Story: I'm a Daemon, so what?
Disclaimer: I do not own the original setting.
Chapter 116: Theories
As always, up to chapter 131 can be found at [email protected]/theogbasilisk
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- Felix -
It didn't take me long to finish summarizing the details of what the meeting was about, including Castle Guard. To say that the four were surprised would be an understatement.
"Hmm, so that's the current state of the Emperor, huh?" Chloe said.
"I can't say it is surprising, my elder brother's Ultimate Skill was said to be the strongest in existence." Veldora chimed in.
Chloe pursed her lips. "For an Ultimate Skill like Michael, Lord of Justice to so blatantly show desires and an isolated will like that… it–"
"It sounds like a Manas." I finished.
Chloe nodded. "Chronoa is saying that it could be possible. We don't really know just how a Manas actually develops or what other scenarios they can be born in."
Rimuru nodded.
"They can be born from Ultimate Skills, it would only make sense." I said.
Chloe looked at me. "Right…" I could tell she had more to ask but held her questions back.
Ordinarily, I would have already spilled the beans about Othinus. I trusted Rimuru, Veldora, and even Ramiris heavily. Chloe, not so much.
Perhaps it was cruel and I was being an asshole or whatever. She had gone through a lot to get to this point, for that I'd always be grateful and have her back, but being grateful didn't equate to having that much trust in her that I'd tell her about quite literally my biggest secret.
I didn't have many quality interactions with Chloe before she went back in time, let alone after she returned.
She seemed to have a good impression of me due to whatever interactions we had in other timelines, but I didn't retain those memories. It wasn't exactly me that experienced those things with her. Until our trust in one another deepens, I wouldn't go out of my way to tell her my secrets.
I did still plan to fight her. She asked me for a spar and I agreed. I'd stick to my word. It's not like I planned on exposing any sort of trump card or anything. Plus, it would help her get a better hang of her power. She hasn't gotten the chance to do that yet, and there was only so much a baby Manas like Chronoa could do.
"Do you know anything more about Michael, Ramiris?" Rimuru asked.
Ramiris was uncharacteristically looking serious as she sat on Veldora's head. "Hmm, I don't remember things perfectly but I do remember some things about Michael."
"Oh?"
"Velda said that Michael, Lord of Justice could be considered the "King" of all Angelic Skills, and so it had authority matching that status." Ramiris said.
"The King?" Chloe said. "What does that mean?"
The five of us continued to bounce ideas off of each other, trying to figure out what Veldanava could have meant when he explicitly said that as the "King" of the Angelic Skills, Michael had authority matching that status.
There had to have been a reason Veldanava referred to Michael in that kind of way.
Some of the ideas we came up with was that Michael could use all the abilities of all the Angelic Skills, it had the data of all the Angelic Skills, or it could override other Angelic Skills entirely. However, there was no concrete evidence to support any of these theories, just an educated guess based on the little information we had.
It would make sense though. As the main Skill of God himself, I feel like any normal person would want that in their back pocket; something that was able to rein in the rest of the Angelic Skills in the case that it was needed. With him distributing the Virtue Skills like candy, it would be smart to keep some countermeasures just in case.
Perhaps it was a bit cruel if he did design such a function, after all Guy said that Veldanava personally gave Velzard her Virtue Series Ultimate Skill. He basically would have put in a control switch into his own sister in that case.
Back when Michael, Lord of Justice was first being designed, I think that chances were that Veldanava thought that the only Ultimate Skills that would ever exist would be Angelic Skills.
How could he have predicted that the Demonic Series would be born out of nothingness due to the contrary nature of this world? How could he predict that an entirely new series of Ultimate Skills could be created through sheer willpower or through a bullshit Manas.
Or maybe he could and he simply was that powerful and I'm just making up fanfiction about him.
Rimuru frowned as he leaned back in his chair. "If Michael really has authority over all Angelic Skills, then it might explain why he's such a threat. But if that's true, wouldn't there be a way to counteract it? Something Veldanava might've left behind?"
Rimuru's question hung in the air, heavy with implications. If Michael, Lord of Justice, truly held authority over all Angelic Skills, then it wasn't just his raw power that made him a threat, it was his control. Guy said that while Uriel's essence laid in the concepts of destroy and protect, Michael was focused on the concept of domination.
