The People of Tempest

Rimuru POV

Geez…that meeting took forever!

I've just finished a multiple-hour-long meeting about what's happened since I left, along with a large stack of paperwork I had to finish. Some new projects have sprung up in my absence and needed my direct approval before starting. That meeting was grueling but necessary, I've already slacked for the last few months so I have no excuse to avoid something like that.

So, now that that's all taken care of, I need to fetch Iruma. He was curious about how I brought all these folks together under one banner, so I had their respective leaders stick around after the meeting so he can talk with them. He's been with Gobta for most of the day today, so I hope he's had fun with him. Gobta's a fun guy, so I'm sure he has. Let's just pray that they haven't gotten Iruma into any trouble…nah, Gobta's a full-grown adult! He knows better than to do something too stupid! Plus, with the offer of going to see the 'Butterflies' in Dwargon, I'm sure he's kept himself in check.

So, I use my universal detect to track him down and teleport nearby. I find him still with Gobta (thankfully), but he looks a bit different than before. It seems Gobta's taken him shopping in one of the touristy areas of town since the boy's loaded up with 'Tempest Merch', a hat, a t-shirt, a freakin' plush version of my slime form (which I can't help but feel embarrassed about), among other things. Seems like Gobta's been generous with him, buying all that for Iruma; the kid looks pretty happy too, grinning from ear to ear.

"Hey, did you have fun, Iruma?"

Iruma turns around in surprise before enthusiastically nodding his head, still smiling brightly.

"Yes, I did! There are so many cool places and delicious foods here!"

"Good job Gobta! It seems like you've done good today." I praise him since he did his job well as far as I can tell.

As Iruma excitedly recounts what he's done today, Gobta just stands there smugly grinning, looking satisfied with himself. Some people nearby are looking at Gobta with awe, probably partially due to me publicly praising him and also since he's become fairly popular from being one of my 'Big Four'. I've heard people say he's 'handsome' or 'dashing' when he's confident, but I'll never see that when it comes to this doof. All I see is the dopey little goblin I met all those years ago. On the inside he's changed, but on the outside? Nah, not one bit. Sorry to break it to you man, but that's the truth!

After Iruma tells me all about his day, I lead him back to the meeting hall, leaving Gobta behind. I'll meet up with him later after Iruma's settled in for the night in his guest room. It's not like I can take Iruma with me to a bar, the kid's way too young for that! What? You're saying when I first went there I was only a few months old?! Shut up! That's an entirely different situation! Plus, I couldn't even get drunk back then anyway, so who cares how old I was ?... that isn't the problem, huh? The scantily clad girls aren't an issue either, since I don't have a desire to do 'stuff' with women anymore, even beautiful elves. They're sure nice to look at, but nothing more since a certain someone won't let me have a sex drive or the parts piloted by one!

[[Hmph.]]

Yeah, I'm talking about you, Ciel! You c**k-blocking yandere of a manas!

[[It is for your own good, Master. I cannot have any evil women seducing you with their charms.]]

Whatever…

I've accepted that I've lost my manhood, but that doesn't mean I don't miss it sometimes. I still enjoy being pressed against a chest or looking at a pretty woman, but it's not the same! Even when compared to my first few years as a slime, my enjoyment of stuff like that has diminished greatly, and it sucks!

Iruma POV

Rimuru's finally come to get me after a good few hours spent in a meeting. At first, she seemed happy, especially when I recounted what I got to do today, but now she seems sullen. Something's bothering her, but I'm not sure what.

"Did something go wrong in that important meeting you just had?"

It takes a moment for her to respond since she was just distracted by her thoughts a moment ago.

"…Huh? Oh, no…nothing like that…hehe…" Rimuru says, changing her troubled expression to a warm smile.

Before I get the chance to question Rimuru further, we reach our destination. The meeting room is packed with an assortment of monsters.

"Alright, guys, can you please tell Iruma here the stories of how I met you and you're people. He's curious about Tempest's history and I thought having you all explain from your perspectives would be the best way for him to learn." Rimuru says as she sits down at the head of the table, with me sitting in an open seat nearby.

They all answer with phrases like 'yes sir' and 'yes My Lord', looking pleased to talk about it.

"Let's start in chronological order, shall we?" A large hobgoblin man says. His smile looks a little scary but based on his tone I don't think it's intentional.

"Yeah, go ahead and start us off Rigurd," Rimuru says to the man.

Just as the man is about to begin, he's interrupted.

