Rimuru POV
After an uneventful morning, Iruma and I begin walking (unfortunately I can't fly or teleport there because of the blue-haired boy next to me) to Babyls for our first day. He doesn't look very enthusiastic about going there though. The kid's probably still scared about getting eaten or something.
"Hey! Is something wrong?"
"No! No, of course not! I'm fine!"
I raise an eyebrow at him, not convinced in the slightest. Even without Ciel's help, I can tell he's full of crap.
"I know something's bothering you, is this about what happened yesterday? Are concerned about all the attention we got?"
"Well, yeah…I guess."
"Just because more eyes are pointed in our direction doesn't necessarily mean you're in more danger. The performance on the stage, the fight from yesterday, and making the head of the class your servant; all of those things will give you a reputation that will keep you safe in the long run. Plus, you have a trusty demon lord watching your back! I promised to keep you safe, and I don't break promises!" I say with a confident smile, pointing at my chest with my thumbs.
"But didn't you promise not to hurt students and then went and beat one up right after?" Iruma asks, instantly shattering my confident demeanor.
"That was self-defense, it doesn't count!" I snap back, irritated that I was just called out like that right after sounding so cool. Iruma chuckles a bit in response to my outburst.
"Hey, don't laugh!...*sigh*…Whatever, I guess it is the job of little brothers to be annoying, I know that from personal experience." I say to get back at him for laughing at me.
"We are supposed to be twins, so don't call me your little brother!" he insists.
"Yeah, but in reality I'm still much older than you, just accept it."
#You sure don't act like it though…# Iruma mutters under his breath.
"What was that? If you have something else to say, just say it." I say, having already heard what he said with my heightened senses.
"Nothing!"
"That's what I thought."
At least our little 'sibling spat' seems to have taken Iruma's mind off of his worries. He appears to be in a much better mood now. We (finally) arrive at the main gate of the school. The walk there seemed to take forever. Over the years, I've gotten pretty accustomed to flying or instantly teleporting everywhere, unless it was just a short distance. All the tedious walking I just went through has put me in a sour mood. I then spot a familiar pink-haired 'pretty-boy' on the other side of the gate. He is scanning the crowd of students with his eyes, probably looking for somebody. It turns out that 'somebody' happens to be Iruma and myself. Once he notices us, he rushes up to us wearing a pleased expression.
"Good morning, Masters!"
"Hi, Asmodeus." I say flatly.
"H-hello…As-asmodeus." Iruma sputters out, clearly still a little nervous around this guy.
"Feel free to just call me Azz! Do you both want me to carry your bags?"
I thought I told him to only serve Iruma, I guess he didn't listen…whatever.
"Nah, I can carry my own bag, thanks." I say bluntly, mildly annoyed.
"I can carry my own too…um…Azz. Th-thank you for offering though…!" Iruma politely turns him down.
I hear other students around us commenting about how we 'made the head of the class our servant'. Some of them sound surprised, others jealous, and the rest impressed. Once again, Iruma seems uncomfortable with all the attention we're getting.
"Masters, are you excited for the familiar summoning ritual?" Asmodeus inquires enthusiastically.
"Familiar…summoning?" Iruma asks, sounding puzzled.
"Yes, it is a tradition here at Babyls for new students to summon familiars on their first day. What you end up summoning contributes to determining your rank." He explains to us.
Familiar summoning? I wonder if it is the same as the summoning magic I already know? Also, what are these 'ranks' he just mentioned?
[[I do not have enough information to provide an answer.]]
It's ok, I'm sure we will find out soon.
As we begin to walk towards the main school building, I sense someone glaring at me from behind. I look and find an abnormally tall girl with long red-orange hair and 'cat ears' like Opera's. She is wearing a scrutinizing, hostile look on her face as she stares me down with her sharp, red eyes and her arms folded across her chest. I'm sure most people would find her intimidating, but I don't. I counter her piercing glare by looking at her over my shoulder and giving her a large, exaggerated, irritatingly sweet smile and a little wave. Her expression turns to one of surprise, then to anger, turning just as red as her hair and eyes. Yep, she probably hates me now, not that I really care.
What kind of person glares at someone they've never even met like that? Not someone I want to associate with, at least. I haven't done anything to deserve that kind of treatment.
