"The main reason I called everyone here today is because I discovered a new world!"
"A new world!"
Everyone present stood up in shock. They all knew Kaito could travel between worlds; after all, Kagaya and the others had been brought here by Kaito from other worlds.
"Kai-chan! Is what you said true?"
Rimuru asked Kaito, her face full of surprise.
"Of course it's true. It's just that this world is a bit… how should I put it… I have a feeling you might want to kill people after hearing about it."
"Is it… is it really that terrifying? To have the urge to kill just from hearing about it?"
"This world is a post-apocalyptic world. The specific situation is like this…"
As Kaito laid out the details of this world one by one, the expressions of everyone present shifted dramatically.
From initial surprise to confusion, then to shock, and finally to blazing anger.
"Thud!"
Kagaya could no longer hold back and slammed his hand heavily on the conference table, roaring:
"Are those people still human?! Such young children… how dare they!"
"Kaito-sama! I will slaughter every last one of those beasts who don't deserve to be called human!"
Rengoku, his right hand gripping the hilt of his sword so tightly his knuckles had gone white, made his request with murder in his eyes.
Shizu, who had been called to attend the meeting, also said in a low, trembling voice:
"For an entire world of people to be so evil… it's simply unimaginable! Those children did nothing wrong. Why…"
Her eyes had already gone red just from listening to Kaito's account, and now Shizu could no longer hold back her tears.
Compared to Shizu, who could still hold herself together enough to cry in silence, Mitsuri Kanroji, her pink curly hair swaying as she shook, had already broken into loud sobs. Between her cries, she pleaded:
"Waaah waaah waaah… How can there be such pitiful children?! Kaito-sama, Rimuru-sama, let's save them!"
Izayoi Sakuya, standing behind Kaito, forcibly suppressed the killing intent surging within her and spoke in a calm, measured tone:
"Kaito-sama! Although I am well aware of how evil humans can be, this has already far exceeded any reasonable bottom line. I too request that you take action to save those poor children!"
Rimuru, seated at the head of the table, saw everyone present voicing their desire to save the children, and spoke with reddened eyes:
"Kai-chan! I beg you too. Please find a way to save them!"
"Kaito-sama! Although we are not humans, even monsters have a protective instinct toward their young. These people simply deserve to die!"
"This old man's sword is already itching to cut down these inhumane beasts!"
Seeing the room on the verge of erupting, Kaito quickly raised his hand and cut in:
"Don't get ahead of yourselves. I absolutely plan to save them, but we need to properly discuss how to go about it first!"
Hearing his words, everyone slowly settled down, though even after calming themselves, their eyes remained fixed intently on Kaito.
Looking at everyone staring at him, Kaito could only sigh and press on:
"The number of children we need to save this time might be beyond anything you're imagining. Do you have any idea how many Cursed Children there are?"
Kanae wiped the tears from her eyes and ventured a guess:
"Tens of thousands?"
Seeing Kaito remain silent, Rigurd couldn't help but ask in disbelief:
"Kaito-sama! It wouldn't be hundreds of thousands, would it?"
Seeing Kaito shake his head, Kagaya Ubuyashiki grew visibly restless and pressed further:
"Kaito-sama! Is it truly in the hundreds of thousands? Surely it can't be that many!"
"It's at least a million."
After several failed guesses, Kaito finally said it plainly, and the number hit the room like a hammer.
"What?! O-one million?!"
"Kaito-sama, you're not joking, are you?!"
"Kai-chan! Is it… really that many?"
Kaito looked at everyone's disbelieving faces and said helplessly:
"I'm not joking. There really are that many, and I'm actually understating it. I don't know the exact number, but it won't be less than a million."
"Everyone, let's think this through. How do we save that many children, and how do we feed at least a million of them once we do?"
Although Kaito was absolutely determined to save every last Cursed Child, this couldn't be done blindly. There were many aspects to consider.
Food, clothing, shelter, and daily needs for a million people were all serious issues, especially since the town had only just absorbed 150,000 Orcs and food supplies were already stretched thin.
There was also the matter of the children's physical health. The Gastrea virus was an insurmountable wall for the people of that world, but for Kaito it was nothing worth losing sleep over. He wouldn't even need to act himself. As long as Rimuru had [Great Sage] analyze the virus, a restorative medicine could be developed without much difficulty.
Looking at everyone who had fallen into heavy silence, Kaito felt the urge to sigh.
Taking in a million people all at once was genuinely a daunting task, even for someone as capable as Kagaya Ubuyashiki.
Just as Kaito was about to suggest going ahead to assess the situation first, Kagaya Ubuyashiki finally spoke:
"Kaito-sama! The biggest problem with accepting those children right now is actually the food supply."
"The housing issue is more manageable. Using magic and other methods, along with the labor force of over a hundred thousand Orcs, I believe the necessary housing can be built quite quickly."
"Having several children share a room should not be a problem!"
Kaito had a small moment of realization. He had nearly forgotten that this was a world of magic, and many things that seemed impossible could be solved with it.
Several children sharing a room… that was essentially a student dormitory! Perfectly workable. And they were all of schooling age. Shizue was going to have quite the headache, he thought.
"As for the food problem…"
Kagaya Ubuyashiki looked at Kaito and asked slowly:
"Kaito-sama, I have a question I would like to ask."
"Go ahead."
"I wonder… is it possible for Kaito-sama to return to our original world?"
The moment he heard those words, Kaito's body stiffened, and he immediately understood exactly what Kagaya Ubuyashiki was getting at.
Of course! There was not enough food in this world, but he could go to the Demon Slayer world to procure it. His dimensional space could hold an enormous amount. The Demon Slayer world was only at the level of the First Industrial Revolution, but obtaining enough food there to feed several million people would still be well within reach.
As for payment? I, a dignified Nascent Soul ancestor, am already honoring you by taking some food off your hands. How dare you ask for money? Do you believe I could slap your entire island into the sea with one palm?! (▼ヘ▼#)
Snapping back to the present, Kaito quickly replied:
"Yes! I can even bring people with me!"
A smile finally appeared on Kagaya Ubuyashiki's face at those words, and he said gently:
"Then the hardest problem is solved."
Watching Kagaya Ubuyashiki dismantle the most daunting obstacle in just a few calm sentences, every person in the room turned to stare at him with an expression that could only be described as reverence.
'Kagaya! You fellow…'