Chapter 70 - Cardinal Unwind

A/N: I AM BACK! Well, that was a long two months...

Chloe had become a new member of the Citadel, and she was slowly getting accustomed to her new life there. Both she and Hinata, not wanting to be a bother to Rimuru, threw themselves into the management of the Multiverse, assisting Agni and Runa. Occasionally, they even trained with the saints they had befriended.

"Well then, Chloe, I'll be going with them," Hinata waved as she led a group of a hundred saints toward one of the gates. Chloe waved back, a smile on her face. After discovering Hinata's existence within Chloe, Rimuru spared no expense in creating a body for Hinata to inhabit. Fortunately, transferring her was straightforward since she was merely a soul clinging to Chloe. It would have been a bigger problem if she had been permanently attached.

Chloe made her way towards the building where Rimuru resided. She gazed up at the towering structure, which resembled a modern skyscraper from Earth. To Chloe, the building appeared surreal. Made mostly of glass as hard as adamantine minerals, it was a one-way mirror—opaque from the outside but transparent from within. It stood tall, providing a panoramic view of the vast area around it.

Chloe approached one of the magic circles beside the building. Like the others nearby, it was used by subordinates to teleport to the necessary floors via transport magic. There were no doors in the entire building, and unauthorized transport magic was prohibited unless using the specified magic circles.

Activating the magic circle, Chloe found herself in Rimuru's office. She held her breath, captivated by Rimuru's appearance as he focused intently on his work. It took her a few moments to regain her composure, shaking her head slightly to clear her thoughts. She stepped closer.

"Uhm... Rimuru-san?" she called softly, leaning sideways to get a better look at his face, hoping he would notice her presence.

"Yes?" Chloe jumped as another Rimuru appeared beside her. "Did you need anything, Chloe?" the second Rimuru asked, stepping closer to the startled Hero. Their distance grew lesser and lesser until barely a foot was the separation of their bodies.

"Oh, um..." Chloe stammered, flustered by Rimuru's sudden proximity. "I was just thinking... is it possible for me and Hinata to return to the Cardinal world?" Rimuru's eyes wavered for a moment upon hearing her words. Realizing the weight of her request, Chloe quickly brushed it off. "I mean, it's nothing. Just wanted to say hi! A-and if possible, let's hang out sometime!" She forced a smile, knowing it wasn't wise to return without considering the potential changes it might bring.

Understanding her hesitation, Rimuru gave her a wry smile. He extended his hand and gently stroked her head. Chloe froze for a second before a genuine smile slowly spread across her face. "R-Rimuru-san, I'm not a kid, you know...hehehe." Her words contradicted the contented expression on her face.

"Sorry, Chloe. Let's wait a little longer before we see if it's safe for you to return. I promise I'll bring you back right away if it's safe." Rimuru reassured her, then took her right hand. "Let's hang out now."

"...! Yes!" Chloe responded eagerly, her earlier anxiety melting away.

Their smiles mirrored each other as they walked out of the office, ready to enjoy some well-deserved time together.

..............

..........

............

"And you're sure nothing bad will happen?" Rimuru asked, his voice tinged with concern.

"Nothing that you haven't done anyway," Veldanava replied, laughing heartily. Rimuru glared at him, but Veldanava just shrugged it off. "Since when did you become so cautious, anyway? It's so not like you."

Rimuru didn't answer. Or rather, he didn't want to answer. The time was drawing near when the Star King Veldanava would reach the end of his life. Rimuru wished for anything but that to happen. However, he knew that if he intervened, something much worse could happen in the future, something unknown to them both.

"Yeah... this isn't like me at all." Rimuru smiled bitterly. "Anyway, thanks for your time. I'll come back to the Cardinal world tomorrow. Let me meet her when I visit, okay?"

"Oh! Of course. Just don't get jealous of her beauty, okay? She's mine!" Veldanava grinned.

Rimuru rolled his eyes. He could already guess what she would look like based on Milim's appearance and Veldanava's boastful nature. "Yeah, yeah." He replied dryly. 

The next day, Chloe, Hinata, Velgrynd, and Rimuru prepared to return to the Cardinal World. Of course, Rimuru didn't leave the Citadel unattended, a parallel existence of himself remained to watch over the place.

"You three can go meet your... vampire friend. I'll go meet up with my brother." Velgrynd flew towards the east, while the trio headed west.

"I can't wait to see Luminas-san!" Chloe smiled brightly as she and Hinata rode a large dragon lord they had met along the way. Out of fear for its life, it remained still wishing for them to simply pass on itself. Unfortunately, the trio decided to use it as a convenient vehicle instead. 

"Hm, it is nice to see Luminas-sama again, even if she doesn't know about us yet," Hinata nodded, reminiscing about her time as a crusader and knight captain.

"Good for you two," Rimuru remarked, flying or more like floating beside them in a sitting position, his legs crossed. "We're almost at Night Rose." They land in the forest, not wanting to alert them to the appearance of the dragon that was not part of the matter.

As night fell, Luminas sat in her beautiful garden, sipping tea. The garden, covered in the rare flower Night Rose, lent its name to her entire castle. Behind her stood Gunther, serving her as she enjoyed the serene sunset and the view of her garden.

Suddenly, her detection skills alerted her to the presence of three individuals, one of whom she knew all too well. A smile crept onto her face. "What took you so long, idiot," she murmured under her breath, mentally preparing herself for the encounter.

"Hey, Luminas!" Rimuru waved as he approached. She turned to see him, and her smile faded slightly as she noticed two other women with him. The long-haired one beamed at her, while the short-haired one seemed more reserved.

"Rimuru... who are they?" Luminas asked, raising an eyebrow.

