Ciel: <>
Voice of the World: <<>>
******
Back in their room, Genevieve sat on the edge of the bed, staring blankly at the wall with a lost, distant expression. Ever since returning from that glimpse of the alternate future, she hadn't spoken a word, simply sitting there while a storm of thoughts raged in her mind. Nothing seemed to reach her as Anna's worried inquiries went unanswered, and even Mariabell's increasingly loud cries were met with silence.
Hours passed like that, well into the night, until finally, sometime past midnight, Genevieve stood up and downed a full glass of water in one go. Then she turned to Anna. "Sorry for making you worry," she said quietly to the maid, who had stayed up with her, tending to the restless baby growing increasingly frustrated by lack of attention from her mother.
"It's completely alright, My Lady," Anna said softly, smiling as she continued to rock the restless baby in her arms. "I'm sure whatever the Ruler of the Monster Nation showed you... it couldn't have been easy. Anyone would need time to come to terms with something like that."
"Mmm..." Genevieve murmured, a faint nod accompanying the sound, her eyes drifting to where her daughter was now fussing, arms stretched out toward her. There was a beat of hesitation before she finally stepped forward and took Mariabell into her arms. The baby calmed instantly, nestling close with a tiny sigh.
However brief it was, Genevieve's moment of hesitation didn't escape Anna's notice. The maid watched with quiet concern as, even though Genevieve cradled and nursed her daughter, there was a subtle tremor in her hands. Even when she smiled down at the baby, almost out of instinct, there was a strange look in her eyes: one filled with confusion... and fear.
"You must be thinking what a terrible mother I am," Genevieve said with a sad smile. "Looking at my own daughter like she's some kind of monster." Anna opened her mouth to deny it, to offer comfort, but Genevieve cut her off before she could speak. "It's alright. You don't have to say anything. I know exactly what kind of expression I'm wearing right now."
"But I can't help it," Genevieve continued, her eyes drifting toward the window, where moonlight poured softly across the floor. "After what I saw today... It's hard not to look at her and see that instead of my daughter."
"Would you like to share it with me, my lady?" Anna asked gently as she leaned forward to take Mariabell from Genevieve's arms. The baby had fallen asleep, and Anna carefully placed her in the cradle.
For a long moment, Genevieve said nothing as her lips pressed into a thin line and her eyes fixed on the sleeping infant. But at last, she finally gave in and told Anna everything about the glimpse of the alternate future Rimuru had shown her. From Maira's awakening within Mariabell's body to the cold, emotionless way Mariabell had orchestrated her own mother's execution in that terrible future. Just saying the words made her feel sick all over again, her hands curling into fists as the memory took hold.
Anna, meanwhile, sat silently, taking in every word. And the more Genevieve spoke, the more the maid's face paled. Shock, disbelief, and horror, all of it flashed through her expression. And in the quiet that followed, Anna finally understood... understood the fear in her Lady's eyes, the trembling in her hands... and the heartbreaking hesitation of a mother unsure whether to hold her child closer or push her away.
"What do you intend to do now?" Anna asked carefully in a low and measured voice, knowing well how fragile and delicate the subject was. "Are you... perhaps thinking of aban—"
"No! Gods, no!" Genevieve cut in sharply, shaking her head with force. The vehemence in her voice was immediate, but it wavered slightly, as though she were trying to convince herself just as much as Anna. "I'm not abandoning my daughter. I could never do that. Even if it means..." Her voice trailed off into a heavy sigh. "But... I don't think we'll need to take such drastic steps."
"What do you mean, my lady?" Anna asked gently, moving to sit beside her.
"During our talk earlier, Lord Rimuru mentioned he might be interested in taking little Bella in as one of his subordinates someday. And honestly, I don't think he showed me that alternate future just to leave us floundering, trying to deal with it on our own," Genevieve said, a thoughtful expression on her face. "So my instincts are right... then he must already have a plan. A way to stop that future from ever coming to pass."
