Small detail that happened in the R-18 chapter I removed: Koneko told Kaito that while he was in the Tower of Worlds, elves tried to attack the territory, they were defeated, and the leader is captured.
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In the underground prison of Kaito's territory.
Guided by Koneko, Kaito walked to the last cell.
There he found a dark elf. Even though her skin was brown, it was lighter than Sonya's and her sisters'. She had light brown hair tied in a high ponytail. Her body, of average build, seemed more focused on agility; nothing exaggerated, but nothing lacking either.
As soon as the dark elf saw Koneko and Kaito enter, her expression changed immediately, pointing at Koneko like a child throwing a tantrum.
"You! I can't believe you left me locked up here for three days! Do you know who I am? How dare you, brat? Call your king right now!"
Koneko stayed indifferent, which only fueled the elf's rage. But just when she was about to keep yelling, she stopped at once when she heard a soft laugh.
Kaito stepped closer with a gentle smile. But to the elf, that kindness felt like a predator looking at its prey. Her body tensed, she started to sweat, visibly nervous.
"The boss, that would be me. Tell me, who are you?"
Realizing immediately the difference in power, the elf turned meek before the strong and began to speak in a trembling voice.
"I-I'm Colette, the head of the city of Velanir... d-don't think you'll get away with keeping me locked up here."
At her words, Kaito just kept smiling.
"If I'm not mistaken, the reason you're here is because you tried to attack us first, isn't that right?"
"Hiii... We wouldn't have attacked if we'd known you had those monstrously strong wolves. And what's with that number of kobolds? You have as many as an elven city!"
Even though she was speaking to Kaito, he noticed she was really muttering to herself, regretting it.
It was obvious why they attacked: his city belonged to a Lord, and the others wanted to stop him before he got too strong. But what interested Kaito most was something else.
"I'll let you go if you answer a few questions."
Colette's eyes lit up with hope.
"Really?"
"Of course. You should know that I never lie."
Colette nodded quickly, without noticing the mocking look in Kaito's eyes at how naive she was.
"First, why did you attack my city?"
"Y-your city was growing too fast... and you're a Lord. We had to kill... or at least get you under control before you got too strong."
Kaito nodded. Just as he suspected.
"How many died in your attempt?"
"Most of my army died... I wanted to take your city in one strike, before you returned."
As she said that last part, Colette realized she'd said too much and fell silent. But Kaito and the others caught it.
"Alright, last question: why did you attack on the day you did?"
Colette stayed silent, refusing to answer. Kaito sighed.
"Koneko."
Koneko stepped closer to his side. Kaito took out a piece of blue iron from his inventory and showed it to Colette.
"Do you know what this is?"
Colette nodded, a bit confused.
"Do you know why it's so valuable?"
Though she hesitated, Kaito's look forced her to speak.
"For its price-to-quality ratio... It's not as strong or as magic-conductive as mithril or rare metals, but it's still among the top five metals. Plus, it's relatively easy to find: most continents have large deposits."
"Good."
Kaito smiled and handed the blue iron to Koneko. In Colette's terrified eyes, Koneko gently closed her hand around it. When she opened it again, the blue iron was reduced to the size of a marble.
"So far, we've been asking nicely, haven't we?"
Colette nodded frantically.
"And that doesn't have to change, right?"
She shook her head quickly, trembling.
"Good. Now answer."
Throughout the whole interrogation, Kaito kept his smile, which only made Colette's fear grow.
"T-they told me territories can't be that strong... I-if this one is, it's probably because the Lord himself is very strong. So I wanted to attack while you weren't here."
'Information only a Lord could know,' thought Kaito.
"And how did you know I wasn't here at that moment?"
Though Colette was still scared, Kaito noticed that, as she spoke, a bit of hope returned to her eyes.
"T-the fairy queen of this generation told me. We have a cooperative relationship... If anything happens to me, she won't let you get away with it, you know?"
"Who is the fairy queen?"
"Fairies are beings made of pure energy, with incredible magic control. Every hundred years they choose the purest being they find and turn her into the fairy queen, capable of controlling all elements with ease. The fairy queen always ends up becoming a continental-level power."
Recovering a bit of pride, Colette raised her voice.
"S-so, what do you think, are you scared now?"
Kaito ignored her provocation.
"And why does the fairy queen know about Lords? What's her cooperation with you?"
"The current fairy queen... is a Lord."
The revelation surprised even Kaito. Until now, he hadn't met another Lord.
Though he was confident, Kaito knew perfectly well how dangerous Lords could be compared to normal inhabitants of this world.
"And what about her relationship with you?"
"W-well... she decided not to have her own territory. Instead, she settled in our city. In exchange for her protection, she asked for various resources."
"What kind of resources?"
"Books... about mythology, history, fairy tales... also painting materials. She replaces them regularly."
'Smart,' thought Kaito. Not only did she have the potential to become the fairy queen, but she'd also used her status to gather information and resources about this world. Kaito already mentally labeled her as a strategist.
"Tell me everything you know about her."
Obediently, Colette began describing her: her appearance, habits, everything she knew.
But in the end, it turned out she barely knew anything.
Her appearance was what you'd expect from a fairy queen chosen for her purity: a girl with an angelic face, porcelain-white skin, and long blonde hair down to her waist. Her eyes, a dull amber, had a distant, almost empty look, as if she was always in another world.
She spoke little, but always in a soft, innocent voice.
At first glance, she seemed pure and innocent. But Kaito wasn't so easily fooled.
The problem was that Colette barely knew her habits. The fairy queen lived practically isolated, so she knew nothing about her real strength or personality beyond that appearance.
Kaito decided to go directly. Against a strategist, he knew he wouldn't have the advantage in a game of wits. So his plan was simple: crush her with brute force and destroy any possible strategy.
After gathering more details about where she was staying, Kaito called Koneko and Sylvia.
Thirty minutes later, the three were outside Velanir. The city was in chaos: with its leader missing for three days and 90% of its security force dead, crime had spiraled out of control.
Even so, not even the worst thugs dared approach one place: the best hotel in the city.
That's where the fairy queen was staying. Colette had made sure everyone knew, to boost her city's reputation and ensure no one bothered her.
So, although greedy, no one was foolish enough to try to attack her.
On the top floor of the hotel, in the best room, there was a young girl.
She was surrounded by books scattered everywhere, clothes, and painting materials. In the center, sitting, the girl wore only an open shirt that revealed glimpses of her body, with two small points sticking out, and panties, leaving her legs bare as she gently swung them. She held a brush, focused on what she was drawing.
Normally, she could spend hours like that. But today, something broke her concentration.
She felt an immense accumulation of mana behind her, along with a pressure that made her whole body scream danger.
Without thinking, she reacted. Using her magic control, she summoned fireballs, ice spears, whirlwinds of air spinning at high speed, and stone spikes rising from the wooden floor.
All pointed at the same spot, where a shadow swirled restlessly until it formed three figures.
When they appeared, she was about to attack... but when she saw the one in the center, she realized she had no chance.
"I surrender."
She said, leaving the group confused, who had been ready for a tough fight.
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+15 chapters in advance on Patreon.
p-atreon.com/IAMME26
(just delete the hyphen)
80 power stones = 1 extra chapter (cumulative)