Rimuru tilted his head, turning around to see whom she was referring to. "Ah, they're friends who wanted to see you." Taking this as a signal, Chloe and Hinata stepped forward to introduce themselves.

"Hey, Luminas!" Chloe greeted her brightly, as if she were meeting an old friend.

"Chloe... she still doesn't know you," Hinata sighed, admonishing her companion. "Luminas-sama, it is nice to meet you. I am Hinata Sakaguchi, and this is Chloe Aubert." She bowed and gestured to Chloe.

"And why would you like to meet me?" Luminas asked, her gaze scrutinizing the two women. "Care to explain?"

"Yes," Hinata began, and the trio sat down with Luminas. Gunther placed three new cups and served the visitors tea, anticipating a long conversation. Rimuru even took out some snacks, offering sweets of various kinds.

Hinata and Chloe explained who they were, why they were there, and how they were connected to both Rimuru and Luminas. Chloe spoke of their friendship, and Hinata of her future role as a subordinate in a religion Luminas would create.

"Is it okay to tell me all this?" Luminas asked, looking concerned as she turned to Rimuru. "How will everything go now that you've told me this?"

"Don't worry about it. I've basically ruined the timeline anyway," Rimuru laughed, trying to reassure her. "As long as you follow through, there won't be any problems."

"But why would I need to create a religion and relocate? I already have Night Rose," Luminas gestured to the garden and the grand castle behind her.

Rimuru and Hinata sighed, while Chloe let out a dry laugh. No one responded to her question directly. "Anyway, these two want to chat with you," Rimuru said, changing the subject. Following his lead, Hinata and Chloe engaged in conversation with Luminas.

As night fell, the full moon illuminated the garden. Luminas had opened up to both Hinata and Chloe, thanks to Rimuru's reassurance and the two women's honesty.

"Why don't you stay here for a few days?" Luminas asked, looking at them. If they were indeed her friends from the future, she wanted to spend more time with them. Hinata and Chloe turned to Rimuru, silently asking for his permission.

Rimuru held back a laugh. It was almost like children asking their parents for permission to stay overnight at a friend's house. "No need to ask me. You can stay as long as you want."

Chloe beamed, hugging Rimuru tightly. Luminas' eyes twitched slightly at the sight.

Hinata noticed and sighed internally. 'Damn womanizer even got Luminas-sama...'

As Gunther guided Hinata and Chloe to their rooms, Rimuru was about to follow when a hand grabbed his clothes, stopping him. "Not you. You have to make it up to me for wasting our time," Luminas said, her eyes locking with his.

"...? Weren't you glad to meet them?" Rimuru teased, leaning closer and holding her waist.

Luminas hitched her breath, taking in his scent as he pulled her closer. "In another time and place, maybe. But this was supposed to be our time alone." She turned her head away in a defiant gesture, which Rimuru found adorably pouty.

"Yes, yes. Then let's go somewhere more... private and spend some alone time," Rimuru whispered in her ear, and the two teleported to her room.

After a pleasant time together, they lay on the bed. Rimuru leaned against the bedframe, drifting between consciousness and unconsciousness.

"That Chloe girl likes you, doesn't she?" Luminas tapped his chest as she leaned on his shoulder, the blanket covering her just above her chest. "It's pretty obvious too. Don't know about Hinata, though. She seems conflicted."

Rimuru simply nodded. "Chloe seems very attached to me for saving her from all those other timelines... Personally, I wish that if she ever confess, it would be because of the me right now." He shook his head, recalling the black-haired girl.

"So... you like her?" Luminas stared at his face, scrutinizing his reaction. Rimuru knew what she was doing and stared back. Their eyes met, Luminas' crimson and blue eyes with Rimuru's golden ones.

"Well," Rimuru patted her head, "not as much as you." He joked, partly to ease the tension and partly to answer her question. "My, Lumi-chan is getting jealous." He playfully grabbed her cheeks.

Luminas frowned, holding his hands and not letting go. "That's right, I am jealous." Rimuru's eyes widened slightly, a glint of curiosity and interest flashing for a moment. Luminas had already done things that were more or less what lovers do. She has indirectly already confess, in the most unconventional way, but reasonable for someone of her personality.

Rimuru was taken aback for a few seconds before regaining his calm. "That's unusual. You normally don't say these sorts of things, Lumi." He raised his brow, quizzical about her change.

Luminas grumbled under her breath before continuing. "I let Velgrynd be your lone lover because you two seemed really close... but if a newcomer has a chance with you, then all restraints I have don't matter. Truthfully, Velgrynd and I already had a chat about this before, and she is okay with it." She pulled his head towards her and kissed him for several minutes.

Pulling back, they stared into each other's eyes. Luminas' eyes glowed with deep colors, ones Rimuru really liked. "I love you, Rimuru. Even if the me of the past didn't feel the same, that doesn't change how I feel in this moment. Right here, right now, I am deeply, in love with you." She then pulled him in again, this time biting his nape and closing her eyes to enjoy the flow of magicules.

Meanwhile, a black-haired woman, known for traveling the multiverse as a hero and savior, watched the intimate moment between the demon and the vampire. Using the abilities she had honed in battles with formidable foes, she ensured her voyeuristic endeavor went unnoticed.

"Hah~! Rimuru-san..." she murmured to herself.

A/N: I am back! whew so after a long time of thinking, I will continue this series and not restart. After all. I originally started writing this fic because its one of my pass time and it calms be down(lies!). 

I know I just returned but I may or may not go on hiatus again after a few months, after all I am changing countries in july... Some big changes will be happening, but I will still continue this fic since as I said it is one of my hobby and pass time. 

You know the memes about a writer that has a lot of wips? I thought it was a joke at first... then I suddenly had 5 wips with barely a chapter... Just wanted to say that it's real!