— — — — — —
Otto's face was dark as he stared at Rimuru, his smile polite but not reaching his eyes. "Rimuru, would you care to explain what exactly just happened?"
"Uh, well… honestly, I don't really know either!" Rimuru blinked up at him with the most innocent eyes he could muster, praying it would work.
"You think I'm buying that?" Otto's voice was icy, his gaze locked on Rimuru's desperate puppy-dog act. He wasn't fooled for a second. If Rimuru really didn't know, he might as well go dye his hair green.
"Hehehe…" Rimuru scratched his head awkwardly. "I mean, uh, didn't you get to see Miss Kallen again? Isn't that… a happy ending for everyone?" he tried to explain, stiff as a board.
Otto's eye twitched. 'A woman cheated on me, and you're calling it a happy ending? If my mental fortitude weren't this strong, I'd already be dead from the rage. Happy ending, my ass!'
Rimuru saw the murderous glint in his eyes, paused for half a second, then—simple 720-degree spin—and bolted. His instincts screamed that staying here a second longer would be a threat to his personal safety.
Otto stood there, stunned, then turned to see Yae Sakura not far away, sweetly feeding Kallen snacks. The anger in his chest surged sky-high. He whipped out the lunchbox he'd been preparing and stormed toward them.
"Kallen, come try this mackerel I made just for you! I swear it's delicious!"
And so, the once-dignified, elegant, and handsome overseer of Schicksal had degraded into a hopeless simp. Truly, the world was going downhill fast.
---
Three days slipped by in the blink of an eye.
At the Schicksal training grounds, Bronya, Kiana, and Mei were in the middle of a spar against Rimuru.
"Imaginary Impact!" Kiana summoned a miniature imaginary space, pressing Rimuru down from the sky and pinning him to the ground.
"Perfect chance!" Mei seized the opening, transforming into lightning itself as she dashed forward, blade flashing. Her sword moved so fast it seemed to strike eight times at once, each slash wrapped in crackling lightning. The sheer power was devastating.
Not lingering for follow-up, Mei leaned back into a space gate that opened behind her, slipping out of the battlefield and reappearing at Kiana's side.
Their teamwork was flawless. The only problem? Their opponent was Rimuru.
As the dust cleared, Rimuru emerged completely unscathed—not a scratch on him, not even a tear in his clothes.
"Tch. We can't even make a dent." Kiana groaned, exhausted. The whole morning had been the same—either their attacks missed, or even when they hit, they did nothing. It was like fighting on different levels entirely.
"Well, it's Rimuru we're talking about." Mei didn't sound discouraged at all. After days of training, her control over her own strength had grown immensely. "Still, our coordination keeps improving. You did great, Kiana." She smiled warmly at her.
"Mei! Hehe~" Kiana's face melted into a lovesick grin, drool threatening to spill.
"Hey, hey, we're still in the middle of a fight. Can you not flirt right now?" Rimuru pressed his palm to his forehead, speechless. He'd known Kiana was after Mei, but seeing it firsthand still stung. 'Why is it always the good girls that get snatched up by other girls?'
"Hmph!" Annoyed at being interrupted, Kiana unleashed hundreds of Void Spears, raining them down from the sky.
"Wow, touchy much?" Rimuru muttered. Golden flames burst from his hand, roaring forward and forming nine blazing fire dragons that incinerated the incoming spears to nothing.
Mei darted in again, slicing through the flames with her blade as she struck at Rimuru.
Rimuru drew a weapon he hadn't used in a long time—Drago Blade—and blocked her strike with ease. Despite his small frame, his strength was overwhelming; with a casual twist of his wrist, he sent Mei flying back.
"They've got energy, I'll give them that." On the observation platform, Himeko watched with a faint smile tugging at her lips. Life like this… really wasn't so bad.
"They're certainly spirited," Kallen said, walking over arm-in-arm with Sakura.
"Oh? Haven't seen Bishop Otto around," Himeko remarked curiously.
"Otto? He said my taste buds didn't match his cooking, so he's been locked up in the kitchen, experimenting with new recipes," Kallen replied helplessly.
"…What can you even say to that?" Himeko sighed. Ever since Kallen's return, Otto's entire vibe had shifted. The once cool, composed, confident man had turned into a full-blown simp. Honestly, it was kind of tragic.
"Otto's still admirable in his own way," Sakura said with a sweet smile. "Even if Kallen's heart belongs to me."
'You're a demon, aren't you?' Himeko's pulse spiked as she glanced at Sakura's gentle smile. That woman was terrifying.
While they chatted, the fight below reached its conclusion.
Kiana was bound tightly in chains, Mei collapsed on the ground from exhaustion, and Bronya lay face-down, motionless. The three had worked in perfect sync, but against Rimuru, it just wasn't enough.
"Not bad at all," Rimuru praised, nodding at them. "Kiana, your control over the Herrscher of the Void's powers has gotten pretty solid. Mei, your swordsmanship's sharper than ever. And Bronya, your support was excellent."
"Still couldn't beat you though," Kiana pouted, lips twisting. They hadn't managed to land a single real hit, just got stomped over and over.
"Not my fault I'm too strong." Rimuru shrugged innocently.
"Kiana did great," Mei said softly, reaching out to ruffle Kiana's hair. The girl instantly melted into a blissful smile.
"Bronya wants headpats too," Bronya said flatly, leaning her head over.
"Alright, Bronya, you did amazing too." Mei chuckled as she patted her, radiating kindness.
.
.
.