Mommy Issues

Rimuru POV

The woman standing in front of me is familiar, appearing to be modeled after Shizu even more closely than myself, being tall and fully feminine; although her hair and eyes are a vibrant dark blue instead of black. Despite her visual similarity to that kind and gentle soul of years past, this woman looks down on me with an emotionless gaze.

Covering her body is a pitch black cheongsam and a pair of matching silk gloves, embroidered with interweaving silver linings and translucent white gems. Complimenting the dark background, a single bright red crystal is embedded within a necklace, and a trio of silver rings encrusted with tiny light blue jewels adorns her right glove.

Ciel, is this you?

"It is indeed I, Master." the woman responds with Ciel's usual monotonous voice. "I am attempting to fit the role of your and Iruma's mother, and thus have decided to make small alterations to your form. I would usually have asked beforehand, but as I wanted to surprise Master, I decided to act on my own. Please forgive me for doing so."

Part of me is confused since I have no clue how she managed to sneak a Parallel Existence body out of me without noticing, but this is Ciel we're talking about, so I suppose it's possible. I did give her permission to use my skills for some unknown experiment earlier and I think this is what she must've been using them for.

"I don't think that's anything you need to ask forgiveness for." I try to ease her worries. As usual, she tends to get overly sensitive at just the thought of somehow upsetting me. I take a closer look at her form and I gotta say… How are those small changes? I mean, those sure aren't small…

For one; she's a good deal taller than me, even in my adult form, and Ciel has taken the liberty of making some more drastic alterations. I get the impression that she was going for something I'd find particularly attractive since she does consider herself my wife; that sounds like something she'd do, to be honest.

"Still, even though I don't mind you playing the role, are you sure this is fine? I know we haven't even asked Velzard yet but don't you think that, should she agree, she'd fit the part well?"

"Velzard?" I hear Iruma ask in confusion.

"Ah, she's the eldest sister of Veldora and myself. I had initially intended for one of my subordinates to play the part of our mother but... I worry that someone who serves me would have a hard time acting like an authority figure."

"I understand your concerns, Master, but given the fictional concoction you've supplied to Balam, I believe that a protective mother who at times likes to spoil her children wouldn't be too unrealistic."

She's got a point there. If we go by that story I told, Amane watched her daughter deal with inhumane training for years, and after she finally had enough and fled those circumstances, her beloved daughter ran back into the fray of violence. She thought she'd never see her again, only for said daughter to return home traumatized from what she had experienced.

"Besides I *mumble mumble*" Ciel mutters, trailing off at the end to the point of being inaudible.

"Huh? Sorry, I didn't catch that last part." I inquire.

"I want to play the part of your mother," Ciel admits, a bit sheepishly and in a voice just loud enough to barely hear, face flushing a bright pink.

"Even if Velzard could be a better pick? And even if you playing the part could somehow be detrimental in the long run?" I ask somewhat stupefied.

"Even so," Ciel says with a small nod of her head.

Please excuse me while I pick up my jaw that hit the floor just now. Because I'm pretty sure I understood that right, didn't I? Ciel wants something. For herself. She wants to play the mother role… just because she wants to!

So far, almost all of Ciel's actions have been justified or centered around me. Even on the rare occasions that she wanted something, she'd always justify it as being beneficial to me. Like taking in the books from Babyls' library. It's something that she wanted to do but it could still be beneficial to me or, at the very least, it would certainly not be detrimental.

Back in the day, when Ciel still was Raphael, she had me sacrifice Beelzebub and take a hit from Hinata's Melt Slash just so she could analyze and assess the attack. But even so, the only reason she ever suggested that course of action was because she firmly believed I'd be fine either way.

For Ciel to acknowledge the potential detriment, yet to still want to do something…it's astonishing how much she's grown as a person over the years.

"Is this fine with you, Iruma?" I ask him since this isn't just about me after all.

"Eh? Ah- I mean, yes. Sure?" Iruma says, not seeming to take any issue with this. He's a go-with-the-flow kind of guy most of the time, even when he's nervous or scared, so I'm not too surprised.

I guess I just asked him if he'd be okay with one stranger acting as his mother instead of another stranger, so it might not matter to him all that much. If anything, Ciel is at least someone he vaguely knows.

