Chapter 12
"...I understand what happened. I forgive you."
Demon Lord Lukie said.
I was sitting in seiza.
Apparently, 'seiza' was a traditional sitting posture in the Hero's world that signified 'repentance.'
Before me, Demon Lord Lukie, her face exposed, sighed again and again.
It was my mistake to take Demon Lord Lukie's mask and robe.
I'd forgotten that the Otherworld-Style 'Simple Warehouse' had an automatic item-sorting function.
This warehouse automatically collected and sorted rare items whenever it found them.
That was a necessary function for a 'Simple Warehouse' that stored huge numbers of items, but because of it, it had automatically collected even Demon Lord Lukie's 'mask' and 'robe' when she came inside.
After that, all hell broke loose.
Demon Lord Lukie crouched down, covering her face with both hands, while Mabel ran around in a panic.
I explained what had happened and apologized, and the two of them finally calmed down.
Thus, after hearing what had happened, Demon Lord Lukie forgave me.
"I understand that you meant no harm. I forgive you, so act normally."
"I am very sorry, Your Majesty."
...What a disaster.
I had still underestimated the items from the Hero's world.
The Heroes who came from another world wielded incredible power, fought the ancient Demon Lord, and drove the demonfolk to the northern lands. They had undoubtedly changed the world.
If these were items from the world of those Heroes, it shouldn't have been surprising if they had unexpected effects.
"D-don't get so depressed. It's all right now, Thor Rigas."
Demon Lord Lukie said this awkwardly.
Her mask and robe were still lying on the floor.
It seemed she had given up on concealing her identity.
Mabel was sitting in seiza beside me as well.
Apparently, she had known Demon Lord Lukie's true face.
The only others who had seen her true face were Chancellor Kelv, the maid who attended to her, and her family.
Demon Lord Lukie told me why she had concealed her identity.
The reason was—
'A Demon Lord must possess powerful Dark Magic Power and be a mysterious figure feared by all.'
That was all.
To the south of the Demon Lord's Territory lay the military superpower known as the Dulgaria Empire.
Even though they had signed a nonaggression treaty, there was no telling how long it would last.
As long as the Empire remained a threat, they couldn't let it be known that the Demon Lord was a frail-looking girl.
That was why Demon Lord Lukie wore the 'Recognition-Obscuring' mask and robe, which concealed her face and figure.
"...So, what did you think?"
Demon Lord Lukie said without turning toward me.
"Were you disappointed that the ruler of the Demon Lord's Territory is such a pathetic little girl? Well, I suppose it can't be helped. I hid my identity with a 'Recognition-Obscuring' mask and robe, then strutted around calling myself the Demon Lord, despite being such a little girl..."
"Lukie-sama, it isn't like that..."
"You needn't cover for me, Mabel. He has already seen my true face. Well, Thor Rigas? This small and helpless figure is the true Demon Lord."
Demon Lord Lukie said this and looked at me.
She certainly was small.
She was apparently fifteen years old, but even so, she was tiny.
She was short, with slender arms and legs. She looked as though she might break if I hugged her.
"A Demon Lord who looks like this couldn't stand up to the Empire. That is why I used Recognition-Obscuring items to make myself look more like a Demon Lord."
Demon Lord Lukie continued speaking.
Her father, the previous Demon Lord, had died while still young.
His daughter, Lukie, had then taken the throne as Demon Lord.
She wore the 'Recognition-Obscuring' mask and robe as a temporary measure until she grew up.
She possessed powerful Dark Magic Power, but for some reason, her body was growing slowly.
She barely grew taller, gained little weight, and had few physical curves.
Although she could use powerful magic, she was not physically strong.
Of course, in another two or three years, she would be able to withstand Body Enhancement magic using her Dark Magic Power. Once that happened, Lukie would become powerful both magically and physically.
She would be able to remove her mask and robe and reign as the true Demon Lord.
Until then, she had to wear the Recognition-Obscuring mask and robe both as protection against the Empire and as a measure against those in the Demon Lord's Territory who believed only in strength.
Demon Lord Lukie told me all this little by little.
"In the old days, whenever a Demon Lord died, the next one was chosen through combat. But after the Dulgaria Empire emerged as a threat, it was decided that starting a conflict within the Demon Lord's Territory would be unwise. That is why the position is hereditary now."
"Lukie-sama possesses magic power worthy of a Demon Lord. Her body is simply growing slowly."
"I don't need your consolation, Mabel."
Demon Lord Lukie said self-deprecatingly,
"Besides, it was Chancellor Kelv who told me to conceal my identity. He probably thinks that he cannot unite the Demon Lord's Territory with me looking so pathetic."
"...Lukie-sama."
"Well, Thor Rigas?"
Demon Lord Lukie placed a hand against the chest of her one-piece dress and looked at me.
