Recruiting Ramiris

The Dwelling of the Spirits, located in the deepest part of the labyrinth.

They had reached their destination. On the other side of the door was a large, seemingly empty chamber known as the Oracle Chamber, directly connected to the Dwelling itself. A corridor of light extended from it, about three feet wide and sixty feet long. At the far end was a round platform, floating in the air and measuring around fifteen feet in diameter.

"All right, listen up—I want you to go up on that platform and call for the elementals!" Ramiris instructed the kids.

"What should we say, exactly?" one of them asked.

"Oh, anything's fine. Like, 'Help me!' or 'Let's play a game!' or whatever. If you capture the interest of a spirit, it'll come over, and you'll have succeeded," Ramiris explained with a wave of her hand.

The air in the room was serene, filled with a dim, calming light. Shizu and the kids were tense, aware of the importance of this moment. But they had trust in Veldora.

Gail was the first to go. Veldora accompanied him. Gail closed his eyes and began to pray, taking a knee as he offered what tribute he could to the gods. Veldora crossed his arms and watched.

A little time passed. Eventually, particles of light began to float down from the heavens, like a gentle snowfall. There wasn't any sense of strength or will from it. Gail failed to notice any of this and continued praying.

His prayer had been answered not by a high-level elemental but by low-level ones with no sense of self. Fragments of natural energy. Sort of like magicules, but not quite.

{Question. Would you like to use [Gluttony] to consume these and synthesize a spirit?}

Yes / No

'Yes'

Dark smoke came out of veldora's hand and started to absorbing the spirit particles.

"Wh-whoa! What're you doing, Master?!" Ramiris shouted, her eyes wide with surprise.

"Just shut up and watch. I've got an idea," Veldora replied

{Report. Synthesizing a high-level spirit completed. Its element is earth.}

{Analyzing Ifrit's self-will data and creating an auxiliary pseudo-personality…}

{Successful…}

{Would you like to synthesize the pseudo-high-level spirit (earth) with Gail Gibson?}

Yes / No

Veldora placed a hand on Gail's head and thought, Yes.

With that order, the pseudo-high-level spirit (earth) that Raphael had created safely merged with Gail, beginning to serve its purpose. Veldora ran Analyze and Assess on him. The rampant energy running out of control within him had neatly subsided; the pseudo-spirit had brought it perfectly under control.

"Okay, it's all over. Great job!" Veldora said to Gail.

Tears began to form in Gail's eyes. The sheer sense of relief made it impossible to hold back his emotions. "Thank you, Mr. Veldora," he said, his voice choked with gratitude.

Veldora patted him on the head and sent him back. Next up was Alice. Climbing that narrow pathway was too scary for her, so Veldora decided to carry her up himself.

Holding Alice securely, Veldora ascended the narrow path to the platform. "Alright, Alice, it's your turn. Just call out to the elementals like Ramiris said," he encouraged gently.

Alice closed her eyes as if in prayer, clutching her skirt tightly with both hands.

{Manipulating probability to increase the chance to bring a greater elemental}

"Huh! Why didn't you do that with Gail?" Veldora asked, confused.

{.....}

It seems the skill is showing favorability to the girls.

Before Veldora could think much about it, there was a sudden pressure in the air around the altar. Though it didn't affect Veldora, he could sense its significance.

There, on the altar in front of them, appeared a single spirit with long blonde hair, wearing a flowing white dress. She was stunningly beautiful.

{Summoning successful. Greater spirit of wind}

"You called me, little one?" the spirit spoke, her voice gentle and melodic.

Alice opened her eyes, her mouth agape in wonder. "Wow, you're so pretty!"

The spirit smiled warmly at Alice, then her gaze shifted to Ramiris. "It's been a while, Ramiris-sama."

Ramiris puffed out her chest, clearly pleased. "Indeed it has, Sylphid. These children need your help."

Sylphid nodded, her serene expression never wavering. "I am at your service."

But then her eyes fell on Veldora. "Whoa! The evil dragon!" she exclaimed, backing away in a flustered manner.

Veldora chuckled. "Relax. I'm not here to cause trouble. These kids need your help."

Ramiris puffed out her chest. "That's right! Master here won't harm you."

Sylphid blinked a few times, then composed herself, looking a bit embarrassed. "I-I see. If Ramiris-sama trusts you, then I will too."

"You know, Sylphid, I think you need a proper name. How about 'Sylphy'?" Veldora suggested with a grin.

As soon as he said it, a brilliant light enveloped Sylphid. The air crackled with energy, and Ramiris's eyes widened in shock.

"W-wait?! Master, why would you suddenly give her a name?" Ramiris exclaimed, her voice tinged with panic.

The light intensified, and when it faded, Sylphid had transformed. Her presence was now even more radiant and powerful. "Thank you, Master Veldora," she said, her voice filled with newfound strength. 

Ramiris gaped at the transformation, her jaw practically hitting the floor. "W-what?! You just made her evolve into an Elemental Lord?!"

Veldora ignored her and turned to Sylphy. "Alright, Sylphy, go ahead and synthesize with Alice."

Sylphy nodded obediently and did as she was told. The synthesis process finished without incident. Veldora picked Alice up off the floor.

"You did great, Alice! It's all right now!" he said, beaming.

Alice gave him a happy smile, then surprised him with a kiss on the cheek. Veldora chuckled and patted her head before taking her back down. She immediately started chatting excitedly with Chloe about her experience.

Next up were Kenya and Ryota. Kenya summoned a high-level light elemental. Light and dark elementals were typically classified as the highest of the high, so it was incredibly powerful.

