— –Shizue Izawa– —
Shizue drew in a long, steady breath. The air carried a faint scent of ash, dry, metallic, almost bitter on the tongue. It drifted in from the south, from the massive volcano that loomed on the horizon far behind the city of El Dorado. The same one Claude had once told her about when she was a child. A volcano created from the clash of two True Dragons, Velgrynd and Veldora.
Back then, it had sounded like a fairy tale. An impossible story told to keep children entertained or quiet. But now she called one of those Dragons a friend.
Veldora had even invited her to join his so-called martial arts sect in Tempest. She'd turned him down, of course. She had other responsibilities that she needed to prioritize, but a few of her students had eagerly accepted the invitation. She could only hope they'd come back in one piece… and maybe a little wiser.
For all the stories she had heard about Veldora, she could tell that the True Dragon was not the same person he used to be. Maybe it was his time with Rimuru that had changed him from the reckless force of destruction he used to be, or maybe his time stuck in that cave. Whatever the reason was, she was glad that he was a part of Tempest.
She exhaled slowly and opened her eyes. El Dorado was out in the distance, the city itself resplendent like gold. Part of her felt like an outsider again, a stranger looking in from the edge of something grand. Part of her still questioned if coming here was the right move, but doubt, at this point, was a luxury she'd already spent.
"Shizu…" A familiar, warm voice called out to her.
"Fran." She answered instinctively as she turned to look at her, a knight in crimson armor.
Fran removed her helmet with a smooth motion, revealing her face, still as radiant as Shizue remembered. Skin kissed by the sun, auburn and unblemished, eyes bright with unspoken joy.
"Welcome back." She said, her smile effortlessly genuine.
Shizue forced a smile of her own, though it didn't quite reach her eyes.
"Yeah…" Shizue answered halfheartedly.
The truth was, she didn't feel like someone returning in triumph. She had imagined that with age would come distance, perspective, maybe even peace. But standing here now, with El Dorado spread before her and Fran smiling at her as if the years hadn't passed, all Shizue could feel was small. Like she was once again the frightened girl clinging to hope, waiting for a Hero to rescue her from the fire.
Thankfully, it wasn't her voice that had to fill the silence.
"Ah, you must be the Red Knight, Fran." Testarossa said, stepping forward with practiced grace. Her smile was warm, measured, not too formal, not too familiar. A diplomat's smile. "I am Testarossa, Lord Rimuru's representative. It's a pleasure to meet you."
She placed a hand elegantly over her chest and dipped into a slight bow, her tone silky but sincere.
"I thank you for coming all this way to greet us. And may I say, Demon Lord Leon's craftsmanship is nothing short of extraordinary. Even from here, one can see that your city was built with an exquisite attention to detail."
Her compliment hit its mark. Fran straightened subtly, her smile widening with pride as she lifted her chin.
"Hehe, I see you have a good eye." Fran replied, her voice carrying just a hint of teasing pride. "I've heard wonderful things about Tempest as well. I hope to visit someday, see it for myself."
"You and your fellow knights would be more than welcome." Testarossa replied, letting out a small, melodic chuckle. "Our Lord has worked tirelessly to recreate the cuisine from his homeland. I imagine you'd find the meals alone worth the journey."
"Really?" Fran asked, eyes sparkling with sudden curiosity, her interest clearly piqued.
That was enough to finally pull a laugh from Shizue. It slipped out quietly at first, then grew into a soft chuckle that drew both of their gazes. The tightness in her chest loosened slightly, just enough to breathe.
"Fran, at this point you're starting to sound like Kizona." Shizue said, stepping forward with an amused smile. Her voice dropped into something more gentle, more sincere. "It's good to see you."
Fran's expression softened in response, the warmth in her eyes unspoken but clear. She gave a small nod, then glanced past Shizue at the others behind her.
"It seems I let myself get carried away." She admitted, turning to address the group as a whole. "Please forgive the delay. It's not every day I get to see an old friend again."
She gave a formal salute this time, her knightly demeanor taking over once more.
"By Lord Leon's orders, I have been tasked with guiding you into the city. He awaits your arrival at the palace and has asked that I escort you personally. If you would be so kind as to follow me."
With that, Shizue saw as a Space Elemental emerged from Fran's body, teleporting the group just inside the grand city gates before quickly hiding away once more.
