Is it wrong for slimes to be in dungeons? (revised)

Chapter 44: Battlefields

I se–

I leaped backwards as her blade suddenly came down on me from above.

"Guh," I just managed to dodge the blow.

...I see. She had used my curiosity against me, focusing my attention to the sound and attacking in the opposite direction.

The clicking...there was likely some mechanism behind it in her armor.

Not only that, but I had come to realize something. It wasn't just the sound. No rather it was all of her movements up to the clicking. She subtly directed my attention with each miniscule movement of hers to draw my attention to and from the clicking. Such bodily control was rather absurd. But seeing her ability to control her expression in the few times I had seen her it almost made sense.

Her ability to repress normally involuntary movements was beyond almost anything I had seen. That's why I had fallen for it almost three times now. She had taken advantage of my auditory acuity and my own vision.

However... that's all she did. Her base swordsmanship, while very well timed, and well above an amateur's level wasn't anything I needed to concern myself over. And now that I had seen through her initial gambit I knew what to look for, and her probability of landing a hit plummeted.

Once I saw through her tricks it was only a matter of time before I won. I took in a breath.

The second stage of this spar was to begin.

(Bell POV)

"What compelled you to support Hestia Familia?"

"...How do you even know about that in the first place?"

"..."

How did this come to be? This three way standoff...was way too much for someone like me!

The tension emanating from the two before me was enough to put me on edge.

Ciel wore a mask with a decorative jewel in the center of it, hiding her expression. While Hermes just smiled in an unconcerned manner, which was just as effective at hiding his thoughts. In comparison I'm sure my discomfort was evident to both of them.

No serious just how did this come to be?

After finding Ciel and Hermes standing face to face with each other I froze as my thoughts ground to a screeching halt.

The idea that drove me, the thought that Ciel, may have been Rimuru had caused me to rush out of the Hearthstone Manor in a hurry. I wanted to be sure, yet that theory also came with a few issues of its own.

Namely the plan that Hermes accused Rimuru of having on the 18th floor. Assuming both of these things were true then everything Ciel had done until now was a plan in order to trick us.

I didn't want to believe that. I found it hard to believe that as well. I couldn't understand it. The Loki familia themselves were cautious of Rimuru, why in the world would Rimuru want anything to do with us?

I was also forced to consider the implications of the day I met up with Aiz and Tiona when they offered to train me before the war game. Ciel had come with me and said she needed to speak with Finn...

I didn't know what exactly was discussed or what happened, but it definitely complicated the situation even further.

I was forced to recall all of these things. As I did, Hermes and Ciel had begun to talk with one another. I couldn't hear them from where I was, but as I was considering what I should do Hermes seems to have noticed me.