"You really trust him that much?" Anna asked, her brow furrowed in concern. "I have nothing but gratitude towards him for saving us, but all of this seems too sudden... too convenient. Like we're—"
"Backed into a corner, with no choice but to turn to him for help?" Genevieve finished the thought, and Anna nodded. "You're not wrong," Genevieve admitted. "Even I think the timing is a little too perfect to be just a coincidence. But... I grew up surrounded by political games. If he did plan all of this from the start, then honestly? I'd have no choice but to applaud his brilliance."
"As for what he showed me earlier, I don't believe a word of it was false," Genevieve continued, her tone turning serious. "Call it a gut feeling if you want, but I know it was real. And maybe that's why it rattled me so badly. Just the thought of some monster waiting to take over my daughter shattered something inside me. For a moment, it broke me, clouded my mind with doubt, and I couldn't see Mariabell as anything but that creature waiting to consume her."
"That's why, even if he asked me to serve him for life or betray the Kingdom of Siltrosso, I'd do it without hesitation, as long as it meant saving my daughter," Genevieve said, her gaze turning cold and unwavering. "And if anyone dares call me evil for it, so be it. It's not like either of my homes, Falmuth or Siltrosso, are innocent. Neither has done anything noble or saintly behind closed doors. They're all driven by greed and self-interest. So why should I be condemned for making a choice that protects me and my child?"
"Absolutely nothing, my lady. There's nothing wrong with that," Anna said firmly, her voice carrying no hesitation at all. Her loyalty to Genevieve ran so deep that even if, come tomorrow, her mistress chose to forsake her own humanity, Anna would still follow without question. "But please... be careful. The man you're dealing with has outmatched us not only in strength, but in intellect as well. And in situations like this, people like us usually don't have much leverage, if any at all."
"Don't worry, Anna. There's nothing to be concerned about," Genevieve replied with quiet confidence. "Lord Rimuru wants to make use of Mariabell's... unique condition, by taking her in as a subordinate one day. And I want to save my daughter from becoming a monster. I doubt there's a clearer, more straightforward exchange than that."
"If you're certain, then I won't argue," Anna said as she stood up from the bed, smoothing her skirt with practiced ease. "But for now, I think we should get some rest. You'll want to look presentable tomorrow."
"Honestly, sleep feels like a distant dream tonight," Genevieve murmured, easing back onto the bed. She stared up at the ceiling, her eyes unfocused, mind racing. Even so, she held on to one clear, immovable thought: she would save her daughter... whatever it takes.
******
The next day, Genevieve and Anna arrived at Rimuru's residence early in the morning, while Genevieve cradled a drowsy Mariabell in her arms, whose head was resting against her shoulder.
"Oh, you're early. I thought you might sleep in after what you went through yesterday," Rimuru remarked, glancing up at the two women and the drowsy child in Genevieve's arms. "Well, since you're here, have a seat. I'm guessing you have something you want to discuss with me."
"Yes, there is," Genevieve replied as she settled into the chair across from him, murmuring her thanks to the maid who placed a glass of juice in front of her. She took a breath before meeting Rimuru's gaze. "Lord Rimuru, about the alternate future you showed me yesterday, about Maria's soul taking over my little Bella... You have a solution, don't you? You can save her from that monster, right?"
"Yes. In fact, I do have a way to help that child," Rimuru said casually. "But it will come at a cost. I hope you understand that."
"Yes, that's not a problem," Genevieve answered calmly without a moment's pause. "The price doesn't matter, so long as it saves my daughter."
"Great, I've always liked decisive people," Rimuru said with an approving smile. "Now, let me lay out my terms for saving your daughter."
"First, as you already know, I will take Mariabell as my future subordinate, and until she grows up, she will be under my care as my student," he began. "Of course, since she'll be preparing for a high-ranking position, she'll receive the finest education and physical training from the best instructors I can provide, alongside specialized training tailored to the role I have in mind for her."
