Rimuru the sin of love

Say hallo too the High Council

Sariel's POV

The grand double doors of the High Council Hall opened with a solemn groan, revealing the inner sanctum of the Goddess Realm's ruling seat. Light spilled through the stained glass high above, casting golden patterns across the polished marble floor. Everything in this chamber exuded authority and judgment—from the towering statues of past archangels lining the walls to the three thrones placed in a semi-circle atop the dais, currently occupied by members of the Celestial Council.

Their eyes, piercing and serene, shifted immediately toward us as we stepped into the chamber.

And beside me? Rimuru. Confident as ever, her expression unreadable, her stride smooth and measured. She radiated calm, with just enough divine glow in her aura to command attention without flaunting power. I had brought many individuals before this council over the centuries—petitioners, fallen angels, envoys from aligned realms. But never had I walked in with someone like her.

She wasn't nervous. She wasn't even pretending to be humbled.

She was curious. Calculating. Watching everything.

I stopped at the center of the hall and gave a respectful nod to the three seated archangels—Ludociel, Tarmiel, and Mael—all of whom regarded us in silence, their expressions carefully neutral.

"She is not from our ranks," Ludociel said first, his voice calm but commanding. "What is the meaning of this, Sariel?"

I raised my head slightly and spoke with clarity. "This is Rimuru. I have brought her here under my protection and supervision."

"Explain," Mael said simply. One word, but heavy with divine authority.

"She is a traveler," I continued, keeping my tone composed, formal. "According to her account, she arrived in our world after a magical accident displaced her. She seeks guidance and a way to return home."

Tarmiel's eyes narrowed slightly, though he said nothing. Rimuru stood beside me, silent, hands folded neatly in front of her, not reacting to the scrutiny.

"I observed her after sensing an unfamiliar divine aura within our borders," I went on. "Her presence is stable, non-hostile. She has made no attempt to deceive or disrupt the balance of the realm."

"Yet she wears it," Ludociel said, eyes locked on her chest. "The Necklace of Fate."

A ripple of energy stirred through the chamber as the necklace shimmered in the divine light. Even here, in the most sacred space of our kind, it gleamed with unmatched authority.

I nodded. "Yes. She is in possession of the Necklace of Fate. When I questioned her about it, she claimed to have inherited it from her mother, who perished during a demon attack. According to Rimuru, the necklace accepted her as its bearer, and she has kept it since—not for power, but as a remembrance."

There was a pause. The Council members exchanged glances, silently processing the information.

"She claims to be from another realm, yet her aura bears traces of the divine," Tarmiel finally said. "And this artifact, known to choose only high-class goddesses, acknowledges her."

"Indeed," I said, casting a glance toward Rimuru. "The necklace currently remains in Form Three—God of Wisdom. It allows her enhanced cognitive function and access to knowledge beyond mortal reach, which she has wielded responsibly thus far."

"And how do we know this isn't deception?" Ludociel challenged. "That she hasn't stolen the artifact, or worse—been sent to infiltrate us under a false guise?"

Rimuru finally lifted her gaze to meet his. Her voice, when she spoke, was calm, melodic—but clear.

"I did not come here to threaten your realm or your order," she said. "I understand the weight of the artifact I carry. It is sacred to me—not for what it can do, but for who it came from."