Chapter 49: Title at the End of the Chapter.

"Wow, I wasn't expecting this twist." Ellen sighed dreamily as she looked at the sky: "Who would have thought that the Evil Queen actually did all of this to help Snow White be with the Prince and deceive the magic mirror that was controlled by the enemy kingdom..."

Shizu, on the other hand, stared at him intensely.

"Is that really how the story goes?" Shizu asked.

"What is it, Shizu-san? Do you know this story?" Ellen showed great interest, looking at her.

"No, no." Shizu denied it: "I just thought maybe it was different."

"Haha, you must be confusing it with the story of Cinderella then." Zaydas said with a small smile on his face. He was clearly enjoying the situation.

"That doesn't matter!" Cabal said. "The meat should be ready, right?"

He was salivating.

However, before they could eat, Shizu, who had been quiet, suddenly groaned loudly.

"Ahh, guahhhhhhh!!!"

The silence was suddenly broken.

Cracks spread across the surface of her mask, and magical power gushed from within it.

Slowly, Shizu stood up and began to murmur.

"Magic summoning?!" Ellen exclaimed in surprise.

"Hi hi, is this seriously? What rank is she going to summon?"

"… Uh, looking at the scale of the magic, it will be a monster ranked 'B+' or higher."

"Dan'na-kata, don't say things so slowly, this can't be stopped!!!"

"Who said it can't?" Zaydas asked with a simple smile. He snapped his fingers, and Shizu, who was losing control, suddenly regressed, returning to normal.

[-10 AP]

What they saw was even her mask being restored, and then she sat back down as if nothing had happened.

'Sigh, acting cool is expensive...' Zaydas thought.

Shizu, having regained herself, looked at everyone before fixing her eyes on Zaydas: "Was that you? How?"

"Come with me." Zaydas didn't explain, standing up and starting to walk.

Zaydas didn't have to wait long—Shizu followed him right after.

Meanwhile, Ellen, Cabal, and Gido remained where they were, unsure of what to do.

"Should we follow him?" Gido asked.

"Don't be foolish, didn't you see that Zaydas-san wants to talk privately with Shizu-san?" Cabal, who rarely seemed reliable, said: "We better leave them alone, that's something beyond our capabilities."

"For the first time, I agree with Cabal." Ellen said. "But seriously, that scared me a lot!"

…

Zaydas stopped walking after ten minutes. Turning to Shizu, he spoke slowly: "Shizu-san, become my subordinate—part of my family."

"That was quite abrupt," she said. "You must have noticed, the current me is not reliable. At any moment, I could lose control."

Even with her voice modified by the mask, Zaydas could feel how stressed and fearful she was, as well as how much she hated not having control over her own body.

"No, I understand it very well, and this can be resolved." Zaydas said, looking intently at her. "Shizu-san, if you accept, you will be reborn as a Devil, just like me."

After finishing speaking, he made a pair of wings appear and briefly explained about the Devils, implying that he was not from this dimension.

"Reborn as a Devil?" She seemed undecided.

"As I said, my Devil race is not an evil being, just a different race. Just as elves are different from humans, etc." Zaydas tried not to go too deep into it.

"What will I be forced to do?" She pulled the mask to the left side, finally revealing her beautiful face.

"Nothing in particular." Zaydas replied. "Being part of my Peerage, upon being reborn as a Devil, you will have the responsibility to fight by my side, but I will never force you to do something you don't want to."

"Stay by your side..." She murmured, thoughtful.

Zaydas remained silent while giving her time to think.

She suddenly asked: "If, if I say that I wish to mindlessly beat up a certain Demon Lord who summoned me to this world and cursed me, will you allow it?"

"Hahaha, not only will I allow it, but I will make it possible." Zaydas said confidently.

She closed her eyes and fell silent once again.

…

Fire falling from the sky like rain… That was the first scene Shizu remembered.

Her mother's hand, which she held so dearly, felt far too light…

She was afraid to look up. The napalm exploding in the air turned the surroundings into a sea of flames.

