Bonus – Visit to the Unknown – 01 Different Gate
On the day of Rimuru’s great escape, there were those who laughed out loud in the far depths of the labyrinth.
It was Veldora and Ramiris.
Veldora was in the shape of a human as he stood in front of the magic circle and laughed.
Ramiris flew happily around him.
“Kaaahh–ahahaha! Finally, it is finished. Now we can journey to other worlds ahead of Rimuru.”
“Ohoho. Encounters with the unknown! Rimuru is always so cautious about everything, so this is our chance, master!”
“Yes! I was thinking that too, Ramiris. At the forum that is to take place in Ingracia, a thesis on the Different Gate is to be revealed. However, we shall be the first to succeed before that even happens!”
“Yes, yes! Rimuru is guaranteed to start saying, ‘I’ll go and play in that other world,’ so we have to go first and see what it’s like!”
“Exactly!”
As their conversation suggested, they had completed the procedure of opening a Different Gate.
Of course, they did.
This was because they had been helping with Mai Furuki’s research, and were in a position to know what its contents.
But it wasn’t that they wanted to steal the results of the research and take credit for it.
Their reasoning was simple. They were just looking for an opportunity to ignore Rimuru’s warning that it was dangerous, and go on a journey to a different world.
And if circumstances permit it, they would learn all they can and then surprise Rimuru with it later on.
And so neither of them hesitated.
Now that Rimuru was gone, they would hurry up and activate this new method and take off for a different world—the two of them could think of nothing else.
Rimuru’s warnings were like a distant wind, and they cared not at all about whether or not this other world would be safe.
They had no plans at all.
However, they were both full of confidence and did not care about the small details. As always, they would cry only when the trouble arose.
“Hehehe. Now that we’ve decided, we should go at once!”
“Yes! Let’s go!!”
Ramiris held onto Veldora’s shoulder, and once Veldora was sure she was secure, he began to send magic energy into the circle.
Beretta realized this and frantically ran towards them–
“Wait just a min–”
However, it was much too late!
Light flowed from the magic circle and filled the room in a flash, engulfing even Beretta.
And when the light disappeared, all three of them had vanished without a trace.
……….
……
…
Shinji had become worried that they hadn’t come out for so long, and went to check on the room.
There was a cup of coffee on the desk that was half empty.
“Huh? Lord Ramiris is gone, and Mister Veldora… Where…no, they couldn’t have!?”
He looked down at the magic circle on the ground with startled amazement.
“Oh, damn it. So they must have been waiting for a time when Lord Rimuru is absent… Really, those two are so selfish. Ahhhh. It will not be my fault if they get scolded later. Damn it.”
He muttered in defeat. Then he worried over how he could prove that he was not involved in this.
But now that he thought about it, he had only helped in the research as Ramiris’s assistant. And he was not an actual accomplice.
And he had evidence, including the schedule in the research journal, so there really was no need to worry.
“Well, it’s fine then. And it will be good for them to be harshly reprimanded once in a while, or they will never learn.”
Shinji thought as if it had nothing to do with him.
However—
Shinji would find himself in danger as well, in one weeks time.
This was because Irina, who he had not heard from for a long time, would be arriving as a new research member.
But Shinji could not predict the future, and so he hadn’t the foggiest idea.
His master was not here, and so he started to think that he could take a few days off.
–As for the encounter with Irina that awaited him, it was a story that only God would know.
◆◆◆
To put it simply, the Different Gate had been opened.
And as the three of them had gone through it, they came out into the land of a different world.
Well, maybe they didn’t quite land, to be precise.
“GAAAAHHH!! Have we been thrown out into the sky!?”
“Hey, master!! We’re falling. We’re falling!?”
“Kaaaa–hahaha! Well, I cannot fly well. But we won’t die even if we fall. Now, hold on tight!”
“Huh? Whaaat!?”
The three of them had been thrown from a point that was three-hundred meters above ground.
Veldora, Ramiris and Beretta.
It wasn’t as high as it could have been, and they hit the ground in less than ten seconds.
The ground approached them even as they talked, and they made contact with a thunderous crash.
“Wh-what a shock! Master, what do you mean you can’t fly?!”
“Hmm. Well, energy seems to be very thin in this world. I couldn’t move like I wanted.”
“…Now that you mention it, the power of spirits is weaker here as well! Hey, what does this mean?”
Ramiris said in shock after hearing Veldora’s explanation.
However, Veldora seemed confident.