"Lord Rimuru?" Shuna asks, poking her head in the door to the meeting room.

"Yeah? Do you need something?" Rimuru responds.

"Could you please come with me to try on those outfits? You promised, remember?" Shuna says with a smile on her face. Her smile is the opposite of Rigurd's, looking sweet at first glance but holding a scary, intimidating feeling behind it. Rimuru seems to feel the pressure too since their relaxed expression was replaced with a nervous one after Shuna arrived.

"Sorry, Iruma, but I need to leave again. Have them tell me when you're all done and I'll see you again afterward, okay?"

"Yeah, no problem. Gobta was nice so I'm sure these people are too."

Rimuru smiles at me before standing up, looking somewhat reluctant to do so.

"Duty calls...hehe...I guess I'll leave it all to you guys." Rimuru says with a forced smile while shuffling out of the room, leaving me with all these people I don't know.

"Shouldn't I, the Great Storm Dragon Veldora Tempest start off this tale!?" Veldora shouts as he bursts through the doorway, nearly snapping the door off its hinges and causing it to slam against the wall next to it. Once again, poor Rigurd is stopped before he could even start speaking.

The man who happens to be a dragon and Rimuru's brother looks a little worse off than usual, his exposed top half covered in large bruises and scrapes. I know the guy's tough, so I don't know what could've caused him to get injured to that degree. I remember that he was reluctant to come back here, so maybe this is why? I heard Rimuru mention someone called Velgrynd before we left, so maybe they did this to him? I'm not sure, but seeing him in this state, I can't help but feel bad for Veldora. He must've taken quite the beating to end up like this since I know he's incredibly strong, being able to take hard hits from Rimuru, a person who can send someone flying with a simple flick of her fingers.

"Certainly, Lord Veldora. If you wish to start the recount of our experiences meeting Lord Rimuru, I don't mind at all." Rigurd says respectfully to Veldora, showing a similar formality with him as he did with Rimuru.

"Alright, child, you're in for quite the tale! I, the Great Storm Dragon, was sealed in a cave for 300 years because of an…accident…I was so bored! That's when our buddy Rimuru appeared! That crazy little blob blindly slammed into me without hesitation, which was the first entertainment I'd had in a while! So, I talked to the little slime sitting in front of me, hoping to gain a new conversation partner, but I got something even better! The poor guy couldn't even see, so I helped him, and then he said the craziest thing. He's a reincarnated otherworlder and former human! I'd never heard of such a thing, which made me even more interested in this strange little blue ball of jelly. We talked for a while, sharing our stories before he decided he wanted to leave. I was sad since I'd finally had a friend, but it was all fine in the end. He suggested something interesting: 'how 'bout you get in my stomach?' he said. He wanted to help me escape the sealing, so he offered to swallow me up and analyze the skill holding me in the cave."

"He ate you?"

"More like held me inside his body. It's strange, but that's what Rimuru did. I said yes to that strange proposal, of course. I had nothing else to do, so anything was better than the situation I found myself in…kwahahaha!"

Seeing the dubious look on my face, Veldora stops his maniacal laughing.

"So, before he did the deed, I gave him a name, and he gave one to us both. I came up with the wonderful name 'Rimuru' and he invented the name 'Tempest'. That is how Rimuru Tempest and Veldora Tempest came to be! Eventually, he managed to break me out and gifted me a human form, and that's how I ended up living here in is his country!"

"But, before that happened, I think we should address what happened right after Lord Rimuru was named."

"Of course! Take it away, Rigurd!"

"After Lord Rimuru consumed Lord Veldora, he found us goblins in the Great Forest of Jura. Our village was on the brink of destruction with direwolves due to attack and kill us all at any time. I was the elder of my village, weak and frail at the time."

Weak and frail? It's hard to imagine this muscular guy being anything close to those things.

"We sensed Lord Rimuru's incredible aura, and with no hope left, took the risk of asking a strong monster for assistance. I sent my surviving son, now named Rigur, to contact the source of the aura. He ended up agreeing to protect us as long as we served him, which in hindsight was the best agreement I've made in my life."

"My father was the leader of those direwolves who attacked the goblin village. He greatly underestimated Lord Rimuru and sadly paid the price of that decision with his life. My Master took the survivors of that battle under his command and led us to a new evolution and a brighter future!" Ranga adds (while wagging his tail excitedly like a puppy) from the corner of the room. He's, of course, not sitting at the table since he's a wolf.

