Result

In early February, Hiyori attended the Japan-U.S. talks, then showed up in Okutama three days later with Professor Ohinata in tow.

I ushered the two of them, looking exhausted, into the living room, served them tea, and listened to what they had to say.

So, how did the Japan-U.S. talks go, you two?!

Specifically, how did they react to my wand?

Did they like it? Did they hate it? What happened?!

"First of all, let me say that the Japan-U.S. talks ended safely. There were no deaths or injuries."

"Huh?"

Hiyori shifted her mask aside, sipped her tea, and let out a relieved breath. Her ominous opening scared me.

What? Was it really that dangerous? I thought the Black Ship was supposed to be friendly!

From what I heard, the talks proceeded peacefully except for the part where a Japan-U.S. war nearly broke out. What part of that was peaceful? That was almost World War III. How terrifying.

America had come to Japan to discuss measures against the Demon King.

The Demon King, the cause of the Kō-class monster anomaly that had summoned Kō-class monsters from all over the world and forged them into a catastrophic army, was currently in North America.

To defeat the insanely dangerous Demon King-kun who would unquestionably destroy the world, Japan included, if left alone, America had asked Japan for help. Apparently, they had heard about Japan from the Hell Witch.

The Hell Witch had gone all the way to America? That was more than a long journey. Still, I was glad she seemed to be doing well.

The Hell Witch had chosen to help people in America rather than accompany the Japan-U.S. talks, so she had not returned to Japan. Well, that made sense. Given her personality, she would probably prioritize saving the masses over a visit back home.

Hiyori complained that things would have been much simpler if the Hell Witch had accompanied her. I thought, That's entirely the Hell Witch's choice, but Professor Ohinata nodded deeply in agreement with Hiyori, so the accident that occurred during the peaceful talks must have been seriously bad. Terrifying. I absolutely did not want to be there.

Even half-baked witches or mages who challenged the Demon King would be beaten down and absorbed. To stand against the Demon King, they needed to be among the cream of the crop of the Transcendents.

Japan's candidates were the Dragon Witch and the Blue Witch, with the Foresight Mage providing rear support.

Of these, the Dragon Witch readily agreed to cooperate in exchange for ownership rights to major gemstone mines in Idaho, a state known as the Gem State.

The Dragon Witch was also a valuable aerial combat asset. America had secured her full cooperation in exchange for gemstone mines that were worthless in this day and age, so they were all smiles.

Whether they realized that they could not mine those American gemstone mines without defeating the Demon King and reclaiming America was another question. Apparently, they had generously handed over the ownership rights up front, but in practice, it was payment after the fact.

The Blue Witch, on the other hand, was reluctant to cooperate. It was not a matter of compensation.

The Demon King doggedly targeted magic stones and Transcendents, growing stronger the longer it was left alone. Since it would eventually come for us anyway, joining America's extermination operation and striking it early was the rational choice.

The problem was that joining the Demon King extermination force meant traveling to America. She would no longer be able to protect Professor Ohinata and me.

Then Professor Ohinata himself expressed a desire to study abroad in America, changing everything.

America possessed magic-script technology.

However, they had assumed that Japan possessed magic-script technology as well, so they had left all their top engineers and intellectuals back home.

One of the people aboard the Black Ship who had mastered magic script would remain in Japan to pass on the technology, but there were limits to what could be taught.

Professor Ohinata was a magic linguist. Professor Ohinata's curiosity and passion for magical languages were greater than most people's.

It was only natural for Professor Ohinata to want to study in America in order to learn its magic-script technology in earnest.

Naturally, there had been objections because Professor Ohinata was an important person, but Professor Ohinata demonstrated that the absence would cause no practical problems.

Professor Ohinata was certainly an active, frontline magic linguist, but the Magic University had already trained a considerable number of people. Professor Ohinata had finished passing on the necessary knowledge and built a system that could function without Professor Ohinata. That was unbelievably admirable. Of course, it only meant things would somehow work without Professor Ohinata; losing an exceptionally talented researcher was still losing an exceptionally talented researcher.

Even if the ermine temporarily disappeared from Japan, bringing back everything Professor Ohinata could learn about magic script from America promised enormous benefits. From America's perspective, it would also be extremely helpful to have the leading expert in circumlocutory incantations—something America did not possess—come over. Professor Ohinata was exactly the sort of person they would welcome with open arms. Professor Ohinata even spoke fluent English.

