Some Weeks Later

After settling things between your nation and the nation of Lubelius, most of if not everything went back to normal and all of your home was once again living the best lives you all could live. It was decided that with the opening of Tempest to the rest of the world, a massive national festival where flocks from all over could come and attend to experience life in this nation of monsters. A lot of your friends who had official titles like Mai, who assisted Shuna with her work, were on a bit of a time crunch as invitations and other preparations needed to be worked on in order to properly receive guests from different countries or kingdoms. That being said, most of the hard and laborious work was taken care of by your subordinates as they were more than trustworthy to handle such large workloads, leaving Rimuru with only very important work that needed his specialty, and since you weren't officially a Demon Lord, you were able to shrug off your workload onto him. That didn't mean that you were lazing around and freeloading off of the work of others though, you decided to be more down to earth with your citizens as you helped in odd jobs or prepared locations for activities that outsiders could try. The sound of hammers banging against wood rang through the air as you raised your head that had a bandana to catch sweat on it, and sighed as you sat on top of a wood beam of a building that was going to be constructed for future plans for the upcoming festival. You worked with some of the Orcs and Hobgoblins that were in construction and it was just about time for a break as you swung your leg over and faced the street before leaping off and landing cleanly on your feet. 

"Good work, everyone! Let's take a short break!" The lead Hobgoblin in charge of the building's construction announced to everyone.

"Good work, Lord Y/N." A Hobgoblin said to you while passing by.

"Good work." An Orc said as you nodded to them while they walked by you.

"Yeah, good work guys." You said as you set down your tools on a small woodcutting bench grabbed a bottle of water before taking a few big swigs. "Pwaaah! That's the stuff..." You hummed in bliss before you looked down the street and your tail wagged once in surprise when you saw Rimuru walking down towards your direction, and behind him was Mai and Shuna.

"Oh! Y/N! This is where you were." Rimuru called out as you placed down your water on the bench as they walked up to you. "Good work." He praised you.

"Yeah. It's comin' along nicely." You said in admiration of the frame of the building you helped construct. "Well, what's on your agenda today? You guys off to somewhere?" You asked in wonder of their little excursion as Rimuru used his thumb to point to Mai and Shuna behind him.

"These two asked me to take them to Engrassia." Rimuru said as Mai stepped forward.

"We want to visit Engrassia to learn other cooking skills from different places so that we may bring their specialties back to Tempest." Mai informed you of their reason.

"Ohh, sounds great. I like the food we have now, but's it's always good to broaden your horizons." You nodded your head in agreement . "And you guys were heading off now? Can't you just teleport there?" You asked in confusion of their arrival here instead of heading off to the Kingdom already.

"I wanted to inform you of where I was heading before we departed." Mai admitted to you.

"Oh, I see. Have fun." You said to her as you picked up your water for another drink, but her happy demeanor wilted a bit from how unconcerned you were.

"I-It may be a bit before we return..." Mai said as you nodded to her.

"Mhmm, I assume it takes time to learn the exact ways other people cook food. Do your best!" You cheered her on as Shuna and Rimuru stood awkwardly to the side, feeling weird after seeing how dense you were to Mai's feelings.

"I-It could be a really REALLY long time...!" Mai stammered in a flustered state, trying to get some reaction from you.

"Huh? Y-Yeah, you said that already..." You informed her as Mai glared at you with a cute pout on her face. "H-Huh? What's wrong?" You asked her as she turned away and crossed her arms with a 'Hmph!' noise.

"Lord Y/N, you jerk!" Mai said as your confused face turned into a look of shock.

"Why?!" You said in confusion of what just happened as Rimuru sighed and shook his head before he and Shuna stepped back next to Mai and he activated his spatial magic.

"W-Well, I think we'll be heading over now. See you later for dinner." Rimuru said as Shuna comforted a timid and annoyed Mai who's wings were flapping frustratingly as they teleported away, leaving you confused.

"Why did she get mad...?" You said in confusion, still oblivious as to what she wanted you to say to her, but your attention was caught when the sound of wings became audible to your ears and you looked up in wonder to where it was coming from.

"Lord Y/N." You heard as you turned around to see Riza descend from the sky and land in front of you on one knee with her head bowed. "I've returned." She announced herself.

"Oh, Riza. I didn't expect you to be back so soon." You said to her as she stood up.

