The days passed like calm winds in the Jura Forest.
The birds chirped softly. The sun cast golden rays through the tall trees. Saiki sat outside his modest cabin, quietly enjoying his coffee jelly—one bite at a time, unbothered.
Exactly how he liked it.
Well… almost.
"SAAAIKIIII!! LOOK WHAT I FOUND!"
The bushes exploded as Veldora, still in his human form, leaped into the air with a grin plastered across his face. He held a stick.
"It's perfectly balanced! Like a sword! Let's spar!"
"Yare yare…"
Saiki floated a few inches higher, trying to tune out Veldora's endless enthusiasm.
"Come on! Just one fight! I haven't blasted anything in daaaays!"
"That's the point."
"But I'm dying from peace and quiet!"
"Good."
Unbeknownst to Veldora, they weren't alone.
From the shadows behind an ancient oak, Treyni the Dryad, guardian of the Jura Forest, crouched quietly beside her sisters. Her glowing eyes narrowed, fixed on Saiki's cabin.
"Still no aura," she whispered.
"Sister, it's been days," one of her sisters whispered back. "Why are we still watching him?"
"Because something is off. The energy in the forest shifted when he arrived. Even the smallest animals won't go near that cabin."
She looked at Saiki, who was now calmly sipping tea on the porch.
"He doesn't use magicules. He doesn't radiate presence. Yet every fiber of my being knows he is powerful."
"And that man with him?"
"Unregistered. Possibly dangerous. But... he doesn't show up in the Voice of the World."
Treyni clenched her fists.
"They must be hiding something."
Meanwhile, Saiki tilted his head.
"I can hear you breathing. All three of you."
He blinked once and exhaled.
"Yare yare daze…"
Then—in an instant—he vanished.
Treyni blinked.
Then gasped.
A presence—not magical, not even physical—but somehow overwhelming appeared right behind her.
Before she or her sisters could even turn their heads, their bodies froze in place. Like puppets caught in invisible strings, they were held perfectly still—unable to speak, unable to move, even their magic was sealed.
"It's rude to spy," Saiki said flatly.
His voice was calm.
Too calm.
"And it's the fifth day. You're worse than telemarketers."
Treyni's eyes darted in panic. How had he—? How was he—!?
"W-Who are you!?" she forced out.
Saiki blinked, floating a few inches above the grass.
"A psychic."
"...That explains nothing!"
"Exactly."
One of the dryad sisters whimpered.
"Please… we're just protecting the forest…"
"Then protect it quieter," Saiki said.
He flicked a finger, and the forest around them grew silent. Birds stopped chirping. Wind halted. Even the leaves stood still.
Treyni tried to muster strength.
"The forest is… my home. I felt it shift when you arrived. The trees… the spirits… they trembled."
Saiki floated a bit closer, still unreadable.
"And yet, you didn't run."
"Because if you are a threat… I have to know."
He stared at her, then pointed lazily toward the cabin.
"See the guy with the bad fashion sense?"
"The loud one?"
"Yes. That's Veldora."
Treyni's heart stopped.
"...Liar."
"Not lying."
"But—no—he's sealed! I would've sensed if the storm dragon—"
"I erased that memory. From the world."
Treyni's mind shattered a little.
"Y-You… erased the entire world's memory…?"
"Yes."
"You—That's not possible! Not even a True Dragon could—!"
"I'm not a True Dragon."
"Then… w-what are you!?"
Saiki blinked slowly.
"Tired."
With another lazy wave of his hand, Saiki released them from the psychic freeze.
The dryads collapsed to their knees, gasping for air. Treyni clutched her chest, still trying to process what just happened.
"I don't care if you watch," Saiki said. "But don't hide and whisper like weird forest stalkers. Just knock on the door next time."
He floated backward toward the cabin.
Treyni remained kneeling, stunned.
"He's not from this world," she whispered.
"Sister… he… erased memories."
"Not even Veldora scared me this much…"
She looked toward the cabin again, just as Saiki flicked Veldora in the forehead with psychic force for shouting too loudly.
"...And that man really is Veldora?"
"No wonder the forest has gone quiet," one sister whispered.
Treyni slowly stood.
"Come. We'll inform the spirits. But quietly… and we will not interfere again."
