After leaving Velzard's room, Rimuru reached out to Shuna through Thought Communication, asking her to send over a few sets of clothes for the Frost Dragoness. So with that taken care of, he headed downstairs to check on Moana and see how her first proper meeting with everyone was going.
As he descended the stairs and stepped into the living room, Rimuru found himself greeted by a rather heartwarming sight. Moana was sitting on the floor, surrounded by Milim, Ultima, and Frama, who seemed to be teaching her some kind of card game while little Mariabell sat beside them, watching the game with obvious amusement while happily sucking on her pacifier. A short distance away, Shizu, Testarossa, and Genevieve were seated comfortably on the couch, chatting among themselves while occasionally glancing toward the lively group gathered on the floor.
"Well, there go my two queens," Ultima said with a coy smile, casually sliding two face-down cards into the middle of the pile. "So, do any of you dare to object?" she challenged, but much to her delight, both Framea and Milim chose to pass without challenging her claim, causing her smile to widen ever so slightly before her gaze naturally settled on Moana, the only player left who could call her bluff.
"Hmm... maybe she's lying... but it's only two cards..." Moana murmured under her breath, lightly biting the tip of her thumb, and stared suspiciously at Ultima's face-down cards as she pondered whether it was worth taking the risk. After several moments of serious deliberation, Moana finally decided that the risk wasn't worth it and reluctantly passed her turn as well.
"Oh, wonderful. In that case, here are three more queens," Ultima declared with a triumphant smile, wasting no time in casually placing another three face-down cards on top of the previous two. "And that's my win."
"No! Wait! I object!" Framea immediately cried out, lunging forward and flipping over the three cards Ultima had just played, only for the color to drain from her face when she saw that all three of them were, in fact, queens, which meant they had well and truly lost.
"Damn it! You're way too good at this!" Milim complained, tossing the cards in her hand onto the floor before dramatically sprawling out beside them in defeat, while Moana couldn't help but chuckle at their reactions. Since she was still new to the game, she didn't particularly mind losing, especially when watching the others get so worked up over it was proving to be far more entertaining.
"What did you expect when you're playing against a devil?" Ultima replied haughtily, clearly pleased with herself as she gathered up the scattered cards and began shuffling them for another round.
It was at that moment that Rimuru finally decided to make his presence known. "Hello, ladies. You all seem to be having a lovely evening," he greeted with an easy smile as he walked over to the group gathered around the cards and lowered himself onto the floor beside Moana. His arrival immediately caught Mariabell's attention, and the little girl's face brightened the moment she saw him. Smiling at her reaction, Rimuru reached over and scooped her up before settling her comfortably on his lap, much to her delight. "Deal me in too," he told Ultima, who promptly began gathering the cards for another round. While she did so, Rimuru turned his attention to his newly acquired niece. "So, Moana, how was meeting everyone? No one gave you any trouble, right?"
"No! Everyone's really nice," Moana replied enthusiastically as Ultima finished shuffling the deck and began dealing the cards among the five players.
"That's good. Make sure you get along with everyone, okay?" Rimuru said as he picked up his cards and casually sorted them in his hand. After taking a quick look at what he'd been dealt, he selected four cards. "Four kings," he announced, placing all four face down in the middle of the group.
"By the way, Rimuru, how does Veldora suddenly have a daughter none of us even knew about?" Shizu asked from her place on the couch, watching in amusement as all four girls stared at the cards Rimuru had just placed down with intense concentration, each seemingly trying to decide whether he was bluffing. In the end, however, none of them dared to object.
"Oh, Moana didn't tell you?" Rimuru asked as his turn eventually came around again. "Another four kings," he declared, placing four more cards face down on top of the previous four, and almost immediately, four pairs of eyes snapped toward him in disbelief, but Rimuru merely smirked at their suspicious expressions before glancing back toward Shizu. "You remember Charybdis, right?" At the same time, he gently stroked Mariabell's hair as the little girl rested against his chest, already beginning to look rather sleepy.