"Everyone over in Falmuth seemed to have a handle on things and Honda said I could return ahead of him while he finished helping sort things out over there. However, what are you doing in such an outfit?" Riza asked in wonder of you being in plain worker clothes covered in sweat.

"Oh, I don't really have much to do back at the office and I can't just stand idly, my hands would itch to do something. I'm just helping set things up for the upcoming festival we're gonna be holding. It's gonna be a pretty big one." You said to her as the lead Hobgoblin of this area walked into earshot.

"Lord Y/N, you can leave the rest to us." The Hobgoblin called out to you as he and a few other workers gave you approving looks to go ahead and head off to relax.

"Well, would you care to join me for lunch? I haven't had a decent meal for some time." Riza said as you pulled off your bandana.

"Yeah, sounds good." You said as you two waved to the workers before heading off.

You and Riza walked through town to try and find something nice to eat for lunch, and it didn't help that Riza was spoiled for choice since there were so many good restaurants that popped up in your hometown. Eventually you two found yourselves at the 'Snack & Bar: Jura' to enjoy a quick drink and nice pub food. The bell above the door rang from being pushed open as your mother, who was working at the counter while wiping a glass clean, turned towards the entrance with a smile.

"Welcome!" Malenia announced before grinning when she saw it was you and Riza. "Oh? Got tired of ya Mothra girl so you're going after yer' Rodan woman? How bold, my son~!" She teased as you rolled your eyes.

"You really just care about the relationships people are in, aren't you?" You said as you and Riza walked over and took a seat at the bar. 

"Just the ones my own kin is getting in. Hmm...I wonder what a child between you and Riza-chan here would look like." Malenia hummed in wonder as Riza's face exploded in a blush.

"Stop saying things that make the situation awkward! Riza just came back and we were trying to have an enjoyable meal together to welcome her back and congratulate her for the hard work she did in Falmuth!" You scolded your mother.

"Take it easy, I'm only teasin'." Malenia said as she grabbed two glasses from under the bar and placed them in front of you. "Brandy?" She asked.

"Yes..." You and Riza said awkwardly as your mother walked over to grab some Brandy off the top shelf.

"How have things been here since I've been away?" Riza asked in curiosity of what she missed while away from Tempest.

"We resolved things for the most part with the Western Holy Church and Demon Lord Luminus, so we shouldn't have any issues on that end any time soon. Now that things are settling down, we're preparing to hold a festival open for all nations to join in on and learn about the culture here in Tempest." You explained as Malenia filled your glasses.

"Oh, I see. I noticed that there were a lot more people working on things and setting up different stalls. When is it going to begin?" Riza asked in wonder as you leaned your elbow against the bar.

"Hmmm...Good question. Rimuru hasn't given me an exact date, but everyone's gotten pretty fired up to show off their plans on how to celebrate and spread our culture to the visitors. Well, I'm sure things will be fine." You said while taking a sip from your glass.

"You know, my Lord..." Riza spoke up as you glanced at her while your lips were still pursed around your drink. "You should probably take up more responsibility with Rimuru. Or else he'll end up hating you." She said as you felt like an arrow struck right through your chest as you coughed a bit in shock.

"Kah! Kah! Agh!" You coughed while wiping some of your drink off your lips.

"Hey! Don't get my bar dirty..." Malenia complained as she wiped the spot you accidentally spat up on while you turned to Riza in confusion.

"W-What do you mean?" You asked her.

"Well, I'm sure he appreciates you helping everyone, but he has his hands filled even with all the help around him. You're our Lord and the only other ruler of Tempest, so shouldn't the load be shared between you and him, regardless of which one of you is announced as a Demon Lord?" She asked as you hung your head.

"Y-You have a point..." You muttered awkwardly. "He's always been more of a natural born leader when it comes to stuff like this, while I've had to learn and learn how to run things to the best that they should be. I guess when we chose him to be the representative Demon Lord for Tempest, I decided to rely on him when I should've been there for him more than ever." You admitted.

"Well, it's not like he'd really hate you for that. I'm sure he would just appreciate you even more if you lent a hand in things like this moving forward." Riza said while taking a sip from her glass as you raised your head and looked at her with a smile.

"Thank you, Riza. I'll be better not just for Rimuru, but for everyone's sake." You declared to her as she placed her glass on the bar and looked at you with a confident smile.

"Yeah. We're counting on you, my Lord." Riza said to you.

