Iruma POV
As my friends and I arrive at the school gate, we come across Rimuru painting something on the archway, Professor Kalego watching her with an uncertain expression. And just to add to the strangeness, there's also a tied-up student dangling from the very top of the archway (which has since been mended after Thoth knocked his head on it).
I had wondered what Rimuru had left ahead of us to go do, and seeing this… I'm still wondering.
"Are the signs necessary?" Kalego sighs, sounding tired.
"Yes. Gotta make it perfectly clear or it won't kill the rumors," Rimuru replies while still painting.
She's writing things like "Alive!" and "Not eaten!" in bright red paint, with big arrows pointing toward the strung-up student at the top. It looks incredibly silly, and I feel a bit bad for him becoming a victim of whatever strange thing Rimuru is up to.
Actually come to think of it…
"Is that Zozo?" I ask, knowing that Rimuru went out during the weekend to rescue the student she supposedly ate.
"Oh, hi Iruma!" Rimuru turns around with a cheerful expression. "Yup, that's him up there! Now no one's gonna say I ate him!"
"We did it!" Clara cheers.
Azz gives her a light smack on the head. "You didn't do anything, foolish Valac."
"Boo, I could've helped if they didn't throw me out…"
I look up at Zozo. I can tell he's embarrassed and exasperated by his predicament, which I guess is his punishment for running off, skipping school, and triggering all those bad rumors.
But I still feel bad for him. I hope no one bullies him because of this, I think it would be nice for things to just go back to normal after everything that's happened.
"Isn't this a bit much?" I quietly ask Rimuru. Hanging the boy up seems a bit too cruel to me.
"Nah, nah, it's fine!" Rimuru casually replies, then drops her tone to a whisper. "He felt really guilty when he found out what he had caused people to say about me, so I'm sure he'd hate being let off scot-free."
Soon enough, we get to class, and Professor Kalego takes attendance and goes through his start of the week announcements as usual; but after setting down his papers, he grabs everyone's attention by clearing his throat loudly to let them know he still has one more announcement left to make.
"By the way, Rimuru, I had Mr. Pavel Pazuzu give me a report on your 'weekend project'…"
Rimuru flinches and quickly straightens herself up, uncharacteristically nervous.
"Y-yes?"
Professor Kalego raises an eyebrow at her reaction. "… He said you did an excellent job, and that many demons were spared by your ingenuity. I must say I'm impressed."
Rimuru looks surprised, then chuffed. "Of course! It's not as though I'd be sloppy with something that important," she boasts.
Our classmates are shocked by this news.
"Our professor's giving praise? To Rimuru?!"
"What the heck were you doing if lives were at stake?!"
"Silence," Kalego calmly scolds. "Now, Rimuru, will you tell me what you're hiding that made you worry about what would be in the report?"
"Uh… Nope! Never!"
Our teacher suspiciously narrows his eyes at Rimuru and sighs. "Very well, then. I'll just have to ask Zozo."
"Good luck with that, I'll tell him not to say anything!"
"I'm sure he'll bow to my authority instead of yours."
"If you try to intimidate him into talking, I'll have Iruma turn you into a familiar and let Opera play with you!"
"You wouldn't dare! Iruma, say you won't do it!"
"Ah! I'm not taking part in this argument!" I wave my hands in a desperate effort to stay out of this.
Professor Kalego stares at me for a few seconds, then turns back to Rimuru and sighs. "You are not doing well at being less of a headache, Tempest. At this rate, that deal you wrung out of me will prove pointless."
"You're not gonna squeeze your way out that easily, man," Rimuru gathers her stuff and starts walking away, probably expecting me to follow… which is exactly what I do.
"What deal was he talking about?" I ask.
"A way for me to get my cafeteria privileges back," Rimuru beams.
"That's great! What do you have to do?"
"Stop being Kalego's biggest headache. It won't be that hard to pull off, really. Soon I'll be able to join you at lunch again!"
"That's great news, Rimuru!" Azz exclaims as he catches up to us.
"Yeah!" Clara shouts, echoing as we just crossed from the field outside Royal One into a large and busy hallway.
"But are you certain you can convince Kalego of that?" Azz asks, a little concerned. "He is very stubborn."
"Trust me, I know I can," Rimuru replies, sounding very sure of herself. "I have a plan."
"You're making that evil smile again, Rimuru," I whisper to her.
"Eheheheheh…"
"And an evil laugh too?"
"Did it sound evil? Good, because otherwise I would've had to make that a three-part laugh."
"Yes, it was perfectly sinister, Rimuru. Very impressive!" Azz praises.
"Thanks, Diablo taught me!"
"Encore!" Clara calls out, then ducks behind me.
"Encore!" calls a masked stranger (who looks sorta like Clara) showing up from behind me then ducking behind Azz.
"Encore!" calls a mustachioed gentleman (who is definitely just Clara) popping out from behind Azz.
"Wow, the crowd really wants to hear the three-part laugh, huh?" Rimuru amusedly says with her hands on her hips.
"Ahem…" she clears her throat, then puts on a villainous smile. "Keheheh. Hahahaha! GWAAA-HAHAHAHAHAHAHAAA~!"
The acoustics of the stone hallway do wonders for carrying the menacing laughter, and I even see some students that were about to enter the hall stop and hesitate.
"Wow… that was… a lot of laugh, Rimuru," I say since I don't quite know what to make of it.
"It's even cooler if you blast everything with aura while you do it! Maybe another time though…"
"I think it's impressive enough as it is!" I quickly say so she'll never do that.
"Tsk tsk tsk…" Clara waggles her finger. "Professor Raim always says that a lady can find ways to be more beautiful, I bet the same is true for evil laughs!"
"It wasn't supposed to be 'beautiful', it was supposed to be cool!" Rimuru grumbles.
"Menacing and beautiful are often two sides of the same coin," Azz suavely says.
"Now you're making it sound so lame…"
…
Right as we're about to get to class, Clara perks up like an animal sensing danger.
"Riri! Those three were saying mean things about you!" she exclaims, pointing at a trio of students coming down the hall.
"What, you mean the stuff about Pazuzu getting eaten?" Rimuru replies with a frown.
"Yes! I tried to bite 'em but Professor Raim stopped me!"
"And then you filled the hall with all kinds of indescribable junk as you tried to break loose…" Azz sighs.
"Yup! But Professor's not here right now! Want me to try again? They deserve it!"
Rimuru giggles, "As funny as that would be, it's better to deal with these things maturely."
Maturely?
She confidently strides up to the group. "Hey, you lot!"
The girl of the trio lazily turns to face her. "Huh? Oh, it's weird girl #2. Keep trying for #1, I believe in you."
Rimuru ignores her comment. "Did'ja see my lil' exhibition outside? Pazuzu's alive and well! So what do you have to say about that, huh? Huh?"
… Maturely?
The Demon Lord has a big grin on her face as she waits for a response, leaning in a bit.
But the girl just smiles. "Of course you didn't eat another student, that's absurd. It's funny that you thought you had to prove it though."
Rimuru pauses, at a loss for words.
The girl then smugly walks onwards with her lackeys following her laughing, until one of them turns around.
"Haha, yeah, you could never eat anyone because uhh… you're so ugly they would just run!" he taunts.
The girl steps in front of him then pushes him along while he laughs at his own insult.
A harshly-whispered "Seriously? What even was that?" is the last thing I hear from her before the trio turns a corner.
"Of course I had to prove it, everyone was saying I killed and ate him! What else was I supposed to do?!" Rimuru yells in the group's direction, but doesn't get a response.