"What do you think when you see me like this?"
Her slender hand was trembling slightly.
"I want to hear the opinion of someone from outside. Speak without holding back. When you saw Demon Lord Lukie Evergald, what did you think?"
"I felt as though I were looking upon beauty crafted by the gods."
I said,
"The instant I saw Your Majesty's appearance, my values were shaken. As an alchemist, I believed that magic items with excellent functions were beautiful. It was what people call 'functional beauty.'"
"But when I saw Your Majesty's appearance, I realized that I was mistaken. The beauty born of the Demon Lord's Territory's nature, seen in Your Majesty and Mabel, makes the functional beauty of the items I create seem insignificant by comparison. As an alchemist, I can only be ashamed of my lack of ability..."
"W-what—!?"
"I hope to study both Your Majesty's beauty and the functional beauty of the items from the Hero's world here in the Demon Lord's Territory. I look forward to working with you."
"W-what are you talking about!?"
"I'm only saying what I thought."
"D-don't try to flatter me with such smooth talk..."
Tears welled up in Demon Lord Lukie's reddish eyes.
She clenched both fists tightly and said,
"What could someone as capable as you, possessing alchemical power equal to that of a god, possibly understand about someone who has worn a mask and pretended to be someone else—"
"I'm sorry. I was pretending too. The truth is, I'm not a guest. The Empire sent me here as a hostage—a sacrifice to the Demon Lord's Territory."
I said.
The eyes of Demon Lord Lukie and Mabel went blank with shock.
"And apparently, I'm the disgrace of House Rigas. My father told me, 'Go die.' I suppose it can't be helped. Strength is everything in the Empire. Since I have no combat ability and cannot use offensive magic, I have no value there."
"W-w-wha..."
"Still, I think it was fortunate that I came to the Demon Lord's Territory. I was able to work as an alchemist. Here, I learned the happiness of making whatever items I like and the joy of having people use them—"
"Please wait, Thor-sama!!"
Mabel suddenly cried out.
She gripped my hand and pulled her face close to mine.
"Is what you just said true!? Thor-sama was sent to the Demon Lord's Territory as a hostage... a sacrifice...?"
"It's true. If you think I'm lying, you can ask the Empire."
"No, I won't go that far, but... I don't understand."
"What do you mean?"
"If it is true that Thor-sama was sent to the Demon Lord's Territory as a hostage... why did you tell us? Wouldn't it have been more advantageous to let us believe that you were an envoy from the Empire? If you had done that, you could have used the Empire's power as your backing and forced through unreasonable demands... No, of course I know that Thor-sama would never do such a thing... but... but!"
Mabel shook her head as if she couldn't understand it,
"As an envoy, you could claim that the Empire stood behind you. If everyone believed that, you should have been safe. But if you tell us that you came here as a hostage, you lose that backing..."
"Yes, that's right. So could you keep it a secret?"
"...What?"
"If people find out that I was sent to the Demon Lord's Territory as a hostage or sacrifice, the way they treat me will change, won't it? It might also damage relations with the Empire. So could you keep it a secret? In return, I promise that I, for my part, will never tell anyone Your Majesty's secret."
"...Ah."
Mabel covered her mouth.
She stared at me and nodded again and again.
Behind her, Demon Lord Lukie was looking at me as though she had seen something unbelievable.
It seemed that both of them understood what I was trying to say.
I had no interest in exposing other people's secrets.
But I didn't know whether Demon Lord Lukie would believe me.
That was why I decided to reveal my own secret and weakness.
──I will protect Demon Lord Lukie's secret. So please protect mine, too.
I thought that if those were the terms, perhaps Demon Lord Lukie would trust me.
Well, it was only a feeling.
Demon Lord Lukie was a petite girl.
She lacked confidence and hid her true self behind a mask and robe.
Somehow, that seemed to overlap with who I had been when I was in the Empire.
"Could you keep it a secret that I was sent here from the Empire as a hostage, Your Majesty?"
"Heh..."
"If you keep it secret... I promise not only to protect Your Majesty's secret, but also to devote myself to serving as Your Majesty's personal Alchemist. I will make magic items for you one after another."
"...Heh, heh-heh. Heh heh heh."
"It can't be helped, can it? Your Majesty knows my secret now. Of course, making magic items also serves my own enjoyment and practical interests. So, what do you say? Will you protect my secret?"
"Heh... Hahahahahaha!"
It happened all at once.
Demon Lord Lukie doubled over and began laughing.
It was a high-pitched laugh, like a child's.
Tears spilled from her reddish eyes as Demon Lord Lukie continued laughing.
"Hahahahahaha! Thor Rigas! You are—hahahaha! W-what an idiot! You revealed your own identity and then offered to protect Your Majesty's secret in exchange for keeping it secret... Hahaha! Hahahaha! Hah... What on earth are you thinking!?"