"Oho? Then I can count on you to pay for your drinks, right?" Malenia asked while wiping down a cup as you flinched and stared at her in annoyance. "As expected of my son. So helpful to everyone." She said humorously while her tail swayed behind her and Riza smiled awkwardly as you pulled out your wallet and placed the fee on her bar, which your mother collected happily with her tail.

After having a refreshing and quick drink and bidding farewell to your mother for the day, you and Riza walked around the town to enjoy the down time you both had. You passed through the plaza to greet everyone and praise them for their hard work that they were putting in for the upcoming festival. The children came rushing up to you both as you told them various stories of your battles and early days of the nation. While spending some time outside with your people though, a familiar voice echoed from above with great excitement.

"Ah! Big Brother Y/N!!" You heard as you and Riza looked up to see Secily flying towards you with her arms extended out. "Catch me!!" She laughed with a huge smile as she retracted her small wings and fell towards you.

"Huh?! H-Hey!" You gasped in shock as you stood up and ran forward to catch her in your arms as she giggled playfully while you looked down at her. "Don't do that, Secily. It's dangerous." You said to her.

"But I knew you wouldn't let me get hurt, so I wasn't worried!" Secily said cutely as she gave you a big smile, showing complete faith in you protecting her as you let out an exasperated sigh over her behavior.

"My Lord." You heard a pair of wings flap a few times as Iris descended down from the air and landed in front of and Secily, hurrying over as she took her sister from your arms. "I apologize for her behavior." Iris said while bowing her head down in regret.

"It's fine. She's just having fun." You said as you and Riza walked up to her. "What brings you out today? Time off?" You asked her.

"Yes. Benimaru-senpai said that he would be handling the rest of the day's work and that patrol was already covered so he sent me home early." Iris said as she put her sister down on her feet before patting her on the head as Secily hummed and nuzzled into her sister's hand. "It's been hard to get any free time to spend with her, and I'm grateful to your mother for watching over her when I'm working. I figured that with the free time I had today, we'd go around to her favorite places to have fun." She explained her reasoning for her outing.

"I wanna eat ice cream!" Secily exclaimed with a huge grin.

"But, Iris, don't you think you're a bit your choice of attire is a bit contradicting to wanting to go out for fun?" Riza asked as Iris looked down at herself, examining the full plated armor she wore all the time.

"Huh? Do you think so?" Iris asked in wonder.

"Doesn't it get hot wearing that all the time?" You asked her.

"I haven't really noticed. I always wear this so that I'm ready in case of an oncoming attack." Iris said as she began to pick up on how differently she stood out compared to everyone else who was just walking around.

"It's always good to stay alert, but it's important to also know when to relax and take a load off your shoulders." You said as you walked over and picked up Secily from the ground. "I'll take Secily and the other kids for ice cream. Riza, why don't you help Iris get comfortable and experience a different style of fashion and relaxing." You suggested as Riza walked over to her comrade with a confident look.

"Yeah. Leave it to me, my Lord." Riza said with confidence as you nodded and turned around, walking over to the other kids.

"Who wants ice cream?!" You called out as the children cheered in joy while their parents followed after you all, and Iris watched as Secily was smiling and laughing while talking with the other children, captivated by the sight of joy that her sister was experiencing.

"Let's go. I know a shop that sells some really nice and comfortable clothes that might suit your taste." Riza said as she was about to walk out of the plaza, but noticed Iris was staring off into space. "What's wrong?" She asked in wonder.

"I don't remember..." Iris said suddenly as Riza raised her brow.

"Remember what?" Riza asked.

"...I don't think I remember seeing Secily smiling..." Iris said as her thoughts of the past began to flood back to the forefront of her mind.

