Chapter 15: 15

15 – Demon King Army Chief of Staff, Make a Promise to Go Out Part 1 

 

The Recording Stone is an item that possesses various functions. 

It requires magical energy, but it can transport people and objects to Other Recording Stones once they have been registered. 

It is also used to store Dungeon Clear data. Adventurers can then choose to Continue from their Last Session after confirmation from the dungeon’s side. 

The rooms that have Recording Stones are called Safe Rooms, monsters will not attack you while you are in it, and you can even use the Save Points to return to the dungeon entrance. 

You need an item that proves your identity called a Registration Card in order to use it. 

Dungeon Staff also makes use of these Recording Stones a lot. 

「Lem, please use this today.」 

Milla handed me a temporary registration card. They couldn’t issue an official one in time. 

It was a thin board that was as long as my thumb and made of metal. It had a hole with a chain running through it. 

I think it might take a few days for them to issue Cashew’s one, so she has to share mine. 

I was about to hang it around my neck so that I wouldn’t lose it, but then I stopped. 

「Cashew here’s your first assignment. Can I entrust this with you and you make sure not to lose it?」 

After saying that, Cashew stood at attention. 

「Y, yes! I definitely will not lose it, Chief of staff, sir!」 

Chief of staff, huh? No. 

「…It’s OK to call me the usual way.」 

「No, sir! We’re at work, sir!」 

「I see. That’s right. Alright, I understand.」 

It made me feel a little lonely, but it’s good to have enthusiasm in your work. 

I let out a sigh while thinking about how heartwarming Cashew’s determination-inspiring demeanor is, as we walked through the interiors of the Demon Castle. 

「In the Demon Castle’s basement, generally there exists a great number of rooms other than the facilities we call Dungeons.」 

「What? Really?」 

Milla had already let go of my arm at this point. At the moment of separation, she said 「I don’t think my heart could handle any more of this.」with cheeks flushed with red. In my head, I wholeheartedly agreed. 

「Indeed. You can carry out training, people from the same stratum and workers of the same species can take a break, etc. There’s also a large public bath, a home theatre center, a blacksmith, etc. We have all one would need in order to care for their mind, body, and equipment.」 

「…Dungeons are incredible.」 

The only thing the average person knows about dungeons is that they were special rooms made by ancient monsters. 

All you needed to run a dungeon was permission from the country. 

To tell the truth, I was just like them. So hearing all this for the first time was quite a surprise. 

「As the passages aren’t actually connected, they provide advantages in defending.」 

「That’s certainly true.」 

In the distant past, dungeon clearers and the like were only hindrances.  They’d prefer them not to enter at all, so it’s clever how they made it so that the strata are not connected by default without having to use a special procedure to cut them off. 

Although I don’t think the monsters of old ever dreamed that in the distant future, their dungeons would have a hot spring and a small cinema built into it. No, wait…hot springs might have been possible, right? I wonder. 

「Today we shall be meeting the Werewolf group.」 

Incidentally, adventurers are usually referred by their Job + their name, but monsters are referred by their race + dungeon name instead of their Job. 

However, exceptions like Demon King do exist. 

「Werewolves are half-people, half-wolf in appearance and can be used for different purposes, right?」 

「Why, yes. Among them is the Floor Boss Marchosias, who is exceedingly nice and I concluded that his human side will have little to no resistance towards accepting you, Lem」[1. TL Note: Marchosias is a demon described in the Lemegeton that has griffon wings, a serpent’s tail, breathes fire and can change into the form of a man] 

Since they are followers of the Demon King Luci, there’s no way that they are hopelessly evil, right? 

Even if that were the case, it’s wrong to say that all of them would happily welcome a human Black Sorcerer with open arms. 

And a former adventurer, no less. If I were to put in sports terms, it’s like if a player was kicked out of the rival team and then one day he was suddenly selected to become the captain. Or their ace, even. Anyway, I think it’ll definitely be difficult for them to accept me.  