"The monster that attacked Frey's nation, right? Yeah, I remember that," Shizu replied with a small nod while Framea, having already been burned by Ultima's trickery earlier, was practically frying her brain trying to figure out whether Rimuru was telling the truth or shamelessly bluffing. Her eyes darted between him and the face-down cards several times before she ultimately decided it wasn't worth the risk and reluctantly let it slide.
"Well, you see, Charybdis..." Rimuru began, casually launching into an explanation of the circumstances surrounding Charybdis's birth, how the creature had originally come into existence, and how he had managed to save it instead of simply destroying it. He then went on to explain how he had purified the hatred accumulated inside its core that had consumed the once-mindless monster, eventually transforming what remained into the beautiful young girl now sitting beside him as Moana.
Meanwhile, by the time he reached the end of his explanation, his turn had come around once again, prompting him to glance down at the last four cards remaining in his hand. "And, speaking of things happening for the third time... another four kings," he announced with a perfectly straight face, placing all four cards face down onto the middle pile. With that, his hand was empty, and just like that, Rimuru had casually won the game almost as quickly as he'd joined it.
"That's quite an interesting story," Shizu remarked thoughtfully, taking a moment to process everything Rimuru had just told her before a soft chuckle escaped her lips as her attention had already shifted away from the story and toward Framea, whose eyes had gone comically wide as she stared at the pile of cards in utter disbelief.
"No way! I object!" Framea finally cried out, having had enough of Rimuru's ridiculous streak and challenging what she was certain had to be a bluff. Unfortunately for her, the moment she flipped over his final four cards, she discovered that they really were all kings while the first two sets had been the actual bluffs. "Damn it! I lost again!" she wailed, dramatically sprawling herself over the pile of cards with fake tears gathering in the corners of her eyes.
"This is just not fair!" Milim cried out in frustration, chewing on the cards in her hand while puffing out her cheeks like an adorable little hamster.
"How are you even supposed to win at this...?" Moana muttered, scratching her cheek with an awkward smile as she stared at Rimuru in bewilderment.
"As expected of my lord," Ultima said with a calm, satisfied smile, looking considerably less bothered by the outcome than everyone else. If anything, she seemed rather pleased by Rimuru's performance, clearly impressed that her master had managed to manipulate the entire table and bring the game to an end almost as quickly as he'd joined it.
Rimuru, meanwhile, simply chuckled at their antics, thoroughly amused by how seriously everyone seemed to be taking a simple card game, before deciding it was probably time to move on. "By the way, I have some other news for you," he announced, immediately drawing everyone's attention.
As he spoke, however, he noticed that Mariabell had finally begun to doze off in his arms, as she struggled to stay awake. So, not wanting to disturb her, Rimuru carefully used his magic to levitate the sleepy little girl from his lap and gently guide her over to Genevieve, who thanked him with a warm smile before taking her daughter into her arms and cradling her against her chest.
"Oh, speaking of which..." Rimuru continued, only to suddenly glance toward the staircase as he sensed someone approaching. His reaction naturally prompted everyone else to follow his gaze, and their attention soon settled on the pearl-white-haired woman, now dressed in a fitted, long-sleeved turtleneck tucked neatly into a flowing plaid skirt, descending from the stairs.
"Aunt Velzard!" Moana's eyes immediately lit up the moment she spotted Velzard, and without hesitation, she jumped to her feet and hurried toward the white-haired dragoness. "You look so beautiful!" she exclaimed, as her azure eyes shone with admiration.
"Thank you, dear," Velzard replied with a somewhat awkward smile, unable to keep the memories of how she had nearly obliterated Moana earlier from resurfacing in her mind.
"Also, I didn't get a chance to say this before, but thank you for sparring with me," Moana said with utmost sincerity in her voice. "I learned a lot from you... even though I don't actually remember how I lost to you..." she added with a sheepish smile, while rubbing the back of her head.
"That... well..." Velzard faltered, finding herself at a complete loss for words. Hearing such genuine gratitude in Moana's voice only made the guilt weighing on her conscience that much worse, especially when it came from the very girl she had nearly erased from existence earlier.
Just then, however, her new landlord came to her rescue.
