"Huff~ Huff~"
In the entire field, only Albis and Suphia remained conscious, clinging to their strong wills.
But that was all they could manage.
The two women were in no better shape than the others, collapsed on the ground, limbs weak, helplessly watching Damien and his group approach.
"Wow, Lady is as overwhelming as ever."
Rimuru stared at Velzard in awe. "Just with her aura, she scared them into this state."
But thinking back to Velzard's fight with Damien...
Compared to that, she was already holding back a ton.
"Well, it's alright."
"But I have improved a lot in controlling my power."
Velzard glanced at Damien, knowing full well this was all thanks to him.
Her power had grown from True Dragon to Dragon God.
Yet, her control over her abilities hadn't diminished... it had significantly improved.
It was no exaggeration to say Damien had transformed her.
"Alright, stop scaring them."
Damien spoke, and Velzard immediately withdrew her dragon aura. "Don't worry, I know my limits."
"Not a single one's dead."
Velzard's words brought a wave of relief to the two women.
Judging by their sweat-soaked, drenched appearances, it was clear what kind of terrifying ordeal they'd just endured.
Fortunately, none of the Lycanthrope they'd brought had died.
In that sense, it was a small mercy amid misfortune.
The two women also felt a flicker of hope... at least this woman wasn't an unapproachable calamity like the Storm Dragon.
They didn't know how Velzard compared to Veldora.
But as long as she was willing to communicate, they had a chance to survive.
"First time meeting. I'm Damien, the current master of this forest."
Damien approached the two women and, with a wave of his hand, lifted the mental imprint Velzard had left on them.
The women noted Damien's position.
Velzard, Rimuru, and Treyni clearly revolved around him.
Without a doubt, Damien was the leader of the four.
"Which means you've trespassed on my territory without my permission."
His next words sent a chill through the women, a faint whiff of death brushing against them.
"Please, please wait a moment..."
Albis mustered her courage to interrupt Damien.
She feared that if she let him continue, he'd move to punish them or even execute them on the spot.
To avoid that, Albis had to risk offending him with her boldness.
"Please forgive my rudeness. We sincerely apologize for intruding on your territory."
"We didn't know the Jura Great Forest had a new master," Albis said. "We're willing to accept punishment, but please spare our lives..."
"Oh?"
Damien didn't mind Albis's interruption. He found her response intriguing. "A new master, huh? That's a nice way to put it."
"Alright, you pass this time."
Albis had already lowered her stance.
Her words, in essence, meant they were willing to become Damien's captives and pay the necessary price.
'I get the feeling Carrion's been able to manage his kingdom largely thanks to her efforts.'
Damien was quite satisfied with Albis's performance.
He hadn't planned to truly punish the Lycanthrope anyway.
Their intentions differed from the Kingdom of Falmuth, which had mobilized an army, clearly intent on waging war against the Monster Kingdom. Naturally, Damien wouldn't let them off.
In contrast, the Eurazania had only sent scouts to explore the forest.
He could even predict their reaction upon discovering the source of the forest's changes.
They'd likely seek alliance or friendship, avoiding conflict if possible.
Unless the Storm Dragon had truly revived and was impossible to negotiate with, they wouldn't resort to other measures.
Lycanthrope weren't inherently invasive majins.
They were more like an agrarian civilization, content to farm quietly rather than plunder.
As a result, the Eurazania had amassed vast agricultural resources but struggled to find markets, leaving their citizens' average living standards low.
"Hm?"
Suddenly, as Damien pondered how to handle the Lycanthrope, he sensed something.
Treyni reacted similarly.
Both turned their gazes in the same direction, piquing Rimuru's curiosity.
"What's up?"
Rimuru asked. "Did something happen?"
Damien's reaction caught not only Rimuru and Velzard's attention but also made Albis and Suphia's hearts leap to their throats.
They were terrified Damien might suddenly say something like, "Kill them all."
"Rimuru."
Damien's expression turned serious. "There's a situation with the humans. You and Treyni go handle it."
"OK."
Rimuru didn't hesitate, immediately using Treyni's root network spanning the forest to head toward the human side.
Those guys were far less cooperative than the Lycanthrope.
Despite encountering nothing, their attitude was worse than the Lycanthrope's.
"This smell."
Shortly after Rimuru and Treyni left, a burnt odor wafted through the air.
"No way?"
"Are those people serious?"
Suphia's eyes widened. "Starting a fire in a forest like this... for real?"
As Lycanthrope, Suphia and Albis were deeply wary of forest fires.
Especially in the Jura Great Forest, filled with dense trees.
Once a fire started, it could easily trigger a chain of massive blazes.
Even if extinguished, the loss of life and damage to the ecosystem would be irreparable.
"Set fire to a forest, and you'll pay the ultimate price."
Damien's eyes flashed with clear disgust. Razen and his group had actually set fire to the forest trapping them.
Damien couldn't judge whether their actions were right or wrong.
In a bid for survival, anything was permissible.
But they'd burned his forest, his territory, his assets.
"Very well, you've chosen your own doom!"
"No need to hold back!"
Damien sent instructions to Treyni and Rimuru: "And I don't need prisoners..."
***
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