Even for a knight of Fran's stature, calling upon and commanding a high-level Elemental for instantaneous teleportation was no small feat. It was a subtle, elegant display of power, just enough to make an impression, without seeming boastful.
Sadly, Shizue's standards for what was impressive had long been warped by her time in Tempest.
The first thing Shizue noticed was the change in the air. Crisp. Pure. Far cleaner than what she'd breathed outside the city's borders. The faint sulfurous tint from the nearby volcano was completely absent.
That was no accident, according to Fran.
El Dorado's very foundation had been designed with function woven into its form.
The city was designed as a six pointed star, streets themselves were inscribed with intricate magical circuits, forming an expansive, city-wide barrier that constantly filtered out impurities. The only real way to admire its true ingenuity would be to fly high above the city and look at it from above, from which case they would be able to see that the city itself was a magic circle.
Dust, ash, toxins, anything foreign was repelled or neutralized at the edge of the ward. The same system also served as a defense mechanism, reinforcing the city's perimeter against magical intrusion and ranged attacks. It was one of the few known examples of a "living city," where the architecture itself acted as a spell array.
Just like Tempest, the city was a magnificent work of art.
However, unlike Tempest, with its vibrant mixture of natural wood, experimental design, and layered cultural influences, El Dorado was unified in theme, clean lines, symmetry, and striking contrast. The streets were paved with smoothed stone, their surfaces polished to a near-reflective sheen. Buildings loomed high and elegant, constructed not from wood, but from cut stone and rich mineral blends extracted from the surrounding mountains.
The mines of El Dorado were the richest in the entire world, filled with precious metals and high-grade magicite, which for all intents and purposes, was the magisteel equivalent of marble. As such, even common buildings bore lavish stonework, granite in the markets, obsidian in the noble quarters, and, in the government and academic districts, towering columns of white magicite veined with gold.
Some of the most extravagant structures were accented with enchanted gemstones, softly glowing in patterns that illuminated the roads at night. Several aqueducts and artificial waterfalls flowed throughout the city, their waters channeled through magically-reinforced crystal conduits. The waterfalls weren't merely for decoration, they were part of the city's cooling and humidity regulation system, balancing the geothermal heat emanating from the volcano beneath the mountain range.
And yet, despite its grandeur, El Dorado didn't feel hollow or lifeless. The people, knights, scholars, artisans, merchants, moved with purpose. They were proud, and rightfully so. This wasn't a city built on conquest or desperation. It was built on order.
"Lost in thought again?" Fran asked, stepping casually beside her. There was a playful glint in her eye. "I guess some things never change."
Shizue turned toward her, lips tugging into a faint smile. She glanced back to see that most of the Tempest representatives had fanned out a little. Several were already speaking with local craftspeople, eagerly pointing at pillars and arches while scribbling into their notebooks—likely the urban planners and architects Rimuru had personally selected for this mission. Knowing him, he'd probably told them to take as many notes as possible and come back with a dozen ideas for Tempest's next expansion.
Testarossa stood a short distance away, arms folded, her gaze drifting toward the outskirts where the shimmering magical barrier touched the horizon. Probably giving her some space to talk freely with Fran.
"You could say that." Shizue replied softly, her voice tinged with a chuckle. "It's a lot different than Jistav."
"Yeah, it is. Jistav was kind of sad when compared to this. El Dorado isn't exactly the kind of place you forget. That'd be like forgetting how to breathe." She leaned against a nearby post, arms resting comfortably over her sword belt. "Still, who would've guessed? Little Shizu, standing here as the representative of a Demon Lord. You used to trip over your own feet in training, now look at you."
Shizue laughed, a real laugh this time.
"That only happened once."
"Twice." Fran corrected, holding up two fingers with a teasing grin. "And once more during that duel with old man Claude, though I pretended not to see it."
"Traitor."
"Knight, actually." Fran corrected with mock pride.
The air between them grew lighter, more natural. The kind of ease that only came with familiarity, and time.
Shizue let her gaze wander again, this time more at peace with what she saw.
"You're right, though. Time does fly. And I guess I never really thought I'd end up back on Leon's territory, or at least, not like this."
"Hm. You really used to be quite unique. I'm not going to lie, I was quite sad to see you go. But I guess you never really got used to our home" Fran tilted her head slightly. "The only time I have ever questioned our Lord was when he left you behind. But seeing you now, maybe it was for the best."
