Iruma POV

Word that the Legendary Leaf is present spreads in seconds, and an audience has gathered around professors Balam and Stolas who are looking it over with great curiosity.

The crowd sounds dubious, because the supposed Legendary Leaf looks incredibly goofy, like a big purple egg with horns and a cute face. Even I'm a little unsure of whether it's the real deal.

But the two professors are shivering with excitement at the discovery.

"It's just like in the books…"

"This stupid shape and annoying face…"

" "It's the Legendary Leaf!" " they both announce to enormous applause.

" "Yeah!" " myself and Lead cheer, joining in the celebration.

We did it! We really did it!

"How would you like to divide the points?" Professor Dali asks.

I look towards Nafra, but he shakes his head, apparently still rejecting a share of the points, despite all his help.

"Are you sure you don't want a third of the points? You helped find it, after all."

"Gyo!" Nafra shakes his head, giving me the same answer as before.

"Alright, suit yourself…" I feel a little bad about not sharing any of the points with him, but if that's what Nafra wants, that's okay.

"Then it's settled!" Professor Dali loudly announces, so everyone can hear. "Iruma and Lead, by acquiring the Legendary Leaf you have earned 50,000 points each!"

50,000 points! That's insane! I knew it would be that much, but it's still crazy that this one item is worth so much!

"And with that, the two of you are winners! – That's what I'd like to say, but 50,000 points hardly guarantees victory. You two really should have harvested some normal ingredients along the way."

It wasn't enough?

Just as I was feeling the rush of victory, Dali started announcing that someone managed to get more than 50,000 points.

"There was a mighty demoness who fought nonstop during the entire event, killing one boss monster after another and only turning in the most valuable parts of it before moving on to the next fight!"

That could only be Rimuru, right? No demoness in our year is that powerful and ruthless.

"She's a truly efficient combatant of staggering power, having put her all into seeking victory!"

I clench my fists in frustration. Rimuru already knows that no one can beat her, so why did she do this? Did her clones just go overboard?

"The winner is…"

Why, Rimuru? I worked so hard for this, I truly wanted to win…

"Eiko Oni, with 56,000 points!"

…Huh?!

Alerted by the cheering of a crowd quickly mobbing her, the girl I rescued just minutes ago sits up from her stretcher.

"Wha- What's everyone cheering me for? What happened?!"

"You won!" someone says, pointing out the scoreboard.

"W-w-w-w-WHAAAAAA?!"

Her eyes bug out as she looks at her score. Then, her lips quiver, and tears dot her eyes.

"Iruma, I'm so so sorry, I never meant for this to happen!" she cries out to no one in particular.

Is she upset that she beat me and Lead? Why?!

I'm a little sad that I lost, but I don't like to see someone who won fair and square being so miserable about it.

Pushing through the crowd, I approach Eiko and clasp her hand.

"I-I-Iruma! I'm-"

"Eiko, you did amazingly! You fought super hard for the whole event, right? You had to, since you won."

"Um… I did…"

"I underestimated how amazing the demons of other classes could be! When I saw the fallen trees and the remains of a boss monster, I thought it must have been one of my classmates that caused so much destruction, even though it was you who was passed out in the middle of it all. I lost because I was looking down on others."

"But Iruma… I wanted you to win…" Eiko is starting to flush red again, I guess she really does have a fever.

"You wanted… me to win?"

I'm confused… maybe she doesn't like all of this attention? I can definitely empathize with her on that, but why did she try so hard in the Harvest Festival then? She must've known that winning would cause a reaction like this.

"Can I help?" Jazz suddenly introduces himself, with a smirk like he's hiding something. "You're saying you want Iruma's team to win, right girlie?"

Eiko nods.

"Piece of cake. OI, EVERYONE!" Jazz yells, so loud that I reflexively clap my hands over my ears.

He manages to get the crowd to quiet down, and with everyone's attention on him, he approaches the professors gathered around the Legendary Leaf.

"You've made a mistake in counting the points. The Legendary Leaf is worth 100,000 points, but I hear the pot it's in is worth something too. How much is it worth, exactly?"