Flashback, Eighty Six Years Ago

Along the border of the Forest of Jura and Distave where the Ameld River ran along, the lands were being pelted by heavy rain and strong winds, powerful enough to shift the mountain shapes and cause landslides. The waters of the river raged and crashed, but the sounds of the world weren't loud enough to drown out the sound of an explosion. A pair of golden feet stomped on the rocky edges of the river as the body of a knight spider was being dragged through the stones. Iris, before she had been named and gained a new form, used two of her three heads to drag its body along the ground while the center head faced forward, squinting her eyes as the rain made it difficult to see. After walking along the bank of the river for some time, she had finally made it to a cave behind a waterfall and dragged in the knight spider before setting it down to the side. While she was catching her breath, the Ghidorah heard small steps approaching and turned to see her younger Ghidorah sister waddle up to her with a pleading, hungry stare. Iris let out a small smile as she used two of her heads to break the armor of the knight spider to reveal its soft flesh underneath. In an instant, her younger sister clamped all three of her heads on to the food and began eating to her heart's content. Knowing that her younger sister needed to eat everything in order to give her body the minimum amount of nutrients it needed, Iris sat quietly while breaking the rest of its armored body as she sacrificed another meal for the sake of her sister. Season after season, Iris's days were spent nurturing and raising her younger sister while she barely got by with what was left over or what she could find while on the hunt, ultimately stunting her growth. One day while returning from a hunt on a hot summer day, Iris walked through the cave entrance while carrying the carcass of an Armorsaurus she caught, but came to a stop when she saw a shadowy silhouette in the cave standing over her younger sister, as chain collars were placed on each of the younger Ghidorah's heads.

"Hoh? There was an older one, also? Luck could never be any more kind to me!!" A male's voice cackled as Iris glared at him with all three of her heads.

"You wretched scum!" Iris yelled as her mouths glowed golden for an attack.

"Not so fast!!" The male yelled in amusement as he threw down his hand that was clothed in a white glove, and the collars around the younger Ghidorah's heads glowed purple before shocking her, making her roar in pain and agony.

"Sister!!" Iris yelled in shock as the power surge stopped after a few moments.

"I will let her live under one condition. You will serve under me and fulfill any desires of mine I wish for..." The man said as he walked out of the shadows and it was revealed to be Clayman as he raised a chain that was attached to the younger Ghidorah. "If not...Hahahahahaha..." He giggled maniacally as Iris was left no choice as her memories ended there and this would be the beginning of her fate to meet you.

Flashback Over

"I thought that I would never be able to give my younger sister a prosperous life, but then he came to this world..." Iris said as the two of them stared at you while you smiled talking with the children. "...I can never repay him for the kindness he's shown us. I will always be indebted to Lord Y/N. Because of him, we received names, we received homes, my younger sister can finally smile and grow up with more people that love her." She said as she raised one of her armored hands to her chest, feeling how warm this place made her.

"None of us can. Neither to him or Lord Rimuru. The only way we can make it up to them is by living the way they want us to..." Riza said as she extended a hand out to Iris as the Ghidorah girl looked to her in wonder while the Rodan lady smiled kindly at her. "...Free and full of love." She said as Iris smiled and nodded before taking her hand. "Let's go. I bet Mai is free and can think of something for us to wear during the festival." She said as the two of them set off to spend some quality girl time together.

With your nation riled up and making haste to prepare for the festival, so many new projects had begun, especially when Rimuru came back from his trip of visiting some of your allies outside of Tempest. A project to create a massive colosseum to hold tournaments in was instantly pushed to the forefront of your nation's tasks, along with the implementation of different and more unique dishes and styles of food that wasn't originally offered in Tempest. Rimuru mentioned to you not only about how things would be run during the festival and mainly how things would go for holding a tournament in the new colosseum, he also informed you that VIP's from other nations would be invited and that you'd be needed to meet with them since you were also one of the leaders of this nation. Though the thought of meeting with other political powers seemed boring, you didn't want to leave your best friend hanging to do all the hard work alone, so you agreed to it, of course with you both deciding to forego telling them your awakening into a Demon Lord. Invitations for VIP's were being handled by the others, leaving you and Rimuru free for some time as you two took a stroll outside, walking along one of the roads that was being used for harvesting crops in that area to talk and think about how much was happening for your nation at the moment. Rimuru rode atop of Ranga in his slime form while you walked alongside the two of them as Rimuru let out an exhausted sigh.

"Is there a problem?" Ranga asked in wonder of his master's demeanor.

"Just thinking, we need more than a festival. It has to be an event so spectacular that it makes people want to come here again and again. I asked Mjöllmile to take care of the martial arts tournament, but I don't think we can do that more than once a year or so." Rimuru explained.

"Yeah. Not only would it be a bit difficult to manage, it wouldn't be that fair for any tournament participants that want to compete in each of the tournaments whenever they pop up." You agreed that it was an even that could only be held on a yearly basis.

"We need something that'll attract visitors on a daily basis." Rimuru said with a hint of need.

"I see." Ranga hummed as you three continued your walk along the road, eventually nearing its end at the perimeter of the town where you could hear a strange argument ensuing.