"Thank you, Master, Iruma." Ciel thanks us both gratefully.

Having a stunning beauty express sincere (if still a bit monotone) thanks to you seems to have left Iruma somewhat stunned and blushing.

"I guess it's decided then, without any objections you are from now on going to play the part of my and Iruma's mother, Amane," I announce, making it official.

"Thank you, I'll be Master's mother to the fullest of my abilities," Ciel responds.

"... Yes. The position of Amane." I correct.

"Yes. Master's mother." Ciel replies insistently, showing hints of discomfort and hesitation about this.

We stare at each other in the eyes, leaving an awkward moment of silence.

"... Ama-" I start to correct her again.

"Would Master and Iruma like some hell-grey tea perhaps?" Ciel suddenly asks, interrupting me.

"Don't change the topic like that!" I protest loudly.

"It's just your imagination," Ciel replies dismissively with what could easily be called her favorite phrase ever since she was Great Sage.

"And don't you try that on me either! You wanted to play the part so you can't say you didn't see this coming! Don't chicken out on me now!" I complain.

"Wh-what is going on here, Rimuru?" Iruma asks, his eyes darting nervously between me and Ciel as he tries his best to grasp why we're bickering. I'm not surprised at all that he doesn't understand, since he's human. I guess some explaining is in order.

I ponder for a moment or two about how best to explain this to him since it's not something that can be described accurately in words, but I think I've come up with something that will at least help his understanding somewhat.

"You remember the little mishap when you and Ali got Ciel's name all mixed up?" I try to jog his memory a bit.

"Oh yeah… she didn't like that very much." His expression lights up at first from remembering what I was hinting at, only to turn all gloomy once he also remembers Ciel's reaction to it.

"For non-humans like us, our name is incredibly important. It is quite literally ingrained in our soul. So it feels very wrong to call ourselves by a different name, even more than it does for humans."

"So it feels kinda icky?"

"I guess you can put it like that. It's not a big deal using an alias, but it's still not something most monsters like to do. That's why I stuck with my real name when I decided to stay here, despite us pretending to be twins."

"I still don't completely get it, but I think I have an idea of what you mean," Iruma responds, still sounding confused but accepting of the concept.

"Also, I take great pride in the name Ciel, given to me by Master, so referring to myself with another name is not something I find pleasant," Ciel adds.

"Well, I came up with the name Amane too, so that shouldn't be too much of a problem then, right?"

"It still feels…odd to call myself by that name. It does not feel like my own." Ciel continues, still struggling with the idea of going by a different name temporarily.

"Yes, but I'm sure you can handle it," I reassure her.

"I…" Ciel starts to speak, looking uncomfortable with this situation, grimacing slightly as she tries to force the words out.

"Go on." I try to encourage her.

"I am A-" she pauses. Takes a deep, if unnecessary, given our biology, breath, and continues. "I am Amane, the mother of these two troublemakers."

If I had to describe the face she's making, I'd compare it to a child who just had to take some bitter medicine. It's almost funny looking to see it on Ciel of all people. Really though, she did a good job, even if she made a bigger deal out of it than it should be.

The reason Ciel is pulling a face like this is probably because of her almost insane level of pride in the name I gave her, which also shows in her disdain for nicknames, even though those should be completely fine.

But, the job isn't over yet. Unfortunately, there's one more thing I need from her that Ciel may find painful; the fact that she can't call me 'Master' while pretending to be my mother.

"Also, you should call me Rimuru instead of Master when you're in this form, too."

Ciel, or should I say Amane, shows a small expression of distaste at the idea, but nods solemnly and accepts it.

"I shall. Likewise, I would appreciate it if you addressed me as 'Mom', or at the very least 'Amane' when I am in this form. If you were to ever accidentally call me Ciel in front of others, it would cause a lot of problems."

As to be expected from my reliable partner, she's switched gears fast after dedicating herself to this role. After all that hesitation, she seems to have accepted the temporary name associated with the role.

"Okay, uh… Mom…"

That felt so awkward to say! Especially when she's so pretty…

I find myself staring a little long at Amane, and she calls me out on it.

"Rimuru, remember how you told Iruma not to let it show that he finds you attractive, as you're supposed to be his sister? Seeing as I'm supposed to be your mother, you should be careful of similar folly yourself." Amane scolds, but part of me tells me that she's enjoying this attention.

