"Ah... life is good."
"You certainly are carefree, aren't you?"
"Don't sweat it. Nothing catastrophic's coming—for now."
I chuckled, swirling the tea in my cup before taking a sip. A rich, bittersweet flavor danced on my tongue—Shizu's handiwork. She had just finished brewing it moments ago.
Since the trio left, two uneventful weeks passed. Shizu, much to my amusement, had settled surprisingly well into our humble little evolving town. She wasn't exactly the nurturing type, but she did slip into the "housewife" role rather naturally—tea service, administrative help, occasionally correcting Rigurd's endless blunders.
A surprisingly domestic dynamic. Not that I'm complaining.
"You just thought of something stupid, didn't you?"
Shizu shot me a sharp glare over her teacup.
I smiled with practiced innocence—my best bluff. "No idea what you mean."
Never admit your fantasies in front of the woman starring in them. Rule #3 of survival.
Besides, even if she couldn't kill me, I wasn't about to risk losing the best tea service in the world.
I glanced at her from the corner of my eye. She was going through paperwork—plans for the future capital. Drafts and proposals the dwarves would later refine. Impressive, really. She didn't even need prompting. She had committed to this life—this world—with a sense of responsibility that made me... oddly content.
But I still couldn't tell whether she'd gotten weaker or stronger.
I'd severed her from Ifrit, true. But now her soul was connected to mine—and through me, to Veldora. That came with risks and power alike. The question is: could she handle it?
She might need to evolve into a spiritual lifeform eventually.
That's a bridge for future me to cross. Or burn.
"The ogres are coming in a few weeks, right?" Shizu asked, setting aside her notes as she picked up her tea.
"That's the schedule. Unless my plan works faster than expected."
I smirked and met her gaze—earnest suspicion. She knew that smile too well.
"Are you sure it's alright to keep changing things?"
"Bit late for that question. I did save you and Fenral, didn't I?"
"...Touché."
She sighed and took another sip. I could see her relaxing slightly. Just a bit.
With nothing urgent going on lately, I had time to resume my magical research. Right now? Flame control. Not just mundane fire either—Ifrit's legacy twisted with Veldora's magicules.
The goal?
Black Flame. A hybrid elemental spell variant. More destructive. More me.
A week of testing and still no results. It's frustrating. Either I'm too early… or the universe is laughing at me.
Maybe both.
I conjured a small flame between my fingers, delicately reshaping it. Re-calibrating magicule flow to simulate shadow infusion. It took insane precision. But when it does work?
A heavy sigh escaped me.
Immediately, Rigurd—who had been silently standing nearby—scrambled to refill my tea.
"Apologies, Akuma-sama! I didn't realize your cup was empty!"
I blinked. "Huh? It's fine, no need to panic."
But Rigurd didn't move. He was… staring. Devoted. Intense. Too intense.
Even Shizu looked up from her cup to exchange a knowing look with me.
This is your fault, her eyes said.
Deal with it.
Another sigh. I tried patting Rigurd's back in reassurance, only for him to drop to his knees.
"Please give me your orders, Akuma-sama! I will obey without question!"
Okay—look. I'm not a tyrant. I didn't ask to be revered like a divine emperor.
…But I'm also not gonna start correcting them.
My reputation had taken on a life of its own. Respect mixed with fear, twisted by awe. They didn't just follow me—they believed in me. Unlike canon Rimuru, who gained their love through kindness, I had earned their loyalty through overwhelming competence and just a dash of theatrics.
I appointed goblin lords under Rigurd, named stray monsters, even gave Zegion and Apito my blood as a bonding gift.
(Much more dramatic than healing slime, if I do say so myself.)
And that was just the start.
I also named several Giant Toads to form the base of a future amphibious naval unit—strategic expansion.
Then came the Knight Spiders in the cave. Strong, territorial, hard to tame… so I punched one into submission.
That may have been what triggered the 'tyrant-worship' phase. But come on—what else was I supposed to do?
In the end, I got a silk-producing combat force and dominance over another area of the forest.
Win. For me.
Still, it was a bit much.
"...I really hope Guy doesn't notice me."
The silence that followed was damning. Shizu still wore that look. You know the one.
The "You brought this on yourself" look.
Yeah. Guilt hit me right in the gut.
I'd gotten too drunk on power. Too fast. Too flashy.
Sooner or later, someone from the top—Guy, maybe even Luminous—will notice the shift in power dynamics. And when that happens?
I need to be ready.
"Right," I muttered to myself. Then louder, with a confident smirk:
"That just means I have no choice but to get stronger."
As if on cue, Fenral's voice echoed in my mind via our link.
"Master, it is as you predicted. The orcs have begun their march."
My grin sharpened.
"Perfect. Time to meet my second-in-command."
Shizu lowered her cup slowly. "…"
"…Third."
"Good boy," she muttered under her breath.
Women are terrifying.