Putting all that information together, it did somewhat make sense that perhaps Michael was able to dominate Angelic Skills or something like that.
Maybe it was possible for Othinus to verify everything? I had the data for numerous Angelic Skills after all.
'Is it possible for you to check the Angelic Skills that I have data on, for if there is such a function imbued within it?'
"I can and have already begun, such a thing would have originally slipped past my analysis as it would be very deeply hidden within the data so that none could find out. It will take time however."
'Thanks.'
Rimuru sighed. "Well there's no point in just making more guesses. We'll do the best we can to prepare, that's all that we can do."
We all nodded.
My gaze wandered to the three unconscious bodies that had been in the corner of the room since I arrived. I had analyzed them the moment I appeared, all three were Enlightened and had solid Unique Skills which I also analyzed.
"What's up with those guys by the way?" I asked.
Rimuru gave Chloe a look. She sheepishly looked to the side. "Those are some spies from the Eastern Empire that were taken care of. We actually used your Shadow Dancer to beat them."
I raised a brow. "Is that so? How did it do?"
Veldora laughed as he shot me a thumbs up. "It was an impressive showing!"
I nodded. It had grown in strength since I first created it, I'd more or less left it to roam The Dungeon as it pleased. From what I've heard, my Shadow Dancer has caused the end of numerous unfortunate parties.
Chloe went on to tell us a bit about how the three did in The Dungeon as well as what they were doing before they entered The Dungeon. According to Chloe, the three were basically forced into the roles they were playing.
She said she heard them sing praises about Tempest as a country and about how much they wish they were able to live here. She even said that the three had spoken about possibly abandoning the Eastern Empire entirely for Tempest, but they were still rather nervous about that choice.
Chloe said that the three of them seemed like genuinely decent people. She also requested that Rimuru be a bit gentle with them since she had taken a bit of a liking to them.
She also offhandedly mentioned that apparently there were Monsters that were born from my own Aura back when I showed off to Hinata, so that was interesting.
I wasn't reacting that much since none had any real ego. They were technically my children, but with no ego, that didn't make much of a difference to me. They were essentially just bots that were born from my Aura. I was still pretty curious about them though. They had inherited my Factor, a Factor that was intermingled with that of various True Dragons.
Rimuru sighed and shook his head. "I'll still have them interrogated. I'll make sure it's nothing too severe." He said. I didn't bother offering my help in just using one of my various Skills to get them to talk. If Rimuru wanted my help he'd just ask me directly. If he didn't ask then I'd just assume he had it handled.
The atmosphere lightened for a moment before Rimuru's gaze turned back to the unconscious spies in the corner. "Felix, do you think they might know anything useful?" He asked, mostly just for the sake of asking rather than actually believing in what he was saying. He was probably just trying to make some conversation.
I glanced at them again, considering the possibilities. "Doubtful, but it doesn't hurt to try. If they're from the Eastern Empire, they might at least know about their operations or plans."
If anything, these spies were likely sent for a reason, hopefully they had vague ideas of what the Empire's plans were at least.
Spies were common. In fact, they were expected. Spies as strong as these three? That was far, far more rare. Enlightened were strategic military resources, to waste them on spying was rather risky.
Rimuru nodded thoughtfully. "I'll have Souei take a look at them. He's good at extracting information without causing too much of a scene… or trauma." Rimuru added at the end. I'm sure Diablo would normally be a great choice to extract information, but it would be a bit cruel to let him loose on these guys.
"Souei should be able to handle this efficiently." I replied, crossing my arms. "If they've got anything useful, he'll find it."
I hadn't spoken privately to Souei in quite some time, but even back in the Ogre Village, he was extremely competent. He's only gotten better with time and more resources available to him. He's gotten stronger as well.
Rimuru leaned back, his expression contemplative. "I just don't want this to escalate unnecessarily. The Eastern Empire's been quiet for a while, but this all feels like they're kinda testing us. They've done some sketchy things before, but nothing so direct."
I nodded. Since I've been in this world, while the Eastern Empire has basically been the boogeyman, they actually haven't taken any direct action against the Western Nations to my knowledge.