As far as their personal relationship went, Professor Ohinata told the Blue Witch what Professor Ohinata wanted and left the decision to her.

Professor Ohinata's custody would be a trump card against the Blue Witch.

Professor Ohinata was not going to set foot on the soil of the American mainland. Professor Ohinata would merely exchange magic-script and magic-linguistics technology under the provisional government based in Cuba. Professor Ohinata would never go near the battlefield, and if there were any sign that Professor Ohinata might be dragged into a fight, Professor Ohinata would run for their life.

Still, it was risky from a safety standpoint. What if some thugs attacked Professor Ohinata? What if Professor Ohinata were taken hostage as leverage against the Blue Witch again?

America was friendly, but it was not trustworthy enough for them to leave Professor Ohinata there without a second thought. Whether or not Professor Ohinata would go to America ultimately depended on the Blue Witch.

Professor Ohinata desperately wanted to go to America, the home of magic script, and study it.

Professor Ohinata had already created a system in which the academic world would not suffer even in Professor Ohinata's absence.

It was a rare selfish request from Professor Ohinata, who almost never acted selfishly.

But the Blue Witch could hardly bear to send that precious, precious little ermine-chan to America. Even if the ermine would not be going to the battlefield.

The Blue Witch froze between wanting to grant Professor Ohinata's request and wanting Professor Ohinata to remain somewhere safe, but the Foresight Mage gave it an emphatic endorsement.

Professor Ohinata's future was bright. The Foresight Mage said she could see nothing but a future in which Professor Ohinata received a dedicated personal guard under the American provisional government, was placed under heavy protection, and was thoroughly doted on. The future awaiting the Demon King extermination force, by contrast, was supposedly full of hardships...

The Blue Witch was still worried. Despite lacking the aptitude, she forced herself to use foresight magic, collapsed unconscious after a single cast, and confirmed the future with her own eyes.

The result was an unmistakable all-clear.

After agonizing over it, the Blue Witch accepted that Professor Ohinata would go to America with her.

That meant the Dragon Witch, the Blue Witch, and Ohinata Kei would all be traveling to America.

America also wanted to invite the Foresight Mage, but she refused, naturally.

If the Tokyo witches' gathering lost its top two combatants, the head of the Magic University, and even its Foresight Mage, Tokyo would be wide open. Even if they defeated the Demon King and saved the world, it would not exactly be a joke if Tokyo ended up as nothing but vacant land.

The Foresight spell was not being kept secret, so they reached a compromise by teaching it to America instead.

There were kin of the Blue Witch, and kin of Iruma as well. If they found a Foresight kin in America who possessed resistance to foresight magic, they could operate the spell locally.

If they were willing to tolerate the inefficiency of a single foresight spell knocking one witch or mage unconscious and leaving them unable to move for an entire day, along with the risk of lasting brain damage, they could even operate foresight magic by relying on America's sheer number of Transcendents as a last resort.

There had also been an invitation for Legendary Wandmaker 0933, but the Blue Witch turned it down.

Thanks for taking care of that refusal. There's no way I'm going to America, the country of extroverts—prejudice, I know! Even in Japan, a country said to be populated by a reserved people, I live quietly and make myself small in the countryside. If I went to America, I would shrink so much that I would disappear.

I nodded after hearing the whole story about the Demon King and the personnel changes.

"So, you two are going to America? I'm looking forward to the souvenirs."

"Of course!"

"Wait, seriously...? We might not see each other for months, a year, maybe even longer. Aren't you even a little lonely?"

"Not at all. I like being alone."

It was true that I had recently learned how much fun it was to hang out with close friends.

But the pleasure of spending time alone was something else entirely.

Having my friends disappear would be boring, but I would not feel lonely at all.

Long live solitude!

"...I am lonely, though."

"Oh. That sounds tough."

"...Don't you even worry? What will you do if I lose to the Demon King?"

"What are you talking about? You're the strongest in the world, aren't you? The strongest witch is going into battle with my wand. There's no way you'll lose to some Demon King."

When I tilted my head in puzzlement, Hiyori, who had looked dissatisfied, smiled.

Professor Ohinata, who had been fidgeting nervously, looked at Hiyori and me and smiled too.

"Yes, that's right. I'll definitely return alive with Kei-chan. I'll be fighting with Dairi's wand. There's no way I'll lose.

I've asked the Spider Witch to guard Okutama while we're gone. Tell Fuyou to cut off the essential-oil supply. The spider will die.