"It's worth–" Balam begins to speak, but seems to lose his words as his eyes widen in shock. "It's worth 20,000 points!"

"Um, pardon me, I was so focused on the Legendary Leaf that I completely forgot!" Professor Stolas stammers.

Is Jazz saying that Lead and I earned not 100,000 points between us, but 120,000? Then that means-

"Well then!" Dali addressed the crowd. "With this correction, the actual winners of the Harvest Festival are… Iruma and Lead, with 60,000 points each!"

"Thank goodness…" Eiko collapses on the spot.

"Iruma, we won, we really won!" Lead exclaims and starts shaking me by the shoulders out of excitement.

I beam a bright smile at him. "We did! We– Woah!"

Both of us are suddenly picked up and tossed in the air by our celebrating classmates!

I laugh as we're cheered on, feeling triumph like I've never felt it before.

As we're crowd-surfing, I suddenly start to drift away from Lead, the current taking me in another direction.

"Where are you going, Iruma?"

"I don't know!" I laugh back, still enjoying the ride.

A moment later I notice that the mysterious current is the tiny hands of over a dozen small Rimuru clones, slipping out from between my other classmates as they carry me away!

"What the hell?!" Jazz balks at the sight along with my other classmates, but I just laugh.

I let them carry me along for a bit before the mass of Rimurus eventually set me down.

"Big bro! I didn't see you this whole time!"

"Where'd you get those injuries?!"

"I saw you a few times but you just ignored me! Make up for it!"

"Hey, hey, I can heal you now the event's done right? Hey, listen to me!"

"No, I can heal him! Let me, let me!"

All of them are talking at the same time, and all of them want something from me. It's crazy to see over a dozen of the same person surrounding me, arguing with each other, trapping me in the middle of it all.

I feel a tug on my sleeve and see one of the Rimuru clones has grabbed it and is staring up at me. She wants my attention, just like the rest! Without hesitation, I pick the clone up and give her a hug.

"Huh?" She lets out a surprised noise but then hugs me back after a second.

"Thanks, Rimuru." I tighten the hug, and she hugs me back and lays her head on my shoulder. Even if this is just a clone, I know Rimuru will get the memories from them all later.

The other mini-clones are now staring at me with jealous pouts, so I move to set the one I'm hugging down, but she clings a little tighter.

"Uh…"

"Just a little longer."

"Sure."

Then I feel the warm sensation of healing wash over my body and the soreness in my muscles fades away, along with the stinging of my injured leg. But, even after the feeling of healing fades, the clone keeps hugging me.

I wonder where the original Rimuru is? These ones around us are acting too crazy and childish to be the true Rimuru.

"Hey, where is the real Rimuru?"

The clones all look at each other in confusion, shrugging and shaking their heads.

"It seems like you have your hands full, Iruma," Ameri says as she walks up to me and the horde of Rimuru clones. Both my legs and arms are occupied with them at the moment, since at least two are clinging to my legs, and some others are pulling on my shirt.

"Haha, yeah," I say as I affectionately ruffle the hair of the clone I'm holding. She looks away, as if embarrassed.

"I wish I had seen more of you during the competition, but I am happy you are safe. When I was informed the cameras had lost track of you…"

"Yeah, I fell in a pit, but I'm fine now!"

"Big sis Ameri, are you gonna give Iruma a victory smooch? It's customary where we come from, so please be respectful of that!" one of the clones around me says abruptly.

"Wha–!?" Rimuru, what are you doing!?

"Yeah! Kiss 'im! Kiss Iruma!"

"We know you want to!"

"I couldn't possibly… not here… everyone is watching…" Ameri starts muttering, red-faced and staring down at her feet.

"It's okay, Ameri," I reassure her, "Rimuru is just joking."

"No, I'm not!" The copy that proposed the idea shouts stubbornly.

" "Kiss him! Kiss him! Kiss him!" " All the Rimuru clones around me start chanting. Some others join them too, for some reason.

"Stop it, all of you!" The clone in my arms suddenly shouts, silencing everyone around us and nearly making me drop her.

