The chirping of birds accompanied us as we explored the Forest of a Thousand Monsters.
"Strange, why are there no monsters in the Forest of a Thousand Monsters?"
"Is Master confused because of that?"
Shizuku looked at me with an odd expression.
"Huh? What is it?" I asked hesitantly.
"Isn't it obvious why there are no monsters on the path we're taking?"
"…Ah, I see. They're afraid to come near because you're here."
Shizuku nodded gently.
"Not just because of me, but because of Master as well. You could say the main reason they don't appear is because they're afraid of Master," Shizuku explained.
"What do you mean?" I asked, tilting my head.
Shizuku pointed directly at my face.
"Master's aura is overflowing like a bucket submerged in the ocean. Think of the bucket as the container for Master's aura, while the entire ocean is Master's true aura."
"I see. Then what about you? I'm sure you have an aura similar to mine."
Shizuku smiled proudly.
"My aura was previously restrained by the prison created by that god, but after becoming Master's servant, I gained the ability to suppress my aura by up to 99.99%."
I widened my eyes, staring at Shizuku with an astonished expression.
"This is the first time I've heard of that."
Shizuku gave a mischievous smile and stuck out her small pink tongue.
"Master never asked."
"…Forget it. So what should I do now? There's no way I can travel like this."
Shizuku pondered for a moment, then looked at me seriously.
"I have an idea."
"Tell me."
"Master gains 100% of the abilities of any creature you tame. In that case, the fastest way to obtain the ability to suppress aura is to tame a creature that already possesses that ability."
"That makes sense, but where can we find a creature with such an ability?"
Shizuku smiled mysteriously.
"I know someone. Master won't be disappointed after conquering her—she's extremely beautiful."
Shizuku grinned charmingly. Her beautiful eyes shone like the finest gemstones in the world.
"Who are you talking about?"
Shizuku stepped closer, touched my neck, and whispered softly into my ear.
"Her name is Agnes. Master may have heard of her as the progenitor of the seductive demon women—the Queen of Succubi."
…..
The Queen of Succubi—a myth that has existed since ancient times. According to legend, the Queen of Succubi was the most beautiful woman of all eras.
It was said that her beauty surpassed even the Goddess of Beauty, causing the gods themselves to fight over her heart. Yet until the end of the tale, the Queen of Succubi was said to have never formed a relationship with any man, including gods.
Some rumors claimed that the Queen of Succubi had already died, while others insisted that she was still alive to this day.
"So the Queen of Succubi is still alive?"
Shizuku nodded confidently.
"If that's true, why has the Queen of Succubi never appeared?"
Shizuku shrugged.
"I don't know. Maybe she's still frustrated because her love was once rejected by the previous generation's Master of Chaos."
"Really? How do you know that?"
"I was close friends with the Queen of Succubi before I was sealed by that god."
"I see."
Shizuku gazed at me with her beautiful eyes.
"So what do you think? Does Master want to try conquering her?"
Honestly, I wanted to try, but my intuition warned me that doing so would lead to serious trouble.
"What do you think?"
Shizuku thought for a moment, then looked at me with a gentle smile on her beautiful face.
"I think it would be better to tame her."
"Why?"
"Master needs more power to bear the title of Master of Chaos."
"I'm not sure. I already feel satisfied with my current strength."
Shizuku stepped forward again and gently embraced me with warmth and affection.
"I think Master should know this. The Masters of Chaos in ancient times always fought against a mysterious and incredibly powerful entity. I learned this from the god who sealed me—he said it is the destiny of a Master of Chaos to confront that mysterious entity."
My heart tightened as I heard Shizuku's words.
"Shizuku, are you serious?"
"Master can tell that I'm not joking."
"…"
"I don't know much about that mysterious entity either, but if it's the Queen of Succubi, she would definitely know something."
"Alright, let's tame the Queen of Succubi!"
Shizuku nodded with a joyful smile on her beautiful face.
"Mm!"
…..
According to Shizuku, the Queen of Succubi is currently on the eastern continent, which is quite far from here.
"It would take months to reach the eastern continent. We need to prepare many things for the journey."
As I pondered this issue, Shizuku was busy tinkering with a magic circle that looked unfamiliar to me.
"Shizuku, what are you doing?"
Shizuku turned around with a gentle smile on her face.
"Master, I'm developing teleportation magic."
"Huh? What did you just say?"
"Teleportation magic. Is there something wrong with that?"
I fell silent and felt a headache coming on as I looked into Shizuku's innocent eyes.
Shizuku is a dragon king from ancient times, so it's only natural that her common sense doesn't align with this era.
"Shizuku, do you know that teleportation magic is considered mythical magic whose existence is doubted by all modern mages?"
Shizuku nodded at my statement.
"That seems to be the case. But teleportation magic is actually easier than people imagine. If it were Master, you could probably create it in no time."
"…Then why don't you already have it?"
Shizuku suddenly blushed.
"I used to think teleportation magic was useless to me because I could move extremely fast in my dragon form. But after becoming human, it's difficult for me to return to my dragon form, so I want to create teleportation magic as the fastest and most efficient means of transportation."
Shizuku's explanation made sense and sounded reasonable—though, in reality, it was completely unreasonable by modern standards.
"I understand. How long will it take to create teleportation magic?"
"Considering my proficiency in magic, at most one hour."
Wow. I wasn't even surprised anymore—my mental energy had already been exhausted just from talking with Shizuku.
"Alright, do whatever you want. I'm going to take a walk."
Shizuku nodded happily, looking full of motivation.
I left Shizuku behind and excitedly wandered through the Forest of a Thousand Monsters.
The Forest of a Thousand Monsters is an extremely dangerous place, but also incredibly beautiful, as nature here has never been touched by human hands.
While near the border of the forest, I heard the hysterical screams of several humans, as if they were terrified of something.
'Should I check it out?'
Doubt arose and took hold of my heart.
'Why do I feel hesitant? In the past, I would have rushed there without a second thought. Is this because of that man? How ridiculous—has my view of humans really changed just because of that man's mistake?'
"Help! Someone, please help us!"
The desperate scream of a woman became the final spark that burned away all hesitation in my heart.
My body shot forward at superhuman speed and appeared at the edge of the Forest of a Thousand Monsters.
The first sight before my eyes made them widen in shock.
Before me was a massacre—monsters slaughtering helpless villagers.
"You damn monsters! Go to hell!"
Boom!
My body unleashed overwhelming power, distorting space and time around me.
In an instant, hundreds of high-level monsters died suddenly, unable to withstand the pressure of my power.
… .. .
To be continued…