Bab 1: A Demon's Worries
Tempest is currently prospering wildly 12 years after the Great Tenma War. Everyone is working quite hard to meet the demands of the ever-busy and expanding nation, and in the Capital, in the main government building, seemed no different.
Inside one of the larger offices, one would find a woman possessing picturesque beauty, the kind that would make someone question what products or magic was being used. Shining ruby red eyes, flowing white hair that cascaded down to the small of her back, and a symmetrical face that looked like it was carved by a professional sculptor. She is wearing a dark green military-style uniform adorned with shoulder stripes and medals on the breast of the uniform that, by all means, should drastically contrast from her beauty, yet somehow didn't, almost as if to say that her beauty could only be matched by her strength.
The woman in question was wearing a face that looked exasperated, to the point of lightly sighing at times. If someone were to take their eyes off of her and look around the room, they would find a carpeted floor that looked as if it were tiled with various shades of grey and black, cream-colored walls along three sides of the office containing various paintings and personal items, a wall that seemed to be transformed into a tinted window, and in front of the woman, a beautiful mahogany desk with a hefty amount of paperwork. It can be inferred that from the level of quality that the woman possesses that synchronizes well with the level of quality put into the space around her, that she is a very important figure in the country.
Testarossa was working on a pile of documents in her office that overlooked the east side of the city, or what was beginning to be known as a metropolis. While she did enjoy the view from time to time, today was a day where she was currently dealing with paperwork related to diplomacy between Tempest and other nations. As the nation's primary diplomat, any major decision needs to go through her before any deals can be finalized, and in the case where she isn't sure how to proceed, she will contact Rimuru. Fortunately, outside of bringing any deals that require Rimuru's signature, she hasn't needed to do anything of the sort in the time that she has been appointed the main diplomat.
However, today is different. Normally, as a diplomat, she would be away at various countries making sure that Tempest's will, or more accurately her Lord's will, be followed. This is primarily done with various trade deals that would aim for a higher level of education in the country, a better form of transportation through airships and the train system, as well as a form of telecommunications through magic lines, which were essentially metal wires formed from a mixture of copper and a light amount of magisteel. and therefore would also form a strong bridge between Tempest and whichever country they were making the deal with.
Essentially, while Rimuru's ultimate goal was to unite the human race against ever-present threats such as monsters, the other reason was to make the other countries have a sense of obligation towards the country that owns the materials, which is Tempest, and to show what they could become with their help, as well as never allowing them to forget where they came from and who helped them.
Today, she is here for a different reason. A special reason many might say. A few weeks ago, she made a confession to Rimuru. The sort of confession a subordinate would say to her boss, yet said in the way a girl in love would say to a guy she has a crush on. Her actual words were along the lines of "will you accept me." When Rimuru said yes and to pick a date and time, her heart was fluttering inside of her chest, yet she managed to, at least in her mind, appear cool and collected as she set a date a few weeks in advance. The main purpose of this was to collect herself for her inevitable date and to get ahead of work in order to have Cien be her substitute for a few days while she was on her date. Unfortunately, things didn't completely go as planned.
For the first couple of weeks, she was able to get ahead and stay ahead. However, as time kept crawling towards the inevitable date with Rimuru, the thought of it kept getting her flustered. At first, it was something that she could brush off, but as the weeks continued to come to a close, she kept anticipating and thinking about it more and more, to the point that it interfered with her work. While she hid it well enough, her subordinates knew her well enough to the point that they could suspect something was up. However, they also knew that if they brought it up to her, the only thing they could wish for was a painful "training" session in the labyrinth. So they kept their mouths shut.
In any case, most of the headway she had made into making a somewhat easy schedule for Cien went away in the past couple of weeks, and the reason why she has a look of anxiousness is that her date with Rimuru is tomorrow.
Not next week... Tomorrow.
