Author's Note: I know I said this would be a longer chapter due to more free time this week, but I kept changing my mind on the direction I wanted to go with it. Five different versions, that's how many I came up with because I'm horribly indecisive. That's why this chapter isn't larger so sorry for any disappointment.

Staying and Leaving

Iruma POV

I lay on my bed, thinking about my future. What I decide to do will greatly affect my life, so I need to think this through. I'm still scared about getting eaten, but I have someone to protect me from that fate; Rimuru. But can I trust this person? Can I trust any of these demons? That's the question. I've started having doubts recently, and what's reality greatly affects my decision whether to leave or stay.

If I did return to the human world, how would my life be? I wouldn't remember anyone I've met here or any of the things I've accomplished and endured. I would go back to being a loner, an outcast, and a slave to my parents, at least until I'm an adult. The worry of being eaten would be gone, but that doesn't necessarily mean I'd be safe. I was put in a lot of dangerous situations throughout my life before being adopted by Sullivan, some of them potentially deadly. I didn't know when my next meal would be a lot of the time, the jobs I did were risky and difficult, and I was taken advantage of by anyone I knew. That's how my life was with my parents; a constant struggle.

So, how is the danger I face here any different? If I was constantly in danger before and now, there's no reason for me to go back, right? Even with the danger, there are a lot of good things that I never experienced before being adopted, so strictly weighing costs and benefits, staying here is better than leaving. But, with my growing doubts about my friends, is it worth it?

When you don't trust anyone, nobody can break your trust.

Betrayal is a possibility that doesn't exist when you aren't close to anyone, so would wiping my memories and returning be a better option? It's not like I would remember any of the nice things I experienced, so there won't be any regrets involved in that choice.

Yes, this decision rests on whether I can trust the people around me, so I need to think this through carefully.

The subjects of my worries are the demons I've been living and going to school with. I've had my doubts about them for a while now, so I need to consider their actions from an objective viewpoint. An emotionally charged decision isn't something I should make for something this serious, so I need to stay calm and rational.

Grandpa is overprotective and a little nosy, but has spoiled me and loved me in a way I never experienced with my parents. I still don't understand why he adopted me, but he hasn't given me any reason not to trust him.

Opera doesn't show his emotions much, but I can tell he wants me to be happy. He helped me prepare for that exam and has given me advice about the Netherworld on multiple occasions. He's the one who let me know that leaving the Netherworld is possible for high-ranked demons, opening the possibility of returning early on and giving me a goal to strive for.

Azz is too eager to please me, but it comes from a good place. He was scary at first, and he isn't exactly inviting and kind to other people outside our friend group, but he sticks by my side no matter what and is now a close friend who looks out for me. When he pledged his 'eternal allegiance', as he puts it, I was confused and worried that he was faking it, but he's never strayed from that attitude. I still don't know what he'd do if he found out what I was, but that shouldn't make me doubt him right now.

Clara has more energy than she knows what to do with, but she's fun and cheerful, always putting a smile on my face when I spend time with her. She's clingy, but that's understandable considering her past. I don't mind that part about her though, since it shows how close our friendship has become.

Ameri was cold and scary at first but quickly warmed up to me, showing her softer side that she seems to hide when around others. I love reading manga to her and the concert we attended recently was so much fun, even if the second half didn't go to plan. She also comforted me after what happened with Kiriwo, which was something I needed.

And lastly, Rimuru. Her motives are the thing that's been bothering me the most; I need to think about who Rimuru is as a person so I can understand those. I only have what she's told me and what I've seen her do to work off of, but I still need to try. This is the only way I can get over this uncertainty that is making me doubt her specifically. It's the main problem I'm having right now.

Rimuru is a monster and a Demon Lord; those are facts. When you think about creatures like that, at least when it comes to fiction back in the human world, those are typically the antagonists. Evil, nasty, and violent are words associated with those types of characters. Rimuru shows hints of this but is also very kind at times too.

