Evil Dragon Veldora Tempest

Days passed, and Rimuru, along with the goblins, ventured to the Dwarven nation to hire craftsmen to help rebuild their village.

Meanwhile, Veldora found himself restless. He longed to use the time to perfect his own skills, but most of his abilities were restricted, and the rest of his efforts were focused on unlocking the unlimited imprisonment. So, he spent his days in solitude, watching Rimuru's journey. It wasn't entirely boring, though—Rimuru always seemed to find himself in some sort of trouble.

The moment Rimuru set foot in Dwargon, the capital of the Dwarven nation, he was immediately tossed into a cell due to the chaos he caused at the gate. Despite his strange entrance, Rimuru's luck kicked in once again when he helped some injured Dwarves. His actions earned him a release from prison, and, to his surprise, the captain of the guards introduced him to a master craftsman.

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For the first time, Veldora found himself in a party. The Dwarven craftsman, grateful for Rimuru's help, decided to invite him to a celebration. The room was filled with delicious food, hearty booze, and beautiful elves serving the guests.

Veldora couldn't help but feel a sense of envy bubbling up inside him. Here I am, a great dragon, stuck alone in this prison, while Rimuru is being fawned over by these lovely elf ladies, he thought bitterly. His eyes flicked between Rimuru and the elves, who seemed to dote on him, bringing him plates of food and refilling his drinks.

Veldora felt a pang of disappointment at Rimuru's lack of action. Why isn't he doing anything? But then, a sudden thought crossed his mind, and his envy shifted to something else. Maybe... Maybe he's keeping them for me! The thought made him chuckle, and his admiration for his sworn brother grew.

Rimuru's such a considerate guy, Veldora mused. He's giving me time to figure things out before I take my rightful place as the center of attention. After all, who could resist my charm once I get the hang of this?

With that thought, Veldora's envy was replaced by determination.

A few moments later, Veldora muttered to himself, "This is all a waste of my time. I must read through more reference materials, and study dashing and attractive gestures and quotations." He vowed to leave no stone unturned in his quest for admiration.

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A few days passed, and Rimuru finally returned to the forest with the dwarves after all the drama in Dwargon. Meanwhile, Veldora had been hard at work, developing new techniques inspired by the sacred texts he had studied. He couldn't use his full abilities due to his imprisonment, but he could still wield magic, which allowed him to experiment and refine his ideas.

Suddenly, a sharp, draining sensation struck him.

"Gwaaaahh!"

A terrible loss of strength washed over him. To his dismay, he quickly realized the cause—Rimuru was naming monsters again! Had he learned nothing from last time?!

Veldora figuratively cradled his head in his hands. He already exhausted himself once doing this, and now he's doing it again? Worse yet, this time, there were five hundred monsters waiting to be named!

Just as he was bracing himself against the steady loss of energy, a voice rang in his mind.

"Announcement. Total level of magicules required to complete task has been successfully calculated. Your assistance is requested to ensure safety until the calculated value is reached."

'What?!'

Veldora's eyes widened. Despite being locked inside Unlimited Imprisonment, the voice was speaking to him directly! How was that even possible?

"Answer: By using 'Words of the World,' successful communication of will is possible."

"What nonsense is this?! I am sealed in an alternate space, separate from the world itself, and yet this message can reach me?"

But then, something clicked in his mind.

"Wait… When I was deciphering Rimuru's memories, I made the information-sharing process smoother. That must've allowed this communication to work."

Because Rimuru had yet to learn how to read Veldora's thoughts properly, it was difficult for Veldora to make his will known to him. However, the reverse wasn't true. Veldora could understand Rimuru's desires, and it seemed that Rimuru—whether consciously or unconsciously—was now using that to his advantage.

Hmph. That little runt. He's devious when he wants to be.

Even so, Veldora had to admit that the idea was clever. Using the Words of the World as a means to communicate was something he had never considered possible.

But then, something else bothered him.

Wait a minute. I overlooked something important.

"What is this 'safety until the calculated value is reached' nonsense? Surely it can't mean..."

"Answer: The data collected during the previous experience has helped improve the safety factor. The amount of magical energy available for use without risking the loss of maximum energy value is estimated to be..."

Veldora's jaw nearly dropped.

So that skill was collecting data during the last naming round? That's… either incredibly cautious or just plain shrewd.

He was about to give permission for his magicules to be used when a thought struck him.

'Wait... What do I get in return?'

Rather than simply allowing it, he decided to negotiate. He didn't like the idea of bargaining with his sworn brother, but he understood something important—this wasn't Rimuru, but his skill. He had already noticed this skill working autonomously before.

So, following the wisdom of the sacred texts, he decided to strike a deal.

It took some time, but eventually, the mechanical voice responded.

"Please state your demand."

Veldora paused, considering his options.

"…Why don't you transfer the data about the magicule count for naming to me?"

If he could get access to that information, he could make the process less risky—and maybe, just maybe, he could name monsters himself. Veldora had never considered taking subordinates before, but after seeing Rimuru forming bonds with his named monsters, he felt a strange sense of longing.

And after a brief silence, the voice agreed.