But after a few seconds of thinking, I make a realization. This isn't a clone.

"Oh, why didn't you say you were the real Rimuru?"

Rimuru looks down, refusing to meet my eyes but still grabbing onto my shirt, "Just put me down…"

"And here I thought you hated being picked up, Rimuru. I stand corrected." Ameri comments with an amused smile.

"I think it's because I did it the same way Elizabetta did."

"Wait, what?!" Rimuru blurts out, apparently having no idea what I'm talking about.

"During the festival, she carried you around a lot, and you seemed to like it. Or… well, your clone liked it."

"I can't help it… slimes love being held when it's done right," she whispers to me, quietly enough that there's no way even Ameri could hear. "Now, just put me down. Everyone is staring."

"Sure, sorry."

I quickly set Rimuru down.

"Nothin' to be sorry about," Rimuru mutters as she brushes herself off and addresses the clones. "Since you're all acting so crazy, I think it's about time I consume you all."

Rimuru says it so calmly, but the reactions of the clones aren't calm at all. They all start complaining and arguing and whining about not wanting to be absorbed, and that they want to stick around for the afterparty, but I can tell that the real Rimuru isn't having it.

She holds up a hand and I know she's about to make the clones disappear, but stops when a certain person walks up.

"Rimuru." Amane, or Ciel, walks up to the group of clones and they all go silent again.

"Oh… hi, um… Mom." Rimuru greets her a little awkwardly.

"Mom?" Ameri asks in disbelief. Her eyes dart between Rimuru and Amane a few times before she nods and mutters, "Yes, of course," under her breath.

Amane looks down at all the clones, "This is the most clones you have ever made…"

"I… I needed to. This time it was necessary!"

Amane just shakes her head a little at that, "As a concerned parent, I will need to assess their physical condition."

She doesn't seem that 'concerned'...

Amane has already picked up five of the clones and is actually smiling! And I know she doesn't smile very often. It's just a small smile, but still clearly one.

"I'm proud of both of you," Her dark eyes cross both of us, "We will talk about things you could have done better during the Harvest Festival. Later."

Rimuru audibly gulps as Ciel walks away, the other clones leaving with her as if following an unspoken command from the woman, leaving the lone real Rimuru with me and Ameri.

"Well… I guess I'm stuck like this for a bit," Rimuru shrugs defeatedly.

Ameri POV

I clear my throat, trying to play it cool with what I'm about to say. "So, did you want to show me the Legendary Leaf, Iruma?"

There's a small part of me that's hoping he'll make it a romantic gesture, formally presenting it to me and saying "I won it for you"; though he can't really make such a claim since Lead contributed just as much. I can still dream though!

"Sure!" Iruma cheerily agrees and leads me there.

Lead is trying to showboat on the scene, boasting about the countless trials he overcame in acquiring the Pot of Ending.

Nafra is also trying to regale the audience with a story, but no one can understand her odd manner of speech.

"There you are, Nafra! Good job out there, you played your part really well." I stoop down and give her a high-five.

"You two know each other?" Iruma asks.

"Yes, Nafra is the newest member of the Student Council and was tasked with pretending to be a student in distress."

"Yis! Every year we have someone play the role," Professor Stolas adds. "It's part of the trial of the Legendary Leaf; to grow it, you absolutely needed the magical Rainbow Watering Can, which is only obtained by saving Nafra outside the temple of the Seed of Beginning."

Lead stares at Professor Stolas in horror. "You're kidding! We could have been screwed at the last step by missing something right at the start?!"

"It sure is an annoying requirement, isn't it?" An oddly squeaky voice attempts to butt into the conversation, but I just ignore it.

"So does that mean Nafra gets extra credit? Since she doesn't get to compete in the Harvest Festival herself," Rimuru observes.

Everyone stares at her in confusion.

" " "She?" " "

Rimuru is bewildered by the reaction. "Wait, I didn't get mixed up did I?"

"Isn't Nafra a guy?" a random onlooker observes.

"Gyo…." Nafra shamefully buries her face in her tiny hands.

