Chapter 72 - Star Dragon's Heart

The room was quiet after the events that had just transpired. Luminas stood, huffing as she let out her anger at the spot where she had killed Twilight. Rimuru, similarly, stared at the same spot. "Well, that went differently from what I imagined our visit here would be," he remarked, standing up and looking towards the door where Pippin was standing, staring wide-eyed.

"Don't take this as anything bad, okay?" Rimuru crouched to get to Pippin's eye level. How he got so close without her noticing was a testament to his danger. "Luminas just... well, I'm sure you know what Twilight has been doing, and with all the warnings from both Guy and her, this was bound to happen eventually." He brushed it off with a shrug.

"Pippin, was it?" Luminas walked towards the high human. "I'm in charge of this facility from now on. Do you have any complaints?" She glared at the girl, who gritted her teeth and shook her head. "For now, eliminate all of the test subjects in here. I'll talk with you and the others some other time. Let's go, Rimuru." With that, Luminas and Rimuru activated transportation magic and left. Rimuru waved at the previously stoic girl, who now bore a wrathful expression.

"Pippin, what happened here?" Ashley, who had sensed Twilight's disappearance, rushed towards the facility as fast as he could, though for some reason, transportation magic was blocked.

....

"I've been here for two days already. Those guys will probably be mad if I don't go back soon. Hinata and Chloe plan to remain here for a while, right?" Rimuru turned to the duo, who nodded in response. He then directed his gaze at Luminas. "Are you coming with me? I plan on going to see Veldanava. Velgrynd should be there as well." Luminas nodded, already prepared to talk with the true dragon.

With those confirmations, the two traveled to where the true dragons were, somewhere southeast of the continent. In a deep forest, there was a clearing of a hundred meters, with a structure too simple to be called a mansion but too extravagant to be called a cottage.

Inside, two of the most powerful beings in the world resided. One had black hair and the other azure blue hair, and with them was a beautiful woman with long platinum pink hair.

"He sure is taking his time," the azure-haired one grumbled. "I guess he really does enjoy meeting that vampire Luminas." She sighed as she sipped her tea.

The platinum-haired woman giggled at the scorch dragon's expression. "You really love him, Velgrynd-san. I wish I could find someone like that." She placed her hand on her right cheek as she leaned on the table.

"Haha, Velgrynd, don't worry. He's already on his way here," Veldanava reassured his sister, sensing Rimuru's presence approaching. "By the way, Lucia, could you do me a favor and place your hand here?" He stretched his open left palm to the girl named Lucia sitting on his right side.

"Yes? What is this about?" Lucia tilted her head as she placed her right hand atop his palm, sensing something passing through her and covering her in something she could not quite understand.

After finishing, Veldanava pulled his hand away and merely smiled. "Just in case," he brushed it off, changing the topic. "I wonder if your brother will arrive anytime soon."

Lucia sighed to herself. "Seriously, that brother Rudra just stood up and went off on his own again." She recalled how just a few minutes ago, her brother had stood up as they were all chatting and then flew out without warning.

Meanwhile, several kilometers away from their location, a certain blonde man had his sword brandished on his shoulder as he wiped the sweat from his forehead. His body was covered in minor injuries as he grinned towards the man in front of him.

"Hah! I knew it, someone strong was nearby." He rushed with a smile, attacking the enemy in front of him. With a swing of his sword that was enough to cut up a good part of the forest, he aimed at the person's neck, which was blocked by a mere sword made from magic.

"Can you cut it out? I don't have any interest in you," the man sighed, his sword cracking from the swordsman's attack. While the sword was made half-heartedly, the fact that it broke was a testament to the blonde's power. "It's rare to see a high human like you. Where are you from?" He blocked another attack using a new sword that he created milliseconds before the next strike.

"I am Rudra Nasca of the kingdom in the East, a Hero!" Rudra stopped in his tracks and pointed at himself with a smirk, then pointed at the silver-haired man in front of him. "And you, I bet from your aura that you are a demon! A strong one at that. Tell me, do you have any valuables? If so, hand them over and I'll let you live!" He swung his sword at unimaginable speed to cut the demon in front of him, but to no avail. Not a scratch was given to the demon.

"...," Rimuru was getting tired of this person's shenanigans. He grabbed him by the head and threw him in the air, forcing him to fly tens of kilometers away. Rimuru then created a small magic-powered sphere that he threw towards Rudra, who cursed as he created a barrier around himself. "That should incapacitate him for half a day or so." As the attack connected, a massive explosion erupted, and a body could be seen falling to the ground.

Rimuru scratched his head and continued his journey to Veldanava. "Nasca... Rudra Nasca... the last name sounds familiar. The East, High Human, and then the last name Nasca..." He pondered as he finally reached the clearing where he sensed the others.

