The Arch-Doll

The room was still a bit tense after what had happened. So Rimuru turned to Shizue and asked.

"Could you look after the kids while I create the servant for Ramiris? I am not sure how long it will take, so I want to try to get it done as fast as possible. Before the people back in Englassia get suspicious."

Shizue nodded and carefully tried to get the kids to follow her. They were still clinging onto him with lingering fear, but Shizue eventually convinced them to follow her. She promised to give them some basic training so they could start getting used to their new spirits, and after leading them away, Rimuru was left with Ramiris.

"Geez, that girl is bad news…" she grumbled, fluttering around in agitation. "That Time Spirit is from the future. They're always the messiest ones to deal with."

Her complaints continued for a few minutes, filling the room with a flurry of exasperated gestures. Eventually, she sighed, slapping her cheeks to regain focus. 

"Alright, well, nothing we can do now. Time for my new servant."

Rimuru watched her shift from worry to determination, causing him to chuckle slightly. He honestly didn't know what to make of the situation with the Spirit, so he would let Sage work on figuring out stuff for now. 

It appeared like Ramiris also had a similar train of thought, throwing her worries away to focus on her new shiny gift.

He pulled out a body he had carefully crafted, he showed it to her. Ramiris' eyes widened in astonishment as she examined the metallic form coated in a shimmering layer of blueish slime. The entire body was made with a combination of Orichalcum, Mithril, and Magisteel. The body had also been soaking in Rimuru's magicules for almost a month, which made it even stronger.

"Whoa!" Ramiris exclaimed, fluttering excitedly around the body. "You really made this for me?"

"Yup." Rimuru replied with a chuckle, enjoying her reaction. "But you haven't seen anything yet."

In a dramatic movement, he raised his hands. A gigantic summoning circle materialized beneath them, casting the room in a violet glow. The air hummed with energy as the circle activated, and in an instant, a Greater Daemon appeared in the middle of it.

The Daemon had black skin, and two horns jutted out from the sides of its head. Its muscular frame and demonic features exuded a menacing aura, but its eyes held a spark of intelligence and loyalty. It knelt before Rimuru, its deep voice resonating through the room. 

"You called for me, Master?" 

Rimuru's voice was calm and commanding as he addressed the kneeling Daemon. 

"Yes, I summoned you here to serve as Ramiris' servant and protector. In exchange for your service, I will give you this body I created as your vessel. It should be highly adaptable, so you should be able to transform it as you wish to take on any appearance."

The Daemon bowed lower, gratitude and respect evident in its deep voice. 

"It would be my honor to follow your commands, Master. The body you provide is more than I could have hoped for."

Off to the side, Ramiris fluttered excitedly, her wings a blur of motion as she grinned from ear to ear. 

"In that case, you can take over the body, after which I will give you a name."

"I am forever in your debt, Master." The Daemon said, a trace of excitement in its voice.

[Activating Gluttony.]

[Beginning analysis…. Analysis complete. The following Intrinsic Skills have been acquired: Material Creation, Possession.]

After being consumed, Rimuru also grabbed the body and used Degenerate to fuse the two of them, making them as compatible as possible. In a few moments, he let the Daemon out of his Stomach, who was kneeling on the ground as it began to manipulate their new body.

Long, dark hair flowed from the body's head, framing a face of pure beauty. The Daemon's features took on a delicate, doll-like quality, yet there was an underlying strength in the way it moved. As the transformation completed, the Daemon opened her eyes, revealing irises of deep red with pitch-black sclera.

Ramiris's excitement was palpable as she hovered closer, inspecting the Daemon's new form.

"You're perfect! What's your name going to be?" she asked, her wings creating a blur as she circled the Daemon.

The Daemon looked up, her new eyes gleaming with determination.

"Whatever name my master bestows upon me, I will carry with pride."

"Then, from this day on, you will be known as Beretta." Rimuru spoke, feeling the magicules leave his body as Beretta began to glow slightly.

The Daemon's form shifted ever so slightly, taking on a more feminine appearance.

