Morning came slowly for Rudeus, marked by a series of deeply unpleasant experiences that seemed to reinforce his belief Fantasy and Medivel life which was far from that one of the heroic, romantic and poetic he Dream off.

Extricating himself from the noble’s daughter—who had tried to cling to him even in her sleep—he ventured to use the castle’s facilities, which, to his horror, consisted of little more than a glorified hole in a cold, drafty stone room and the straw/hay which use as a tools to clean oneself after they done their dutty

As he washed his hands in a basin of lukewarm water that he make using water and fire MAGIC, Rudeus muttered to himself tiredly "This is barbaric. Modern plumbing... I’ll never take you for granted again."

After finish, eventually he reunited with Rimuru and Rory in one of the castle’s grand hallways, the trio summoned for yet another event

Rimuru still looked as calm and composed as ever, though the faint bags under his eyes betrayed his own discomfort with the accommodations from all the event they all been through.

Meanwhile, Rory was her usual chipper self, looking oddly refreshed despite the chaotic happens yesterday.

"Morning, sunshine," Rory said, teasing Rudeus as he approached her and Rimuru. "You look... tired. Rough night?"

Not happy about the teasing, Rudeus shot her a glare but didn’t dignify the comment with a response. Instead, he turned to Rimuru, who was adjusting his borrowed formal attire. "Are we seriously expected to mingle with these nobles again?"

Rimuru nodded, his voice calm but laced with mild annoyance. "Apparently, the princess insisted we attend some kind of formal gathering in the ballroom."

Rory smirked as she spinning slightly in her own outfit—a simple but yet elegant dress she’d borrowed from the one of the noble wardrobe. "Oh, come on, Rudeus. It’ll be fun. You might even get another admirer or three~."

Rudeus groaned. "I rather not... And please don’t remind me."

The three of them entered the ballroom, a spacious and elaborately decorated hall with high ceilings, sparkling chandeliers, and polished stone floors. Nobles dressed in their finest attire mingled, exchanging pleasantries and casting curious glances at the trio. A small orchestra played softly in the corner, setting the tone for the formal occasion.

As they moved further into the room, Rory turned to Rimuru with a mischievous smile holding out her hand infront of him. "What do you say, Rimuru? Care for a dance~?"

Rimuru blinked, caught off guard by the sudden invitation. "Me? Dance? Uh—"

Before Rimuru could finish, Rory grabbed his hand and pulling him toward the center of the room. "Come on, it’ll be fun. You can’t let these stuffy nobles have all the fun."

Although hesitated for a moment, Rimuru resigned sighing in resignation. "Fine, but don’t blame me if I step on your feet."

As Rory led Rimuru into a surprisingly graceful dance, Rudeus was left standing near the edge of the ballroom. He tried to blend in, but it wasn’t long before he found himself surrounded by a familiar—and unwelcome—group of the noble's daughters.

"Oh Sir Rudeus!" one of them exclaimed, her voice shrill with excitement. "It’s so wonderful to see you again!"

"Will you honor me with a dance?" another chimed in, batting her thick eyelashes in a way that only made her look more awkward.

Rudeus took an involuntary step back and  raising his hands defensively. "Ah, well, I’m, uh, not much of a dancer, you see—"

"Nonsense!" one of them interrupted, grabbing his arm. "Surely a hero can handle a simple dance, right?!"

As more of them closed in, Rudeus cast a desperate glance toward Rimuru and Rory. Rimuru, however, was too preoccupied with Rory, who was laughing and teasing him as they danced. It was clear he wouldn’t be getting any help from that corner.

Resigning himself to his fate, Rudeus forced a strained smile as one of the noble daughters dragged him onto the dance floor. Why me? he thought bitterly, already dreading the inevitable awkwardness.

Meanwhile, Rory catching a glimpse of Rudeus’s predicament, she leaned closer to Rimuru, her voice low yet full of amusement as always."Looks like someone is popular today."

glancing over, Rimuru chuckling softly as they both watched how Rudeus struggle to navigate the attention of the noble daughters. "Yeah, I don’t think he’ll ever live this down."

Rory grinned, her eyes sparkling mischievously. "Serves him right for all those pervy comments!"

As the music continued and the ballroom bustled with activity, the trio found themselves once again immersed in the chaos of this medieval world, each handling the situation in their own unique—and often comical—way.

But while Rimuru and Rory twirling around the dance floor, he noticed something that had been subtly catching his eyes all morning: the deep red-purple color of Rory's lipstick. It was bold, alluring, and distinctly her style, but something about it felt oddly... deliberate.

Curiosity got the better of him as they glided to the side of the ballroom. “Hey, Rory,” Rimuru asked casually, “that lipstick you’re wearing—what’s the deal with it?”