"That almost sounds more like an opportunity than terms for saving her," Genevieve remarked, though she kept her tone measured. Inwardly, her heart urged her to seize the chance; the thought of securing such a future for her daughter was tempting. "What's the catch?"
"Clever," Rimuru said, giving her an approving nod. "The catch is that you will lose a considerable amount of autonomy over your daughter's life. Not in the suffocating way Granbell would have taken it from you, since you'll still be able to voice your opinions and concerns, but in the end, the final decision will always rest with me. Whether I take your suggestions into account or not will be entirely at my discretion. You'll still be her mother and raise her as such, but if you ever try to turn her against me or Tempest, or attempt to steer her away from the purpose I'm training her for, you will be removed from her life. And if that happens... you'll never see her again."
"This..." Genevieve hesitated, her mind racing as she weighed every possible pro and con. On one hand, rejecting his offer would mean losing Tempest's protection and being left to fend for herself, with not only Granbell's threat looming over her, but with the inevitable emergence of Maria's consciousness and her takeover of Mariabell in less than three years.
But accepting Rimuru's proposal carried its own set of dangers. Chief among them was the possibility that he might mold her daughter into something even worse than Maria... someone with the same cunning and ambition but armed with resources and influence beyond imagining. There was also the risk that he could instill values or knowledge that clashed with her own moral compass as a mother, lessons she would never want her child to learn... yet would be powerless to stop under the terms of their agreement.
In the end, no matter which path she chose, there would always be danger. The difference was that turning down Rimuru's terms would all but guarantee disaster, ensuring she would lose both her daughter and her life. So, choosing to minimize that risk and trusting her instincts, she finally said, "I agree to your terms. I just hope that whatever role you have in mind for her won't turn out to be worse than what she would have become otherwise."
"Don't worry. Every one of my subjects is precious to me, and no harm ever comes to them," Rimuru assured her with quiet confidence. "You have my word, your daughter will grow into the best version of herself under Tempest's care."
"I like that... I like that a lot," Genevieve said, a faint but genuine smile touching her lips for the first time since she'd walked in.
"Great. Now for my second term, this one involves both of you," Rimuru said, causing Genevieve and Anna to straighten in their seats. "One of the primary rules in Tempest is that everyone, including me, has to work to remain here. The only exception is one pink-haired menace... but you don't need to know about her right now. What you do need to know is that, from this point forward, for at least the next two years, Genevieve, you'll be working as the caretaker of my residence. Anna will continue her duties as a maid, the same way she has been for you."
"What exactly do you mean by caretaker? What would my duties be?" Genevieve asked. She didn't mind the fact that she would no longer be treated like royalty, having servants rushing to fulfill her every whim before she even voiced them. In fact, on some level, she would be working on the same level as them, something that might have offended other royals or nobles. But Genevieve had enough heart, and enough sense, not to let that influence her decision.
"Nothing too difficult or beyond your abilities," Rimuru said. "You see, my wife, Shizu, is pregnant, and we're expecting our child in about sixteen months. Since she's human and neither of us has much experience with pregnancies, I thought it would be nice to have someone like you around, someone who's been through it before."
"Oh, really? Congratulations!" Genevieve said with a genuine smile. The mention of sixteen months struck her as unusually long for a pregnancy, but she chose not to ask. Now wasn't the time for her to voice her curiosity.
"Thanks," Rimuru replied with a warm smile. "That's also part of why I wanted Mariabell here. It would be good for Shizu and our child to have someone close to their age to play with."
"That's very thoughtful of you," Genevieve said, feeling some of the tightness in her chest ease. This brief glimpse of the man beneath the imposing aura made him seem more human, more relatable. Knowing he would soon be a parent himself made it that much easier to trust him with her daughter's future.
"Anyway, as I was saying, you'll work here for two years, and it's not a binding job. Both of you are free to explore Tempest, take on other work or hobbies during your spare time, or even head to the training grounds if you want to get stronger. How you spend your free hours is entirely up to you," Rimuru said, producing a sheet of paper and a pen before sliding them across the table. "This is a magically binding contract with all the terms I've just explained written out in detail. Not that we need it, but I like to keep things professional on my end."
