Rimuru and Iruma's Adventures in the Netherworld

End of the Festival

Iruma POV

I'm getting close to the spot I told Lead to meet me at, carefully carrying my bag that has the Seed of Beginning safely inside it. I can't lose it, winning this competition depends on it. I can only hope that Lead was able to get his hands on the Pot of Ending... I'll find that out soon once we're together again.

Just when I think I'm almost there, I start hearing voices through the trees. Straining my eyes and ears, I focus on them.

"S-small!? I-I'm not small! Elizabetta, please! Wh-why are you saying these things!?"

It sounds like Lead, and I think he might be crying.

"Because I don't like you that much. I was lying earlier." A male voice replies in a smooth tone. It definitely didn't come from Elizabetta, though.

I move quietly to get closer, making sure not to step on any twigs. Something fishy is going on, I think. I just need to find out what.

I spot a tall demon with long hair pulled into a ponytail, wearing glasses and a cruel smile while he looms over Lead, who's sputtering from the ground, tears in his eyes.

"I hate men like you, that ogle my chest and butt. You're a huge pervert."

"N-no! I don't do that! Elizabetta, p-please don't think I'm a p-pervert! I'm not like Camui... I'm not!"

That's when I put two and two together; Lead is being affected by an illusion, just like I was earlier. This seems a bit different from how it went for me, but it's close enough. Is that demon the one who's responsible?

"You could still be of use to me, though. Tell me where the Pot of Ending is, where did you hide it?" The taller demon seems to be trying to convince Lead to give over the pot.

Considering how much we've done to get this far, I definitely can't let that happen.

However, I'm stuck on what exactly to do. Rimuru had somehow simply broken the illusion, but all I really saw was Rimuru just cutting through it with magicules, and nothing more. Which makes me think it is actually quite fragile, if you can hit it.

I won't need to use my bow then, I don't want to shoot another student anyway. If I did that, I'd be disqualified, and someone would get hurt. I don't want to think about what might happen if I hit a person with one of my arrows.

So I reach out with Magic Field and grab onto the illusion and break it apart. It melts away surprisingly easily. I just hope in the moment the visual that Lead sees isn't too traumatizing.

"Wha-... who the hell are you!? Where's Elizabetta!?" Lead screams and stands up to face the other demon.

The demon looks down at himself in shock and stumbles back a bit. Then he snarls at Lead and asks, "What did you do?!"

Seeing the situation turning sour, I decided to run out in front of Lead. I know they won't break the rules by hurting me, but this tall demon is the one who made those illusions, so I'm worried he'll do it again.

"Y-You! You're back!?" The demon looks even more unsettled now. "Is something wrong...? Am I sick?" He quickly pats himself down. "You!" He reaches out and grabs my face.

All at once the illusion comes back, Rimuru staring me down with that same unsettlingly sweet yet cold smile, but now that I'm aware of what it actually is, just an illusion... I immediately flare out Magic Field and it shatters.

Shatters like nothing. I'm surprised, but happy.

I just wish I knew it was this easy to break them earlier...