Her stare follows them even through the walls, and she's left pouting with balled-up fists. "Dammit…"
Ranga peeks out of her shadow, locking eyes with her and then gesturing down the hall with his nose, dark sparks arcing between his horns.
"No, Ranga. That wouldn't help," she mutters.
He sadly dips back down into her shadow. Then he peeks out again, adorably doggie-sized.
Rimuru sighs and pulls him out of there, holding him like a big plushie.
Clara looks sad that Rimuru's comeback didn't go as planned. "... Want me to bite 'em now, Riri?"
"You too? No!"
…
"Iruma, got a second?" Sabnock calls me over during lunch, interrupting my precarious trip to the table with a loaded tray.
"Sure, what's up?" I reply, peeking through a row of tasty, tasty ribs.
"Well, if you remember my little sister Silvia, she's planning on attending Babyls next year."
I remember her! It's kinda funny how tiny she is compared to Sabnock.
"Wow! That's great to hear!" I exclaim, the news momentarily distracting me from the allure of the crispy golden fries on my tray.
"Right? I'll be making a trip to the family estate to encourage her to study for the entrance exam. I'm sure she'd love it if you and your sister were to join me, and I could help you practice your instruments as well."
"Really?! That sounds like a lot of fun, your home must be a really interesting place."
"Sounds like you're on board! This weekend, then?"
Gosh, even the vegetables look delicious…
After a moment, I snap out of it. "Uh, sorry, could you repeat that?"
"Shall we make the trip this weekend?" Sabnock asks again.
"Sure! I'll ask Rimuru about it after lunch."
…
After lunch, with Astrology Class about to begin, I find myself concerned over the absence of a certain someone.
Rimuru's cutting it close again. Is it because of delicious food or demons attacking her?
As Professor Orias walks into the room and takes his position, Rimuru officially goes from "cutting it close" to "late".
"Alright, for today's class we'll–" Orias begins, but then stops when his eyes land on me. "… Where's your sister, Iruma? As I recall, you have one of those, and yet the spots by your side are filled by others."
Clara usually sits next to Rimuru instead of me since I only have two seats by my side for the three people who follow me around, but today she's happily nabbed Rimuru's usual spot, swaying her legs under the desk.
"She often leaves the school at lunchtime, maybe she just got held up on the way back again," I try to explain.
"Actually, I think she's still in the school since I saw Ranga playing outside," Jazz suggests. "Though he was only playing with a familiar of the same species. Or maybe they were both Ranga? Yeah, familiars take after their master, so it was probably cloning magic."
"Haha, Ranga must've wanted someone to play with!" I chuckle.
Rimuru can turn into a wolf, come to think of it. I wonder if she ever plays with Ranga like that? … Oh!
"Professor, I just realized where Rimuru is, can I go fetch her?"
Orias sighs. "Sure, whatever."
"Thanks!"
Outside, I soon come across two wolves chasing each other, their game getting pretty intense. It's hard to follow as they're very fast and sometimes become nothing but streaks of lightning zipping across the field.
Thankfully, they're both pretty small right now, otherwise the field would be all torn up.
"Rimuru!" I call out to them.
The wolves pause their game, their attention now on me.
After a few seconds, one of them lifts a paw in a sort of half-shrug gesture, shaking their head to say "I don't know".
Ah. It's that one.
I start walking towards her and she goes wide-eyed, backing away from me.
So I go into a jog. "Rimuru, class has already started, stop messing around!"
"Already?! But lunch break just started!" she replies, giving up on trying to fool me.
I didn't really notice it before, but she just opened her mouth slightly to speak, which is something I've seen Ranga do as well. It feels more like a kind of telepathy than a sound.
"It was the same lunch break as always, and now the teacher's wondering where you are."
Rimuru (very cutely) tilts her head to one side, as if thinking very hard.
"Well, I'm not in the mood for being a person right now! I'm having too much fun with Ranga!"
I sigh. "It sounds like you're still frustrated about earlier…"
"Hey, intrusive thoughts about fleeing civilization were always there when I had a mountain of paperwork to deal with. And what a good idea it is! Maybe I should take a week off, just pick a point on the horizon and start running…"
She starts trotting away again, and I follow after her. "No, you'll get in trouble!"
"That's an excellent idea, Master!" Ranga chimes in, following behind me.
"Rimuru, I think being a wolf is messing with your thoughts!"
"What? Nooo, of course not!" Rimuru playfully cavorts from side-to-side, picking up the pace so I have to run to keep up.
"Well you haven't thought this through at all! What am I supposed to tell the teachers? 'Whoops, my sister turned into a wolf and abandoned civilization'?!"
"Yeah, tell 'em that!"
She reaches the enormous cliff marking the edge of school grounds.
"Alright, seeya later!"
She hops off. Then yelps as I narrowly catch her by the tail.
"Oh no you don't!" I yell, hoisting her back onto land.
"Nooo! I'm done dealing with people! Let me run free into the boundless wilderness!"
Rimuru nearly slips free, and I have to put all my strength into wrestling her away from the cliff. "Stop it! You're just saying this because you're grouchy at people!"
"I have a right to be grouchy! I'm nearly 70!"
"Well, it's not gonna help if you vanish for a week!"
Rimuru suddenly tries to nip at me, making me let go of her.
She lands on the grass with a harsh glare at me that then turns to surprise.
"Uh…"
I'm shocked with what she just did, but she seems even more so.
She looks away with a guilty whine.
There's an awkward pause.
Then I crack a smile. "Pfffft… Hahahahaha! I told you! You got totally carried away!"
Rimuru puts her head on the ground, covering her eyes with her paws out of embarrassment.
"Stop rubbing it in…" she whimpers.
I sit down next to her. "Well, I kinda get it. People are weird towards you and it seems really unfair. Like, I'm a human, they should find me to be the weird one!"
Rimuru says nothing in response.
"... But I think it's that what makes you great as a person is on a level people don't really know how to understand. It's easy to see that someone's stylish or has a nice personality; but always helping out where it really counts, saving lives like it's no big deal… we're just schoolkids, y'know? It's hard to even grasp how cool that is!"
I didn't quite know how to process what Kalego said this morning. I knew that Rimuru had gone to a battlefield and beaten everyone up to bring Pazuzu back, but it never crossed my mind that ending the battle meant she had casually saved every soldier who would have otherwise died that day. It meant so much, to so many people, and yet was just a small thing she randomly did.
After my attempt at encouragement, Rimuru cautiously perks her head up.
"Hmph, I'm glad someone thinks so."
Her tail's wagging…
I decide not to point it out. "By the way, I've got good news!"
"Oh?"
"Sabnock invited us to visit his family's estate with him this weekend. Doesn't that sound like fun?"
"What?" she asks, her tone dipping to a more scolding one. " Iruma, I wish you would've talked to me about that first."
"Is there a problem with it?"
She thinks for a moment.
"Er… Not really. We'd just be hanging with him and his sister, right?"
"Sounds like it."
Rimuru pauses, still seeming uncertain.
"I can just say you're busy if you don't feel like coming with," I tell her.
"Oh no, I should definitely join you. I was hired as your security devil in all but name, it wouldn't do to let my charge visit another powerful family unescorted."
Hearing her talk seriously while small and fluffy kinda reminds me of Kalego…
I accidentally let out a giggle.
Rimuru glares at me. "Hey, you're thinking something rude right now, aren't you?"
"No, no, not at all…"
"Irumaaa! Rimuruuu! Where the hell are yooou~?" an annoyed Orias loudly calls from out of sight.
"Gah! I took so long that the professor went looking for me!"
I scoop up Rimuru and start running.
"Wait wait wait! I don't wanna be seen in this form!" she protests.