Her slightly metallic body turned into what resembled pale skin, the dark hair turning silverish. She looked like a true living and breathing doll.

"I am Beretta, the Arch-Doll, and I am ready to carry out my Master's orders," Beretta said with a deep bow. "Lady Ramiris, your wish is my command. I will do my best to protect you from now on."

Ramiris was beaming with excitement as she saluted Beretta.

"Yeah! I'll be counting on you!" Then, unable to hold back her happiness, she began to fly circles around Beretta once again.

It looked like Beretta wanted to say something else, and after a few moments of hesitation, it turned to Rimuru and bowed again.

"Master, I will follow your orders to the best of my capabilities. However, I do hope that in the future, I will be able to serve you personally, too. I wish to repay the kindness that you have shown me."

Ramiris stopped flying around in excitement, her expression becoming a bit annoyed as she flew to Rimuru.

"Don't try to steal my servant. We had a whole contract and everything, so they're my servant now, not yours! You can make yourself another one if you want them…." She began, suddenly freezing as an idea came to her mind. 

"Actually, now that I think about it, could you fix up my other Golem to be as strong as this one? I am sure I can figure out a way to pay you back later. An IOU kinda thing."

Just as Rimuru was about to agree, a bunch of spirits began to come out of hiding. They were all flying around in excitement as they circled the two of them, singing a joyful melody. There were spirits of all elements, the only exceptions being Light, Dark, Time, and Space Spirits.

"What are all of you guys doing?" Ramiris asked in some confusion, her head tilting slightly as she saw the Wind Elemental she had passed the contract off to. The Spirit beamed at her, nearly bouncing with excitement.

"We are celebrating our new king! I can't believe that for the first time, our queen has found someone to rule us with!"

"Huh?" Both Ramiris and Rimuru asked with confusion, looking at each other with a raised eyebrow before Rimuru's eyes opened wide.

'Sage, what the hell did you add to the contract?' Rimuru asked in realization. 

He had let Sage work on the contract by themselves after telling them to use something similar to what he did with Milim, and he hadn't bothered to double-check it since he had been busy with the kids and running back and forth between Tempest and Engasasia.

[Notice. After your suggestion when creating Milim's contract, I left a clause in this one in which Ramiris would become your new wife, making you the King of Spirits. Now that she has claimed Beretta as her servant, you have fulfilled your side of the contract.]

[This decision aligns with my core objective.]

It was then that Rimuru remembered the question Sage had asked him after his first night with Shuna. "Is this the path you wish to continue?" Sage had probably been working in the background to try to help him as much as possible with their "Core Objective."

"King? What king? What are you talking about?" Ramiris's voice edged with worry as she snatched the contract from the Wind Elemental. Her eyes grew wide as she read, her wings slowing until she gently descended to the ground in shock.

"I've been played... My poor innocence has been taken." She muttered, still in shock, her voice barely above a whisper. As she finished reading, her expression softened slightly. "Huh... this actually doesn't sound too bad."

As she sat up and continued to read the contract, she fluttered up and then showed it to Rimuru.

"Is all of this true?"

Looking at it, he saw a gigantic list of benefits, from the sweetest snacks to constant entertainment and company. She would get to enjoy running around Tempest, enjoying as much food as she wanted. The moment she wanted to buy something, she would be able to simply ask for it.

In addition, Tempest's strength would be her own strength, which meant that none of the other Demon Lords would be able to look down on her again since she would be protected by all of Tempest.

Plus, she would practically never be bored again since she would be able to run around and recruit some of Tempest's citizens to serve her, though she would have to get approval from Rimuru first, depending on who she chose.

It had countless benefits, and the only real catch was that she would be married to Rimuru, which would make him the King of Spirits and give him partial rulership over them. Even then, she had an out, a thirty-day free trial of sorts in which the contract could be annulled.

As he read the contract, Rimuru nodded his head. It honestly wasn't that bad a deal. He had seen firsthand Ifrits' power, so the more spirits he could get under his command, the better. There were also parts of the contract that let him request the use of the labyrinth as he wished.

