"Looks like everyone pulled it off! So how many people did you... recruit?"
Kaito, flat on his back again, looked up at Kagaya with a curious grin.
"Haha, a thousand in total, all of them at the top of their respective fields!"
Kaito's eyes went wide. A hundred people walked out the door and somehow came back with a thousand elite recruits in a single week. How.
"Haha, Kai-chan, you keep underestimating what the Ubuyashiki family is capable of!"
Kanae, seated nearby and idly fanning him, said it with a smile.
"I'll be honest, I'm impressed."
"Haha, Kanae makes it sound more dramatic than it was. Most of them were simply hired under the Ubuyashiki name with competitive salaries. We also offered positions for their family members alongside them. Conditions like that tend to be hard to say no to."
"As for any concerns they had about relocating to another world entirely... I took care of that personally."
A brief, quiet severity passed through Kagaya's eyes as he said it. There had been some who pushed back when they first heard the words "another world." Kaito caught the look and decided not to ask questions. He did allow himself one private thought about how ruthless old money could be.
Then again, said old money was working for him. So.
Just then, a Demon Slayer Corps member stepped into the room, dropped to one knee, and reported:
"Kaito-sama! Oyakata-sama! All personnel have returned!"
The Corps members still called Kagaya "Oyakata-sama" out of habit, even though Kaito and Rimuru were technically in charge now. Kaito didn't particularly mind. Kagaya was, after all, sitting at a clean hundred percent favorability and loyalty.
"Understood!"
"Yes!"
The member rose and left.
"Alright, time to head back. Everything's in order. The New World is waiting."
Kaito pushed himself upright and looked around at the group.
"Let's get moving."
"Okay!"
He walked out of the main hall into the courtyard, and Shizu was already there, heading his way with a bright smile.
"You're in a good mood."
"Haha, we found a lot of wonderful teachers this time. I interviewed every one of them myself. They're the real thing, genuinely talented educators!"
"Haha, well, they'd have to be, wouldn't they. Anyone who set off even the slightest alarm got thrown into the sea by the Corps."
Kaito had run [Eye of Identification] across the entire group at some point and found that the people the Corps had brought in were all sitting at fairly solid loyalty numbers, most of them clearing fifty.
Seeing him step out, the assembled Demon Slayer Corps members dropped to one knee:
"Kaito-sama! *n"
The newly recruited group followed their lead. Kaito looked out over the thousands of people gathered before him.
"Everyone, on your feet."
They stood.
Kaito opened the [Dimensional Gate] without ceremony.
The appearance of it didn't cause the stir he half expected. Nobody panicked, nobody ran. He raised an eyebrow and turned to Kagaya.
"Why is everyone so calm?"
"Haha, just a precaution. I had the Corps members give a small demonstration of their abilities beforehand."
"Ah. Smart."
"Alright! Let's move out!"
Great Jura Forest · Town Entrance
Rimuru and the others watched the steady stream of people pouring out of the [Dimensional Gate] and stared.
"How many people did you plunder?!"
Kaito crossed his arms, looking thoroughly pleased with himself.
"Not that many. Including family members, it's barely four thousand."
"Barely."
"Alright, let's hand this lot off to Kagaya and Rigurd to sort out. Benimaru!"
"Here!"
Benimaru jogged over at the call.
"How are the troops looking?"
"The 30,000 Orc army is fully assembled and ready. The Security Force is standing by and can mobilize at any time."
Benimaru gave his report with characteristic precision.
"Good. Make sure to pack plenty of healing medicine. The weapons humans use in that world can still do real damage to our people."
"Already done. We've also packed a substantial amount of food, specifically so we can give the children a proper meal once we find them."
"Well done. Really well done."
Kaito was genuinely impressed. With Benimaru handling logistics, he could go into this without a single worry. Those kids were going to be okay.
"Everyone, take the rest of today to rest up. We depart for the New World tomorrow morning!"
"Yes!"
Night · Kaito's Home
"System, daily sign-in."
[Ding! Congratulations, Host. You have received one copy of Dragon Ball Universal Capsule Manufacturing Technology! (Gold)]
"Nani! Are we talking about the Capsules that Bulma's family makes?!"
He dove into the details that flooded into his mind and felt his excitement climb with every line. This was genuinely brilliant technology.
Villas, vehicles, entire buildings, compressed down into a capsule you could carry in your pocket. One press of a button and it all came spilling back out.
"I really hit the jackpot with this one."
"Shame there's no time to actually produce them before we leave. If there were, I could just pack up half the buildings in the Black Bullet world and skip the whole housing crisis entirely."
He sat with that thought for a moment, feeling mildly sorry for himself, then decided it wasn't worth losing sleep over.
He pulled the blanket over his head. A giant caterpillar appeared where Kaito had been.
The Next Day · Town Entrance
Kaito stood on an elevated platform and looked out over the ranks of troops assembled below.
"We're heading out to bring back a group of children who've had it rough. If anyone gets in our way, don't hold back. One comes at you, take out one. Two come at you, take out two. Are we clear?!"
"Yes!"
The unified roar from tens of thousands of voices sent every bird within range bursting out of the trees.
"One more thing. I'm not going to lecture everyone on how to behave, but Geld!"
"Kaito-sama!"
Geld, commanding officer of the Orc forces, stepped forward from the front of the phalanx.
"Your people's appearance might be a little startling to the children. Be gentle when you're interacting with them. Understood?"
Kaito actually had complete faith in Geld. Anyone who'd seen the original story knew he was the kind of person children gravitated to naturally. But looking at the Orcs, he felt the reminder was still worth making.
"You have my word, Kaito-sama. Benimaru-sama had already anticipated this."
"Each of our units will have a human Security Force member accompanying them to make sure the children aren't frightened."
"Good. That puts my mind at ease."
He turned to look at Benimaru. "Really solid thinking. Nicely done."
"No more delays. Move out!"
"Yes! *n"
Kaito opened the [Dimensional Gate], and the great army marched through in disciplined formation, disappearing one column at a time from the sight of those watching, until the courtyard stood empty and quiet.