Chapter 50
──The next day, at the Demon Lord's Castle──
"That concludes the morning's reports, Your Majesty."
"Good work. You may withdraw."
After receiving the report from the civil official, Demon Lord Lukie nodded.
The elven civil official bowed and left the room.
It was early afternoon.
The work that had continued since morning had reached a lull, so Demon Lord Lukie leaned back against her throne.
"Perhaps because the magical beast subjugation is over, everyone seems calmer, too."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Chancellor Kelv said this from beside the throne.
"However, development of the mines will begin soon. Since it is a major undertaking, the Demon Lord's Territory will become quite lively again. We also have issues such as securing personnel and confirming safety."
"Indeed. For now, it is something of a brief respite."
"Yes. As you say, I consider this a valuable period of rest."
After muttering that, Chancellor Kelv sighed.
Noticing this, Demon Lord Lukie said,
"What is it, Kelv? Is something troubling you?"
"No... I just happened to think of something."
"Tell me."
"Yes. It is nothing important, but..."
Chancellor Kelv gazed out the window to the south──in the direction of General Raizenga's territory.
"The Demon Lord's Castle feels... too quiet without Thor-dono. I find it difficult to relax."
"...Kelv."
"I apologize. I did not mean to make fun of Thor-dono."
"There is no need to apologize. I know you meant no harm."
Demon Lord Lukie waved a hand, stopping Chancellor Kelv as he tried to bow.
She found herself remembering what had happened after the magical beast subjugation.
At the time, Lukie had told Princess Riana, "I will not give Thor to you," "I will make him happy here," and "He will stay by my side forever"──.
Kelv and Raizenga had also been nearby then.
The two of them had pretended not to hear Lukie's words.
However, after that, Kelv had become a little more reserved whenever he spoke about Thor.
"Don't worry about it, Kelv. I was thinking along the same lines."
"You were, Your Majesty?"
"Yes. I think the Demon Lord's Castle has become rather lonely."
Demon Lord Lukie looked around the throne room as she said this.
The Demon Lord's Castle was just as it always was.
Many people came and went, and Demon Lord Lukie's workload had not decreased.
Of course, considering her health, she made sure to set aside time for breaks and tea.
Sometimes she even held tea parties with the people who worked at the castle and listened to what they had to say.
Nothing had changed.
It had merely returned to the way it had been before Thor came.
(And yet... I find myself feeling that something is missing...)
After returning to the castle from the magical beast subjugation, Demon Lord Lukie had visited Thor's room many times.
Of course, Thor was not there.
It was only natural, but──she kept doing it anyway.
"I wonder what Thor-dono and Mabel are doing right now."
"That is a foolish question, Kelv."
Lukie gave a wry smile at Kelv's mutter.
"Knowing that fellow, he must have started making a new magic item from the very day he arrived at Raizenga's mansion."
"With all due respect, Your Majesty, that is not necessarily true."
"What did you say?"
"Thor-dono has a powerful spirit of inquiry. By now, he may be traveling around General Raizenga's territory and deepening his friendship with races he has never met before."
"That is possible, too... but──"
Demon Lord Lukie tilted her head slightly.
"Aren't you saying that because you are afraid Thor will send a 'Magic Item Dissemination Application Form'?"
"That is part of it."
"How honest of you!"
"Ever since Thor-dono came to the Demon Lord's Territory, he has continued to surprise me."
Chancellor Kelv nodded frankly at Demon Lord Lukie's words.
"As the chancellor entrusted with carrying on history, I am beginning to lose confidence. Thor-dono keeps making items that are not mentioned in the oral traditions left behind by the previous chancellors. Thor-dono is..."
"But even so, do you think Thor is deepening his friendship with other races?"
"...Thor-dono has willingly taken on the problems of Mabel and Agnis-dono and worked to solve them."
"That is true..."
"Therefore, I think it is more likely that Thor-dono, having gone to General Raizenga's territory, will deepen his friendship with races unfamiliar to him."
"You are trying to understand Thor, aren't you, Kelv?"
"I cannot afford to be surprised any further and end up banging my head against a pillar."
Chancellor Kelv said this while pressing a hand to his forehead.
"But Your Majesty believes Thor-dono will make a new item and immediately send a 'Magic Item Dissemination Application Form'?"
