"What the... ?"
Shizue Izawa felt it.
The restless, fiery power of Ifrit within her, which she had to expend great effort to suppress, was rapidly fading.
Yet, the balance between her magicules and soul didn't collapse with Ifrit's power gone.
At first, Shizue thought she was about to lose the strength that had accompanied her for years.
But after sensing her condition, she was shocked to discover that Ifrit's power hadn't vanished... it had truly become her power!
"Un… unbelievable…"
Over seventy years had passed since Shizue's reincarnation.
Due to being transformed into a Majin shortly after crossing over, her race leaned more toward daemon and elemental than human.
Mentally, Shizue was no different from a human girl.
"I searched for so long, and finally…"
The solution she couldn't find in seventy years.
Damien had done nothing but sign a contract with her.
And just like that, her problem was inexplicably resolved.
"Who… who are you, exactly?"
The familiar contract Shizue received contained only Damien's name, no other information.
"I'm Damien, a majin. My current role is the ruler of this forest."
Damien casually claimed the Jura Forest, historically neutral or belonging to Veldora, as his own.
No hint of guilt for seizing Veldora's territory.
"Huh?"
Shizue followed closely behind Damien, her mood now much lighter.
The contract was signed... she had no room to refuse.
But Damien seemed like a decent person.
Right after signing, he resolved her issue without asking her to do anything strange.
If Damien could really solve the children's problems, Shizue was perfectly fine working for him for life.
After all, without him, she'd be dead from magicule overload in a month.
Such a life-saving favor, in Shizue's traditional mindset, was worth even pledging herself entirely.
"But isn't the Jura Forest Veldora's territory?"
"Claiming it like this… won't that cause trouble?"
Shizue was worried for Damien. Grateful as she was, she couldn't let him walk into danger. "The Demon Lords in the east and the western nations... they won't just stand by and let you rule here."
"You're worried about that?"
Damien glanced at Shizue with interest, smiling. "No need to worry. I'm heading to settle that issue right now."
"Huh?"
Shizue was confused, not grasping his meaning.
Settle the issue?
How?
"Um…"
Shizue asked, "Where are you going now? If I'm not mistaken, that's the direction of the Sealed Cave, right?"
"You've been here before?"
"Only a few times."
In her search for a cure, Shizue had traveled to many places.
But she'd never ventured deep into the Sealed Cave.
The monsters there ranged from C-rank to B+, and rumors spoke of Special A-rank monsters below... though whether that was true was unclear.
That alone wouldn't scare Shizue.
The real issue was Veldora sealed within!
A girl who wasn't even a Demon Lord seed... how could she dare touch such a taboo?
"Correct, we're heading to the Sealed Cave."
"What for?!"
Shizue wanted to warn Damien that the Sealed Cave was dangerous.
Even for exploration, thorough preparation was essential... not reckless entry.
"What else?"
Damien said, "To find Veldora and discuss the ownership of this forest, of course."
"…"
Shizue was dumbfounded.
For a moment, she didn't know what to say.
Find Veldora?
Was this guy insane?
That was Veldora, a True Dragon!
Even Demon Lords might not defeat it.
Going there... wasn't that just suicide?
"And not just Veldora."
Damien dropped another bombshell. "In fact, Velzard the Frost Dragon is there too."
"F-Frost Dragon?"
Shizue knew much about Velzard. "But isn't that just a myth?"
The legends of the four true dragons were ancient tales in the cardinal world.
Even the most active Veldora had been sealed for 300 years.
Velzard and Velgrynd's last activities dated back a thousand years.
Back then, the western nations probably didn't even exist, right?
"Alright, we're here."
"What?!"
Shizue lost count of how many times Damien had shocked her on this journey.
She wanted to say they were still far from the Sealed Cave... there was no way they'd arrive so soon.
But looking up, the massive gate before her silently confirmed they'd reached the Sealed Cave.
"How did you do that?!"
In her memory, they'd only just left Ellen's team, walking for four or five minutes at most.
And yet, here they were.
Shizue felt utterly numb.
"Didn't I tell you?"
Damien said casually, "I used space magic."
"But that's ridiculous!"
Shizue exclaimed, "What kind of space magic crosses hundreds or thousands of kilometers in one go?!"
Especially since Damien hadn't even used a magic circle.
Shizue had never heard of such teleportation magic!
"Hmm…"
Damien mused, "Then let's add some time magic?"
"Can you be any more dismissive?!"
"What is this, cooking? Too much salt, so add some sugar?!"
For once, even the unflappable Shizue Izawa turned into a flustered, ranting mess.
"Hahaha…"
Damien found this lively side of Shizue far cuter than her earlier brooding demeanor.
"Huff… huff…"
Shizue forcibly calmed her racing heart, completely baffled.
This man... what was his deal?
Appearing out of nowhere, signing a contract with her, fixing her soul issue, and then crossing hundreds of kilometers to reach the Sealed Cave.
And now, saying he was going to meet Veldora and Velzard.
Then what?
What did he plan to do after finding two true dragon?
***
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