'Azz' leads us to a large room with what looks like a magic circle of some sort in the middle of the floor. The circle is mostly surrounded by a stone barrier. In the center of the circle there is a small platform with a single candle resting on it. Plenty of students already fill the room, mingling and chatting casually.
They got here first since they didn't have to walk here on foot…
[[Master, walking once in a while won't kill you. Stop pouting.]]
I am not pouting! Also, that's rich coming from someone who doesn't even have a body let alone legs!
[[Legs are not the problem here, Master. You do not possess enough patience.]]
I just don't like wasting my time, I am a king after all. My time is very precious!
[[*sigh*]]
I wander around the room for a few minutes, observing the other students. Iruma seems to be warming up Asmodeus; they are currently chatting about how different stuff works at this school and what types of classes they might have. I'm sure Ciel is listening in on their conversation, so I don't need to participate. Suddenly, a figure in a teachers uniform appears in the doorway. He has dark purple hair that comes to two backwards-facing points on the sides of his head. The expression in his dark eyes is ice-cold and sharply serious. This teacher is obviously one of those very strict ones that has zero patience for misbehavior.
Analyze him, Ciel.
[[Analysis reveals he is on par with a mid-grade greater demon.]]
So even weaker than Opera, huh? Definitely not a threat then.
"Silence!" he commands. Instantly the whole room falls silent, all the students wearing nervous looks (except for myself).
"My name is Naberius Kalego. I am the professor in charge of the familiar summoning ritual. My job here is to decide whether or not you trash are worthy of learning in this prestigious institution." He announced in an arrogant, commanding tone.
So, he called us trash right off the bat? That was uncalled for.
[[Master, should I call Diablo to crush this scumbag?]]
No! That would wreck everything! And when the heck did you start using the term 'scumbag'!?
[['Scumbag' is the perfect word to describe him! Nobody should be permitted to call you trash…I can't tolerate it!]]
Ugh, I'm not happy either, but we just have to put up with it for now.
I hear Asmodeus offer to 'burn him to ash' for calling Iruma and myself 'trash', but before I can, Iruma shoots his idea down immediately. The more I'm near this Azz guy, the more he reminds me of Diablo…
'Professor Stick-Up-His-Ass' begins to approach me. His expression shows he probably doesn't like me very much. Now standing directly in front of me, he leans forward and gets right up in my face, his inches from mine. Even with him looming over me, I maintain a calm expression. I'm staring him directly in the eyes, unaffected by his intimidation tactics.
"I do not tolerate students who cause chaos. For example, ones who use their grandfather's influence to hijack the entrance ceremony and perform a hazardous display of magic without permission. And especially ones who start a fight with another student on the same day. Such people deserve to be expelled from this school immediately." Kalego states in an icy tone.
I let out a very slight smirk in response to that last part. I couldn't help myself; this guy thinking that he could intimidate me was just too funny! I could tell by his eye twitching that that little slip in my expression pissed him off, big time. I found this even funnier! I had to try really hard not to burst out laughing right in his face. I tried my best, but I couldn't help but grin and let out a little chuckle. I hear many whispers from the other students, they seem impressed with me. Kalego backs away from me, a vein popping up on his forehead. He looks like he's gonna have an aneurism with how fuming mad he is. Kalego gives me a glare that would be attempted murder if looks could kill, before turning back towards the other students, regaining some of his composure.
*clears his throat* "To put it in short, students who do not meet my expectations will be forced to withdraw from Babyls; immediately!" he announces, causing all of the students around me start freaking out.
"W-what!?"
"He can't be serious!?"
"Oh no! What if I mess up!?"
"SILENCE!" Kalego shouts.
He pauses again before reluctantly pulling out a screen of some sort. It plays a tutorial for how to summon a familiar, in an overly cutesy manner. Kalego seems to hate the thing even more than he hates me. As soon as it finishes its explanation, he throws it to the floor, smashing it to pieces. Here's the steps it laid out for us.
Draw a circle on a piece of parchment with your blood.
Enter the magic circle.
Burn the parchment using the candle in the center of the circle.
Ta-da! Familiar summoned!
I don't have blood though! Can I even perform this ritual?
[[Master, you can do anything!]]
Yeah, yeah…but how can I pull this off?
[[I suggest using Ranga.]]
Oh yeah! He's been in my shadow this whole time! But how can he help?
[[We will observe the other students performing the ritual, imitate its effects, and then have Ranga jump out of your shadow at the last moment to pose as your familiar.]]