"Why are you so hard-headed?!" You heard a bratty and annoyed voice coming from ahead where you looked to see a familiar pixie flailing around in the air in front of a Hobgoblin that you knew was under the guidance of Myrd. "Damn it all! What's your problem?!" The voice of Ramiris cried out in annoyance.

"Hm? Isn't that Gobkyu?" You said in wonder of him getting in an argument with Ramiris.

"She's making quite a commotion." Ranga commented.

"Did something happen?" Rimuru said in wonder as you three approached to try and figure out what was going on.

"I'm telling you, we've already taken over this spot!" Ramiris said in a fiery tone while clenching her small fist in the face of Gobkyu who stood unnerved while holding his massive wooden hammer over his shoulder.

"Well, I don't know what to tell you. We're not allowed to approve that. I'll ask Great Rimuru or Great Y/N about this. Wait here, and don't do anything you don't have permission to do." Gobkyu issued a calm order to her, but Ramiris was not having it.

"I refuse! We abandoned our previous labyrinth to come here!" Ramiris whined before suddenly changing scenes where she was on her knees in tears looking sad while a spotlight shined down on her. "You would run us poor, pitiful souls out when we've been left with nowhere to go?" She portrayed a sad young girl while sat on Gobkyu's hammer as a stage and he looked at her with slight annoyance.

"Complain all you want, but this is Great Rimuru and Great Y/N's domain." Gobkyu stood unphased as Ramiris quickly dropped the act.

"Tch. I see you won't be persuaded by tears." Ramiris clicked her tongue in annoyance before pointing at him aggressively. "In that case, I'm prepared to use force! If you keep nitpicking like that, my Beretta here won't stand by and--!" Ramiris was about to use Beretta as a 'bargaining chip', but you and Rimuru decided it was time to cut in before she said anything that would get her in more trouble.

"What're you guys up to?" Rimuru spoke up as the three of them finally noticed you three walk up to them, Ramiris being the most in shock as she wasn't expecting your sudden appearance as Gobkyu and Beretta bowed their heads in respect, and Ramiris flailed in the air in a panic before putting up a nice face.

"H-H-Heya, Rimuru! Y/N! How've you been?" Ramiris asked nervously with a smile as you two stared at her skeptically.

"Lady Ramiris." You all heard as you looked to the side and saw Treyni walk up while holding a log of wood in her hands and smiling. "I've brought some new wood." She said as you and Rimuru were surprised by what she had already managed to build on the side of the road.

"What are you doing, Treyni-san?" Rimuru asked in confusion of why a member of the Dryad species was doing hard labor.

"Wh-Why, Great Rimuru! Great Y/N! I hope the day finds you well." Treyni panicked a bit and held the wood nervously with one of its ends on the ground.

"Uh-oh!" Ramiris gasped as her plans had been found out.

"What is this all about, Treyni-san?" Rimuru asked in a slightly intense tone as you crossed your arms and shook your head in an exasperated demeanor.

"W-Well, you see, it isn't what you're thinking. L-Lady Ramiris has done nothing wrong... I, um..." Treyni couldn't find the words or excuses to answer you two.

"Jeez, you can't even look us in the eye..." You muttered before turning to your only reliable option to get answers from, Beretta. "Explain this commotion, Beretta." You asked her as she raised her head.

"Ah, it must be me, then? You see, not long ago..." Beretta said as she started from the very beginning of how they wound up in Tempest at this very moment...

Flashback, Ramiris's Previous Labyrinth

Ramiris, Beretta, and Treyni were stood in the hallway of the labyrinth with a table in front of them as Ramiris slammed her small hand on table with a serious look on her face.

"I don't think we can keep this up." Ramiris said as she stood straight and lifted the hand she smacked down to reveal it had swollen up and was in pain. "We should move somewhere else, too!" She said while she rubbed her hand with a straight face to try and sooth her injury.

"You never cease to impress, Lady Ramiris! What a marvelous idea!" Treyni praised Ramiris like usual as the pixie flew up to her with a bright smile.

"I know, right?!" Ramiris giggled, but Beretta still had her rationale.

"Please wait a moment." Beretta spoke up as the other two looked to her. "Putting aside whether that idea is marvelous or not, where would you have us move to? And might I inquire as to the reason?" She asked logically.