Even among the people she came with, she seems to be the most peaceful, with Veldora calling her 'too soft' and commenting on how gentle she is with her opponents. True anger isn't something she shows often; she does get irritated and annoyed at times, but she typically avoids outright violence as a reaction. Also, when Rimuru has resorted to violence, she's held back significantly, from what I can tell. She doesn't want to hurt anyone badly, even if her opponent just attempted to kill others, like with Kiriwo.

Is violence something typical of monsters? Is that type of reaction something instinctual for them maybe? That would make sense based on my prior knowledge about them.

Rimuru's talked about having a hard time trying to get humans to trust monsters in the past. Those people must've had some kind of reason for that distrust and it would make sense if monsters are typically violent and destructive creatures.

Knowing Rimuru is a former human, and assuming that monsters have violent urges that drive them towards evil and destructive behavior, that solves the mystery of the duality she shows. Despite her claims that she's let go of her humanity, I don't think that's true. Rimuru thinks like a human but is plagued by monstrous drives and emotions. Her reactions are twisted by what she is now, but she keeps her behavior in check due to her past life's experiences as a human.

Nature and nurture conflict in her mind, with nature being from her current body and life and nurture from her past one.

There's no plotting or manipulation or lying involved. She's not hiding who she is, at least not on purpose. This, along with an objective view of her actions lets me conclude that trusting her is something that I can do. She's not like Kiriwo, she's not a bad person.

Even though they're demons, they've shown me more love than any human ever has. Azz, Clara, Ameri, Grandpa, Opera, and many others. Rimuru too, of course. All of them care about me.

Why have I let myself question all these people that have grown close when all they've done was help me? Why have I let lingering doubts fester inside me? Where did all this negativity come from?

Kiriwo.

These doubts all started haunting my mind after he betrayed me; that's right. I've always been a nervous and cautious person, but never paranoid of the people around me and their intentions. Since arriving in the Netherworld, I've been on edge about the demons finding out I'm human, but I haven't been doubting their intentions for befriending me until after what happened with Kiriwo.

Yes, I'm still letting that creep hurt me, even now. I'm letting him get the satisfaction of making me suffer; not anymore though. I'm not gonna let him hurt me any longer! I'm not gonna let him try to take my friends away from me again; I've decided.

It's all so clear now! So clear that I don't understand why I didn't figure this out sooner!

I want to stay in the Netherworld. I want to stay with my friends and family.

Finally having decided on what I want to do, I feel relief and calm that I haven't had in a while. A weight's been lifted off my shoulders; that's the best way I can describe it.

*knock*

I hear someone knocking on my bedroom door, so I call out to invite them in. I have an idea of who it might be since she said we'd talk tonight about the exact thing I've been agonizing over.

"Hi, Iruma. How're you doing?" Rimuru asks, with hints of uncertainty and worry in her golden eyes.

There's something wrong, I can tell. I'm not exactly sure what's troubling a strong person like Rimuru, but something is definitely weighing on her.

Is she upset by the possibility of me leaving?

"I'm good. Are you here to talk about what happened earlier?" I ask.

"Yes, before we talk about that, I need to apologize for something. I should've offered this a long time ago, but I thought it was pointless since your parents treated you so badly." Rimuru responds with eyes full of regret.

"Offer…what?" I ask, not sure what she's talking about. Leaving and staying are the only two options for me, so what could she possibly add to that decision?

"Well, if you decide to leave the way the authorities here want you to, you won't remember anything. I can take you back to earth personally, and if you want, I'll leave your memories intact."

She could take me back this entire time?

Before I can respond, she continues.

"Or…if your parents are the problem…I can let you stay with my previous self…the one I told you I resurrected, remember?… Satoru's hopeless when it comes to women, but he's hardworking and kind…I'm sure I could convince him to take you in…" she says, seemingly having a hard time getting her words out.

"Rimuru, I…" I try to respond but am interrupted. It's almost like she's fully focused on what she's saying and is blocking out my response. She's not making eye contact, staring at the floor with a troubled expression as she speaks.

