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Bang!
"We're back!"
"Welcome back! And who's this?"
Kanae Kocho, who had come over after Rimuru and Kaito left, looked at Veldora with a puzzled expression.
"Oh, him? Let me introduce you."
"You've probably heard his name before. This is Veldora! The Storm Dragon Benimaru and the others are always going on about!"
Kaito introduced him with the same energy one might use to mention the weather.
"The Storm Dragon?! He's the former ruler of this forest?"
Veldora took a proud step forward at that and announced at full volume:
"That's right!!! I am the legendary Storm Dragon Veldora Tempest, human! Now bow before me! Hahahaha!"
Thud!
"Ow! That hurts!"
Veldora had barely finished his declaration before Kaito's iron fist connected with his head.
"Kaito, why did you hit me!"
Veldora clutched his head and gave Kaito the most aggrieved look imaginable.
"She's my woman. Who are you telling to bow?"
Veldora's eyes lit up at that. He straightened immediately and turned to Kanae with an embarrassed expression.
"Oh! So she's my sister-in-law! How terribly rude of me. I do hope you'll forgive me!"
Kanae looked at his sincerity and smiled gently.
"Hehe, you're quite the straightforward one, aren't you? I don't mind at all!"
"Hahahaha! As expected of Kaito's woman! If you ever need anything, come straight to me. I'll look after my sister-in-law!"
Thud!
"Ow! Why again!"
"I look after my own woman. I don't need your help."
Veldora clicked his tongue.
"Tch. Stingy."
He quickly retreated behind Rimuru and whispered close to her ear.
"Rimuru! You need to make your move! Don't you like Kaito?"
Rimuru's face went scarlet on the spot.
"You, you, what, what are you even saying, Veldora, I, I..."
Veldora listened to her stumble over her words and clicked his tongue again, this time in frustration.
"Listen to me. If I were you, I'd just walk into his room in the middle of the night with a pillow and make it happen."
"And if he says no, you don't take no for an answer!"
Rimuru spun around and stared at him.
"Where did you even learn that from?!"
"The manga you left in there! Trust me, Kaito won't say no to you."
Rimuru snuck a glance over at Kaito, quietly turning the idea over in her head.
"Veldora, you know her, right?"
Kaito's voice cut through her thoughts. Veldora followed the direction Kaito was pointing.
"Oh! Isn't that Big Brother's only child!"
Veldora looked at Milim, who was steadily working her way through a plate of desserts, and stared in surprise.
Milim looked up from her dessert with a puzzled expression.
"Milim, let me introduce you. This is your father's younger brother. Your biological uncle, the Storm Dragon Veldora."
"Uncle?"
Milim shot to her feet, staring at Veldora.
"That's right! My dear niece, I am your uncle, Storm Dragon Veldora! Hahahaha!"
Veldora laughed with his hands on his hips. Milim went quiet. She lowered her head slowly, and her voice came out small and soft.
"Uncle. So I really do have family."
"That's wonderful, Milim! So Veldora is your actual uncle!"
Rimuru said it with genuine warmth and surprise.
Milim raised her head, and the smile that broke across her face could have lit up the room.
"Wahahaha! I have an uncle! Please take care of me from now on, Uncle!"
"And you of me, my dear niece!"
Kaito watched Veldora give Milim a big thumbs up, and a quiet smile settled on his face. He always had a soft spot for moments like this.
Time seemed to slow, and then, just like that, another month slipped by.
Jura-Tempest Federation · Unknown Location · A Dark Room
The room was completely dark save for a single candle burning at the center of the table. The figure seated at the head of the table, face hidden beneath a black robe, spoke in a low and gloomy tone.
"The situation is getting dangerous. They're investigating far too closely."
Another black-robed figure seated to the left chimed in with the same heavy tone.
"It really has been getting harder to operate lately. These people, how are their instincts so sharp? Could there be a traitor among us?"
A woman in a black robe sitting across from him answered in a clear, bell-like voice.
"Impossible. There are no traitors in this organization. Every single member went through multiple layers of screening. A traitor simply could not have slipped through."
"Then someone among us was careless and got us exposed."
Another black-robed woman rested her chin in both hands and said flatly.
"Either way, we need to go quiet for a while. There are too many powerful people in this city. Especially that woman."
"Yes. If that woman finds out..."
"No way. She wouldn't find out, right?"
"Hard to say. It's that woman we're talking about."
The moment those words landed, all four of them fell into silence. That woman was, frankly, too terrifying to think about for long.
"Right. Since we've agreed to lay low, let's move the last of the goods first."
The figure at the head of the table turned to the other man at the table.
He gave a quiet nod.
"Understood. I'll head to the school district later and clear out everything we have left."
"Good. Then let us toast, everyone. To freedom!"
The figure at the head raised a stemmed glass toward the rest of the group.
"To freedom!"
"To freedom!"
"To freedom!"
The other three raised their glasses and called out together.
Bang!!!
The door was blown off its hinges. Armed figures poured in from every direction, weapons leveled, voices sharp and overlapping.
"It's over! We've been tracking you for a long time, and we've finally got you! Drop your weapons and surrender!"
The black-robed figures looked at the security team flooding in and chaos broke out immediately.
"We've been found! Run!"
Just as they scrambled to force their way out, a clear, cold voice rang through the room.
"Time Stop!!!"