Rimuru's POV

I'd been waiting in my office alone, with Sullivan. Only recently had I been able to get control of my body back from Ciel, as I needed to be the one to send them home. I also needed to create a parallel existence that could go back with them, since I had no chance of taking Aoki to another world.

I was less concerned about their safety, and more just concerned about if Aoki decided the world didn't need to exist. Not that Aoki could destroy the entire Netherworld on their own, but it would still be close without a Demon King around.

Aoki was still a baby, as well. So I needed full control over the environment they'd be brought up in.

The reason I'd decided all this was because of the boring task I had to do in Imaginary Space. At first, I wanted to watch movies, but then Ciel all but forced me to work on learning how to better use parallel processing to control our aura myself.

At first, it was grueling since my minds could not work together, but once I figured out how to use the skill properly, it became incredibly boring.

After that she had me create a bunch of low-level spells with spiritron domination, which I expected to be more interesting, but because it was just low-level holy magic for my monsters to use, instead it was a lot less interesting.

Just all the quality of life stuff that my end of holy magic lacks since I haven't had thousands of years to invent spells like Luminous.

So a cleansing spell? Nope, didn't have a spell to clean yourself.

I'm a slime, who would need that?

As it turns out, lots of people and monsters need that.

Coming up with it was boring, and that was just the first thing Ciel put on my to-do list.

"Rimuru, I made cookies!" Iruma burst into the room with a tray in his hands. He didn't knock, but I didn't care. The doors were still intact, unlike when some others barged into my office like that.

Opera followed in behind him holding a tub rather than a tray. Full of ice cream, it seemed.

Iruma set the tray on my mostly cleared desk and I took a closer look.

Misshapen and burnt, but still cookies. Chocolate chip ones, I thought, but it was kinda hard to tell at first glance.

"Did you make these yourself?"

"Yeah, it was my first time! You should try one!" Iruma said excitedly.

That explains why they look so odd…

I'd eaten much worse many times so I just smiled and took a bite out of one. Immediately I got the dull taste of flour, and a moment later the excessive amount of sugar. It ended up tasting more like pound cake, but much drier. I couldn't really taste the chocolate since it was overcooked.

It wasn't that bad. These were normal human mistakes when baking, nothing compared to some of the monstrosities Shion had delivered to me with a smile in the past.

Should I say what's wrong with them?

"I know they're not perfect, but I tried my best." Iruma sheepishly admitted.

"You used double the amount of flour you needed, and three times the sugar. You also kept them baking for a few more minutes than you should've. Otherwise, they're fine."

"You could tell all that from just a bite?"

"Yup. I know my desserts."

"I made something called 'vanilla ice cream' to go along with them," Opera said while setting the tub of homemade ice cream next to the cookies.

But before I could even say anything, Aoki walked in the open door, riding on Velzard's shoulders. Aoki also had a platter of cookies, holding it on top of Velzard's head, surprisingly.

How is Velzard allowing this? Why does she look so happy?! It was a disturbing sight that set off alarm bells in my head.

"Hello Ba-Little Brother." She stuttered at the word 'baby', I suppose now that I had a kid she couldn't call me that to my face.

"Hello, Velzard. Did Aoki behave?"

"They exceeded my expectations."

"I made these," Aoki said as they set their platter next to Iruma's.

Perfectly round and also chocolate chip, these cookies appeared a lot more appetizing than the other ones. It seemed like Aoki outdid the teen, but Iruma didn't seem too upset about it.

I picked one up and took a bite.

Wow. It's perfect!

Still warm too, the chocolate chips all melty and gooey just like they should be.

"Good job!" I praised Aoki, flashing them a smile. "Why don't we all share these together? These and the ice cream."

"Yeah, Aoki's cookies look so much better so I want to try one if I can," Iruma said.

"I'll gladly take one," Velzard said.

"Thank you," said Opera.

It seemed Aoki was feeling quite a bit, and I was pleasantly surprised by it. It was mostly my praise, but it was progress. Still not the amount of expressiveness Ciel had though, and I couldn't expect it either.

By quite a bit, I meant Aoki for a moment smiled, even if it was quickly overtaken by a blank stare toward me again. "Can I sit on Rimuru?"

"No."

Aoki surprised me again, with a momentary frown. "I made you happy."

"Yes you did, but that doesn't mean I can go back on your punishment."

Instead, Aoki frowned for longer, for a moment, then went and sat on Velzard's lap instead.

Velzard seemed to be rather glad about this outcome. "So then, Rimuru, have you asked Aoki about the gender of their choosing? It may be a necessary question before they are public."

"I wasn't planning on pushing the issue."