A few days later....
It was another quiet morning in the Jura Forest.
The sky was clear. The wind was gentle. The birds were chirping…
And Veldora was breakdancing shirtless on a rock.
"HEY SAIKI! Check this out! It's called the Dragon Spin—!"
CRASH!
He flipped too hard and landed face-first into a bush.
Saiki sighed from the porch, sipping tea as a plate of jelly floated beside him.
"Yare yare daze…"
For the past week, Saiki had been thinking. A lot.
Ever since Treyni and her sisters tried to spy on him, and monsters around Jura were so terrified they wouldn't come within half a mile of his cabin, Saiki realized something:
He would never get peace at this rate.
Because eventually, someone would try something stupid.
Someone like a Demon Lord.
Or a True Dragon with a superiority complex.
Or an Emperor who got bored and wanted to conquer something.
And when they did, they'd come snooping, fighting, questioning, poking around his cabin—and worst of all…
Interrupting his jelly time.
Unforgivable.
"This world only respects power," he muttered, watching Veldora climb a tree for no reason.
"People like Guy, Milim, or Velgrynd… no one bothers them because they're too dangerous."
"So if I want peace, I need to do the same…"
"But doing it myself would be a pain."
He blinked lazily.
"Yare yare…"
Then… an idea sparked.
"Why fight… when I have a giant, unkillable idiot at my disposal?"
He looked at Veldora, now trying to chase a butterfly with zero grace.
"I'll make the world fear him. I'll be the shadow behind the storm."
He smirked just slightly.
"Let them fear the Dragon… while I enjoy tea and jelly."
Later that evening, Saiki called Veldora inside.
Veldora, excited as ever, sat cross-legged like a student about to be told a bedtime story.
"So? What's up, Master Psychic?"
"I've decided something," Saiki said calmly. "You're going to conquer the world."
"...Come again?"
"You want to fly, fight, and show off, right?"
"I DO!!"
"Then go ahead. Be as flashy as you want."
Veldora's eyes sparkled like a child on Christmas.
"W-Wait, for real?! I can fight people now?! Towns?! Armies?!"
"Yes. But don't actually destroy anything."
"Eh?"
"You're going to act like a conqueror. But everything will be planned."
He pulled out a floating psychic board of holographic light and laid out the phases:
Phase 1: Rebirth of the Dragon King
"You'll go public. The world thinks you're sealed. So we'll reintroduce you in style."
"Like a big flashy debut!?"
"Exactly. You'll show up in the sky, declare yourself the new ruler of the world."
"OH THIS IS SO COOL!"
Phase 2: The Fear Campaign
"You'll target specific regions—one by one—appearing, flexing your power, then vanishing."
"Should I yell stuff like, 'KNEEL BEFORE ME, WORMS!'?"
"...That works."
"YES!!"
"I'll amplify your presence psychically. Even those across the world will feel it."
Phase 3: The Puppet Throne
"Once everyone fears you, we establish territories. You'll be the face of this empire."
"And what will you do, oh mysterious genius?"
"Stay here. Eat jelly. Control the politics behind the scenes."
"...I'm the actor, and you're the director."
"Correct."
Phase 4: No One Bothers the Dragon's Home
"This cabin? This forest? I'll wrap it in psychic barriers, invisible to all."
"So even Demon Lords will stay away?"
"If anyone tries, they'll feel your 'aura' and run."
"So technically… I become your shield."
"Exactly."
Veldora stood up dramatically.
"I, the mighty Veldora, shall become the face of domination—!"
Trips on rug.
"OW."
"Yare yare daze…"
As he lay on the ground, Veldora stared up at the ceiling.
"This is kinda genius. I get to do cool stuff… and you get to chill. But…"
He looked over at Saiki.
"Why not take credit? You could rule the world easily."
Saiki floated in midair, eyes closed.
"That sounds exhausting."
"So… you're strong enough to be God…"
"But lazy enough to be a cat."
"Exactly."
Meanwhile, in the World…
The balance of the world was about to shift.
The sealed dragon would soon return—louder, flashier, and more untouchable than ever.
Little would they know… behind him was a quiet psychic who just wanted peace.
The world bows before power.
But power... bows before jelly....