I will answer one of the 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 taste for things like that, nor do I get any pleasure from doing it.
Nevertheless, on the main street early in the afternoon, I suffered a level of psychological damage that almost amounted to a public execution…… That’s where the cruel disparity exists.
It seems that Kuro is currently under the effects of two types of magic, Information Concealment Magic and Recognition Inhibition Magic, so people around her don’t notice that she’s the Underworld King unless she speaks to them directly.
It was a measure to prevent people from gathering around the famous Kuro when I’m going with her, but this resulted in an explosion of damage concentrated on me.
The fact that people around us perceive Kuro as an ordinary girl in town is a tremendous negative factor that will only befall on me in this situation.
In other words, I was perceived as a man in his 20s, drinking seal fruit like a couple in the early afternoon with a little girl who was only about 140cm tall…… Being recognized as a lolicon by the people around us is already inevitable.
[Kaito-kun? What’s the matter?]
[……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 wonder while still holding my hand.
If we were just holding hands, we would still have passed as a brother and sister…… No, wait. Speaking of which, haven’t I heard from someone how the age of marriage in this country is low? So, maybe that scene just now wasn’t at a level where it was disturbing for the nearby people…… Then, it’s probably okay, right? No, leaving aside the psychological damage inflicted on my mind, what I did might be safe for the public’s eyes.
As we walked around while I thought about this, I noticed that the atmosphere around me had changed a bit.
The number of restaurants I could see has decreased and there small-scale shops that look like street vendors were increasing.
[Somehow, doesn’t it look like the atmosphere has changed a bit?]
[Unnn. There are lots of shops selling “Personally Created Magic Tools” around here.]
[Personally created?]
[Most of the livelihood magic tools circulated in the market were made by one of the Trading Companies, but as long as you have magic crystals, you can make your own magic tools as well. Most of the Company-made Magic Tools are cost-efficient, whereas most of the personally created ones are one-of-a-kin, and there are lots of unusual ones among them, so you might find a bargain among them.]
[Heeehhhh…… That sounds interesting.]
Livelihood magic tools are an indispensable part of life in this world.
There are a variety of magic tools that I have seen and used in Lilia-san’s mansion, including magic tools that illuminate, release water, and make fire.
In a sense, it can be said that they play the role of mechanical technology in our world, and some of them even have performance that far surpasses that of my previous world.
For example, in the room Lilia-san assigned to me, there is a magic tool that regulates the temperature within a set range, which can make the room instantly warmer or cooler with just a touch.
I wish we had them back in my previous world as well, because they are so much better than air conditioners.
It seems that many of those magic tools are sold around here, and some of them may even have special effects, and I was simply excited looking around for them.
There’s a stall that has balls of water moving through the air, while there are some with winds swirling around them.
As my attention was stolen away by this fantastical scene around the stalls, my eyes were suddenly drawn to one of the signboards.
[……Spatial Movement Magic Tool? Err, what kind of magic tool is this?]
[Oh, customer-san have great eyes. This magic tool is great because it lets you record a certain place, and teleport there in a fraction of a second.]
[That’s amazing. Can it teleport you to far away places?]
[Of course. As expected, you can move from the Human Realm to the Demon Realm or the God Realm, but if it’s within the Human Realm, that would be this magic tool’s forte! Furthermore, you can use this bad boy over and over again! That means you can travel as much as you want with this magic tool.]
In response to my question, the shopkeeper casually explained.
It seems that this magic tool can do that so-called warp.
I guess recording a place means that you would have to visit the place at least once before, but I still think it’s an awesome magic tool…… and I honestly want it.
However, if it has that great of an ability…… It would probably be expensive……
[By the way, how much is this?]
[We’re having a sale today, so you could take it for just 30000 R!]
[30000 R huh……]
[………………..]
As I thought, it really is quite expensive. Around 3 million yen, more than half of what Lilia-san gave me before…… but considering that I would be able to teleport as much as I want, it might have been pretty cheap instead.
