In the dimly lit chamber, the air felt heavy as the four Rimuru, Rory, Rudeus and Aeliana  sat on the cold stone floor, their thoughts swirling with uncertainty. They just got lock in their own chamber as a form of punishment and confinement

The princess who had stand up for the trio just then now stripped of her royal privileges for her action of staining family image, sat stiffly on the ground, her eyes a mixture of anger and resignation.

Rimuru, Rory, and Rudeus were all in their usual positions, 2 sitting at the opposite side of the table while one walking back and forth.

And right now? They all are trying to form a plan for the uncertain days ahead.

Rory, ever the aggressive one, broke the silence with a sigh. "I still think we should just wipe them out. The king, queen, all of them. Problem solved."

Rimuru, his expression tired but determined, shook his head. "We've been over this, Rory. We can't just massacre everyone."

"Oh save the saint act for other people Rimuru, we 3 already kill before" Rory said pointing at Rimuru while calling him and Rudeus out.

Rudeus, who had been silently the whole time, is tapping his fingers on the stone floor then groaned in frustration. "Ugh, this is getting us nowhere," he muttered, rubbing his chin. "We should listen to the sugondeez."

Rimuru, slightly confused, raised an eyebrow not knowing what that is. "Who’s the sugondeez?"

Rudeus, with a fake cough, casually said , "A sug on deez nuts—!"

For a moment the room went dead silent not understand what Rudeus mean

Then it click, Rimuru's face turned pale, his eyes widening as he finally understand the joke

Covered his mouth to stifle the laugh that was bubbling up, though a small chuckle managed to escape.

“I can’t believe I fell for that,” Rimuru muttered to himself, still fighting back ugre to laught. “You—” He said mid sentence then stop, shook his head in disbelief as a chuckle escape from his mouth. “I should have known better than that—"

utterly lost, Rory blinked at them while a frown slowly appear on her face. "What... what does that even mean? And why are you two laughing??"

She said with a confusing look, completely unaware of Rudeus joke and what funny about it

Princess Aeliana, who is equally confused, looked between the two boys, her head tilting slightly. "I don’t understand either. Is this some sort of joke?"

Rimuru, still holding his face in his hands, shook his head, trying to compose himself and try his best to explain the joke to the 2 girl. "It’s... uh, a very strange joke from my world. One I should’ve known, but I didn’t catch it until just now."

He sighed, wiping away a tear from his eye and still chuckle to himself. "I can't believe I missed that."

Rory, now more irritated than before, walk up to the table with anoyed on her face. "What’s so funny about that!? If it’s some kind of pun, I don’t get it!"

Rudeus shrugged nonchalantly, and of course the smirk still on his face as he answer Rory question. "It’s not exactly highbrow humor, but it’s fun to mess with Rimuru. Besides, it’s a good distraction when the mood’s this heavy."

The princess, who had been sitting silently, couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow at it. "I still don’t understand why this is funny." She said

"Don’t worry, princess, you’re not alone in that." Rory said, rumbling her nose bridge a bit tired of her 2 teammates childish act from time to time.

Hearing that, the princess stared at them, her confusion only deepening as this group of trio just keep getting weirder and weirder the more she interact with them.

But despite her confusion, there was a small smile tugging at her lips perhaps out of comfort or something else deeper then that. "You’re all strange—" she said, looking at each one of them "—But you all are close... And yes it do for at least—lightening the mood a little, so thank you."

Rolled her eyes, Rory said dramatically. "Please, don’t thank these two. They just have weird ways of dealing with stress."

Rudeus grinned, looking completely unfazed. "Hey, if it works then it works."

Rimuru nodded, the laughter fading as he  settled back into the reality of their situation. "Right. But let focus on the problem ahead—." Said in a much more serious ton

"We need to come up with a plan. The royal family is definitely going to come after us, especially now that they think Rudeus is the princess’s... partner."

"Still don't understand why I'm the one got pick" Rudeus speak in a pouted way clearly anoyed at that

"Sorry—" Aeliana apologize, bow her head down "It was urgent and so I pick quickly..."

"Anyway—!" Rimuru speak out loud pulling Rudeus and Aeliana attention back to the matter a head

"We need to figure out how to get out of here before they try to force us into something we don’t want."

Hearing that the princess’s expression hardened at the mention of her family’s intense. "I won’t let them control me," she said firmly. "So If you’re planning to leave, I want to go with you, I'm done being their pawn."

Nod in agreed. "Yeah, the princess has a point. We’re not going to be able to make a clean escape without allies. But if we play it right, we could make them regret underestimating us." Rory said, lifting and flexion up her hand showing the determination, with that is egger she have right now.

Rudeus, always the optimist despite his often chaotic nature, grinned then stand up. "So, we’re all in this together, then? Then let’s make sure we’re ready for whatever comes next."

Rimuru nodded, his expression resolute. "Agreed. But this time, we need to keep our heads straight and make smarter decisions. Which mean more impulsive moves." He pause glancing at someone who have the internet of using their first more then their words

Rory, giving a half-smile, added while looking away, "Fine, no massacres— for now atlest."

Rimuru, sighing, looked at the group. "Alright, now let’s figure this out. Together."

And with that, they set to work on their next steps, all still reeling from the strange encounter, but now more united than ever.