She shifts back to her usual form, and for a moment, we're both bewildered by the awkwardness of me carrying her like this.
"… Lemme go!" she yells, flailing her arms and legs.
I end up dropping her and tripping over her, but before I can ask if she's okay we're already both back on our feet and running.
"Sorry-I'm-late-I-lost-track-of-the-time!" Rimuru quickly says as we dash past Orias.
We make it to class in a flash, and I slouch in my seat, breathy after all this running around.
Everyone's staring at Rimuru, even once Professor Orias walks back into the room.
Now he's staring at her too. "Er, Miss Tempest, you've got something on your…"
Oh! How did I not notice that until now?
"Whoops, took a bit of a tumble on the grass." Rimuru brushes her clothes off then wipes her cheeks and mouth. "Did I get it?"
"… Sure, whatever, you got it," Orias mutters.
"Actually, you've got–" As I try to say what it is, the amused-sounding voice of Ciel suddenly appears in my head.
[[I want to see how long it takes for him to notice the error in his mimicry.]]
"Um… you've got a leaf in your hair," I say instead at Ciel's prompting.
She actually does, so it's technically not a lie.
But far more noteworthy is that her hasty transformation back into human form ended up leaving a few wolf features behind.
I feel a little bad for not telling her, but… this is actually pretty funny!
Rimuru brushes the leaf off the top of her hair, narrowly avoiding touching her now-very-different ears and giving the prank away.
It's hard not to giggle at that, and Rimuru stares at my expression suspiciously.
"Rimuru, Iruma, eyes towards the front please," Orias calls out, thankfully taking Rimuru's attention away. Though she quickly gets bored during his lecture about constellations, her fluffy tail lazily swishing, and eventually she's just face-down on her desk with her arms wrapped around her head.
One of the girls calls this out to Professor Orias, but after a brief look he dismissively waves it off muttering "I'm sure Miss Tempest can hear me just fine."
Rimuru tilts her head back up enough to see the front of the class, wolf ears perking up as she questions "What's that supposed to mean?" but Orias ignores her and continues his lecture.
"Professor Orias, I have a question," Allocer eventually asks.
"Yes, Mr. Schneider?" Professor Orias responds.
"In a book that myself and Iruma recently acquired, there was a star chart from a previous era, in which the positions of stars were slightly different and the constellations drawn from them drastically so. Which makes me wonder, where does the meaning of celestial movements come from if their patterns are merely transient on a long enough timescale? Is there a point where an arrangement of stars becomes a constellation that holds power?"
"Woah! Good question, Allocer!" I gasp.
I didn't understand it in the slightest, but it sounded smart.
Orias looks chuffed. "Well! I'm glad to see that some of the Misfits are showing such interest in my subject!" he exclaims, with a glance towards Rimuru who's lifting her head up, looking like she was halfway to sleep.
He goes into a long pause for thought. A few times he opens his mouth to answer, only to reconsider.
It's Rimuru who finally speaks up. "Mmmh… I can see another problem too. Astrology largely concerns the state of the sky when someone was born, but what if someone wasn't born under this world's sky? It's a pointless question in this era, yet it must have meant something in the era our music performance will be set in."
I suppose it means something to us as well… not that we could ever admit it!
"Oho? Now even Rimuru is showing interest, that's a rarity…" Orias comments.
"I didn't consider that…" Allocer thoughtfully mutters. "It seems that time, space, and culture can all change the constellations. Why does something we see only here and now hold so much predictive power?"
Rimuru's tail swishes faster, the mystical Demon Lord looking excited to have encountered something truly mysterious about this subject.
"It could be that astrology is self-referential, that the celestial movements hold power through our awe of the night sky and the meaning that whole cultures ascribe to it," she suggests. "But I don't know if that'd explain things like divination."
"Is there even proof that mass-belief has an effect on the world?" Allocer asks doubtfully.
"Well, that's the other problem. If faith and belief affects the world, it'd be a weak effect from each person delivered in an unpredictable way. Luck magic is already hard to identify and this would be like a very diluted form of it."
Allocer turns to Orias who's looking bewildered at the conversation running away without him. "Professor Orias, you must have some expertise on this subject, as your bloodline magic is luck magic."
"Yeah! I'm interested for other reasons too, like what the implications are for animism as a lot of my homeland's culture is rooted in it."
I'm still completely lost, and now Professor Orias seems to be as well, doing his best to maintain a confident composure.
He sighs and shakes his head with an anxious smile. "… What bright-eyed and bushy-tailed students you are. I think for now you should show less interest in astrology."
…
In the end she noticed upon crossing paths with Elizabetta, who couldn't resist patting her fluffy ears.
I've never seen Rimuru go quite so bright red as when she realized she had been going around like that for two whole hours, hastily tamping down on them and shifting them away.
**Five Days Later**
We arrive at a huge gate, at the top is the biggest lock I've ever seen.
Sabnock bites one of the metal tabs around his neck, summoning a greatsword featuring the notches and grooves of a key.
He leaps up, stabbing it into the lock and turning it clockwise.
*RUMBLE*
As the unimaginably heavy gate slides upward, the ground trembles beneath my feet.
This place feels so grand and epic already, it fits Sabnock so well!
I'm even more impressed once I see what's past the gate.
"Wooow!" I gasp at the beautiful fantasy castle just ahead of us, nestled amidst a wild 'garden' of rocks and trees.
Rimuru seemed oddly nervous on the way here, but she seems to be enjoying this as well, looking all around as we start walking inside.
"I love the idea of living in a place that's opened with a secret method!" she says in starry-eyed delight, making a full turn even as she walks down the path. "It must be great when you wanna get a nice sense of seclusion, plus it feels cool like a hidden lair!"
Running forwards a bit and puts a hand on the stone of the castle.
"It's built with exceptional sturdiness too, despite the abundance of windows making it clear there's no military purpose for it," she observes curiously. "Lemme guess, that's to protect it from the inhabitants rather than attackers?"
"Haha! Right on the money, our bloodline's known to roughhouse quite a bit. What, you got an interest in architecture or something?" Sabnock asks.
"Sure do! Shame I don't really get a choice of career, it sounds great to just knock out some building plans and then relax while everyone else does the actual work." Rimuru strokes her chin with a greedy sparkle in her eyes.
"I suppose us nobles have no choice but to uphold our family legacy or climb even higher. Of course, I know where I aim to be in the future," Sabnock replies with an identical expression of greed.
"You want to be the Demon King, right? I think you totally look the part!" I cheer him on. "Hmm, I haven't thought much about what I wanna do in the future myself…"
Sabnock looks confused. "Are you not also aiming to become the Demon King?"
"Me? The Demon King? Haha, there's no way that could happen!"
For starters, I'm not even a demon!
Sabnock and Rimuru are giving me odd looks for some reason, so I just start heading up the stairs since I'm not sure what their deal is.
"Should we head inside, Sabnock?"
"Of course! Let me show you around!" he enthusiastically responds.
He leads us through the door, whereupon we're greeted by a shortish man dressed as a butler, though wearing an "SD" badge that I know stands for Security Devil.
"Welcome back, Master Sabro."
"Hey, Yamanda. It's been a while," Sabnock replies.
"How has Babyls been treating you? You must be enjoying having acquaintances you can unleash your strength around."
"I am! My class is full of very impressive individuals!"
As he says this, Sabnock over-enthusiastically hugs me and Rimuru to his sides, and while Rimuru pries herself away after a few seconds I'm still getting squished even as I try to use Strengthen Body.
Sabnock lets me go. "Iruma, you clearly need to be exercising more. After music practice, we can do some weight training!"