In fact, even if I have 50000 R, it doesn’t seem like I will ever use it all up, so should I buy it?
[Ummm, can I—– [Stop right there, Kaito-kun.]——Eh?]
I was curious and was going to ask for a more detailed explanation, but at that moment, Kuro interjected.
After looking at the spatial movement magic tool once, Kuro speaks to the shopkeeper.
[A one-time disposable magic tool costs 10000R, and you’re saying that this spacial movement magic tool that can be used multiple times costs 30000R?]
[What did you…… say, ahh… Un– Un- un- un- Underworld King-sama!?]
The storekeeper looked astonished when he saw Kuro. I see, she hadn’t spoken to her earlier, so he hadn’t noticed that Kuro was the Underworld King huh……
[For a magic tool with a performance that high, I’d say it would cost at least 500000R. I think that’s at least 5 white gold coins…… That’s really cheap, isn’t it?]
[Ah, t- t- that is… errr……]
The shopkeeper who was clearly trembling, turned pale….. And from the flow of their conversation, there were apparently some flaws in this magic tool and I was almost fooled.
Or rather, a magic tool for spatial movement would originally cost 50 at least 50 million huh……
[The magic crystal used for this…… I guess it has around 30% purity, right? The technique used to make it is also sloppy, and the best that it can do was probably just allow you from one town to another, right? Moreover, with a magic crystal of this size and purity, it would take “half a month” to reuse it once it’s 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, and the speed and efficiency of replenishing the reduced magic power from the air will also increase. So, the higher the purity of the magic crystal, the more expensive it is.]
[……Errr, does that mean that the magic crystal used for this is a cheap one?]
[Unnn. Moreover, it’s pretty small. Spatial movement magic requires a large amount of magic power the farther the distance you would travel, so if it’s a magic tool that’s good enough to travel from one country to another, it would need to have a magic crystal with at least 80% purity and about three times this size to be able to properly use it.]
[……………….]
I see, the shopkeeper certainly didn’t explain the distance that it can move to or the time it takes to reuse it.
In other words, this magic tool can only transfer for about a few kilometers at best, and moreover, once you use it, it will take more than two weeks before you can use it, or the owner needs to replenish it with a large amount of magic power.
Teleporting from one place to another certainly is its forte, and it can certainly be used over and over again, but thinking back to what he said, he hasn’t said anything specific about this magic tool…… how clever. If it weren’t for Kuro, I would have become an easy customer for him.
[……So? I’ll have you know that this child is a very important friend of mine……]
[P- Please accept my apologies!!!]
The shopkeeper, who was sweating profusely and a really pale face that he looks pitiful, after hearing Kuro’s words, vigorously bowed down in a dogeza.
H- Hmmm. It’s certainly true that he almost cheated me…… But he had just cleverly described it, he didn’t tell a lie about it at all. There would be a fine line if you’re asking me to determine it as a scam or not.
Even if he had tricked me into buying this, it could be said that it was just me being careless for buying something without checking carefully.
Moreover, considering that he was found out by an outrageous being named the Underworld King, I can’t even blame him myself. I mean, he’s already crying there……
[Kaito-kun, what do you think? Should I give him my 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…… If the next time I see you, you’re still doing the same thing…… I’m going to get a little angry.]
[Y— Y- Y- Y- Yes. I won’t do it again.]
Feeling a little sorry for this man in his late thirties who was crying while desperately on a dogeza, we left that place and walked with Kuro through the stall area again.
Thanks to Kuro, no real harm was done earlier, and in a way, I’ve learned a good lesson.
[Kuro, can you tell me how to know the purity of a magic crystal when I see one?]
[Hmmm. It’s difficult to tell if you want clear details on how to tell its purity, but it would be easy if you just want to roughly know a magic crystal’s purity, The higher the purity of a magic crystal, the darker its color is, you can use that as criteria to tell a magic crystal’s purity.]
[I see.]
