or...longer. Don't known myself, but expect a continuation...eventually.
Author Note
In case yall are wondering what Ramiris was angry about, it was that skit from Slime Diaries manga in which she tries to explain to Milim what a lover is. I for one don't really buy that Milim, in two thousand fucking years, has never heard or learned what that is; not for a second. so I interpreted it as just Milim screwing with Ramiris just because she could. We already know she's hiding a lot more of her real intelligence under a mask of childishness, so it's a pretty safe bet if you ask me.
Final Note
Anybody else really disliked Rimuru when he was all like 'no Milim, you can't drink'. because that scene was incredibly stupid, probably one of my least favorite moment with him (and I have a few...). he just comes off as an incredibly petty jerk. I hated it, and it made me consider writing a scene here where Milim gets pissed at him for it, but decided against it.
Anyways, see you all later.