Hope yall like this chapter.
sorry if some things don't follow cannon or flow right im not to worried about this conversation with Fuze and youm im gonna leave this as back ground from here on out.
Chapter 57: Departure and Arrival
The meeting room door had barely closed behind Phobio and his battered subordinates when Rimuri let out a long sigh.
Rimuri's golden-yellow eyes turned to her new best friend, soft but determined. "Milim… about what Phobio said. The other Demon Lords. You know more than you're letting on, don't you?"
Milim froze mid-chew, twin tails twitching. She remembered the promise she'd made with the others, not interfere in each other's business. But then her gaze flicked to Varion, and the thought died instantly. Rimuri was her bestie now, and Varion was her little brother. Rules were for other people.
She shrugged, popping the final bite into her mouth and grinning. "Eh, fine. Since you're asking and you're both my favorites, I'll tell you. But only because you're family."
Milim leaned back, kicking her legs up on the table like it was the most natural thing in the world. "A while back, me, Carrion, Frey, and Clayman got bored and decided to mess around. We had Gelmud try to raise a puppet Demon Lord to take control of the Jura Forest. I was mostly just killing time and having fun, but the others… they might've been a little more serious about it than I realized. Now that it all blew up in their faces, they've taken a real interest in you and Varion. Especially after what he did to the orc army."
She waved a hand dismissively. "Don't worry too much. I'm not gonna let them mess with my little brother's home, they know better after i have spent so much time here. But yeah… those 3 Demon Lords are watching now."
Rimuri absorbed the information quietly, her face flickering with annoyance. Varion's hand tightened gently around hers, in a show of support.
Milim suddenly hopped up from her chair, eyes sparkling with excitement. "Anyway! I've been gone from my territory for like four whole months now. I need to go get some things in order so it's perfect when you come visit, little brother!" She bounced on her toes, twin tails whipping around. "You have to promise you'll come see my place soon, okay? I wanna show you everything! We'll cause so much fun chaos together!"
Varion smiled, the warmth cutting through the lingering tension. "I promise, Milim. I'll come visit soon."
Milim beamed, throwing her arms around him in a quick, tight hug before pulling back and ruffling his hair. "Good! Don't keep your big sister waiting~!" With a cheerful wave and a burst of overwhelming magicules, she shot out the window like a pink comet, disappearing into the sky with a trail of stardust and laughter.
Varion just blankly stared at the now broken window and sighed
The room fell quiet for a moment.
Rimuri leaned her head against Varion's shoulder. "She really is something else."
The next day after Milim's departure Varion, Rimuri, and Prinz were in the main meeting room reviewing trade deals when Souei's clone appeared in a flicker of shadow.
"lady rimuri, lord varion," he reported calmly. "Two separate groups are currently being attacked by a Knight Spider in the western forest. One is a squad of rough-looking humans from Falmuth. The other appears to be adventurers from Blumund. Gobta and the Goblin Riders are already on site and handling the situation."
Rimuri's eyes lit up. "Have Gobta bring them back here safely. I'll meet them in this room once they arrive."
Souei bowed and vanished.
A short while later the doors opened. Gobta strode in proudly, chest puffed out, as he walked in proud of himself. Behind him came two very different groups: a band of rough, prison-scarred thugs led by a cocky-looking man with wild hair and a sword at his hip, and a smaller party of professional adventurers including the familiar faces of Kaval, Gido, and Ellen.
Ellen's face brightened the moment she spotted Rimuri. "Rimuri! It's you! We were just—" Her words cut off mid-sentence as her gaze landed on Prinz. Her big sister was sitting right beside Varion, their hands openly intertwined, bodies close in a way that spoke of easy intimacy. Ellen froze for half a second, eyes widening in clear surprise and delight. Then she quickly schooled her expression back to professional cheer, remembering that Prinz still wanted their sibling relationship kept secret.
Prinz met her gaze across the table with a small, knowing smile and a subtle nod. 'It's okay', the look said. Ellen relaxed, a warm glow of happiness for her sister flickering behind her eyes before she covered it.
Fuze stepped forward first, bowing politely. "I am Fuze, Guild Master of the Freedom Association's Blumund branch. Thank you for the rescue. We were investigating reports of unusual activity in the forest when that spider attacked."