"Calm down, Moana. Give your Aunt Velzard some space," Rimuru said with an amused smile as he gently caught Moana by the shoulders and pulled the overly enthusiastic girl back a step, giving Velzard some much-needed breathing room before moving to stand beside her. "Besides, you'll have plenty of time to bother her later."
"Huh? What do you mean by that?" Moana asked, blinking at him in confusion before tilting her head curiously.
"Well, that brings me to the second piece of news I wanted to share," Rimuru said before loudly clapping his hands together to get everyone's attention. "Attention, everyone! Allow me to introduce you all to the newest resident of Tempest," he announced before gently nudging Velzard forward. "Please welcome Veldora's elder sister, one of the three True Dragons in the world, the Frost Dragon, Velzard!"
"Yeah! Amazing!" Moana immediately cheered, enthusiastically clapping her hands. Her excitement quickly triggered a chain reaction throughout the room, with everyone else soon joining in and applauding as they warmly welcomed Tempest's newest resident.
Meanwhile, Velzard found herself momentarily overwhelmed by the unexpectedly warm reception. She had hardly known what to expect from everyone, but their genuine enthusiasm left a pleasant warmth blossoming inside her chest as a soft smile spread across her face. "Thank you, everyone. It's a pleasure to meet you all," she said sincerely, allowing her gaze to pass over the welcoming faces before finally turning toward Rimuru, and her expression softened just a little more as she added, "And thank you for allowing me to stay here."
******
"You can't let her stay here!" Veldora cried out in sheer panic as he grabbed Rimuru by the shoulders and began shaking him violently back and forth.
A night had passed since Rimuru had introduced Velzard to everyone and announced that she would be staying in Tempest. The very next morning, as soon as Veldora learned about his sister's new living arrangements, he immediately rushed straight to Rimuru's room, grabbed his sworn brother, and demanded that he send Velzard back wherever she had come from.
"First of all, stop shaking me," Rimuru said as he finally managed to pry himself free from Veldora's grip. "And second, no, I can't do that." He firmly shook his head. "I've already told her she can stay here, and I have no intention of going back on my word."
"But why did you even allow her to stay here in the first place!?" Veldora demanded while glaring at his sworn brother. "You don't have any idea what kind of woman she is!"
"Oh, you don't have to worry about that. I know perfectly well what kind of woman she is," Rimuru replied dryly, briefly recalling the madwoman who had gone to absolutely ridiculous lengths because of her envy. "But you don't have to worry about her as long as I'm around."
"I'm not worried about her. I'm worried about myself!" Veldora shot back immediately, pointing emphatically at his own chest as a hollow, almost haunted look crept into his golden eyes. "You don't understand, Rimuru. I can't take those kinds of beatings again!" he added in dreaded voice.
"Calm down, Veldora," Rimuru sighed, reaching up and placing a reassuring hand on the Storm Dragon's shoulder. "I've already made it perfectly clear to her that as long as she's living here, she won't be allowed to 'educate' you ever again..." As he spoke, however, Rimuru's eyes suddenly shifted past Veldora and settled on the open doorway behind him. "...Isn't that right, Velzard?"
Upon hearing that, Veldora immediately spun around, only for his eyes to widen in horror when he saw his elder sister standing silently in the doorway with a shell-shocked expression on her face, and for a brief moment, neither of them said a word, simply staring at each other in stunned silence.
'Did she hear everything!?' Veldora wondered, his stomach sinking as the realization dawned on him that Velzard had probably been standing there long enough to hear him venting about her to his sworn brother like a terrified child. A wave of embarrassment washed over him, but he quickly regained his composure and turned to glare accusingly at Rimuru instead. "You should've told me, damn it!" he shouted before promptly turning around, leaping straight out the open window, and fleeing the scene without another word.
Meanwhile, back in the room, Rimuru stared after the fleeing Storm Dragon for a moment before bursting into laughter at his ridiculously over-the-top reaction. Still chuckling to himself, Rimuru made a mental note to track him down and talk to him privately later, but for now, he turned his attention toward the other True Dragon, who remained standing silently in the doorway, seemingly frozen in place by what she had just overheard. "So, are you going to come inside or what?" he asked, gesturing casually toward the room.