"Or I could let you live in Tempest…with me…I'm sure my people would love to meet you…you would be safe there…I promise…" she continues, her words struggling to come out.

I'm shocked, having never seen Rimuru like this. She had a hard time reminiscing about when she first became a Demon Lord, but when it comes to current problems, she doesn't react like this.

She opens her mouth again, probably about to continue with her desperate attempt to right her wrong of keeping the possibility of me returning for too long. I need to stop her, since I've already decided, and making her wait any longer for a response would be cruel.

"Rimuru, stop! I don't want to leave!" I say, interrupting Rimuru.

The pained expression on her face fades almost immediately and she looks me in the eyes, looking surprised and relieved.

"…you…don't..?" she asks.

"No, I've decided to stay!" I reassure her.

She then smiles at me, acting much more normally.

"Heh, why didn't you stop me earlier, then? That's not nice, y'know…" Rimuru complains half-jokingly.

"I'm just getting back at you for all those times you weren't so nice yourself. You can be kinda mean, Rimuru." I retort in an equally snarky tone to help lighten the mood.

"Yeah, sorry about that. I know I can be a bit of an ass, but I do care about you, Iruma. You're a good kid, and I've enjoyed spending time with you here. I never had the chance to have a kid of my own in my past life, and that's no longer a possibility for me as a slime, so watching you grow and learn over the last few months has helped temporarily fill that hole in my life, in a way." Rimuru says as she looks me in the eyes and gives me a warm smile. A real smile.

"…a hole?" I ask, taken aback by what she's saying.

"Heh, yeah, I know that's a strange way of putting it, but that's all I can come up with to describe how I'm feeling. I guess a parent and child dynamic isn't exactly what we have, but still. I've always had a soft spot for kids, and it's been a while since I've been able to watch any mature and grow as people. The last time I had an experience like this was when I used to be a teacher, even if it was only briefly."

"Wait…you were a teacher?!" I exclaim, surprised.

I can't imagine Rimuru doing something like that…with her sense of humor, I can only imagine what she did to her students…

"Hey, don't look so surprised! It was only for one term, but I was a teacher." Rimuru complains.

"Those poor kids…" I joke.

"Hey! Don't say that!" Rimuru complains in a not-so-serious tone, more amused than annoyed. "I was a good teacher…I think…even if I wasn't the best, I saved those kids' lives. That was my real objective back then."

"So this isn't the first time you've saved children from bad situations?"

"That's right, although their situation was much more dire than yours. There's still a chance that you'd make it here without me, but those five were facing imminent death."

'Imminent death'?!

"What? They were going to die? Why?"

"It's a long story, but I'll give you a shortened version. They used to be the students of a now passed friend of mine. I took on her goal of saving their lives, so I became their teacher as a front to be near them. Back then, it wasn't normal for a monster to stroll into a human country, so that was my cover. All five were what you'd call 'failed summons', ripped away from their worlds and left to die by horrible people performing forbidden magic."

"I don't understand…why were they gonna die from being summoned?"

"Well, when someone is summoned in the way they were, their bodies take in a bunch of energy. This is very dangerous for children, though, since they can't handle the load of that energy for various reasons. They end up dying from it within a few years without intervention. Without going into more detail, I stepped in and discovered a way to save them from that fate, and the rest's history."

"Can I…meet these kids?"

"I guess…but they're not kids anymore. It's been a few decades since then, so they're full-grown adults at this point."

"Still…I'm curious about them. Just like me, they were dragged into another world and put into danger." I say.

I also want to hear about Rimuru as a teacher, since I think those students would have some funny stories.

"You do? Well, I can at least let you talk with one of them. I've unfortunately lost contact with the rest as we all moved on with our lives, but one has stuck around. Her name's Chloe."

"Does she live in your country?"

"Yeah, she does. So if you want to talk to her, we'll have to pay Tempest a visit. It's about time I go there anyway, even if I left a copy of myself behind."

Now I'm getting excited. I've been curious about Rimuru's country for a while, so getting to go there myself is perfect!

"When can we go?" I ask enthusiastically.