Apparently, it seems that the more valuable a magic crystal is, the darker its color becomes. That means the most expensive magic crystal is black in color…… Hmmm? Wait a sec……
The necklace that Kuro gave me. That necklace with Detection Magic imbued in it was all black in color…… Doesn’t that mean that this necklace is absurdly expensive?
Did Kuro just nonchalantly give me something so amazing to someone like me who she had just first met? Seriously, how rich are you, Kuro……?
As we walked along the street filled with stalls, realizing once again how amazing Kuro is in many ways, I suddenly felt an intense presence.
[……What’s that?]
[……Hmmm. Something’s coming.]
Apparently, Kuro felt it too, as we stopped walking and turned our gazes upward at about the same time.
Immediately after that, we heard a scream-like cry, though I don’t know where it came from.
[It’s wyverns!]
[ ! ? ]
Along with that scream, the surroundings became noisy all at once.
Before my line of sight…… Seven large shadows that move as if they were circling above the royal capital, monsters with green scales and huge wings…… The figures of several wyverns were there.
[Why are wyverns here!?]
[Did they fail to subjugate them? That’s impossible!?]
[Q- Quickly call the Knight Order!]
Bellows and screams come from all around the place, as the obvious anomaly of wyverns attacking the royal capital.
It appears that the strange presence I felt a moment ago was due to my Sympathy Magic sensing the approach of the wyvern.
However, I wonder why I’m feeling this… It’s just that the emotions I’m feeling from the wyverns was…… fear and uneasiness?
[Did they run away from the subjugation team?]
[Hmmm. I don’t think they would engage in battle against the wyverns without setting up a barrier spell first though…… but seven of them is too small to be considered as a flock, so I guess it’s normal to consider them as survivors who have escaped for their lives huh? They probably ran away from “something that wasn’t the subjugation team”.]
Kuro calmly replied to my mutters, but the situation is quite tense.
So to speak, there are wounded beasts flying in the sky, and it wouldn’t be strange if it attacks at any moment.
They are circling in the sky right now, but if all of them attacked at once……
[Ku- Kuro……]
[Kaito-kun. Do you remember what I said before?]
[……Eh?]
[I told you earlier about how I’m staying out of the trouble that’s in this country for no reason….. That is to say, I would only get involved if I had a reason for that.]
In response to the flustered me, Kuro replied with words that sounded like quiet mutters.
She sounds indifferent when she quietly says that, but why is it from within those words…… I feel anger?
[……Even though I’m finally having my fun date with Kaito-kun……]
[U, Ummm, Kuro—— wha!?]
With words that sound like she’s trying to hold back her anger, Kuro snapped her fingers.
Thereupon, a huge magic circle appears in the sky above, filling my field of vision.
[I was really looking for this. I’ve been all dressed up…… So…… When someone just suddenly intrudes…… I’m going to be angry, you know?]
Immediately afterwards, the sky above turned black as if it was being dyed in paint.
A little while later, the black sky returns to its original color, and the seven wyverns that used to be circling in the sky weren’t there anymore, not even their shadows could be seen.
[……………….]
[And with that, those hindrances disappear…… Come on, Kaito-kun, let’s continue our date!]
[……U- Umm, Kuro……-san? What the heck just happened?]
[Unnn? They got in the way of our date, so I got rid of them with “Spatial Annihilation Magic”.]
[……I- Is that so.]
Spatial Annihilation Magic!? The heck is that, that sounds really frightening even with the name of the spell though!? Did you just erase them? Did you just annihilate all of them?
A- As expected of the Underworld King…… That title of hers isn’t just for show…… It clearly should have been a crisis for the country, but she just ended everything with a snap of her fingers.
Or rather, those wyverns that disappeared after seconds of their entry is too pitiful. I never dreamed that the day would come when I would feel sorry for wyverns.
Dear Mom, Dad——Wyverns have appeared in the royal capital, and I thought it would be a critical situation but——- the Underworld King is too strong.
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<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.