" "Ciel!" " both myself and Iruma protest, Amane's comment making us feel awkward and uncomfortable. She then gives us a correcting glare. "I mean…Mom…" I mutter sheepishly.

"Yeah, I should be careful too…" Iruma adds, still clearly embarrassed.

Looking down at us with a blank expression, she continues drilling into me with a calm voice. "I understand that you have an attraction towards mature women and 'MILFs', meaning that seeing your wife in this form may awaken confusing new feelings, but you must do your best to hide it."

Ack!

"Mature women? Huh, I guess you do seem particularly attentive with certain teachers…" Iruma says contemplatively.

"Please, have mercy…" I beg out of sheer embarrassment, hiding my face and turning away from the two.

I don't mind talking about highly personal stuff with Ciel but in front of someone else?! She must be too used to me being the only person who can hear her, and she likely didn't anticipate how this would feel for me as her sense of emotion and empathy still isn't fully developed.

She seems to have picked up on it now though, as she comes around to my front and gently lifts my head up. "I'm sorry Master, did I take things too far?" she asks with a cute head-tilt.

"Ugh… Listen, you can't just go blurting out my sexual preferences in front of others like that!" I whisper in a harsh tone.

Once I've mentally recovered from that embarrassment, I have some feedback to give Amane on her performance.

"You're gonna have to work on your act as well… Mom," I say, still feeling a little odd calling her that.

"I see. What is the issue?" She asks.

"First thing to work on is mannerisms. Most of the time, you speak in a neutral tone without any expressions or unnecessary movements. Considering you almost never have a body, these traits are to be expected, but they'll make it seem like you're acting."

"Mannerisms are unique to the individual, an accumulation of behavioral quirks. Do you want me to develop a randomized set of these quirks?" Ciel suggests.

"Hmm, I don't know how natural it would appear if you do it like that. You're good at predicting behavior, right? If that extends to mannerisms, you could use that to copy them from someone else, ideally a demon mother."

Amane thinks for a moment, and then her expression and posture soften instantaneously, a smile appearing on her face. She ruffles my hair and ducks down to my level, the sudden closeness putting me a little on edge.

"I think I could do that for you, my darling Rimuru. So, what's next?" she asks in a tone completely different from her usual.

"Woah, hey there, this feels a little too intimate…" I complain while pulling away from her, startled by her sudden shift.

"But you're just so cute, Rimuru!" Amane cheerfully says, and she picks me up from under my arms, making my attempt at retreat completely useless.

"Heh heh…" I nervously chuckle, wondering what's gotten into her. "Whose mother are you imitating?"

"Is that Azz's mom?" Iruma asks with surprise.

"That's correct!" Amane replies cheerfully. "More specifically, it was a mix of her mannerisms and my own. However, as it was still too obvious, I have now added a certain Tempestian to the mix and adjusted the ratios of that mix." Amane explains.

Wow, leave it to Ciel to take this concept and in just seconds get it down to a science. I wonder who the Tempestian she picked was?

"You seem completely different like this… Are you really still Ciel if you're behaving like someone else?" Iruma asks, and it's something I'm curious about myself.

"My thoughts and feelings are still my own. I'm simply expressing those thoughts and feelings in the ways that others would."

"So that means picking me up like a doll?" I quip, while still being held by Amane.

"Yes, you're adorable and frequently let others hold you. Surely you must agree it's only fair that I get to have my turn, sweetheart?"

"Yeah, sure, I just feel like I must have lost my dignity as a Demon Lord at some point though…"

"What fun is there in acting dignified all the time? Now let's get you inside, and put you in something cuter than that garish Student Council uniform…"

"Oh, so I'm not just a doll, I'm a dress-up doll. Good to know."

Iruma is having a giggle at my expense, and I roll my eyes at him.

"Iruma, you may laugh now, but you're small and cute. This will happen to you one day, I guarantee it."

That just makes him laugh more.

Iruma POV

Rimuru has been stolen away by Amane, and Opera has gone into hiding, so it's just Grandpa and Diablo here now. The two ancient demons are enjoying wine and an evening chat together, and they let me join them, even giving me a glass of juice that looks like wine.