"I'm very glad you asked! I mean, don't you think it's boring here, Beretta? There's no one to play with, and the only fun to be had is making golems. No one every comes here, y'know?" Ramiris reminded her of the downsides of being in their current Labyrinth, but flew towards her with a bright smile about the place where they would be moving to. "But Tempest has all kinds of stuff! Big Sis Malenia is there too! Which is why I think we should go live there!" Ramiris explained her reasonings for wanting to move to Tempest as she flew over and laid down on Treyni's head with her hands cupping the bottom of her face cutely and Treyni nodded in agreement.

"But, Lady Ramiris, did Great Rimuru and Great Y/N not reject your request to do so?" Beretta reminded her of the decisions you two made previously during her last visit there.

"Beretta, you're making this more complicated than it needs to be. Great Rimuru and Great Y/N are very kind. They would never flatly refuse a request from the lovely Lady Ramiris." Treyni spoke in a tone that was enabling of Ramiris's irrational, on the spot and irresponsible decisions as a look of hopelessness and despair managed to somehow form on Beretta's doll body.

"This colleague of mine...She excels in matters that aren't related to Lady Ramiris, but..." Beretta thought hopelessly as that was how things wound up to this very moment...

Flashback Over

"And that is the story." Beretta said as Ramiris floated in the air with her legs crossed and a look of disappointment and frustration on her face while Treyni stood there with a guilty demeanor.

"Beretta, you traitor!" Ramiris muttered in annoyance.

"And as Lady Ramiris herself said, we sealed the door to our previous labyrinth before coming here." Beretta confirmed that their previous place of residence was in fact sealed for good.

"Meaning there's no going back there, huh? Gosh..." You said while pressing your fingertips against a few points on your face in exasperation from their story.

"Now you know! So, Rimuru and Y/N, if you run us out of here, we have nowhere left to go!" Ramiris fell back to her tearful tricks and began crying as Treyni shed tears as well.

"Poor Lady Ramiris..." Treyni said with a sympathetic tone for her master as you couldn't believe these two.

"Don't be so soft on her, Treyni-san!" Rimuru advised the Dryad as he gave this situation some thought before he reached some form of solution. "Anyway, we get the gist. You've had a rough day, Gobkyu." He said with some pity towards the working Hobgoblin.

"Nah, I'm fine, but..." Gobkyu trailed off as he turned to the side and you all followed his gaze to see a few patrols guards sleeping on the side of the road. "The guards kinda went through a lot." He said with sympathy towards those who were tuckered out from the commotion Ramiris caused.

"Hey!" Rimuru gave her a scolding glare with a tick mark formed on his slime body as Ramiris grew nervous and avoided eye contact.

"Y-Yeah, I got a little excited..." Ramiris said with an awkward smile.

"Lady Ramiris is not to blame! Those soldiers said terrible things to her, so I merely put them to sleep for a bit with my magic." Treyni admitted to how they fell asleep as one of your brows was twitching in disbelief.

"Meaning you tried to build your little shack here, the guards saw and tried to stop you, and because you didn't like that you made Treyni-san put the to sleep and built it anyways. Then after that, Gobkyu came along and foiled your plans...Is that so?" You asked as both you and Rimuru had tick marks on your heads now in frustration of how chaotic this trio was.

"Well, er...No, you don't! Or, at least...you might... or might not...I guess?" Ramiris finished with nervously as she had hopeful stars in her eyes.

"Alright. I'm gonna smash it." You said plainly while raising your fist over it as Treyni panicked and got in the way to stop you.

"Please have mercy, Great Y/N!" Treyni begged as she kept getting in your way of trying to break their new home.

"I swear..." Rimuru sighed as he was mentally exhausted from the toll of dealing with Ramiris as the pixie Demon Lord just giggled innocently like nothing was too serious.

While Treyni was holding you back with vines and your fists hovered the small shack and you both were growling at one another, Rimuru turned to their small home and stared at it with wonder as a lingering thought came to the front of his mind.

"A door...A door to a labyrinth, eh?" Rimuru thought to himself before turning back to Ramiris. "This might actually work." Rimuru said suddenly.

"Eh?" You and Treyni sounded off in confusion as all of you turned your heads towards the small shack.

Deciding that it'd be better to talk about this situation else where, Rimuru led all of you back into town where you regrouped in the meeting hall to discuss what would happen with Ramiris and that little shack of hers. You sat in your seat and Rimuru sat in his slime form on his tiny seat next to yours, with Gobkyu sitting on your right, while Ramiris, sat on the table next to Rimuru and Treyni sat behind her with Beretta stood up behind them.

