Shizu, Kenya, Alice, and Chloe.
Beyond the powers granted by Damien, each of them awakened two Unique Skills.
Let's set aside Chloe and Alice for now.
Their luck was simply too extraordinary, drawing the attributes of time and space.
This meant the two girls were destined to reach the peak of this world in the future.
The number of Unique Skills wasn't the measure of their potential.
No helping it... the gap between mortals and chosen ones was just that vast.
As for Shizu and Kenya, they weren't as fortunate as the two girls. How far they could go would depend on their own efforts.
As it stood, if they could achieve awakening, they would at least attain a high-tier Ultimate Skill.
And that was with the Seven Virtues and Seven Deadly Sins already claimed.
Otherwise, had they been earlier, both could have contended for a spot among the world's top 20 powerhouses.
"Ryota, though, gave me a pleasant surprise."
Four Unique Skills... Absolute Ice didn't count, as it was granted by Damien through synthesizing the "ice element."
But Cloud Weaver, Sea Overlord, and Winter Hunter?
Those had little to do with Damien.
They were purely powers Ryota unearthed from his own soul.
Unique Skills were like seeds, existing within everyone's soul.
Their specific effects and manifestations were shaped by the individual's thoughts.
Much like how thoughts shape appearance.
In the original story, Rimuru, before reincarnating, gained the Unique Skills Predator and Great Sage due to various thoughts.
In other words, the Voice of the World molded the energy within a person's soul into Unique Skills tailored to them.
Similarly, Ryota's Cloud Weaver, Sea Overlord, and Winter Hunter weren't born because of the cloud, sea, and ice attributes.
Quite the opposite... it was Ryota's power that landed on these attributes, sprouting these three fruits.
"Though you started a step behind the others..."
Damien comforted the boy: "I believe, Ryota, that in the future, you won't be inferior to anyone!"
"Mm!"
Ryota looked up, his eyes filled with longing and gratitude.
He hadn't expected Damien to have such high expectations for him.
"I-I'll definitely work hard, Damien-nii!"
To repay Damien's life-saving grace and live up to these expectations, Ryota had to redouble his efforts to become someone useful to Damien!
So what if he started a bit later than Kenya and the others?
What did that matter?
Sooner or later, he'd surpass them and show Damien his growth!
'I'm the man Damien-nii believes in!'
"Alright."
Damien completed the treatment for all six, also turning them into his subordinates.
No way around it... six Divine Spirits.
If he let them go, Damien would seriously question his own sanity.
With their aptitudes, they were all guaranteed to be at least as powerful as the True Demon Lord.
Across the entire Cardinal World, even with Damien's help, the number of beings who could grow to True Demon Lord status wouldn't exceed 50.
Excluding enemies and those impossible to recruit, Damien had more than enough of the 54 slots left for the Cardinal World.
"Let's go. I'll take you to the Monster Kingdom."
"That will be your new home from now on."
The Monster Kingdom Damien mentioned had already been explained to the children by Shizu, with his permission.
"Is the Monster Kingdom really as beautiful as Shizu-sensei said?"
"I heard there are tons of kids there."
"Will the schoolwork be tough?"
"Kenya, you dummy, you have to do your own homework... no copying others!"
"I wouldn't do that!"
Despite their newfound immense power, the children remained unchanged, not growing arrogant or thinking themselves superior just because they were Divine Spirits.
In the Monster Kingdom, as long as they were loyal to Damien, everyone was equal in personhood.
Status and authority varied, of course.
But there would never be high-ranking individuals lording over others or treating commoners as lesser.
Monsters had that advantage.
They knew where their power came from.
Unlike the nobles of Falmuth, where superiors schemed to exploit subordinates, and subordinates secretly betrayed their masters.
You say Damien often pushed Rimuru around?
How could that be called pushing?!
With their relationship, having Rimuru work a few extra days or pull a night shift was no big deal!
'When it comes to being inhumane, you take the cake, Damien!'
"By the way, your strength is a bit too great now."
"I hope you'll exercise restraint and not use this power to bully the weak."
Power wasn't for oppressing others... it should be used to protect comrades and defend homes.
"We understand, Damien-nii!"
The children knew they could easily hurt others by misjudging their strength, even over small matters.
If that happened, they'd feel guilty.
"Lord Damien, rest assured, I'll keep a close eye on these children."
"With me watching, that won't happen."
Shizu still held considerable authority over the five children.
Even if her strength couldn't quite keep up with them anymore, the kids were still firmly under her thumb.
No helping it... her role as their teacher gave her a natural dominance over them.
Even Chloe, with her memories from the future, could only be an obedient, adorable girl in front of Shizu.
"Mm."
Damien trusted Shizu.
He had different plans for the five children.
Chloe and Alice would become his envoys, acting as representatives to patrol various regions.
Kenya, Ryota, and Gale would form an elite strike team, tackling troublesome issues that Damien couldn't personally handle.
As for Shizu, she'd been working hard for so many years.
Damien hoped she could take a well-deserved rest.
It just so happened that Seitenshi had recently complained to him, asking for more experienced teachers to ease her burden.
Of course, since the five children were still so young, Damien wanted them to stay by Shizu's side, gaining combat experience and cultural knowledge.
***
If you want to read up to 50 chapters ahead, don't hesitate to visit our patron: pat reon . com / XElenea (remove space)