This would be the first time we've dealt with them actually starting something. I already knew the invasion was inevitable and approaching, but it was one thing to hear it and another thing entirely to see the first steps of such a thing in front of my eyes.
Perhaps I was being a bit too cautious of the Eastern Empire, but who could blame me? Their threat level was ginormous, with the potential strongest Human in existence, a True Dragon, and multiple Ultimate Awakened and who knows what else.
They have been practically mythologized over time, making them seem even more dangerous than they likely were. In the end, being too cautious shouldn't harm me, even if I was still confident in my own abilities. Self-doubt was poison after all.
"Do you believe that there is a chance of failure, Master?" Othinus asked with curiosity. I could tell she had already come to her own conclusions, likely conclusions backed by evidence.
'Nah, I'd win.'
I could feel Othinus' exasperation with my statement.
Still, as I glanced at the unconscious spies my lips pursed. Sending Enlightened out as mere scouts was still really surprising to me. Maybe they thought these three would make it back okay?
I shook my head. No point dwelling on questions I couldn't get answers to right now.
Rimuru broke my train of thought. "Felix, while Souei handles their interrogation, is it possible for you to coordinate with Elmesia and see how much she is willing to help us?"
While the Sorcerous Dynasty of Sarion were our allies, there was still a need to maintain that alliance with continued communication and offering benefits, and that went both ways.
Dwargon, and even Ruberious, were obligated by a pact to come to the aid of Tempest and Azeroth should either of our territories be invaded by a sovereign nation. However, the Sorcerous Dynasty of Sarion was a bit different. We had more of a trading alliance with Sarion rather than a military alliance, so in theory they weren't obligated to help us.
Gazel had already agreed to back us up so there was no need to worry about him. I was also fairly certain that Elmesia would also support us. The amount of benefits we've given her are staggering.
She has access to our trade routes, the various rare goods both Tempest and Azeroth produce, and on top of that, I avenged her father and am in the process of restoring her father back to his former glory.
I nodded. "I was already planning on meeting her soon, so that works." It shouldn't take Laplace long at all to be restored back to Sarion with Othinus working on it.
Plus, Elmesia was smart. "Elmesia might play her cards close to her chest, but she's practical. If she sees that helping us also helps her dynasty, she'll be on board."
With our little chat last time, I'm hoping that was all enough to put Elmesia firmly on board on our side. She was an Ultimate Awakened, and according to her, her mother was also an Ultimate Awakened. I may be fuck-off levels of powerful, but the more powerful allies, the better.
It would be fun to just destroy all of the Eastern Empire's plans with just a whole bunch of raw power, after all.
Chloe crossed her arms, frowning slightly. "Do you think she'll commit her forces, though? The Sorcerous Dynasty's military power would be a huge advantage, but Elmesia doesn't seem like the type to take risks unless absolutely necessary. I did not have much interaction with her in any of the loops so I can't tell you much about her." Chloe said with pursed lips.
"She won't." I admitted bluntly. From what I understood, Elmesia seemed to like me and Rimuru, but as a ruler that alone meant that she would still have to give it due consideration as she'd be bringing her people into it as well.
"Not unless we can frame it as a mutual benefit. The Eastern Empire might pose a threat to her territory as well, though. If we can convince her of that, she'll act. In fact, if I know her well enough, she'd want to help either way, but framing it that way can help convince the people in her court who are more rebellious against the idea." I continued.
I wasn't certain how Elmesia ran things in her court. She could be an absolute power that no one opposed, or she could actually value the opinions of her court. It really depended on those two possibilities.
Veldora leaned back with a grin. "Ah, the old political game. It's too tedious for me. Just tell her we'll crush the Empire and invite her to the victory feast! There will be tons of manga and anime. I give her my, the Storm Dragon Veldora's word!"
I cringed. "Referring to yourself in the third person is not as cool as you think it is, Veldora."
"Eh! It's totally cool, what do you mean, Felix!?" Ramiris yelled.
I rolled my eyes, refusing to have that talk now. Rimuru and Chloe were just watching us with amused smiles.
Rimuru smiled faintly, but his gaze lingered on the spies. "We can't afford to underestimate them. If they've sent Enlightened as scouts, it means that they are almost ready."