"U-Um... Might I ask what will happen to us?" Ramiris asked nervously as she scooched over slowly towards Rimuru while on her knees.

"No need for all the honorific talk. Actually, that was hardly even polite, let alone honorific." Rimuru informed Ramiris of her improper etiquette despite being a Demon Lord.

"Ehe." Ramiris let out a clumsy chuckle while sticking out her tongue to the side and scratching her head awkwardly.

"Gobkyu, I'm thinking of making an evacuation shelter in the arena's basement. Can we do that?" Rimuru asked as Gobkyu imagined in his head the structure and blueprint that would be needed for such a layout.

"Even with structural calculations based on the strength of your top officers...I don't think it will be safe directly under the arena. If there's a big space there, any significant impact, for example if Great Y/N or Lady Malenia stepped on it in their transformed states, it would cause the building to fall into it. But if its not directly below, it should be fine." Gobkyu informed him of the complications and possible solutions that could be met during this construction.

"That makes sense. I want to put a door in this underground space." Rimuru said as this was surprising and instantly captured Ramiris's attention.

"A door?" Gobkyu asked in wonder.

"Yeah. Make it a big, heavy one that a stone slab could be fitted into." Rimuru asked of the Hobgoblin.

"And are we putting an evacuation shelter behind this door, as well?" Gobkyu asked.

"Nope. No need for that. All that matters is the door." Rimuru said before turning to the pixie sat on the table. "Right, Ramiris?" He asked her as Ramiris had a cat-like smile form on her brightened up face.

"R-Rimuru? Are you, by any chance, talking about..." Ramiris trailed off hopefully as he confirmed her wishes.

"I want you to help us make an underground labyrinth--a dungeon." Rimuru asked as Ramiris's face never lit up so much before with a massive smile as her subordinates seemed happy for her as well. "We'll let monsters loose in it and send adventurers inside. That should attract some visitors every day." He explained as you were pretty surprised.

"That's pretty genius, partner. This'll reel in the big bucks." You said as you recognized the type of business venture that this could turn out to be.

"A l-labyrinth? Under the arena?" Gobkyu asked as he was still a bit confused on how that whole thing would work.

"In the arena itself, we could train rookie adventurers. We plan to put a stall there that'll sell potions, too. And with Ramiris running a dungeon there, I bet a bar where adventurers can grab a drink on their way home would be a hit." Rimuru said as Gobkyu began to smile at this incredible idea.

"It puts together everything an energetic and adventure seeking traveler could wish for. I don't see this going wrong." You nodded your head.

"Run it? Me?!" Ramiris asked in excitement as she flew up closer to Rimuru.

"We make a profit off of adventurers, while you and your crew get a home and a job. You'll also earn a bit of money from me." Rimuru explained to her.

"W-Wait... So that means..." Ramiris trailed off as she began flying around the room as she could barely contain her excitement. "Not only do I get to build a labyrinth here to live in, but you'll give me a respectable job to do, too?!" She asked.

"If you accept our proposal, yes." Rimuru said to her.

"Okay, then...Does that mean, maybe, just maybe...I won't be an unemployed shut-in anymore?" Ramiris finally had the chance to break free from her metaphorical shackles as this brought a tear to Treyni's eyes.

"How wonderful, Lady Ramiris." Treyni said as Beretta nodded in agreement and Ramiris slowly descended down in front of you and Rimuru.

"U-Um...When you say you'll even pay me, do you really mean it?" Ramiris asked while poking her fingers together.

"Everyone who works gets paid. That's how things run here. Though, we don't know how profitable this project will be until it's finalized and ready to go. We can pay you around twenty percent of the profits, once we've subtracted any necessary expenses. How does that sound?" You asked as both yours and Rimuru's old personalities of being business workers slightly kicked in.

"A-About how much are we talking here?" Ramiris asked curiously as you and Rimuru glanced at one another before beginning to do the math in your heads.

"Well...if we assume about a thousand adventurers visit per day, your share would come to about two gold coins." Rimuru said while forming small coins shapes on his slime body as this amount flabbergasted Ramiris.

"What?! Y-You'll pay me that much?!" Ramiris asked in disbelief of how good the pay would be just in theory.

"That's what we can guess only in theory. It's still uncertain how well of a success it will be. Or if it will be well received at all. If no one comes or is interest, then it'll all be for naught. Though if you're going to be living there anyway, then I guess there's really nothing for you to lose in this experiment or sorts." You said to her as she began to drool at the thought of making it big in life with this project.