The other man,Youm, swaggered in with a loud, dismissive snort. "Tch. Monsters playing house? What a joke. I'm Youm. We were just passing through on official business from Falmuth. Don't expect us to bow or anything, you lowly monster."
Shion moved before anyone could blink.
*WHAM.*
One swift smack of her fist sent Youm flying across the room and crashing into a chair. He sat up with several fresh lumps on his head, looking dazed and suddenly much more cooperative.
"Mind your manners in Lady Rimuri's presence," Shion said sweetly, dusting her hands off.
Youm rubbed his head, muttering under his breath but staying in his seat like a scolded child.
Rimuri smiled calmly and got straight to business. "We're interested in opening proper diplomatic and trade relations with both Blumund and Falmuth. Our routes with Dwargon are already safe and profitable. There's no reason we can't extend that cooperation to you as well."
Fuze nodded thoughtfully. "We would need assurances that your nation means the human kingdoms no harm before I can make any promises."
The conversation continued productively until Rimuri turned her attention to Youm. "And why exactly was your group here in the forest?"
Youm shrugged, still rubbing the lumps on his head. "We were sent to scout the place, to make sure nothing dangerous was left after the Orc Lord mess. Once we got a certain distance in we planned to fake our deaths and disappear to another kingdom. We're tired of being disposable tools."
Rimuri leaned forward slightly, still comfortably in Varion's lap. "I have a better offer for you. If you're willing to claim credit for defeating the Orc Lord, with our help of course, you could become a hero. Your employers would have no hold on you anymore, and it would ease some of the fear humans have toward us."
Youm's eyes widened. The idea of freedom and hero status clearly appealed to him. He glanced around the peaceful city visible through the windows, then back at the group.
"…Yeah. That sounds a hell of a lot better than what I've got now."
The room settled into thoughtful discussion as new possibilities opened up for everyone involved.
-Later-
The meeting wrapped up shortly after with Youm agreeing to the proposal. Fuze promised to take the trade discussions back to Blumund's leadership, while Youm and his rough crew were shown to guest quarters to rest and recover. The room emptied quickly, leaving only Varion, Rimuri, and Prinz.
A few minutes of peaceful quiet passed.
The door cracked open again. Ellen slipped inside alone, closing it softly behind her with a sheepish little wave.
Prinz's golden eyes softened the moment she saw her sister, who looked like she didn't know where to start. She gave Varion's hand a gentle squeeze, then spoke calmly. "Ellen… they know who I really am now."
Ellen froze mid-step, eyes darting between Prinz, Varion, and Rimuri. For half a second her professional adventurer mask slipped, replaced by genuine surprise and a flash of pure delight. Then she let out a bright, relieved laugh and dropped all pretense.
"ugghhhhh, Finally!" she exclaimed, voice warm with sisterly affection. "I've been dying to say something since I saw you two holding hands earlier." She turned to Varion and Rimuri, bowing her head slightly in proper noble fashion before straightening with a grin. "I'm Elyun Grimwald, Ellen to people when I'm in my adventure persona. Prinz's little sister. Archduke Erald Grimwald's second daughter, and cousin to Empress Elmesia herself."
Varion blinked, then smiled warmly. "Nice to officially meet you, Ellen. Or should I say Lady Elyun?"
Rimuri smiled with quiet amusement. " I thought you two looked alike when we first met. I'm glad you don't have to hide it anymore."
Ellen didn't waste another second. She launched herself across the room and tackled Prinz in a big, enthusiastic hug, nearly knocking her off balance. "Big sister! You finally got a guy! And not just any guy, you got "Varion" like you wanted!" She pulled back just enough to beam at Prinz, eyes sparkling with excitement. "Tell me everything! How did it happen? Is he good to you? Does he treat you right? I need details, details woman!"
Prinz laughed softly, hugging her sister back just as tightly, her usual smile genuine genuine warmth. "He's… perfect for me. Patient, protective, and he makes me feel like I can just be myself. No titles, no expectations. It's nice."
Ellen squealed happily, rocking them both side to side. "I'm so happy for you! You deserve this so much!"
After a moment she pulled back, still grinning ear to ear. Then a mischievous little giggle escaped her. "Dad's gonna be so mad when he finds out."
The three of them Prinz and Rimuri couldn't help but laugh along with her. While varion groaned and thought he now needed to worry about her father trying to kill him when they met. Not knowing how right he was