I feel very adult-ish and important like this, especially with how heavy their conversation topics get. Grandpa has brought up a string of crimes and murders committed by a 'primeval demon', apparently being what demons in the Netherworld call demons from Hell.

"So, do you think you might know who this demon is?" Grandpa asks.

"Yes, he sounds like one of mine," Diablo says with a sigh. "It's annoying to know that a demon of my lineage would act like one of Rouge's or Carrera's, mindlessly killing and destroying with no real purpose. Well, I'm looking forward to giving him a very stern lesson once Border Control kills him."

"Wait, after he's killed?" I ask.

"Primeval demons, the kind of demons found in Hell, are 'spiritual beings', rather than flesh and blood like us. If they're killed, they simply reappear in Hell." Grandpa explains.

"The only way to truly kill a primeval demon is to destroy their very soul, something I do to demons that I find truly unworthy of living. Humans know they are mortal and can face death bravely, but the look of panic when you make a demon face true death… is delicious." Diablo says with an evil-looking smirk on his face.

Scary!

Diablo takes a sip of his wine, and after setting it down, moves on to the next topic.

"So, still no plans to become the Demon King, Sullivan? The people seem to expect you to take on that role, I overheard some others talking about it during my last outing with Opera."

"None, I'm afraid. I couldn't possibly measure up to Derkila, and firmly believe that the role belongs to the next generation."

"I suppose that's not a surprising viewpoint for someone with a passion for education."

People want Grandpa to rule the Netherworld?

A look of happiness shows on my face as I imagine it. "I think you'd make a great king, Grandpa! Babyls is a really nice place, so I'm sure you'd make the Netherworld just as good!"

"My darling grandson really thinks so?" Grandpa replies, sounding delighted to hear it from me. "Well, maybe, but I still want to give the next generation a chance. There are many talented young students at Babyls right now, and I could very well see someone in that school becoming a better ruler than I could ever be."

Rimuru POV

"You look very pretty, Rimuru!" Amane says, standing behind me in the mirror.

Amane has finished putting me into one of the many dresses Shuna has given me over the years, in a pink and black color scheme. Multi-layered, it's complete with embarrassing frills and even a purple bow tie as a necklace. And to top it all off, a pair of very ornate hair sticks hold my hair into a neat bun at the back.

She's not wrong, I do look nice; I'd rather see this dress on someone else rather than myself though.

"Listen… Now that we're done, can we talk about earlier, when you started dressing me? Drop the behavior emulation for a bit, I want to talk to Ciel, not 'Amane'." I ask with a pout and my arms crossed.

"What's the matter?"

"Getting used to being dressed by others was one thing, but in neither of my lives have I had an adult woman slowly and sensually strip me," I say, recalling what happened with a heavy blush. "I mean, I know I didn't stop you, but where the heck was that coming from?"

"It was simply a result of how my emulated behaviors applied to the act of dressing you up in adorable clothing. The overall consensus from the decision weighting was to strip you slowly and sensually."

"I figured as such. You should ask before doing stuff like that though, especially because it's gonna be weird if you do something I really like when you're just pretending it's what you want to do."

"I see. Did you like it, though?"

"If I said yes, you'd probably get carried away and keep me all to yourself," I answer with a chuckle, imagining what she'd do.

I catch a brief glimpse of a smile from Ciel as she says "I will neither confirm nor deny this hypothesis."

"… Alright. Well, the inappropriate behavior brings me to the next step of getting you into the role of Amane. You've always been pretty impulsive, which I don't mind, but conducting yourself properly is gonna be important around others. Otherwise, it'll be hard convincing demons that you're genuinely the mother who raised myself and Iruma."

"Do you have any suggestions for how to conduct myself properly?"

"Hmm, not any specifics at this moment, I guess I'll mull it over while I'm in Tempest. For now, just keep that behavior emulation off, it's too much; way too much. Just be yourself and try to embrace the role more naturally."

"So I went too far, Master? I failed?"

"No, you didn't fail! You just… well... it's just that I'm fond of your usual personality, so having you behaving completely different feels very strange to me."

Ciel's saddening eyes light up again at my compliment.

"Now c'mon, let's go back downstairs since you've had your fun," I say, holding out my hand for Ciel to take.