"Haha, I don't think I could ever become as strong as you, Sabnock." I awkwardly scratch the back of my head.
"But Veldora Tempest is a relative of yours, no? Let his physique be the pinnacle for you to reach! And then you too could proudly show off your muscles, as he and I do."
I try to imagine myself all bulked-up and dressed like Veldora. "Uh… no?"
Rimuru is snickering at the thought.
"Suit yourself, then." He bites a metal tab to create an iron barbell, and holds it out to Rimuru with a single hand. "Well, somebody has to!"
She stares at it for a few seconds. Then she takes it and casually twists it into a knot, handing it back to him.
Sabnock is dumbfounded, and hangs his head in defeat. "Why do my strongest classmates have such tragically flimsy builds?"
"Ah, please don't take offense. Master Sabro grew up with a love for old legends and heroic tales, and by extension their aesthetics," Yamanda apologizes on his behalf. "Shall we make our way to the music room now?"
"Sure!" I answer.
We walk down the hall. Then up some stairs. Then another hall. It's a castle, so it's pretty big.
Very empty, too. It kinda reminds me of my first few days in Grandpa's mansion, before Rimuru was living with us.
"It sure is quiet in here…" I observe.
"Yeah," Rimuru agrees. "Totally silent, besides that ticking sound. Or is it a clinking?"
Sabnock and I both look around in confusion. I can't hear anything, and clearly he can't either. Then he realizes.
"Oh! I know what that is. My father… he spends all his time at his forge. I'm surprised you can hear it without the magical wolf ears."
"Shaddup, you. Well, it doesn't sound like he's noticed us coming in, so would you let him know we're here, Yamanda? I don't wish to be impolite by not greeting the head of the household."
"Er, Rimuru, he spends all his time at his forge. I meant that literally, I haven't seen him in years."
Rimuru blinks in surprise. "Jeez! What's with all the absentee fathers in our class? Don't they have any appreciation for the sanctity of new life?" she grumbles with a pout.
Yamanda just gives a patient smile. "Lord Sabzan chooses to devote himself to the weaponsmithing the Sabnock bloodline is known for."
"Hmph, I'll leave this for now. So does that mean Baal's the de-facto head of the household?"
"Lord Baal," Yamanda corrects.
"Pretty much." Sabnock shrugs. "He's not around much, but at least he's around."
"Uh, so does that mean that Baal's–"
"Lord Baal," Yamanda corrects again.
"–That Baal's permission was asked for this visit? Since this is a pretty secluded place."
"Uncle's real easygoing so I doubt he'd care, but don't worry, I got his permission. You should meet him sometime, I just know you two would get along great!" Sabnock cheerfully exclaims.
Rimuru doesn't comment on that.
We arrive at a room, and Yamanda leads us inside.
"I'll tell Silvia that you're here once she reaches a good break point in her studying," he says, and then leaves.
…
A skillfully played series of chords sounds the end of an impressive piano performance from Sabnock.
"Wow! That was great! You're so good, Sabnock!" I praise, with both myself and Rimuru clapping for him.
"Hmph, this much is expected from the future Demon King," he smugly responds.
"Demons in this region sure are cultured, huh?" Rimuru curiously observes.
"Is it different in the feudal territories?" Sabnock asks.
The 'feudal territories' are one way of referring to the distant lands beyond the rule of the Thirteen Crowns, a wilderness where few demons live. We've been taught that life there is generally a lot worse.
Rimuru and I are assumed to be of feudal origin since our home country is unknown, hence Sabnock's question.
"Heh, there's only one expectation made of feudal Demon Kings, and that's being able to beat everyone else up!" Rimuru replies.
She accentuates the point with a bit of playful shadowboxing, the last punch being too fast to see and making a sharp cracking sound.
"… So being good at fighting is seen as way more important than being cultured, y'know?" she finishes.
I know she's not actually talking about the feudal territories since we don't come from there, but she probably knows what people there live like anyway; it sounds like her world was a tough place back in her time.
"Then it's a land where powerful warriors are constantly trying to prove their strength? You sure make the feudal lifestyle sound fun."
"Fun? Seriously? I feel I should dispel your fantasy by pointing out that they don't get into cute shonen battles where two men fight and the loser is left battered and bruised."
"Oh. So it's typically to the death then?" Sabnock asks, then mutters "…What's 'shonen'?" to himself.
"It's to everyone's death. Not just the warriors, but every man, woman, and child they protect! Black-hearted conflicts with everything on the line!" Rimuru dramatically states, a gleam of madness in her eyes. "And if you think that's fun, you can go–"
I cover Rimuru's mouth before she utters an atrocity.
*Muffled anger*
"Sorry Rimuru! Uh, she just gets carried away with certain topics."
"No, it was my fault. It was in poor taste to fantasize about the homeland of other demons as somewhere for epic battles to take place." Sabnock gives a small bow.
Rimuru takes my hand away. "Well, it's fine. Our homeland and the surrounding countries are a lot safer these days. There's even leeway for people to enjoy music, it just hasn't become something folks are expected to learn yet."
"But I can play the piano a bit!" I point out. "Could I show you?"
"Of course!" Sabnock agrees, giving up his spot on the piano stool to me.
Alright! It's been a while, but I suppose I'll play 'Flea Waltz'.
But the moment my fingertips brush against the keys…
*SLAM*
The piano's key cover chomps down like a wild animal, nearly taking my fingers off.
"What…?" I gasp.
Sabnock stares at me like I made an obvious mistake. "Iruma, it's bound to get upset if you touch it so suddenly."
Rimuru leans in with curiosity. "Upset? Oh, so it's like a sentient sword then? Mine gets moody if it doesn't get a coating of polish at least once a year."
"Swords get moody?"
"Well, it's not like they grumble, but I swear it feels harder to pull off the really tricky moves! If my sword arts teacher says I'm getting sloppy, sometimes a bit of weapon care fixes it."
"Ha! Sounds like it's easier to just stick to my summoned weapons then!"
"Nuh-uh, you can only rely on forged weapons! They grow with you!"
As the two start bickering, I think about how to apply what Rimuru said about moody swords to a piano.
I don't think polishing it is the answer…
Experimentally, I bow towards the piano. "Er, Mister or Miss Piano, even if you belong to Sabnock, I'd appreciate being able to play you just this once."
My face goes slightly red as I process how ridiculous I must sound.
"Hahaha! That'll do it, Iruma!" Sabnock laughs. Rimuru smacks him on the back of the head, though I can tell she's also holding in a giggle.
Slowly the piano cover re-opens, revealing pearly white keys, its earlier attempt to bite me making them feel more like teeth being displayed but Sabnock's comment and Rimuru's insight tells me this is more like a reluctant agreement.
"Thank you so much Mister or Miss Piano!" I give it another quick bow, taking the hint to be as polite as possible to it.
…
"Wow! That was great! You're so good, Iruma!" Rimuru praises with enthusiastic clapping after I finish my very basic performance.
"Come on, I'm not that good!" I bashfully reply.
She gives a wry smile. "I'm just trying to lower the bar as far as I can for when you hear me play a violin with zero practice."
Sabnock tosses Rimuru a violin case, and though surprised, she manages to catch it.
"I've only got cursory knowledge, but I can teach you what I know…" he starts, and then gives a few pointers to Rimuru as she unpacks the instrument.
"… And apparently you're supposed to never touch the bowstring. Something about the oils of your skin being bad for it," he finishes.
She looks at her hand as she flexes her fingers, no doubt weighing that statement against her being a slime.
It's a good thing slimes aren't like snails. It'd be difficult to explain the residue trails given that she's pretending to be a demon.