I expected the Eastern Empire to take a few more months to officially launch its invasion. According to the information Lalatina had managed to gather, they were still in the process of gathering enough supplies for wartime measures to be undertaken.
And with what Damrada said about Rudra sending legions of troops to their deaths in the hopes of an Awakening among them, I imagine Rudra may just do the same thing with Tempest and Azeroth.
He sounded like the kind of person to have a large enough ego to still not take us seriously and use us as a sharpening tool for his army.
Though I imagine if he does do something similar, then things will end up in a similar way as the attack they launched on Veldora in the past. Complete annihilation.
Rimuru let out a sigh of exhaustion. "I think we've discussed what we could do for now. Let's take a break, I'm too mentally drained for all this."
Ramiris nodded from on top of Veldora's head. "Umu! I'm glad you understand!"
"I have one last thing to ask." I interrupted. "How was the meeting with the Council of the West?" I was rather curious how it all turned out, what with the attack on the meeting and all.
Rimuru shivered lightly. "Ugh, it went well enough I suppose. Actually you could say it went excellent. It's safe to say that the Council of the West won't be an issue from now on, what with who holds their reins now."
I nodded, assuming that Rimuru managed to tame them all somehow. Over time he had changed. Before he wouldn't have resorted to things like blackmail and such to keep others in line, but ever since he became a bonafide ruler, he's begun playing the game of politics rather well.
"I just wish you told me that Arcuied was going to show up. Don't get me wrong, she was a real savior. According to Benimaru and Souei she practically led the entire room around by the nose." Rimuru said.
I blinked in confusion. "Eh? Arcueid showed up?"
I had told her to watch over things in the Western Nations during the attack. Perhaps she knew about the attack on the Council and took her own actions? I did tell her to do whatever she felt like, I trusted her judgment when it came to those kinds of things.
Rimuru's lips twitched. "You didn't even know?"
I shrugged. "I just told her to do what she thought was best."
Rimuru sighed. "Fine, fine. From what Benimaru said, she blackmailed the entire Council of the West into submission. That's how I got them to agree to all their demands."
I blinked. "Huh, well that's something. I didn't expect her to do all that."
If Arcuied had the whole Council of the West under control, and also the Free Guild under her control… didn't that mean I basically indirectly controlled the entirety of the Western Nations barring whatever influence Luminous had over the countries?
Luminous had control of the religion, I had control over the royalty and policies, and Rimuru was quickly gaining control over the economy.
Did I accidentally just gain control over a significant portion of this world's landmass?
Oops?
That was probably significantly messed up, but eh, it wasn't like I planned to abuse the newfound authority I had.
Well Arcueid had a plan, probably. I'd trust her to handle all that stuff since I wasn't particularly eager to make use of the vast amount of political power I just happened upon.
With the serious stuff out of the way, we all just chatted for a little while.
"Rimuru, have you told those kids of yours about the possibility of them returning home?"
I had gotten the coordinates for their worlds a little while ago. Interestingly enough, it was worlds, as in plural. Each seemed to come from fairly normal earths, but they were all still slightly different in some ways.
Rimuru shook his head. "Not yet. With everything that's been going on, I got really busy. I'll tell them later today. I won't mention your name or anything, you can do that yourself, but I'll bring up the possibility and have them sign contracts to keep it all secret. I didn't tell them before as I didn't want to get their hopes up in case something went wrong."
I nodded as I stood up. I did still have some things I wanted to get done. "I'll come over later to hang out for a bit, but I'm leaving now."
Rimuru nodded. "See ya."
Once everyone said their goodbyes I warped space and appeared in my study. Chloe and I had put our fight off a little bit due to all the things that were happening.
It felt like it had been ages since I had been back here, even though it hadn't been long at all, but a lot had happened in a really short period of time.
- Rimuru Tempest -
Rimuru turned to the other three once Felix left. He also had some things he needed to get done. He was still processing what Felix had told him. It really was bad timing that he left only a few short minutes before Guy showed up. It would have been easier if he could just hear about everything right then and there, but when he asked Felix why he didn't just teleport Rimuru to the meeting, Felix just shrugged saying that he thought he would be busy with everything that was going on.
Perhaps Felix could have sent over a Thought Communication at least, but he wouldn't scorn his friend for just being thoughtful.
