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 30

Episode 30: “Listen to the Demon King Luquier”

　──Demon King Luquier’s point of view──

　A few days after General Raizenga drove back Margrave Garua.
　Demon King Luquier was talking with Chancellor Kelve in the throne room.

　There was a desk in the throne room, and on it were two letters.
　One of them was a report on the current negotiations sent by General Raizenga.
　The other was a letter sent in the name of the Emperor of the Dorgalia Empire.

“『Therefore, the Dorgalia Empire wishes to cooperate with the Demon King’s Territory in subjugating the Demon Beast Gargarossa』”

　Demon King Luquier placed the letter back on the desk.

“So this is the content of the letter from the Empire.”
“Yes. It arrived at the Demon King’s territory a few days after General Raizenga’s report arrived here.”
“I’m worried about the quick response.”
“Probably, there must have been a subordinate of a high-ranking Imperial official among the group of Margrave Garua. It seems that he was the one who drove the fast horse.”
“The letter says, 『That proposal was the result of the Margrave and his allies acting out of control and is not the consensus of the Empire.』”
“It is about Thor Regus.”
“…Ah. I see.”

　Demon King Luquier quietly nodded.
　Then she turned her attention to the report from Raizenga.
　Here, the words and actions of Margrave Garua were recorded in detail.

(『There was a proposal to send bribes to Raizenga in exchange for extending the time to send silver to the empire.』──and.)

　This was the fifth time she had read it, and she remembered most of the content.
　Everything about what Margrave Garua was trying to do to Luquier’s friend.

(『When those events come to light, the Margrave wants all the blame to be placed on Thor Regus-dono. He wants to make it seem as though Thor Regus-dono was plotting to return to the Empire, burying that person… in the dark!!』──and）

　The name of Raizenga in the report was distorted.
　He probably wrote it while desperately trying to suppress his anger.

　Demon King Luquier’s hands were also trembling.
　What infuriated her the most was a sentence written in the letter from the Empire.

『This matter is between Margrave Garua and Duke Regus…』

(Duke Regus: Thor’s father used his son to be buried in the dark! A father to his son?! How on earth was Thor treated in the Empire…?)

　She was glad this wasn’t the consensus of the Empire.
　If that hadn’t been the case, the Demon King Luquier might have come to hate all humans except for Thor.

　She also knew that the Empire had abandoned Thor.
　Thor himself explained that he was not an emissary but a hostage, sent to the Demon King’s territory as a sacrifice.
　Luquier believed in Thor, so she assumed that was probably the case.

　But she had no idea that he had been treated so badly.

“…This…This is what has happened…The Duke has taken his own son…Thor!!”
“Your Majesty…”

　Chancellor Kelve muttered worriedly.
　Hearing this, Demon King Luquier clutched her chest and took a deep breath.

    She touched the mask of 『Recognition Inhibition』 to confirm her identity as the Demon King.

(……That’s right, Luquier Evergard is the Demon King.)
(As long as I wear this mask, I must behave like a demon King…)

　There was only Chancellor Kelve in the throne room.
　However, there was a minotaur guarding the door and maids in the hallway.
　She couldn’t let them feel uneasy.
　While wearing the mask, she must have remained calm and dignified as the Demon King.

“…Sorry, Kelve. I’ve calmed down now.”
“No, I understand your feelings. I too hadn’t expected this to happen.”
“…I guess so.”
“So, regarding Thor-dono’s future…”
“Nothing has changed!”

　Demon King Luquier declared.

“I won’t let the actions of the Imperial nobles change the way I treat Thor. He is an envoy from the Empire, the distinguished guest of the Demon King’s territory, and an alchemist directly under my command. Nothing has changed!”
“I also have no objection. Thor-dono is already an important figure in the Demon King’s territory.”

　Chancellor Kelve bowed, then lowered his eyes.

“But how much of this matter will you tell the others?”
“I’ll let them know the results of the negotiations. However, regarding Thor, if possible, I want to keep this as our secret, for the time being.”

　Thor was a guest in the Demon King’s territory. That would never change.
　However, the fact that he was being used by his own father was just too painful.
　She didn’t want everyone in the Demon King’s territory to know.
　Because everyone might be so considerate that Thor might feel embarrassed.

(I want Thor to be free to do his research.)

　Thinking so, the Demon King’s Luquier nodded.

“Raizenga says that he wants to keep this matter a top secret. I agree with that.”
“What do you plan to do about Thor-dono himself?”
“……that’s”
“The General has written that we should not tell Thor-dono about what the Margrave said. However, I don’t think that’s the case. Thor-dono may receive a letter from the Empire in the future. When that happens, the way we respond will depend on whether or not we know about this incident. If we don’t have the information, we may respond incorrectly.”

　Chancellor Kelve said this with his head bowed.

“So I think we should tell Thor-dono the truth.”
“…That’s right.”
“The only people who know about this matter within the castle are His Majesty and myself. So I will tell Thor-dono──”
“Thor is my alchemist.”

　Demon King Luquier slowly shook her head.