Oh well she thought, I'm sure Cien will manage. And if he complains I'll just threaten him with training in the labyrinth. While the labyrinth was a nice place to challenge yourself, it could also be hell if someone knew how to exploit it. While Ramiris gave permanent bracelets only to executives, Testarossa happened to be one of those executives and petitioned for both Moss and Cien to have one. This wouldn't normally happen, but with Ramiris and, somewhat surprisingly, Gadora giving credence to the fact that demons within a hierarchy are incredibly loyal, both Rimuru and Ramiris approved it.
While this did wind up with the demons having access to an incredible training facility, it also proved to be an exceptional punishment chamber whenever Testa was feeling a little pissed off at one of them. Or if she just wanted to vent. Or god forbid if she was angry with one of them. In either case, the two demons believed that the benefits outweighed the consequences. Or they were just too afraid to return the permanent resurrection bracelets. No one truly knows outside of them.
In any case, business came first before worrying about her date, and certainly before her two subordinates who were more than capable of handling things themselves. And so a few hours passed, to the point that the sun had started to set on the horizon. These were summer months, so it would be a while before the sun crested beneath the horizon, so she had a little daylight to play around with. Not that it really mattered, as the nation of Tempest was quite active even as the sun went down, which was a landmark difference from how the place was 15 years ago, and nothing to say of how the world was 15 years ago. Daylight no longer determined when you were able to do things outside, and so Tempest was highly sought after for immigration, amongst many other things.
Marveling at how her lord was able to innovate these changes, she walked out of her office, with every person making way and either saluting or bowing towards her as she walked by. This was only to be expected, especially for those who knew of her origins. As she walked outside, she took in the scenery of the place. First through her body, enjoying the sun kissing her face as the light breeze made her hair sway ever so slightly, and then visually, looking at the city that basked in the evening sunlight, looking as lively as ever, with walkways and carriageways galore, marking a grid-like system in the land where eager shops and businesses were bustling about. Right next to the government building was prime real-estate after all. The train station was a ten-minute walk away from the government plaza, and it was quite common to see at least one executive a day.
As she wasn't in Tempest, or more specifically wasn't near her lord anywhere near as often as she liked, she enjoyed savoring both things whenever the opportunity came up. Finally, she used Universal Perception to lock onto a popular clothing shop, and then the decision to walk or teleport came into mind. Tempest is, and for the foreseeable future, covered under a large wide-spread barrier that made normal magic outside of magic that was already imbued in an item unable to be cast. In order to do so, you needed to go to a designated area. If you wanted to teleport somewhere far away, you would need to go to a teleportation ward that was set up. The price was quite expensive, so many people opted for the train or the airship if a distance was particularly far away, but if you needed to be somewhere in a pinch, the teleportation ward was there. At least, the demand for it made it a profitable venture for Rimuru, so it hasn't been decommissioned as of yet.
However, Rimuru, Veldora, the Intelligence team, as well as the executives are exempt from this thanks to a nifty little ring with the help of Ciel. All it did was bypass the magic restriction without breaking the barrier, so in the event of an emergency, the executives could act without having to first break the barrier.
Testarossa, however, simply decided to walk. It was barely a kilometer away and was one of Shuna's first shops, which explained the popularity. Being a beauty on top of being an executive, she garnered quite the attention. While she would be lying if she said she didn't mind it, as long as the citizens that Rimuru cherished acted on a policy of look, don't touch, she paid it no attention. Of course, if a vulgar remark was made, it would be a different story, but it looked as though no one had a death wish on this day. Knowing her destination, she turned off Universal Perception and headed on her way. While people would always be talking, she would rather not hear it, even if most of it was adulation.
"My god. I'd heard rumors about our diplomat, but she really is even more beautiful in person."
"I wonder where she's going."
"You think we should follow her?"
"If you want to find yourself in a hospital bed, be my guest. For me, I'm just gonna admire the
view."
"It's a shame she doesn't wear something that shows off her curves more."
