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 23

Episode 23: “Proposing user support”

“So that’s how it is. Thor Regus-sama created an item to suppress the flames for Agnis.”

　A while later.
　Agnis explained the situation to General Raizenga.

　She mentioned that she had met me by chance in the bathroom.
   (Of course, we kept the fact that Agnis was dancing naked a secret.)

　After we met, she told me about her 『Fire Magic』 and her tendency to burst into flames.
　With my suggestion and Agnis’s consent, I decided to use alchemy to create an 『item that can suppress flames』.

　Thus, the completed 『Health Promotion Pendant』 cured Agnis’s tendency to burst into flames.

　──Agnis continued to explain with a subdued voice to General Raizenga, who was dumbfounded and sitting on the floor.

“──Thor Regus-sama did his best for Agnis. And this is the 『Health Promotion Pendant』, an item that suppresses flames by converting Agnis’s fire magical power into other magical powers.”

　Agnis showed her father the pendant shining on the chest of her maid’s uniform.

“That is why Agnis can now wear the same clothes as Mabel. Thor-sama was not trying to do anything strange. Do you understand now, Father?”
“Wh… how could something like this happen…”

　General Raizenga was trembling.
　So many unexpected things had happened; it was understandable.

“He suppressed Agnis’s flames…really?”
“As you can see… it is, Father.”

　Agnis wrapped the 『Health Promotion Pendant』 in both hands.

“Thanks to this item, Agnis… can now wear clothes. For a long time… it was my dream to wear cute clothes. But, Father! What did you do to Thor-sama, who made that dream come true? ! ”
“I’m sorry!”

　Thud!

　General Raizenga slammed his forehead on the floor.
　It was like a prostrating posture.

“Even though I was unaware, how disrespectful I was to Agnis’s benefactor… I’m ashamed of myself! I am truly sorry!!”

　Thud. Thud.

　General Raizenga repeatedly slammed his forehead on the floor.

“Thor Regus-dono, please punish me!!”
“Eh, ah, yes.”

　Those were the only words I could think of.
　Once Agnis began her explanation, General Raizenga’s attitude changed drastically.

　He was lifted up and then lowered to the floor. At first, he stood while listening, but before long, he was sitting upright. In the end, he was kneeling.
　His posture was in stark contrast to before.

“…I didn’t think there would be anyone other than myself who would care for Agnis so much. I’m really sorry.”

　The General muttered to himself, his forehead pressed against the floor.

“You are a good person, Thor Regus-dono. How foolish I am in comparison. To think that I cannot even discern the essence of a person, even though I’ve been called by a name like a Flame General… I don’t think my eyes are so cloudy that I can see people like this.”

　Suddenly, General Raizenga raised his head.
　Then he stretched out his arm and gave a thumbs up.

“Alright. I will destroy these useless eyes!”
“Agnis, stop the general!”
“Yes!”

　Agnis restrained General Raizenga, who was trying to gouge out his eyes with his fingers.
　General Raizenga’s arm stopped dead as Agnis’s slender fingers grabbed it.
　General Raizenga’s thick arms tensed, veins bulging.
　Even so, Agnis’s slender arms were firmly holding back General Raizenga.

“Ugh, grumble! L-Let go, Agnis. As a warrior, I won’t be satisfied until I apologise for my carelessness.”
“I told you to listen! Father!!”
“……Ah”

　General Raizenga’s eyes widened at Agnis’ words.
　Then, slowly, the General’s arms relaxed.

“You don’t have to go that far.”

　I said.

“Please stop gouging out your own eyes. That’s going too far. I’ll be in the Demon King’s territory from now on. Every time I meet the general, I’ll be concerned about it. I don’t want you to give me any strange trauma.”
“…Uh, yeah.”
“Besides, the General didn’t know that Agnis-san’s tendency to burst into flames had been cured. In that state, if Agnis-san was wearing normal clothes──it’s inevitable that he would be suspicious of me…”

　I knew General Raizenga cared about his daughter, but I didn’t think it was to this extent.
　The General really cared about Agnis. It was very clear.
　He was going to such lengths to apologise to me. If he lost sight in one eye, he wouldn’t be able to do his job as a general.

　It’s much better than my parent, who tried to sacrifice their children.
　…I see. So this is what parents and children in the Demon King’s territory are like.

“If you treat me normally from now on, that’s fine. So please stop gouging your eyes out.”
“Okay. I’ll follow Thor’s word.”

　General Raizenga sat down and bowed to me.

“However, I will report my mistake to His Majesty the Demon King. Including what Thor Regus did for Agnis. I will not be satisfied unless I do so.”
“Okay. That’ll be fine.”