...

Veldora let his skill, [Investigator], handle the data transferred by Rimuru's skill as he leaned back to focus on recovering his drained energy.

As expected, Rimuru's newly named subordinates all evolved—and, to Veldora's mild surprise, not a single one died.

Just as he was wondering what kind of awesome, powerful subordinate he could get if he started naming monsters himself, his attention was drawn back to Rimuru.

The slime had just unleashed Black Lightning, effortlessly incinerating a swarm of giant ants to save a group of adventurers.

As the dust settled, Veldora peered through the fading smoke and examined the survivors. There were four adventurers—disheveled and exhausted from battle. However, three of them immediately caught his interest.

Elves?

They were attempting to disguise themselves as humans, but to the Great Storm Dragon Veldora, such cheap tricks were laughably transparent.

Still, they weren't what truly caught his attention. His gaze shifted to the lone human woman standing among them.

Something about her felt... familiar.

His mind raced. Where have I seen her before? Then, realization struck.

She bore an uncanny resemblance to that hero.

His excitement flared. Could she be connected to the hero who sealed me away?

If she survived, she might possess valuable knowledge about the hero's whereabouts.

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Meat sizzled as it cooked atop a rectangular sheet of metal.

Veldora had been curious about the strange item when Rimuru first requested its creation. With no handles, it seemed ill-suited as a shield. But now, seeing it in use, he found the answer most satisfying.

This was his first encounter with the concept of teppanyaki.

The adventurers Rimuru had saved were now cooking strips of meat on the hot plate. Veldora had never eaten food before—he had no need to—but watching the meat sear and the juices drip made even him curious about its taste. Even Rimuru, despite being a slime, looked envious of the humans feasting before him.

Veldora noticed something amusing.

He doesn't even realize that his body is touching the burning plate...

It seemed Rimuru wasn't affected by heat at all.

<>

[Investigator] confirmed his suspicion.

Veldora smirked. I see. That explains it.

His attention shifted back to the adventurers—particularly to the human woman. Through their conversation, he learned an interesting fact: she hailed from the same world as Rimuru. Unlike him, however, she had been summoned to this world, meaning she arrived in her original body.

But summoning requires an enormous ritual, with many arcane conditions, Veldora mused. And yet, this woman was summoned by a single person…

That alone suggested that whoever summoned her was an extraordinary being. And Veldora, ever curious, decided to investigate.

Activating [Pursuit of Truth], he probed deeper.

And then, he found the answer.

The one who had summoned this woman was none other than Demon Lord Leon Cromwell.

Veldora blinked. A demon lord?

The name was unfamiliar to him.

He must be some neophyte who appeared while I was sealed in that cave, Veldora concluded.

Despite being trapped, he had still been able to monitor the world's power balance through [Investigator]. However, his skill was not omniscient; he could only receive infrequent bursts of information, and even then, only on matters of significant importance. Individual beings, even powerful ones like demon lords, were not always easy to track.

But if this Leon had only recently ascended, then surely he was no great threat. Compared to beings like the giants or that vampire lady, a newly risen demon lord was but a minor nuisance.

That thought made Veldora chuckle.

Ah, that vampire…

He recalled a time when he had destroyed a city she had built. She had been absolutely livid about it.

And now, as he watched Rimuru build a village with his hobgoblin and dwarf companions, a strange thought occurred to him.

I suppose I would be furious, too, if someone destroyed something I put effort into creating…

For the first time, he wondered if perhaps his past actions had been… unkind.

Maybe I should apologize if I ever see her again.

But before he could ponder the idea further—

BOOM!

A tremendous aura suddenly erupted, flaring like an inferno.

Veldora's gaze snapped to Rimuru's side—to the woman, Shizu.

This presence... it burns with intense flames... the presence of a high-level flame spirit!

Before Rimuru could react, Shizu tossed him aside.

No, it wasn't her doing.

The spirit inside her had taken control.

Veldora narrowed his eyes. What a terrifying level of synchronization...

Despite the spirit's overwhelming power, Shizu was still resisting. She had just enough strength of will to defy its command—just enough to hurl Rimuru away before losing control.

The adventurers, still gathered around their teppanyaki, noticed the disturbance. They turned in shock, one of them gasping,

"She... she's the Conqueror of Flames! Shizue Izawa!"

Another added in horror,

"She harbors Ifrit inside her—the greatest elementalist alive!"

Ifrit, hmm?

Veldora recalled that name.

A spirit feared as a threat to humanity. A menace categorized as a Calamity-class or Special A-Rank entity. In his current state, Rimuru was at a clear disadvantage against such a being. Even greater demons would struggle against Ifrit's might.

Veldora let out a haughty laugh.

"Kwaaa ha ha ha! A Calamity-class spirit? Please!"

In his mind, he scoffed at the notion.

To me, the Great Storm Dragon, such a being is nothing!

I am a Catastrophe-class existence—the greatest of all menaces! A being of the highest rank: Special S-Rank! None can compare!

But despite his prideful declaration…

He was still trapped.

So, all he could do for now was sit back and watch as the battle unfolded.