If anything, it looked like Ramiris was getting scammed. He would be getting way more compared to her. He honestly wasn't really interested in forming a relationship with the small fairy at the moment, so for the time being, it would be a marriage by name only. Maybe that would change as they got closer, but that was for the future.

"Yeah, that sounds about right. If you need anything else, you can let me know." He said casually, already trying to figure out what to do with the Labyrinth.

Ramiris looked lost in thought for a few moments, looking back and forth between the contract and Rimuru before nodding her head.

"Eh, screw it, I'll give it a try. I know I am just so irresistible you had to trick me into marrying you. I can't blame you for it." She said, flying around him with a proud expression.

She probably would have been fine had she read the whole contract, but Sage had probably been expecting her to stop after the first few lines.

"I'll try out this whole marriage thing for a bit, and if it doesn't work out, then we can just pretend it never happened." She began before chuckling to herself. "Also, I am still keeping Beretta if it doesn't work out."

She looked like she had made up her mind, floating up to Rimuru's head before softly landing on his hair. Patting it a few times to make it comfortable for her.

"Hehe, this will be my throne!" She said, jolting slightly as she felt Eros activate and start sending her a warm stream of magicules. "Oh?"

After making herself comfortable, Rimuru couldn't help but chuckle as he saw how easily she was taking everything.

[Notice. This is all according to the calculations done using the samples of Ramiris' personality in your memory.]

'Of course it is.' Rimuru thought, chuckling internally as he saw the countless Spirits floating around them in celebration. It also probably explained why a few of the Lesser Spirits had offered themselves to be consumed by him.

Even Beretta had a large smile since it meant she would be working closer to Rimuru now.

With Ramirs happily enjoying lying down in his hair. The three of them returned to where the Shizue and the kids were.

"Alright, mission complete. We can all return back to Englassia now." Rimuru said, causing the kids to begin complaining. Seeing them, Rimuru couldn't help but let out a mischievous smile as he asked. "That is unless all of you want to come check out Tempest?"

"Wait! Really?" They all shouted in unison, excitement appearing on their faces as they began muttering.

"It's only going to be for a bit since we have to be back in Englassia in about 3 hours, but you can all feel free to wander around Tempest for the time being." As he spoke, he gently tapped the fairy on his head with his finger, asking her to take them there.

They didn't feel any movement inside of the Labyrinth, but in just a few minutes, Ramiris spoke up in a proud voice.

"Alright! We are here. I put us just a bit away from the city since I wasn't sure where to put it." As she spoke, she snapped her fingers and made a door appear before them.

Rimuru couldn't help but be amazed at how quickly she moved the Labyrinth. It would have taken at least a week to move it from where it was to Tempest, even if they were riding on Ranga. 

His mind couldn't help but wander slightly at how else it could be used. He thought about being in the middle of a war and making a door appear in the middle of the enemy's city, releasing all of his army. 

As they all stepped out, a few Shadows, who were spies who worked under Souei, appeared, kneeling on the ground.

"Lord Rimuru, we were not expecting you so quickly." One of them, a young Kijin named Hei, greeted them before switching to thought communication. 'Just as you foresaw, the spy Mjurran has arrived in Tempest. We have kept her entertained and distracted for the time being.'

'Good, I will deal with her soon. For now, prepare someone to guide and protect the kids while they get familiar with Tempest.' Rimuru ordered before greeting them normally. "Yes, I got a chance to come here sooner than I expected. You're dismissed."

With a nod, all of the spies vanished into the shadows, leaving the kids with their mouths wide open.

"Woah! Are they spies? They're just like in the movies!" Ryota asked with stars in his eyes.

Chucking, Rimuru brought one finger up as if telling him to be quiet.

"Well, they won't be spies if you shout like that. Come on, there's a lot to show you. I bet the old man, Hakuro, will be glad to see some new students. Some of you mentioned wanting to be as good as me or Shizue with a sword. He can probably get you there."

"Really?" Kenya asked as he lifted the sword Kurobe had crafted for him. "Just you wait, Mr. Tempest, I will kick your butt soon enough."