"This means I can get my hands on a veritable fortune! They won't mock me for being a broke, unemployed Demon Lord anymore!" Ramiris reveled at the thought of taking a huge stride toward a successful life.

"They must've really been giving her hell over that." Both you and Rimuru thought the same thing.

"Heyyyy! We need to decide where to build the arena first! Come back here!" Rimuru called to her as Ramiris was slowly drifting off into dreamland.

After quickly fetching a map that showed the current layout of all structures that were made it Tempest, everyone gathered around you and Rimuru to begin thinking up a nice spot for the colosseum.

"I'm thinking of expanding the town square outside the west gate, where the road ends, and building it there." Rimuru suggested as Ramiris turned around with a perplexed look on her face.

"Why? There's open space intown, isn't there?" Ramiris asked in wonder of such a location.

"That spot is where we have the Lycanthropes currently taking residence under us. We've built quite the amount of temporary housing there, so it's probably not a suitable spot to build an arena like that." You explained to her.

"And we can't just run the Lycanthrope refugees out of the city. I think developing that area will have to wait until after Sir Geld finishes building the new capital." Gobkyu assumed, but Ramiris had a proposition.

"Then why not have them move into my labyrinth? I can pick up and move the entire thing, so it won't be too much work." Ramiris asked while putting her hands behind her head in a relaxing fashion, but this piece of information was quite a shocker to hear.

"Huh?" You, Rimuru and Gobkyu all hummed in confusion and surprise when she said this as you three glanced at one another before Gobkyu spoke up.

"Does that mean you can move the people living there along with it?" Gobkyu asked as Ramiris put her finger near her lip in wonder.

"Oh, well....I'd need their permission before moving them into the labyrinth. But I can move objects that have no consciousness without anyone's permission!" Ramiris said with a reassuring smile on her face.

"For real?!" Rimuru said in shock as a pair of eyes nearly popped out of his slime body.

"Then, you can move not only the refugees, but even their belongings, furniture, and the houses also with just your own will?" You asked in utter surprise of the kind of power she possessed.

"Yep! That's right!" Ramiris said with a hint of smugness in her voice.

"That's impressive. Frankly, I was convinced you had no useful skills at all." Rimuru said as you nodded in agreement to that and Ramiris felt a bit offended as she flew down to you both.

"Th-That's just mean!" Ramiris whined while hitting Rimuru with her fists repeatedly, though it did no damage and just proved as a nuisance as she flew over and did the same to you. "You dare say that to the one feared as the strongest of the Demon Lords?!" She whined loudly.

"Come on, don't get mad, Ramiris-chan." Rimuru said as Ramiris stopped hitting you and looked at you both with a frown. "Just tell us what other cool things you can do!" Rimuru asked as Ramiris did just that.

For a few minutes Ramiris floated in front of everyone, explaining in detail all the cool little tricks and skills she had at her disposal, and what surprised you was how much of her abilities were practical and useful. After hearing of some of the amazing things she was able to do, you two were able to confirm everything needed for this project to be put in motion.

"Fantastic!" Rimuru said as he gave a slime thumbs up. "Now the safety aspect that we were most worried about isn't an issue! Just fantastic, Ramiris-kun!" Rimuru gave Ramiris the honor of being called on with an honorific as Ramiris's eyes lit up like stars from the praise.

"Really? You really mean it?" Ramiris asked before she became pretty confident with herself. "So I really am amazing?" She asked for confirmation.

"You really are amazing." You said to her.

"Now our ambition is practically in the bag!" Rimuru said as he extended out a slime appendage to pat Ramiris on her shoulder supportively. "Do a good job for us, Ramiris-kun!" He said to her as she flashed you both a confidently smirk.

"Right! Just leave it to me!" Ramiris said as she suddenly went above Rimuru and stood on top of him as her feet jiggled on his body. "You're aboard my boat now, and it's a big one! AAAhahahahahahahaha! Haaahahahahaha!" She boisterously laughed on your buddy's head as you both stared at her skeptically once again in reaction to her behavior.

"A big boat, huh? I just hope it's not made of mud..." Rimuru thought with a hint of nervousness.

"...This pixie can be a bit of a pain." You thought to yourself as her behavior was a bit much, but the things this Pixie Demon Lord was capable of had enough promise that you and Rimuru could both see bright and exciting things coming to Tempest with the help of Ramiris.