Rimuru's question finally snapped Velzard out of her shock, and without saying anything, she quietly entered the room and sat down on the edge of the bed, still seemingly lost in her own thoughts.
While Rimuru decided to give her some space for a few minutes as he walked over to the window and gazed out at Rimuru City sprawling beyond the glass, allowing the silence to linger between them before finally turning back toward her. "Well, Ms. Frost Dragon, need an ear for your thoughts?" he asked, casually leaning against the window frame.
Velzard slowly lifted her gaze toward him, hesitating for several seconds before finally finding the courage to voice the question weighing most heavily on her mind. "Veldora... does he hate me?" she asked in a low, almost whispering voice.
"Well, the first thing he asked me to do after finding out you were staying here was kick you out of Tempest," Rimuru replied with a dry scoff, shaking his head. "So I don't think I need to spell it out for you, do I?"
"So it really is true..." Velzard murmured quietly, her gaze falling toward the floor as she recalled her conversation with Rimuru the previous night, particularly the very first rule he had laid down for her about never beating Veldora again. At the time, she had dismissed it as Rimuru simply overreacting and being overly protective of her idiot little brother.
After all, whenever she had vanquished Veldora in the past, she had genuinely believed she was doing it for his own good. In her eyes, she had never been needlessly cruel to him. She had merely been fulfilling what she considered her responsibility as his elder sister, disciplining him whenever his reckless behavior got out of hand and forcing him to learn from his mistakes. And with their eldest brother no longer around to guide them, Velzard had naturally come to see herself as the current head of their family, which meant keeping her troublesome little brother in line had always seemed like a responsibility that fell squarely on her shoulders.
Now, however, after witnessing just how vehemently Veldora wanted her gone, Velzard was finally beginning to understand what Rimuru had been trying to tell her. Veldora wasn't merely frightened of her strength or nervous about receiving another beating. His reaction had gone far beyond simple fear. No, perhaps after everything she had done to him over the years, he had genuinely come to loathe the very idea of having her anywhere near him. Realizing that her own little brother might resent her presence that deeply caused an unfamiliar ache to settle in her chest, and much to Velzard's surprise, it broke her heart a little.
But then, almost as quickly as that pain had appeared, Velzard's thoughts about Veldora, his fear of her, and the possibility that he might truly hate her were abruptly pushed aside as another realization took their place.
'My heart...' Her eyes widened ever so slightly as she focused on the strange ache lingering in her chest. 'Come to think of it, ever since I met Rimuru, why have I started feeling all these emotions again?' Her confusion quickly turned to suspicion as her mind raced back through everything she had experienced since meeting him. Emotions she had deliberately buried long ago, such as anger, jealousy, embarrassment, guilt, affection, regret, and now genuine heartbreak, had resurfaced one after another. That was when she finally remembered one crucial detail. 'Didn't I freeze my Heart Core a long time ago? So why...'
Velzard abruptly cut off that train of thought as she realized there was one simple way to confirm her suspicions. Closing her eyes, she allowed her awareness of the outside world to gradually fade before sending her consciousness deep into the depths of her own soul. After searching for a moment, she finally came across a glowing blue sphere radiating a terrifying chill. Velzard stared at her Heart Core in stunned silence, and the instant she saw its current state, her suspicions were confirmed. The shell of eternal ice she had encased it in so long ago was completely gone. 'It isn't frozen...' she thought in disbelief before slowly withdrawing her consciousness and opening her golden eyes once more.
For a few seconds, Velzard remained completely silent, staring ahead as she processed what she had just discovered before turning toward Rimuru and asking, "Was it you who did that?"
"Velzard, you're going to have to be a little more specific than that," Rimuru replied with a light chuckle, casually shrugging his shoulders as he continued leaning against the window frame. "I'm currently responsible for thousands of things happening across this world at any given moment, so you'll have to narrow it down for me. What exactly are you talking about?"
