AN: So the general consensus is people prefer the weekly chapters, so I will stick with that schedule as I have for the last 6 months. (Yes, I've been keeping this schedule up for 6 whole months without missing a single upload! Crazy, right?!) I'll thank you all again for your continued support and I hope you continue to enjoy yourselves with every chapter.

Also, I should add that Alikred isn't dead and will be making an appearance soon and so will 'evil-cycle Iruma'. Just hold your horses a little, I have it all planned out, I just need to get there first. 😉

Beluran's Arrogance

Iruma POV

Out from the mist steps, a tall, thin man dressed extravagantly and oozing arrogance, along with three others. Two resemble him somewhat but aren't dressed nearly as fancily and the third is a woman with green hair dressed the same as the blue-haired one who led Rimuru and me to Walpurgis.

I look a little closer at the man I assume is Beluran. His eyes are black, no white to them at all, and his skin is as pale as if he were a corpse, glistening with moisture. Beluran's ears are fin-like and his long fingers are webbed and tipped with sharp nails. His extravagant clothing is deep purple in color lined with silver details. I notice a glint from his left thigh and see a scary, silvery curved knife strapped to it.

This dude is gross… is all I could think while looking at that face of his.

Beluran is wearing a haughty grin as he peers at the table of Demon Lords, all of them staring at him with blank expressions (all except for Dino, who's still sleeping). His sweeping gaze settles on me in particular and a pointed tongue pokes out from between his sharp, shark-like teeth. He licks his thin lips with a hungry look in his eyes and it takes every bit of my willpower not to shrink away from the gesture.

{{He has even less energy than I expected…}} Rimuru's voice mutters in my head.

{{So he's weak like you thought? He doesn't look weak to me…}}

{{No, not necessarily. Energy levels only mean so much, but if he's got a cheat-level unique he may be more formidable than you might think at first glance. Nothing that can beat an Ultimate skill, but still…}}

{{So are you worried about him or now? He's really creepy-looking and it's freaking me out.}}

{{Not worried, just puzzled. Don't let him bother you too much, even though I agree with you, he's definitely creepy.}} Rimuru chuckles.

"Take your seat, Beluran," Guy says.

"Of course." He replies, gesturing to one of his two attendants to pull the seat out for him.

Why couldn't he just do that himself?

"So, as you all probably are aware, today we will be deciding whether Beluran will be join-" Guy starts to say, but is interrupted.

"Are you going to ignore my titles?" Beluran asks in an arrogant tone.

"Excuse me?" Guy asks, hints of irritation showing in his voice.

"My titles; why are you not addressing me properly?" Beluran asks impatiently.

"Let me give you a little bit of information, newcomer. We don't call each other by our titles here; it's too tiresome so you will settle for being called by na-"

"Hmph; I suppose I could tolerate such disrespect." Beluran interrupts Guy again and I can tell it's starting to make him mad.

{{R-rimuru?}} I ask hesitantly.

{{Yeah?}}

{{Why does this man seem to be intentionally making people mad?}}

{{I think he's just an idiot, but his confidence is making me a little nervous…}}

[[There is nothing to worry about.]] Ciel's voice suddenly interrupts.

{{Oh, Ciel? You've been quiet for a while.}} Rimuru says.

[[I have been busy, but I felt the need to interject since you were becoming worried, Master. This boy's words were not helping either. Do not worry my Master further, this 'Beluran' is an insignificant weakling that does not compare to him.]]

{{Oh…um, sorry Ciel…}} I apologize.

I didn't know that Ciel could just butt into my conversations with Rimuru like that…

Beluran, who's seated next to me, eyes me up and down with squinted eyes for a moment.

"Wait! That magicule signature…you're that bastard that's responsible for some of my pets disappearing!" he shouts.

Wait…magicule signature? It must have to do with that barrier Rimuru put on me. Some of the Demon Lords were saying that Rimuru did a good job disguising me, so that must be it.

"Huh?" I make a confused noise since I didn't expect him to suddenly start yelling at me.

{{Rimuru! Help!}} I plead desperately.

{{As far as I know, I didn't take anyone's pets…ask him what he means.}}

"Um…I don't remember stealing any pets, what do you mean?" I ask Beluran.

"My precious little fishies! My loyal scouts that patrol my territory! When they went to investigate an intruder with an aura much like yours, they went missing! You're responsible, I am sure of it!" He declares.