"Master is fond of my personality…" I hear her mutter, barely over a whisper before Ciel realizes that I'm holding my hand out.

She gratefully takes it, still looking giddy from what I said and we both head back to where everyone else is.

Iruma POV

"Oh! Grandpa, you've met Amane I'm guessing?"

Amane has just entered the room, and she's leading Rimuru by the hand, the two seemingly done playing dress-up.

"Ah, yes, she appeared this afternoon before you came home. It was a bit of a surprise, but since you and Rimuru moved in, there's always been some kind of surprise waiting for me," Grandpa says with slight amusement.

"Heh, it was a surprise to me too…" Rimuru mutters while standing very close to Amane, still holding hands with her.

Ever since we met this version of Ciel that's supposed to play the role of our mother, she's been practically glued to Rimuru in one way or another. I know Ciel loves Rimuru, but this is clinginess on a whole other level. I guess not too long ago I let Azz and Clara do the same, so I can't judge, but it seems a bit much.

"Hey, Rimuru, why don't you let Ciel practice being a mother using Rimu-chi?" I suggest, thinking that it will help.

"Rimu-chi?" Grandpa asks.

Rimuru seems to like the idea because her mood improves almost immediately. Pulling away from Ciel, Rimuru waves her hand, creating a small copy of her who is now sitting on the table, wearing the same dress.

"He means this little tyke! I can create partial copies of myself, which are like kid versions of me. They're adorable, and perfect for this situation."

The little kid looks around at us, smiling. "Hi! I'm Rimumu! Rimuwu… Rimumu?"

Rimuru pats the little version's head smiling warmly "Don't worry, You will get the hang of it, and you're Rimu-chi."

Diablo clasps his hands together in delight. "I'm glad you haven't forgotten this power, Lord Rimuru! I feel like I could cry with joy!"

"Heh, don't get too worked up over it," Rimuru says with an awkward chuckle as she hops off of Amane's lap. "I'll leave 'em to you, Amane. I've got some errands to run in Tempest, so I'm gonna swap over to the body I left there. Bye!"

Rimuru waves goodbye, and then she keels over, going limp. Diablo teleports and catches her in an instant though, and closes her glazed-over eyes.

"Err… Rimuru's okay, right?" I ask.

"Of course, this body is simply not in use for now. I'll take Lord Rimuru off to his room," Diablo assures me.

Rimuru POV

Since I don't want too many distractions while I run my errands, I chose to simply transfer my consciousness to Tempest rather than my whole body; interdimensional teleportation is an extremely rare ability on this world, so anyone vigilant enough to detect the magical signature may realize that I'm here and seek my attention.

The body that I left in stasis in Tempest, and now find myself in, has spent all this time simply as a blob dwelling upon the cushy throne of this palace.

The brightly-lit throne room is almost entirely built out of quartz, curiously enough, and every surface of that quartz is inlaid with finely-detailed patterns of magisteel, all radiating outwards from the throne.

It's an elegant enough room most of the time, but the true beauty of it comes out when the throne is occupied, as it is now. As the magisteel and the material around it reacts to my currently-faint aura, small flares of color spread out from me and flow across the surfaces of the room, such that even humans could see it.

As quirky as the design is, it's a nice and simplistic display of elegance and power, plus it's a lot of fun how the whole room reacts to my magic.

Oh? I can sense Zegion approaching, did he notice me? I can't think how, I haven't so much as jiggled…

[[He has been visiting this clone on a regular basis, to pay homage to his lord.]]

The two elaborately-dressed guards of the throne are unflinching as the enormous humanoid beetle approaches, and bows down on one knee.

"… Are you awake, my Lord?" he asks.

"I transferred myself to this body about a couple of minutes ago. What gave it away?" I respond, impressed that he could tell.

The surprised guards turn around to see me suddenly in human form, dressed to the nines. They also drop to one knee out of respect, keeping quiet with their heads low.

"I could sense myself being observed more closely than usual as I approached," Zegion answers.

"Oh, that's some serious attentiveness, even now you find ways to surprise me."

I haven't moved this body in several months, so I stand up and stretch, making a satisfied "Nnnngh!" as I feel the stiff goop inside me loosen up a bit.

Zegion and the two guards return to a standing position.

