DID YOU KNOW? YOU CAN NOW READ THREE TO SIX CHAPTERS AHEAD. CHECK MY PROFILE FOR THE LINK.
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After working her way through most of the reports that had accumulated during her absence, Kaede finally decided it was time to deal with the Primordial Demon Kanade had brought back with him.
With that in mind, she left the palace and made her way toward Maple Tree's industrial estate.
The district had changed tremendously over the past three years.
Ever since Chibari and her fellow dwarves had settled in Maple Tree, what had once been little more than a collection of workshops had steadily grown into the nation's primary center of manufacturing and craftsmanship.
Wide stone roads stretched between rows of specialized buildings, each dedicated to a different trade.
One district housed carpenters and woodworkers.
Another echoed constantly with the rhythmic strikes of blacksmiths shaping metal.
Elsewhere, artificers, machinists, alchemists, and craftsmen practiced their respective disciplines, the entire estate alive with the sounds of industry.
It was a place where invention never truly slept.
At the very heart of the estate stood its most recognizable landmark.
An enormous industrial-scale smithy.
The structure towered over the surrounding workshops, its colossal chimneys reaching high into the sky while waves of heat shimmered above its roof.
Its sheer size wasn't simply for spectacle.
The entire facility had been constructed directly around one of Maple Tree's two power plants, allowing the immense furnaces within to draw upon a constant, nearly inexhaustible supply of energy.
For Chibari, It was nothing less than paradise.
Oddly enough, Kaede wasn't making the trip alone this time.
Accompanying her were two of her daughters.
Acer and Hanae.
It was an unusual pairing, especially considering that both of them were Dryads. Neither particularly cared for this part of the city.
The industrial estate was efficient. Remarkably so.
But it was also filled with towering chimneys, the rhythmic clang of hammers striking steel, and the constant warmth radiating from countless furnaces. It lacked the quiet serenity of forests and gardens that Dryads naturally gravitated toward.
Still, neither complained.
"The Dragonewts of Lake Siss have officially submitted themselves to Tempest's authority over eastern Jura," Hanae reported as they walked, her hands folded neatly before her.
Kaede hummed thoughtfully. "I'm not particularly interested in Lake Siss, Hanae." She glanced toward the distant skyline, where plumes of steam drifted lazily above the estate.
"Our water supply is already more than sufficient." A small smile crossed her face. "I'd even argue it's better."
"Mother," Beside her, Acer let out a quiet giggle. "Hanae's simply frustrated."
She smiled teasingly at her younger sister.
"The other Dryads throughout the eastern forest have been campaigning almost nonstop, encouraging every monster they meet to migrate to Tempest."
Hanae's expression remained as composed as ever, her usual gentle smile never wavering. "Dear sister," she replied serenely, "please think nothing of it."
"I hold no resentment toward our earthly sisters." She paused. "...Although." A faint sigh escaped her. "Ever since the Queen of Spirits established herself within Tempest as one of Lord Rimuru's closest allies..."
"...the spirits themselves have gradually begun to favor Tempest over the rest of the forest."
"Ramiris?" Kaede asked, continuing to wave cheerfully at several blacksmiths who paused in their work long enough to greet her.
"She's the Queen of Spirits, right?"
"I remember Mizeri introducing her that way."
For the briefest moment, Hanae appeared to glare at absolutely nothing. "Indeed." Her smile remained perfectly pleasant. "Lady Ramiris bears a peculiar curse."
"It compels her to repeatedly undergo the cycle of death and rebirth in quick succession, reincarnating into a younger form each time."
Kaede blinked. "...Huh."
<
Artificia answered immediately.
<
'How recent is "recent," exactly?' Kaede wondered.
<
'Three hundred?'
<
Kaede was quiet for a moment. '...She's that old?'
Her thoughts drifted toward the tiny fairy Mizeri had introduced at Walpurgis.
'And she's still that small.' She couldn't help laughing inwardly. 'That's a pretty strange definition of "quick succession."'
'Also... how exactly did you know Leon sought her blessing if that happened over two hundred years ago?'
<<...>>
A brief silence followed before Artificia answered.
<
<
<
"...Oh." Kaede let out a small, nervous laugh. 'Right. I definitely knew that, Artificia.'
'...I was just testing you.'
<
Kaede's eye twitched. 'Who said I was making excuses?'
She folded her arms with exaggerated indignation before eventually giving up. '...Ah, whatever.' A helpless smile spread across her face. "You're becoming more life-like by the day, Artificia."
<
"Don't go back to talking like that!" Kaede immediately pointed an accusing finger at absolutely nothing. "I've already caught you!"
<<...>>
The silence that followed somehow felt almost deliberate.
Kaede merely sighed. 'Yeah... definitely becoming more life-like.'
She gradually tuned back into the conversation unfolding beside her.
"...He possessed an incredible aura," Hanae was saying. "Then he introduced himself as Veldora."
A faintly troubled expression crossed her face.
"When I failed to respond immediately, he suddenly began crying and declared that I was a terribly mean spirit."
"...Really?" Acer asked.
"I was forced to explain that I had only been born recently," Hanae continued with another quiet sigh. "Naturally, I wasn't familiar with his legends in the same way the older Dryads were."
She shook her head ever so slightly. "The moment I said that..."
"...he stopped crying altogether and burst into laughter."
Hanae frowned thoughtfully. "I truly feel as though that dragon possesses some sort of emotional switch."
"It was... peculiar." She paused. "...Bordering on bizarre."
Acer covered her mouth, laughing softly. "So Ari's description really didn't do him justice."
"Oh?" Kaede smiled. "So you two are talking about Veldora?"
Hanae looked toward her. "...He's a profoundly troublesome dragon." She considered the statement for another moment before giving a small nod. "That much, at least, I'm confident of."
'Yep.' Kaede couldn't help smiling. 'That definitely sounds like Veldora.'
Their conversation gradually faded as the three continued deeper into the industrial estate.
Before long, the enormous structure dominating the district came into view.
The power plant.
Built around its immense magical core stood the largest smithy in all of Maple Tree.
Chibari's workshop.
Right at the entrance stood a striking blonde woman dressed in a black leather jacket over a fitted white shirt, with matching leather trousers adorned with dangling silver chains.
She wore an expression of restrained impatience.
The instant she caught sight of Kaede, however, her posture straightened almost reflexively.
Standing beside her was Sera, whom Kaede had sent ahead to summon the Primordial Demon. It was the Goblina who quietly informed Jaune of Kaede's arrival.
'...Huh. Kanade mentioned she was loud, overdramatic, and had an extremely violent streak. She looks... surprisingly polite.'
Kaede raised a curious eyebrow as the blonde lowered herself into a respectful bow.
"L-Lady Empress!" Jaune greeted, her voice catching ever so slightly. "I-It's... a pleasure to finally meet you."
Kaede blinked.
<
<
'...Oh. Well... I was already planning to approve her.' A warm smile naturally spread across Kaede's face. "Ah. So you're the Jaune, Kanade told me about."
Jaune's face lit up immediately.
"Yep! That's me." She straightened proudly, placing a hand against her chest. "Jaune, the Primordial Yellow, at your service. My demons and I stand ready to pledge ourselves to you."
"Very eager," Kaede observed with an approving nod. "I like that."
Jaune returned the smile without hesitation. Internally... 'What... What the hell am I looking at!?
What is she...? What is she!?
I've existed since the beginning... I've seen the True Dragons, the Original Angels, even Guy Crimson...
I've never seen anything like this... What kind of monster is she...?'
"Why don't we head inside first?" Kaede said pleasantly, gesturing toward the massive entrance. "The person working on your new body should already be waiting for us."
Jaune immediately lowered her head once more.
"Of course, my Lady."
She quietly fell into step behind Kaede and her daughters as they entered the enormous smithy together.
The moment they stepped through the massive reinforced doors, the atmosphere changed.
Jaune stopped walking.
"..."
Her crimson eyes slowly widened. The air itself felt... heavy. Unnaturally Dense.
Every breath she drew into her lungs carried astonishing concentrations of magicules, enough that even she, a Primordial Demon who had spent countless millennia in Hell, instinctively took another breath just to make sure she wasn't imagining it.
"...This..."
Her gaze slowly swept across the enormous interior.
The ceilings stretched hundreds of meters overhead, supported by colossal steel pillars engraved with glowing runic circuits.
Walkways crossed one another above massive assembly halls where countless dwarves, Antari, Goblins, Ogres and several other races moved in perfect synchronization.
Some worked molten metal. Others assembled enormous engines.
Others still carefully carved intricate magical circuits into metallic plates larger than entire houses.
The rhythmic sound of hammers striking anvils echoed endlessly throughout the facility.
Jaune slowly exhaled. "...This almost reminds me of Hell."
Acer nodded quietly. "I don't particularly enjoy coming here.".She rubbed one of her arms unconsciously. "It feels... restrictive."
Hanae nodded beside her. "The concentration of fire-aspected magicules overwhelms natural balance."
She looked around the immense smithy. "It is probably the place in Maple Tree I dislike the most."
Kaede glanced back with an apologetic smile. "Sorry."
Acer simply smiled. "We understand why it exists."
Hanae placed her hand on her elder sister's shoulder. "That doesn't mean we have to enjoy it."
Sera smiled politely. "If I may..." She stepped slightly ahead of the group. "Since Lady Jaune has never visited the industrial estate before..." "...perhaps this would be a suitable opportunity for a brief tour."
Kaede shrugged. "Go for it."
Sera bowed slightly. "As you have likely already noticed..."
"The unusually high concentration of magicules throughout this facility is intentional."
"I assumed as much." Jaune looked toward her. "But I can't determine where they're coming from."
Sera nodded. "That is because they originate from several Magicule Generators installed beneath the structure."
Jaune blinked. "...Several what?"
"Magicule Generators."
"..."
"..."
Jaune stared. "No."
Sera tilted her head. "No?"
"That isn't possible." She spoke with absolute certainty. "There is no such thing."
"Magicules naturally gather. They are produced by living beings. They can also leak from high-density magical objects."
"They mostly just circulate through nature, but..." She frowned. "...you cannot generate them outside of that."
Sera merely smiled. "That is the conclusion reached by most nations."
Jaune folded her arms. "Because it's true."
Sera simply continued walking. "The generators are proprietary technology developed within Maple Tree."
"They continuously produce stable magicules before feeding them into the facility."
Jaune continued staring at her.
Sera offered no further explanation. Instead, she pointed toward several enormous metallic conduits running along the ceiling.
"The generated magicules are gathered before being distributed throughout the structure."
"From there... They are funneled into the six primary furnaces."
Jaune followed her finger. Only now did she notice them. Six unimaginably massive furnace chambers surrounded the central forge.
Each one glowed a completely different colour.
One burned crimson.
Another brilliant blue.
One shimmered white.
Another emerald.
One burned golden.
The final furnace emitted deep violet flames.
Sera continued. "Each furnace maintains a different temperature. A different magical composition, and a different elemental alignment."
"They do not merely produce fire. The flames themselves are saturated with refined magicules."
She looked proudly toward the enormous furnaces. "As a result..."
"Every metal refined within them absorbs vastly greater quantities of magicules during the smelting process."
"The finished materials naturally develop superior magical affinity, greater durability, and a much higher potential for enchantment."
Jaune slowly looked back toward the furnaces.
"..."
'What kind of ridiculous place is this...?'
The group continued deeper into the structure. They passed through hall after hall.
One contained nothing but gigantic presses capable of shaping entire castle walls.
Another housed rows of precision machining equipment where tiny magical components no larger than fingernails were assembled beneath dozens of magnifying lenses.
Elsewhere, artificers carefully calibrated magical reactors while alchemists monitored enormous crystalline vats filled with glowing liquids.
Eventually they arrived before a circular platform surrounded by polished metal railings.
At its center stood an enormous elevator, Sera explaining as much.
Jaune tilted her head. "...An elevator?"
Sera simply sighed as she explained once again, what an elevator was.
The platform began descending almost immediately after everyone stepped aboard.
Jaune quietly looked toward the control panel. Several buttons lined one side. The lowest button remained dark.
Instead... The button immediately above it glowed softly.
'Second lowest...?' She frowned slightly. 'So we aren't going to the bottom.'
The elevator continued descending. Sera noticed where her gaze had wandered.
"The level beneath that is restricted. It houses the primary containment chamber."
Jaune looked toward her. "The containment chamber?"
Sera nodded. "The six furnaces above all direct a portion of their flames downward."
"They converge beneath the facility. The different elemental flames merge continuously. The resulting flame is designated..."
"...Chaos Flame."
Jaune's eyebrows rose. "...You merged six magical furnace flames into a single fire? What's the big deal?"
Kaede smiled. "Not exactly." She casually rested her hands inside her pockets.
"I originally made the flame. Now The furnaces just feed it. And they keep it burning."
The elevator finally slowed. The heavy doors opened.
An oppressive wave of heat struck them immediately.
Even Jaune instinctively narrowed her eyes.
The air shimmered violently. The stone floor itself glowed faintly from the sheer temperature.
Before stepping outside, Acer and Hanae calmly retrieved lightweight suits of silver-green protective armor from a nearby rack.
The equipment carried intricate cooling enchantments woven throughout the metal.
Sera likewise fastened a reinforced protective coat around herself.
Jaune watched all three of them. "..." She then looked toward Kaede. "...You're not wearing one?"
Kaede looked down at herself. "...Should I?"
"..."
Jaune chose not to answer. Instead she silently stepped out into the unbearable heat.
Almost immediately... Sweat formed across her forehead. 'Seriously...? I haven't sweated in centuries...'
Far ahead... The deafening sound of hammer striking metal echoed throughout the chamber.
CLANG!
CLANG!!
CLANG!!!
Each impact sent visible shockwaves through the air.
At the center of the enormous subterranean forge stood a single muscular woman.
The Dwarve Chibari.
Her sleeveless work clothes were soaked with sweat, powerful arms rising and falling with mechanical precision as her hammer repeatedly descended upon an enormous slab of glowing metal resting atop an equally gigantic anvil.
Every strike folded the metal with astonishing accuracy.
Beside her...
Suspended within an immense containment ring...
Burned a pitch-black flame.
Scarlet lightning endlessly crawled across its surface like living serpents, occasionally lashing outward before being pulled violently back into the darkness.
Even Jaune could immediately tell. That... was no ordinary fire.