"Alright, I think I'm ready," Rimuru says, and places her bow on the strings.
But before she plays, she looks back up at us and then takes a few steps away.
Then a few more.
She really isn't confident, is she?
By the time I've finished my thought, she's left the room entirely and closed the door behind her.
There's a few moments of awkward silence as Sabnock and I wait for the sound.
But instead of a wonky tone, I hear a noise that makes my blood curdle.
"EEEEK!"
I hear a shrill scream come from Rimuru.
"Rimuru?!" I call out in a panic, and then rush out of the room when I don't immediately get an answer.
I know she tells me not to worry about her, but how can I not if she screams out like that?! She was obviously anxious about coming here too!
I find her standing there, her hair slightly frazzled from shock.
"What happened?" I urgently ask.
"I-it wasn't me! Um, the violin screamed when I tried to play it…" she mumbles.
I deflate as I realize that once again, I got worried for nothing.
Sabnock laughs heartily. "Hahaha! It does that when you play it wrong. Good quality instruments can be temperamental, as you can see."
"Shaddup!" Rimuru jabs him in the gut with the bow. "If you even think about laughing at me again, I'll focus instead on finding a monster big enough to gobble you up in one bite!"
That just makes him laugh more, and she gives him a long angry glare for a few seconds before backing down.
"… Let's try that again," she huffs.
She runs the bow along the strings.
"EEEEEEEEEK!"
I reflexively clap my hands over my ears, and Sabnock starts laughing again.
In a fit of rage Rimuru hurls the bow right past Sabnock's head where it embeds right into the wall, quivering from the force.
"Screw you, I'm better than any of y'all at fighting! So there!"
Sabnock is finding this all terribly funny. "Haha, we all have our things we're good at!"
I feel a little bad though. Rimuru had said she wanted to learn new talents, but we've completely shown her up, and I know she judges herself by a harsher standard than us teenagers.
I pull the bow out of the wall, briefly wondering why it didn't break.
"Can I try?" I ask Rimuru.
She glares at me mistrustfully, like it was a request to hurt her pride even more. But I hold my hands out insistently.
Reluctantly, she passes over the violin.
Only hesitating for a moment about what I'm going to do, I then proceed to play a section of the Flea Waltz, almost as confidently as I had on the piano.
And by that I mean I tried to channel the rhythm of that song into this instrument I have no experience in playing.
"EEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH! EEEEEK! AAAAAAAAAA!"
The violin screamed the whole time.
Rimuru stares at me like she died a little inside.
"Iruma, that was… the worst thing I've ever heard."
"Ahaha… Yeah, I've never played the violin before, it's really tricky." I deliberately scratch the back of my head in an awkward gesture.
She blinks at me in surprise. Then she smiles.
"It's tricky for sure! I guess the screaming's the first hurdle everyone has to get over, huh?"
"Yeah, you'll have to show me how to make it not scream when you figure it out!"
"Mhm, mhm." Rimuru nods confidently with her arms crossed.
Phew, I'm glad she saw what I was getting at. I would have felt very dumb if I tortured my ears just to get weird looks from my friends!
Rimuru takes the violin back from me, and then traces a circle on the floor with her foot, which faintly illuminates as she steps inside it.
She smirks at us as she claps her hands twice in complete silence.
Ah. She's going to use that spell to get all the screams out.
I remember her casting a 'sound barrier' spell when we were at the café where I met Hinata, though it's definitely strange to experience from the outside.
Since she'll probably be in there a while, I turn to Sabnock.
"Sabnock, do you know any fun and easy songs I could learn while I'm here?" I ask hopefully.
…
A while later, Rimuru steps out of the circle.
"I did it! Check it out!"
With a fluid, well-practiced motion, she dramatically sweeps the bow across the violin strings, making them resonate with a clear tone.
"Cool. But why are you moving your whole body?" Sabnock asks.
"I'll fix that later. The movements were already in me, I just had to figure out how to apply them to the violin."
"Wait, could you do that again?"
Rimuru repeats the motion, playing another single note.
"I can see it now! You used a sword move on the violin!" Sabnock exclaims amusedly.
She looks embarrassed. "Listen, if it works, it works. I'm sure I won't look so goofy by the time the Music Festival rolls around."
"Or maybe that could be part of your style!" I suggest.
"No way, if we use too much flair then Keroli will scold us." Rimuru dismissively waves a hand. "Besides, I'd rather look elegant than dramatic."
"Ah… Well, you can probably pull off the elegant look as well."
"Of course! I know all there is to know about looking elegant!" she boasts with a grin.
I think Hinata would yell at you if she heard that. Or stab you. Or both.
I decide not to voice that dangerous thought and just smile in response.
"Anyway, that was just me figuring out how to make a sound of any kind besides screaming," Rimuru continues. "I still need to figure out how to make each note, then build up the 'muscle memory'… Then I might finally be ready to start learning our class's song."
"Will your schedule be okay?" I ask, aware that this is going on top of schoolwork, motherhood, and governing an entire country!
I know from experience how hellish working multiple jobs can get, and although it's split across two bodies for her, I don't know if that truly means the workload counts for only half as much.
Rimuru gets a faraway look in her eyes for a moment as it dawns on her just how much she's taken on.
But then she just laughs. "I can always just skip sleeping!"
"Grandpa doesn't like it when we do that."
"He only cares when you skip sleep, Iruma," Rimuru corrects me.
"That's not true!"
"Look, if you're really worried it'll impact my performance, I'll just cram now so I can take it easy in the leadup to the Music Festival."
"I'm not worried about your performance, I'm–"
"You're not worried then? Okay!" Rimuru interrupts, clearly determined to do this.
I sigh heavily. She always acts strange if she starts replacing her sleep with more work, so I just know this is gonna turn into something troublesome.
And I'm sure Grandpa really does worry about her, he's such a kind and caring person!
Right as we start settling back into practice, we hear a manly voice coming from behind us.
"Well well, look who we have here."
"Yeek!" comes another squeal from Rimuru's direction.
I quickly look behind me and see her frozen in place. As though dreading what she'll see, she slowly turns around, coming face-to-face with…
"Silvia!" Sabnock eagerly calls the name of the young girl we haven't seen in months.
"Big bro!" Silvia replies, moving past Rimuru to give him a hug. Then she fishes a charm from out the front of her vest. "Yamanda gave me this magitool as a reward for studying hard! What did you think of my impression of Uncle's voice?"
"Spot-on! I've never heard Rimuru make that noise!"
"T-that was the violin…" Rimuru stammers, even as she's clutching her chest looking well and truly spooked.
Seriously, what's with her today? I've never seen her this high-strung and anxious.
"So have you two had a rematch yet? You must've! I wanna know if you've managed to beat her!" Silvia asks her brother.
She's tiny compared to Sabnock but just as athletic, and the hug between the two has turned into almost a feat of gymnastics with her ending up on his shoulders.
"Haha, well… That might not be a realistic goal…" Sabnock awkwardly mutters.
"Whaaaaat? Don't be silly, she has arms like noodles!"
"Hey, yeah!" Rimuru annoyedly says, perking back up. "What happened to that fierce determination of yours?"
"Uncle told me about the crazy stuff you managed to do last weekend. Apparently, you must be really holding back in our sparring matches."
"Ugh, why's he… Look, he's just being one of those types who wants their kid to be better than everyone else's kid. Or his nephew, in this case. Don't let it get to you."
"I'll try," Sabnock sighs. "Still, I think I'm a long way from beating dozens of–"
"Hold on." Rimuru stops him with a look of concern on her face. "Was bringing us on this visit also your uncle's idea?"