"Took you long enough," Luminas, who had left him with the blonde hero, remarked. After seeing the man's personality and strength, she couldn't be bothered to interact with him. "Did you finish him off?" Luminas sipped tea as she sat beside Velgrynd, who was also sitting beside a platinum pink-haired woman next to Veldanava.

"Not much of a threat. It would be a waste to kill him off," Rimuru shrugged, noticing the platinum-haired woman's sigh of relief at his words.

Veldanava waved, gesturing for him to sit down beside him. "Rimuru, good to see you. You haven't met her yet, but this is Lucia," he gestured to the woman beside him. Rimuru stared at Lucia for a few seconds as he slowly sat down in the chair beside Veldanava.

Taking this as a signal, Lucia introduced herself. "I am Lucia Nasca of the Nasca Kingdom. Sister to the King Rudra Nasca." She bowed to Rimuru with a smile. Rimuru continued to stare at her for a couple more seconds.

"Hey, pervert," Velgrynd's words managed to get him to stop staring. "Would you stop staring at her like that?" Rimuru realized that he had been staring, noticing Lucia's uncomfortable expression.

"Ah, sorry about that. You just feel... weird? Nevermind that, as expected from Veldanava's wi-" Before he finished his words, he flew toward the trees nearby. Nobody saw what happened other than Rimuru himself. He sat down, clenching his cheek, glaring at Veldanava, who glared back at him.

(Asshole)

(You tell me! Don't just blurt out things like that! We aren't even together yet! Heck, she doesn't even know me that well! Don't go saying things like that; otherwise, things might change!!)

(Basically, what you mean is, don't mention it, or my chances of winning her over might decrease?)

(...No)

"Rimuru, what happened?!" Velgrynd and Luminas rushed to his side, attempting to locate the assailant while remaining vigilant. "Who is it? I can't sense them," Velgrynd scanned the area, even Luminas unable to find others aside from them.

"I'm fine. It was just... a stupid cosmic lizard who can't control itself." Rimuru urged them to return to their seats, except the arrangement changed, with Rimuru sitting beside the two females instead of beside Veldanava. "Sorry about all that. Rudra Nasca? Does that mean the person I... threw was your brother?" He tried to change the atmosphere to a more serene one.

Lucia, still confused from the following events, answered in a daze, "Ah, yes. Thank you for sparing his life. He can be a bit... insensitive sometimes." She bowed her head slightly. "You are Rimuru-san, whom Velgrynd-san and Veldanava-sama have mentioned before, right?"

Rimuru nodded as he drank tea that Veldanava placed in front of him. "Yeah, Rimuru, the silver primordial. By the way, could you two be descendants from Veda Nasca?" He inquired. It was a random high human leading a small city-state that was reported to him previously by the enki he assigned to the east. Something about a surviving high human group that created a city-state with them in the position of power.

"Yes! He was the founder of the Nasca Kingdom," Lucia cheered as her ancestor was known even by beings like Rimuru.

"Well, considering I was in charge of the east back then," Rimuru said with a small smile, noting a resemblance to Milim in Lucia. "He was also a high human. It's surprising that it's only a kingdom and not an empire yet after, what, a thousand years?"

"Ah, hehe..." Lucia scratched her cheek awkwardly. "It's complicated. To be precise, the current Nasca Kingdom is not the same as in the past. The old Nasca Kingdom had a lot of enemy nations."

"But you guys are high humans. I doubt regular humans could put up much of a fight." Rimuru was still confused by the situation.

"The other high humans that remained close to us went their separate ways and founded other nations as well..."

"I see..." He hadn't heard that in the report. It must have happened after he told his subordinates to leave them be and return to the Citadel. This is what happens when I let them be, he thought. Seriously, high humans are really self-destructive.

"Rimuru really knows how to dampen the mood," Velgrynd grumbled as she reassured Lucia. "Don't mind him too much, he's a demon with a very cold heart."

Rimuru rolled his eyes. "Speaking of, Luminas, didn't you have something to say to Velgrynd? I have something to discuss with Veldanava as well, so let's have a chat over there." Rimuru conjured a new set of two chairs and a small round table a few meters away. He and Veldanava went there, while the girls stayed at their seats.

After placing a soundproof barrier, Rimuru started cursing at Veldanava for punching him in the face, adding that he could have died if he wasn't careful. Of course, to the girls watching, he seemed calm and cheerful, the exact opposite of his words.

"It's you who was careless, staring at her like that. I already told you she is mine," Veldanava grumbled, countering back. "Besides, I asked for your help. Don't ruin it by saying stuff from the future."

"I doubt you need my help anyway. In the other timeline, you were able to court her alone," Rimuru pointed out with a smirk. "Oh, how pitiful that the creator is asking for love advice from a literal incarnation of darkness."