"Yo my guy, say that shit when she isn't in earshot. I'm seriously not looking to die today."
"Alright, alright. She seriously does look beautiful though..."
"Don't say it."
"Don't say what."
"I've known you long enough. Don't say what I think you are about to say."
"..."
"..."
"I'm jacking off to her tonight."
"... I sometimes wonder why the hell I'm even friends with you. Thank god she didn't hear that last part."
A somewhat... awkward conversation could be heard, but Testa, again, simply paid it no mind. If she was bothered by trivial things like this, almost every man she has encountered would, at the very least, have their tongue ripped out. This is one of the main reasons why she has Universal Perception turned off, so she doesn't accidentally hear conversations like these. The other is that she trusts that no one is stupid enough to attack or try to assassinate her. As she closes in on the shop, aptly named "Shuna's," she takes a quick glance at her surroundings, she was taking in the hustle and bustle of the city. And while she caught a few people staring, they all had the wherewithal to continue about their business. I truly do like this city. With that thought, she enters the shop.
"Welco... Testarossa-sama!?!"
In what was practically an instant, all eyes that heard the voice turned towards the door. Many of the gazes that were present were in disbelief, adulation, a tinge of fear, and for some, a fragment of lust that they were able to quickly put into check.
Ah, this must be one of the hobgoblins under Haruna, Testa thought. I believe her name was Lilia. While she must be a professional if Haruna thought highly enough of her to manage the location so close to the Government Plaza, she still has a lot to learn.
"Hello, Lilia. As you can see I've come today. I was hoping you could show me something in the form of dresses."
Her voice draped over the crowd like silk, and it took a couple of extra seconds for Lilia to respond.
"Yes of course Testarossa-sama. I will gladly lead you to our women's department. Please follow me."
She bounded up and, with very controlled steps, she led the way. Poor thing looks so nervous, Testa thought. This really is just me buying something though.
As they were walking, Lilia spoke up. "May I know what the special occasion is?"
"Oh, nothing too fancy" Testarossa replied, though that was a fairly big lie. She wanted to look her absolute best for her lord. "It's something personal, but I at least want to look good." With that, Lillia could deduce a few things, but she knew better than to press on with the conversation. As they got to the dress section, Lilia spoke up again.
"Well, in any case, I hope you find what you're looking for. Can I be of any further assistance?"
"No thank you, Lilia. You've been a great help."
"Of course... and Testarossa-sama?"
"Hmm?"
"Umm... thank you for remembering my name!"
To this, Testa simply gave a friendly smile, which was promptly returned by Lilia's extremely bubbly smile, and then she left to continue managing the store.
What to choose, what to choose. Testarossa was searching through their selection of dresses, but none of them really stood out to her. Or rather, just about every single one would work. Whether that was a result of the quality of her beauty or the quality of the dresses, one could only guess, but it was most likely both. Perhaps I shouldn't even be wearing a dress...? I do want to look my best for Lord Rimuru, but maybe I should widen my selection. In that instant, she saw what may very well work. Something different from what she normally wears outside of the dresses she wears to galas and the military uniform she wears when working. Yes, this should work. No, it WILL work!! The thing she saw that made her eyes widen was a skirt. A simple skirt that was quite thin and barely covered the knees, but it allowed for a wide variety of tops. More importantly, it was much more novel compared to what she normally wears and would undoubtedly capture Rimuru's attention.
What she ended up choosing was a blood-red skirt that was hemmed with frills, coupled with a sleeveless cream-colored shirt, a white cardigan, a thin black belt to go around her skirt, and to top it off, a white and black colored handbag that she could sling over her shoulder. She went into the dressing room and tried them on, and it looked exactly like she wanted it to. It gave off the air of elegance while still being sexy, especially with the way the skirt accented her curves, particularly her ass. The shirt was also not lacking, showing off her breasts without showing too much cleavage. The cardigan also added a layer of style, mainly in the casual department. Of course, there's no way she would go wearing this out if the gazes were anything to go by. Well, that was a half-truth. She doesn't particularly care about the gazes, but she did want Rimuru to be the first to see it outside of herself. After that, the people could get their eye candy.