"You don't need to if you don't wish to. I simply thought you'd not like it if others began to assume."

"Monsters in Tempest wouldn't 'assume', but I'm guessing you mean the humans living here and in other countries, right?"

"Exactly."

"Aoki? Is this something you've been thinking about? If you don't want to, that's fine, but if you want to choose to be a boy or girl, you can. Now or later."

"I will be a girl."

I was stunned for a moment by the suddenness of it.

Aoki must've been thinking about it since we talked about pronouns, and what exactly gender is to humans.

"Well, what makes you so sure? I won't question it, but I do want to know your reasons." It was a little sudden, so I just wanted to be reassured by Aoki, mostly.

"Girl is better. Beings will bother me less, and I can use it to manipulate their choices more easily."

Not exactly the most innocent reasons…

I sighed. "It's fine then, you can be a girl. Just remember, people. Call monsters, humans, and anything sentient, a person. Please." She'd fallen into referring to other sentient creatures something else again.

"I understand, Mother."

Velzard chuckled lightly at all of this and part of me suspected she influenced Aoki's decision somewhat.

"I wonder if she said that 'cause you said Ciel always wins arguments against you…" Iruma proposed another, equally irritating idea.

"Please don't go there, Iruma…"

"Ohoho, yes, why don't we move on." Sullivan finally entered the conversation and patted Iruma on the shoulder.

"Hehe, sorry… I wasn't trying to say anything rude."

"Talking about moving on, I think it's about time we depart. Do you have all your stuff packed and ready to go?"

"Yeah, I got it all ready last night."

Opera prepared a small plate of cookies and ice cream for each person in the room before, even more quickly, putting everything else in a spatial storage bag. "We are all ready then. We can go now." Opera glanced at Velzard quickly.

"How are you feeling after all of that training? You probably stand a lot more of a chance against Babyls' other students now."

"Better, but I'm not completely confident with my new skills yet. Miss Hinata helped me, but I still have stuff I need to practice."

"Well, you'll have time to work on them, for sure. With or without me."

"Huh?"

"I mean, now that you're stronger, you might not need me to protect you as much. It's up to you whether I go back with you or not."

"Of course I want you to come back to the Netherworld with me!"

"Are you sure? After all the stuff you've learned about me and my world?"

And after seeing how other True Dragons can be.

"I'm sure."

"I want you back as well, especially after seeing more of your country. You make a fine mentor for the boy, and he still has plenty to learn."

"Okay then. I'll make an extra body and we can leave."

"Wait. Really? Taking care of Aoki really won't be a problem while you're in the Netherworld?"

"Ciel made sure of that." I thought for a moment, and then was able to produce a parallel existence, standing next to me. I did it on my own. However, what I wasn't expecting was a third me standing in the room.

At first, I thought I made a mistake, but then I saw the red eyes and realized that it was Ciel. "I'm just here to send them off, even if I'll be in your mind."

"Okay, Iruma, pick one." both of 'me' say in unison.

"What!?"

"Pick which Rimuru you want to follow you to the Netherworld."

Iruma's indecisive, panicked eyes darting between both of my bodies were pretty funny to see.

"Umm… you, I guess. There's no difference, so it doesn't matter."

"Good choice. Let's leave, then." I said. He actually picked the one that was me, as in my current perspective.

I got up and gave Ciel a hug, and then walked over to Velzard to give Aoki a hug as well. Then I gave a small comment to Velzard. "My memories will be shared once a week, so you'll see this me that often."

"Are you saying I can come to Tempest once a week?" Velzard smiled mischievously.

"Uh… Well, you get the idea." I decided not to prod that land mine, then walked over to the other side of the room to make a doorway to be our portal.

The stone door opened up right away, and I was quick to step through, before realizing I wasn't followed by anyone but Opera. So I poked my head back through. "What are you guys waiting for, come on back."

After a small verbal push from me, Sullivan and Iruma followed as well, and I closed the door behind us.

Velzard's POV

Rimuru's other body was already across space and time, somewhere isolated from us. I could follow him if I wanted, but there was no need at the moment. I was still holding my darling niece.

She had made the perfect choice for her gender, and I thoroughly enjoyed that her reasons echoed mine well.

I didn't have long to bask in it though, as the reason I had come back to Rimuru was standing in the room. "So, you knew I wanted to speak with you, Ciel?"

Rimuru was cutely shocked for a moment. "Hey, Ciel, if that's true, you were doing a white lie again. You could've been honest if you just wanted to talk to my sister."

"It brought you and her no harm." Ciel gave a sly smile of her own.