"I guess we could leave soon, as long as Sullivan is okay with the trip…oh, and we need to tell that Azazel guy your answer! Want me to tell him for you? It'll be quicker that way, I think. Unless you're dying to speak with him again, I'll take care of it for you."

"Go ahead…he was kinda scary…"

Yeah, even though he was nice enough to offer me a way to leave, Mr. Azazel is still an intimidating guy. I'd rather have Rimuru deal with this, especially since she offered without me even needing to ask first. I guess I did show her that I was terrified of him earlier, so it makes sense why she'd think to do that. Just another way Rimuru's looking out for me, and another example of her kindness.

"Haha, sure! I'll be right back, I'm gonna pay him a little visit." She says before disappearing.

Rimuru POV

That's a relief!

I'm happy that Iruma's sorted out his feelings without me needing to step in. Even better, he's decided to stay in the Netherworld too.

I'm surprised by how worked up I got considering I haven't known him for very long. I felt like a mistake I made would result in me losing someone again. That's one of the few things that get under my skin to that degree. But, it seems like I was overreacting, since he decided to stay regardless. I'll have to be careful, though, since I feel that if I make any more mistakes and break his trust in me, he might change his mind. I could just be worrying too much, though.

But, back to the matter at hand; I need to talk with Henri Azazel about Iruma's decision. I don't think he'll break his word on respecting the boy's decisions, but I once again need to prepare for the worst.

So, using universal detect, I spread my senses out until they cover a much larger range than I like to use. It's mentally exhausting to keep up, but I shouldn't need to do this for very long to pinpoint the location of the man, especially if I have Ciel's help.

Did you find him, Ciel?

[[Yes, Master. I have located him within a moderately-sized building.]]

Anybody else there with him?

[[No, he is alone.]]

I was half-expecting Ameri to be there, but then I remembered that she stays in the student dorms during the school year. I can't help but wonder where her mother is, but that's not important.

It's getting late, being after dinnertime, but I need to talk with him. I teleport out of the mansion and to the front doorstep of Henri Azazel's residence and politely knock on the door.

After waiting a minute, he answers, looking the same as he did last time we met. I expected him to be dressed more casually, you know, like a normal person does when at home lounging around, but he's still wearing a suit. It's funny, in a way. There wasn't enough time for him to change into that thing in between my knocking and his answering either, so I know he just wears that thing around the house for whatever reason.

Henri Azazel POV

It's late and I am preparing to turn in for the night when I oddly hear a knock on my door.

Who could be showing up on my doorstep at this hour?!

I open it to find someone that I don't feel like talking to very much, but I am fairly sure I know her reason for being here. It's Rimuru Tempest, the oddball Demon Lord that lives with that human whose case I've been working on. After meeting with the two of them earlier today and offering to help Iruma leave the Netherworld and return to where he belongs, I've been awaiting a reply. I didn't expect it to show up on my doorstep at night, though.

"Hello! I need to talk to you about what Iruma's decided to do, is now okay? I know it's kinda late, so if you want me to come back tomorrow, I'm fine with that."

"Now is fine; come in," I say, trying to hide my reluctance.

"This will be quick, so I don't think I need to do that unless you have more to talk about."

"If you wish to talk here, that is fine with me."

Why couldn't this wait until tomorrow? How obnoxious…

As I said, I'm not thrilled about meeting with this individual, but I might as well take care of business as soon as possible. She possesses an unknown level of power, making her a threat to everyone here in the Netherworld. Despite this, without provocation, I don't believe she will take any action that will endanger anyone, at least not intentionally. To be prudent, though, I have tasked my daughter with keeping an eye on her to a certain degree. Nothing of much note has been reported, though, with Ameri simply being irritated by Rimuru's various antics while assisting the Student Council at Babyls.

"So, I talked with Iruma and he says he wants to stay here in the Netherworld. He's refused your offer, at least for now." She explains.

"Is that so? Well, that makes my job more difficult…"

"Well, sorry about that, but you promised not to force him into leaving," Rimuru says in a casual tone. "I expect you to hold to that promise, too, let me make that crystal clear." She continues, now sounding more serious.

