On the day Rimuru made his great escape, there were those laughing loudly in the innermost chamber of the dungeon.
Veldora and
Veldora, having taken on a human form, stood before the magic circle, laughing. Ramiris fluttered joyfully around him.
"Kyahahahaha! It's finally complete! Now we can set off to another world before Rimuru does!"
"Uhyohyohyo, an encounter with the unknown! Rimuru's always going on about being cautious — now's our chance, Master!"
"Indeed! I was thinking the same thing, Ramiris. At the upcoming forum in Ingracia, a paper on the gate to another world is to be presented. But before that, why don't we orchestrate the first success with our own hands!"
"Right, right! Rimuru's bound to say something like 'I'm going to another world to have fun' eventually, so we've got to go check things out first!"
"Quite right!"
As their conversation suggested, the two had already completed the ritual to open the gate to another world.
And for good reason.
They had been assisting Furushiro Mai with her research, placing them in a position to know its contents.
There was absolutely no intention of stealing the research results or claiming the credit for themselves.
Their thinking was simple: they were just biding their time for a chance to go on a trip to another world, completely ignoring Rimuru's warnings about the danger.
And if the opportunity arose, their true desire was to do some reconnaissance and then surprise Rimuru with what they'd found.
For that reason, the two had no doubts.
With Rimuru gone, they would activate the new ritual and set off for another world — that was the only thing on their minds.
Rimuru's warnings were nothing but wind to their ears, and whether the world they were visiting was safe or not had never crossed their minds.
It was truly a case of winging it.
But the two were brimming with confidence, not caring about the details in the least. As always, they would just end up crying about it after the fact.
"Hehehe. Once the decision's made, we move fast! Let's go!"
"Alright! Then — let's depart!"
Ramiris clung to Veldora's shoulder, and confirming she was secure, Veldora began channeling magic power into the magic circle.
Noticing this,
But it was already too late!
The light surging from the magic circle expanded in an instant, enveloping even Beretta, who had rushed to their side.
And after the light faded, the three of them had vanished without a trace.
……
Worried about Ramiris and the others not emerging from the room for quite some time, Shinji came to the innermost chamber.
On the desk sat a half-finished cup of coffee.
"Huh? Ramiris isn't here, and Veldora either... Where did they — wait, don't tell me!?"
He then noticed the magic circle drawn on the floor and panicked.
"Oh no, they waited until Rimuru wasn't around and just went... Those two really are selfish, aren't they? Ugh, don't come crying to me when they get chewed out later."
Shinji muttered with a resigned air, racking his brain over how to prove he had nothing to do with it.
But thinking about it, he had only been researching alongside Ramiris as her assistant — he wasn't actually an accomplice.
He had evidence, including his research journal schedule, so he reassessed and decided there was no need to worry that much.
"Well, whatever. If they don't get chewed out once in a while, those two will never learn."
Shinji thought of it as someone else's problem.
But — that same Shinji would face a crisis of his own in one week's time.
Because Irina, whom he hadn't contacted in years, would be arriving as a new researcher.
Unable to see the future, Shinji was completely oblivious to this.
With no employer in sight, he was already thinking about taking a few days off.
What awaited him in his encounter with Irina was something only the heavens could know.
◆ ◆ ◆ To put it simply, the gate to another world was opened.
And the three who passed through it set foot upon the land of another world.
Well, "set foot upon" wasn't quite accurate.
"Gwoooooah!! We got launched straight into the sky!?"
"W-Wait, Master!! We're falling, we're falling!"
"Kyahahahaha! That said, I can't fly properly. Well, we won't die from the fall. Hold on tight!"
"What, seriously —!? "
The three of them had been launched out at an altitude of three hundred meters.
Veldora, Ramiris, and Beretta.
From that halfway altitude, it took less than ten seconds before they crashed into the ground.
The ground rushed up even as they spoke, and moments later, with a thunderous noise and a tremendous impact, they made contact with the earth.
"Th-That was scary! Master, what do you mean you can't fly!?"
"Indeed. It seems this world is lacking in Magicules. I couldn't move as I intended."
"— Now that you mention it, the power of spirits is thin too! What's going on with this place?"
Hearing Veldora's explanation, Ramiris exclaimed in surprise.
But Veldora was the picture of composure.
Unfazed by the impact of crashing into the ground, he calmly began assessing the situation.
Ramiris, for her part, was looking around with keen curiosity.
Before the two of them, a third figure — Beretta — floated gently down to the ground.
"— Good grief. This is exactly what Lord Rimuru warned us about, isn't it... It's too late to say it now, but don't say I didn't warn you when you get scolded later."
"— Huh!? Beretta, why are you acting all innocent like it's none of your business?! You're just as guilty!"
Ramiris tried to drag Beretta into it, but it was hard to say she was succeeding.
