Dominant Run!

The Queen of Ants, Cassandra!

Ciel: <>

Voice of the World: <<>>

******

After dealing with Velzard, Rimuru returned to Tempest, making a beeline straight to his house. Despite his body being immune to fatigue, his mind felt the weight of the day. It was a remnant from his human life, an old habit of letting his mental exhaustion linger, though he could easily negate it. Yet, he chose not to, finding satisfaction in the weariness that came from a productive day.

Upon entering the house, Rimuru flopped onto the couch, eager to unwind. However, as soon as he sat down, a pair of soft hands wrapped around his neck, and a familiar face appeared next to him. "You look tired. Had a long day?" Shizu asked, rubbing her cheek against his affectionately.

"Yeah, kind of," Rimuru said, turning his head to give her a quick peck on the lips. A mischievous grin crossed his face. "But I know a great way to get rid of that fatigue, if you know what I mean." He pulled her closer, initiating a deeper kiss.

After a moment, Shizu pulled back, her breath a little ragged, and playfully swatted Rimuru's arm. "Calm down, lover boy," she teased with a smile. "No need to start anything here. We have a bedroom for that."

"Yeah, you're right," Rimuru said with a laugh, pulling her gently from behind the couch and making her sit beside him. Then he lay down, resting his head on her lap. "Now this is what I call comfortable."

"Oh, how lovely," Shizu teased, rolling her eyes. "From 'Conqueror of Flames' to 'Pillow for my beloved.' What a promotion!" Despite her sarcasm, she smiled and ran her fingers through his long, silky blue hair.

Rimuru grinned, enjoying the warmth of the moment. "Love, you watched my battle against the Orcs, right? What did you think?" he asked, looking up at her. Before heading out to face the Orc Lord, Rimuru had made arrangements for Shizu to watch the battle unfold from the comfort of their home. Even though he had asked her not to reveal her existence to the world until his visit to the Kingdom of Englassia, he wasn't going to leave her out of the loop regarding the evolving situations around them.

Shizu put on a mock high-pitched voice, impersonating a giddy fan girl. "You looked so handsome and dashing while defeating that Orc Lord like it was nothing," she teased, mimicking a lovestruck girl, which made Rimuru laugh.

Then, her expression softened. "But seriously... a Demon Lord, huh? Not that I'm surprised. So, what's next? Are we going to war with this Clayman?"

"Aww, are you worried about your boyfriend?" Rimuru responded, mimicking Shizu's lovestruck voice from earlier.

"Honestly, as your girlfriend, I should be worried," Shizu said, rolling her eyes. "But knowing how ridiculously powerful you are, it'd just be a waste of both our time." Her tone became more serious. "Still, be careful. Demon Lords are tricky opponents, and things could get messy if Guy Crimson decides to get involved."

Rimuru waved off the concern. "Don't worry. Even if Guy does get involved, it won't be a problem. But I doubt he'll care," he said, knowing well that Guy Crimson really didn't give much of a shit about Demon Lords and their business. The only two Demon Lords he actually cared about were Milim and Ramiris, the two oldest Demon Lords alongside him. Otherwise, he won't do jack shit unless it gravely disrupts the balance of the world.

"Well, if you say so." Shizu shrugged, trusting his confidence. Over time, she had learned that when Rimuru made such statements, he usually had things well in hand. Then she shifted, gently removing her lap from under his head. "Anyway," she said, standing up and stretching, "I'm going to take a bath. Care to join me... love?" Her voice dropped, teasingly sultry as she shot him an intense look.