"You have nothing to be concerned about. I will keep that promise, I assure you."

"Good." She says with a nod of her head. "Well, as I pointed out earlier, it's late. I just came to relay the message in person, so I better get going; you have a good night now."

With that, the strange girl leaves.

**The Next Day**

Iruma POV

It's now the weekend, so no school. I still wake up at the same time, though, since I'm in the habit. As soon as I step out of my bedroom, the door across from mine opens. Rimuru steps out, looking like she wants to talk about something.

"Good morning, Iruma."

"Good morning!"

"We should probably ask if I can take you with me to Tempest. Since you can't miss school, we should probably leave today."

"Yeah, let's go ask."

Together, we head downstairs to talk with Grandpa. I'm worried he'll say no since he's so protective of me, but since he trusts Rimuru, I'm hoping that he'll be okay with it.

"Good morning, Sullivan. Iruma and I need to ask you about something."

"Oh? What is it?" Grandpa asks.

"I'm wanting to visit my home, is it okay if Iruma comes with me?" Rimuru asks.

"Do you mean the country you rule over?"

"Yes, I think it's about time I spend a few days there to check on things. Iruma wants to go, but I thought I should check with you first."

"Are there…others of your species there?" Opera asks hesitantly from a nearby doorway.

"There'll be lots of monsters there, but like me specifically?... Well… uuuuhhh…not exactly…I'm what's called a 'unique monster'. All the other slimes in my world aren't sentient or intelligent, so I don't really consider them the same as me. They do wander around my country, eating trash and cleaning up messes of their own volition, though. The other slimes resemble my true form at first glance, but they can't talk or take a human form or anything like that like I can."

"So they're like any other non-sentient magic beast?" Opera asks.

"Yes, essentially. They're pretty much the weakest type too, which makes me a huge outlier among them. They used to be considered as nothing but food for other monsters, but…well…" Rimuru continues, now sounding hesitant.

"That stopped when you came along, right?"

"Uh…yeah it did… it's an unofficially banned practice to eat slimes in my country, for obvious reasons…" Her eyes go wide mid-sentence but she tries to smile to hide how she's actually feeling. She looks like she might be sick or something, an expression I pretty much never see from her.

"Are you okay? You look like you're not feeling well, Rimuru!"

"I-I'm fine…just reliving a disturbing m-memory…that's all…don't w-worry about me…" Rimuru says, her voice quivering.

I think this is one of the first times I've seen Rimuru actually scared by something. I wonder what happened?

"Are you sure? Why don't you tell me about it, my precious grandchild?" Grandpa asks, looking concerned for Rimuru's wellbeing as she stands there visibly shivering. After a moment and a few deep breaths, Rimuru regains her composure and explains.

"A long time ago, some of my friends were talking about how delicious slimes were, and the different ways they like to eat them. Right in front of me. They were just messing with me, but I ended up bolting away from them in fear and hiding from everyone for the rest of the day, terrified for my life. I was a lot more vulnerable back then, and the thought of my friends turning on me at any moment and trying to eat me without warning was a bit traumatizing at the time…"

Sounds familiar…maybe that's part of the reason that Rimuru empathizes with me so much?

"So you were afraid of being eaten by your friends? That's pretty relatable, for me at least. Sorry, you went through that." I say, trying to comfort her.

"Heh, I guess you would understand perfectly, wouldn't you, Iruma? It's all in the past though, now I know they would've never done that to me, even back then. But, back to what we were trying to talk about, is it okay if Iruma goes?"

"That should be fine, but I would like to go with you."

"That's fine with me," Rimuru replies.

"Do you want to go too, Opera?" Grandpa asks.

"I will pass on this one if that is alright with you, Sir." Opera replies.

"Sure, I have no problem with that."

"Does later today work for you?"

"I don't see why not."

"Alright, it's decided then. We should probably get ready to leave right away, so pack your bags boys! We're heading to Tempest!"