Genevieve accepted the contract and began reading, and just as Rimuru had promised, every term he'd mentioned was there in plain detail. Seeing nothing out of place, she signed her name at the bottom, and Anna did the same. The moment the pen left the page, a warm golden light flared from the parchment, swirling in graceful patterns around them before sinking into their bodies, sealing the agreement.
"Well, now that the deal is sealed, let's free little Bella from that unpleasant other soul," Rimuru said, as he extended a hand, gesturing for Genevieve to hand Mariabell over. She no longer felt any wariness toward him, and without hesitation, she passed Mariabell into his arms, and the moment the little girl caught sight of Rimuru's golden eyes, she let out a delighted giggle and reached toward them with tiny, curious hands.
"What a sweet child," Rimuru murmured, his voice soft with genuine affection as he cradled her close. He let her laughter wash over him for a few moments, playing with her to keep her at ease. Then, he shifted his focus inward, letting his abilities reach for her soul.
******
While Rimuru's physical body played with little Mariabell, a part of his consciousness slipped free from his main body and emerged into a boundless space bathed in a gentle, endless sunlight that filled him with warmth and comfort, while all around him stretched an endless field of flowers, going beyond the horizon.
"Only a child's soul could be this pure and warm, untouched by the ugliness of the world," Rimuru murmured with quiet wonder, letting the serenity seep into him as his eyes roamed over the dreamlike scenery.
"Indeed, such an untainted soul is a rare and pleasant sight," came a cool, almost mechanical voice that reverberated gently through the air. Moments later, Ciel materialized beside him, clad in a flowing black gown.
"Hello, partner of my soul," Rimuru greeted warmly, leaning in to brush a kiss against her cheek before offering his hand. "Shall we go meet this Maria, the foolish woman who thought she could control a True Demon Lord?"
"Foolish indeed," Ciel replied with a touch of regal disdain, intertwining her arm with his. "That scheme was doomed from the start. No one could ever take control over my master, not even back when you had my predecessor, [Raphael], at your side."
Rimuru chuckled at her smug, almost possessive tone, and together they walked in comfortable silence until they reached the only structure in the vast landscape: a solitary tomb standing in the middle of the sunlit field of flowers.
"There it is," Rimuru said as he came to a stop before the lone tomb. "The slumbering consciousness of Maria, ready to bring pain and misfortune to others the moment it awakens."
"Shall I deal with it right away?" Ciel asked, poised to act the instant he gave the word.
"No, let's have a little chat first," Rimuru replied, snapping his fingers. In the next moment, a translucent, dome-shaped barrier shimmered into existence around the tomb, cutting it off entirely from the rest of Mariabell's soul. Stepping inside with Ciel at his side, he let the smirk deepen. "Arise," he commanded with a single word, while beside him Ciel rolled her eyes in mild amusement.
A moment later, the tomb trembled, its heavy stone lid grinding open with a low, echoing scrape. From within rose a blonde woman with piercing blue eyes and a mane of flowing golden hair... looking like an older, regal reflection of what Mariabell might one day look like two decades into the future.
She stepped out looking slightly dazed, her gaze flicking around as she tried to make sense of her surroundings. Fragments of memory swirled through her mind as she remembered her death in France, still wearing the crown as Europe's reigning monarch. It hadn't been a glorious death... she had passed away alone in her bedchamber, with no one at her side. Her husband had been killed early in their marriage, the victim of an assassination plot by one of her enemies, and from then on, she had ruled Europe with an iron grip, earning her ire of millions of people from all over the continent... not that she ever cared about their opinion.
'A second reincarnation?' Maria mused, her thoughts sharpening as her bearings returned. A faint smile touched her lips at the prospect, only to freeze and vanish when her eyes fell upon the two figures standing before her. 'What...? How are they here? This is the soul of my new body. No one should be able to intrude in this place... so how could outsiders possibly find their way here of all places?'