It at least framed the times I'd heard Ciel lie to Rimuru well, I suppose if it brought no harm, she saw no folly in it. "Rimuru, you should give Aoki what she wants. I'm sure just holding her for an hour wouldn't cause any trouble."

"I don-"

"Me and Ciel need to have a private conversation, so it would be for the best." I needed to be stern with him, because right at the moment. I needed to unravel all Ciel had misled me with prior.

I also needed to understand some of Aoki's more curious abilities.

Rimuru sighed loudly. "Alright." He seemed at least a little happy to hold Aoki again, though. "Aoki, come here. I can call you my little girl now, right?"

"I don't mind." Aoki hopped off of my lap and ran over to Rimuru.

"Do you have any other reasons you chose to be a girl?"

"Yes. I appear more similar to them."

"Ah. Yeah, that makes sense." Rimuru lifted her into his arms before patting her head.

It seemed Aoki spent quite some time just tightly holding onto Rimuru, in an almost trance-like state. It must have been a quality of slimes.

I disregarded that for the moment and turned to Ciel. "Shall we discuss it then?"

"Yes." With my consent, we were both transported to another room in Rimuru's palace, and an anti-perception barrier was erected around us. "You wish to know more about Aoki's creation?"

"You misled me about the dragon factor fragment she possesses, while it is true it is weakened, it isn't entirely dysfunctional. I saw her use Dragonoid Magic, even if it was unsuccessful."

"I did not imply it was dysfunctional when I said it was weakened."

I growled. "It is just information, and we both know that. But you still didn't take a piece of Rimuru's in making it, at least not entirely. It is hers, and that is not acceptable."

"It seemed disrespectful to perfectly copy Darling's dragon factor. Additionally, I did not make the present changes, I simply made it unstable. The rest were changes made by her." Ciel seemed very smug despite her expressionless face.

"Fine. I just can't tell what exactly they'll do…"

"Ara? The mighty White Ice Dragon can't figure out that much? The simple thoughts of a child should be nothing to you."

The temperature in the room dropped a hundred degrees in an instant, even if the barrier contained the leak of my aura. "Do not disrespect me, Manas."

"Fine fine, you aren't saying our child is a danger, so I will not concern myself with it. You just want to know the rest, right?" Ciel was intentionally speaking more than she would normally, likely to ease my thoughts.

"Yes." I had a variety of reasons for wanting to know how exactly Aoki was created, and it was important.

It would give me insight into how Aoki would develop, and if need be, I could take advantage of that information. I didn't particularly want to, but it may become necessary.

Additionally, if I ever needed that information for personal reasons, I could employ it in such as well.

"Fine. Perhaps the most important part was not simply bathing Aoki's previous form in our magicules, but instead, choosing the right candidate. I've come to believe that without Aoki's strong will, she would not have survived the process. Additionally, because naming any creature as a child will increase the magicule output of the process substantially, as you saw, precautions must be put in place."

"There is something else."

"Dragon Aspect. Without it, our magicules would have torn the poor little slime apart. That is to say nothing of Null energy."

"So that is what it is called?"

"It is a simple resistance, and ability to integrate the energies under the domain of the parent. However, it could potentially evolve into a full dragon factor. I simply made it so Aoki's would take a number of centuries to do so, at least without my own intervention."

"At least you have some sense."

"Watch your mouth. I am not to be disrespected either."

"I will. Simply tell me the rest."

"You shouldn't just bathe them in the magicules of your aura. You must also grant them small pieces of your soul, and bathe them directly in the magicules released from it. This part would be easier with a partner, but I had to make do with artificial pieces and skills derived from my former iterations."

"So that's the catch. It does explain why Aoki truly is Rimuru's child, in soul as well. She is no simple magic-born." I closed my eyes to consider the implications.

The method Ciel just outlined should be incredibly safe, at least by the standards of a true dragon. That didn't mean transplanting pieces of a soul was without risk, or the process of naming something as a child.

It was simply far safer than the method my big brother had used.

"That is all I needed to know." I made extra sure to pull in the last of my aura that had been leaked earlier.

"Good, that was the last thing I was going to say. You could not employ the containers I used even if you wanted to, so the rest you would need to figure out on your own, if you want to replicate it."

"I don't. Just because Rimuru is rash doesn't mean it has rubbed off on me."

"Mhm." Ciel disappeared into the air, and the anti-perception barrier disappeared the moment my aura was sealed.

I sat there for some time considering the possibilities. Particularly, with Aoki being a true child of Rimuru, it meant a lot. She did not perfectly reflect Rimuru's sensibilities, so if she were to become violent, it is likely only Rimuru could stop her.

This would be far in the future of course. So I did not need to worry about it, instead. My focus would be ensuring Aoki is tempered in manner.