"Yes. That is where our opinions differ."
Demon Lord Lukie grinned and nodded.
"But I am confident. If you like, we could even make a wager."
"Unfortunately, I cannot wager against Your Majesty."
"You cannot?"
"At the very least, when Thor-dono returns, we should tell him about this and surprise him."
"Indeed. We shall tell Thor that we predicted what he would do first in Raizenga's territory. He will be amazed that we guessed correctly."
"I can already imagine the look on Thor-dono's face when he hears that."
"He is always the one surprising us. We should get revenge once in a while."
Demon Lord Lukie covered her mouth and laughed.
Thor, having had his actions correctly predicted, would surely be surprised.
Lukie was confident.
Surely one of Demon Lord Lukie and Chancellor Kelv's predictions had to be correct──.
Whether he would make a new magic item and try to popularize it,
or become friends with one of the races living in Raizenga's territory.
Thor was bound to do one of those two things.
(Thor is always surprising me. It would be nice to surprise him for once by guessing what he will do.)
Just as Lukie was thinking this──
"Excuse me. I have an urgent report for Your Majesty and His Excellency the Chancellor!!"
A guard's voice came from beyond the door.
"You may enter!! Report at once!!"
When Chancellor Kelv answered, the door opened and a Minotaur guard entered.
He looked toward Demon Lord Lukie and spoke.
"I have a report. A Pixie has appeared in front of the main gate of the Demon Lord's Castle."
"What?!"
"A Pixie, in front of people?!"
Demon Lord Lukie and Chancellor Kelv shouted.
Pixies were a mystical race that almost never appeared in public.
They had been granted an autonomous territory by an ancient Demon Lord and lived hidden away there.
They would help with tasks when asked, but they almost never showed themselves.
Even Lukie, the Demon Lord, had seen them only a few times.
They would give proper greetings, but only with their voices.
When the Demon Lord's Territory was first being developed, the Pixies had read the magic power in the land and found locations suitable for farmland and pasture.
Because of that achievement, they were permitted to hide themselves within their autonomous territory.
"Was someone at the Demon Lord's Castle requesting the Pixies' services?"
"There shouldn't be anyone. Why on earth would they be here...?"
"I don't really know myself, but..."
The Minotaur guard looked at the memo written on the wooden tablet in his hand and said,
"The Pixies said, 'Application form,' 'Alchemist-sama,' and 'delivery.'"
"...Huh?"
Demon Lord Lukie and Chancellor Kelv stared blankly.
Only moments ago, the two of them had been saying the following.
Chancellor Kelv had predicted, 'Thor, having gone to Raizenga's territory, will first deepen his friendship with a new race'──.
Demon Lord Lukie had predicted, 'Knowing Thor, he will make a new item and send a "Magic Item Dissemination Application Form"'──.
They had thought one of those two predictions would prove correct, but──
(You didn't have to do both at once, Thor!!)
Demon Lord Lukie shouted inwardly.
Meanwhile, Chancellor Kelv was silently clutching his head.
Their predictions had been impressively accurate──but they had also been wrong.
Neither of them had imagined that Thor would do both things at once.
"In any case, bring the application form here. I will speak with the Pixies."
"Yes. I will bring the documents immediately."
The guard answered.
"But the Pixies are hiding behind a tree... They will not come out."
"...They are a shy race, after all."
"...How did Thor-dono manage to become friends with them?"
Chancellor Kelv murmured this in a daze at Lukie's words.
"Did the Pixies only come to deliver an application form at Thor-dono's request? No... That does not explain why they appeared at this hour. If those shy girls had come, they would have quietly left the application somewhere at night or before dawn... And yet..."
"There is no point in merely speculating."
Demon Lord Lukie rose from her throne.
"First, let us look at the application form. Then I will speak with the Pixies. The castle's rear garden should be a good location. It is out of sight, and there are plenty of trees for them to hide behind. The Pixies should feel at ease there."
"Understood."
"But do not force them to do anything."
Lukie added this just in case.
The motto of the Demon Lord's Territory was 'the right person in the right place.'
They had various races perform the work they were suited for, wherever they could contribute.
The Pixies, for their part, used their special ability to read the flow of magic power and properly fulfilled their role.
Therefore, their shy nature had to be accepted as well.
That was what 'the right person in the right place' meant.