"Huh? How'd you figure that out?"
Her eyes widen. "… Just a hunch."
…
A few minutes pass before Rimuru's phone rings in her pocket, and she answers in a heartbeat.
"What? How many casualties? Oh good, just injuries. Still– … Yes, I can drop everything and be there. Alright, see ya'."
Rimuru pockets the phone and immediately turns to me. "Hey, Iruma, can I borrow you for something? Calming down a rampaging… uh, thing… seems more like your forte than mine."
"Oh! Uh, sure! Sorry to cut the visit short, Sabnock. Guess we'll meet next year, Silvia?"
I'm about 80% sure that Rimuru is just making an excuse to leave, but I'm not about to stop and ask why.
"Aww… Alright then! I'll nail the entrance exams and see you in a few months!" Silvia replies.
Rimuru briskly leads me out by the hand, dragging me to the foyer where Yamanda is standing near the front door.
He sees Rimuru attempt to open it, and then apologizes when it doesn't open.
"Whoops, sorry! I locked it for safety since we have important guests over, let me just unlock it…"
Yamanda pats himself down, then checks his pockets. "Looks like it's not here. Ah, I think I know where the key is."
At a very casual pace, not at all matching Rimuru's impatience, he walks out of the room.
Then, with key-in-hand, he starts walking back, even slower than before.
Almost stomping her way over, Rimuru meets him halfway and snatches the key, but at that very moment she freezes.
"What a farce…" she mutters just loud enough to hear, handing the key back to Yamanda.
Ten seconds later, the door swings open to reveal a surprise guest, who's grinning at us for some reason.
Then looking past us he calls out "Hey Sabro! Silvia! Your favorite uncle's here!"
**About a Week Ago**
Sabnock POV
I'm exhausted after a long trip to the Southern Battlefield of all places, though I still mindfully follow the directions that Uncle Baal gave me.
"When the land on the horizon looks blackened and scorched, be on alert as you're in a danger zone. You should also be keeping an eye out for an out-of-place Bouganvillea tree around the coordinates of…"
I look between the instructions on my phone and the unhealthy-looking violet tree before me, confirming that this is indeed the location.
Though instead of approaching closer I stand cautiously far from the tree as I re-read the next instruction.
"Once you've found the tree, throw a rock at it (not so hard the tree explodes). If a bunch of leaves fall off, then approach the tree and touch it. DO NOT APPROACH IT IF LEAVES DON'T FALL OFF, YOU *WILL* EXPLODE."
I'm not sure how close I can get to the tree without exploding, so I toss pebbles from where I'm standing, missing quite a few times before one finally knocks against the trunk.
With an overdramatic response, the tree shakes off a small scattering of leaves. So I tentatively approach, really hoping that this 'exploding' trap doesn't inexplicably kick in. I don't mind traps that stab you a bunch, but even I don't like the idea of suddenly exploding!
I let out a huge sigh of relief once I feel the bark against my palm.
"Look for a tent to the west of you that should have now appeared. Once you take your hand off the tree, you have 30 seconds to get to it."
"Thirty seconds before what?!" I ask the phone. But the instructions on a screen have no answer.
I look around a bit. Indeed, there's a circular tent that wasn't there a moment ago, and it's not far away…
So I sprint right to it, making it inside in about five seconds.
In my rush I collide with a soldier who was standing just inside, and we both fall over. Looking up at the tent roof, I immediately notice…
It's bigger on the inside!
I pick myself up, also setting the bewildered soldier back on his feet, and then start poking around. Although the inside is still tent-like, there appears to be multiple rooms separated by curtains.
Eventually, I find the man I'm looking for.
"I figured that commotion outside was you," Uncle greets me with a smirk.
No, not 'Uncle'. Here, sitting in this lavishly-decorated tent like it's a throne room, his figure is far more imposing than when he visits the Sabnock estate.
Here, he is the 'Thunder Lord' Baal, General of the Southern Battlefield.
With him is an older demon, a mage by the looks of it, with some distinctive dragonfly-like wings hanging down behind him.
"Hey, no need to look so thunderstruck. We're family after all, right?" Baal says after I've been silent a moment too long.
"R-right! I was just inspired! After all, it's my first time meeting you as the legendary general!" I exclaim. I don't actually meet him often at all, but I've heard so many stories of his exploits that he's the man I look up to above all others.
Besides Delkira himself, of course.
"So you must be Sabro. It's always a pleasure to meet other strong young demons. I take it you've heard the legends about me as well?" the older demon asks me.
"Uh…"
"I'm kidding, I'm not all that. I'm Pavel Pazuzu, an accomplice of your classmate Rimuru. Lord Baal wished for me to be present in discussing your future."
"An accomplice? … No, wait, my future?"
What's Rimuru been up to behind the scenes?!
Baal chuckles at my bewilderment. "Well, you see, your classmate Rimuru went on a trip back to her old stomping grounds, and she took my subordinate Pavel with her. Now he's a total fan."
"We wiped out a whole army! She fought like the demons did in my generation; ruthless, cunning, and with an appreciation for magic beyond just common spells. You just don't get warriors like her in these more peaceful times," Pavel brags, almost as though Rimuru was his own granddaughter.
My eyes widen at that. "When you say wiped out, do you mean–"
"Oh, don't worry, your classmate didn't go on a murderous rampage. We were just breaking everyone's bodies enough that they couldn't get up. She made it feel like the two of us were play-fighting with the enemy army."
"Play-fighting? She's that strong? It makes sense why you say it's like she's from a different generation, she learned her skills in the unexplored region of the Netherworld. But we've sparred loads of times, and although she's a considerably more talented fighter than me, she never felt like the kind of demon who could take on armies."
"You know, it takes a lot of control to break a demon every two seconds without risking fatal damage. One wrong move in that chaos and you destroy something vital. A demon who has that kind of precision can obviously determine exactly how strong of a sparring partner they are for you."
"In other words, you're getting toyed with," Baal interjects. "There's just no way to catch up to her without real fighting experience, it'd take the rest of your education at Babyls to get to where she already is."
I frown at that. I've always prided myself more on strength than intellect, and the Sabnock way would be to clash over the insult even if we're family. But Rimuru might really be stronger than me by that large of a margin.
Baal smirks at my reaction. "… Which is why we're having this talk here on the Southern Battlefield. If you wanted to follow my path, I could give you the chance to paint your legend in blood across this land. It'd be a fine stepping-stone for the throne I know you crave."
Does he mean for me to leave Babyls? Well, I'm certain he's right that it's the fastest way to become stronger. But even coming from Uncle, I doubt it's wise…
"Erm, hold on, Lord Baal," Pavel speaks out in concern. "Rimuru seems opposed to having her peers involved in war, so I felt I should say something given the trouble my family caused in that regard."
I nod in agreement. "Uncle, I'm afraid he's right, she did in fact protest when I joked about copying her. I assured her that I wouldn't, and I'd rather not go back on my word."
I had told her that I knew I'd just wind up getting killed if I continued following the shortest path to becoming the Demon King. Perhaps I'm a little jealous of her triumph, but I can't be blinded by her as an example; I need to remind myself that what she did came with a high risk that she'd never make it home.
"Hmm. You won't go back on your word, is that it?" Baal coolly replies, and he ushers Pavel out for some privacy.
He waits a few moments, listening to Pavel's departing footsteps.
Then he locks eyes with me, looking very serious. "Sabro, answer me this: How much time is left for you to become the man who can become the Demon King?"