Perfect! I can always count on you, Ciel!
"You will be using parchment pieces with my seal on them. Any cheating will be detected immediately and will result in expulsion!" Kalego announces to the class, side-eyeing me specifically for some reason.
Well, shit.
[[This is not a problem, Master. He is no match for us!]]
Are you positive we can fool that Kalego guy? He seems pretty observant.
[[Just leave it to me, Master!]]
Alright, let's do this!
Iruma POV
My conversation with Azz is cut short by a scary-looking teacher entering the room. Despite how we met, Azz seems like a nice guy, if not a bit too enthusiastic when it comes to helping me. I guess to a demon serving a master is a really big thing, something they take very seriously.
"Silence!" the scary teacher shouts to get the class' attention. "My name is Naberius Kalego. I am the professor in charge of the familiar summoning ritual. My job here is to decide whether or not you trash are worthy of learning in this prestigious institution."
Professor Kalego, huh? I need to be really careful around him. I don't want to get on his bad side, even if I have Azz and Rimuru backing me up.
I watch in horror as he makes a beeline straight for Rimuru, giving me a dirty look as he passes by. He gets right up in her face only inches away, yet she is standing her ground.
"I do not tolerate students who cause chaos. For example, ones who use their grandfather's influence to hijack the entrance ceremony and perform a hazardous display of magic without permission. And especially ones who start a fight with another student on the same day. Such people deserve to be expelled from this school immediately." Professor Kalego says to Rimuru.
At this point I am starting to freak out because his reasons apply to me too; I don't want him going after me next! Despite how intimidating Professor Kalego is, Rimuru doesn't even look fazed! Actually, she even seems amused by this situation!
#What part of this could possibly be funny to you Rimuru!?# I mutter to myself, exasperated at the scene playing out in front of me.
Putting aside Rimuru's twisted sense of humor, it seems she's made Professor Kalego furious. I've finally concluded that no matter how much I try to blend in, she attracts tons of attention to the both of us, negative and positive. I silently pray to myself that I don't get roped into any trouble caused by her.
Asmodeus POV
I watch in awe as one of my new masters faces off against Professor Kalego. He has a reputation here at Babyls for being the scariest, most intimidating member of staff. Even many of the other teachers here are scared of him! It was a glorious sight to watch Rimuru stand her ground, unaffected and even entertained by his attempts to intimidate her! I hope to witness more feats like this in the future!
Rimuru POV
"Line up in an orderly fashion!" Kalego commands. I do what he says, making sure to hang towards the back so I can observe the other students performing the ritual. Asmodeus is directly in front of me and the only person behind is Iruma.
I wonder what is going to happen when he attempts the ritual? He doesn't have any magic so we may have to intervene to help cover for him.
[[Understood, I will use the data gathered from the other students' rituals to assist him if necessary.]]
Perfect.
I watch the other students all perform their summoning rituals. The room is now filled with an assortment of strange creatures of varying strengths, shapes and sizes. Finally nearing the end of the line, I watch as Asmodeus summons a large, white snake-thing with wings and horns. It can breathe fire and is called a 'Gorgon Snake' apparently. This familiar seems to be on a whole other level compared to the other beasts in the room. The other students and even Kalego seem impressed.
"Wow! You're amazing, Azz!" Iruma exclaims.
"Thank you for your compliment, but you and Rimuru will surely outdo me when you perform your rituals! I look forward to witnessing them!" Asmodeus says with a smile. Poor Iruma looks even more nervous now that Azz has set such a high bar for him. I'm not worried though; Ranga is definitely much more impressive than that pet snake. It being my turn now, I approach the summoning circle with parchment in hand.
Ready to do your thing, Ciel? I'm counting on you!
[[Of course, Master!]]
All I have to do is pretend to perform the ritual and Ciel will handle the rest. She even produced a liquid (made from who-knows-what) that resembles blood for me to smear on the parchment. I go through the motions, when suddenly I am engulfed in black smoke (the same kind I use when I transform). I was informed about this ahead of time by Ciel. This is to mask the fact that Ranga is hopping out of my shadow instead of forming from the smoke from the parchment burning. As the smoke clears, I see Ranga standing next to me, much smaller than his full size (maybe around 8 feet from nose to tail-tip). I smile, happy to see my friend again.