Being a demon, she could copy the outfit and give it the same layer of protection that her military uniform offered her, but she decided not to. At least not yet. Though she most likely will warm up to it, she did feel it was only right to pay for them since she got the idea from the store. Plus, it was Shuna's store, and she did have a certain kinship with the Oni woman. As she was going to pay, something else caught her eye, and ever so slightly, made her blush. It was an entire rack of lingerie on one side, along with seductive nightgowns on the other. It was quite obvious what this was for, and while she did want to buy them, she didn't want to give people any ideas. At least certainly not before announcing herself in a relationship, hopefully with Rimuru. I... think I'll just copy these ones for now. I'll send Cien to get these tomorrow. With that, her shopping was over, and the sun had just gotten below the horizon, parting ways with its last bits of light until tomorrow.
Right.
Tomorrow, the big day.
Testa could barely contain herself. To immediately prepare, she turned to the nearest alleyway after exiting the shop and teleported into her room. When she got there, the more she thought about the day, the more anxious, excited, and nervous she got. This, combined with the fact that these were new emotions, and she didn't need to suppress them in the comfort of her own home, caused her to grow a giddy smile and start fidgeting slightly.
Her.
A primordial demon.
A demon who has historically brought both fear and despair to any who were unfortunate enough to encounter her, was acting completely like a schoolgirl who's excited about finally going out with her first crush. If anyone were to see her like this, she would have to kill them. No exceptions. Then she would crawl into a hole and pray that Rimuru gives her permission to take her own life. Fortunately, she is the only one in the room. She made sure of that.
After letting her emotions run their course, she did a test run of copying the wardrobe she was going to wear before deciding that wearing the clothes would probably be better. Afterwards, she made sure everything was set for tomorrow. She was heavily debating whether to put on makeup before eventually deciding to set aside a light layer of blush for her to wear tomorrow. After changing into her pajamas, she sent a telepathy message to Cien.
"Cien, everything is ready for you tomorrow. You are prepared, correct?"
"Of course, Testarossa-sama. This one is fully prepared to be your temporary replacement."
"Good. As far as the Siltrozzo kingdom goes, if they ask for the Magic Train in the kingdom, know that I give my approval as long as it matches our terms."
"As you will. Do enjoy your vacation."
With that finished, the only thing left was to contact Rimuru. Unlike with Cine, she spent a full twenty minutes wracked with nerves before she managed up the courage to contact him.
"Rimuru-sama, are we still meeting up for tomorrow?"
"Of course, Testa. You don't need to be so formal you know. Although I am a bit curious as to why you chose to meet up in the Empire of all places."
"Well, I guess you'll just have to find out tomorrow."
"I suppose I will. Do you need help with anything tonight?"
Yeah, I need your help in my bed. She brushed aside her lewd thoughts.
"No. I am all set. Good night, Rimuru-sama."
"Good then. Good night. Testa."
Once that was finished, she made one last check to make completely sure that nothing was missing before she started to climb into bed. As she was doing that, she decided to stop and copy one of the lingerie that she saw in the shop. With a far more pronounced blush now that the lingerie was on her instead of on a rack, she went to a mirror and checked herself out, both slightly increasing her blush and immensely liking what she saw in her reflection. While it was unlikely that Rimuru was going to sleep with her on the first date, she opted to be prepared for all possible outcomes. After admiring her figure, she then climbed into bed, discarding her pajamas, in favor of the lingerie.
Tonight marked the first night of her vacation, and while she didn't need to sleep, it certainly didn't mean she disliked the ability to do so. However, as fate would have it, the nerves kept her up, and she strangely found them comforting in a way, at least enough to not use magic to forcefully suppress them. Suffice to say, she did not get much sleep tonight.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone