It took quite a while before Milim finally calmed down. She sat there, stroking Gaia in her arms while listening to my story.
Even after sensing how strange Veldora’s sudden disappearance was, her reaction was no different from Guy’s or Ramiris’s—she simply wasn’t interested. Well, that was very Milim-like; she was never one to trouble herself with such worries. But in truth, Veldora’s disappearance was a grave matter, one capable of triggering a massive upheaval.
Most importantly, with Veldora gone, the monsters inhabiting the Great Forest of Jura would undoubtedly become more active. More dangerous, however, was the fact that there was no longer any deterrent to keep the Eastern Empire in check.
If I were to compare the Eastern Empire to Earth, it would be like China or Russia—a behemoth of a nation with vast territories. Their ultimate goal was world domination, and the Western Nations were firmly within their sights.
One of the primary reasons they had not moved recklessly until now was precisely because of Veldora.
Aside from aerial routes, the Eastern Empire had only three ways to reach the Western Nations: through the Armed Nation of Dwargon, through the domains ruled by the Demon Lords, or by crossing the Great Forest of Jura.
They had once attempted an invasion only to be utterly crushed by Veldora, which had kept them dormant. But now that Veldora had vanished, they would surely be preparing for war once more.
According to the rumors I'd gathered, they were using knowledge from Earth to mass-produce modern weaponry—tanks, guns, and battleships. Furthermore, they were a powerhouse possessing far more otherworlders than the Kingdom of Falmuth.
Well, my own nation was experimenting with similar modern armaments, but that was a matter for another time.
In any case, if the three oldest veterans of this world were going to remain indifferent, I had no choice but to devise my own countermeasures.
With that thought, I leaped through dimensions, tearing a rift in space to enter the Cave of Sealing.
I arrived at the place where Veldora had been "sealed," but as expected, there was no sign of him. I began a meticulous investigation of the area.
The entrance was still closed, meaning there had been no external intrusion. If it were someone with spatial magic like myself, perhaps, but this was different. Even the Hero's seal had vanished without a trace. There wasn't even a ripple of distorted mana, suggesting that magic hadn't been used at all.
Veldora had vanished completely, leaving not a single trace, as if he had never existed in the first place.
As I suspected, this disappearance would plunge the world into chaos, and at the center of that storm would be the eye—the cause of this entire uproar.
Deciding that the time was ripe, I resolved to begin taking concrete action. However, there was one lingering attachment.
...Shizu.
Currently, my relationship with Shizu was unexpectedly deep. To put it simply, it was a complicated bond—something more than friends, but not quite lovers.
...Ah, I don't know. Since I have parallel existence, I can handle my medical duties and various other tasks simultaneously without a problem, but right now, I want to focus all my attention on one thing.
After synthesizing the information from my parallel existence in the Kingdom of Falmuth and the one in my fortress, I confirmed that the monsters, sensing the loss of Veldora's aura, had become increasingly active. Simultaneously, the nations bordering the Great Forest of Jura were so short-handed they could barely defend their own borders.
In my own country, the monsters who had undergone life-or-death training were evolving. Through that process, various variables acted upon them, altering their physical and mental structures, sometimes resulting in evolutions into entirely different forms.
Living beings grow strongest when faced with the brink of death. The reason my subordinates could fight with genuine killing intent during training was that if they died, their souls would return immediately to me. I could then reconstruct their bodies and revive them as many times as necessary.
Because I could manipulate souls at will, I essentially possessed an immortal monster army.
Those who overcame death ascended to higher realms, and those who fell used their failure as a stepping stone to rise again, stronger than before. Consequently, the overall combat power of my forces continued to soar.
For the time being, I decided to observe. Twenty days later, when the Western Holy Church—longtime enemies of Veldora—confirmed the disappearance of the Storm Dragon, the nations began to stir exactly as I had predicted.
While some feared the surge in monster activity, others sought to seize immense wealth amidst the chaos. These reports eventually reached the ears of the Grand Master, Yuuki Kagurazaka, and Izawa Shizue.
Yuuki acted swiftly, issuing warnings to the adventurer guilds and cautioning low-rank adventurers. Shizu had already retired, but the heart she had as an adventurer—the desire to protect people that had earned her the title of a hero—still remained.
Looking at her expression, she seemed hesitant. She was torn between returning to the field or continuing her work as a teacher.
The Western Nations held an emergency summit to discuss countermeasures against the Eastern Empire and the rising monster threat.
A month passed.
While heading toward the Great Forest of Jura out of personal curiosity, I discovered a fading soul.
It was a rough soul, brimming with the ambition of a predator.
“Ah, it happens occasionally. Those with an indomitable will and obsession in life often wander the void for a long time after death.”
Curious about what ambition could keep a soul lingering like this, I absorbed it and peered into its memories.
It appeared this soul belonged to an Arang, a wolf-type monster.
The Arang had been growing in power by raiding merchants on the border of the Eastern Empire, and it seemed they had decided to use Veldora’s disappearance as an opportunity to become the hegemon of the Great Forest of Jura.
Veldora had reigned over the land like a guardian deity; now that he was gone, many monsters besides the Arang would be seeking to expand their territory.
As I sifted through the memories, I found something quite intriguing.
This particular Arang had been the boss of its tribe, but it had been killed. In a world of the survival of the fittest, death is a natural law, but the one who had slain this Arang was none other than a blue jelly. No—a blue slime.
Of course, in a world where judging an enemy by their appearance is a recipe for disaster, a slime defeating an Arang isn't inherently strange. What was strange was the method.
Using razor-sharp threads to restrict movement and creating defensive barriers—these were not tactics that would originate from a monster's mind.
Most tellingly, the last thing the Arang saw was the slime firing a high-pressure stream of water from its mouth. That was unmistakably a water jet—a precision cutting technique used in industrial machining.
From that, I could make a reasonable deduction. The knowledge of water jets meant this slime was definitely a reincarnator from another world like myself, and that it was likely involved in Veldora’s disappearance.
Now... what should I do with this?
I muttered to myself, staring at the burning soul of the Arang in my palm. Even if it was a coincidence, this creature's memories had provided a vital clue. It would be only fair to give it a reward.
“I shall grant you a new life, and the power you so desperately craved.”
Hmm... 'Okami' is too cliché. How about... Wolpung?
“I name you Wolpung. Now, show me your worth.”
With those words, I transferred the soul of the newly named Wolpung to my parallel existence in Laputa. I figured they could handle the preparation of the physical body.
“Now then... since I have the information I need, shall we get started?”
I wanted to head there immediately, but as a member of the draconic lineage, my presence would undoubtedly throw the entire forest into chaos. I decided to memorize the coordinates of the surrounding space and return via spatial movement for the time being.
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