Oh no, everyone assumed she was a guy because of the disguise she wears out of shyness…

I'm sure it must be very troubling for a student to be known by the wrong gender their whole time in school. Even a tomboy like Rimuru would surely be mortified about being mistaken for a guy, let alone someone as shy and sensitive as Nafra.

"Miss Nafra Ampsey is a girl you insensitive jerk!" I yell at the demon who called her a guy.

"Hey, hey, listen to me!" the squeaky voice tries to interrupt again.

"WHAT?!" I snap at them.

Now everyone's staring in stunned silence again, including me.

The squeaky voice came from the Legendary Leaf itself.

…

" "The leaf just talked?!" " Lead and Iruma blurt out, and the crowd reacts with alarm.

"Yes, I can talk. Come here, winners," it instructs.

"It's so dull-looking…" Iruma comments as he steps a little closer.

"My design is a little lazy and bland, since the conditions to make me sprout — learning the lyrics from the beasts, saving Nafra, telling an all-knowing genie a story he's never heard before, beating a trial of a hundred games, and actually having enough mana to grow me — are so absurd that it was assumed that I would never get the chance to sprout."

"I'll say, it all seems like some cruel prank…" Lead mutters.

"Hahaha!" The Legendary Leaf laughs, slapping itself with a nubby arm. "Well, this was all for a purpose. Showing compassion to an apparent rival. Turning a distressing situation into something fun. Working towards your goal without tiring or giving up. All these requirements…"

The Legendary Leaf pauses suspensefully.

"… Were to find someone who is the least demon-like demon."

Iruma gasps. I'm sure he realizes how dangerous those words are for him.

"Um… So earlier that was-" he stammers, but is interrupted.

"Now, since the explanation is over, it's time for the grand finale." The Legendary Leaf separates from its stalk, beginning to float and expand.

"Finale?"

It keeps swelling bigger and bigger, floating high above the crowd. Its eyes are bulging out now, as though it's about to explode from the pressure within.

"You fought well, young demons! I shall reward you to celebrate the birth of the new Young Kings! Look closely at the flower that has never been seen before… In the Netherworld!"

Right at the end of the announcement, it explodes in a spectacular fashion, second only to Iruma's fireworks.

A cloud of petals rains down, and then I realize that a grove of trees has appeared all around us.

Pink, fluffy trees.

It's so beautiful! Just like when Iruma– … Hang on, isn't this really, really bad?

The Legendary Leaf called Iruma "the least demon-like demon" and then made "a flower that has never been seen before in the Netherworld" that looks just like the tree he made earlier this year.

It's like it's begging for people to connect the dots and realize Iruma isn't of this world. Right now I would be smacking it about its stupid purple head if said stupid purple head hadn't already exploded.

I look around to see how other demons are reacting, aware that this situation could go south very quickly. Rimuru looks just as distressed as me, no doubt having come to the same realization.

Thankfully though, everyone else seems to be captivated by the mystical, jovial atmosphere. There are no signs of scrutiny or analysis, just everyone wanting to have fun.

I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding.

Demons just want to enjoy themselves, I suppose. Usually, I'm the one to stand against carefree behavior, but for today… just act as you please, everyone, and don't think too hard about what you just heard!

I stoop down to pat Rimuru on the shoulder and whisper "It'll be fine. Everyone's too excited to care."

She jolts slightly in surprise since I approached from behind, but then her shoulders relax again.

"So now who's the mind-reader?" she jokes.

"Simple deduction, really."

"Simple deduction… If the folks around us were to do that much, I'd be running out of here with Iruma in tow." She puts a worried hand on her cheek.

"Lucky for you, everyone's just thinking they got a great new picnic spot."

A great spot for an awards ceremony too… Good job, Iruma!

Sullivan POV

"Now, let's begin the Harvest Festival Award Ceremony!" I announce to thunderous cheers, on stage before all those who participated as well as the teachers and Student Council who helped make this happen. "Winners, Iruma and Lead Shax come forth!"

Wearing the customary cloaks and crowns of the Young Kings, Iruma and Lead approach, and make a gesture of hiding their fangs and horns — an old traditional greeting that still remains part of the Harvest Festival.