"Fifty years," I promptly reply. "I have already thought about this: The throne has been empty for centuries, so I doubt any of the current contenders will claim it. My rivals certainly could, but it takes many years for demons to reach their full potential. I think we would need at least fifty years to truly earn the respect of the strongest demons."
"At least fifty, hmm? Well, I agree with your assessment entirely. It'd be ridiculous for me or any other member of the Thirteen Crowns to bend a knee to some newcomer."
"Right, so I can take my time–"
"Hold on. You followed sensible logic, but this modern Netherworld isn't so sensible. I think the selection of the next Demon King has already begun."
"What?!"
"Ameri Azazel. Alice Asmodeus. Razberry Belial. Leiji Leviathan. And finally, yourself. All five of you are powerful and ambitious family members of the Thirteen Crowns, within merely a year of each other's ages. Natural rivals. What do you make of that?"
"Aren't you forgetting to include–"
"Yes, the infamous Sullivan Twins. When he saw what was happening, that geezer made an adoption to bring that five up to seven, giving himself an oversized stake in your generation. Can you see where I'm going with this?"
It takes me a few seconds to realize what Uncle means, but when I do I'm stunned.
How did I not notice how strange it was? The others could have been born many years older or younger than me, but the stars aligned for a great rivalry between the families, and through adoption Sullivan aligned his stars himself! Because…
"… Lord Sullivan has already decided one of us seven will become the Demon King!" I conclude.
"It's not exactly a subtle play, is it? If he wanted to be a family man, he's had over a millennium to continue his bloodline, but instead he's adopted two kids already most of the way to adulthood. He must've really bent over backwards to make it happen too since their mother is still in the picture; he wasn't gonna get so lucky as to find orphans matching the age and power of you five crown-relatives."
As I come down from my initial shock, my brows furrow. What Uncle just described sounds like a perfect explanation for an odd family structure, the twins very well could have been brought in as candidates for the throne.
But there is one thing I find suspicious. "Wouldn't he treat his grandchildren more coldly if they were a means to an end? If anything, the twins find their grandfather excessively doting."
"Oh, I bet he loves Iruma. I hear the kid's as much of a softie as him. But Rimuru… Well, don't assume being twins makes them equals. That's part of why I expect Sullivan to rush things along; I suspect he's already earmarked Iruma for the throne."
"Earmarked?"
"I heard how the Harvest Festival turned out. If you do the math, Rimuru gathered nearly triple the points of her brother, yet the points she actually turned in were merely a third of his. Nowhere near winning, even without the gluttony penalty. Which makes me wonder: Did she sabotage herself because she's an idiot, or was she told to let Iruma win?"
"She's no idiot, I can say that for sure. But… it has to be self-sabotage then, right? And now that you mention it, no one would've been able to beat her in Execution Cannonball either. She just walked off the field so her brother could duel Asmodeus on his own."
"Seriously?! Ha! Now I'm convinced. Rimuru, a demon who's honed herself past anyone in her generation and still has so much potential, has been told to bury her achievements for the sake of Demon King Iruma. Thanks, that explains everything."
Uncle is acting amused, but I can tell he's hiding a small amount of anger as well.
What he's saying seems ridiculous, and yet I want to ask: What the hell is going on in that family?
I'm not given a moment to voice my thoughts as Uncle steams ahead.
"I know you respect your rivals, but Sullivan's built a faction with no intention of rivalry. You're smart and strong, but on your own you won't be able to deal with Iruma's clout or Rimuru's monstrous power. You need to go about this battle in a way they wouldn't expect!"
"You aren't suggesting that I do something to either of them, are you?" I ask in a serious tone.
"Haha, of course not! You're a chivalrous man, so I knew you'd refuse the old-school option of simply offing your rival or his protective sister. That leaves two other options. The first is to work under me. Rimuru would agree that real bloodshed builds your strength faster than anything else, and I can give you the powerful connections you need to rival Iruma."
I stare at him, waiting to hear the second.
"Not a fan of that either? Well, the other is that you get the twins, or at least Rimuru, to step outside the confines of Sullivan's suffocating faction. No kid likes being a puppet to their family, and the girl obviously belongs in a more meritocratic clique."
"I don't think they're as discontent as you're hoping. Iruma seems very happy with his life. And Rimuru… I can never really understand her thoughts, but she's closer with her brother than anyone else."
"You would be surprised, Sabro, what a bit of camaraderie can buy you. I doubt this tolerance of hiding in her brother's pocket will last much longer for Rimuru, so you need to stay close with them both to grab her up when that happens. Having that girl on your side will tip the scales for you, I'm sure you can see that!"
"Uncle, I really don't believe their relationship is anything so insidious. You seem to see them as master and subordinate, but they really do just act like brother and sister."
"Well, at the very least, get to know them better outside of school where the old man's not there to dictate their lives. And perhaps I should see them for myself to get a better grasp of things. Say… what if you were to take a trip to the Sabnock estate with them, and I were to pay a surprise visit?"
A meeting between our family and the twins? Come to think of it, I've never hung out with them outside of school.
Well! Now that's an idea I actually like! I know my sister misses me, and I'm sure the twins would enjoy having a casual encounter with the famous 'Thunder Lord' Baal.
And I reckon that Baal and Rimuru would get along just great!
"Alright, Uncle. I bet they'd love to meet you!" I eagerly agree.
**And Now…**
Rimuru POV
Great. Just great.
For a simple friendly visit to a classmate's place, this is turning into a total disaster!
"Uncle! It's great to see you!" Sabnock waves past me at Baal, who's escorted us back into the room we just left. "But Rimuru and Iruma have somewhere to go, so…"
"Oh, they're just getting up to nonsense." He smirks down at me, probably pleased that he's cornered me here.
"Um, so you're the Thunder Lord Baal, right?" Iruma asks nervously.
For a split-second, Baal shows annoyance at Iruma's question, before the fake smile returns to his face.
"That's right," he says, reaching for Iruma. I watch closely as Baal messes up his hair, ready to slice that arm off if he even thinks about hurting Iruma.
Iruma looks more confused than anything as Baal takes his hand away.
Looking around, Baal comments "So what have you kiddos been up to? Looks like you were in the middle of some kinda music practice."
"Yeah! The twins are gonna be the supporting musicians for the Music Festival, so I was helping them learn," Sabnock eagerly replies.
"Huh. Iruma's not in the lead role? That's a shocker."
"We can't do that, sir!" Iruma hastily crosses his arms in an X. "We're trying to get everyone to Dalet rank before the end of the year, so I can't steal that role from someone else."
"What, you're not even gonna try to catch up to your sister's rank?"
"U-um…"
I pull Iruma away from Baal a little. "He's doing that just fine, y'know? He was four ranks below me, then three, and now two."
Baal scoffs. "Don't kid me. If you got started on your next scala exam already, you'd be well on your way to rank 7, Zayin."
Scala exam?
Putting that aside for later, I deflect with a joke.
"Well, I bet Professor Kalego would hate it if I was just one rank below him. So it's almost worth the trouble."
"But not worth as much as a gigantic pile of food, right?"
"Shaddup."
"Heh. Anyway, I thought fighting was the only thing you were good for. You're actually learning an instrument?" Baal asks, no doubt recalling our conversation in the music store the other day.
That comment stings a little, even coming from an idiot like Baal. It's true that it's my best talent by like… an astronomical margin, but I can be good at other things!
"Yeah, I decided to learn the violin! And I'm doing just fine, thank you very much!" I state in a huff.
"Oh, the violin? You know, I took a look at the tutors everyone was assigned, and I've heard yours has a way with that instrument. Maybe she'll teach you if you ask nicely enough."
Grrr… I don't think it's her you expect me to ask nicely, given that you're the reason she's missing.