Fran let out a sigh as she spoke, looking at Shizue in the eyes before asking.
"Are you…" She began hesitating before finally speaking. "Are you still struggling with Ifrit?"
"No, not anymore." Shizue answered. "He's gone. Rimuru helped me with that issue. He gave me a replacement Elemental for some time, but I asked him to remove it not long after. I feel more free this way."
"That's good." Fran answered, chuckling for a moment before her smile turned mischievous. "Still, Rimuru, eh? No honorifics? Could it be that little Shizu is all grown up?"
A slight blush colored Shizue's cheeks as she looked away, letting out a few awkward coughs in a feeble attempt to recover.
"No, no, it's just—uh… we're just friends." she said quickly, waving a hand in dismissal. "That's all."
Fran raised a brow, clearly unconvinced, her grin widening with amusement.
"Hmm… if you say so." She teased before glancing back at the Tempestian representatives. "It's about time we start heading to the palace, but Shizue, when we are done, would you mind staying a bit longer? We still have a lot of catching up to do. Plus, I'm sure the others also missed you."
"I will." Shizue answered with a soft smile. "Let's go."
— –Leon Cromwell– —
"Hm? You didn't tell me you were expecting guests." A woman's voice called out to him, light and teasing.
"I would have told you had you not shown up here unannounced." Leon answered, though there was no malice in his voice. If anything, there was an extremely rare, yet faint smile on his face.
"Oh, come now." The woman answered with a playful tone. "Is it a crime to miss your own student?"
The voice belonged to none other than her, Sylvia El Ru. The woman who had taught him nearly everything he knew. The one who had guided him during his weakest years, challenged him when he became complacent, and helped him rise to the pinnacle of power. His teacher... and, perhaps more accurately, one of the only people who he felt truly comfortable speaking with. One of the extremely few people he trusted with all of his heart, the other being Elmesia.
She looked strikingly like Elmesia. The resemblance was uncanny, so much so that most mistook would not be able to tell them apart if they looked at their faces alone. But there were differences, subtle but clear. Elmesia wore her silvery-blue hair loose, letting it flow down her shoulders. Sylvia, by contrast, kept her long, light-green hair tied into a simple braid, practical and always in control.
"Still…" Sylvia mused, eyeing the ornate table and the small tray of carefully prepared sweets. "It's rare to see you troubled."
Without hesitation, she reached out and plucked one of the snacks from the tray, popping it into her mouth with a satisfied hum.
Leon stared at her flatly.
"You invited yourself in." He said.
"And you didn't stop me." She countered, grinning as she chewed.
Like mother, like daughter, Leon thought dryly.
"It's Tempest." He said at last, setting his cup down with a faint clink. "Ever since that nation appeared, the world's rhythm has been thrown into chaos. And now they're here, in my territory. I can't explain it, but... something about it feels wrong. Unstable. As if trouble's already begun, and we're just waiting for the fallout."
Sylvia's ears twitched faintly. A flicker of amusement faded into a more thoughtful expression as she leaned against the window frame.
"Tempest, huh? Little El has also told me a lot about them. Or rather, Rimuru. They've entered a partnership recently. They are running a secret lab in that labyrinth of Ramiris. And ever since, our researchers have been able to improve their homunculi at a ridiculous speed."
Sylvia let out a chuckle as she reached into her spatial storage and pulled out a small blue pin depicting a slime.
"That Rimuru kid is impressive, he can walk in, look at the research, and give out a few helpful tips that will allow them to skip weeks of troubleshooting. I was only in there for a few days, using a Homunculus body, but he didn't seem like a bad guy. At the very least not from the way Ramiris was being so clingy. I've always thought she was a good judge of character."
"I'm aware." Leon answered with a long sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Elmisia has talked to me about the same thing. But still…"
"Is it Noir and Blanc then?" Sylvia asked, popping another sweet into her mouth. "Two Primordials serving under one man. The fact that they haven't blown up Tempest by now is impressive enough."
"Daemons that dangerous shouldn't have been allowed names at all." Leon muttered, more to himself than to her. "And yet here they are, given form, freedom, and a position of power. One of them is even at my door. The first one of their kind that got a name and a vessel became the strongest Demon Lord in history." He sighed while shaking his head.