"Surprised, Mariabell?" Rimuru asked with an easy smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "It must be quite the experience, being reincarnated not once, but twice. Or wait..." his smile deepened, and amusement flashed in his eyes, "...are you perhaps missing Granbell, your husband from the first life, or are you missing that treacherous throne of Europe from your second life?"
Maria's eyes went wide, her expression betraying a rare crack in her composure. Shock rippled through her as her mind scrambled for an answer. How could this man possibly know she had lived not one, but two past lives? And even more unsettling, how could he know the identities she had held in both those lives?
"Who are you?" Maria demanded cautiously, her eyes narrowing as she took in the strange dome encasing them. Only then did she realize that she couldn't feel her reincarnated body at all, as if the connection had been severed. Panic edged her voice as her tone turned more fierce, "What have you done? Answer me. Now!"
"Watch your mouth. You have no right to speak to the master in such a tone," Ciel said, her cold gaze locking onto Mariabell, making the blonde woman feel a wave of existential fear wash over her. She realized that the red-eyed woman before her was more than capable of erasing her soul entirely, making her all the more terrified of these uninvited intruders.
"My name is Rimuru Tempest, Maria. And as for who I am..." Rimuru smirked, raising one finger in front of his face with a glowing orb dancing on its tip. "...this will tell you everything you need to know," he said, and the orb drifted through the air before sinking into Maria's chest.
A moment later, a torrent of memories began flooding her mind, unspooling like a reel of film she had no power to stop. Scene after scene played before her eyes: her soul awakening within the body of young Mariabell, the cold calculation with which she plotted her own mother's execution, her steady rise to become the most influential force within the Rosso family alongside Granbell, and the grand ambition that burned in her heart to claim dominion over the entire West. She saw herself weaving intricate plots against Rimuru and Tempest, each one crumbling in humiliating failure. She saw the moment she had tried to take control of Rimuru using her Unique Skill [Greed], only for that plan to collapse. And finally, her own death, at the hands of Yuuki.
Maria's very sense of self quaked as the visions tore through her. Her pride recoiled violently at the sight, unable to bear the insult of it. She, who had pulled the strings of kings, toppled rivals, and bent nations to her will across two lifetimes, was shown reduced to nothing more than a disposable pawn in some brat's plan.
Yet the vision did not stop there. She saw Yuuki continue his manipulation of Granbell, twisting her death into a weapon to strike at their former ally, Luminous Valentine. She watched Granbell give his life to ensure that another human girl would awaken as a Chosen Hero, only for that very girl, along with the old Hero, to stand united at the side of the Demon Lord before her as he and his nation, Tempest, rose to lead the Western Nations as its de facto leader.
As the memory reel faded, Maria stood frozen for a heartbeat, struggling to process the enormity of what she had just witnessed. Then, without warning, the sound tore out of her... a laugh, sharp and jagged at first, before swelling into something wild, manic, and unrestrained. It spilled from her in great waves, until her whole body shook and tears streaked down her cheeks. She collapsed to her knees, her laughter ringing out in the enclosed space, yet every note of it was soaked in despair.
Her breakdown was born of two crushing truths that had struck her with equal force.
The first was the sight of Granbell—the love of her life, the only man she had ever given her whole heart to—being played and undone by a brat's manipulations. And yet, even in the face of that betrayal, he had died as a hero, paving the way for a new Chosen Hero to rise and safeguard humanity's future. But that hope had rotted before it could bloom. The very girl who inherited Granbell's trust had turned her back on his ideals, standing proudly beside a Demon Lord whose ambitions threatened mankind, turning his noble sacrifice into nothing.
The second truth was far worse, a blow that sank straight into the marrow of her being: no matter what she did, no matter how carefully she schemed, she was destined to fail for as long as the man standing before her continued to draw breath. He knew every secret she had carried across two lifetimes and now stood with complete dominion over her, even here, in the sanctuary of her own soul. There was no path forward, no move to be made, no rebellion to be mounted. The crushing helplessness of that reality, coupled with the knowledge that her third life had been snuffed out before it even began, hollowed her out entirely. The despair was too vast to contain, and so it poured from her in the only way her mind could manage... through frenzied, hopeless, broken laughter.