Beretta calmly deflected Ramiris's words.
Like Veldora before her, she began observing their surroundings — or rather, the world they had come to.
She understood that if she actually engaged with Ramiris, she would inevitably end up being blamed. So Beretta decided to cut the conversation short.
Ramiris, while saying "Well, fine. We'll discuss this at length later," reluctantly postponed her argument with Beretta.
But it was only a postponement — she had no intention of letting Beretta off the hook, that much was certain.
If she could help it, she intended to reduce the amount of trouble she'd end up in.
On that point, Veldora was in complete agreement, making Beretta's position extremely precarious.
The honest are not always fairly judged.
Beretta had learned this firsthand from her long association with Ramiris.
Especially now, with Veldora — the very embodiment of irresponsibility — present as well.
Beretta's position was highly precarious, but she had at least bought herself some time.
All she had to do now was inform Rimuru of the situation correctly and prove she had nothing to do with it — or so she thought, until she finally realized the situation was more serious than she had assumed.
"This is bad. Our connection to our world has been severed. The gate to another world has closed..."
"Indeed. The magic circle was being sustained by the Magicules that filled the dungeon's innermost chamber. In this world, where there are no Magicules, it's only natural that we can't maintain the circle."
"W-Wait, Master!? You're saying that so calmly, but we can get back, right?"
"Hmm..."
"What, seriously? Beretta, what's going on!?"
"This is exactly what I warned you about, isn't it? Ignoring Lord Rimuru's words and doing as you please..."
Beretta shook her head as she spoke, her tone one of resigned exasperation.
Veldora averted his gaze and whistled, trying to play it off.
From the start, he had assumed that maintaining the gate required only energy from the original world.
That energy would also be needed at the destination dimension was something he had never anticipated.
"Hey, hey! What's that supposed to mean?! It makes it sound like it's my fault!!"
It was obviously Ramiris and Veldora's fault, but the fact that they were completely unaware of it was rather terrifying.
Beretta thought as much but said nothing, knowing it would be futile.
Now was not the time.
"Hmm, this is a problem. Not only are Magicules scarce, but the oxygen concentration in the atmosphere is low as well. And what's more, it seems the air has been severely polluted."
"Really? Now that you mention it, it does feel a bit chilly. It's dim too..."
With Veldora pointing it out, Ramiris noticed it too.
The sky was blanketed by thick clouds, blocking out the sunlight.
Because of this, temperatures near the surface were close to freezing.
For Ramiris and the others, oxygen was unnecessary and they had a tolerance for toxins, but the cold was certainly not pleasant.
And besides — "...Hey? Doesn't this mean there aren't just humans — there might not be any living creatures at all? I was looking forward to intercultural exchanges, but that doesn't seem likely."
Ramiris muttered in a disappointed tone.
Even if they had made it to another world, it was meaningless without living beings.
However, it was possible they had simply landed in the wrong spot, so she hadn't given up hope entirely.
"This is truly unfortunate. This world is a bust."
"A bust? As in a hit or a miss?"
Beretta asked, having overheard Veldora's murmur.
"Indeed. Isn't it obvious?"
"Of course it's obvious. Like I said — we came here to explore another world's culture and look for something interesting!"
Beretta nodded in understanding.
The atmosphere was polluted, and surface temperatures were below freezing.
The chances of intelligent life surviving under such conditions were slim, and it was unlikely that Veldora's and Ramiris's wishes would be fulfilled.
(She understood now what "a bust" meant. But to act independently behind Lord Rimuru's back for such a purpose — perhaps they just wanted to learn about a new culture first so they could brag about it...)
While Beretta was silently lamenting, Veldora and Ramiris continued their conversation.
"This is getting annoying. Never mind the cold, but with so few spirits around, my power is weakened too. It's dark, and all you can see is barren wasteland stretching to the horizon... It's kind of like those descriptions in Rimuru's memories of planets similar to Earth. Like Mars, or something."
"Ohh... Impressive knowledge, Ramiris. I was actually thinking the same thing."
"See, see!"
"Judging by the level of pollution, there might have been a nuclear war or something of the sort!"
"Wow! As expected of the Master, you really know your stuff!"
"Kyahahahaha! Well, I wouldn't go that far!"
Veldora and Ramiris's carefree conversation continued.
Listening to it, Beretta was beginning to feel that worrying alone was rather foolish.
Still, she had to ask the important questions. Thinking so, she waited for the conversation to settle before addressing Veldora.
"So, Lord Veldora. Do you think a return is possible?"
"Hmm..."
Veldora paused the conversation, closing his eyes in thought for a moment.
The question caught Ramiris's interest as well, and she waited patiently for the answer.