Then, Leon leaned back, slumping into his chair.
"Still, even with all of that, the main problem is the rumours of war. Everywhere my people have gone, there are people talking about Tempest. Talking about how dangerous they are. And ultimately, talking about destroying it. Even if they keep that final part silent."
"Ah, so you are worried that war would disrupt your summonings?" Sylvia asked as she wiped some crumbs off her mouth.
"Yes." Leon answered honestly. "The Clowns are pulling back, likely preparing for something. And if a large-scale war does break out, then the kingdoms I am allied with will become more cautious. They may stop sending me the children they summoned."
"I feel like I should say I told you so." Sylvia said, shaking her head as she reached for another snack. "But you don't want to hear that, do you?"
Leon only looked at her for a few moments before letting out another sigh, showing something only few eyes got to witness, fear.
"...What if Chloe gets summoned." He said, voice low, almost hesitant. "And because of some war, some petty conflict, I can't reach her in time? Who's to say what a kingdom at war might do with a summoned child? What if, in trying to save her, I've only handed her over to the very people who would exploit her?"
Back in the world they'd once called home, before fate had torn the sky apart, Chloe Aubert had been everything to him. They weren't related, no blood between them, but to Leon, she was the sister he never had. Sweet, clever, stubborn in a way that made her endearing instead of frustrating. She had understood him when no one else had.
They had been just children when the world came undone. One moment they were together in their quiet home, sharing jokes, fighting over books, sneaking sweets, and the next, they were standing in a strange, magic-saturated world that didn't care who they were or what they had lost. The Cardinal World. Harsh, ancient, and unrelenting.
In that instant, he had promised himself that he would take care of her. That he wouldn't let the spark in her eyes die. That no matter what, he would stand by her side. But as cruel as it had been to bring them here, it had been even crueler to separate them.
They had arrived together. Then, in the blink of an eye, she was gone. Torn from his arms like a cruel joke. As if the world had decided his suffering wasn't quite complete.
Everything he'd done since, every sacrifice, every lie, every political move, every summoning circle etched in blood and desperation, had been for her. The good, and the evil.
He had once worn the title of Hero. It felt like a dream now, half-forgotten and distant, like a life he'd read about in someone else's story. He had traveled the lands in search of answers, in search of power, in search of Chloe. And during that journey, he'd met her, Sylvia El Ru. The former ruler of Sarion, and one of the most powerful beings alive.
The woman who would go on to raise a future Empress, and the one who had taught him what it meant to be more than strong. The woman who had not only trained him, but one of the few that truly believed in him.
She had seen the broken boy and helped him become a Hero. And even when he'd walked a darker path and turned his back on the things she had taught him, even when his Elemental rejected him and the world labeled him a Demon Lord, she hadn't turned her back on him. She never did. Even now, when he barely recognized himself, she still sat beside him as if none of it had changed.
Sometimes, when she looked at him, she still slipped up and called him Hero.
But deep down, Leon didn't feel worthy of that title.
Because what kind of Hero designs a summoning ritual tailored specifically for children?
What kind of man takes that ritual, spreads it across half the Western Nations, and encourages kingdoms to use it as a military asset, just to cast a wider net? He had torn countless children from their homes, their lives, just in search of a single one.
Sure, his own method required the permission of the individuals being summoned to function, but the one he spread throughout the Western Nations did not. He was not the one directly pulling the trigger, but he may as well have been the one who supplied the weapons and ammunition.
He had become a Demon Lord in name, yes. But in truth, the title barely scratched the surface of what he'd become. Of what he was still willing to do.
However, as long as he could save Chloe, as long as he could guarantee that she would be safe, it would all have been worth it.
"You really have to stop spacing out when you're talking to me, Leon." Sylvia said, snapping him from his thoughts with an exaggerated sigh. She waved lazily at the servants. "At this point, I'm going to start taking it personally."
Leon blinked, realizing how long he'd gone silent. Sylvia was already calling for another tray of sweets, smiling like this was all just another pleasant visit between old acquaintances.
And maybe, for her, it was.
"There's one more thing." Leon said, his voice lower now, more cautious. "It's about Metatron."
At that, Sylvia's smile didn't falter, but it did still. Her posture shifted, just slightly, as the name settled between them.