He placed one hand on his cheek as he leaned on the table, staring at the girls' table, where their shocked expressions indicated they were asking Luminas questions. "Just don't do anything stupid and you'll be fine. I doubt you'll get rejected anyway. Just don't be too direct and forceful about it. Take your time, you're basically immortal and she has a long lifespan as a high human."

Veldanava stared at Rimuru, stunned for a second. Rimuru was irritated by the star dragon's reaction to his genuine advice and could feel himself frowning. "What?" he inquired with a tone of annoyance.

"...Nothing," Veldanava averted his gaze, surprised at Rimuru's honest opinion and suggestions. "I guess this is to be expected from my brother-in-law, having captured the hearts of three maidens."

"For some reason, that does not feel like a compliment. Also, three?" Rimuru raised a brow. He guessed Veldanava was attentive to the girls' conversation, but the number indicated he knew something else.

"Playing dumb? You really like to play the long game..." Veldanava eyed him with a small laugh. "Not that it's a bad thing. Personally, I would have wanted you to remain with only Velgrynd... but if all of you have agreed on it, then what say do I have." He turned to his sister, who was happily chatting with the silver-haired vampire and his future wife.

"Yeah... It's weird enough that I feel this way, but to be greedy enough to have more wives really makes me question my future self," Rimuru complained about his future self, which affected his current personality. From what he could conclude, the more memories he had, the more his personality became open and sentimental on certain things. "We're getting off topic. Do you have any plans on how to court her?"

"..? Ah, well for now I am her brother's teacher and master. That was how we met anyway, just over a year ago. We aren't close enough to be alone without her brother, and I doubt we could do anything romantic with her brother around."

"Hahaha!" Rimuru laughed, dropping his head on the table as he held his stomach. "It almost sounds like you want to dispose of Rudra, I can't, hahaha." He faced Veldanava, who gave him a glare that would normally drain the life from any creature. "Don't be impatient, idiot. If you want to be alone with her, make her comfortable around you. You are already her brother's mentor. Just keep that status quo for... well, I can't give a number, really. That's your problem to decide. Just don't rush it! This only happened because you got spoiled and found out you two married anyway!" Rimuru scratched the back of his head, annoyed.

As the two kept chatting about Veldanava's love escapades and making sure it remained on a steady and stable pace, a person could be seen walking sluggishly with a slight limp. His eyes went from the three women happily chatting to his mentor speaking with a certain silver-haired demon.

"Speaking off, why isn't Veldora here? I would have thought he would be glad to see me and Velgrynd." Rimuru recalled the Storm Dragon, he tilted his head in confusion. Over the years, Veldora has been able to obtain a human form after being taught by Veldanava who complained to Rimuru about dumping Veldora to him. 

To which Rimuru simply explained his responsibility as a brother and the horrors Veldora experience every encounter with his sisters. With that as a factor, Veldanava with a guilty and reluctant conscience taught him what he needed to know. 

"Ah, well he should be playing with Dagruel at the moment," Veldanava replied with a shrugg, the giant and true dragon have been enjoying their "spar" as of late. With the two not seeing who is the stronger one, with both having the pride to claim that they are the stronger being. 

"You!" The blonde man, who Rimuru now knew as Rudra Nasca, came rushing at him, ignoring the pain he felt in his body. Normally, his injuries would have already healed, but for some reason, regeneration and healing potions were taking their time.

"Now, Rudra, stop it." Veldanava gestured for him to halt mid-swing at Rimuru. Hearing his mentor's voice made him freeze on the spot. His sister and the others noticed his arrival and rushed to heal him. "This is Rimuru, a friend of mine. I heard the story. It was your fault anyway."

"That's right, Brother Rudra. From what Rimuru-san said, you attacked him all of a sudden!" Lucia began scolding him as she healed his wounds. "Luckily for you, this is all the damage you got!"

"Ah, hahaha, well, I am pretty durable. Also, my skills are very good for defense." Rudra smiled at his sister, downplaying the damages he had collected. Rimuru's interest was piqued. He had assumed Rudra would be knocked out for several more hours after making sure to only give him enough damage to put him to sleep and not kill him.

"Isn't my student interesting?" Veldanava boasted, predicting Rimuru's train of thought on how Rudra managed to recover fast. "He is very strong. With more training, he could rival even a true dragon." He smirked from his excessive bragging.

"His brashness needs some toning down, though," Rimuru rolled his eyes, seeing Veldanava's cheeky smile.

A/N: We finally have Rudra and Lucia! 

Also, we only have a small glimpse of Rudra and from what I can analyze from it, is that he is basically a mixture of Guy and Rimuru in pride, antics, and recklessness. The past him at least was more of an immature ruler right? When he came and attack guy and when he return he was very... haughty? but also has a mix of Rimuru in terms of dynamics with subordinates. (Like Rimuru and benimaru being Rudra and Damrada/Granbell) 

We getting the Guy and Rudra interaction next chapter!