"My Heart Core," Velzard clarified, folding her hands over her chest. "I'm certain you're the one who melted it. I can't think of anyone else in this world capable of doing something like that without me even noticing. Besides, ever since I met you, I've been feeling emotions far more intensely than I have in ages," she continued, narrowing her eyes at him suspiciously. "So, if you truly had nothing to do with it, I'd very much like to hear another explanation."
"Careful, Velzard. Keep flattering me like that, and you're going to make me blush," Rimuru teased with a mischievous grin. However, the moment he noticed the visible irritation creeping onto Velzard's face, he quickly dropped the act. "Okay, okay, you got me. I did unfreeze your Heart Core when we first met."
"But why?" Velzard asked, not even bothering to question how he had known about her frozen Heart Core in the first place.
"Because I simply didn't like the reason you were suppressing your emotions," Rimuru replied with a casual shrug. "Besides, if I hadn't unfrozen your Heart Core, you would've just kept accumulating all those negative emotions until, one day, they overwhelmed your will and completely stripped you of your sanity. And anyway, isn't it nice to actually feel again?" he added, flashing her a playful grin.
Velzard fell silent for a moment as she considered his words before eventually giving him a slow nod. "I won't deny what you said. However, I had my reasons for doing so," she admitted, her fingers unconsciously tightening against her chest before her golden eyes narrowed at him once again. "And what exactly do you mean by not liking my reason?"
"Well, you see-"
Rimuru was just about to answer when the door to the room suddenly swung open, and Shizu walked in, only to pause the moment she noticed the two of them. "Oh, I didn't know you two were in here," she said as her gaze shifted between her husband standing by the window and the Frost Dragoness sitting on the bed. "Am I interrupting something?"
"Of course not, wifey," Rimuru immediately replied before teleporting behind her and wrapping his arms around her waist. "How could there possibly be any conversation in this world more important than you?" he added sweetly before planting a quick kiss on her cheek.
Watching the affectionate exchange, Velzard felt an intense wave of envy rise within her heart. Somehow, that one small and effortless moment between Rimuru and Shizu seemed more appealing and heartwarming than all the years she had spent pursuing that idiot red-haired demon.
Still, she did not allow the envy in her heart to take control of her as she suppressed that feeling and offered Shizu a polite smile instead. "As he said, you're not interrupting anything," she replied as she rose from the bed. "Besides, this is your shared bedroom, if I'm not mistaken. So, in a sense, I'm the one intruding here."
Shizu slipped out of Rimuru's embrace and walked over to Velzard with a sincere smile. "Come on, don't say that. Now that you're living here, you're always welcome to join us," she assured her warmly, all while perfectly concealing the mischievous intent behind those seemingly innocent words.
"Rest assured, Shizu, I won't hesitate if such an occasion ever arises," Velzard replied courteously, offering her a small, appreciative smile while completely missing the innuendo hidden behind Shizu's words.
Velzard's attention then drifted downward as her senses suddenly picked up something unusual coming from Shizu. Curious, she stepped closer and gently placed a hand over the woman's stomach, concentrating on the faint but unmistakable presence she could feel growing within her. "This feeling... it's just like back then, when Milim..." she murmured under her breath before suddenly a realization struck and her golden eyes widened as she abruptly turned toward Rimuru, staring at him in disbelief. "Don't tell me you, just like my brother..."
"Whoa, whoa! Hold your horses there, Ms. Dragon," Rimuru quickly cut her off, raising a hand before Velzard could finish that rather ominous thought. "First of all, yes, our child is growing inside her," he confirmed before subconsciously exchanging a small, affectionate smile with Shizu, stirring yet another wave of envy within Velzard's heart. "And second, no, I have absolutely no intention of ending up like your brother. Even if we had an entire army of children, I wouldn't lose my powers."
"An army!?" Shizu exclaimed, and the tender look on her face disappeared instantly as she turned toward her husband and swatted him sharply on the arm. "No way! I'm not going through that many childbirths!"
"Sorry, sorry! It was just an example!" Rimuru laughed, quickly raising both hands in mock surrender as he backed away from his suddenly offended wife. "I wasn't actually suggesting we start populating Tempest by ourselves!"
