Hearing Out Young Agnis's Troubles (2)

"We've met once before... haven't we? I'm Agnis Freizad..."

"I'm Thor Rigas."

"..."

"..."

Awkward.

Before me was a girl covered from head to toe in armor: Agnis.

Winged lizards—the Salamanders—were gathered around her. They seemed to be trying to protect her.

Agnis and I sat facing each other across a table.

Since Agnis was wearing her helmet, I couldn't tell what kind of expression she had on.

All I could see were her yellow eyes peering through the gap in her helmet.

When I looked back at her, Agnis hurriedly averted her gaze.

I did the same.

I thought it would be better not to make her too nervous.

"I'm sorry about earlier."

I decided to apologize first.

"I'd heard that the Salamanders were in charge of heating the bath, so I was curious and ended up peeking inside. I didn't know Agnis-san was helping them. I'm sorry."

"N-no, that's not it!"

"Huh?"

"N-no, I mean... Agnis is the one at fault..."

Agnis began speaking haltingly.

"Hardly anyone comes at this time, so... Agnis was helping these children of her own accord... Thor Rigas-sama isn't at fault."

"No, no, but I should have realized Agnis-san was there as soon as I found the armor."

"W-we were the ones who failed to put up the 'In Use' sign!"

"But you weren't actually bathing, were you? You were only heating the bathwater."

"E-even so... I should have kept the door closed. S-so... being seen naked was Agnis's own fault... I mean... um..."

"But it was my fault for staring at you so intently!"

"I showed you something unsightly!"

"It wasn't unsightly at all! Rather, I was thinking that this must be what a fire spirit looks like. I was rediscovering divine artistry... No, that's not what I meant. I was thinking that coming to the Demon Lord's Territory lets you see beautiful things like this..."

"U-u-u-u-uuh..."

A gout of flame shot up through the gap in her helmet.

She must have remembered what happened earlier.

This apology battle was dangerous. I decided to change the subject.

"It's incredible that you're descended from an Ifrit."

"Huh?"

"That armor has been infused with the Earth attribute twice to give it Fire Resistance, hasn't it? It's flexible, too, and made so it can be worn directly against the skin."

When I had looked at the armor earlier, I had secretly used 'Appraisal Insight' on it.

That was when I realized that the armor was light and flexible.

"Yet even that armor can't withstand Agnis-san's flames. Its joints and the connections between its parts are beginning to loosen. I think it's amazing that you possess flames powerful enough to do that."

"But Agnis can't... control her flames..."

"You said that earlier, too."

"...Yes."

Agnis let out a long sigh.

Then she removed her helmet, revealing her face to me.

Her topaz-like eyes and pale skin were revealed, along with long hair that shimmered like flames.

"Please... don't look away... just yet."

"Ah, all right."

"...Staaaaare..."

Agnis's eyes stared straight into mine.

As she had asked, I stared back into Agnis's eyes.

They were beautiful. Their color wavered as it shifted from yellow to red, then back to yellow.

They really did look like topaz and rubies.

I had only read about Ifrits in books, but I imagined they must have been beautiful creatures.

If flames that powerful could not be stopped even by layering the Earth attribute twice, then they must have been as powerful as volcanic fire.

What kind of fire magic could produce such flames? How did Agnis herself protect her body from that heat in the first place? And what did it feel like to wear armor directly over bare skin?

Then, as I stared at Agnis's face──

"U-uu... uuuuuh..."

Agnis's neck, then her chin, cheeks, and forehead gradually turned bright red.

Then, with a whoosh, flames burst from Agnis's hair.

"Gurr." "Grrrr." "Grrr!"

Clunk.

The Salamanders that had been standing by put the Fire Resistance helmet over Agnis's head.

After a while, the flames died down, and Agnis let out a sigh.

"As you can see..."

"So when you get nervous or excited, flames come out of your body."

"Y-yes."

"But in the boiler room, you were able to control your flames—I'm sorry! You don't have to remember that!"

"...Uuuh."

Agnis covered her face with a gauntleted hand.

"Earlier, I was training to control my flames with these Salamanders helping me... They've been my friends for a long time... I don't get nervous when I'm with them..."

"Gurr." "Grrrr." "Grrr-gurr."

The Salamanders nodded repeatedly.

In other words, it seemed, this was the situation.

Agnis had inherited Ifrit blood and possessed powerful flames.

But she herself could not control them.

Whenever her emotions grew intense, flames came out of her body on their own.

That was why she wore armor with Fire Resistance to suppress her flames.

She had taken off her armor to be with the Salamanders because they were unaffected by fire. Salamanders were followers of the Ifrits and possessed powerful Fire attributes.

With their help, Agnis had apparently been training to control her flames.

"Father told me, 'Agnis's fire magic is simply too strong. But that's only because her Ifrit blood runs so strong. It isn't a bad thing. Agnis has done nothing wrong.'"

Agnis murmured this with her head lowered.

"But... Agnis doesn't really like her own magic... Before I awakened to fire magic, I could wear whatever clothes I liked... But now, everything I put on burns up... And sometimes my flames overflow and burn other people..."

"I understand. I'll think of a way to solve that."

