What did he mean by their world having a lot of unwanted children? Miori Shiba felt her head buzzing as she stared at Ren Isana in utter bewilderment.
"I'm not that kind of person. I could never do something like human trafficking!" Miori stated, looking at Ren with absolute seriousness.
Ren's face instantly filled with question marks. What human trafficking? Left completely speechless, he couldn't help but retort, "Are you misunderstanding something here?"
Miori looked confused and shot back, "Aren't you asking me to help round up those children and sell them to you?"
Everyone fell silent at her words. Why had this suddenly turned into human trafficking? Ren didn't even know where to begin correcting her.
"No, that's not it at all. As model students, how could we possibly do something so illegal and unruly?" Ren shot her a sidelong glance. *Don't go spouting nonsense.*
"Then tell me, how exactly do you want to cooperate?" Miori asked, feeling a bit awkward. So she had just been overthinking things. For some reason, that brought her a wave of relief.
"Miss Miori, I want you to help gather the Cursed Children. Then, I will send them to our world to receive training," Ren explained, laying out his plan.
Hearing this, Miori froze. He wanted to send the Cursed Children away? Was it really that simple? She looked at the intruders before her with a hint of suspicion.
"Since the people of your world don't want those children, we'll take them. We will provide them with a safe environment to grow up in, and we will teach them all kinds of magic," Ren said calmly, revealing their side of the arrangement.
Miori fell silent. She was more than aware of the situation regarding the Cursed Children in this world. To be completely honest, she couldn't stand it either.
Those people were absolute hypocrites. They blatantly used the children's power while simultaneously ostracizing them. Their behavior was simply repulsive.
Miori remained quiet. Perhaps sending those children to another world really was the best option? It would certainly be a good thing for them. With that in mind, she began to calculate the possibilities in her head.
"In return, I can bring you to our world ahead of time so you can come into contact with its power. How does that sound?" Ren looked at her with a smiling expression.
To put it bluntly, he was making a promise that cost him nothing. After all, once the two worlds eventually connected, she would have been able to go over and learn anyway. Ren was simply offering her early access.
Hearing Ren's offer, Miori's heart immediately skipped a beat. Who wouldn't want supernatural power? If she could go to that world ahead of schedule, the benefits she could reap would undoubtedly be massive.
Maybe Shiba Heavy Industries could even expand into that world? She didn't expect to surpass the native enterprises there, but crushing her local competitors would be a piece of cake, right?
Getting there a step early meant securing more resources a step early. Having figured all this out, Miori was thoroughly tempted. But Ren's next words made her heart race even faster.
"By the way, our world is connected to more than just yours. Some of those worlds even have gods," Ren casually dropped the bombshell.
"What do you need me to do?" Miori couldn't help but ask. At that moment, she made up her mind. Cooperating with them was completely fine—mostly because she simply couldn't refuse such an offer.
Seeing her reaction, the corners of Ren's mouth curled up slightly. "I have some companions waiting outside. I'd like you to arrange accommodations for them."
Miori blinked in surprise. She looked at Ren and his group in confusion. "It's not just you guys?"
"Do you really think a class only has ten people?" Ren retorted. He had already mentioned that an entire class came over; how could there only be ten of them?
Miori realized that made perfect sense. After thinking for a moment, she looked around and said, "You've locked this place down. I can't exactly make arrangements like this."
It wasn't that she couldn't arrange things. Now that they had reached a cooperative agreement, this was a minor issue. She owned several other properties nearby; she just needed to settle everyone into them.
Seeing this, Ren directly dispelled the [Spatial Barrier] and said, "Asagi, notify everyone to gather outside. Miss Miori, please have someone go out and bring those forty-plus people in."
Miori was a bit taken aback by the number. That many? Added together, that was over fifty people. Was that really just one class of students? She picked up her phone and sent a message to her bodyguards outside.
Everyone watched her actions closely. Seeing that she wasn't trying to pull any tricks, they finally relaxed. It seemed she was genuinely willing to cooperate.
The bodyguards outside were a bit confused upon receiving Miori's message, but they immediately sprang into action, heading out to bring in the people their young miss had requested.
"Alright, now can you tell me how exactly we're going to cooperate? You can't just expect me to run around catching those children myself, right?" Miori asked, looking at Ren after sorting out the arrangements.
Ren looked at Miori and slowly said, "Your city has a newly appointed idol-like ruler, Seitenshi, right? I think she should be involved in this matter. What do you think?"
Miori stared at Ren in sheer disbelief. Bring Seitenshi into this? But Seitenshi didn't actually hold any real power... Wait... Could these guys be planning to...?
"Are you... planning to use Seitenshi to take control of the entire area?" Miori hesitated for a moment before voicing her suspicion.
Ren nodded and replied with absolute seriousness, "That's right, that's exactly what we're thinking. Originally, I wanted to be a bit more direct—just kill all those guys in charge and then slowly take over the city."
Listening to Ren's dangerous declaration, Miori was dumbfounded. *Such a dangerous method... please don't do that!!* After all, some members of her own family were probably included in that hit list!
"Please, absolutely do not do that! That method is far too dangerous!!" Miori hurriedly pleaded. If Ren actually went through with it, the entire city would instantly plunge into chaos, which was something no one could accept.
"If I were really going to do that, we wouldn't be sitting here right now. So we abandoned that plan. Even though it would be very easy to pull off, the aftermath would be too troublesome," Ren sighed as he spoke.
Killing people was easy, but dealing with the fallout was a massive headache. Unless it was absolutely necessary, Ren didn't want to resort to that. Hearing this, Miori instantly breathed a sigh of relief.
"So, we decided to find a wealthy sucker who knows Seitenshi and has a decent status," Ren said, quietly shifting his gaze to Miori.
She immediately realized who this "sucker" was, which made her incredibly depressed. *Great, so I'm just a sucker to them?* His words were enough to infuriate anyone!
"So you sought me out, hoping I could help you contact Seitenshi so we can all cooperate, right?" Miori looked at Ren with a hint of resentment. She truly hadn't expected to be playing such a role in all this.
Ren nodded, not denying it in the slightest. That was exactly their thought process: find a wealthy backer to foot the bill for their operations in this world, while simultaneously using them to get in touch with Seitenshi.
"How do you know Seitenshi will definitely agree to cooperate with you?" Miori asked, genuinely puzzled. Were Ren and his group really that confident? What if Seitenshi refused?
"I don't think she'll refuse. After all, she wouldn't want to see those Monoliths standing outside collapse, would she? For us, violence is sometimes the most efficient way to get things done. Destroying a city is just a matter of casting a few spells," Ren said calmly, delivering words that made Miori's blood run cold.
There was really only one path laid out for Seitenshi: cooperate with Ren. Otherwise, if this group decided to take action, the entire Tokyo Area would suffer. Miori didn't even dare to imagine how terrifying the consequences would be!
This guy Ren could even lock down space itself. Heaven only knew how terrifying his true strength was. It was precisely because she understood this that Miori felt genuine fear. When Ren said he could easily destroy the entire city, he was probably telling the truth!
"I understand. I will invite Seitenshi over tomorrow." Taking a deep breath, Miori made her choice. To prevent these people from turning the entire city into a wasteland... *I'm sorry, Seitenshi!*
Hearing Miori's promise, Ren nodded and smiled. "Don't worry, we won't do anything to Seitenshi. We just want to reach a cooperative agreement. Furthermore, we'll even help her gradually take back the power that rightfully belongs to her."
However, hearing this only made Miori feel even more depressed. Once that power was taken back, it was hard to say whose hands it would actually end up in. The moment she realized they wanted to cooperate with Seitenshi, Miori understood exactly what Ren was plotting.
Using the emperor to command the nobles. Anyone below who refused to obey would likely be wiped out by these people. Miori could already smell the impending bloodbath. She could only hope that things wouldn't spiral completely out of control.
The room fell silent. The others didn't speak either, simply waiting quietly. The food in front of Miori had gone cold, but she had no appetite left to eat it anyway.
After a while, the sound of footsteps came from outside. Ren and the others used their perception and immediately knew that the rest of their classmates had arrived. The villa doors opened, and Sora and the others walked in.
In just a few moments, the villa was packed with people. Everyone's gaze fell upon Miori. Had Ren already sorted things out here?
"How about we act as your bodyguards starting today? We can teach you our world's magic while we're at it," Ren suggested as soon as everyone gathered.
Miori's eyes instantly lit up. After a brief moment of thought, she understood Ren's intentions. This was both protection and surveillance. However, she didn't refuse. Since she had already agreed to cooperate, she had no choice but to see it through to the end.
"Sure, but I want girls as my bodyguards," Miori agreed directly, adding a small condition. Since they were going to be monitoring her, they would naturally be spending a lot of time together. Having girls around would be much more comfortable.
"No problem. Sora, your squad will be responsible for her safety from now on, as well as teaching her our world's magic, starting from the absolute basics," Ren ordered, assigning Sora's team to stick with Miori.
Hearing Ren's instructions, Sora readily agreed. "Understood, Class Rep. No problem on my end. I'll let Yukari handle the magic lessons since she's good at it. I'm much better at martial arts."