"But if possible, tell them to let me hear how Thor has been doing──no, as his liege, ask them to tell me what he is doing and what he intends to do. I must at least know that much."
"Understood!"
The Minotaur guard bowed and left the throne room.
After a while, he returned with the 'Magic Item Dissemination Application Form' and a letter from Thor.
He also conveyed the Pixies' message, "We're going to speak with the Alchemist-sama's liege!" before leaving.
"He wants permission to give clothes to the Pixies... That sounds like Thor-dono."
After reading through the application form, Chancellor Kelv let out a relieved sigh.
"Thank goodness. There should be no problem with something like this."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. The Pixies' leaf clothes have been restricting their movements. If they wear clothes made from Thor-dono's Magic-Woven Fabric, they will be able to fly without difficulty, appear in front of people, and proudly help them... The Demon Lord's Territory will be able to benefit fully from their abilities... Hm? Hmmmmmm?!"
Chancellor Kelv's tone changed, and the hand holding the application form began to tremble.
The Pixies working normally alongside the people of the Demon Lord's Territory.
He seemed to realize that this might change the way the Pixies──and perhaps even the Demon Lord's Territory──operated.
"B-but if we reject this application, we will miss an opportunity for the Demon Lord's Territory to develop..."
Pressing his head against a pillar, Chancellor Kelv cried out.
He restrained himself after three headbutts and looked toward Demon Lord Lukie.
"What about Your Majesty? What did Thor-dono's letter say?"
"Apparently, he has made a parasol that blocks 'Ultimate Vivid Light.'"
Demon Lord Lukie said this.
"He also wrote that he befriended a Pixie who can use Light magic. So he is asking whether he may use that parasol to conduct an experiment against Light attack magic."
"I see. If he had merely made an item, it would be an ordinary report about his activities. I see, a parasol. It can block the ultimate Light-Attribute attack spell, 'Ultimate Vivid Light'... The 'Ultimate Vivid Light' that destroyed the first Demon Lord's defensive barrier...?!"
Bonk. Bonk-bonk-bonk!
"I keep telling you to stop headbutting the pillar, Kelv. You will damage it."
"...How can you remain so calm, Your Majesty?"
Chancellor Kelv said this with his forehead still pressed against the pillar.
"Thor-dono has befriended a Pixie and made an item that can block the ultimate Light-Attribute attack spell! It is within the scope of our predictions, but... both the race he befriended and the item he made are on an entirely different scale! And yet, Your Majesty was surprised only once and has remained calm ever since... Why is that...?"
"...Why, indeed?"
Lukie herself did not know.
However, words she herself had shouted before echoed within her.
──I will make him happy here.
──He will stay by my side forever.
──I will not give him up.
Those were the words Demon Lord Lukie had spoken to Princess Riana.
When she had said them, Lukie seemed to have resolved to accept everything about Thor.
His past, his feelings, and everything he made.
It might have been similar to the feeling of accepting her subjects and citizens as a Demon Lord, but for Lukie, it had also been a vow she had made of her own accord.
"Thor only says that he wants to conduct an experiment to see whether the parasol can block Light attack magic."
But she felt that telling Kelv this would be wrong.
So, as the Demon Lord, Lukie gave him the sensible answer.
"Besides, the parasol's practicality has not yet been proven. First, it would be best to hear about Thor from the Pixies."
"Y-yes, of course. Your Majesty is right."
"The Pixies are waiting in the rear garden. I will go and hear what they have to say."
With that, Lukie rose from her throne and began walking.
"Kelv, you may wait here. I will tell you the details myself later."
"Your Majesty."
"What is it, Kelv?"
"I am proud of how calmly you handled that, Your Majesty. You have grown."
"You need not flatter me, Kelv."
Demon Lord Lukie touched her 'Perception Obstruction' mask and robe before answering.
"I am still inexperienced. I am simply fortunate enough to have someone who reminds me of that. Having someone who supports me and helps me grow makes me feel more blessed than the Demon Lords of any previous generation."
And an alchemist who would always be on her side.
With him, neither the Empire, the great Demon Lords of the past, nor even her own inexperience frightened her.
Thinking this, Lukie smiled once more.
"I am a happy Demon Lord. That is all."
And so Demon Lord Lukie headed toward the rear garden, where the Pixies were waiting.