Coming face-to-face with Albedo after the 'incident' felt a bit complex.
I had done what I had to do. By doing so, I managed to get Elysir with me faster, so I don't regret anything. There is no doubt I twisted my morals during that incident. I attacked people who were hospitable to me... it doesn't matter if they had ulterior plans or not.
When I looked at her, she had her gaze fiercely fixed on me as she clutched her dress, cracking her teeth so hard that I could hear them almost tearing off.
The hatred she had for me was palpable.
"How have you been, Albedo?" I asked her naturally, this nonchalance did nothing but fuel her anger as her sight flared up even further.
"B-Bastard… you ask me… how I have been…?"
"Are you deaf? yeah, I asked that..." I asked again with a joking tone. I tried to lighten up the mood unsuccessfully.
"H-He…hehehe~" She began to laugh with an ominous nigh-psychotic laugh. We all looked at her as if she went insane.
"I have been miserable" She answered finally after taking a deep breath and adopting a regal posture resembling the first time I had seen her in Nazarick. Her wings fluttered only once before she looked at me, now with a smile, "What about you, Osiris? How have you been?~"
Now, if I know one thing about women... is that if they act friendly when they have no reason to... you should be scared. Thankfully I am strong and I'm also surrounded by women way more psychotic than her.
"I have been very busy. So? Will you all tell me how you know Kurumi?"
"This woman is our enemy, Osiris. She invaded our headquarters and slaughtered more than half of the knight army. Why is she here with you...? Is she one of your people!?" Solution's voice told me there was something personal going on here. Obviously, she wanted to ask me in a more friendly manner but we were not in that setting.
Not in front of Shaltear and Albedo.
'What is wrong?' I sent her mentally.
'This woman cracked my core, master!' Solution's answer was prompt and rage-fueled.
!!!
'Kurumi is actually able to injure Solution?', I gasped in amazement and looked at the giggling gothic girl in front of me who was still analyzing her new collar.
I don't know how strong Solution has become... but I know I did a good massage to her so going by previous results, she should be a monster now. Kurumi can match her even before getting a massage from me?
'Don't tell me… you have just made her into your pet…' Solution asked after glaring at Kurumi's collar with a mix of hatred and jealousy.
'I did'.
'But Master, I have grievances with her!'
'You will have to let go of those grievances, Solution. She came to this world because of me and I didn't know… if she did something to you, I'll assume responsibility for it'
I couldn't do anything else. Kurumi came into this world without my knowledge and I didn't even know she had been in the Re-Estize Kingdom all this time.
Solution clenched her fists and looked at the giggly Kurumi who seemingly caught onto something between me and the maid, she was very perceptive.
The three of them are here; Judging by Shaltear's gaze, she wants my blood but has no idea how to go about asking for it without being an outright traitor. I don't know why Solution is here and why she brought the two of them along, I can only guess they are going to try something in the Slane Theocracy, taking advantage of my actions.
She knows what my objectives are and she's going to act upon them; so the only way I can support her is by letting them go so that she can carry on with her plans.
"What are you doing here, Osiris…? With nightmare on top of that?" Albedo questioned with that false and eerie friendliness.
"Aren't you going to fight me?" I ignored the question and went straight to the point.
"… what would be the point of that?" She turned sideways and sent me a sidelong smiling glance.
This woman, I don't know why her fake friendliness is actually scaring me? it is not like she can do fuck to me.
"Even if that golden fox is not here… you're still not someone the three of us can defeat. The real question here is… after you discovered our concealment, do you plan to let us go?" Albedo questioned wisely.
I smirked, "I see that you learned your lesson. That's actually a good question. You tell me, should I let you go? or should I finish three of Ains Ooal Gown's pieces right now?".
"…" The trio remained silent but I could tell with a glance that rather than fight me, they wanted to fight Kurumi. Even Solution, after what I told her, seemed like she still wanted to have a go at Kurumi.
'We were en route to start possible negotiations with Black Scripture. I hoped that they would lower their guard against us under the guise of joining forces to fight against you, Master. When the time was proper I would then stab them in the back and open a path for you to easily conquer the region's religious spectrum with your Sun Church' Solution mumbled her plan in my mind as I expected; although I felt something was off... she wasn't telling me the whole story.
"Do you want to do it, slime-chan?~" Kurumi taunted at that time, cutting off our focus.
"Nightmare!"
Just with some basic words, Kurumi was easily able to trigger Solution.
'Stop, Kurumi' I sent her mentally but she ignored me thoroughly.
"Does it hurt still?~" The gothic girl added, throwing more salt in the wound.
These two... Solution got ready to fight even while forsaking my glare… I haven't disciplined these two enough or at all. I sighed and waved my hand and a gust of moonlight mist wrapped around Albedo and Shaltear.
"Wait, Osiris!" Shaltear screamed first, both of them didn't know what I was doing.
"It is not time yet for you to meet me" I said to them as I didn't want them to hear my discussion with both my pets. The next second they both disappeared, I sent them to the capital of the Sloane theocracy, they may become a more interesting variable there.
I remained with just Solution and Kurumi.
"What did you do to her, Kurumi?" I asked with a frown. As their master I have to try to resolve this issue or these two will end up killing each other.
"Oh? We were only playing around. I don't know why this maid is so upset at me, master" Kurumi played the fool.
"She attacked us multiple times. We had dozens of duels to the death! I slaughtered her and her clones countless times until she eventually managed to deal a killing blow to me. If I hadn't been careful she would have shattered my core, master! I am still healing now and the majority of my capacities have been limited! All because she just won't die!"
Hearing Solution call me master, Kurumi understood what our arrangement was and to my surprise released a slight sigh and bowed towards me.
"I see, I apologise, master… I didn't know".
"I am not blaming you for being a troublemaker. As I said I would take responsibility for whatever you did. Solution, you can drop this matter now, can you?".
"But master!" Even now she still wanted to continue and I was starting to get unhappy. As if following up with Solution's hatred, Kurumi also turned towards her and spoke with a serious voice uncharacteristic of hers.
"Well, I do have my bit of enmity against her as well. She wiped out a third of all the time I had managed to collect. So… should we resolve this now? It will also give me the chance to properly discipline you".
That did it... that was all that was needed.
"What did you say…?"
I felt Solution's aura flare up like a volcano as the trees all around us began to decay. Just in time I felt another strong aura approach and signalled for her to remain concealed and don't make a move.
I wanted to see how these two would resolve this and if necessary, I'd intervene.
"Master clearly told you to drop the matter and you still seek to continue? Little slime, you need discipline. I'll discipline you on master's stead—"
BOOOMMM!!
Forget about impaling, Kurumi's body shattered in front of my very eyes in millions of pieces in a gruesome manner when a black goo poked out of the ground in the form of a devastating spear.
I noticed that Solution wrapped me in slime to protect me from even dust falling on me.
"I am sorry, master… but she and I are irreconcilable–".
RUMBLE!!
!!!
I frowned when I felt something I was expecting out of a fight between these two.
Spatial compression.
"Little slime... do you think you saw everything there is to see?!~"
A clone of Kurumi materialised mid-air out of nowhere in the skies and she pointed her finger at Solution. From the place she pointed, I felt space constrict infinitely until a small singularity was formed.
I gulped a mouthful of saliva.
"Oh shit... this girl is way stronger than I thought".
Even Solution was not expecting this. That black hole began swallowing everything and increasing in size at marginal speeds forcing Solution to retreat. I moved into Limbo only to see that the singularity's magnetic field was even affecting Limbo!
Tokisaki Kurumi was not simple at all.
"Come out for me, Zadkiel!"