“I will inform Thor of this incident.”
“Are you sure, Your Majesty?”
“This is my responsibility. I was the one who gave permission to develop the mine, and I was the one who allowed negotiations with the Empire. Therefore, I must take responsibility for the outcome as well.”
“…Your Majesty.”
“I was just thinking of visiting Thor’s room. I’ll tell him then.”

　Demon King Luquier rose from her throne.
　Under the mask that covered half of her face, she smiled with just her mouth.

“It’s nothing… I’m the Demon King. I can just tell Thor something like this as if it were nothing.”
“…I understand. Thank you very much, Your Majesty.”
“Yes. Leave it to me.”

　Demon King Luquier nodded and started walking.
　She passed by Chancellor Kelve, who was still on his knees.

“──I am grateful to you, Thor-dono.”

　Suddenly, Chancellor Kelve muttered.

“It was only because of General Raizenga’s oath of the Primordial Flame that I was able to trust that everything he reported was true. I could truly trust that he was telling me the truth without hiding anything.”

　Chancellor Kelve spoke while staring straight ahead.

“It was the clever conspiracy of the imperial nobles. If we had not been able to fully trust the General… if the General had concealed even the slightest bit of the truth… an unbridgeable gap may have formed between us and the General.”
“…That’s right.”
“It was Thor Regus-dono who inspired the General to swear in the Primordial Flame.”

　The voice of Chancellor Kelve echoed throughout the throne room.

“As Chancellor, I am truly indebted to Thor-dono. If there is anything Thor-dono wants, I will do all I can to help him.”
“Say that… What will you do if Thor brings a mountain of magic items?”
“Th-that’s…”
“…I’ll convey your feelings. Thank you, Kelve.”

　With that, Demon King Luquier left the throne room.

　A few minutes later.
　The Demon King, Luquier, was in the “simple warehouse” in Thor’s room.

　Today was the day of the tea party.
　In front of them was a cup of tea that Mabel had made and some hot baked goods.
　Thor and Mabel were excitedly discussing a new item: a laser pointer.
　Luquier had also heard the story.
　Before defeating the demon beasts, they had promised to test that item together.

“I think you’ll like that laser pointer too, Luquier-sama.”
“The distance my magic can reach has increased so much. I can’t believe it myself.”

　Thor and Mabel were laughing and munching on their baked goods.
　Luquier was also drawn to the smile, but then her smile became slightly twitchy.

(── I must tell Thor what happened during the negotiations with the Empire.)

　With that thought, Demon King Luquier took a bite of the baked goods.
　She swallowed the pastry… She swallowed the tea.
　Thor and Mabel were laughing. She didn’t want to interrupt them. She decided to talk to him when they’d finished talking…
　After three more minutes… one more minute.

　As this continued, Luquier realised her mistake.
　If she was going to tell him about the Empire, she should have done it in the throne room.

　Luquier’s hands unconsciously searched for the mask of 『Recognition Inhibition』.
　With that mask, Luquier could speak as the Demon King.
　As the Masked Demon King, it was not difficult to talk to her subordinates or punish them.

　But this was a tea party among friends.
　Luquier had also removed her mask and was here as a girl, Thor’s friend.
　It was too painful to talk about what his father had done there.
　She had only just realised this obvious fact.

(But… I must say it. It is my role.)
(Thor previously said, “I am a hostage and a sacrifice sent by the Empire.” He said it as if it were nothing.)
(If I do the same, it will be fine… I’m sure it will be fine. Thor will understand.)

　Demon King Luquier took a slow, deep breath.
　When Thor and Mabel stopped talking, she spoke up.

“Um, well, Thor. I’m talking about the negotiations with the Empire that were taking place at Raizenga’s domain.”
“Yes, Lady Luquier.”

　Thor put his cup of tea down and looked at Luquier.

“There was a bit of trouble in the negotiations… something minor.”

　She realised her voice was trembling.
　Still, desperately, Luquier continued to explain.

“This is really troubling… At that meeting, this Margrave of the Empire… started saying some unbelievable things…”
“Okay”
“There really were some worthless nobles out there… of all things… they used Raizenga… to have him sell the silver on the black market… and they gave him some of it… And give it back to Raizenga… and get… the power… to… obtain… that….”
“Luquier-sama!? What happened!?”
“Your Majesty! Demon King?!”

(that?)
(Why are Thor and Mabel so surprised?)

“…The Margrave… said… to divert the silver from the mines… and send it… to Raizenga… as a bribe. When that was discovered by the Demon King’s Territory…”

　Pop.
　Drop.

　She felt her eyes burning.
　On the table, something like a water droplet fell.

“…Of all things, Thor… to pin the crime on you… I never… I never… I mean… I killed you… It was them who did it…!”
“Luquier-sama! Please calm down…”
“Your Majesty… why…”

　Thor and Mabel’s voices spoke in unison.

“Why are you crying?”

“……Ah”

　It was only after they had said it that Luquier realised she was sobbing.
　Her voice was trembling. She wiped her face with her hands and found it wet with tears.

　How pathetic for a Demon King! Thinking about this, she remembered that this was the “simple warehouse” that Thor had built.
　This was a place where she could be herself and be a girl.
　”That’s fine then,” Luquier thought, and she gave up trying to stop her tears.