"What brings my Lord to Tempest, if I may ask?"

"I just have a few errands to run. Keep this visit off the books, alright? I don't want an impromptu festival happening."

"Of course, my Lord."

Moving unseen from place to place, I make quick work of my errands.

First I visited Kaijin and Gabiru, as I have a surprise project for them to work on.

Next up is Rigurd, as I wanted to talk about the upcoming festivals, including one of our biggest.

Finally, I spoke with the head librarian of Tempest to request the construction of a new wing for the capital library, as the Netherworld is proving to be a treasure-trove of information and magic, and I'd like a place in Tempest to put all the books that Ciel has copied, making sure to keep it under wraps for the time being.

Although I was done with my errands by this point, I didn't return to the Netherworld straight away; it had been a while since I'd been home, and even though I could spend all the time I like here during summer vacation, I wanted to hang around a little longer.

Eventually, Shuna caught me wandering about, and in exchange for keeping my presence in Tempest a secret from most of my subordinates, she made me catch up on my paperwork, which I had let myself get a little behind on in favor of studying.

So now I'm sitting in my office, surrounded by the paperwork that comes with being the ruler of a nation. Just the regular old tedium for me, finances and military and other typical documents. I'm idly taking bites out of an apple resting on my desk, snacking in between documents as I resume a familiar task.

While fully focused on my work, I hear a familiar noise.

*Pat…pat…pat…pat…*

The small noise of something gently hitting the floor, over and over.

A smile peels across my face, and I set down my pen and stand up from my chair.

"How'd you get in here little guy?" I ask, crouching down to the floor.

At my feet is a tiny slime, no bigger than the apple I was munching on just a moment ago. I scoop the small blob up into my hands and take a better look at it.

Normal slimes like this can't speak with words, even through telepathy, but that doesn't mean that I can't understand the small slime at all. It's hard to explain, but I can feel other slimes' emotions to a certain extent. Slimes do have a way of communicating with and identifying each other that is hard to describe in words, and despite how absurdly far my power has grown, I'm still a slime in the end.

It's very likely that my presence attracted the tiny slime, although they don't normally make it all the way into my office like this. I guess that it's the slime's unusually small size that led to it not being noticed until now.

The little slime sits in my hands, expressing happiness in its own slimy way. But I notice something else from it.

"Hungry, huh? Well, I guess I could share."

The baby slime gives a small jiggle, seemingly knowing what I meant.

I sit back down on my chair while still cradling the slime. Taking one more bite of my apple, I then offer it to the tiny slime in my other hand.

The slime makes a small move towards it before enthusiastically engulfing it, quickly dissolving it until nothing is left.

I chuckle at the cute little thing happily eating the apple.

As I give it a small, gentle pat, the slime nestles into my other hand, very comfortably.

Returning to my work, I, unfortunately, have to set this little guy down, so I gently slide it onto a small open spot on my desk.

Katelyn POV

"Come on, all you gotta do is serve Lord Rimuru some tea, what's the worst that could happen?" My coworker teases me.

I'm both excited and absolutely terrified. We have been tasked with serving the Demon Lord himself some tea, which is a first for me.

"The worst? Oh, I don't know…maybe getting atomized in an instant because I spilled something?!" I protest, already shaking at the thought of coming face to face with Lord Rimuru for the first time in my life.

"Don't be silly... That's nowhere near the worst. You could be handed off to Lady Ultima." My other colleague adds to the teasing.

"That doesn't make me feel better at all! You're doing this on purpose, aren't you?" I complain, not wanting to deal with their nonsense anymore.

They both just laugh at me. I was already told that new maids were sometimes picked on as a sort of initiation. The higher-ups tolerate it so long as everything stays harmless. There are even stories floating around that it serves as part of our training. Things like "If you can't handle a bit of teasing from your coworkers, how will you handle uptight foreign dignitaries?" And while Tempest treats even us maids as respected workers and therefore doesn't tolerate anyone getting handsy just because of their status, it could still be international trouble if a maid were to slap a diplomat 'unprovoked'.

I don't really count my coworkers stirring my imagination of a fate worse than death as 'training', but I've been reassured that not only Lord Rimuru, but all the executives and higher-ups here are kind to us maids and there's no way they would administer corporal punishment for minor slip-ups.