Also, can we set the return point here?"

"Oh, may I do that too? It's safe here, after all."

"Return Magic?"

What the heck was that?

I repeated the unfamiliar name back to them.

Apparently, Return Magic was a spell they had learned from the American delegation.

They cast the Return Point Placement spell and marked the location.

Then, by casting Return Magic, they could instantly return to the marked point from anywhere. It could even transport them between continents. It was absurdly powerful.

It was a damn convenient spell, but it had limitations.

First, they could mark only one location.

Only the caster could return. They could not bring someone else back with them.

It was one-way only, so they could not return to their original location after using it.

It also consumed a huge amount of mana—140K. The Fire-Inheriting Witch could use it, and Professor Ohinata just barely reached the required amount with the bonus from mana training. For now, only two humans in Japan could use it.

Huh. Interesting spell.

I agreed just to see Return Magic. The two of them moved to the backyard and immediately cast the Return Point Placement spell.

"Even a leaf of a sapling believed in the king's return."

When they chanted the spell, golden rings briefly appeared beneath Hiyori's and Professor Ohinata's feet, then vanished.

"Good. In an emergency, or once the Demon King has been defeated, we'll return here."

"Oh. So what does returning look like? Whoosh! Do you just teleport here in an instant?"

"That's right. I'll show you once. It makes quite a spectacle, so it might surprise you the first time... Sea, mountains, open the way. Bow your heads; the king returns in triumph."

As Hiyori chanted, her entire body instantly transformed into golden particles.

The golden particles rose into the sky, drawing a golden Milky Way that connected earth and sky, then vanished, leaving behind a trail of residue. Just when it seemed to be over, the golden light came falling back down, and the particles raining onto the ground took the shape of Hiyori.

I applauded to welcome her. Ohhh, pretty, huh?

This really was conspicuous. It must be even prettier when used at night.

"So basically, the trip there takes a long time, but the trip back is instant. Like a reservation-only one-way ticket."

"I'll return when my study abroad ends, or if Cuba becomes dangerous. I might return separately from Blue-san."

"Understood. I'll make sure not to leave anything at the return point."

Once they finished setting the return point, we all trooped back into the living room.

Then the two of them immediately began leisurely knocking back tea with the satisfied faces of people who had finished a job, so I prompted them again.

Return Magic had been interesting, but that was not what I wanted to know about.

"So, how did they react to my wand? Did America like it? Did they hate it?"

"Oh, sorry. This thing I put on the table is an order form—or rather, a document summarizing America's reaction and the things they want Wandmaker 0933, Dairi-san, to make. They liked it very much!

The requests are listed from highest priority at the top. I told them that the craftsman would decide which ones to make. It is fine to make none of them, and it is also fine to make all of them."

"Perfect! As expected of my capable ermine!"

"Hehe."

I patted the ermine's head with one finger and praised it, then looked through the documents.

The requests were written under the title of Commander-in-Chief of the Demon King Countermeasures Unit of the United States Department of Defense, but the top priority was, naturally, wands.

The first item was thirty full-spec magic-stone wands with seven-layer construction, backflow prevention mechanisms, magic-compression cross-rings, and mana meters. I drew a line through it and crossed it out. What an idiot! As if something like this would ever pass! We did not even have the materials.

The realistic option below it was thirty Gremlin wands with three-layer construction, backflow prevention mechanisms, magic-compression rings, and mana meters. An ermine illustration had been drawn beside it, with a speech bubble saying, "You can use the ones meant for university delivery!"

Hmm. This one might be possible.

The Gremlin wands for this year's university graduates had already been made. If the university president said we could repurpose them, we could ship them to America as they were.

They did not have magic-compression rings or mana meters attached, but adding those two things would bring them up to the requested specifications.

The deadline was the Black Ship's departure, fourteen days after the talks.

One mana meter took a full day to make, so making thirty of them in eleven days was utterly impossible. Besides, making them was a pain. I would make just one to show off the technology and bask in my own smugness.

Kvant-style magic-compression rings were fairly easy to make, practically muscle memory, so making thirty of those would not be too painful. This one was fine. If I worked on them a little at a time, they would be finished quickly.

The next request after the basic wands was four sets of the Thirteen Ritual Implements.

Hmm. They were making some pretty outrageous requests with the it-costs-nothing-to-ask mentality. Well, I was the one who would decide whether to make them or not, so it was fine.