"I assisted My Master in the battle against the raging fire spirit Ifrit, who had taken over a visiting human. Our Lord, of course, won overwhelmingly and consumed the spirit. The human unfortunately died soon after and was consumed by Lord Rimuru by her final wishes and thus gained her form." Ranga continues.

"Are you talking about Shizu? Rimuru mentioned her earlier over lunch."

Ranga nods.

"How did he gain her form from eating her?"

"Lord Rimuru has a skill that allows him to mimic and gain the power of things he consumes," Rigurd explains.

Weird. Sounds very overpowered too if you eat strong enemies. I guess that explains why Rimuru's so strong…

I decided that I should probably just let these people say their piece before interjecting. I don't want to interrupt them too much or we'll get too sidetracked.

"Back to the story…My name is Benimaru." A man with wild crimson hair and two black horns addresses me. "My people came into play soon after that fight with Ifrit from what I've been told. While that battle was going on, my home was attacked by orcs leaving only six survivors. Confusing him for being an ally of the leader of the orcs due to the mask he was wearing at the time, I, along with my remaining comrades, foolishly attacked Lord Rimuru. He quickly showed us the error of our ways, showing his strength to us. The only reason I survived that encounter was due to his patience and forgiving attitude. After asking to hear our story, he offered to have us serve under him, pledging to help us get revenge for our people."

"I think I should give my perspective now. My name is Geld, I am the son of the former Orc King. After our people were struck with a horrible famine, my father made a deal with a majin that led to us mindlessly invading the Great Forest of Jura. We were his pawns and ended up causing widespread death and destruction, that including the ogre village and its inhabitants. Lord Rimuru and his people waged war against us and won, but vowed to help the survivors with their starvation. He also forgave us for our rampaging, which was undeserved and generous on his part. I am eternally grateful that he gave us a second chance, allowing my people to live in peace and prosperity."

"My name is Gabiru and I'm the son of the Lizardman Chieftan. My people were among those targeted by the orcs in that war. I was an arrogant fool and not only revolted against my father, but also disrespected Lord Rimuru, dismissing him as a simple slime. I couldn't be more wrong. The majin that gave me my name, Gelmud, was one of the people behind the war that nearly wiped out my race. He betrayed me and attempted to kill me, but Lord Rimuru, despite how I treated him before, saved mine and my men's lives. In the end, I was banished by my father for my stupid decision to overthrow him, but Our Lord was kind enough to take me in afterward."

"I think it is my turn to share my perspective. My name is Testarossa, the white primordial demon. Diablo is busy with our other guest so I shall explain the demons' story in his place. Diablo was the first to be recruited by Lord Rimuru soon after he evolved into a Demon Lord. He soon sought us out to grow his Lord's military strength, so he defeated not only me but the yellow and purple primordials as well to add us to Lord Rimuru's ranks. He brought us to him; at the time I was skeptical and reluctant, but I soon saw his glory when he named all three of us and gifted us these magnificent bodies!"

"Yeah, I was very impressed soon after I met him! I tried to intimidate Lord Rimuru but he didn't even flinch! That's a huge accomplishment when you're facing a primordial like me! My name's Carrera by the way!" says a girl with short yellow hair. She looks young just like Ultima, but her use of the term 'primordial' probably means her appearance is deceiving when it comes to her age.

"Yes, he's such a grand and amazing person! I live to serve him; nothing else brings me pleasure!" Ultima, the scary purple-haired demon girl I saw arrest a man earlier says.

"It's the same with me! I live to serve our Master too, so don't act like you're anything special!" Carrera retorts.

"Oh yeah? I bet he thinks I serve him better than you! Just earlier today Lord Rimuru seemed pleased when I arrested a majin that attacked him on the street! What have you done for him since he came home?!"

The two primordials are glaring angrily and have gotten so much up in each other's faces that their foreheads are pressed together. They continue to argue loudly about who's the best at 'serving Lord Rimuru' leaving me speechless. These two are terrifying when angry! I can't help but shiver from the rage the two girls are showing despite their normal-looking outward appearances.

"Oh my, you two should calm down in the presence of our guest! How about you pay a visit to the labyrinth to settle your differences, alright?" Testarossa intervenes, pulling the two feuding demons apart and putting herself in between them.

The two look at me and seem to notice how scared I'm getting from their argument. They give me an apologetic bow, showing me respect since I'm a guest of their master, before grinning challengingly at each other and disappearing. I can assume they've gone to this 'labyrinth' that Testarossa mentioned.