Rory’s lips curled into a mischievous grin, her crimson eyes sparkling as she leaned in closer, their faces only inches apart. “Oh, you noticed, didn't you?” she said, her voice low and teasing. “It’s my own special blend. You could say it’s... unique.”

Rimuru raised an eyebrow. “Define unique.”

She chuckled, her grin widening up as she reply Rimuru. “oh you could said it my little kiss of death~.”

Rimuru blinked, through kind of guess what it mean but he unsure if he correct or not. “It poisoned, isn't it?” he calmly ask.

“Mm-hmm.” Rory nodded and answer with a humming while twirling around gracefully before pulling right back into the rhythm of the dance, into Rimuru arms. “Not enough to kill—well atlest not in a quick way" she pause for second then look back up to Rimuru eyes glimming with mischief. "it'll ensures no one forgets me once I’ve left my mark on them.”

Before Rimuru could responds to Rory words, she suddenly leaned in and land kissed him lightly on his lips, all while a smirk never faltering from her lips.

“So, how does it taste?” she asked in her usual playful tone, her eyes practically daring Rimuru to react.

Froze for a moment to processing what had just happened. Rimuru unconscious smacked his lips to tast the flavor lingering on his lips while ignoring the shocked glances of a few nobles who had witnessed the scene.

“Tingly,” he finally replied, his tone deadpan. “And have a grape like favorite, but overall.... Not bad though.”

Burst into laughter, clearly delighted by his calm reaction, Rory speak up with an amusing voice. “Oh, you’re too much! Most people would be panicking right about now.”

He shrugged, a small smile playing on his lips. “Well, I’m not most people, am I?" Rimuru said remaining Rory that he a slime and not a human without directly saying it out.

"Besides, [Raphael] probably neutralized it the second it hit my system.” he add while a text went through his mind, "Confirmed. Toxin neutralized. No adverse effects detected." It was Raphael’s voice echoed silently through text since it look like Raphael still couldn’t speak

But Meanwhile, on the other side of the ballroom, Rudeus found himself backed into a corner once again by the ever-persistent noble daughters. He was trying and failing—to decline another round of dances politely when a familiar voice cut through the crowd.

“Ladies, if you’ll excuse us for a moment?” It was Princess Aeliana, she said calmly while stepping forward with an air of authority.

The noble daughters reluctantly who Initially surrounded Rudeus now find themself retreated and shooting multiple envious glances at the princess as she approached Rudeus.

Aeliana let out a graceful smile as she lift her hand out and ask. “Sir Rudeus, may I have this dance?”

While caught off guard but to eager for an escape, Rudeus quickly accepted, taking the Aeliana hand. “Of course, Your Highness. It would be an honor.”

As they moved to the dance floor, the princess leaned in slightly, her voice low enough that only he could hear. “I wanted to thank you and your friends again for saving me. Without you 3 intervene, I wouldn’t be standing here today.”

Felt a slight blush creep up his cheeks, Rudeus adjust his voice then said. “we just did what anyone would’ve done, princess”

through the words speak out modestly, but pride was well written on Rudeus face as the memory of the battle played vividly in his mind.

Rory was first to rush in with her halberd planning to cut every single one of the thugs down forcing Rimuru to once again chase after and stop her bloodlust by immobilizer Rory with his [Sticky Steel Thread] and while all that happening Rudeus on Rimuru order took down the thugs by immobilize them with [Quagmire] then knock each of them out from a far with his [Rock Bullet].

Tilted her head, Aeliana expression curious since she can see the pridefulness in Rudeus face but his words is the complete contradictory from it. “You’re rather humble I must said. Like there’s something different about you if it were you’re not from our world.”

Hearing that Rudeus hesitated a bit, unsure how much that he accidentally reveal from his expressions and words alone. “Well, let’s just say my friends and I aren’t exactly from around here.”

The princess’s smile widened, a hint of intrigue sparkled in her eyes. “Then that makes your actions even more remarkable. But I do hope you’ll allow me to repay the debt I owe you three.”

As they continued to dance, Rudeus couldn’t help but feel a mix of relief and curiosity. For the first time since arriving in this strange medieval world, he felt like he was making a genuine connection—one that didn’t involve awkward advances or uncomfortable situations.

Back on the other side of the room, Rory and Rimuru watched the scene unfold from a distance. Rory smirked, resting her chin on Rimuru’s shoulder. “Looks like our boy’s finally catching a break. Think he’ll survive the royal attention?”

Chuckled, Rimuru gaze following Rudeus and Aeliana as they dance with the music. “Knowing Rudeus? He’ll be fine... or he’ll just find a way to make it weird." He pause while smile warmly "Either way, it’s entertaining.”

Rory laughed, her voice light and carefree as the music swirled around them, blending into the hum of the ballroom’s festivities. For now, the strange trio found themselves at peace, enjoying the fleeting calm before the next adventure inevitably came calling.