"I look forward to seeing you get that strong. But you better not slack off because I am going to keep getting stronger." Rimuru chuckled.

The kids followed Rimuru around until they met with Hakuro, who gave them a grandfatherly smile as he began showing them some of his moves. One thing that surprised him was that Chloe, who had only used spells until now, suddenly decided to pick up a sword. However, the part that really shocked him was just how naturally good she was with it.

Clearly, her body couldn't keep up with the weapon since she was still relatively weak, but if she had enough time to build some strength, she would be strong enough to beat up Kenya. The kid who had practiced with a sword ever since he arrived in this world with ease.

Since they had gotten distracted playing with Hakuro, Rimuru left them with him as he headed to where one of his Shadows had told him Mjurran was staying. She should have been part of Yohm's team if his memories served him right. However, as he thought about it, he hadn't heard a single hint of him.

Entering the small library that had been built in Tempest, he saw a beautiful girl with striking green hair carefully reading some books. She was disguised as a human, wearing simple adventurer clothes. As she heard the doors open, she turned around, her eyes widening for a moment before she gave a casual smile.

"Hello, how are you enjoying our library?" Rimuru asked with a friendly smile.

The girl looked down at the books, chuckling slightly before smiling brightly. 

"I am surprised just how simply the author was able to explain everything. I guess the title 'For Dummies' is not a joke. There are even a few things I had never known before that I feel I could explain now. I would really love the chance to meet the author."

If not for Sage examining every movement she did, he would have been convinced she was just a regular girl who liked to read. However, using Universal Sense, Sage could detect every single change in her demeanor. She was clearly tense at the moment, ready to flee at the smallest sign of danger.

"Ah, that would be me. I am glad you are enjoying them." Rimuru said, causing her to widen her eyes slightly. "I would honestly love to create some books about magic, but if I am being honest, my knowledge in that topic is somewhat limited."

Mjurran opened her mouth, hesitating for a moment. Her mind was running as fast as it could. Her mission was to spy on Tempest. It was practically a suicide mission from the strength of the people around here. She had wanted to return back home, but Clayman had ordered her to keep an eye on the city and go inside. To gain the trust of the people.

After a moment, she took in a deep breath before offering.

"You know… I actually know a bit about magic myself…." 

Rimuru pretended to be surprised as he heard her.

"Really? It would actually really help us to have someone who knows magic in our team. You're a human, right? If you don't mind hanging around with a bunch of Majin and Monsters, then I would love to invite you in. I could have some people show you around and give you one of the houses."

Mjurran, let out a breath she didn't even know she was holding, feeling the tension disappear she let out a more natural smile as she nodded.

"Yeah, I would actually really like to join this city. I've been here for about a day, and I am amazed by how out of the norm everything is."

"Great! Swing by the office building tomorrow. I'll get you sorted out, and we can figure out a way for you to help. Ah, how rude of me. I forgot to introduce myself. I am Rimuru Tempest, the ruler of Tempest."

With a smile, he welcomed her in. After all, what better way is there to control your enemy than controlling the information they have access to? He would welcome Clayman's spy in and feed him enough information through her so that everything would go according to their plan.

The main people who would be dealing with her would all be members of Souei's spy team, and they would all have acting skills that would ensure she didn't notice anything was wrong.

In addition, she would also be dealing with regular citizens who didn't know her secret, increasing the legitimacy of the spies who do.

"I'm sorry, I forgot to introduce myself too. My name is Mjurran. It's an honor to meet you, Sir Tempest." She said, giving a practiced curtsy.

— — —

Special Thanks to my Beta Readers/Editors: The one, the only, the amazing @Basilisk, the Aussie @LuluViBritania (FF.N, SB, WN and QQ)/-LuluViB|99th Britannian Emperor(Discord) and @Kiyan Tribe (FF.net/AO3/QQ/WN) | kiyan_tribe( Discord)

Go Check out Basilisk's great story "I'm a Daemon, so what?" 

Support me and get 5 chaps ahead at p@treon.com/BonVoyageFF