Still, who would have thought that the first True Hero was that kind of guy? Rimuru personally thought he was a fool, though an optimistic one, no matter how mean it sounded.
A world without conflict was insanity, true insanity. For peace like that, the general population would need to sacrifice a high level of individuality, similar to what Luminous had done for her own people.
People will need to lose the desire to be better, to have more, to change. To be rid of the freedom of thought and action and act more like automatons, not even robots.
A world devoid of conflict was a dead world. As long as life exists, there will always be conflict. From predators to prey, which is something that can't be stopped unless you purge all life, to ever increasing populations, with finite resources and space leading to conflict.
It's one thing people forget: peace, true peace, is an impossibility. There will always be some conflict as long as life exists. To believe otherwise is simply to delude themselves in fantasy.
That's why he was securing peace through economic domination! Muhahaha!
He shook his head. Now wasn't the time to get all philosophical.
He began to stand up. "I'll be leaving now as well." He said as he sucked up the three Eastern Empire spies into his 'Stomach'.
Souei should hopefully be able to crack them, especially if what Chloe said is true. If they really wanted to live in Tempest, he could offer them such a thing with certain strings attached. He could empathize with the three and wanted to help them if he could, but he wouldn't do so if it would harm his people, so it all depended on them.
'Notice. The odds of successfully countering the influence of Felix White in the Western Nations is 2.1564334%.'
He rolled his eyes at Raphael's what sounded like a panicked voice. Raphael had been rather upset once he arrived at that meeting with the Council of the West.
He hadn't even left for that long and yet Arcuied managed to get them all to bow down to her whims, something he hadn't been able to do for months.
From that moment Raphael began to run calculations to minimize Felix's influence. He wasn't quite sure why, but he trusted his partner. He trusted Felix as well but if Raphael wanted to go all Light Yagami then she was more than welcome to.
Though the odds Raphael came up with were pretty crazy. Tempest's, and by extension his own, influence was rather vast. Many countries in the Western Nations relied on him and his country for various rare resources, magical artifacts, and such, giving him a monopoly over goods that were quickly becoming mainstream in the West.
An example of this is the train that had just recently been completed in the West. A train that bound his allies together through railroad tracks making trade even more swift and painless.
He also planned to create the same railroad tracks for all the other Western Nations now that he was on the Council. And yet, even when taking all that into account, Raphael still believed that it was practically hopeless at this point to counteract what Felix had indirectly done to the members of the Council of the West.
And to think Felix hadn't even ordered it. Arcueid just went out on her own and conquered a significant portion of the main continent for Felix, practically gift wrapping it for him.
She really was a go-getter. She had an Ultimate Skill now too somehow. He had considered telling Diablo about Arcueid's progress before deciding against that. He knew Diablo, and knowing that guy he'd do something excessive to try and catch up to Arcueid. Even Raphael agreed with that conjecture.
Chloe nodded. "Okay, I'll come hang out later, Rimuru!"
He smiled slightly. Despite everything, Chloe was still that small child, still wanting him to dote on her. She really was an adorable girl.
"Do you have any plans, Chloe?"
Chloe looked thoughtful for a moment before answering. "I think I'll go visit Luminous and Hinata."
He nodded and looked to the two troublemakers of The Dungeon. "And you two?"
They both shrugged. "Read manga." Veldora answered.
"Mess with Adventurers." Ramiris said.
He nodded. "As expected."
"Hey! What's that supposed to mean!? Ramiris squawked.
He didn't dignify her with a response. Ramiris had been consistently messing with different parties of Adventurers ever since The Dungeon first opened. She acted primarily through her armored knight Avatar, but she also pulled some harmless pranks as well. She had ruined the days of many poor Adventurers for her own amusement. Truly, she was an evil Demon Lord.
"Anyways, see ya." He waved as he teleported away. The last thing he heard from Ramiris was her squawks of protest.
He appeared in his office, his lips twitched upon seeing the pile of work he had left. There really was no rest for him. Thankfully, he could finish things up pretty quickly by just eating all the documents and having Raphael deal with all of it in his 'Stomach' in a couple moments.
But it still felt like work!
Before he could do that, there was a knock on the door to his office. He smiled once he realized who it was. "Come in, Shuna!"
