I’ll address one of the more outrageous questions of this world.
I just had one of the most embarrassing experiences of my life. It’s important to note that I have no interest in things like that, nor do I derive any pleasure from them.
Nonetheless, on the main street, early in the afternoon, I experienced a level of psychological damage that almost felt like a public execution… and that’s where the cruel disparity lies.
It seems Kuro is currently under the effects of two types of magic: Information Concealment Magic and Recognition Inhibition Magic. As a result, people around her don’t recognize her as the Underworld King unless she directly speaks to them.
This was meant to prevent crowds from gathering around the famous Kuro while I’m with her, but it ended up causing an explosion of damage that was all focused on me.
The fact that people around us see Kuro as just a normal girl in town becomes a major negative factor for me in this situation.
In other words, I was perceived as a man in his 20s, casually drinking seal fruit with a little girl only about 140cm tall, in the early afternoon… And being seen as a lolicon by the people around us was, at that point, inevitable.
[Kaito-kun? What’s wrong?]
[…Well, I was just thinking about how I’m going to walk around town from now on…]
[Unnn?]
My shoulders slumped as I replied to Kuro, who was tilting her head in confusion while still holding my hand.
If we were just holding hands, we could have passed for siblings… Wait a minute. Speaking of which, didn’t I hear somewhere that the age of marriage in this country is relatively young? So maybe what just happened wasn’t strange to the people around us… In that case, it should be fine, right? No, aside from the psychological damage to my own mind, what I did might still be acceptable in public.
As I walked, lost in these thoughts, I noticed that the atmosphere around me had shifted.
The number of restaurants had decreased, and small street vendor-like shops were starting to appear.
[Somehow, doesn’t it feel like the atmosphere has shifted a bit?]
[Unnn. There are a lot of shops around here selling “Personally Created Magic Tools.”]
[Personally created?]
[Most of the livelihood magic tools in the market are made by one of the Trading Companies, but if you have magic crystals, you can create your own as well. Company-made magic tools are generally cost-effective, while personally created ones are often one-of-a-kind. Some of them are unusual, so you might even find a real bargain.]
[Heeehhhh… That sounds interesting.]
Livelihood magic tools are an essential part of life in this world.
I’ve seen and used many different kinds of magic tools at Lilia-san’s mansion, including ones that illuminate, release water, or start a fire.
In a way, it’s almost sad to realize they serve the same purpose as mechanical technology in our world, but some of them even outperform the technology from my previous world.
For example, in the room Lilia-san assigned to me, there’s a magic tool that regulates the temperature within a set range, instantly making the room warmer or cooler with just a touch. I really wish we had something like that in my world—it’s so much better than air conditioners.
It seems that many of these magical tools are sold around here, and some might even have special effects. I couldn’t help but get excited, looking around at all the fascinating items.
There was a stall where balls of water floated through the air, while another had winds swirling around them. As I became absorbed in the mesmerizing scene at the stalls, my eyes were suddenly drawn to one of the signboards.
[……Spatial Movement Magic Tool? Hmm, what kind of magic tool is this?]
[Oh, customer has sharp eyes. This tool is amazing because it lets you record a specific location and teleport there in the blink of an eye.]
[That’s incredible! Can it teleport you to far-off places?]
[Of course. As expected, you can’t move from the Human Realm to the Demon Realm or the God Realm, but when it comes to the Human Realm, this magic tool’s your best bet! And the best part? You can use this bad boy as many times as you want! That means endless travel, no limits!]
The shopkeeper casually explained in response to my question.
It seems this magic tool does what’s called a warp.
I imagine recording a place means you’d need to visit it at least once, but still, it’s an amazing magic tool… and I honestly want it.
However, if it has such powerful abilities… it’s probably expensive…
[By the way, how much is this?]
[We’re having a sale today, so you can take it for just 30,000 R!]
[30,000 R, huh…]
[………………..]
As I thought, it’s really quite expensive—about 3 million yen, more than half of what Lilia-san gave me earlier… but considering I’d be able to teleport as much as I want, it might actually be a bargain.