{{Ooooohhhh…I guess I might have done that…}}

{{Why would you take someone's pets?!}}

{{Hey! It's not like I knew they were someone's pets! I sometimes make runs to the ocean to get fresh fish for sushi. I lure them in with a weak expression of my aura and they would come after me almost immediately, thinking I'm a magicule-packed snack. Had no clue some of those monster fish belonged to anyone; it's not like they had collars or anything.}}

{{…fish…don't wear collars, Rimuru…}}

{{These fish are huge, so collars wouldn't be out of the question for them. They weren't named or anything either, or I'd have known they were someone's 'pets'.}}

{{How am I supposed to tell him that you or I guess 'I', ate his pets?!}}

{{Something like 'How was I supposed to know they were your pets? They weren't even named, so you couldn't have cared about them very much.'}}

{{But…isn't that rude?}}

{{A little, but he's not exactly being polite himself, now is he? Don't let him walk all over you.}}

{{I guess…}}

"I'm not sure how I was supposed to know that, you didn't even name those fish," I say, trying to hide my nervousness.

"Even though they were my pets, why would I ever bother to name creatures so below me? I'm not a fool that wastes my strength naming droves of monsters to the point that I'm nothing more than a pathetic weakling leaning on the power of others, like a certain ~someone~ I've heard about."

I know for a fact that Rimuru has named all the monsters in Tempest, whether directly or indirectly. Beluran must be talking about 'me' (Rimuru) right now, trying to get some kind of negative reaction. I also know that Rimuru is no 'pathetic weakling' either and hearing Beluran insult my friend is upsetting.

"I'm not a weakling," I respond, feigning confidence to defend my friend. I think I managed to pull it off relatively convincingly too.

"Oh, you aren't? Then why-"

"That is enough bickering. Beluran, if you wish to make your case as to why we should allow you to join us, do it now." Guy says sternly, reversing the roles and interrupting Beluran this time.

"Certainly." Beluran grins. I still find his smile full of pointed teeth extremely creepy, but I can't show those feelings on my face right now.

"I already rule over a vast territory. A pristine, perfect place surely better than any other country out there. Devoid of those filthy humans and not plagued by foolish spats between weaklings, as I've heard that has happened many times in the lands above water."

"What I seek today is validation and acknowledgment of my reign, as well as claim to the island south of the frozen continent. I'm sure you can see that I match up to the strength of you all, so I think my joining you is not a hard decision to make. If a mere slime, the weakest and least intelligent of the monsters, is allowed among your ranks, I believe that you have no issue admitting someone of my caliber, for I am very powerful and capable."

{{This dude can't read others' strength at all, can he…?}} I 'hear' Rimuru's voice mutter defeatedly.

"Hey, can I say something?" Milim asks Guy and he nods.

"Why d'you think you can insult my bestie like that?!" she shouts.

"Your…'bestie'?" Beluran asks confusedly.

"Yeah! Rimuru is my friend and I'm not gonna let you call him a 'mere slime'!" Milim yells.

"But that is what he is, is he not?" Beluran replies.

"Well…yeah, he's a slime, but he's special!" Milim insists.

"Guy! You should say something!" Ramiris cries, pulling on a section of Guy's hair.

"I will admit that there is nothing 'normal' about Rimuru, so comparing him to the base monster he resembles isn't a valid way to view him," Guy adds with a sigh.

"Are you going to allow me to continue? Aren't I supposed to have the floor to make my case right now?" Beluran asks in an irritated tone.

This seems to make Milim even angrier, but then I notice her glance in my direction, specifically behind me, before calming and sitting down again. I'm guessing Rimuru signaled that she shouldn't do what she was about to do, and part of me is grateful. I'd rather not see Milim show off why people call her 'The Destroyer'; I can already tell Milim is a bit of a hothead. Thank goodness that she seems to listen to Rimuru.

"Continue." Guy replies curtly, likely not appreciating Beluran's attitude.

Beluran goes on and on for what feels like hours and likely was. There's no clock in the room so I have no way of knowing, but it sure felt like forever! He kept talking about how great his 'Underwater Paradise' is and how crappy everywhere else is in comparison; including all the places ruled by the Demon Lords here. He's insulting their countries to their faces, and I can tell some of them are having their patience seriously tested by this. I'm just waiting for one of them to snap because even I can tell it's only a matter of time before that happens.

Even I'm starting to get angry and that isn't something that I'm used to. Why is he being such a jerk? It doesn't make any sense to me! If his reason for being here is to join the other Demon Lords' group, wouldn't he want to make them like him? What's that phrase…'shooting yourself in the foot'? That's the perfect way to describe what he's been doing by making all these powerful Demon Lords mad at him.

Rimuru's been concerningly silent through most of Beluran's long spiel, so I have no clue what they're thinking, but if I was to guess, I'd say they're getting upset just like the rest of the people here. I know Rimuru can have a bit of a temper, but this situation is different so I bet she's holding it in.