　In the end, there was no damage to our side.

　The flames the General tried to release in an attempt to intimidate me were absorbed by the 『Ultra Compact Simple Warehouse』, and his movements were sealed by Agnis.

“But… I still wanted you to at least listen to my explanation.”

　I said.

“I understand that General Raizenga, a warrior, dislikes civil servants who have no fighting ability, but…”
“That’s not true. There is another reason why I looked down on Thor Regus.”
“Another reason?”
“When I heard that a guest would be coming from the Empire, I thought to myself. I would have him fight with Agnis and show everyone in the Demon King’s territory the power of my daughter’s fire…”

　The General slumped his shoulders and began to speak.
　While staring at the 『Flame Resistant Armour』 left on the floor, that looks spicy.

“Agnis has powerful flame power. It’s because of the bl00d of our ancestor, 『Flame Giant』 and it’s not something that can be controlled.”
“Yes, I know.”
“Because of that, Agnis was unable to control the flame and ended up wearing only armour. I felt bad for making my daughter live such an inconvenient life. I wanted to at least teach her the benefits of having the ability to ignite.”
“So that’s why you wanted her to fight me, someone from the Empire?”
“Hmm… that’s right.”

　General Raizenga looked away awkwardly.

“I had heard that everyone in the Empire was a powerful warrior. If she could fight against such a man, Agnis’s name would rise. Even if she couldn’t win, I thought it would be enough if Agnis gained some confidence…”
“But it wasn’t the warlord who came, but the alchemist.”
“That’s right. And so… I was disappointed. I ended up saying something rude. I’m really sorry…”

　Really?

　Because of Agnis’s overwhelming fire magic, she was unable to put on clothes or approach people carelessly.
　So General Raizenga had Agnis fight a strong opponent to help her gain confidence. He wanted to teach her that the magic of fire and the ability to ignite were not bad things but useful things to help her gain confidence. To have everyone in the Demon King’s territory recognise Agnis’s strength.
　So when he heard that a guest was coming from the Empire, he expected a powerful warrior to come.

　However, the person who showed up was an alchemist who had no ability to fight.
　I didn’t live up to his expectations, so he was seriously disappointed.
　So that’s why General Raizenga accidentally hit me so harshly. (TL: talking about insults)

“No, that’s just an excuse… What happened this time was my fault.”

　General Raizenga said:

“Please, Thor-dono. Let me apologise to you. I want to reward you for the item you made for Agnis. Please tell me anything.”
“A reward, huh…?”

　Speaking of which, I hadn’t thought about it.

   The 『Health Promotion Pendant』 was amazing; I wanted to make one, so I finished it all in one go.
　But if there was a reward…

“In that case, you could please give me some of your alchemy materials. There is a mine in the territory of the General, right? There are precious metals, minerals, and rare stones, right? If you have any, you could share them with me.”
“Yes. Of course, I don’t mind.”
“But it’s difficult to choose… I don’t think the General or Agnis would know which one would be useful… If possible, could you please take me to your territory?”
“Okay. I’ll let you know anytime.”
“Of course, we can do it after the mine development has begun. I’ve heard that volcanoes contain minerals with different compositions than those on the surface. And… now that I think of it… do you know what meteorite is? It’s a rock that falls from the sky; in other words, it’s iron extracted from meteorites, and strangely enough, there are strange things like that in the mountains…”
“Thor-sama, Thor-sama.”

　When I came to my senses, Mabel was tugging at the sleeve of my shirt.

“I understand your feelings, but that’s a different story.”
“……Ah”

　General Raizenga looked dumbfounded.
　Both Mabel and Agnis had troubled looks on their faces.

“I-I mean, if you’ll give me a reward, please give me the materials for alchemy. And also, please give me the right to go into the general’s territory and search for materials. Of course, I will get permission before I do the mining after entering your territory.”

　I told the General again.

“How about that as my reward and an apology from the General?”
“I will accept all your requests.”

　General Raizenga stood up and bowed deeply to me.

“In the name of Raizenga Freyzadd, I would like to express my gratitude to Thor Regus-sama for his kindness. I will never forget that you created an item for my daughter. The Freyzadd family will offer our loyalty to Thor Regus-dono, second only to His Majesty the Demon King.”
“Thank you”

　He didn’t have to go that far.
　As a warrior, there must have been a line that even the General couldn’t yield to.

“Mabel, I’m sorry too. You were trying to protect Thor Regus-sama. I should have listened more to the explanation of Agnis’s childhood friend.”
“Exactly.”

　Mabel placed her hands on her hips and glared at the general.