She would do whatever Ren asked. Acting as a bodyguard was a piece of cake. As for teaching magic, Yukari had that covered. Sora would just focus on teaching her some martial arts.
The matter was settled in just a few words, and Miori had absolutely no objections. They had only just finalized their agreement, and she was already receiving benefits. Having this kind of partner was incredibly satisfying.
At the same time, Miori firmed her resolve to bring Seitenshi over tomorrow. She would just have to let Seitenshi suffer a little bit first. Surely, Seitenshi wouldn't blame her. In fact, she might even be grateful.
After all, Miori was introducing her to the most cutting-edge power imaginable. Seitenshi would be too busy being thankful to ever hold a grudge, right? Thinking of it this way, all the pressure in Miori's heart vanished.
With those matters settled, Miori began arranging accommodations for everyone. She owned several other villas nearby, and she managed to get the entire group settled in.
As for Ren and his immediate group, they stayed in Miori's current villa. That very night, Yukari began teaching Miori how to use [Meditation]. Seeing this, Ren casually tossed over a potion.
"Drink this. It'll help you enter the state quickly." Ren had bought this potion in passing earlier; it helped people enter a meditative state more easily. He originally intended to use it on some of the children, but now, this girl was getting a freebie.
Looking at the potion Ren handed her, a flash of surprise crossed Miori's eyes. She immediately took it and drank it down without hesitation. She wasn't afraid of it being poison or anything of the sort.
After all, Ren had absolutely no reason to poison her. The moment she swallowed the potion, she felt her mind enter a state of profound tranquility. Seeing this, Yukari began explaining the tricks to [Meditation].
"Now, close your eyes and completely empty your mind," Yukari's voice echoed in Miori's ears. She hurriedly followed the instructions, clearing her thoughts entirely. The next moment, she felt a sudden tap on her body.
A surge of energy entered her body through her shoulder, followed closely by Yukari's voice. "Try to catch that energy, then guide it down to merge with your abdomen."
It was very difficult for first-timers to capture Magic Power during [Meditation], which was why they needed assistance. Yukari and the others had gone through the exact same process, so they were incredibly familiar with it.
By now, Miori was completely immersed in [Meditation]. As she continuously absorbed the Magic Power, a seed of her very own Magic Power soon formed within her body.
Seeing this, Yukari stopped providing energy and began teaching her how to store Magic Power. Only after she had taught her everything did Yukari finally stop. Soon after, Miori slowly opened her eyes.
Feeling the Magic Power inside her body, Miori's eyes widened in shock. Was this Magic Power? She could clearly feel a faint, new energy resting in her abdomen.
Although it was weak, this power undeniably belonged to her, because she could control it. However, Miori didn't try to mess with the energy just yet. Instead, she looked at Yukari with pleasant surprise.
"You'll need to continue using [Meditation] for a while. Your goal is to strengthen your Magic Power, because only then will you have enough Magic Power to cast spells in the future," Yukari explained, passing on the basic knowledge.
Hearing Yukari's words, Miori suddenly understood. In other words, she had only just crossed the threshold. The power currently in her body wasn't even enough to cast a single spell. If she wanted to use magic, she had to expand her internal reservoir first.
"I understand!" Having figured it all out, Miori nodded excitedly. She was looking forward to the day she could finally use magic more and more.
Yukari looked at Miori, nodded, and continued, "From now on, it's best if you replace your sleep with [Meditation]. That will help you grow stronger."
Since Ren had asked her to teach Miori, Yukari naturally put her whole heart into it, making sure to explain all these details. Miori was an adult, so she had no problem grasping these concepts.
Furthermore, Yukari noticed that Miori's physical constitution was actually quite good. With a little training, she would be able to sense True Qi as well, though that would be much more difficult than learning magic.
Miori hurriedly nodded upon hearing this. That night, she felt as if she had opened the door to a whole new world. A brand new reality was unfolding before her, which only solidified her resolve to cooperate with Ren and his group.
However, she wasn't in a rush to tell her father about this. She would wait until she had grown stronger. Saying anything now wouldn't serve any purpose. With that thought, Miori made her decision.
On their first night in this world, Ren and the others had successfully found a wealthy sucker and temporarily settled down. Everyone began to rest in the villas Miori had arranged for them.
When the second day arrived, Miori sent out an invitation to Seitenshi bright and early, inviting her over to the villa as a guest. Miori knew very well that the current Seitenshi was essentially just a mascot with plenty of free time on her hands.
Normally, she just sat in her office, which basically meant she was just spacing out. Those old fools in charge didn't give her any actual work to handle anyway. Therefore, barring any unexpected circumstances, Miori figured she would definitely accept the invitation!