"As I was saying, I see no reason why I am not worthy of joining you. I don't see anyone here much more impressive than myself, so I think my power would be an asset to the Heptagram. In return, I, of course, want an official claim to the territory I already requested previously; the ocean along with the unnamed island between the main continent and Guy's territory."

"What makes you think you can manage such a large expanse of territory?" Guy asks.

"I already am, at least the ocean portion," Beluran states confidently.

"But isn't the ocean an untamed zone considered deadly to most? I do not see any 'management' happening from what I have seen." Luminous' stand-in says skeptically.

"I simply allow the extermination of 'intruders'. You may see that as untamed but I see that as my people independently defending my territory." Beluran replies with another toothy smile. "You can't expect any more than that when responsible for a large population of monsters; you all should understand that."

"Rimuru's got the biggest number of subordinates out of all of us, and they don't go around rampaging without permission!" Ramiris chimes in.

"Rimuru this, Rimuru that. Why do you people keep praising that useless thing that calls itself a Demon Lord?!" Beluran shouts with disdain.

Milim stands up, slamming both of her hands on the table. I see cracks appear and the sound of it reverberates throughout the room, causing everything to shake. This startles poor Dino awake since he was sleeping while resting his head on it. He was able to sleep through Beluran's boisterous speech but the table being violently slapped was just too much for him. It didn't take him more than a moment to begin snoring again though.

"He just called Rimuru a 'thing'!" Milim says angrily before once again seemingly getting stopped by a look from Rimuru. She looks even more conflicted this time, but still sits back down in her chair reluctantly.

I need to say something, but what? Rimuru has been silent for a good amount of time now. I don't know what to say! Should I ask?

This is an exercise in confidence, right? So all I need to do is pretend to be confident and to address his insult. But…Beluran is so scary and I don't wanna mess this up!

{{Are you going to say something to him Iruma?}} Rimuru's voice finally speaks in my head again.

{{Yes…just give me a moment to psych myself up…}}

{[Just…do your best…}} Rimuru replies, the voice being played in my head sounding a little strained. Rimuru must be getting angry, just like I thought.

Rimuru said before that she believes that I can handle this and I need to prove to both her and myself that I can. I have a safety net; someone watching my back (literally), so I have nothing to worry about.

I internally take a deep breath and turn to Beluran.

"I'm not a 'thing' and I'm not useless," I reply as sternly as I can manage while staring him in the eyes intensely.

"Your country full of trash monsters begs to differ! You may have a large population under your control, but it's full of pathetic, low-level monsters that associate with humans! What kind of Demon Lord allows sniveling weaklings like that into their territory!?"

I'm starting to get a little upset on Rimuru's behalf. I've met the people of Tempest, even if it was only a select few, so I know for a fact that they aren't 'trash' like Beluran says. And what's wrong with 'associating with humans'? I know that it's seen as a bit weird, but for a former human like Rimuru, it makes sense. It's not a sign of weakness!

I expected Rimuru to tell me something to say in response to that, but I 'hear' nothing but silence in my mind. Rimuru must be very angry.

{{Rimuru, what should I-?}}

{{Iruma.}}

I can hear the anger in Rimuru's voice, even through thought communication.

{{…?}}

{{Do you need me to step in, or are you up to telling this bastard off?}}

{{I-I think I can…}}

"What? Do you have nothing to say in your defense?" Beluran taunts.

I muster up every ounce of courage that I can and face Beluran.

#They aren't 'trash'…# I say as I stand up. My words came out quieter than I wanted, unfortunately.

"What?" Beluran asks in a dark and furious tone.

"I said the people of Tempest aren't trash! A-and screw you for calling them that!" I shout with legitimate anger. Even though my visit was brief, I liked the time I spent in Tempest, and hearing someone insult the place and all the nice people living there makes me mad.

There is a pause as Beluran comprehends what I just said before I'm hit with an urge. An instinctual compulsion that forces me to flail backward, my back landing on the bottom part of the chair behind me without thinking. Disoriented by my thoughtless action, I peer upward. There is a large, curved knife embedded in the back of my chair. It appears to be made of silver but drenched in an unknown, dark-colored liquid.

The realization hits me like a truck.

He…he just tried to kill me!

I freeze for a moment, shocked that I just successfully dodged an assassination attempt before I see a droplet of the mystery liquid begin to collect and drip off of the blade. My gut tells me that whatever the heck that is, it's dangerous to touch.

I swiftly stumble my way to my feet and push the chair away from me. The drop hits the cushion of the seat and proceeds to burn a hole through it with a sizzling noise.

I'm glad that didn't fall on my face…

I would breathe a sigh of relief, but Beluran is still nearby and I expect he might attempt to hurt me again.

