★ 101
ASTERI'S POV
Weeks after Rimuru's massacre.
"Ah, who did I miss?" I asked, making my way into Guy's hall uninvited. But he wasn't alone; his partner, the girl, was there too.
"What are you doing here, Asteri?"
"I may be an ex-Demon Lord, but we're still friends, yeah?" I asked, but he didn't respond.
"Is this your partner? The one you talked about?"
"Greetings, Asteri. Guy told me a lot about you. It's an honour to meet you."
"Oh, did he?" I questioned, tilting my head. She nodded in agreement.
"Now, if you'll excuse me." She took off, exiting the hall. I went over to the empty seat. The scenery was still the same.
"Leon." I murmured, picking up his signature. He was here. He sat on this very seat. I can't sit on this, not with this filthy energy occupying the space. I used magic, cleansing the frozen chair before sitting down.
"What's up? What did you two discuss?"
"It's none of your business, since you aren't one of us."
"Walpurgis, yes?" I guessed correctly. I knew this was coming, and I could get some information about Rimuru from Guy's perspective.
"Sharp deduction, but it's none of your business."
"Enlighten me, or I won't leave. And I won't tell you what brought me all the way here."
"And you think I can't just leave?"
"You can, but knowing you, you will stay. The information I have might pique your interest."
Guy sighed before proceeding. "Clayman, your small fry, has proposed Walpurgis."
"I don't care about fodders." I waved.
"That's not it, but for some reason, Milim is also part of those in agreement."
"What? That doesn't make sense." I questioned. It shouldn't be a problem for Milim to agree.
"Not in the slightest. Just like you and I, Milim is also a prideful brat. Though unlike you, she didn't quit the council because of her pride."
"I don't know her much, but you're saying she won't agree to whatever Clayman is planning?"
"Exactly. She's one of the oldest, just like me. Why listen to a whelp like Clayman?"
"Offering help to the weak, probably."
"Hold your tracks, the Demon Lord Carrion was killed too."
"By that ornamental bird, Frey, yes? Like I said, I am not interested in small fries. Let them kill themselves and allow things to return to how it was."
"It's good to see you have eyes around the continent."
"Wait—knowing Milim's nature, it's natural for her to befriend the other Demon Lords. But..." I paused for just five seconds before moving on.
"Based on what I have, Milim wants to massacre Eurazania for who knows what. Carrion tries to stop her, and Frey intervenes, killing him. That clown is definitely playing behind the scenes."
"Whoa, that quick?"
"Based on what I have. I haven't been paying much attention to them and didn't waste time on the information harvested. I might be wrong, who knows."
"Milim destroying Eurazania might be a warm-up, but disturbing the balance between Demon Lords won't bring fun times. It'll create work for me, just like you did with the demons and now the Demon Lords."
"I took care of my mess, didn't I? Back to the topic at hand, the way Milim came into the scene was unexpected. Just a thought—do you think a fool like Garbage-man can manipulate the daughter of God?"
"Clever people like us can't comprehend the thoughts of fools like them. It's one of my very few weak points." He sighed.
"But if you're curious about that—never mind. I wanted to know if you'll attend, but I almost forgot you're not one of us." He got up and stretched. I can't let him go just yet.
"You know about the one called Rimuru?"
"Beats me."
"You're not the lying type, you know?"
"What do you know about it?"
"Busted." I snapped, pointing out. "'It', so you do know it's not a human." He chuckled.
"You bastard. Anyway, according to Clayman, he gives Demon Lords a bad name."
"He has a lot of potential, I'll give you that."
"Now you're revealing yourself?" He asked, crossing his arms. For someone who appeared ignorant, I knew too much.
"That's what I'm here to talk about."
"So, you do recognise him as one of us? Without you in the picture, of course."
"One hundred per cent."
"I see, you too. As for me, I think anyone Ramiris takes an interest in has the potential to be entertaining. Like you."
"He is. I'll bet on that."
"What a drag." He yawned and stretched again.
"Wanna go?"
"I'll pass for now."
"Weird for you to turn down a fight."
"Speaking of weirdness, the Storm Dragon, Veldora, has awakened. You know about that?"
"I do. And Rimuru was behind it."
"You—do you have proof?" He asked, brows furrowing.
"Yes. It's confidential and has been disposed of, so—"
"Whatever. His sisters can sense his faint presence, so I have evidence he's awake. But you know, the Evil Dragon is not one to be quiet."
"Not fully informed?" I smiled after realising he's lacking some information about Rimuru. "Nice. I'll leave that untouched."
"According to Leon, Clayman was behind it. He exerted his influence over Falmuth and instigated them to destroy Rimuru's nation."
"The latter is fact. I've seen it for myself."
"I knew it. You have influence over Rimuru, don't you?"
"What made you draw that conclusion?"
"I mean, you two seem alike, and his awakening process is pretty identical to yours."
"He asked, and I gave him my method. That's not forbidden." I shrugged, a grin plastered on my face.
"Hmm. You know I'd be grateful if I knew where Veldora is."
"Gimme Leon's perspective." I pressed.
"He came up with a lame theory, saying, 'He might be pulled into a space of someone's creation along with his seal.' That 'someone' must've broken the seal, and they'll have power to rival ours. That brings up your world system. Did you help Rimuru break the seal and hide Veldora in your world?"
"Beats me."
"It'll come to light soon enough. Clayman's violent acts, Milim's strange behaviour, Rimuru's evolution into a Demon Lord, and Veldora's return. If all those things are connected—" He broke off and smiled.
"It's so sad you left when the flames are getting hotter."
"I don't need to be a Demon Lord to interact with the other Demon Lords." I got up. "I'll be taking my leave. Till we meet again." A magic circle appeared below my feet.
"Oh, and say hello to Lady Velzard for me." I added before disappearing.
(I figured I shouldn't separate this since it's all about Rimuru. To be honest, I didn't expect to be this LONG. I hope to finish this in the next section. Hopefully xd.)
To be continued...