{{Hey, Ranga! I'm sure Ciel already briefed you on the plan, but you must not speak out loud. You can through thought communication, but only to me or Diablo while we are here.}}
{{Understood, Master!}}
{{Great, thanks Ranga! I will give you plenty of pets and scritches later when we are back at Sullivan's mansion.}}
#What the hell did she just do!? That was way too much smoke, and it was a weird color! Also, I've never seen a familiar like that before! It does look strong though so I guess will have to give her a passing grade at least…# I hear Kalego mutter under his breath to himself while he is writing on his clipboard. I assume that's where our grades are being recorded.
[[After analyzing the summoning rituals of the other students, I have determined that the individual Iruma will not be able to perform it without assistance.]]
Alright, let's give him a bit of help then. Do your thing Ciel!
I watch Iruma slowly approach the magic circle, nervously clenching the piece of parchment in his hands. Once he steps inside, he closes his eyes as he holds the parchment over the candle. The circle begins to glow, brightly enough to blind people for a moment. Once the light fades, I notice a torso of someone sticking out of the floor within the circle. It's Kalego. He summoned the teacher as his familiar, somehow.
Ciel? Are you responsible for this?
[[…]]
Cieeeeel…?
[[He deserves to be punished for calling you 'trash', Master!]]
Oh well…this is pretty amusing!
Kalego starts screaming at Iruma to cancel the summon but of course the boy has no idea how. He frantically pulls on the legs of Kalego's bottom half, which is still standing where he was before the ritual started.
"You fool! You must push in a situation like this! Do you want to rip me in half!?" Kalego shrieks.
Iruma then pushes up on Kalego's legs, trying his best to follow instructions.
"No not my legs, you moron! Get over here and push my hea-!" Kalego screams at Iruma, but it's too late; Iruma has already pushed his legs through. His whole body passes to the other side with the magic circle as he wails "Oh nooo!"
With a puff of smoke, all that is left in the summoning circle is a small purple puff-ball creature with wings hovering in the air. I assume it is Iruma's familiar.
"P-professor?!" Iruma sputters out. He looks mortified.
That fluffy thing is Kalego, right?
[[Yes! Isn't this outcome perfect!]]
Its hilarious! Good work Ciel!
The 'intimidating' teacher that tries so hard to act all tough was transformed into that!? I immediately burst into hysterical laughter at the thought, literally rolling on the floor laughing, tears streaming down my face. Iruma glances over at me disapprovingly before running up to Kalego.
"Professor Kalego are you okay?! What happened to you, why do you look like that!?"
After a moment, I stop laughing and wipe the tears off my face. I look over to see Asmodeus is crying for a different reason.
"I am moved to tears by your courage, Master Iruma! You succeeded in making Professor Kalego your familiar! I knew you wouldn't stand by and let him go unpunished for calling you and Master Rimuru 'trash'!"
[[I like the way this boy thinks! We should bring him home with us when we go back to Tempest!]]
Calm down, Ciel. We don't need another Diablo; one is plenty.
[[*pouts*]]
"Whaaa…but…I…I didn't mean to! I don't know how this happened!" Iruma desperately tries to explain himself.
I hear the other students exclaiming about how this is the first time a demon has summoned another demon. It seems like Ciel just helped Iruma pull off something completely insane and unheard of. I am called the 'Chaos Creator' and Ciel is part of me, so I guess it makes sense for her to break this dimension's rules with ease.
"No way…how could…I become…A FAMILIAR?! CANCEL THIS CONTRACT IMMEDIATELY YOU INSOLENT BRAT OR ELSE-!" Kalego screams, flailing his tiny arms and legs.
Out of nowhere, Kalego is zapped by some kind of magic(?), causing him to fall out of the air and plop onto the floor, bouncing a little. After watching this hilarious scene, I replay it in my head, this time with an added squeaky toy sound effect when he hits the floor! This, of course, sends me into another uncontrollable laughing fit.
Ciel, save that 'video' for later. I never want to forget that comedy gold!
[[Of course, Master!]]
After calming myself down, I ask nobody in particular about what we just witnessed.
"What was that?"
"That was the punishment! Familiars can't disobey their masters, so if they try to harm them they get punished like that." A random student explains.
"Thanks for explaining."
Another student mentions that clapping your hands together dismisses the summon so Iruma does so, turning Kalego back to his former self. I also clap my hands as I tell Ranga to hide in my shadow again. After another moment on the floor, Kalego stands up, glaring at me and Iruma. He then roughly drags us by the ears, probably trying to inflict some pain (jokes on him, I don't feel pain!), all the way to Sullivan's office. I could have easily broken away from him, but that wouldn't really help my current situation.