"You slippery little piece of shit! I didn't expect you to be that fast!" Beluran growls angrily as he stares me down. He raises one of his hands and what looks like a chain of water shoots out, connecting with the knife, dislodging it, and returning it to his grip.

I back away slightly to put more distance between the two of us. I want to run away, but that's not an option right now.

Everyone in the room is silent and the tension is palpable.

Then, behind me I hear someone begin to laugh, the sound growing in intensity as it continues. A cackling, exasperated, disbelieving laughter; one that sends a shiver down my spine.

The sound of footsteps approaches and I look over to see that Rimuru is the source of the laughter. Their expression is…unsettling; a wide smile that doesn't reach their eyes.

That can't be good…

"That's it…I've had enough," Rimuru says in a concerningly dark tone, abruptly interrupting her laughter. Her golden eyes almost appear to be glowing behind the shadow covering her face.

"It seems like our little game is over…" Luminous sighs, sounding a little disappointed but still smiling as she approaches the table as well.

"Well…this will be fun," Guy says with an evil smile.

"Oh? Is it starting?" Dino asks blearily, stirring out of his nap with perfect timing.

"Here we go…" Leon says dully with his arms crossed. He looks unamused but is still staring intensely at what's happening.

"R-rimuru…?" I ask, worried by how she's acting right now.

"Let me take over now, I'll handle this," Rimuru says nicely to me, greatly contrasting with the anger I'm sure she's feeling.

I nod and step off to the side. Beluran looks confused and angry that Rimuru is approaching him.

The situation is out of my hands now, so I have nothing else to do except watch. Rimuru is giving off the same kind of impression she did that night when we faced Kiriwo. I get a sinking feeling in my stomach as those memories resurface.

It's not the time to get upset over that, Iruma. Calm down.

"What do you think you're doing, maid-servant?! You are not allowed to speak during this meeting among Demon Lords!" Beluran shouts at Rimuru as she approaches the table.

"I was hoping you might be smart enough to figure it out, but you've been disappointingly stupid," Rimuru responds, still sounding unbelievably angry.

"Figure out what, you little bitch!?" Beluran continues, sounding livid that a simple 'servant' is interrupting him.

This causes Rimuru to laugh some more.

"Do I need to spell it out for you?" Rimuru asks.

"I don't care for words from someone without an ounce of magical force. Return to your place up against the wall where you belong!"

(AN: Yes, Rimuru has been fully hiding his aura, that's why Beluran thought that.)

*Sigh* "Damn, you really are a total dumbass, aren't you?" Rimuru says, sounding legitimately disappointed with Beluran. "Brace yourselves everyone; I'm gonna show off a bit!" Rimuru says to everyone else in the room.

Everyone in the room stiffens slightly when Rimuru says this. Ramiris hides behind Guy, peeking out from behind his head so she can watch; Dino buries his head under the pillow he was sleeping on before; Milim looks more excited than anything, and Guy is leaned back in his chair smiling, ready to 'watch the show' I guess. Luminous…um…well, I don't have the words to describe her expression, so let's just say she's also 'excited'. She also seems to have changed her clothing when nobody was looking since she's now wearing a black, gothic-style dress in place of the maid outfit she had on earlier.

Leon looks mildly annoyed by all this and sighs.

"I better protect myself…no clue what might happen if I don't, Rimuru's crazy…" Leon says to himself and a golden glow forms around him. Some kind of protective barrier maybe?

If this scary guy is taking extra precautions, how bad is this gonna be?!

I try to reassure myself since Rimuru did put some kind of barrier around me, so this can't be anything that can cut through that, right? No, Rimuru wouldn't be so careless….but she is very mad right now, maybe Rimuru isn't thinking straight? What if she's forgotten I'm here?!

{{Stop freaking out, Iruma. You'll be fine.}} Rimuru's voice appears in my head again.

{{Wh-what?! You…heard that!?}}

{{Of course, I did! Remember what I told you about that 'com' setting? I can hear all of your thoughts when it's activated!}}

I completely forgot about that…

{{Just…brace yourself like the rest of them. You might still feel this, but it won't hurt you.}}

Just a moment later, an immense burst of pressure hits me. Rimuru was right, even through the barrier they placed to protect me, I can feel the force of whatever Rimuru's doing and it's not pleasant. By the looks on most of the Demon Lord's faces, they are finding it somewhat hard to endure too.

With a flourish, Rimuru's outfit changes to match my own and her hair begins to flail in the air as if hit by a strong gust of wind. Rimuru's long hair almost appears to float in the air, being held up by the vast amounts of energy pouring out of her body.

"I am the Demon Lord Rimuru Tempest, and I've had enough of your insults, Beluran!" Rimuru declares, her eyes a pair of twin golden fires, blazingly glaring at Beluran.