「But please, do be careful. They are the nicest of nice people but they are also…irritating.」 

「Thank you very much. But it’ll be fine. If they are Milla’s companions, I have nothing to worry about.」 

Milla really is good to me. 

I dread to think what would have happened had I never greeted her. 

With no one who appreciates me, how would I have continued living as the unfortunate Black Sorcerer? 

She understands my magic to an almost mortifying degree and personally says she’s a fan. 

However, I’ve always had this uncomfortable feeling that I just can’t wipe away. 

Of course I’m happy, but the goodwill I’ve felt from her has always felt, how should I say this…a little excessive. 

If it was like with Cashew where I was her first customer, and I went to her shop almost every day and became emotionally attached, I would understand. She was happy with me and accepted me, simple. I know the whole picture. 

But in Milla’s case, it feels like a piece of the puzzle is missing.  

For example, if I knew how she came to be a fan of mine, my feeling of unease might disappear. 

In other words, the source of her goodwill towards me. The origin. It would be weird if the reason she was so clingy after meeting me was simply that I’m a Black Sorcerer. I’ve seen her attitude towards other people, I know that side of her all too well. 

It’s because of that serious attitude of hers that I cannot take her feelings lightly. 

Putting that aside, I have complete faith in her. 

「… Please be careful when saying such pleasing words like that, it just makes me want to suck your blood.」 

Bloodsucking is the act of absorbing the magical energy contained within the blood. Vampires are commonly said to target young women. The theory behind it is that the young have an abundance of magical power, and women tend to have a high aptitude towards magic 

Be that as it may, does she really want to suck some of my magical power? 

「If it’s just a little, I don’t see the harm. I don’t mind, so go ahead if you want to, Milla」 

「Lem, please refrain from saying something like that again. …If you did, I…a-anyway, please stop. We’re working.」 

Milla’s face is a little red. She seems like she’s suppressing something. Is she being assailed by her bloodsucking impulses?  

「…I’ll be careful.」 

「However Lem, if you were to say that to me again when the following day is a day off, I think I just might suck you. By the way, my day off happens to be 3 days from now.」 

Having your magical power absorbed is followed by an unbelievable feeling of tiredness. Even at the best of times, losing blood as well as a drastic decrease in your magical power is not good for your health. I guess you shouldn’t do it when there is work awaiting you the next day. 

Hold on, could it be an expression that’s used by modern-day vampires? 

In these modern times, Demi-humans no longer seek to cause harm to humans like their ancestors. While that may be true, there are laws in place to crack down on other similar types of crimes. 

Bloodsucking for instance. Sucking blood without consent from the other party is treated as assault. 

「My day off happens to be 3 days from now.」 

Milla says that once more. 

With some embarrassment, I finally catch on to what she’s trying to say. 

That it’s, uh, it’s OK for us to meet up on her day off. In other words, she’s trying to tell me that she would say yes if I were to invite her on a date. 

So that’s it! The purpose of her mentions of bloodsucking was just a front, a facade. 

However, considering I was hopelessly unpopular for the last 10 years, I am extremely inexperienced with this kinda thing. 

People thought it was bad luck to date a Black Sorcerer, even worse were people telling stories like「They’ll cast Confusion and Speed Down on you so you can’t resist…ew…」. 

If a regular Black Sorcerer could do something like that, they wouldn’t be such an unfortunate job to be! 

With their output, magical power management, and durability issues, it’s normally impossible to put the opponent in a state of complete non-resistance.  

What’s more, if they get aroused, they’re black magic gets so unstable that the average woman can easily resist their effects. The black magic of an aroused Black Sorcerer is nothing to worry about. 

…It’s definitely possible for me, but I would never, ever do something like that. 

Due to those stereotypes, I have lived a life without ever making a connection with a woman, but I understand that Milla does not possess those prejudices. 

C’mon, you can do this! Be brave, Lem! 

