Chapter 8
──Demon Lord's Castle, Throne Room──
"Mabel can use magic now!?"
Demon Lord Lukie cried out.
"And it was thanks to a magic item made by Thor Rigas!? Is that really true, Kelv!?"
"Yes. I confirmed it with my own eyes."
"...I can't believe it."
Demon Lord Lukie's eyes widened at Chancellor Kelv's answer.
"I had Mabel examined by various healers throughout the Demon Lord's Territory because of her trouble with magic power. But none of them could cure her. Are you saying that the alchemist managed to cure it in less than a day!?"
"...Thor Rigas-dono possesses truly formidable abilities."
Chancellor Kelv's voice trembled faintly.
He had watched Mabel use the 'Footbath.'
Immediately afterward, he had taken the full force of the magic she unleashed.
He thought he had witnessed a miracle.
It had been an utterly shocking sight.
"To begin with, Mabel couldn't use magic because the magic power inside her body wasn't circulating properly."
Chancellor Kelv began to explain.
"The healers who examined Mabel said it might be because her grandmother was human... But they weren't certain, and they never found a way to treat her."
"I heard that as well."
Demon Lord Lukie sighed.
"That was why Mabel couldn't fit in with the elven village."
"That's right. Elves are a race with powerful magic. For some reason, Mabel, whose grandmother was human, couldn't circulate her magic power properly, so it stagnated. The water magic power that accumulated in both her feet must have been cooling her body."
"How did Thor Rigas cure it?"
"It appears he improved Mabel's magic power circulation using three types of magic power."
Chancellor Kelv held up three fingers.
"The 'Footbath' used a Fire Magic Stone and a Wind Magic Stone."
"I heard that. He used the Fire Magic Stone to heat the water and the Wind Magic Stone to create running water and bubbles, correct?"
"Yes. In other words, one could say that Thor-dono dissolved 'fire magic power' and 'wind magic power' into the water."
"Dissolved 'fire magic power' and 'wind magic power' into the water..."
Understanding the meaning, Demon Lord Lukie's eyes widened in astonishment.
"Don't tell me that by dissolving the two types of magic power into the water, he made it easier for Mabel to absorb fire and wind magic power!?"
"I can think of no other explanation."
Chancellor Kelv nodded.
"Mabel is an elf with the 'Water Attribute.' It stands to reason that she would absorb magic power dissolved in water more easily. By doing so, Mabel took in large amounts of fire magic power, which represents 'heat,' and wind magic power, which represents 'circulation'—"
"She ended up circulating heat throughout her body, curing her sensitivity to cold while improving the circulation of the magic power inside her..."
Demon Lord Lukie slumped down onto her throne.
'Fire magic power' literally represents heat and flames.
It was only natural that absorbing that magic power would make the body feel warm.
"And 'wind magic power' represents the flow of air circulating around the earth—in other words, 'circulation.'"
"By taking in both fire and wind magic power at the same time, Mabel's sensitivity to cold and the circulation of the magic power inside her body must have improved."
Mabel was Demon Lord Lukie's cherished subordinate.
Demon Lord Lukie was happy that her condition had improved, too.
But... that wasn't the problem.
"Thor Rigas... What a terrifying man. Did that alchemist really think that far ahead?"
"Yes. Without a doubt, he ranks among the top five alchemists in this world."
"But he merely copied an item from the Hero's world, didn't he?"
"...That is true, but..."
Chancellor Kelv folded his arms and said,
"According to the oral traditions about the Hero, there is no information about anything like that. The idea of a 'health product' granting buffs or curing status ailments is absurd."
"There aren't any 'health products' or 'Footbath' among the oral traditions passed down by the successive chancellors?"
"That's right. There are records of 'enhancement magic' and 'healing magic,' but..."
Leaning his forehead against a pillar, Chancellor Kelv sagged in despair.
"I've never heard of an item that improves a target's magic power circulation. And on top of that, it's a tub that uses piping-hot water... What in the world is that alchemist? As the chancellor responsible for passing down history, I'm starting to lose confidence in myself..."
"I don't understand him, either... Just what is he?"
Demon Lord Lukie muttered.
After thinking for a moment, Demon Lord Lukie said,
"Well, fine. Give the 'Footbath' to Mabel."
"Are you sure?"
"Mabel is an important subordinate of mine. I cannot take away something that makes her happy."
"However, Mabel-sama seems to have grown quite close to Thor-dono."
"...What?"
At Chancellor Kelv's words, the Demon Lord was speechless for a moment.
"Perhaps you could call it an elf's intuition. Mabel seems to have genuinely taken a liking to Thor-dono. I happened to pass by her room earlier, and I heard them chatting amicably."
"...Wh-what!?"
"It is rare for Mabel to open her heart to someone so completely."
"..."
"However, this could also work to our advantage."
Unaware that the Demon Lord had fallen silent, Chancellor Kelv continued.
"If Mabel wishes it, we could have her marry Thor-dono in the future. That would give us a reason to keep Thor-dono in the Demon Lord's Territory. No, perhaps we could even talk Mabel into it and steer her toward a political marriage—"
"No!"
A dense 'dark magic power' suddenly began to pour from Demon Lord Lukie's body.
Chancellor Kelv turned pale when he saw it.
He knew the power of the masked Demon Lord, Lukie Evergald.
The Demon Lord was the strongest of all demonfolk, the ruler who governed the Demon Lord's Territory.
"My precious subordinate—no, my childhood friend Mabel—will not be taken in by some human! Even though we have made peace, the Demon Lord's Territory has not submitted to human rule!"
"Demon Lord-sama, please calm down!"
"No, I can no longer remain silent. I shall go myself!"
Demon Lord Lukie raised an arm and declared.
"I will see for myself how formidable the alchemist Thor Rigas really is!!"