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Kaito swept his sense across tens of thousands of miles in every direction and found nothing but uninhabited islands scattered across the open sea.
He made up his mind immediately.
"Rise up!"
Standing above the water, he extended his right hand with his palm cupped downward and called out softly. The calm surface below began to ripple.
The ripples spread and swelled, and within moments they had grown into a massive vortex. Viewed from high above, it stretched across tens of thousands of square kilometers of ocean.
Rising slowly from the center of that vortex was an island, solid and enormous, covering a full fifty thousand square kilometers.
It emerged completely bare, without a single blade of grass.
Kaito frowned at it, then brought his other hand to bear.
A soft green light began to emanate from his body, carrying with it the unmistakable aura of living things. He directed it outward with a thought.
The light swept across the island like a great plow turning earth. Everywhere it touched, bare rock and packed soil gave way to a rolling green expanse. Fragrant grass spread across the plains, trees rose on the hills, and lakes of purified water appeared in the lowows.
Kaito looked at the transformed island and nodded.
Then, as if something had just occurred to him, he raised his hand once more.
Walls hundreds of meters tall rose along the entire perimeter of the island. Only one stretch was left open, where a crescent-shaped natural bay would serve as the port, its entrance fitted with a great gate.
"Well! Looks like all those hours playing Cities: Skylines in my past life weren't wasted after all!"
Kaito looked down at the vast island below — roughly one and a half times the size of Hainan Island from his previous world — and felt a sincere appreciation for his former hobbies.
"As expected of Kaito-sama! To create an island of this scale so effortlessly... this subordinate is truly in awe."
Kaito turned to look at Diablo, who wore a respectful and composed expression, and felt a faint, involuntary unease settle over him.
He wasn't sure when it had started.
Ever since Diablo learned that Kaito could travel between worlds, the way he looked at him had been subtly... different.
It reminded him, uncomfortably, of the exact expression Diablo used to reserve for Rimuru.
'Diablo isn't into both genders, is he?! That is terrifying. I need to maintain a safe distance.'
In truth, Kaito was completely overthinking it. What Diablo felt toward both Kaito and Rimuru was the pure reverence of a subordinate for those he acknowledged as superior.
It was just that this reverence was a tad enthusiastic. Yes. Just a tad.
"Ahem! Right. I'll set up the Dimensional Gate."
[System! I want to use the Dimensional Gate sub-gate!]
[Confirmed!]
At the system's response, a massive gate hundreds of meters tall materialized at the very center of the island.
Kaito studied it for a moment, then waved his right hand. An invisible magic array unfurled and settled over the entire structure, cloaking it completely. From this point on, anyone without authorization would be unable to perceive its existence.
"That's done. Hey, you. Go notify everyone they can come through."
He pointed to one of the demons from the Royal Knights who had accompanied him.
"Yes, Kaito-sama! At once!"
The demon pressed his right fist to his chest, acknowledged the order, and stepped through the gate.
Incidentally, at Kaito and Rimuru's firm insistence, the Jura-Tempest Federation had long since replaced the one-knee kneel with the fist-to-chest salute as the standard greeting. As two people who had grown up in modern society, they found the constant kneeling genuinely difficult to sit through.
They weren't ancient emperors who needed ceremony to project authority. The people of the federation were already loyal beyond question, so formalities like that were entirely optional.
Less than fifteen minutes after the demon passed back through the gate, the first figure came bursting out the other side.
"Ya-hoo! So this is the new world! When I get back I'm going to brag to Ramiris and Guy about this!"
"Milim, you want to expose the Jura-Tempest Federation's top secrets?!"
"I hereby declare you exiled to this world, effective immediately!"
Rimuru, who had just come through the gate with Sakuya at her side, caught Milim's words and immediately put on her most menacing expression.
"Hmph hmph! You think you can scare me, Rimuru? Not even close! Wahahaha!"
Milim, who knew Rimuru better than most, was not remotely intimidated. She hollered back with the triumphant energy of someone who had completely seen through the bluff.
Kaito heard it all and felt no particular concern. Ramiris and Guy were not enemies. If anything, given the appeal of a whole new world to explore, there was a real chance he could bring them both over to his side. Ramiris in particular was practically guaranteed to get herself dragged across.
"My dear niece, I'm afraid I have to agree with Rimuru on this one. This uncle has no choice but to harden his heart and banish you! Hahaha!"
Veldora declared this with a wild grin, already craning his neck and looking around curiously in every direction.
"Veldora, there's nothing to look at. Besides us, there isn't a single living thing on the island."
"Oh! Is that right!"
More and more people poured through the Dimensional Gate, and within moments the area surrounding it had become a sea of people. Monsters and humans alike, but every single one of them was carrying sacks of capsules.
"Everyone! Construction proceeds outward from the Dimensional Gate according to the previously planned layout. Is that understood?"
Rigurd stood on a small rise above the crowd and called down to them.
"Yes!"
The unified response hit the air like a physical thing. The clouds above seemed to shudder, and several seagulls that happened to be flying overhead were so startled they nearly dropped into the sea.
The construction teams got to work. Buildings rose across the island in clouds of white smoke, spreading outward from the gate.
By the time half a day had passed, a modern city stood where bare stone and new grass had been that morning.
It had residential districts, commercial districts, and entertainment districts. And, built by persons unknown, a Rimuru-themed amusement park.
Kaito studied the cheerful Slime painted on the park's entrance sign and the statues of himself and Rimuru standing at the gate. He had a very strong suspicion he knew who was responsible.
Rigurd.
"Heh heh! It looks like I've arrived just in time."
Kaito was still deliberating whether he and Rimuru should put the Phantom Thief Kid costumes back on when Kagaya's quiet voice reached him from behind.
He turned. Kagaya had come through with Amane Ubuyashiki beside him.
Kaito smiled.
"Oh! Are the two of you here on a holiday?"
Amane raised a hand to her lips and laughed softly.
"Heh heh. Kaito-sama is teasing us. I simply heard there was a new world and couldn't help being a little curious, so I asked Kagaya to bring me to see it."
Kaito put on his most official expression and turned to Kagaya.
"Kagaya. I, as the Regent of the Jura-Tempest Federation, hereby order you to take your wife somewhere and enjoy yourselves. Work will always be there. You are both allowed to rest."
Something warm moved briefly across Kagaya's eyes.
"Heh heh. Then I have no choice but to obey."
"Hahahaha..."