Meanwhile, Velzard barely paid attention to their playful exchange, still caught up in the far more astonishing revelation that a being as powerful as Rimuru could father a child without sacrificing his strength in the process. The longer Velzard thought about it, however, the more an old and painfully familiar wish began creeping back into her heart as her thoughts drifted toward her eldest brother, toward the choice he had made so long ago and everything that had followed because of it. 'If only he had appeared back then... If only...' She abruptly stopped herself before the thought could go any further, closing her eyes and giving her head a small shake before turning toward Shizu with a warm smile.
"Well, anyway, congratulations," Velzard said sincerely before turning her attention back to Rimuru. "I'll take my leave now. You've given me quite a few things to think about and reflect on." With that, she gave them both one final nod before quietly leaving the room.
After Velzard left the room and the door quietly closed behind her, Shizu remained silent for a few seconds before slowly turning toward Rimuru and said, "So... you and Velzard, huh?" with a shit-eating grin plastered across her face.
"You know, sometimes I really wish you'd act a little more like a normal wife from our old world," Rimuru replied dryly, rolling his eyes at her before walking over and dropping into the nearby rocking chair. "As for Velzard, no, there's nothing going on between us, at least as far as I know."
"Oh, please. Who are you trying to fool?" Shizu shot back, rolling her eyes before walking over and comfortably settling herself on his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck. "You know I could practically feel the jealousy rolling off her when we were being all lovey-dovey in front of her."
"I felt it too, but it's not what you're thinking," Rimuru replied with a chuckle, slipping an arm around her waist before explaining the entire situation between Guy and Velzard to her.
"Seriously, who would've thought the so-called strongest Demon Lord could be such a dumbass?" Shizu finally burst out, unable to hold back her laughter as she openly mocked the Primordial Red. "But seriously, he really dropped the ball when it came to Velzard. She spent all that time waiting for him, and the idiot somehow never figured out what she actually wanted from him."
"Yep, he sure did," Rimuru agreed with a small nod, idly running his fingers along Shizu's waist while thinking to himself, 'And the entire world almost paid the price for it.'
"But that does make me wonder..." Shizu continued as that familiar mischievous glint returned to her eyes. "Since he's already dropped the ball, then why don't you pick it up, my dear hubby?"
"Seriously? You're really hell-bent on this, aren't you?" Rimuru chuckled, helplessly shaking his head at his wife's antics.
"Of course I am," Shizu declared without the slightest hesitation, proudly lifting her chin. "I already have a Primordial Demon as my sister, so why not add a True Dragon to the family as well?"
"Wow, what a solid argument," Rimuru replied sarcastically, rolling his eyes despite the amused smile on his face. "But still, I'm not going to chase after her. If something happens naturally, then it happens. Otherwise, don't get your hopes up too much."
"Great! That works for me!" Shizu replied with a pleased smile. After all, she had absolute confidence in her husband's charm. After all, he had somehow managed to capture the heart of a ruthless Demoness like Testarossa, so as far as Shizu was concerned, melting the frosty heart of a mere True Dragon shouldn't be that big of a challenge.
"In that case, there's something else I want to talk to you about," Rimuru said after a brief pause, as the amused smile on his face gradually faded and his expression suddenly turned serious.
"Go on, I'm listening," Shizu replied, immediately setting aside her earlier playful demeanor when she noticed how serious Rimuru had become.
"Okay, so... do you remember when we talked about adopting a child?" Rimuru asked.
"Yeah, I do," Shizu replied with a nod. "And you also told me you'd explain the details when the time was right."
"Yes, and I think that time has finally come," Rimuru said. "You see, Shizu, the child I've been thinking about adopting isn't exactly a normal child. Far from it, actually... She's quite ancient, if I do say so myself."
"Rimuru, darling, I've long since accepted that nothing you do is ever going to be normal, so why would the child we're planning to adopt be any different?" Shizu replied with a helpless smile, idly twirling a strand of his long blue hair around her finger. "So then, hubby, what's the name of this extraordinary child?"
"Well, that's rude," Rimuru replied playfully, narrowing his eyes at her before a small smile returned to his face. "Anyway, at this point in time, her name should be..."
"Ivaragé."
To be continued...