His own Ultimate Skill, the thing that set him at the top of the world in strength.
"Is it bothering you again?" Sylvia asked, her tone dropping into something quieter.
"Not yet." Leon answered. "But I can feel it. I've done as you advised, but I am sure that it is only a matter of time until it awakens its will."
Sylvia didn't answer immediately. Instead, she took a slow bite of a cream-filled pastry, her ears twitching ever so faintly as she chewed. Her gaze had shifted, not distant, not absent, but calculating.
"It's still not too late to sever the will from Metatron." She said carefully. "It would weaken the skill, yes. But at least you wouldn't have to keep looking over your shoulder. Or worrying about whether it will one day act on your behalf without your consent. I can't say that this is the right answer, but a Skill with a will of its own is an anomaly. I'd rather you not experiment with it yourself and find yourself in a bad position."
Leon didn't answer right away, which only pushed Sylvia to continue.
"If Metatron was any other Skill, it might have been fine. Hell, even my own Skill would be significantly easier to suppress were it to come to it. But are you sure you want to risk Metatron going out of control? Your 'Lord of Purity' would disintegrate this entire city before we could react."
"You are right…" Leon answered with what felt like his hundredth sigh. "Still, I will hold off on doing so until I have gotten a clearer picture of the future. Metatron's will still has some time before fully forming. The last thing I want is to be crippled in the middle of a war."
"If you say so." Sylvia answered as she gave him a shrug. "I will trust your judgement. And don't worry, if that thing ever moves against you, I will help you burn it out of your soul myself."
Leon inclined his head slightly.
"Thank you." He said, and for once, there was no reservation in his voice. Just honesty.
Before they could continue, a knock echoed against the chamber doors. Claude, clad in his signature black armor, stepped inside the moment permission was granted, bowing with military precision.
"Lord Leon, Lady Sylvia." He said, voice calm but efficient. "My apologies for the interruption. The Tempestian representatives have concluded most of their discussions with our own. They're ready to proceed with the finalization."
"I see. Thank you, Claude." Leon replied, already rising to his feet. He glanced toward Sylvia, who stood with him, brushing a few pastry crumbs from her sleeve.
"Are you leaving?" He asked.
"Nope." She said cheerfully, summoning a travel cloak with a flick of her wrist. It draped over her shoulders with effortless grace, and a simple white porcelain mask formed in her hand, which she slipped over her face in one smooth motion. "I'm curious about this little arrangement you've made with Tempest. So, I'm coming along."
"So be it." Leon gave an exaggerated sigh, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
Together, they walked through the gilded halls of El Dorado. The palace, carved from magicite along with gold, and framed by veins of crystal, glimmered in the gentle light filtering through stained-glass windows. Guards stood at attention, servants moved with practiced ease, but none dared disturb the Demon Lord and the masked figure walking beside him.
When they arrived at the meeting chamber, the doors opened smoothly before them. Inside, Leon's envoys sat on one side of a long obsidian table, facing the Tempest delegation on the other. Testarossa sat poised as ever, elegance and danger wrapped into one. Her crimson eyes flicked toward him briefly, offering a courteous nod.
But Leon's attention wasn't on her. His gaze locked onto another figure seated just a few paces beside her.
Shizu.
His breath caught, not outwardly, but in the pit of his chest, where a memory stirred like an old wound reopening.
One of the many he had summoned. One of countless others, yes. But she was different.
He remembered the exact moment she'd arrived, collapsing at his feet, her skin seared by fire, her breath shallow, her spirit nearly broken. She had been on the edge of death when she emerged from the summoning circle, like a fallen star dragged through flame.
He had almost dropped to his knees the moment he saw her face.
Because for one fragile, agonizing second… he thought it was her.
Chloe.
The shape of her face, her hair, even the soft rise and fall of her breathing had echoed memories too raw to ignore. He'd let himself believe, just for a heartbeat, that his search had ended. That fate, for once, had shown mercy.
But the illusion shattered the moment he looked again.
Even through the burns, even beneath the pain, he could tell. It wasn't Chloe. There was no mistaking that.
Still, something about Shizu lingered. Maybe it was the fact that she almost looked like Chloe, even with their differing ethnicities. Or maybe it was the fire in her eyes, the same fire he remembered from a girl who refused to give up, even when the world turned its back on her.
