"Are you alright?" Looking at the still-shaken Clarpen and Scott, who was down to his last breath, Takeru spoke softly while casually administering simple treatment to Scott.
"Um, thank you so much! I am Clarpen Othilet. I am extremely grateful for your help!" Clarpen, having regained her composure, spoke respectfully to Takeru.
"And I am Scott. Thank you very much for saving my life. Please, may I know your name?" Scott, now recovered, knelt on one knee before Takeru in gratitude.
"My name is Nara Takeru." Hearing his words, Takeru said calmly.
"Nara Takeru..." Hearing Takeru's words, Scott and Clarpen silently memorized the name.
"Um, Takeru-san, that Nicol has escaped. If what he said is true, then continuing to stay in the Falmuth Kingdom might get you wanted." Scott suddenly thought of something and spoke to Takeru nervously.
"Is that so? Thank you for the reminder. However, I still have some business here." Hearing his words, Takeru said calmly.
Then, signaling Salamence to ascend into the air, Takeru leaped up and disappeared.
Watching Takeru depart so decisively, the two stood stunned. They hadn't expected him to leave so abruptly, and they knew nothing more about him other than his name.
As for Takeru, he first sent a clone into the Falmuth Kingdom to investigate the kingdom's situation, while his main body took Salamence to the mountain range west of the Falmuth Kingdom.
Casually selecting a massive mountain, he carved a cave into it as a temporary residence...
Now, all that remained was for Takeru's clone and Nicol to properly orchestrate things, awaiting the arrival of the Falmuth Kingdom's soldiers to subdue him.
Although Takeru could directly attack the Falmuth Kingdom, that would cause too many unnecessary casualties and would easily involve innocents. Killing without reason wasn't what Takeru wanted.
But if they took the initiative to attack, then Takeru could completely cut loose.
Somewhat hypocritical though it might be, Takeru was still giving the Falmuth Kingdom a chance. If they weren't blinded by the vast treasure, then Takeru wouldn't do anything to them.
Shaking his head, Takeru stopped dwelling on it. Killing was nothing new, as his hands had already been stained with countless lives. Even if the upcoming slaughter was on a larger scale, for his own sake, Takeru didn't mind being the villain.
But before that, what Takeru most hoped for was that his massacre would yield corresponding returns.
"Should be fine, right?" Looking at the slowly setting sun, Takeru exhaled deeply.
"Well then, shall I summon Esdeath and the others now?" Looking at the empty cave, Takeru fell into hesitation.
Becoming a Demon Lord would bring great benefits to his subordinates. However, Takeru wasn't sure if humans like Esdeath and the others could receive blessings and improve themselves. But it was definitely worth trying.
As for Ram and Rem, if he successfully ascended to Demon Lord, they would surely gain immense benefits too.
After a moment's thought, Takeru decided to summon Ram and Rem first.
"System, use Summoning Ability to summon my followers, Ram and Rem." Deciding to act, Takeru spoke directly to his Reincarnation Watch.
[Ding! Summoning followers Ram and Rem requires 4000 points. Continue summoning?]
"Summon." Hearing the required amount, Takeru thoughtfully noted the cost. Though not low, it was certainly reasonable for him.
[4000 points deducted. Remaining points: 306,500. Beginning summoning...]
…
Meanwhile, as Takeru initiated the summoning, Ram, who had been playing with Misdreavus in the main world, and Rem, who had been busy, suddenly sensed their movements slowing down, then received a notification.
Before either could think further, black light enveloped them, and they vanished from the villa.
"What happened?" Beatrice, who had been reading manga in her room, sensed spatial fluctuations. Startled, she immediately rushed outside.
"What's wrong, Betty?" Beatrice's sudden movement caught Emilia's attention during her meditation, prompting Emilia to ask with concern.
"I just sensed an unusual spatial fluctuation, one I've never felt before!" Hearing her words, Beatrice said seriously.
"An enemy?" At this, Riya became alert.
"I don't know. But we should investigate first." Hearing her words, Beatrice responded without hesitation.
After quickly searching, they discovered Ram and Rem were missing. Realizing who had disappeared, Beatrice guessed it was likely caused by Takeru...
Back with Takeru, unaware that the Reincarnation Space's summoning had alarmed Beatrice and Emilia, he looked at Ram and Rem before him.
Upon being summoned, their attire had changed to ordinary civilian clothing. Both were still disoriented, needing several minutes to fully regain their senses.
After two minutes, Ram was the first to awaken. Spotting Takeru, she immediately went to his side and warily eyed Salamence in the distance.
"Don't worry, Salamence isn't an enemy." Seeing Ram's reaction, Takeru chuckled and patted her head.
Hearing Takeru's words, Ram relaxed and began curiously observing this other world. Before the transfer, the Reincarnation Space had informed them that Takeru, now in another world, had summoned them.
Her earlier wariness stemmed from concern that Takeru had summoned them for battle… the worst case being Takeru under threat. But now, everything seemed fine.
"Takeru-sama, has something happened?" Rem, regaining her senses a minute later, anxiously came to Takeru's side and asked.
"Don't worry, nothing's happened." Seeing her worried expression, Takeru smiled and patted her head.
"That's good to hear." Hearing Takeru say this, Rem showed a delighted smile.
Looking at the two, Takeru grew curious, 'In theory, Ram and Rem were Ogre… in this world, they should be considered monsters. Could I bestow names upon them?' (T/N: Ogre and Oni has the same character in Chinese.)
Deciding to act, Takeru looked seriously at them. "From today onward, you shall be called Ram, and you shall be called Rem."
"Eh?" Hearing Takeru's words, both were bewildered.
Before they could ask anything, they felt an immense surge of mana envelop them. Within this energy, they sensed their internal mana continuously rising and their physical capabilities rapidly strengthening.
As for Takeru, his stored mana drained by over eighty thousand before the flow ceased. Takeru stared blankly at the two, not expecting them to absorb so much mana. But the more they absorbed, the greater the enhancement they received.
Moreover, their existence had been recognized by this world's rules, which is truly an unexpected delight.
After about ten minutes, Ram and Rem felt the special mana enhancement stop. They seemed to have undergone some changes. First, their appearance: both looked slightly more mature, a bit older, their height marginally increased. Overall, however, the changes were minor.
But if one could see their race, they would notice it had evolved from Ogre to Kijin, directly skipping two stages.
"The power inside me... it feels strange." As Rem spoke, she attempted to use magic. With her will, countless ice spikes materialized in the air. The surrounding temperature plummeted sharply, and the ground beneath her feet began to freeze...
Takeru observed the mana Rem released. This single strike already matched Puck at full power. Perhaps Rem had now caught up to Puck in his prime, or even surpassed Ram's former self.
As for Ram, she cautiously released a small, low-power wind blade forward. Yet a wind blade over a meter wide rapidly formed and flew forth.
Like a gentle breeze passing through, the forest ahead was instantly carved open, creating a path dozens of meters long. All trees touched by the wind blade fell simultaneously...
"Takeru-sama, what is this...?" Looking at the destruction they had caused and feeling the abundant mana within, Ram and Rem looked at Takeru incredulously.
"This is a rule of this world. You have evolved from ordinary monsters into named monsters, thus your race has advanced, and your power has greatly increased." Seeing their confusion, Takeru explained seriously.
"I see." Hearing Takeru's words, both became excited.