In fact, even if I had 50,000 R, it doesn’t seem like I’d ever use it all, so maybe I should buy it?
[Ummm, can I—[Stop right there, Kaito-kun.]—Eh?]
I was about to ask for a more detailed explanation when Kuro suddenly interjected.
After glancing at the Spatial Movement magic tool, Kuro turned to speak to the shopkeeper.
[A one-time use magic tool costs 10,000R, and you’re saying this spatial movement magic tool, which can be used multiple times, costs only 30,000R?]
[W-What did you… say, ahh… Un-Un-Un-Un-Underworld King-sama!?]
The storekeeper looked completely stunned when he saw Kuro. I see, he hadn’t spoken to her earlier, so he didn’t realize that Kuro was the Underworld King…
[For a magic tool with that kind of performance, I’d expect it to cost at least 500,000R. That’s at least five white gold coins… That’s really cheap, isn’t it?]
[A-a-a-actually, that is… errr…]
The shopkeeper, clearly trembling, turned pale… From the flow of their conversation, it seemed there were flaws with this magic tool, and I had nearly been tricked.
Or rather, a magic tool for spatial movement would normally cost at least 50 million, wouldn’t it…?
[The magic crystal used for this… I’d say it’s about 30% purity, right? The technique used to make it is pretty sloppy too. At best, it could probably only take you from one town to another. And with a crystal of this size and purity, it would take half a month to recharge once it’s been used, right?]
[……Ah, no, err…]
[Ku-Kuro? What do you mean by purity…?]
[The higher the purity of a magic crystal, the more magic power it can store. It also increases the speed and efficiency at which it replenishes magic power from the air. So, the higher the purity, the more expensive it is.]
[……Errr, so does that mean the magic crystal used for this is a cheap one?]
[Unnn. And it’s pretty small. Spatial Movement Magic requires a large amount of magic power the farther you want to travel, so for a tool that’s good enough to travel between countries, the crystal would need to have at least 80% purity and be about three times this size to work properly.]
[……………….]
I see. The shopkeeper certainly didn’t explain the range or the cooldown time for this magic tool.
In other words, this device can only teleport for a few kilometers at best, and once used, it takes more than two weeks to recharge—or the owner must replenish it with a significant amount of magic power.
Teleportation is certainly its strength, and it can be used repeatedly, but now that I think back to what he said, he didn’t provide any details about this magic tool… how clever. If it weren’t for Kuro, I would have fallen for it and become an easy customer.
[……So? I’ll have you know, this child is a very important friend of mine…]
[P-Please accept my apologies!!!]
The shopkeeper, drenched in sweat and looking so pale he almost seemed pitiful, bowed down in a deep dogeza after hearing Kuro’s words.
H-Hmmm. It’s true he almost tricked me… But he hadn’t actually lied, he had just been clever in how he described it. It’s a fine line when it comes to determining whether this counts as a scam or not.
Even if he had managed to deceive me, I could only blame myself for not checking more carefully before buying.
Besides, considering he was caught by an extraordinary being like the Underworld King, I couldn’t really blame him. I mean, he’s already crying like that…
[Kaito-kun, what do you think? Should I give him a scolding?]
[Hiiihhhh!?]
[N-No, it’s fine. No real harm was done, and he already apologized, so…]
[Well, if that’s what Kaito-kun says… But if I see you doing this again next time… I might just get a little angry.]
[Y-Y-Y-Yes. I won’t do it again.]
Feeling a bit sorry for the man in his late thirties, who was crying while desperately performing a dogeza, we left the scene and walked through the stall area again with Kuro.
Thanks to Kuro, no real harm was done earlier, and in a way, I had learned a valuable lesson.
[Kuro, can you teach me how to determine the purity of a magic crystal when I see one?]
[Hmmm. It’s hard to give precise details on how to determine its purity, but if you just want a rough idea, the higher the purity of a magic crystal, the darker its color. You can use that as a basic guideline.]
[I see.]