'Should I run somewhere?'

Everything was covered in fire…

Shizu, who was once known as Izawa Shizue, was slowly drowning in despair.

And then, she felt herself bathed in a bright light…

'Ah… so this is where I die…' She was just a young girl, but that much she could understand.

She was four years old at the time. With no relatives, she lived alone with her mother. Her father had been drafted, and she couldn't remember his face. She didn't feel blessed nor unhappy. Since that was the norm, she could do nothing but accept it.

[Do you wish to live? If you desire life, answer my call!] A voice echoed in her head.

'Do I want to live? Why? I don't understand…' She was too young to answer such a question.

However… looking at her mother, who had been reduced to nothing but a hand…

'I want to live!' She screamed.

[Recognized. Responding to the summoner's request… success!]

'I want to live without fearing fire!'

[Recognized. Acquiring Extra Skill [Fire Manipulation]… success!]

The next time she opened her eyes, she was in a demon's lair.

Leon Cromwell.

He was the one humans called the Demon Lord. Also known as the Blonde Devil.

"Aah… another failure." He murmured, losing interest in her.

However, he did not kill the girl whose body was covered in burns. She didn't matter to him. And the girl found that fact irritating. Even now, she sometimes remembered. That beautiful face. And those arrogant, disinterested eyes.

But back then, she could only survive by clinging to him. In the end, she was saved by the Demon Lord's whim.

"Wait a second…" She reached out to him.

'Maybe he, as beautiful as an angel, would heal my pain?' That's what she thought, but…

"I thought it was just trash, but this thing is actually suited for fire, huh." With those words, he summoned the Flame Giant, Ifrit. No incantation, as if it were breathing. And the summoned Ifrit obeyed without question.

"I grant you flesh. Use it!" Those words, to the girl, became undeniable proof of the failure of her hopes.

And so, the pain she felt turned into hatred—while that curse (trauma) engraved itself into the girl's heart.

However, it could also be said that this possession allowed her to survive. Since then, how much time has passed…?

As a fire demon, she ruled over one of the Demon Lord's castles. By his side, as a high-ranking demon.

*Gosun, gotsun, gotsun*

The footsteps echoed through the castle corridors. The Demon Lord had already fled. Abandoning this castle. The girl was the rearguard. A sacrificial piece. The Demon Lord treated her as a tool until the very end. Nothing indicated otherwise.

The one approaching was the "Hero."

Long black hair tied in a ponytail, covering her body—a black light armor. A beauty that could rival the Demon Lord. The only difference was that the Hero was a woman.

With one look, she was sure: 'I can't win!'

When that thought dominated Ifrit's mind, a bit of the girl's ego returned.

She looked the Hero in the eyes: "He… help me..."

Words that someone could easily ignore. Who would trust the words of a demon…?

However—"It's going to be okay from now on. Good job holding on until now!"

And from then on, she was taken care of by the Hero. The "Anti-Demon Mask" she wore contained Ifrit and hid her burns. She covered her entire body with a cloak and thus followed the Hero.

And one day, she came to be called the "Explosion Monarch."

Then, one day, the Hero set off on a journey. She didn't understand the reason. It was probably a reason the Hero couldn't ignore. The girl also planned to take similar action—that one day, she would embark on a journey.

To kill the Demon Lord. The one who saved her life and then discarded her.

In other words, killing the Demon Lord Leon Cromwell became the purpose of her life. Therefore, the girl hardly considered the Hero's actions reprehensible. But there was one regret: she had never seen the Hero's smile.

Since then, the girl became famous for her heroic deeds.

And recently, the time she had spent as a demon began to haunt her dreams. As her life dwindled, she felt she could no longer suppress Ifrit's consciousness.

However, the "Anti-Demon Mask" had not failed her yet. So she told herself: 'I don't have much time left! So, let's at least fire an arrow at the Demon Lord.'

Then, she decided to set out.

