"Then I agree to cooperate with you. First, we'll kill Potimas and destroy the Elf Village."
"As for how to deal with the humans here, that can be decided later."
After briefly getting to know one another, Ariel shook hands with Jibril.
Since they shared the same objective and both sought to kill their enemies, she was willing to set aside her reservations for the time being and travel alongside these unfamiliar visitors from another world.
"When will I be able to meet your ruler—the Commander?"
Ariel looked toward the sky as she asked.
She had countless questions she wanted answered.
For example, the origins of the Starsea Empire, the ruler behind this otherworldly civilization, and the administrator known as Evil God D, whom the advance team claimed was manipulating the course of the entire world.
On this planet, she was the strongest Demon Lord, but in the eyes of the administrator, she was merely part of a game.
"Master is watching from above. Once we've taken care of everything on the planet, we'll return and report to him."
Brimming with energy, Jibril opened a holographic interface and checked it.
The major nations across several continents, including the Analeit Kingdom and the Holy Kingdom of Alleius, had already been completely occupied by the Angeloid legion. Even the reincarnators had all been rounded up in one sweep.
"We've conquered every human kingdom. Once we deal with the Elf Village and fish Sariel out, that should just about settle everything, right?"
Boom—
The ship resumed its voyage, flying toward the border of the Kasanagara Continent.
The reincarnators who had been brought aboard sensed Ariel's presence and trembled in fear.
"Schlain, isn't the difficulty level of this world a little too high?"
Hugo poked the person beside him.
"Aliens joining forces with the Demon Lord to rule the world? What kind of insane plot is this?!"
"Do we actually stand any chance of winning?!"
"..."
Everyone examined their own statistics. They did not even amount to a fraction of Demon Lord Ariel's power.
Even if the Hero possessed a special advantage against the Demon Lord, the Starsea Empire's Angeloids could still slap all of them to death with a single blow.
After thinking for a moment, the group of young reincarnators lowered their heads and continued eating.
"Lie low! Lie low! Let's behave and follow their arrangements for now, then see what happens in the future..."
"Whatever you do, don't provoke them!!!"
"Hah—"
Ariel had little interest in the reincarnators. The only one she was wary of was the Hero.
Her attention was completely focused on Spider.
She crouched in front of the little spider, rubbed her round head, then tousled it again.
"So, you're a child who retained her own consciousness and isn't controlled by Mother?"
"You were born in the Great Elroe Labyrinth and kept evolving until you reached your current form?"
Judging by her level alone, Spider had now evolved five times and become an Immortal Queen Taratect. Her rank was equal to that of her "mother," the Queen Taratect. Both were mythical-class monsters.
One had followed the standard evolutionary route of becoming a gigantic monster, while the other had taken a path of miniaturization.
Despite having lived in this world for so long, Ariel had never encountered a "child" who evolved so quickly or followed such a bizarre evolutionary path.
"Eek—"
Spider was so frightened that she rolled all over the floor.
The Demon Lord! She's really the Demon Lord!
This must be the ultimate form of a spider monster, right?! She's adorable and beautiful, and she even has a human form! Meanwhile, all I can do is crawl around underground! Aaaaaah—
Aaaaaah, she's so strong—
After performing an entire rap song in her head, she finally nodded and stammered out a few words.
"That's... me."
"Oh..."
Ariel took hold of the scythe on one of her forelegs, playing with her as though she were one of her own kin.
"...You're a good child. I'm your grandmother."
"Do you have a name?"
"My name is..."
Spider struggled to recall it. Out of sheer mischief, Wakaba Hiiro had stuffed the memories of her previous life's human identity into Spider.
As a result, her memories were somewhat confused. Theoretically, she was also Wakaba Hiiro, yet something about that always felt wrong.
"Let's call you Shiro."
Silver Wolf blew a bubble with her gum.
"Your whole body is white anyway. Uh, or maybe Shiraori?"
Huh? Shiro? Isn't that a dog's name?!
While Spider was still hesitating, Ariel nodded.
"That's a good name. It suits you."
What?! Don't decide someone's name so casually! Aaaaaah—
...
Meanwhile.
At the border of the Kasanagara Continent, within the Elf Village concealed beneath a barrier.
"Uu..."