"Well, back to the matter at hand. We were recruited and brought many other demons within our lineage with us, creating a new force that serves Lord Rimuru directly. He has given purpose to our lives and we couldn't be more grateful for his allowing us to serve him for all eternity!"

"I will finish this off now if you all don't mind," Rigurd says, chiming in again. "The remaining races here have joined our country after Lord Rimuru's ascendence to the position of Demon Lord. The monsters from throughout the forest sought his protection after his new title was announced, and some of the others immigrated from the Animal Kingdom of Eurazania once diplomacy between our two countries grew to a certain point. Others are former people of Clayman, a now-deceased Demon Lord that waged war with our people. And finally, many others joined for their own reasons, whether being drawn in by the prosperous environment we cultivated or just pure curiosity leading to them taking a liking to Tempest. Lord Rimuru has constructed a paradise for all, accepting all types of people whether they be humans or monsters!"

All of the people in the room nod in agreement, seemingly having similar opinions of Rimuru. Based on what they've shared, it seems like Rimuru has done an enormous amount of good for all their races. A common theme I noticed is Rimuru forgiving people after defeating them in fights and wars and accepting them as allies.

"Rimuru sounds like a very forgiving person…"

Some of the people in the room stiffen at my words.

"Yes, that is true to a certain extent, but his mercy only goes so far, Iruma. Some have crossed that line in the past and paid the price, such as the former Demon Lord Clayman that I mentioned. He meddled and schemed to cause the downfall of our country so he was shown none of that mercy."

(AN: Yes, I know Clayman was influenced by Kondou at the time, but I'm not gonna get into that. Sorry not sorry.)

"He forgave me since I was only following the orders of my father," Ranga says.

"I was mistaken and my mind was clouded by grief and thoughts of vengeance, causing me to jump to conclusions and attack Lord Rimuru. We refrained from killing the patrol of goblins and direwolves we were also fighting though, which I think contributed to his patience with our foolishness." Benimaru adds.

"My people were under the effect of a skill, unable to think for ourselves during the war, which exonerated us somewhat in his eyes. Our Lord also learned of the circumstances behind our actions and realized my people were nothing but pawns. He promised to forgive us, so he did. That is why he showed us mercy." Geld chimes in.

"Even though I was an idiot, I was never outright hostile with Lord Rimuru. I think that's why he allowed me to join his ranks." Gabiru says.

"Yes! Rimuru is such a nice guy that he let all these people off the hook! If I was in his place during those times, I would've obliterated everyone in an instant for their crimes! Kwuahaha!" Veldora shouts while grinning confidently, somehow thinking that's something to be proud of.

He's joking…right?

The silence in the room indicates otherwise. The tension in the room is palpable, so I decide to take the initiative to break it.

"Sooo…it was less forgiveness and more patience? Rimuru gave you all a second chance after you wronged him, right?" I ask, glossing over what Veldora just said.

All of them nod in agreement.

I ask a few more questions about some of the details of their stories but I'm soon interrupted…by my stomach growling. Despite having lunch with Rimuru and snacking on some street food when with Gobta, my large appetite is rearing its head.

"Ah, it seems that you are hungry. We've prepared a feast to celebrate Rimuru's return to Tempest."

"Do you want me to go and get them?" I ask.

"You don't know your way around here though."

"Oh…right…" I say sheepishly. I kinda forgot the fact that I'm somewhere unfamiliar right now.

"I'll show Iruma the way; Lord Rimuru is with my sister right now, so I don't mind," Benimaru says as he stands up from the table. His slight smirking makes me think he might have another reason for wanting to do this, but I'm not sure what. The expression reminds me of the face Rimuru makes when they're planning a prank or teasing me, but I could be wrong since it was pretty subtle.

As we walk towards wherever Rimuru was taken, I decide to strike up a conversation with the redheaded man. He's acting kinda stiff and formal, which is making me uncomfortable.

"You don't have to act all formal with me, I'm just Rimuru's friend."

"If you are fine with it, I'll try to act a bit more casual with you. We are both friends with Lord Rimuru, right?"

"You're friends with Rimuru too?"

"Yes, but I can't act casually with him in public since we both hold such high positions in the government. When it's just the two of us, though, I try to loosen up…" Benimaru says with a small chuckle.

"That makes sense…So, you said Shuna's your sister, right? I met her earlier and she seemed nice." I say, remembering how he called her his sister earlier.