"...Huh?"

Still wearing her helmet, Agnis looked at me.

I couldn't see her face, but I could tell she was gaping at me in surprise.

"Thor-sama can somehow do something about Agnis's 'fire magic'...?"

"Yes. I'll do everything I can."

"B-but why? Why would you, Thor-sama, a guest of the Demon Lord's Territory...?"

"I'm also an Alchemist employed by the Demon Lord."

I nodded back at the young Agnis.

"And Fire General Raizenga-sama is a subordinate of Demon Lord Lukie-sama, while Agnis-san is his daughter, right?"

"Y-yes... that's true, but..."

"Then that makes General Raizenga and Agnis-san something like my superiors, doesn't it?"

"Superiors...? That isn't quite right..."

"Besides, General Raizenga told me, 'How do you intend to be of use to the Demon Lord's Territory?'"

He definitely said it. I had his words on record.

"That meant, 'Prove how you intend to be of use to the Demon Lord's Territory,' right?"

"Was that what he meant...?"

"It was."

"I suppose it was..."

Yes! I had Agnis's word on record, too.

That meant there was no problem.

I would return to my room and look through the 'Mail-Order Catalog' right away.

An item from the Heroes' world might be able to solve Agnis's problem.

Heroes from another world had once defeated dragons capable of wielding flames as powerful as an Ifrit's, as well as Flare Garudas. If so, there ought to be items capable of sealing away flames, too.

"Agnis Freizad-sama, will you commission me to solve your flame problem?"

"...Thor Rigas-sama."

Agnis seemed to hesitate for a while, but──

Eventually, she gave me a firm nod. "Please."

"Then I'll start making a magic item. Until it's finished, please use this."

I handed Agnis an 'Ultra-Compact Simple Storage.'

"This is a simplified version of the 'Storage Box' used by the Heroes. If flames start to overflow, use this to suck them in. Just hold it in your hand and think 'Store,' and it'll work."

"I-is it all right? Isn't this... something valuable?"

"You can always make another one. More importantly, tell me what you think after using it. If the lid is hard to open, or the design isn't quite right, or you'd prefer pink or yellow. Oh, two-tone or stripes are possible, too. I'll use your feedback to polish it."

"...Thank you... Thor Rigas-sama."

Agnis hugged the 'Ultra-Compact Simple Storage.'

"And... I'm sorry Father said something rude earlier today, too."

"I think that was unavoidable."

"Really?"

"Because I said I wanted to tinker with the only clothes Agnis-san wears──"

"Th-Thor-sama!"

"Gurr!" "Gurr──!" "Grrrr!"

Agnis rose to her feet, and the Salamanders cried out.

Perhaps remembering what had happened in the boiler room, flames began to leak from the gaps in Agnis's armor.

"Then open the door of the 'Simple Storage' and try saying, 'Storage. Flame.'"

"Y-yes. Storage, Flame!"

Whoosh.

The flames sticking out from the gaps in her armor were sucked into the box.

"...Amazing. Can I really keep this...?"

"Of course. Besides, that box is only a temporary measure."

"Even as a temporary measure... it's enough."

"Is it?"

"Y-yes. Those who inherit the blood of an Ifrit... are said to become better at controlling their flames as they grow. There have been others like Agnis before... and they're said to learn to control them properly by around the age of twenty... Agnis has five years left..."

Agnis nodded repeatedly.

Five years left meant Agnis was fifteen.

Until then, would she be unable to wear the clothes she liked and only be able to play with the Salamanders?

I need a more fundamental solution.

"...Thor-sama?"

"I have to make an item that lets Agnis control her flames... The Heroes from another world could do it. I should be able to create something that grants the same ability. Those Heroes are laying the foundations of the Empire. If I can't do what they can... I can't say I've beaten the Empire..."

"W-what happened, Thor-sama?"

"...Nothing."

I shook my head.

"In any case, I'll think of a better solution."

"You're a strange person, Thor-sama."

Agnis tilted her head.

"Why... would you do so much... for Agnis, whom you've only just met?"

"Because I'm the Demon Lord's Alchemist."

As I'd thought earlier, all sorts of races lived in the Demon Lord's Territory.

The gate guard was a Minotaur, the head chef was a dwarf, and the general was a descendant of an Ifrit.

As the Demon Lord's personal Alchemist, I had to solve the problems of all sorts of races.

Solving Agnis's problem was part of my job, too.

"That's why."

Agnis listened to my explanation with a puzzled expression, but──

"I understand. I'll leave it to you, Thor Rigas-sama."

"Thank you."

"But please don't push yourself... Agnis doesn't want to be a bother to other people..."

"It isn't a bother. Making magic items is something I want to do as well."

"Something you want...?"

"I want to defeat the Heroes' world."

I said this.

"I want to make the place I call home somewhere I can live a peaceful, carefree life. That's why I want to hone my Alchemy. And since I'm in the Demon Lord's Territory now, I'd like the people I've gotten to know here to be able to live peaceful, carefree lives, too. That's all."

Agnis still looked puzzled by my words, but──

We agreed to meet here at the same time tomorrow, and then we went our separate ways.