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Sky Islands · Upper Atmosphere
Whoosh...
A fighter jet tore across the sky. The indigenous inhabitants of the Sky Islands watched the aircraft streak overhead, exchanging astonished glances.
"Is that a jet from the Jura Tempest Federation? It's impossibly fast!"
A wolf-headed man stared at the disappearing aircraft in disbelief, turning to the rabbit-headed man beside him.
"Never mind that. Look at those monsters in the distance. Even the smallest one is the size of one of our cities."
"Hah. Those big shots up top must be losing their minds right about now."
The rabbit-headed man grinned smugly. As someone at the bottom of society, life had never been kind to him. Every day he was squeezed dry by the people who called themselves leaders. If things were already this miserable, what did it matter who ruled them? The Jura Tempest Federation had already made it clear they were only coming after those who resisted.
"Hahaha! I hope they wipe every last one of those bastards out."
And as it happened, the upper echelons of the Sky Islands — the very people being cursed by countless commoners at that moment — were experiencing exactly what those commoners had imagined. Every one of them was drowning in fear, and the source of that fear stood directly before them.
"My, my. It seems you still haven't grasped Kaito-sama's intentions."
"Allowing you to live as ordinary citizens within the Jura Tempest Federation is already the greatest mercy Kaito-sama could have offered you."
"And yet here you are, still dreaming of holding onto your power?"
Dressed in a butler's uniform, Diablo wore an elegant smile as he looked coldly at the lavishly dressed figures before him.
"B-But without us, you won't be able to control the commoners!"
"That's right! We've ruled them for centuries. We have the experience to manage them."
Hearing the so-called leaders still attempting to negotiate, a dangerous glint crossed Diablo's eyes. He slowly raised his right hand toward the two men who had spoken and clenched his fist.
Both men simultaneously felt a crushing pressure close around their hearts. Blood surged into their throats.
Pfft!
Fresh blood sprayed from their mouths. They crumpled to the floor, expressions of disbelief frozen on their faces.
"W-What?!"
"They're dead!"
"Killed that easily?! This guy is a demon!"
Diablo turned toward the man who had shouted and smiled pleasantly.
"Hehe, congratulations. You guessed correctly."
"As a reward for the right answer, I'll send you to join them."
"W-What?! No — don't — I don't want to die! I still have so much money I haven't spent, so many women I haven't — AHHHHHH!"
He never finished the sentence. Diablo crushed his heart. The body hit the floor beside the others.
Still smiling, Diablo produced a white handkerchief and gently wiped his spotless right hand. He tossed it casually onto one of the corpses, then raised his gaze to the surviving officials.
"From this day forward, this territory falls under the governance of the Jura Tempest Federation. Who agrees, and who objects?"
"I agree!"
"I agree too!"
"Yes! Yes! We agree completely! The Jura Tempest Federation has come to save us. Anyone who opposes them is an enemy of the world!"
Watching the officials scramble to declare their loyalty, Diablo's smile widened with quiet satisfaction.
"Everyone made the correct choice."
"What a pity, though. I was rather hoping I'd get to kill all of you."
The room went dead silent. Every person in it shivered. They were all deeply grateful, in that moment, that they had surrendered quickly. Otherwise they would have ended up exactly like the three bodies on the floor.
Observing the scene through a water mirror, Kaito smiled over at Rimuru.
"Rimuru, Diablo did well. Look at them all trembling like frightened quails."
Rimuru rolled her eyes.
"Kai-chan, are we really just letting these people go? According to Souei's investigation, not one of them is decent."
"The ones who actually cared about their people already reached out to us on their own."
The same thought had been sitting quietly in Willem's mind.
"Hehe. It's just making use of trash," Kaito said. "Once it's served its purpose, garbage goes back where it belongs."
Willem studied Kaito's expressionless face and felt he understood him a little better. Maybe the cheerful, easygoing personality Kaito usually showed the world was only a front. Maybe this cold, calculating side was who he really was.
Anyone who actually knew Kaito would have laughed at that.
A front? This version of Kaito was the front.
"Well, it looks like things here are wrapping up. I'll leave the rest to Kagaya and the others." Kaito turned to Willem. "Let's head back to the Fairy Warehouse and check on the children."
"Okay."
Kaito gave a casual wave. In the next instant, he, Willem, Chtholly, and Nephren vanished.
Fairy Warehouse · Main Gate
When they reappeared, they were standing outside the gates of the Fairy Warehouse.
"Mr. Kaito? Willem! Chtholly! Nephren!"
Nygglatho stared at the group who had materialized before her, her eyes wide with disbelief. "Thank goodness you're all safe! I heard reports saying all of you had... that you'd all..."
Her voice faltered. She couldn't finish it.
"Big Sister Chtholly is back!"
The children came rushing over the moment they spotted her.
"Hehe, I'm back."
"Welcome back, Big Sister Chtholly, Big Sister Nephren — and the Administrator!"
The reunion filled the air with noise and warmth. Off to one side, Ithea slipped out of the house and quietly made her way over to Kaito, who stood apart from it all, watching the chaos with a faint smile.
"Mr. Kaito," she said softly, "are you planning to bring all of these children to the Jura Tempest Federation?"
"Of course. They're at the age where they should be in school."
Kaito nodded, serious about it.
Ithea was quiet for a moment, watching the others play. "But Golden Fairies aren't truly alive, at least not in theory. And our lifespans are very short."
"Hehe, that's only because you don't know how powerful I am." Kaito glanced at her sideways. "Forget the fact that all of you are still here. Even if you had already disappeared, I could bring you back. At worst, I'd just rewind the timeline a little."
For one of the rare times in her life, Ithea had absolutely nothing to say. She believed Kaito could save the Golden Fairies — but rewind time? She had never heard of anyone who could actually reverse time itself.
"Mr. Kaito," she said at last, "let's just say I believe you."
"Hey!" Kaito looked at her with genuine indignation. "What do you mean, 'let's just say I believe you'? Why does nobody believe me when I'm telling the truth?"
A small smile crossed Ithea's face. "Still — I'm genuinely grateful to you, Mr. Kaito. Thank you for saving Chtholly and the others. If it weren't for you, they would have already..."
"Hehe, no need to thank me..."