Rather than thirteen implements, I could make three implements in six days, so I changed the specifications to one set of three implements.

The next-highest priority was ten regular dodecahedral fractal wands. There were only two in all of Japan—Professor Ohinata's and the Tobacco Witch's—and they wanted ten?

I drew a line through the zero in ten and changed it to one. Making one took three days at breakneck speed, and five days at a reasonable pace. They could make do with one.

Below that were Mother Machines for manufacturing wand cores, backflow prevention mechanisms, and mana meters.

We didn't have anything like that. We did everything by hand, thank you very much.

Even if we could build machine tools from scratch, we would never finish them before the Black Ship sailed. This one was out.

The final two items, Monster Scissors and the Sage's Wand, had already been crossed out, with a note saying, "Designs already delivered."

Well, that made sense. They were things I did not need to make in the first place. The same went for amulets.

The Sealing Bullets were absent from the list because we had hidden that technology. It was probably proof that we still did not fully trust America. If gun-crazy America analyzed the Sealing Bullets and started mass-producing them, it could ride the momentum of defeating the Demon King and turn into a second Demon King itself.

It was surprising that the Möbius-loop Gremlin was missing from the list too, but I understood after reading the information on a separate sheet.

America had discovered its own unique method for processing Gremlins.

According to the diagrams, radiation exposure temporarily bleached Gremlins and made them transparent, revealing their cleavage planes. In other words, it became extremely easy to see exactly where and how to apply force to break them.

I see. If they had a method like this, processing them would be considerably easier.

It was irrelevant to me, since I could process Gremlins normally even without seeing their cleavage planes, but ordinary craftsmen must have been unbelievably grateful for the technology. There was no doubt that civilian processing precision would skyrocket. If they could do this, they could probably produce Möbius-loop Gremlins themselves. They had no need to ask me.

The compensation for the entire series of jobs would be an allotment of materials obtained when the Demon King was defeated. The amount and extent of the allotment would depend on how much work I accepted.

The Demon King was an AA-class monster, a unique Kō 1-class individual by Japanese standards.

Even the Northeastern Hunting Association valued materials from the Daidarabotchi. Materials harvested from a Demon King that surpassed the Daidarabotchi had to be incredible.

After the Demon King was defeated, the participants in the campaign—or people they designated as their proxies—would set evaluation values for the materials that could be harvested from the Demon King through deliberation.

Based on those evaluation values, I would be granted the right to select materials with the highest priority.

In other words, I would get the most delicious item among the Demon King's drops.

The most appealing monster material was the Gremlin. I absolutely wanted the Demon King Gremlin! It had to be huge. It probably had some special abilities too.

...But it was a Demon King Gremlin, after all. It seemed to be the original source of the Black Gremlins that had infected the Kō-class monsters. They were the kind that disappeared with time after dying. The Demon King Gremlin might disappear too.

Well, I didn't actually know that. Maybe the Demon King Gremlin, the suspected source of the infection, would not disappear with time. I didn't know, but it seemed a little suspicious.

To be honest, I was not very interested in any Demon King materials besides the Gremlin. Fundamentally, it would all be a pipe dream if they failed to defeat the Demon King. Even if they succeeded, the reward would be paid ten years later if it took ten years to defeat it. That was a long time.

Fortunately, there was another reward to choose from besides priority access to Demon King materials.

Payment in precious metals.

Apparently, precious metals were essential for operating magic script. Their value was guaranteed beyond doubt, and a guaranteed quality and quantity would be paid in the near future.

The right to first pick of the Demon King materials, with the Demon King Gremlin as the prize attraction. It was appealing, but unstable, with no payment date set.

Precious-metal payment was a guaranteed reward. It was less appealing, but the quality and quantity were stable, and payment would come quickly.

There were two reward options.

Since I had the chance, I circled priority access to the Demon King materials and submitted my desired reward.

The Demon King Gremlin was simply too tempting.

Even if the Demon King Gremlin disappeared, I could take the choicest parts of the other Demon King materials, and the fact that my creations had made a major contribution to defeating the Demon King that would destroy the world would remain. If that was guaranteed, it was enough.

Now, I had to deliver the ordered items before the Black Ship set sail. I did not have an abundance of time, so why not get to work right away?

As a professional, I would finish the job properly first, then read through the thick magic-script materials. Once I started reading, I absolutely would not be able to stop, so I could not read them yet. How exciting!