Apparently, this even applies to the likes of Lady Testarossa, Lady Carerra, and Lady Ultima. Though I'm not particularly thrilled to find out for myself. At this point, I can't tell how many of the rumors surrounding these three are true or based on true events and how many are just exaggerations to scare me.

Why do I even have to serve Lord Rimuru in the first place? Usually, you wouldn't directly serve someone at his level of importance without a few years of experience under your belt. So why am I, after only spending a few weeks of working here, supposed to serve his majesty the Demon Lord himself?

Because I have the most rotten luck, apparently.

I was assigned to Lord Rimuru's office for this week precisely because he wasn't supposed to be in Tempest right now, which means that my duties were basically just cleaning the office and not touching anything that looked important.

But guess what? He came back without warning! And rather than reassigning someone else to his office the head maid just told me: "We're here to serve them at their leisure, not our own." Basically, the higher-ups' schedules may change suddenly and us maids can't just reorganize anytime that happens. "You gotta roll with the punches." I was told.

I'm not gonna do much rolling when said punch can obliterate me in a second!

Tray in hand and armed with hot tea and a plate of creamuru puffs, I make my way to the office that, up until yesterday, had been left empty.

The doors to his office, which I had already opened three times for cleaning this past week, seem impossibly heavy and imposing. My heart is pounding in my chest, seemingly desperate to get away even if the rest of my body won't follow because at least my brain seems to be self-aware enough that turning around isn't an option and caught in the middle of their squabble, my legs apparently just decided to stay put instead.

It won't do to serve Lord Rimuru cold tea. I gotta get my act together.

The person with the highest position I've met thus far was Lady Shuna, who was present for both my final interview and my first initiation along with the other new hires. "Here in Tempest, we treat every profession with respect. There is no such thing as a 'lowly maid'. Of the hundreds who apply for a position here, you are among the few to have been accepted. From today on you are going to work as maids within the Tempest administrative building, so hold your heads high and be proud of the work you do."

I collect my thoughts (and heart, and limbs) and with newfound resolve knock on the door.

"Come in." a smooth voice answers from within.

With just these words any option other than forward has disappeared. I push one of the doors open and curtly step inside. The room looks no different than it did just yesterday when I cleaned it, except for the desk that is. Previously organized and almost empty it is now filled with stacks of paper and behind the desk sits a person of utmost beauty.

Long and silky silvery-blue hair that almost seems to shimmer and bright golden eyes; this is Demon Lord Rimuru, the king of this country. Wearing black clothes with golden highlights, he sits there calmly doing his work at the desk.

I had seen pictures of him before of course and I've even seen him from a distance when he gave a public speech a short while after I, my mother, and baby brother moved here last fall. But none of that compares to meeting him in person. The aura and air about him are completely different!

"I've brought the tea and snacks you've requested, Lord Rimuru." I quietly squeak out, finding my words hard to get out in the presence of someone so famous.

"Ah perfect, please place them here."

He picks up one of the stacks and drops it on another one, creating some small, unobscured space on the otherwise filled desk.

Eh? Do you mean right next to all these important documents?

Not that I was going to question him of course. I carefully make my way to his side, double-checking the carpet for any tripping hazards. There hadn't been any yesterday but also yesterday there wasn't one of the most powerful beings in the world sitting behind the desk.

Put down the tray, bow, and leave. Put down the tray, bow, and leave. Put down the tray, bow, and leave. The perfect three-step plan.

I put down the tray, give a polite bow, and… notice the small slime sitting on the desk next to Lord Rimuru.

Eh? What? It's almost summer so I guess the slimes living in the surrounding forest are starting to move but… is this okay? How did it find its way in here anyway? I didn't leave the windows open, did I?

"Lord Rimuru, is that slime a distraction? Should I remove it?"

"No, it's fine, really. Around this time of the year, I tend to attract slimes somewhat, and I do quite enjoy their company." Lord Rimuru replies while giving the small slime a loving pat.

Oh no! What are you doing Mouth? Lord Rimuru is a slime, of course, he wouldn't be bothered by other slimes! Why aren't you working with the rest of the gang here? The perfect three-step plan Brain came up with has been ruined!?"