The door opened and in came his super awesome and supportive girlfriend! He really scored with her. He bet his former Japanese self would be crying tears of jealousy if he got a good look at him now.
Shuna stepped into the room gracefully, carrying a tray with tea and snacks. Her radiant smile immediately brightened the space, and Rimuru felt his stress ease, even if only slightly.
"I thought you might need a little break, Rimuru-sama." Shuna said softly, placing the tray on the desk. She still referred to him like that when he was in "work mode". He had tried to get her to stop but Shuna thought it would be improper.
"You've been working hard, as always." She said, a small but gentle smile on her face.
Rimuru chuckled. "You're a lifesaver, Shuna. Raphael keeps telling me to prioritize efficiency, but I think even it would admit that tea breaks are essential." He had long since told Shuna about Raphael. Raphael had basically been by his side ever since he came to this world, and Shuna was one of the closest people to him. He trusted her enough to inform her about Raphael.
'Notice. This statement is inaccurate. Efficiency is paramount.' Raphael chimed in, earning a laugh from Rimuru.
Shuna tilted her head slightly. "Is Raphael disagreeing with you again?"
"More like doubling down," Rimuru said with a grin. "But I'll manage."
He and Shuna continued to chat about everything for half an hour before she left him, stating that he had work to do.
As Shuna left the door Rimuru couldn't stop the small smile that spread on his face. Sure his people were facing imminent war and he would be fighting people stronger than he could even imagine, but he couldn't regret the actions he took to get to this point. He would do all he could to protect the smiles of the people he was responsible for, that was something he swore long ago.
- Felix -
I closed my eyes and expanded my senses over my entire palace. Everyone was back. Kurumi was in the kitchen eating some sweets, Sukuna was assisting Arcueid with some work, Lalatina was bugging Arcueid, and Megumin was having fun bullying her minions.
I raised a brow as I sensed Moss and Damrada together. I suppose their reunion was inevitable. I wonder how that went.
When I got to the dungeons, I was pretty confused as I felt a rather powerful man imprisoned there.
And by powerful, I meant decently powerful. Easily at the level of an Awakened being. Just what had happened while I was gone? Seeing as how no one communicated to me about the man in the dungeons, I can only assume everything went fine enough.
There was also another Human I sensed in the dungeons, though he was in the most basic of prison cells that were available. He didn't seem to have much personal power if any at all.
After a few moments I felt Arcueid reach out through a Thought Communication.
"I am glad to see you safe and sound, My Lord." Arcueid began.
"Arcueid, you've been busy, huh?" I responded cheekily.
I could feel the smug pride she was giving off through the Thought Communication. "I have gained complete control over the fools in the Council of the West for you, My Lord. Feel free to use them as you please." Arcueid said.
"Hah! Why don't you just make sure none rock the boat for now. If I have need of them I'll let you know. Good job, Arcueid."
I wasn't really sure what I'd need those guys on the Council for but it was nice to have them in my back pocket I suppose.
If anything, the influence will be useful when the war with the Eastern Empire begins. It'll be easier to direct civilians in the West to safety so they don't get caught in the crossfire in case the war drags on into the territory of the Western Nations.
"Thank you for the praise, My Lord." Arcueid responded as she felt what seemed like… delight? She really was an adorable girl. Who could call her a monstrous Primordial Daemon when she acted like that?
"I do believe that your viewpoint is rather skewed, Master." Othinus chimed in.
'What? Me, biased? Nah.'
I could feel Othinus huff in amusement.
"Who is the rather powerful man in the dungeons?" I asked Arcueid.
"Ah, that was a spy from the Eastern Empire that was detected and handled. I do believe his name is Gadra."
"Oh? So Sasha's mentor? The one we invited?" He was decently strong.
He was pushing the levels of a Saint even though he hadn't reached that stage of evolution on his own. His soul was also clearly far older than his body, confirming Sasha's words about his reincarnations.
Still, why did he decide to sneak in when he could have just attended the invite Sasha sent to him with my permission? She was rather hopeful of getting him to switch sides since his sole reason for working with the Empire according to Sasha was to get revenge for Adalman and even Albert. The sole people his revenge was directed at had been dead for quite some time now though. Even Granbell, the last of the Luminaries, was gone.