As for Ryota, he summoned two spirits—one of wind and one of water. Veldora absorbed and combined them, creating a unique elemental for him.

{Analysis and assessment of all five elements of earth, water, fire, wind, and air successful. Obtaining Quantum Control…}

{Success…}

<<Acquired Extra Skill [Quantum Control]>>

"It got a fancy name. What does this one do?" Veldora wondered aloud.

{[Quantum Control] is quanta manipulation. Quanta are the smallest particles possible, smaller than atoms, molecules, and magicules. It allows interaction with, manipulation of, and utilization of all matter and energy in the universe, including information particles and spiritrons. It can even help understand the nature of stardust and utilize it properly.

It also allows the user to control quantum events in their proximity, manipulating probabilities and making the impossible possible, and vice versa.}

"Damn, that is one OP skill," Veldora muttered.

Veldora turned to Chloe, the final child who looked a bit scared, and lifted her up onto the disc. She seemed to appreciate the gesture.

"You know what, Mr. Veldora?" she whispered in Veldora's ear, her cheeks blushing. "I think... I looooooove you!!"

"It's too early for you, kiddo, but I think I'll teach you a thing or two about love when we get back to Tempest," Veldora replied as he set her down in the middle of the disc.

Just like the others, Chloe began to pray. That's when things changed.

It was like the sky was falling down. With an intense gust of air pressure and a strikingly vivid aura, a beautiful woman appeared. Her long, shiny, dark-silver hair radiated light throughout the chamber. The energy—the sheer force of existence—was unlike any elemental spirit.

She eyed Veldora up and down. Then, out of nowhere, she approached and softly held his dragon balls over his clothes. 

Veldora was expecting her to attack him and was ready to defend. But thus weird situation completely throwed him off guard. Veldora didn't sense any hostility, so he let her continue. She bent down and kissed his balls over his clothes. It was an unexpectedly lewd gesture.

The beautiful woman with dark-silver hair then looked at Veldora in a submissive manner and reached out to touch Chloe's body. Before she could—

"Stop!! You can't do that! I'm not gonna let you do what you want with her!!" Ramiris, who had been quietly observing until now, suddenly spoke up. Spreading her hands, she took an attack stance, her relaxed expression gone and replaced with a serious one.

"Hey! Stop, you don't need to be so worked up," Veldora said, grabbing Ramiris by the wings.

"Master! That woman's bad news! Can't you tell?!" Ramiris screamed, but the woman kept moving and instilled herself within Chloe. Soon, all the energy in the air was gone, and Chloe's body became stable.

Ramiris puffed her cheeks out in obvious annoyance.

Chloe's body stabilized, and along with that, she received fragments of Chronoa's memories. As those memories flowed into her, her face turned redder and redder with shyness.

Veldora didn't understand why she was blushing but decided to ignore it. He picked her up and carried her to where the rest of the kids were.

"Our deal is complete," Veldora spoke, addressing Shizu as he gently set Chloe down.

Shizu didn't respond with words. Instead, she jumped at Veldora,

"Thank you, Master," Shizu spoke softly, expressing her gratitude as she hugged Veldora tightly.

"No fair, Sensei! You're taking Mr. Veldora all by yourself!" Alice complained, her voice echoing through the chamber.

Chloe chimed in, her face still flushed with shyness. "Yeah, we want to be with Veldora Sama too!"

Shizu suddenly realized they were in a public space, and all her students were watching her. She felt a wave of awkwardness wash over her. Clearing her throat nervously, she released Veldora and stepped back, trying to compose herself.

"Um, well," Shizu stammered, glancing around at the kids who were all looking at her with wide eyes. "I-I mean, it's just... uh..."

"Alright now, everyone thank Ramiris. She's the one who helped you," Veldora spoke.

The kids quickly turned to Ramiris, their voices in unison. "Thank you very much!!"

"Bah! It's fine, it's fine!" Ramiris replied, turning red in the face and fanning herself as she flitted around the chamber.

The other fairies flew around with her, creating a beautiful spectacle. Even bratty as she was, that demon lord was still pretty cute when she smiled.

"Say, Ramiris, why don't you come to Tempest with me?" Veldora suggested.

"Ehh?! You sure master?" Ramiris asked, her eyes widening in surprise.

"Yes," Veldora confirmed with a nod. "You can have tasty snacks and unlimited food. And Treyni and the other dryads are there too."

Ramiris's eyes sparkled at the mention of snacks and food. "Really? That sounds amazing!"

"Of course," Veldora said with a grin. "We'd love to have you there."

Ramiris looked around at the kids, who were all nodding eagerly. "Alright then, I'll come with you!"

The children cheered, and Ramiris, looking both excited and bashful, joined them as they prepared to head to Tempest together.

It didn't take them long to prepare. Ramiris was a real neet, with no friends around to say goodbye to. All she did was gather up the junk and useless items she had bought at high prices. Veldora stored them all in his stomach for safekeeping.

With that, they all stepped outside the labyrinth. They didn't need to ride Barkobama, as Veldora simply teleported them to a spot near the border of Ingrassia. He could have teleported them directly back to Tempest, but Shizu and the kids had some belongings in town they needed to retrieve. So, Veldora waited outside with Ramiris while Shizu and the children went into town to gather their things.

Almost an hour passed, but Shizu and the kids hadn't returned. Then a telepathic message came to Veldora.

(Lord Veldora, we have been attacked) said Barkobama in a panicked voice before the communication cut off.

Stones???

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