"You're laughing too hard, Your Majesty. That's cruel."
"You're the cruel one! You fool!"
Demon Lord Lukie wiped away her tears and looked at me.
"Stripping away my mask and robe was bad enough, but the way you revealed your own identity was terrible too. Absolutely terrible! If you handle things like this... I have no choice but to trust you."
"Will you trust me?"
"What are you saying at this point?"
Saying that, Demon Lord Lukie slowly approached me.
Then she stretched as high as she could and poked me in the forehead with her index finger.
"I believe you. You trusted me enough to reveal your secret. If I doubted someone like you, I would have no right to stand above others, would I?"
"I already think you're a fine ruler, Your Majesty."
"You say things like that again... Honestly, you really are something!"
Demon Lord Lukie grinned and looked toward Mabel.
"Mabel. You understand too, don't you? What was discussed here must never be mentioned outside this place! Thor Rigas is an honored guest from the Empire and my personal Alchemist. Make sure everyone in the castle treats him with due respect!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
"And Thor Rigas."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Let me repeat this: the truth about both my identity and yours is a secret confined to this place, understood?"
"I understand... Wait, what?"
I felt as though I had heard something strange.
Demon Lord Lukie grinned and said,
"In other words, this place is the exception."
"Ah, I see..."
In other words, inside this Otherworld-Style Simple Warehouse, we were allowed to reveal our true identities to each other.
This place was like my own barrier, cut off from the outside world.
It was the perfect place for Demon Lord Lukie to remove her mask and relax.
"I understand. Then things are different here."
"Yes. In return, I shall be entirely on Thor's side."
Saying that, Demon Lord Lukie took my hand.
When I instinctively dropped to one knee, she smiled, her golden hair swaying.
It felt almost like an oath of fealty... or so I thought.
"Honestly, laughing so much has left my throat hoarse. Mabel, could I have some tea?"
"Yes. I'll prepare it at once... Oh, that's right, Thor-sama."
As if she had thought of a brilliant idea, Mabel clapped her hands.
"May I bring chairs, a table, and a tea set into this storage space?"
"Of course. There's plenty of room."
"Thank you!"
"Do you have a tea set you want to store here?"
"No, I just thought it would be wonderful if we could hold tea parties here."
Mabel gripped the apron of her maid uniform and hesitantly said,
"Here, Your Majesty and Thor-sama can talk about yourselves without hiding anything, can't you? If so, I thought we could make one corner of this place into somewhere for that. Of course, I won't get in Thor-sama's way. I was hoping I could borrow just a tiny corner of this vast 'storage space'..."
"...Yes. That would be fun..."
This was a problem.
With them looking at me so pleadingly, I couldn't refuse.
Well, I did want a place where I could talk openly about myself too. And if it was just Mabel and Demon Lord Lukie with me, there would be no problem.
Besides, I had something I could hold over Demon Lord Lukie from exposing her true identity.
They had both been taking care of me, so... I suppose it couldn't be helped.
"All right. Please use this 'storage space' as a place for tea parties."
"Thank you!"
"Yes! I thank you, my Alchemist Thor!"
Mabel and Demon Lord Lukie took my hands and smiled.
Well, magic items were meaningless unless people used them.
If the two of them were going to make use of this 'storage space,' that was fine with me.
If I ever needed a space of my own, I could make another one.
"A cute tablecloth would be nice too. And we'll need a hearth to boil water."
"You're going to use this as a workshop, aren't you? Then surely you will make a furnace."
"That's true. In that case, we can use its fire."
"I want cushions and a bed, too. Mabel, do we have any spares?"
"We should. I'll arrange for them at once."
──But weren't the two of them getting a little too excited?
"...Um, Your Majesty. Mabel-san."
"What is it, Thor Rigas?"
"What is the matter, Thor-san?"
"Oh, and you may call me Lukie as well. Of course, only here."
"Please call me Mabel without an honorific, too."
"That's fine, but... the two of you..."
Weren't they planning to turn this workshop into a hideout where they could relax?
I was about to ask them that, when—
"Huh?"
"If you want storage space so badly, I can make one for each of you too."
"What are you talking about? I only want to entertain Thor."
"That's right. I only want Your Majesty and Thor-sama to relax here and enjoy delicious food."
"Even if there were storage space, what would be the point if Thor and Mabel weren't here?"
"What I want isn't an item. It's time with both of you."
"...I surrender."
Faced with Demon Lord Lukie and Mabel's beaming smiles, I raised a white flag.
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As it happened, the tea parties held here came to be called 'Kingdoms' Tea Time,' and would go on to greatly influence the Demon Lord's Territory, but—
──That was a story no one knew yet.