Sasha said he had a rather high up position in the Eastern Empire, and unlike Damrada, Gadra was likely up to date on the plans of the Eastern Empire. Damrada had provided extremely valuable information, but it was still out of date.
"Indeed. It seems he disregarded proper propriety entirely and opted to sneak in to gather information for his masters." Arcueid said with what I would call disapproval in her tone.
"Hmm, I see."
"I planned to have him interrogated, possibly with Sasha by my side in the future to help sway him more. He may still prove to be a valuable font of information. Did you wish to attend the interrogation?" Arcueid asked.
"I'll be there, but I'll leave the brunt of the questioning to you."
"I will not disappoint you!" Arcueid beamed through the Thought Communication.
"What about that Human? He wasn't here before either."
"Ah, he is Johann Rosita, one of the Five Elders. During the attack I opted to invade his private mansion and secure him for future use. With the Five Elders now defunct, he may still prove to be useful. I was able to use him to intimidate the Council easily at the very least." Arcueid shared.
Arcueid and I continued to chat for a few more moments. I asked her to meet Damrada and figure out a role for him to play. Perhaps I should have given that more thought when I first decided to recruit him, but there is a lot that he can do so I'm sure it'll be fine. When I asked about Lalatina, Arcueid said that she had just finished her conversation with Lalatina, and that Lalatina would be making her way to greet me.
"You've done a lot of good work recently. What do you want as a reward?" I asked.
"A reward? There is no need for such a thing. Your thanks is more than enough reward for me, My Lord." Arcueid answered with complete sincerity.
"Arcueid…" I said sternly.
I could sense her giving in through the Thought Communication as her desire to ask for something won out when I so clearly insisted on it.
As Arcueid hesitated over what to ask for, I could feel her trying to suppress a small, almost childlike excitement through the Thought Communication. Whatever she wanted, it wasn't something she was used to voicing.
"Arcueid." I said gently, "I can practically feel your hesitation. Just say it; it's fine. You've earned it, no matter what it is."
Finally, she gave in. "If it's truly no trouble… I would like to spend an evening alone with you, My Lord." She said softly. "Just the two of us. Perhaps… tea in the gardens?"
I blinked in surprise. Of all the things she could have asked for; treasures, authority, or power, she wanted something so simple.
She really was rather adorable. I don't care whatever rumors the Eastern Empire has spread about her.
"Tea in the gardens, huh?" I repeated, a smile tugging at my lips.
"Yes! I… I would cherish the opportunity to enjoy your company, My Lord." She said, her voice tinged with rare vulnerability.
"There's no need to make a big deal about something so simple. Of course I'd accompany you, Arcueid."
"I—" She paused, as though trying to rein in her excitement, but I could feel her delight radiating through the link. "Thank you, My Lord! I'll make the arrangements myself."
"Don't go overboard." I said, chuckling. "It's just tea."
But her voice was already brimming with enthusiasm. "I'll ensure everything is perfect!"
"One last thing, Arcueid."
"Yes?"
"Think of another reward, a simple date shouldn't be a reward but an expectation. An expectation from both of our sides so I don't count it."
"I– very well, My Lord."
As the Thought Communication ended, I couldn't help but shake my head, a fond smile still on my face. Arcueid, the ever-competent and fearsome Primordial Daemon, had such an adorable side when she let her guard down.
I thought back to Arcueid's request. I do think I have dedicated a good amount of time to enjoying life with my lovers, going on simple dates, hanging out, etc, but perhaps I could be even more proactive.
I shook my head, pushing that thought aside for another time.
According to Arcueid, Lalatina is the one who fought Gadra, I could only feel bad for the guy. Arcueid said that Lalatina wasn't quite satisfied with the fight she had with Gadra which was a shame.
I could sense Lalatina approaching. Within a few moments, there was a knock on my door. "Come in, Lalatina." I called out.
The door opened with Lalatina skipping through, a small but giddy smile on her face. "Master~!"
I smiled, greeting Lalatina. "Lalatina. It seems you've had some fun."
Lalatina took a seat on my desk, kicking her legs back and forth. Thankfully there were no papers laying about, not that there usually were anyway.
She pouted. "That guy was so weak though! If he's going to try to trouble you, then he at least needs to meet a certain threshold of strength."