Iruma has no fangs or horns to hide, yet he emerged victorious in a contest amongst demons. I couldn't possibly be more proud of him, he's strived so hard to fit into the Netherworld that he's positively shining.

"In this year's Harvest Festival, your strong will and outstanding actions allowed you to accomplish a feat that no previous competitor has succeeded in: Being able to make the Legendary Leaf bloom. And for this great achievement, Iruma and Lead…"

Their rank badges float into my palm, and their inscriptions change before I return them to their rightful and deserving owners.

"… You are promoted to rank 4, Dalet!"

The cheering returns even stronger than before.

They're all cheering for Iruma… Well, his classmate too, but adorableness comes first!

Before I can say any special words of praise for Iruma, Kalego snatches the microphone from me.

"Okay, next we have rank promotions based on the leaderboard results. First, Eiko Oni in third place…"

"Y-yes!"

"You are promoted from rank 2 to rank 3, Gimmel."

"… Gimmel?!"

The poor girl looks so sleep-deprived that I worry the excitement of this will make her pass out. But she manages to stay on her feet, clutching her new badge with a proud smile.

"Fourth place, Sabnock Sabro and Alice Asmodeus. Asmodeus, you are promoted from rank 4 to rank 5, He."

"Wait! I must ask that you delay my increase in rank until Master Iruma achieves that same rank himself!" The boy says politely but with hints of desperation.

"I will not allow it. A student should not dampen their own ambitions for another's sake."

"But-"

Iruma grabs Asmodeus' hands. "Azz, I think it's really cool that you're a He!"

"But I wanted to match with you, Master Iruma…"

"I'll just have to catch up then, won't I?" Iruma grins.

Iruma, a He? I look forward to the day!

Kalego seems unmoved by the touching scene. "Moving on, Sabnock is promoted from rank 2 to rank 3, Gimmel. Someone tell him when he wakes up."

The mountainous student in question is fast asleep, having completely exhausted himself with all the fighting he did during the Harvest Festival.

On the note of strong students, the leaderboard shows that Rimuru achieved a score of 22,650 points. It's a modest number for a rank Vau, but it shows a remarkable change in attitude — had this been earlier this year, it's likely she would have used her powers as a Demon Lord to utterly dominate, yet now she's standing aside to let her classmates grow without being overshadowed.

I could never ask that terrifying youngster to temper her powers, yet in less than a year she's learned to hold herself back on her own. In her own way, I believe she's grown as much as her classmates, but alas no one will congratulate her for it.

Well, not on stage, anyway…

"… And in sixth place, the Dorodoro brothers are promoted from rank 1 to rank 3, Gimmel," Kalego concludes his part before Professor Dali takes the microphone from him.

Kalego walks off-stage for some reason, but the awards are fine to continue in his absence.

"For the next promotions, along with points, we also take the students' actions and achievements during the festival into account!" Dali cheerfully announces. "First, we have Agares Picero and Garp Goemon!"

The two students seem to have some fans of their own, as a small section of the crowd looks elated by the announcement.

"For their act of building a strong base and helping other students, this year's Harvest Festival had the lowest number of withdrawn students of all time! And for that reason, both of you are promoted to rank 3, Gimmel!"

Professor Stolas takes the microphone next. "And next, their biggest rivals! Their strategy to build an empire of beasts has never been seen before! Their charisma and leadership had us all captivated and with that… Keroli Crocell and Camui Caim are both promoted to rank 3, Gimmel!"

These two students also have their own fans, though of a different kind — most of the cheering for them comes as a loud roar from the forest.

"Finally, for working with them and showing the extent of her power, Elizabetta Ix is promoted to rank 2, Bet!"

With that last announcement from Stolas, I bring the Harvest Festival to a close.

"Only these twelve students are promoted! This marks the end of our great festival! Cheers to–"

"Wait."

Before I can officially end the festival, I'm interrupted at the last second by Professor Kalego, who seems to have returned with something to say.

He takes the microphone, and paces across the stage, a serious look in his eyes.

