A Creative Alchemist Enjoys His Freedom – After Being Banished from His Hometown, He Is Now Free to Create Magical Items with Incredible Effects Under the Control of the Demon King - Episode 18

Episode 18: “Listening to the Troubles of the Young Girl Agnis (2)”

“…This is the second time we’ve met…I’m Agnis Freyzadd…”
“…Thor Regus.”
“…………”
“…………”

　Awkward.

　In front of me, there was a girl named Agnis wearing full-body armour.
　There were winged lizards—salamanders—gathered around her, as if trying to protect her.

　Agnis and I were sitting across the table from each other.
　Agnis was wearing a helmet, so I couldn’t see what her expression was like.
　All I could see were her yellow eyes, peeking through the gaps in the helmet.

　When I looked back at her, Agnis hurriedly looked away.
　I would do the same.
　Because I thought it would be better not to make her too nervous.

“I’m sorry about earlier.”

　First of all, I decided to apologise.

“I had heard that the salamanders were in charge of boiling the bath water, so I got interested and ended up taking a peek. I didn’t know that Agnis-san was helping out. Sorry.”
“N-no.”
“Eh?”
“That’s not true. Agnis is the one at fault…”

　Agnis began to speak haltingly.

“S-Since few people come at this time… Agnis was helping these children out on her own… So Thor Regus-sama is not to blame.”
“No… but… when I find the armour, I should have realised that Agnis-san is there.”
“No, I didn’t put up the 『Bathing』 sign over here!”
“But you didn’t take a bath, did you? You were just heating up the bath water.”
“But even so, the door should be closed. So, the one who was seen naked was… Agnis self-deserving, so… well… um…”
“But it was my mistake to have looked at it so closely!”
“Because I showed you something unsightly!”
“It wasn’t unsightly at all! Is this what the spirit of fire is like? It was like, I was reaffirming the sculpture created by God… No, I was wondering if you can see such beautiful things when you come to the Demon King’s territory.”
“…Uh, uuuuuuh.”

　And then the flame rose from the gap between the helmet.
　It seemed she remembered what had happened earlier.
　The apology battle was dangerous. Let’s change the subject.

“People with 『Flame Giant』 bloodlines are amazing, aren’t they?”
“Eh?”
“That armour is a flame-resistant armour made with two layers of earth attributes. It’s also flexible, so you can wear it directly on the skin.”

　When I looked at the armour earlier and secretly used 『Appraisal』.
　It was then that I realised that the armour was light and soft.

“Even that armour can’t withstand Agnis’s flames. The joints and connections between parts are starting to loosen. It’s incredible that it has the power to withstand such strong flames.”
“But Agnis can’t control the flames…”
“You said that earlier too.”
“……yes”

　Agnis let out a long sigh.
　Then she removed her helmet and revealed her face in front of me.
　With eyes that looked like a yellow ball and white skin. Her long, flickering hair appeared.

“Just like this, don’t look away; I want this.”
“Oh, yes”
“…zi────”

　Agnis’s eyes were looking straight at me.
　As I was told, I looked back into Agnis’s eyes.
　She had beautiful eyes. The colour of her pupils flickered, changing from yellow to red and back to yellow.

　It was really like a yellow ball and a ruby.
　I had only read a book about the 『Flame Giant』, but I was sure it was a beautiful creature.

　If the flames couldn’t be blocked even with two earth attributes, then they must be as powerful as volcanic flames.
　I wondered what kind of magical power could produce such flames. I wondered how the person himself managed to protect against the heat. I also pondered what it would feel like to wear armour over one’s naked body.
　As I was thinking about this and gazing at Agnis’s face…

“…Uh, uh. Uhh.”

　Agnis’s neck, chin, cheeks, and forehead were turning bright red.
　Then, with a whoosh, flames erupted from Agnis hair.

“Gururu” “Gurururu-,” “Gurururu-”

　Kappon.

　The salamanders, who had been waiting, placed the helmet with ‘fire resistance’ on Agnis.
　After a while, the flames died down, and Agnis sighed.

“As you can see, so…”
“As I thought, when you get nervous or excited, flames come out of your body.”
“Y-Yes.”
“But you can use fire in the castle boiling water room… Sorry! You don’t have to remember it! ”
“…Ugh.”

　Agnis covered her face with the hands of a gauntlet.

“…Earlier, I was training to control the flames with the help of this child, Salamander…. These kids are old friends, so I don’t get nervous when I’m with them…”
“Gurururu”, “Gurururu”, “Gurururu!”

　The salamanders nodded in agreement.
　So, that was what it seemed to be.

　Agnis had the same bloodline as the Flame Giant and possessed great powers of fire.
　But she couldn’t control it.
　When her emotions fluctuate, flames just come out.
　So to suppress the flames, she wore fire-resistant armour.

   She took off her armour and stayed with the Salamanders because they were immune to the fire. Salamanders were subordinates of the Flame Giant family because they had a strong fire attribute.
　With their help, Agnis seemed to have been training to control fire.

“…Father said, ‘Agnis has too much fire magic. But it’s not a bad thing; it’s just because the bl00d of the 『Flame Giant』 came out strongly. Agnis isn’t bad at all.'”

　Agnis muttered, looking down.