「There are many things that I want to thank you for. I-if it’s alright with you, would you like to go out with me on your day off…?」 

I said it. 

 

Without Milla’s suggestions, I never imagined that I would ask her out like this.

And then, she suddenly averted her gaze.

「Did it fail?!」

I think, as my heart is about to crumble.

I notice her ears turning red and the bat wings on her head, which are now exposed after she had removed her hat, are trembling.

Then she starts mumbling embarrassingly.

「…yes, I would very much like that.」

For an instant, I didn’t understand what she just said. But then I did understand and I was so surprised that my emotions started immediately going wild. No, not surprised. I was too happy. Anyway, this is bad. I want to run around the area screaming 「Yahoo!」and dance wildly. Three things were stopping me from doing exactly that, my force of will that was cultivated by many years of training, not wanting to do something so embarrassing in front of Cashew and not wanting to miss even a moment of Milla covering her face with both hands out of sheer embarrassment.

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「…Lem.」

Cashew’s heart-breaking voice brought me back to my senses.

Cashew, who was seriously gripping my Registration Card with her tiny hands, was looking at me with an air of utter loneliness.

That’s right, didn’t I already make a promise with her not too long ago?

「Of course I didn’t forget about the promise I made to take a stroll with you. Why don’t you ask Milla if there are any shops around that have sweets and we’ll go there.」

「Sweets…」

For a brief moment, she made a happy face but it soon looked down again.

「…W-will it just be the two of us?」

She says, anxiously.

We need Milla to guide us. I don’t know the area very well.

However, I understand Cashew’s childish desires.

If I were to go out with Milla…then what about her?

「If it’s alright with you, sure. Just me and you.」

This time, she returned to her usual self.

「Yeah, just the two of us! …Ah, but Milla might not like that.」

「No, it’s quite alright, Cashew. I know that area quite well already.」

Perhaps because Cashew is just a child, Milla spoke with a gentle voice different from the time she was warning me about affiliating with other women.

In a short span of time, I made a promise to go out with, not one, but two women. One of them being Cashew, so it’s not really a date but more of a reason to go out but still, this is something my past self would have thought impossible.

Is it really so unlucky to be a Black Sorcerer in the Adventurer Business?

I made that decision myself but if I think about it, there are worse things.

「Oh one more thing, Lem」

Milla, who had regained her composure, puts her lips close to my ear.

「I know how kind you are. However, please don’t say those words from moments ago to another vampire. If you do, fufufu…Anyway, I look forward to working with you, yes?」

「Yes…」

I nod my head nervously as if there were a knife pressed against my neck.

I shivered in fear as if icicles were being thrust into my very core.

That feeling stayed with me throughout our journey.

Before long, we arrived in a room where a row of Recording Stones were lined up.

Cashew was in high spirits and I, too, thought it was a magnificent sight.

Just how many rooms were there? Dungeons are truly wondrous things.

「This way, please.」

Milla stands in front of one of the Recording Stones.

Fitted atop a dark brown pedestal was a fist-sized blue gem.

「Kindly designate the destination as the Second Playing Field. I shall go first. I’ll be waiting for you.」

Milla holds up her Registration Card towards the Recording Stone and her figure disappears. Cashew was surprised.

「Let’s go, Cashew.」

Cashew holds out the Registration Card, but after some thought, she shakes her head.

「Go on, Cashew. Give it a try.」

「Huh…? But…」

「It’s alright. There’s nothing to be afraid of.」

I put my hands under her arms and lifted her closer to the Recording Stone.

「Eek! Wha-, but-, uu…alright…」

Cashew timidly brings the Registration Card closer towards the Recording Stone.

「She mentioned where to go earlier, right? Where, oh where was it, again?」[2. TL Note: Lem is just messing with Cashew.]

「It’s the Second Playing Field, silly~!」

Cashew giggled while answering me. Ah, looks like her nervousness has started to go away. In response to Cashew’s answer, the scenery changes completely before our eyes.