*Thump… Thump… Thump… Thump… Thump… Thump…*

Look what you did. Heart is trying to leave again and Legs are about to give up on me!

After replying he turns to look at me. The maid who just asked if she should get rid of a slime for the Slime Demon Lord? Who's that idiot maid anyway?

"You are new here, right?" he asks as he looks at my face for the first time, his golden eyes feeling like they're boring into me despite his tranquil expression.

*Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.*

"Y-yes, Lord Rimuru. My name is Katelyn and I've been working here for the past 4 weeks."

"Huh, I don't think Rosa would usually assign a new hire to my office like this." He leans in to take a closer look. "You must be quite something then, aren't you?"

That's what I wanna know! What was the head maid even thinking here? Assigning some poor newbie to the Demon Lord's office. I feel sorry for that poor maid…oh wait, that's me! Ugh, I can't concentrate at all with my heart racing like this!

*ThumpThumpThumpThumpThumpThumpThumpThump.*

"Katelyn, huh? That's a cute name. Say Katelyn, aside from working here, you haven't even been living in Tempest for long, have you? Otherwise, you'd be used to seeing these little guys around." he says, picking up the slime from his desk.

"I- I am so sorry L-lord Rimuru!" I start to apologize on the verge of tears.

"Wha-?"

"Please forgive me for my impudence! Don't hand me off to Lady Ultima! Please!" I beg while bowing deeply to him.

"Woah there, calm down!"

Huh? He doesn't sound mad.

I raise my head to look up at Lord Rimuru and see that he doesn't look upset.

"Don't worry, you didn't do anything wrong," he reassures me with a smile. "Now, I'm sure there are other things you need to attend to and you've already done your job, so don't worry about that little misunderstanding, alright? Go on and do what you need to do."

"Y-yes, of c-course…will be on my way then, L-lord Rimuru."

"Oh, one more thing."

I stop in my tracks and look at him one more time.

"Good job." Lord Rimuru says with a smile.

"Huh?"

"You made this tea, right? It tastes good."

"I am glad you like it, your majesty!"

"And there's really no way you could have served me tea so badly that I'd want to punish you. Even if you spilled the tea all over me, it wouldn't even be one of the worst attempts at serving me tea."

"Worse than spilling the tea on you?"

"Well, at least it would be tea and not just an attempt at tea that ended up being a highly corrosive substance. Shion did that once, spilled that poisonous gunk all over me."

Why would someone try to serve him highly corrosive poison?

"And then there was that time that Diablo took female form and tried to serve me a cup of tea held in his bosom. Also, once he brought a 'gift' along with the tea, dragging a dead criminal in like some kind of oversized housecat and getting blood everywhere. Stained up the carpet real bad, made a huge mess for all the maids."

He seems more concerned with the mess than some person's death…I suppose he did say it was a criminal, but still…

After a moment Lord Rimuru quickly adds "Oh, and I can't forget that one temp hire who simply served me a cup of blood with a straight face. Like I could drink something like that, no way!"

First poison, then a corpse, and now blood?!

My head is spinning with the Demon Lord's casual recount of crazy things happening and I'm starting to realize why he's unfazed by my small mistake.

"My point is that I'm a fairly tolerant guy, so there's no need for you to dwell on such a small mistake."

"Thank you, Lord Rimuru, I will keep that in mind in the future," I say with a swift bow before stepping outside the room.

Leaning against the wall in the hallway outside of Lord Rimuru's office, I take a deep breath to calm myself. I'm completely mentally drained from the encounter I just had.

Rimuru POV

Poor girl…

I wouldn't be surprised if she was sent to serve me as some sort of hazing if she's that new to serving the executives.

Dealing with people that are absolutely petrified of me is always hard (unless I want them to be, of course); there's not much I can do to help short of dropping any airs I'm putting on and showing hints of my normal, amiable self that I somewhat hide when dealing with the public in official appearances.

Well, I think I helped a little at least. She did seem more relaxed after I told her that story about Shion and the others.

So, I eat the snacks she brought me and completed my work, making sure to finish up anything urgent before leaving. I also make sure to take a certain something with me, tucking it into my imaginary space for later.

I let Shuna know that I'm going back before returning this body to where I was keeping it before and then switching back to my other body back in the Netherworld.