I rolled my eyes at Lalatina's words. If everyone had that kind of common sense, to not mess with someone out of your league, then the world would be a far different place. Clayman, Yuuki, Mariabell, and even Granbell would not have fucked around to find out.
I leaned back in my chair, chuckling at Lalatina's unfiltered remarks. "Not everyone thinks like you, Lalatina. Most people don't realize they're out of their depth until it's too late."
"Pfft, that just makes them all the more pathetic," Lalatina replied, crossing her arms. Her pout transformed into a mischievous grin. "But I'll admit, it was kind of fun to put him in his place. He actually thought he could sneak in here without a hitch." Lalatina said as she leaned backwards a bit, still kicking her legs around childishly.
"I'm sure he regrets it now." I said with a smirk. "Still, I don't think Gadra's the kind to waste his life without a purpose. Sasha made him out to be a wise old master. It was rather ballsy of him to come barging on in. Perhaps he didn't think we'd know as much as we did? He could have wanted to try and play it off as some reconnaissance to take a deeper look at the place his apprentice calls home." I mused out loud.
Lalatina tilted her head, curiosity glinting in her eyes. "You think his revenge is what caused him to act so dumb?" Lalatina did know some of the deeper information behind everything. She was in charge of intelligence.
I nodded. "People don't tend to act rationally when revenge is all that's on their mind. I can personally attest to that. Still, people in that state can still be reasoned with. It would be nice if we could turn him to our side."
Lalatina leaned forward, her expression softening slightly. "Hah, you're too nice to these guys, Master!"
I raised an eyebrow. "Nice? That's an odd way to describe recruiting useful assets."
Lalatina shrugged. "Call it whatever you want." She hopped off my desk and spread her arms. "Can we cuddle?" She asked with an adorable tilt of her head.
Ever since our date, Lalatina had become far more open about her wants and desires as a lover. She finally took a step past the whole master-subordinate relationship we have. While she'll still maintain the hierarchy when it's needed, in private she's become a bit more casual. Though, she still has that penchant for masochism as always, even if it's more controlled now that she's gotten it out of her system.
She's a functional degenerate now!
"Of course."
With that, Lalatina hopped onto my lap, leaning back against me as she basically tried to merge herself into me.
We spoke about various things as we harmlessly cuddled. I asked her about what she thought about Damrada.
Lalatina thought he was strong, which was obvious, and said that he seemed like he would be a useful asset if nothing else. He was respectful, which was a plus in her book. She talked about some ideas she had for her new Ultimate Skill; how she wanted to try some of her ideas on Gadra but that he was too weak for her to really try anything that fancy on him which was why she was disappointed.
She spoke about how Megumin seemed to be excited for our next date. I had gone on a series of dates with each of my lovers, but Megumin was the only one that I hadn't gone that far with.
Megumin wasn't really the type to show physical affection, but Lalatina said that Megumin seemed to be planning something. The three of my Demonesses were rather close with each other, more so after they all began serving under me.
We sat like that for some time before I tapped her hip. As much as I wanted to stay like this, I did have things I needed to do. First and foremost was releasing Saeko and Raiden from my Infinity Space, now that they had been healed inside of it.
"Mou, already, Master?" Lalatina whined.
"Unfortunately."
Lalatina reluctantly got up off my lap. "Thanks for the quick cuddle, Master! Now I've recharged my batteries!"
I blinked in confusion. "Your batteries?"
Lalatina nodded as if it were obvious. "My Master batteries!"
My lips twitched as I pretended to understand what that meant. "...I see."
Lalatina grinned and waved. "See ya later, Master!"
I waved back. "See ya." With that, Lalatina vanished.
"Well that was an enjoyable pastime." I mumbled aloud.
I shook my head, it was time to release Saeko and Raiden.
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Author's Note: Hello everyone, back with another chapter of Daemon! We get some more theorizing behind Michael, some more showcasing of Arcueid and Lalatina's relationship with Felix. Then also some showcasing of Rimuru with Shuna, that ship hasn't had much appearance since it first began, just wanted to show that they are still goin strong!
Anyways, thanks for reading, peace!
Thanks to @Salante and @Flowerman for beta'ing this chapter.
Last bit of editing -Omnax