Apparently, the more valuable a magic crystal is, the darker its color. So, the most expensive magic crystal would be black… Hmmm? Wait a second…
The necklace Kuro gave me. The one with Detection Magic imbued in it—it’s completely black… Does that mean this necklace is absurdly expensive?
Did Kuro just casually give me something so amazing, even though we’d just met? Seriously, how rich are you, Kuro…?
As we walked along the street filled with stalls, I couldn’t help but be reminded again of how amazing Kuro is in so many ways. Then, out of nowhere, I felt an intense presence.
[……What’s that?]
[……Hmmm. Something’s coming.]
It seemed Kuro sensed it too, as we both stopped and instinctively looked upward at the same time.
Just then, a scream-like cry echoed through the air, though I couldn’t tell where it came from.
[It’s wyverns!]
[ ! ? ]
With that shout, the surroundings erupted into chaos.
Before my eyes… Seven large shadows circled above the royal capital, the figures of several wyverns—monsters with green scales and massive wings.
[Why are wyverns here!?]
[Did they fail to subjugate them? That’s impossible!?]
[Q-Quickly, call the Knight Order!]
Shouts and screams erupted from all around as the wyverns’ attack on the royal capital became clear.
It seems the strange presence I felt a moment ago was due to my Sympathy Magic picking up on the approaching wyverns.
But why do I feel this way… The emotions I’m sensing from the wyverns are… fear and uneasiness?
[Did they run away from the subjugation team?]
[Hmm. I don’t think they would’ve engaged in battle with the wyverns without casting Barrier Magic first… But seven of them is too few to be considered a flock. So, I guess it’s normal to think of them as survivors who escaped with their lives, huh? They probably fled from “something other than the subjugation team.”]
Kuro calmly responded to my mutters, but the tension in the air was palpable.
To put it simply, there are wounded beasts flying in the sky, and it wouldn’t be surprising if one attacked at any moment.
They’re circling above us now, and if all of them struck at once…
[Ku-Kuro…]
[Kaito-kun. Do you remember what I said before?]
[……Eh?]
[I told you earlier that I’m staying out of the trouble in this country for no reason… In other words, I’ll only get involved if I have a reason to.]
In response to my flustered state, Kuro spoke softly, almost like a mutter.
Her tone seemed indifferent, but something within those words… Was it anger? It was hard to say, but I couldn’t shake the feeling.
[……Even though I’m finally having my fun date with Kaito-kun…]
[U, Ummm, Kuro—wha!?]
With words that sounded like she was trying to hold back her anger, Kuro snapped her fingers.
Immediately, a massive magic circle appeared in the sky above, filling my entire field of vision.
[I was really looking forward to this. I’ve gone all out and gotten dressed up… So… when someone suddenly intrudes… you can expect me to be angry, right?]
Right after that, the sky above turned black, as if it were being painted over.
A short while later, the sky returned to its original color, and the seven wyverns that had been circling overhead were nowhere to be seen—not even a trace remained.
[……………….]
[And with that, those nuisances are gone… Come on, Kaito-kun, let’s continue our date!]
[……U-Umm, Kuro……-san? What just happened?]
[Unnn? They were ruining our date, so I got rid of them with “Spatial Annihilation Magic.”]
[……I-Is that so.]
Spatial Annihilation Magic!? What the heck is that? It sounds terrifying, even just from the name! Did you really erase them? Did you just annihilate all of them?
A-As expected of the Underworld King… That title isn’t just for show… It should’ve been a crisis for the country, but she just ended it all with a snap of her fingers.
Or rather, those wyverns that vanished mere seconds after entering are just too pitiful. I never thought I’d feel sorry for wyverns.
Dear Mom, Dad—Wyverns appeared in the royal capital, and I thought it was going to be a critical situation, but—the Underworld King is just too strong.
<Author’s Notes>
Their corpses were found just two chapters ago, and they were instantly annihilated in this chapter….. Wyverns…… No, please stay tuned for the next appearance of this novel’s protagonist, Wyvern-sensei.