So he'd given her his own Ifrit. One of his strongest Elementals, meant as a gift, a lifeline. He'd convinced himself it was mercy. That it was a way to save her, to stabilize her condition when she stood on death's edge.
That since she was destroyed by fire, she could be reborn by it as well.
But it hadn't been mercy. It had been a prison. She had rejected the hand he offered, recoiled from the path he tried to set her on. And he couldn't blame her. Even now, he couldn't.
For as stubborn as she might have been, she had clung to her humanity. She had rejected her transformation into a Demonoid, a Human-Elemental hybrid. And that perseverance, that was something he could respect.
She fought Ifrit every step of the way after an incident where it had taken over her body and killed one of her friends and pet. They had adopted a small Wind Fox, and when the animal had tried to attack him, Ifrit had hijacked her body and killed them both.
That incident had left them both locked in an endless battle for control, a war waged in her body, her mind, her soul. Sadly, he couldn't take Ifrit back. Removing it would've meant killing her. His so-called mercy had given her life, but it had also shackled her to pain.
He couldn't help but wonder if her life would have been different had he given her a weaker Elemental, one with a lesser connection to himself. One that she might have been able to dominate with her will.
Leon's lips pressed into a thin line.
He had wanted to help her, truly, but connection had never been his strength. Every word came out wrong. Every attempt to reach her only pushed her further away. All his strength, all his knowledge, and still, he couldn't save one girl crying behind her pride.
That was why, when Chronoa descended upon his old stronghold in Jistav, he'd made the decision. He left Shizue behind. Not out of cruelty. Not out of fear. But because he hoped, deep down, that someone else might be able to do what he could not.
Someone like Chronoa, a True Hero, someone so unlike the monster he had become.
And perhaps… she had. Or perhaps fate had taken a different path entirely. Because the woman now sitting across from him wasn't a girl clinging to life. She was composed. Strong. Whole.
It was ironic, really.
In the end, she had forsaken her humanity. She had become a Majin, transformed by none other than Rimuru Tempest, the source of his headaches. She was no longer truly Human, and yet, somehow, she was more at peace than he had ever seen her.
He had removed her scars. The burns that had marred her body were gone. She didn't wince when she moved. She didn't flinch when others looked at her. Rimuru had done what he could not, heal her.
And that… that was what stung the most.
Because now, when he looked at her, truly looked at her, he saw Chloe again.
— –Shizue Izawa– —
To be honest with herself, she had no real reason to be in this meeting.
She wasn't a minister. She wasn't a strategist or an economist. Even her role as an instructor at the Academy in Tempest didn't qualify her for these sorts of high-level discussions. She hadn't even planned on coming into the meeting room with the rest, but Testarossa had insisted she join.
Still, sitting here, listening to numbers and clauses fly across the table she couldn't help but feel out of her depth.
Terms she didn't understand. Materials she'd never heard of. Trade routes. Bulk shipments. Security protocols for long-distance teleportation cargo lines. Things so far from her expertise that all she could do was sit quietly and observe, hoping no one expected her to chime in.
Still, it gave her time to think.
Apparently, the bulk of what Tempest was requesting from El Dorado centered around raw materials, minerals, metals, and rare stones unique to their continent. Some she'd heard of in passing, others seemed to exist only in this region.
She could already picture Rimuru now, retreating into his Labyrinth like a mad scientist, eyes sparkling with excitement as he experimented with the new materials. Tinkering for days on end, until some novel discovery appeared in his hands like it had always existed. Then he'd toss the blueprints at the researchers and tell them to figure out how to make it viable.
'Maybe he'll figure out how to synthesize them in Tempest.' She mused quietly, her lips twitching into a faint smile. 'Wouldn't put it past him to grow magic ore in a greenhouse.'
In return, Tempest was offering what it had in abundance. Potions, their enhanced produce, tools, textiles, and even blueprints for infrastructure projects already tested in places like Falmuth.
And yet, as intricate as the trade agreement was becoming, it struck Shizue as surprisingly limited. Unlike Tempest's alliances with Dwargon or Sarion, this wasn't a defense pact. There were no joint research agreements, no cultural exchange programs, not even a hint of future military cooperation.
It was... business. Pure and simple. Two superpowers exchanging goods, nothing more.