「Whoa, wha-?!」

Cashew was shocked and started to wriggle but breathed a sigh of relief when she realized that I was still holding her up.

「Good, well done, Cashew」

After complimenting her, she gets all bashful.

I put her down then she looked up at me, expecting something. She sways her lower body and inches the top of her head closer to me.

Oh, I see.

「Good girl.」

I stroke her head, and she makes a happy sound.

Just having Cashew here is very therapeutic for me.

「Does Lem prefer to spoil or be spoiled? Oh no, I’m merely checking. 」

Says Milla who was standing just nearby.

We were transported beside a vast playing field.

There were Werewolves, who had already changed into their wolf form, earnestly running around.

Among them was a werewolf with a larger physique and was clearly the Floor Boss Marchosias.

「RUN! Run with all you have, brothers and sisters! If we can at least move even after getting hit by that fearsome Black Magic, we will prevail! If we double our speed, we’ll be able to run at normal speed when it’s halved, right?! GAHAHA!」

…that is some amazing reasoning.

Even more amazing was that every single one of them replied to that ridiculous reasoning with a resounding 「YEAH!」.

「Marchosias.」

As they get close to us, Milla calls him out.

Cashew was intimidated by Marchosias’ size and clung to me.

The neck-sprainingly large body turns to face us.

「Oh, Miss Milla! Is it that time already? …Hm?」

He notices me.

Then he opened his wolf mouth wide and laughed joyfully.

「Well! If it isn’t Mr. Black Sorcerer! To think that you truly have joined our Demon King Army!」

It appears that I am being welcomed.

As one would expect from Milla. She prioritized this meeting knowing full well that it would turn out like this.

「I look forward to working together. My name is Lem…Lemegeton.」

「Ah, using your dungeon name. You’ll get used to calling yourself that soon. I look forward to working with you too, Mr. Lemegeton.」

We exchange greetings.

「I’m curious about that little girl but first, I’m glad you came! Man, you guys really got us last time! Especially you and that man…Flame Hero? He was intense.」

Those who were directly affected by my black magic will know about their effects. I am grateful that they do not doubt my abilities.

「That guy is a little too strong, right?」

I was a little happy when he praised my best friend but my expression unintentionally loosened.

「What are you saying?! For that Hero to be able to play his role like that and reach me while preserving his magical power, that was because of your Black Magic! Truthfully, I wasn’t going to just let him walk up to me like that!」

Ah, that’s right. That time when the werewolves were descending upon us from 3 separate lanes in an intersection, I was thinking「How are we gonna get outta this?」.

I actually overdid it a little by casting Speed Down on all of them and I ended up making Fenix use his magical power.

「Still, I thought the Flame Hero was supposed to be a brilliant warrior. What is he thinking? You are a one of a kind Black Sorcerer. If I were on the Adventurer side, I’d treat you like our most valuable asset.」

「It was actually due to a few private matters within the group. The Flame Hero wasn’t the one that drove me out.」

「Hmm. Is that so? It’s still a mystery that no one around you noticed your abilities in the first place…Oh well, people have their reasons. But that aside! I! Am! Glad!」

He shouts while clapping me in the back. I get that he’s happy and I realize that he adjusted the strength of the claps for me, but it still hurts a little.

「I’ve never seen anyone who has honed their magic to such an extent! To have achieved it at your age, just how much training did you have to endure? What an admirable and honorable lad! Now, Mr. Black Sorcerer, I would like to discuss something with you.」

「Discuss?」

「Yes, it is regrettable that I was defeated by your party. Whether or not we can do a rematch of the Dungeon Clear is a different matter, but if we can’t then there is no other way for me to have a rematch.」

With the exception of the Big Four, it is decided that a Floor Boss that has already been defeated once cannot appear again as the Floor Boss of another stratum.

「I heard that you’re gathering 72 allies! If that’s the case, I elect myself! Would you form a contract with me, the Werewolf Marchosias!」

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