All three of us give Sullivan our perspective on what happened. Much to Kalego's displeasure, Sullivan seems more amused than upset. Kalego demands that the familiar contract be nullified immediately but is horrified when he learns that isn't possible. He has to wait a whole year for the contract to expire naturally. Iruma and I are dismissed without any punishment, even though I was pretty disrespectful to Kalego. He deserved it though, so I don't feel bad or anything, I'm just looking at it objectively. I was a teacher once and I wouldn't be happy if one of my students laughed their ass of at me like I just did at Kalego. When I step outside Sullivan's office, I notice that Asmodeus has been waiting for the two of us.
"Hello, Masters! How did it go?" He asks.
"We weren't punished if that's what you're asking. What are you doing here?" I respond.
"We need to go pick up our books, I couldn't go without you two, so I decided to wait for you to come out." he responds.
"Thanks for waiting for us Azz!" Iruma thanks him cheerfully.
"You're welcome, Master Iruma! I will lead the way!" Asmodeus says enthusiastically.
The two of us begin following Asmodeus down a hallway to go get our books. Ahead of us, way off in the distance I can hear strange noises but brush them off as not being any of my business.
Kalego POV
I drag the two 'Sullivan Brats' to the principal's office by their ears. The two of them have caused me way too much trouble today to get away without some punishment. First, this Rimuru girl smiled at me while I was putting her in her place! In all of my years teaching here at Babyls, I have never had that happen before! Then, she goes and summons some unusual beast I have never seen before as her familiar! I believe she cheated, somehow, but I have absolutely no proof. The magic attached to the parchment I had the students use was supposed to tip me off to anything unusual, but nothing happened when she performed her ritual. She seemed pleased with herself afterwards, wearing a smile that looked just like her grandfather's! That man annoys me to no end! Then, that Iruma boy did something unthinkable! I thought he was timid compared to his twin sister, Rimuru, but then he somehow summoned me as a familiar. He acted like he was apologetic, but I believe he had malicious intentions. I bet he and his sister planned all of this in order to humiliate me! Based on how hard Rimuru laughed at me, I am positive she was directly involved in the incident.
**After The Meeting**
I can't believe those two brats got off without punishment!
I stand in Sullivan's office, shocked that he just sent the two troublesome twins away, free of consequences. Sullivan just laughed off every complaint I laid out and it has left me furious! I look over at him again, wondering why he has kept me here longer than the two students, when suddenly his demeanor changes.
"Professor Kalego, I have decided, after what happened today, that it is necessary to give you a warning." Sullivan says in a serious tone.
"A warning? What could I have possibly done to deserve a warning!?"
"Not that kind of warning, I need to warn you about a danger to yourself."
What does he mean by that!? I am a very strong, high ranking demon. What could he possibly think is a danger to me?
"Alright, what is your warning?"
"It's simple, upsetting Rimuru is something I strongly advise against and can have major consequences."
"Are you threatening me to shield your granddaughter from punishments!?" I say, appalled that Sullivan would use his position of power to show favoritism. I don't like him, but I never thought he would stoop this low.
"You misunderstand me, Professor. Rimuru is dangerous. I don't want you to get hurt, so try your best to not antagonize her." He explains to me. "About that 'confrontation' you had with her, let's just say that you are very lucky she did not take you seriously. I did get a promise from her that she will not hurt anyone at school, but still."
What in the Netherworld is that supposed to mean!? I know she put on an impressive display at the entrance ceremony and defeated the head of the class in a duel with her brother's help, but she is still just a first-year student!
"B-but she is just a child! One only just starting her first year here; how could she possibly be a danger to me!?" I ask, exasperated and confused.
"That is all I can tell you, Professor Kalego. Just stay on her good side, or you might regret it." Sullivan says flatly before sending me out of his office. As I walk back to my classroom, I ponder what Sullivan could have possibly meant when he called mysterious blue-haired golden-eyed girl 'dangerous'.
Thinking back, when I looked into her eyes, something about them felt…eerie...almost like they had a 'depth' to them that wasn't normal. At the time, I brushed aside the twinge of uneasiness I felt from them, but was that actually my instincts warning me about her? I need to investigate further, although very carefully.