"Um, actually, Rimuru's tutor never showed up," Iruma points out.
"Whaaat? Really?" Baal gasps with overacted surprise. "Ah, that cruel woman must've decided that Rimuru's not worth her time. Older demons sure can be harsh."
Oh no. My missing tutor is some poor old lady? Baal, what did you do?!
I harshly glare at the man taunting me, who seems to find my reaction amusing.
"Heh. Tough luck, but hey, since you took care of my subordinate so nicely, I could do you a favor and try to get you a meeting with her. With any luck, she might drop the cagey attitude!" he says with uncharacteristic cheeriness and a boop on my nose.
His military tactician side is showing, in that his other arm was casually over my shoulder so I had no way to avoid the boop.
Ugh, so annoying… Also, a 'cagey' attitude? It's so irritating that he can say this stuff in plain view of everyone!
I had some hope that he wouldn't be able to order me around with others present, but he's using doublespeak to make sure we hear different things.
Translation: 'You killed Ocho like you were told, so if you keep playing nice, I'll free the tutor I'm keeping as a prisoner.'
It's gonna be hard to just stand by after he baits me in with the plight of a demoness who I doubt deserved any of this, and I'm sure he fully understands that.
"I'll consider it," I tersely reply.
"Great! I'll see you around!"
"I said I'll consider it, you deaf bastard!" I yell, throwing Baal's arm off me.
The others stare at me in shock.
… Oops. I got too casual with a 'new' face.
"Woah, I didn't even know it was possible to talk to Uncle like that!" Silvia gasps.
"And I thought the way you talked to the professor was colorful! Ha! Classic Rimuru!" Sabnock follows.
"Pffft, that's nothing. I get it far worse from Amaymon, you've got a long way to go to reach his level," Baal scoffs.
"Actually, she's closer than you might think."
"Hmm?"
"Uh, nevermind," Sabnock says after he notices the sharp glare I'm giving him.
Amaymon is the big fluffy wolf-guy in the Thirteen Crowns. Inherently adorable, but also an unfortunate reminder of this week's Astrology Class incident.
Baal shrugs. "Anyway, if you were surprised by that, clearly Rimuru's never told you about what she did after Sullivan told her to 'mind her manners' when taking her to a Thirteen's Dinner."
"I simply said what needed to be said." I cross my arms, averting my eyes from everyone else.
"Rimuru, what did you do?!" Iruma balks.
"All I did was give my opinion on the state of politics."
"That opinion was the most scathing thing any of us have heard from a lower-ranked demon!" Baal scolds.
"You told me I could speak freely!"
"Are you kidding me? I'll admit, you were right that it's pathetic that the others can't function without Delkira, but you insulted everyone so unflinchingly that I'm sure you'd have insulted him too if he was there!"
"Now listen, even I have my limits, for example… uh… Princess Shuna! Nobody in my home country would dare defy her."
"Ehhh? There's someone you actually respect? So what if I slandered her right to her face? What would you do then?" Baal suggests with a grin.
"I'd break your nose, of course," I reply without missing a beat.
He's stunned. "… BIG TALK FOR A RANK VAU, HUH?!"
"Big talk for someone in nose-breaking range!"
"Wow, they get along so well…" Silvia gasps in awe.
" "We do not!" "
"R-Rimuru, I don't think Grandpa would want you hurting one of the Thirteen Crowns…" Iruma desperately tries to de-escalate. In vain, of course.
"Hurt me? You think she could actually do that, imp-squeak?" Baal snarls at him.
"Ha! He knows what's up! It'd be so fast you won't know what hit ya!" I brag, leaning in close to Baal.
Sabnock seems excited about the situation. "Ooooh! I wanna see this! I'm pretty sure Rimuru can punch faster than sound, even Uncle might not be able to dodge it!"
"You all realize I'm one of the strongest demons in the Netherworld, right?!" Baal exclaims in disbelief.
I put my hands on my hips. "Yeah, so?"
"Tch… Well, if you're gonna boast that you can hurt me, you've got a responsibility to follow through. Go on, little skirmishes happen all the time in this family!"
I clench my fist. Barely resisting the urge to destroy this jerk's face.
Then I sigh and relax. "… Of course I'm not actually gonna attack someone in their family home. I'm not some savage brute who hurts people for no good reason."
My jab doesn't go unnoticed by Baal. But other than an eye-twitch, he manages to hide his reaction.
"Pffft, you're just saying that because you talked too big a game," he scoffs.
"I'm just saying I won't throw the first punch. Right here, please." I point at my face with both hands. Baal stares at me in confusion for several long seconds.
"… Yo, Iruma. Is she actually crazy?"
"She's, uh…" Iruma hesitates, not sure how to answer here. "… She's very confident."
"Eyes over here, Baal. Proceed with full force so we can get on with this," I say in a tone as insultingly bored-sounding as possible.
"You'd literally explode!" Baal scolds.
"Wouldn't be the first time. Go on, up and at 'em."
"But why with full force?!"
"So I can gauge how much you can take when it's my turn."
"Oh, you really are a brat, huh?!"
Baal clenches his fist, and it looks like he's actually gonna do it.
"Wait wait wait wait! Stop!"
"Hold on, she'll actually die!"
"Uncle, even Rimuru can't–!"
Silvia, Yamanda, and Sabnock all clamor to stop Baal, but he's not listening to them, his eyes fixed on me with an evil smile.
I just stare at him unblinkingly, and then–
*POW*
Baal's fist shoots past the side of my head without me needing to move to dodge it.
My hair violently flutters, and the destructive shockwave strains the reinforced stone of the wall behind me, shattering anything softer it happened to spill across.
I just keep staring back at him and ask, "When do I explode?"
Baal stares at me in a moment of awe. I'm sure he expected exposure to that sheer force, that sudden violence to be sobering for a 'brat', but I didn't even flinch. Not even with a mere inch between my cheek and his fist.
Then he grins, and pats me on the back. "Ha! Alright, you win. I think that might be the gutsiest thing I've ever seen."
"That's amazing, Rimuru! If he punched just a little bit to the left, the room would've gotten a new coat of paint! But you didn't even react!" Sabnock exclaims in excitement.
"Have some faith in me, I could've taken that." I brush down my tousled hair.
Looking around at the room, I feel a bit bad; it's a total wreck. But, I can blame Baal and his arrogant nonsense for that.
"Iruma and I need to get going now, Grandpa wants us home for dinner." I say, grabbing the still-stunned boy by his sleeve. I guess that shockwave was a bit much for him to handle.
"That's not another excuse, is it?" Sabnock asks with a grin.
"Nope. Just look at this." I hold up my phone to show him the number of worried texts and missed calls I'd gotten from Sullivan.
"Well then, see you in class, rivals!" Sabnock waves.
"Bye!" Silvia joins her brother.
But as I'm stepping out the door, Baal catches my free arm and quietly says "You'll definitely want to meet up with that tutor before too long, so I'll be seeing you around reaaal soon!"
What a creep…
"C'mon, Iruma," I tug a little harder on his arm since he kinda froze up again.
Once we are safely outside again, he shakily asks me "R-Rimuru…?"
"Yeah?"
"Can you check if my heart's still beating?"
"… Yep, it is."
Very, very fast, I notice.
I feel bad, I do. But I couldn't just stand there in Baal's 'trap' letting him steamroll over me.
"W-we should go take care of that thing… that you mentioned earlier."
"It was actually nothing, so don't worry about it."
"Oh…" Iruma nods to himself. "Do you want to have some hot chocolate… after dinner?"
"That sounds great," I reply, giving him my best smile.