"Yes, I am her older brother. She is a nice girl but she can be a bit…overbearing at times…"

"I kinda got that when she showed up and convinced Rimuru to leave with her to try on clothes…"

"Yes, when she wants something from someone…well… let's just say she tends to get it," Benimaru says somewhat nervously, likely reflecting on past times she's coerced him into doing things.

We continue to talk as we go and Benimaru explains that Shuna's hobby is making clothing, especially for Rimuru. That's why she was so excited to have Rimuru try on all the things she's worked on in their absence.

Soon we arrive at a building that I assume Rimuru is inside. It appears to be a tailor's shop.

Rimuru POV

Just after joining up with Iruma again, I get dragged into a 'dress-up doll' session by Shuna. I knew this was bound to happen, but I was still hoping to avoid it somehow. I did promise Shuna I would do it, though, so it's my fault this is happening. I can never put my foot down and say no when it comes to Shuna and Shion (except for when Shion tries to do something that'd be detrimental to my country; I'm just talking personal issues here.). I know I'm too soft and spoil them more than I should, but I don't stand a chance against those women!

So, I'm dragged off to the place of my nightmares…Shuna's personal tailor's workshop! It's where Shuna spends most of her free time, mostly making new outfits for herself and me especially. I appreciate her effort and dedication, but some of the things she makes for me aren't exactly…well…'to my taste' to put it nicely.

Led by Shuna, I enter a room containing around a half-dozen women. This is Shuna's little sewing club, you could say. They're almost a type of fan club for me, though, unfortunately. One that focuses on making new outfits for me whether I want them to or not.

"Lord Rimuru, could you take that adorable form I saw you in before you visited that Netherworld for the first time?"

"Wait, what?" I ask, caught off guard by the unexpected request.

"After seeing a tiny little Lord Rimuru, I was inspired to make some outfits specifically for that size!"

(AN: Yes, I know the clothes Shuna makes are magical in nature and change size to fit the wearer, but bear with me. Just assume it's the design fitting a younger appearance and not the size of the clothes just being smaller and nothing else.)

Oh no…

"Uhhhh…"

Shuna then turns her attention back to me and gives me 'that' smile. Yeah, the scary one.

"Alright, Shuna…" I say as I shrink down to the requested size.

Many of the women squeal with excitement when they see me, exclaiming about how 'cute' I am while I try not to die from embarrassment.

"Okay, My Lord, if you could please remove your clothing so we can get started," Shuna says, still applying pressure with her smile.

"Can't I just absorb the new outfits? I don't need to be naked to change clothes, you know that already."

"But we want to dress you ourselves, Lord Rimuru! You left us alone for sooo long so the least you can do is indulge us just this once, right?" Shuna says, continuing smiling at me along with the others.

"B-but…Sh-shuna…" I stutter.

"Strip." She commands sternly, the intimidating aura she's been giving off intensifying as she does.

I gulp nervously before sheepishly obeying, dissolving the clothes I'm wearing since they were constructed from my aura. She's right when she says I left for a long time and I do feel bad for doing that. I don't have anything to 'show' so being naked in front of these women isn't as big of a deal as it could be. Hell, I've been in the bath with many of them, seeing them naked in the process, so I guess this is just payback for all those times…

I'm then put through 'dress-up hell' for the next hour or so, trying on over a dozen outfits that look like they're meant for small children. All of them relish the opportunity to personally dress me, which is a little creepy in my opinion, but whatever. It makes them happy, so I can put up with it. I enjoy seeing Shuna and the other women smiling, but I wish there was a less humiliating way to entertain them.

Just when I've about had enough, someone knocks on the door to the room.

"Rimuru!" I hear Iruma's voice call out from behind it.

Oh, thank goodness!

But. I quickly realize that his arrival isn't as much of a blessing as I first thought since I'm currently wearing a frilly little girl's dress covered in ribbons and other girly nonsense. My hair has also fallen victim to the women's antics, now being in two pigtails held together by two large bows that match the dress in color.

I try to change out of it by consuming and switching the outfit out, but for some reason, it's not working! I can't seem to change my size either!

What the hell?!

I get the feeling Ciel's responsible since she gets just as much of a kick out of stuff like this as the other women of Tempest do.

Ciel! Let me change back! Please!

[[*humming cheerfully to drown out my pleas*]]

Dammit!

Then, before I can come up with a solution to this disaster, Shuna opens the door to let Iruma inside.


(AN: Iruma's reaction will be in the next chapter since I ran out of time and energy. Sorry for the cliffhanger!)