She would probably have to ask Rimuru about it once they returned to Tempest. There was likely a reason for the distance, one of those long-game strategies he liked to keep close to his chest until it all came together.
In the end, once the final points had been settled and all that remained was the official approval, that was when he arrived.
Leon Cromwell.
A Demon Lord like him wouldn't personally oversee negotiations from start to finish. Just like Rimuru, he had people for that. Trusted subordinates, well-trained in diplomacy. His time was too valuable to waste on the finer details of trade tariffs and shipment routes.
But still… when the doors opened and he entered, flanked by Claude and a cloaked figure Shizue didn't immediately recognize, the room seemed to quiet just a little more.
And she didn't miss it. That fleeting moment when their eyes met. It was barely a second. A glance. Nothing more than polite acknowledgment in the strictest, coldest sense. But it was enough.
She had to stop herself from sighing aloud.
She shouldn't have expected anything else. And yet, some foolish part of her had hoped for… something. A nod. A word. A flicker of recognition. But there was nothing.
And the worst part was that she couldn't even be angry. Not really. If anything, she felt ashamed for expecting anything different.
She didn't even know what she wanted from him.
One moment, she could stand tall beside Fran, firm in her place as a representative of Tempest, steady and self-assured. And the next, she was sitting here like some awkward schoolgirl, sulking because the man who once made her feel like a burden barely looked her way.
She didn't even like him, not like that. But she didn't hate him either. He had tried, in his own broken way. And she had rejected him, in hers.
There was no clean label for whatever they were now. Just people with a shared, tangled past and an unfinished conversation that neither had the language to voice.
'What would Chronoa have done in her position?' She wondered bitterly.
But she didn't have to wonder for long as an almost forgotten memory echoed in her mind.
"Give him a good punch in the face for me, would you?"
Shizue nearly smiled at the memory. Nearly.
Looking back toward the front of the room, she watched as Leon finished signing the final document, passing it across the table without ceremony. Testarossa accepted it with her usual grace, signing her side of the agreement with a flourish and sealing it with a Tempestian crest of approval.
And just like that, it was over. The trade agreement had been finalized.
There was a round of polite applause. Hands were shaken. Formalities exchanged. The kind of political theater that masked the quiet disappointment lingering in the back of her throat.
"Are you going to do it?" Testarossa asked casually, her voice low enough that only Shizue could hear her. "That's why you came here, no?"
She hadn't realized just how tense she had been until Testarossa put her hand on her back.
"I'll handle the fallout." Testarossa added, her smile serene and unbothered. "You worry about your part."
Then with a gentle push, Shizue found herself moving. Before she knew it, she was crossing the room, the chatter fading behind her until she stopped in front of Leon.
"Leon." She finally said quietly, the words feeling heavier in her mouth than she had hoped.
"Shizu." He answered, staring at her with the same cold eyes he always wore.
"Shizu-e" She corrected him, deliberately drawing out the last syllable. "Shizue Izawa."
For a heartbeat, he said nothing. Just blinked once, his expression unreadable. Then, she continued, her voice firmer now.
"Back at Walpurgis… you made me an offer. One I didn't forget." She inhaled, grounding herself. "I'm here to make good on that promise. Leon Cromwell, I challenge you to a fight."
Leon's advisors stiffened visibly, their eyes narrowing in offense. One of them moved as if to step forward, only to freeze when the cloaked figure behind Leon tilted her head in clear curiosity. A strange, amused energy clung to her, as though she was the only one in the room who found this development exciting rather than scandalous.
For a moment, Leon simply stared at her before nodding.
"Fine." He answered as he walked past her.
— — —
Special Thanks to my Beta Reader/Editor: The one, the only, the amazing @Basilisk.
Go Check out Basilisk's great story "I'm a Daemon, so what?"
https://discord.gg/WTgN9J3YgK
~ A/N ~
Slightly shorter chap than average, but mainly due to the fact that it was a good cutting off point for it. Will just make the next chap flow better. I think by just looking at it, this mini arc will end next chap and then the Holy War shenanigans can begin.
I also began a new story which is mainly going to be based on Marvel Comics. Go give it some love! I was going to post another chap for it tomorrow morning. It is called Marvel's Omniversal Traveler. You should be able to find it by going to my profile.
Also drop comments, they feed me and make me stronger.