"Upon further inspection, we have found Rimuru Tempest's score to have been miscounted."

"Kalego, what are you doing~?" I ask him in a low voice, keeping my tone friendly yet stern. I don't want him to cause a scene here.

"My job," He huffs, "We have finally finished calculating what her corrected score should be," he continues undeterred.

With Rimuru as my granddaughter, I can't stop him without being accused of favoritism… but it should be fine, right? 22,650 points or 0, she's still nowhere near a promotion.

Still pacing across the stage, Kalego begins to explain himself.

"A rule was made long ago that if a student somehow consumed or wasted more than 5,000 points worth of ingredients, the excess would be counted against their score. Until now this rule was completely forgotten as it was almost never applicable, however, Rimuru Tempest's actions during the Harvest Festival were so egregiously objectionable that it led to a thorough review of the rules."

My eyes widen in surprise. Even I had forgotten about that rule!

I glance over to my granddaughter, who suddenly seems nervous and fidgety. In contrast to her usual overwhelming confidence, she looks as though she wants to shrink away and vanish into the wind, to escape before Kalego announces in front of hundreds of demons what exactly it was that she did.

Oh dear, Rimuru… Just how bad is this going to be?

Kalego gestures towards the board.

"If we correct her score to account for how much she ate…"

Rimuru Tempest: -116,660 Pts

The silence of utter disbelief hangs over the crowd.

Lead raises his hand. "Sir, I think the counter is bugged out."

"No, the number is correct. That is her score. The worst in the history of Babyls, and doubtless the worst anyone will ever get."

Ah. She hasn't learned to hold back at all.

" " "Whaaaaaaaat?!" " "

The outcry is tremendous, with reactions ranging from horror to amusement, confusion to disbelief.

Rimuru is suddenly very easy to spot in the crowd, which is remarkable considering she is still in the same smaller form she took during the competition.

Everyone nearby is staring right down at her and asking all kinds of strange questions. The fact that she doesn't completely wither under so many gazes is a testament to her being used to the spotlight, though even she seems uncomfortable.

Thankfully, one student steps forward in her defense.

"Professor Kalego, I must object to this. I cannot believe your accusation is accurate."

Now standing in front of Rimuru is the lion-faced Allocer Schneider, one of her classmates and the top scorer of the first-year exams.

He stares at Kalego doubtfully, the muzzle he wears betraying little else of his expression.

"Given that she scored about 22,600 points before the penalty, your 'corrected' score would require that she ate nearly 140,000 points worth of ingredients… No, 145,000 points, given that the first 5,000 weren't counted. That is simply impossible for me to believe."

Then he looks back at Rimuru. "Rimuru, this man is clearly lying. You should at least deny him with your own words."

Allocer's desire to defend a fellow student is commendable. He stood up to his teacher to protest against what to him must surely sound like a lie.

Rimuru can't even meet his eyes but forces a strained smile. "Haha, yeah… 145,000 points… When you say it like that, it sure sounds like a big number…"

There's an awkward silence as Allocer waits for a denial that never comes.

"Give it up, Allocer. If she denied it, I would simply present the video evidence," Kalego states matter-of-factly before addressing Rimuru directly.

"Rimuru Tempest!" Kalego snarls as he looks down at her with folded arms, "For thieving an absurd quantity of ingredients from the Harvest Festival so that you could sate your grotesque desires, you are banned from the school cafeteria for life!"

Oh, Kalego… this is not a good move to make…

I hold my tongue for the moment, but this is not going well.

"What?! Nooo!" Rimuru cries out, hanging her head in despair. "My grilled burgers… my waffles with ice-scream… my hellfire-fried noodles…"

Rimuru's anguish quickly turns to anger, then to determination.

Rimuru clenches her little fists and straightens, intent on not losing to Kalego. With a hand on her heart, she launches into an impassioned speech.

"If I may say a few words in my defense, is it not the way of proud demons to live according to our desires? We eat when we're hungry, rest when we're tired, and when we're bursting with ambition we tear down any obstacles in our way! Am I not simply doing as any demon should, by using my strength to follow my desires?"