"To return, we need to either reopen the gate to another world at the three-hundred-meter altitude point, or create a new one. Even if we create a new one, the Soul Corridor connecting me to Rimuru is still intact, so setting the coordinates shouldn't be a problem, but..."
Veldora trailed off, mulling things over.
Ramiris, whose mind worked faster than one might expect, picked up on what Veldora was implying from that alone.
"Got it! Even if we make a new gate, it won't open without Magicules to power it, right?"
"Indeed, that's correct. Either way, we need to find a way to get Magicules. The fastest way would be for me to release my Demon Aura and fill the surface with Magicules. What do you think?"
Veldora nodded, affirming Ramiris's understanding.
Continuing on, Veldora proposed releasing his own Demon Aura. With the vast amount of Magicules stored within his body, he judged it might be possible to fill this world with Magicules.
"Impressive! As expected of the Master. You do have a staggering amount of Magicules, that's for sure!"
"I see... That should be possible for Lord Veldora. However, wouldn't forcibly altering the laws of this world cause problems later?"
Unlike the carefree Ramiris, Beretta's observation was sharp.
And that very point was precisely the issue that had been giving Veldora pause.
If Veldora released Magicules, it would very likely disrupt the world's ecosystem — which would violate the rules Rimuru had laid out about visiting other worlds.
That said, returning without using the gate was impossible, even for Veldora and the others.
Even Veldora's Spatial Transfer couldn't move between different worlds.
"Well, if it were just me, I could return to the original world by simply creating a Concurrent Existence through Rimuru! Dying here wouldn't be a problem —"
"Wait!? You mean only you, Master, could get back!?"
"I suppose that won't work?"
"Obviously it won't!!"
Ramiris was genuinely furious.
Veldora hadn't been serious, but the plan was vetoed regardless.
Well, naturally.
"However, creating a new gate to another world would take quite some time. I can prepare the mineral components, but the other magical materials are in desperately short supply. If we're building from scratch, there's no telling how long it would take..."
"Yeah... It took years just to build the prototype, after all..."
With Beretta's matter-of-fact retort, Ramiris was once again left holding her head in her hands.
In truth, the prototype had broken down several times even during the testing phase.
Under the current circumstances, with no facilities at hand, building a new gate from scratch seemed entirely impractical.
It wasn't impossible, but the prospect was dizzying.
"Which is why restarting the existing one would be the fastest option, wouldn't it?"
"You're right... If we'd known this would happen, we should have gone with a direct-injection system instead of one that draws energy from the surrounding space..."
"A storage-type system would have required additional magical circuits, which is why we didn't go with it."
"Yeah, that's right..."
As if suddenly remembering something, Beretta spoke.
"Please wait. There's no need to panic. The Soul Corridor is still connected, so when Lord Rimuru notices our absence, won't he summon us back?"
However, the reaction Veldora and Ramiris had to those words was — "Ugh. Beretta, you understand nothing. That's precisely what we're trying to avoid — that's why we're racking our brains like this!"
"Exactly. Listen, if Rimuru finds out we did this on our own, he'll chew us out!! I told you, you're just as guilty. Rimuru won't be back for at least a week, and we want to get back and cover our tracks before then!"
In short, they completely rejected Beretta's suggestion.
But their intentions were painfully obvious — frustrating as it was, she could understand.
In short, they were panicking because they didn't want to get scolded.
Once she understood that, Beretta had no further objections. She quietly began considering the best course of action for their return.
At this point, Beretta was completely dragged into it.
Beretta was, surprisingly, quite the pushover.
Some time passed.
The three stared at each other for a while, gauging the other's position, but no one had a better idea.
"Then we'll go with my plan? We'll try the next thing right away —"
There was no sign of intelligent life in this world, and there was no point in lingering. This wasn't just Veldora's thought — Ramiris felt the same.
As for Beretta, she could only follow her masters' lead, so there was no point in objecting now. She was worried about their tendency to try again once they got back, but that was something to deal with after they returned.
Ramiris and Beretta showed their agreement, and Veldora nodded.
And just as he was about to unleash the Demon Aura he had been holding back — — a tremendous explosion, powerful enough to overwhelm the ground, echoed through the air, and a mushroom cloud appeared in the distance.
"Hm!?"
"Ohh!!"
"This is... a life sign — and it feels like someone is engaged in combat."
Veldora and Ramiris exchanged glances and grinned at each other.
"Return plans are on hold for now! Let's go check it out!"
"Roger, Master! I wonder what's out there — I can't wait!"
With their curiosity in full force, the two shared a gleeful laugh.
Ramiris hopped onto Veldora's shoulder.
And the two of them set off in the direction of the sound, as though they had completely forgotten their earlier gloom.
A master and disciple, perfectly in sync.
And — the abandoned Beretta let out a single sigh, then took off in pursuit of the two.