A young Elf girl with blond hair and blue eyes lay on a bed, babbling in an incomprehensible language.
Beside her stood a gloomy-looking adult Elf man with long blond hair.
Potimas examined the Elf's condition and nodded in satisfaction.
"Mm. The experiment was a success."
Officially, the young Elf named Filimøs Harrifenas was his child—the daughter of the Elf chief.
In reality, she was a high-performance Fairy cultivated through various advanced methods, and her abilities far surpassed those of an ordinary Elf.
Unlike other children, Filimøs did not cry or make a fuss. Instead, she was unusually calm.
After a brief period of confusion and disorientation, she regained her senses.
[Name: Filimøs Harrifenas—Kanami Okazaki (LV 1)]
[Race: Fairy]
[HP: 30/30 MP: 30/30 SP: 30/30]
[Average Offensive Ability: 8]
[Average Defensive Ability: 8]
[Average Speed Ability: 8]
[Unique Skill: Student Roster]
[Skill Points: 50,000]
She was also one of the reincarnators, as well as the only adult among them.
In her previous life, she had been their classical literature teacher. In this life, she was the daughter of Potimas, the Elf chief.
"I... came back to life?"
"No, this... is reincarnation? This is another world?..."
Filimøs' mind was in complete chaos.
It took her considerable effort to understand her current situation.
Compared to young high school students who eagerly charged forward and loved adventure, an adult required more time to accept that she had crossed into another world and been reborn.
"Am I supposed to begin a new life? No, that's not right. I'm a teacher... What happened to my students?"
Amid her confusion, she noticed her unique skill, Student Roster.
Every one of her students' names was recorded within it, along with rough descriptions of their pasts, presents, and futures.
It included their names from their previous lives, as well as their names, races, identities, and other information after reincarnating into this world.
The section concerning their futures even recorded the approximate causes and circumstances of some students' deaths.
—Although D had fabricated some of them, Filimøs did not know that.
"!!!"
Filimøs looked at the familiar names listed there, then sank into even deeper despair.
The overwhelming majority of her students would die within twenty years, and their causes of death varied wildly.
Some would die in battle, some would perish after having their skills stripped away, some would be attacked by wild beasts, and others would die after being abandoned.
"Ah..."
She whimpered.
Her sense of responsibility as a teacher compelled her to protect her students, but as an infant, there was currently nothing she could do.
I need help. I have to ask someone for help.
Without hesitation, Filimøs immediately made her decision.
"Exchange skill points."
[Skill Telepathy acquired. Remaining skill points: 4,500...]
In the distance, Potimas, who was reading through some documents, froze when a childish cry suddenly resounded within his mind.
'Please! I beg you to save them!'
"!?"
Utterly astonished, Potimas frowned and walked over to Filimøs.
The little infant remained wrapped in swaddling clothes, waving her tiny arms, yet her voice was being transmitted directly into his mind.
'Please, save my students!'
"??"
"You are?..."
After a brief moment of shock, he stepped forward and stared at his experimental subject.
'I... My name is Kanami Okazaki. I'm from another world. I... I reincarnated here.'
'My students are also in this world. I can see their names...'
'...Please, save them!'
Filimøs told Potimas everything about retaining the memories of her previous life and possessing the Student Roster.
She wanted him to help protect her students.
It was a dangerous gamble, but Filimøs had no one else she could rely on. The only person she could contact was her "father."
"Hm?..."
Potimas did not appear particularly surprised. His long life had granted him a depth of cunning that ordinary people could never perceive.
Manipulating inexperienced students and teachers was effortless for him.
After observing her carefully, he realized that Filimøs' soul was indeed subtly different from those of other people.
In that case, the other reincarnators were likely the same. They would make excellent research specimens.
"Very well. I'll protect them."
Potimas agreed to her request without hesitation and offered Filimøs a few words of comfort along the way.
"I'll let them live peacefully in the Elf Village. Don't worry. This place is very safe and protected by the strongest barrier in the world."
"Mm..."
The crying Filimøs gradually calmed down.
She wanted to use the roster to locate her students, then provide their locations to Potimas so he could go and "save" them.
The moment she opened the detailed information, she froze, rubbed her eyes, and wondered whether she had seen it incorrectly.
"Hm?"
"My students are moving toward the Elf Village? And they're all together?"
"Why?!"