“But Agnis doesn’t really like her magical powers. Before she awakened to her fire magical powers, she could wear whatever clothes she wanted, but now everything she wears burns. Sometimes the flames overflow, and she ends up burning other people.”
“Okay, I’ll try to think of a solution.”
“……Eh?”

　Agnis looked at me with the helmet on.
　I couldn’t see her face, but I could tell she had a dumbfounded look on her face.

“Thor-sama, could you do something about Agnis’s 『fire magic』?”
“Yes. I’ll try my best.”
“Wh-why? Thor-sama, a guest of the Demon King’s territory…?”
“I’m also an alchemist employed by His Majesty the Demon King.”

　I nodded back at the young girl, Agnis.

“Also, General Flame Raizenga is a subordinate of His Majesty the Demon King, and Agnis is his daughter, right?”
“Y-yes… that’s true, but.”
“So, the General and Agnis are like my seniors, right?”
“Senior…? That doesn’t seem right…”
“Besides, General Raizenga said to me, ‘How do you intend to be of use to the Demon King’s Territory?'”

　He certainly did say that. I was holding his words.

“That means ‘Prove how you can be of use to the Demon King’, right?”
“Is that so?”
“That’s right”
“I agree”

　Alright. Agnis took my words.
　Then there was no problem.

　I would immediately go back to my room and look through the 『Mail Order Catalogue』.
　An item from the Hero’s World might be able to solve the Agnis problem.

　The hero from another world had once faced a dragon that could control fire on par with the Flame Giant. If so, there should be an item that could seal such a flame.

“Agnis Freyzadd, could you please ask me to solve your flame problem?”
“…Thor Regus.”

　Agnis seemed to hesitate for a while, but──
　Eventually, she nodded and clearly said, “Please.”

“Well then, I’m going to make a magic item now. Please use this until it’s finished.”

　I handed the 『Ultra-compact Simple Warehouse』 to Agnis.

“This is a simplified version of the 『Storage Box』 used by the hero. If the flames are about to overflow, use this to absorb them. All you have to do is hold it in your hand and think 『storage』 to use it.”
“No, no. This is… something valuable, isn’t it?”
“I can make it again, but more importantly, please let me know what you think after you’ve used it. The lid is hard to open, the design isn’t great, and the colour should be pink or yellow. Oh, two-tone or striped would be good too. I’ll listen to your opinions and keep improving them.”
“…Thank you…Thor Regus.”

　Agnis embraced the 『Ultra-Compact Simple Warehouse』.

“Also… I’m sorry for being rude to you during the day.”
“I guess that can’t be helped.”
“Is that so?”
“Because I said I wanted to mess with the only piece of clothing you were wearing….”
“T-Thor-sama!”
“Gurururu!” “Gurururu──!” “Gurururu!”

　Agnis stood up, and the Salamanders cried out.
　As if remembering what happened at the water boiler, flames began to emerge from the gaps in Agnis armour.

“Now, open the door to the 『Storage Box』 and say 『store flame』.”
“Y-Yes. Store flame!”

　Swoosh.

　The flames that had been leaking out from the gaps in the armour were sucked into the box.

“… Wow. Can I really have this…?”
“I don’t mind. Besides, that box alone is only a temporary solution.”
“Even if it’s just a temporary solution… it will be enough.”
“Really?”
“Yes, that’s right. Those who are descendants of fire giants… as they grow, they gradually become better at controlling flames… That’s how it seems. There have been people like Agnis before… and they usually become able to do it properly by the age of 20, apparently. Agnis too has another five years…”

　Agnis nodded.
　Five more years, which means Agnis will be 15 years old.
　Until then, she won’t be able to wear her favourite clothes, and she will only be able to play with Salamander.

“We need a more fundamental solution.”
“…Thor-sama?”
“For Agnis-san, I need to create an item that can control fire… The heroes of the other world should have been able to do it. They should be able to create something with the same ability. Those heroes are the foundation of the empire, after all. If I can’t do what they can do… then I can’t say I’ve defeated the empire…”
“What’s wrong, Thor-sama?”
“…No, it’s nothing.”

    I shook my head.

“Anyway, I’ll try to think of a better way.”
“You’re a mysterious person… Thor-sama.”

　Agnis shook her head.

“Why would you go to such lengths for Agnis, someone you just met?”
“I’m His Majesty the Demon King’s alchemist.”

　As I thought earlier, there were many different races in the Demon King’s territory.
　The gatekeeper was a minotaur, the chef was a dwarf, and the general was Flame Giant’s descendant.
　As an alchemist working directly under the Demon King, I had to solve problems for various races.
　Solving the Agnis problem was part of my work.

“And so, that’s how it is.”

　Agnis had a puzzled look on her face after hearing my explanation, but──

“I understand. I will leave it to Thor Regus-sama.”
“Thank you”
“But please don’t push yourself… I want it. Agnis doesn’t want to cause trouble for others… so…”
“It’s not a bother. It’s my wish to create magic items.”
“…A wish, you say?”
“I want to win against the world of heroes.”

　I said.

“So, I want to make my place, a place where I can live a peaceful and leisurely life. To that end, I want to hone my alchemy skills. Now that I’m in the Demon King’s territory, I want my acquaintances here to be able to live peaceful and leisurely lives as well. That’s all.”

　As expected, Agnis had a puzzled look on her face when I said that.
　We decided to meet here at the same time tomorrow, and then we parted ways.