“…The truth is, I have been holding back from using magic on the General for a while now. He was trying to take away my precious master… If Agnis hadn’t stopped the General, I would have used magic on him in earnest.”
“…I’m sorry.”
“Besides, if the General had taken Thor-sama away like that… it could have led to a conflict within the Demon King’s territory. The General should be aware that Thor-sama is an important guest to His Majesty the Demon King.”
“I understand… I will apologise to His Majesty the Demon King. However, Mabel.”
“Yes”
“I have a favour to ask of you.”

　The General looked at Mabel and Agnis in turn and said.

“Mabel Refrain. Can you be friends with Agnis like you were in the old days? Let’s call each other by your first names without worrying about your statuses.”
“Of course.”

　Mabel took Agnis’s hand and smiled.

“I’ve always wanted to hold hands with you like this, Agnis-sama, like we used to.”
“…Mabel.”

　Agnis looked at Mabel with tears in her eyes.
　General Raizenga looked pleased.

“Also, there’s no need to use honorific language when speaking to Agnis. You don’t need to worry about the difference in social status. I might have to give up my position as general after this blunder… but if that happens, I’ll be able to spend more time with Agnis. Yeah. That would be nice. I might ask for that when I tell His Majesty the Demon King about this incident…”
“Please stop; it will cause a big commotion in the Demon King’s territory.”

　I said.
　Seriously. Without even the Demon King Luquier knowing, this had become a big deal.
　It would be hard to explain it to her later.

“I am now heading to His Majesty the Demon King. I intend to tell him the whole story, including my mistakes. I will also tell him what Thor Regus did for Agnis.”
“That’s right. Please also inform them of the effects of the 『Health Promotion Pendant』.”
“Of course. It is natural for Thor Regus-sama to be proud of his achievements…”
“No, there may be other people who have the same problem as you, Agnis.”

　Agnis’s tendency to burst into flames was due to the powerful fire magic she inherited from her ancestors.
　So there might be other people like her.

   The 『Health Promotion Pendant』 could convert any magical energy other than wind, light, and darkness.
　It should be useful for people who are troubled by excessive magical powers.

　It was nice to see the magic items I created through alchemy become so popular.
   It was like being an honourable alchemist—so exciting.

“So please make sure to inform His Majesty the Demon King and the Chancellor about the effects of the 『Health Promotion Pendant』. Thank you.”
“I, I understand…”
“Also, Agnis-san.”

　I looked at Agnis.

“Please let me touch the pendant for a moment while I make the final adjustments.”
“Y-Yes. Please.”

　Agnis took out a pendant from the front of her maid outfit.

　When I touched it, I said, 『Creative Alchemy Execute』.
　I adjusted it and handed the pendant back to Agnis.

“Now, the pendant won’t emit any sound. It would be a pain if you had to hear the message every time; it converted magical power.”
“Thank you so much, Thor-sama. I can’t express my gratitude to you…”
“Also, this one is a spare. In case you lose it.”
“…Really, thank you for everything…”

　Agnis closed her eyes and hugged the second pendant.

“From now on… In the name of the 『Primordial Flame』. Agnis Freyzadd pledges to do her best for Thor Regus, no matter what happens.”
“I heard that earlier, but does that word mean anything?”
“I-It’s a secret.”

　Agnis covered her mouth with the pendant.
　It seemed dangerous, so I decided not to go deeper.

“Well, that’s all I can do for you. If you have any problems, please don’t hesitate to let me know. We have user support.”
“『User Support』?”
“That’s what it called in the hero’s world.”

   That was what was written in the 『Mail Order Catalogue』.
　If you have any trouble using the product or have any questions, please contact 『User Support』.

　Furthermore, you could get a refund within two weeks of receiving the item.
　If you didn’t feel any effect, it seemed they would accept returns.
　In order to get even a little closer to the world of the heroes, I decided to imitate it.

　Just creating an item wasn’t enough.
　I was still nowhere near the level of the heroes.
　The world of heroes──it was a long way to go before we surpassed the Empire. Seriously.

“If you do not feel the effects within two weeks──”
“No, I can already feel the effects!”
“When returning an item──”
“I absolutely won’t do that!”
“For user support──”
“For that, Agnis will go to see Thor Regus-sama.”

　Agnis said and took my hand.

“Agnis──will let Thor Regus-sama know how much happiness he has brought me… Then, I will make whatever you wish come true…”
“Is that what user support means?”

　The creator of the product was supposed to support the recipient, right?
　User support was for the recipient of the product, not for taking care of the creator. Probably.

“Because fulfilling Thor Regus-sama’s wish is what makes Agnis happy.”

　Agnis looked straight into my eyes.

“Please allow Agnis, who is using this pendant, to support Thor-sama.”

　──She declared that with a big smile.