Some of the crowd seems to be swayed by her bold words. Indeed, one could say she's only doing as a demon should.

Kalego isn't having any of it though.

"No! At what point do you stop being hungry?! If you were in an eating contest with Behemolt, you would probably eat him so you could take his share too! Seek counseling, you gluttonous abomination!"

Alright, that's enough. Both Rimuru and I have been very patient to listen to all this.

"Kalego, I must ask that you spare my granddaughter from such harsh words." I usher him off the stage. Before he leaves, I lower my voice and say "If you're in your evil cycle, you should be taking it out on the intruder she helped you catch. Go give Professor Marbas a helping hand."

"I am not–!" Kalego snaps before taking a deep breath and sighing, "I was simply doing what must be done. You are far too soft on that girl! But… I do need to deal with that… annoyance. I suppose I can give Rimuru some credit for assisting in his capture."

I chuckle a little as the man walks away. Kalego is always so amusing, even if he is often a hothead to a fault. That 'Ocho' is not in for a good time given Kalego's current mood.

Still, the idea that a non-student was able to infiltrate the Harvest Festival is an alarming situation. I hope that Professor Kalego is able to squeeze how such a thing was able to transpire out of Ocho.

Orobas POV

I'm not second place… not even close.

It feels strangely cathartic, not being in second place. I'm always in second place, behind those Misfits, yet right now…

I haven't felt this relaxed in a long time.

I'm standing off to the side and watching two of the demons I felt such hatred for so recently be praised relentlessly, but I'm not feeling even an ounce of jealousy or anger. Ever since Rimuru did… something to me, apparently to remove a sort of magical influence over my mind, my feelings about the entire class of Misfits has entirely changed.

Now I just… respect them. I respect all the effort they clearly must have put into winning.

I'm also grateful for being freed of whatever Ocho did to me… I still can't believe he was manipulating me that entire time! I thought he was so loyal and helpful!

I shake the thought out of my head and again look at Iruma and Lead.

I should congratulate them… and apologize for what I did.

I put them both through a hellish experience, I know. I don't even know the depths of what Iruma could've gone through after falling in that pit, since I loosed my direct control over Trauma in his case, unlike Lead's. Whatever happened down there, it couldn't have been a pleasant time.

Moving out of the corner I had stuck myself in to stay out of sight, I start walking toward the crowd.

"Hey."

"What?"

I turn to my side and look down for the source of the voice, and reel back as I see who it is.

"R-rimuru Tempest!?"

"That's my name," Rimuru says, "Looks like neither of us did too well in this competition, huh?"

Her tone is playful and friendly, not intimidating at all. But I know what Rimuru is capable of and I want nothing to do with her.

"No, we didn't."

In your case, that's a huge understatement, if you take a look at your score.

"You don't seem upset about it. Did'ja change your mind? You were pretty fervent about winning before if I remember correctly."

"I've… seen reason." I pause, "And now I need to apologize to those that I hurt."

I try to walk away again but am stopped by a hand grabbing my wrist.

"Not so fast, I'm not done," Rimuru says more seriously. "Look, I understand that you were messed up in the head because of that Ocho guy, but… I don't trust you, not one bit. Not with Iruma, at least."

"But, I need to–"

"If you're sorry about what you put Iruma through, then leave him alone." Rimuru's voice is cold as ice and her eyes are terrifyingly piercing as she stares into mine. "Don't touch Iruma; don't talk to Iruma; don't even come near Iruma. Hell, I don't even want you thinking about him!" It feels as if my wrist is about to be snapped in half with how hard it is being gripped.

I'm scared speechless, watching the girl as closely as possible, trying to think of some way to escape this situation.

Rimuru continues, "I don't take kindly to those who hurt people I care about; you're lucky you're getting a second chance. Only because you were being magically pushed into what you did am I letting you off the hook. If you even come close to crossing that line again, I'll make you regret that choice for the rest of your miserable life, understand?"

"I… understand! I do, I p-promise! J-just let me go! P-please!"

"Good. I don't like repeating myself, and I'm not in a good mood. Stay here and out of the way until we leave."