…

Kneeling on one knee, she said: "In that case, I, Shizue Izawa, will follow you with body and soul!"

Although he felt she didn't need to do this, Zaydas did not disappoint her determination, extending his hand toward her. That was when the Mutant Knight Piece responded to her, and Zaydas made it float toward her chest.

"Ahhhhh!!"

The instant the piece entered her body, an aura of magicules created a pillar of red energy.

'Great Sage, perfectly fuse the Boosted Gear with her.' Zaydas commanded.

[Processing...]

[Warning! For a perfect fusion, it will cost 500 AP!]

'Do it.' Zaydas didn't think twice.

[-500 AP!]

As soon as it was done, Ifrit's shadow loomed in the sky, but then, a massive Red Dragon appeared, roaring. When Ifrit tried to fight, the Red Dragon devoured him as if Ifrit were a mere snack, and the Red Dragon's shadow disappeared at the same time Shizu's expanded aura began to diminish.

…

"What was that just now?"

"I have no idea, Lady Ellen, but my heart won't stop pounding uncontrollably..."

"Today has been full of surprises... That looked like the shadow of a dragon. Could it be Veldora?" Cabal speculated.

"Cabal-danna, shouldn't we go check on Zaydas-san and Shizu-san?" Gido asked.

"I would like to, but my legs feel like jelly..." Cabal replied, looking like a wobbly air dancer.

…

At the same time, in different kingdoms, the most powerful beings in this world felt the presence of something they could not ignore.

"Was that the birth of a new dragon?"

It might fool the eyes of ordinary people, but it would be impossible to deceive those who are truly strong, seated on their thrones.

…

Shizu opened her eyes.

She opened and closed her hands, feeling a strange and peculiar sensation at the same time.

"So... This is what it feels like to be reborn as a Devil..." she murmured.

And seconds later, tears streamed down her face. "Ifrit... My curse, is it gone?"

"More precisely, it was devoured by the new power granted to you."

When she heard this, Shizu, who had stood up, was about to kneel before him, only to be stopped.

"There's no need to do that," he said as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "From today on, you are my knight—a member of my Peerage. Your problems are my problems."

Shizu felt truth in his words, without the slightest hint of a lie.

"I hear you," she said in her sweet yet firm voice.

…

[+299,998 AP!]

Zaydas turned away.

He didn't want her to see his expression.

'This is a much higher AP number than I ever thought I would gain...' He expected to gain a lot of AP, but he hadn't thought it would be this much.

However, he had underestimated how valuable Shizu was and how valuable her compatibility with the Boosted Gear was, thanks to her Extra Skill: Metamorphosis.

"Shizu... No, Shizue Gremory." He turned to her again. "That will be your name from today onward."

As soon as he did this, Zaydas felt his demonic power decrease to the point where only 9% remained.

…

Shizue, who had received his name, was surprised as she thought: 'Shizue Gremory... I'm no longer Shizu, the demon summoned by Leon Cromwell...'

Before she could give thanks, something happened.

[Warning! Unique Skill: Metamorphosis has been upgraded!], [Warning! Extra Skill: Flame Manipulation has been upgraded! Warning! Extra Skill: Dual Body has been upgraded! Warning...!]

[Confirming.]

[Extra Skill: Dragon Aura...]

[Acquisition successful!]

When she opened her eyes again, she saw Zaydas eating one of those golden fruits.

…

"How are you feeling?" Zaydas asked.

Shizue didn't answer immediately. She touched her face, and when she seemed to confirm that the scar on her face had disappeared, she spoke as tears ran down her cheeks. "Very well, very well indeed."

"I'm glad to hear that." Zaydas tossed a golden fruit toward her. "Eat this and get ready—we're leaving this dimension after saying goodbye to those three."

"Another dimension?" She seemed confused.

"Did I not tell you who I am?"

"Who are you?"

"Yes, who I am." He pointed to himself with his thumb. "I am Zaydas, The Traveler."

[Title: The Birth of the Strongest Red Dragon Emperor!]

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