"Alright, that's enough, Maria. There's no need to wallow in despair," Rimuru said calmly. "How about this? Want to work for me?"
Maria's laughter cut off instantly as she shot to her feet, glaring at Rimuru with pure fury and hatred. "How dare you even suggest something so ridiculous! Do you have any idea who you're speaking to?!" she spat, every word laced with venom. "I am Maria Rosso, the first Queen of the Kingdom of Siltrosso, the woman who single-handedly conquered an entire continent! There is no force in this world that could make me submit to a Demon like you, not even if you chose to end my existence right here and now! So take your pathetic offer and shove it right—"
Before she could finish, Ciel made a sharp downward motion with her finger, and Maria's body collapsed, her head slamming hard against the ground.
"Moronically prideful—just as I expected," Rimuru said with a slow shake of his head. "Oh well. I tried, I guess. Ciel, do your thing," he added, gesturing casually toward his soul partner.
Obeying her master's command, Ciel lifted her hand with an almost lazy grace. In the blink of an eye, the tomb shifted and reshaped itself into a small, ornate temple. From the four pillars, glowing purple chains burst forth, snaking through the air before coiling tightly around Mariabell's body. She thrashed instinctively, but the bindings held fast. Another chain erupted from beneath her feet, twisting upward to seal her mouth, muffling her panicked cries. Her wide, frantic eyes darted between the two blue-haired monsters before with nothing but pure, unfiltered terror.
"Don't look at me like that, Maria. I'm not going to erase your existence, I'm not that kind of monster," Rimuru said with a mocking smile. "That said, from now on, you won't be able to interact with or influence Mariabell. In fact, you'll be able to see, hear, and feel everything your young reincarnation experiences, but you will never be her. From today onward, you, Maria, and your reincarnation Mariabell are two completely separate entities."
"Enjoy being a meaningless existence, Maria. Who knows when or if we'll ever meet again."
With those parting words, Rimuru and Ciel vanished from Mariabell's soul, leaving Maria behind. Horrified, despairing, and shackled by the unbreakable chains of her fate.
******
Back in the real world, barely a minute had passed since Rimuru began playing with Mariabell, even though a part of his consciousness had been busy dealing with Maria.
"It's done," Rimuru said as he extended a finger toward the little girl. Mariabell immediately reached out and wrapped her tiny fingers around it.
"Already?" Genevieve and Anna both asked at once, their expressions a mix of surprise and disbelief. "Did you really…?"
"Yes. I've taken care of Maria," Rimuru assured them as he lightly tickled Mariabell's stomach, earning a laugh so pure and untainted it seemed to wash away every dark thought in the room. "Mariabell is safe now. Maria will never threaten her again."
"Thank goodness," Genevieve breathed out, leaning back against the couch as relief poured through her. After witnessing firsthand the cruelty Maria was capable of, she wanted every trace of that woman's shadow gone from her daughter's life forever.
"There's no need to thank me. Bella, you and Anna are residents of Tempest from today onward…" Rimuru said, his tone turning serious as his gaze moved between the two women. "...which means that whether it's Maria's soul or Granbell himself, no one will be able to harm you for as long as this nation stands," he dlecared and as if on cue, Mariabell threw her hands into the air with a cheerful babble, prompting Rimuru to tickle her again until her laughter filled the room.
Genevieve couldn't help but smile warmly at the sight. Inwardly, she congratulated herself and patted herself on the back as this had been the best gamble of her life, and it had paid off more than she could have imagined.
To be continued...
******
Hey, if you like the chapter, please consider leaving Comments and Reviews, as it motivates me to write more.
Also, please check out my other fic, One Piece: Randomizer! new chapter 35. A Spiritual Side Quest ft. Bell-mère!