“…Then, then. The people of the Emplire… are… Thor… Thor…”

　She couldn’t do it anymore.

“… Hiccup. Ugh. You see, Thor… you did nothing wrong… You’re not wrong at all… but someone said terrible things to you…!!To my precious friend Thor… to have done such a terrible thing… ugh.”
“P-Please calm down, Luquier-sama!”
“I’ll take my time and listen to what you have to say, okay?”

　Thor and Mabel looked at her with gentle eyes.
　Even seeing this, Luquier’s tears did not stop.
　In the end, with tears in her eyes, she finished telling him everything about the Empire and Thor’s father.

　──Thor’s point of view──

“Did something like that happen…?”

　After listening to Luquier’s story, I sighed.

“I understand. It’s the kind of thing my father would do…”
“…………Ugh. Sniff.”
“Please don’t cry. Have some tea and calm down… Oh, it’s cold got cold.”
“I’ll immediately brew another again. Please wait a moment. Your Majesty.”

　Mabel quickly puts the kettle on the fire.
　Soon the water boiled, and tea for three was served on the table.
　I put it in my mouth… and sighed.

“…I’m sorry I got all upset.”

　Luquier finally seemed to have calmed down.
　Holding her chest in her usual black dress, Luquier sighed.

“…I intended to calmly tell you, but… I ended up making you guys confused instead…”
“It’s okay. I understood exactly what you wanted to say, Lady Luquier.”

　I was surprised when she suddenly burst into tears.
　The contents of what Luquier said were conveyed properly.

　Apparently, General Raizenga met with Margrave Garua of the Empire as scheduled.
　At the meeting, Margrave Garua asked the general to deceive the Demon King Luquier and syphon off the silver for the Empire.
　And then, when Luquier found out about it, they apparently told him to pin the blame on me.

『Let’s assume that Thor Regus was using silver to trick the general and use silver to return to the empire.』Really.
　No matter how you looked at it, it didn’t make sense.

　To begin with, I had no intention of returning to the Empire. Luquier knew that too.
　There was no way General Raizenga would go along with something like that.

　That Margrave didn’t seem to be interested in the people of the Demon King’s territory.
　If he knew anything about the General, he would have known that such talk wouldn’t work.

　So, when General Raizenga heard the story, he was furious.

　He drove the Margrave out, wrote down everything in a letter, and conveyed it to Luquier-sama.
　The Empire also noticed the Margrave’s mistake and sent a letter of apology.
　Apparently, it was written in the letter.

　The reason they tried to pin the blame on me wasn’t the consensus of the empire but the reckless actions of a few nobles.
　Those nobles were Margrave Garua and Duke Regus──in other words, my father.
　That was what Luquier was trying to convey to me.

“…I can’t believe it. How could someone do something so terrible?”

　Rubbing her tear-stained eyes, Luquier said.
　For some reason, her free hand was still holding mine.
　It started when Luquier was crying, and I accidentally stroked her head.
　After that, Luquier never let go of my hand.

“Even if… Duke Regus is Thor’s parent, isn’t he?! Not only did he exile you to the Demon King’s territory as a hostage… a sacrifice—but he still tries to use you at this point… I can’t believe it.”
“… Lady Luquier.”
“After I told you this story… I thought about how sad Thor must be… and I started to cry… I felt so sorry for Thor… I didn’t know what to do…”
“Luquier-sama is a good person.”

　I said.

“I know this might be rude, but… thank you. For crying for me.”
“…Shut up. It was so embarrassing.”

　Luquier narrowed her red eyes and looked at me.
　Then, drop her shoulders.

“I… I still have a long way to go as a Demon King. If I had been wearing the mask, I would have been able to stay calm and tell you the truth. But the moment I took the mask off, I started crying… I feel so pathetic.”
“This is the tea party venue, Luquier-sama.”

　I said.

“Wasn’t it Lady Luquier who said, ‘Call me Luquier here’? It’s fine. This is a secret place, after all. Let’s leave it at that.”
“…Um, yeah… that’s right.”

　Luquier wiped her face with the handkerchief, Mabel had handed her and nodded.

“Thor is my friend, after all. It would be embarrassing if I couldn’t cry after seeing my friend go through such terrible things. So I cried instead of Thor. That’s fine.”
“Personally, I would like to punch my father in the face for making Luquier-sama cry.”
“I have no intention of sending you to the Empire for that purpose.”
“I know. I was just saying that.”
“…But I don’t understand. Why did your father go to such lengths? If Thor was just in the way, wouldn’t it have been enough to just exile him to the Demon King’s territory? Why did he… frame him… and use him…”
“Please don’t cry, Luquier-sama.”
“…I’m not crying.”

　Instead, Luquier squeezed my hand tightly.
　It looked like she was not planning on letting go of my hand anytime soon.
　Did I make you worry that much? …

“I’m not going anywhere.”
“……hmm”
“Also, as for the reason why my father went to such lengths… I think one of the reasons is probably the Empire’s policy.”
“Empire’s policy?”
“I told you that the Dorgalia Empire places the highest value on strength… they put strength first. And that it was because of that I was banished.”
“…Um.”
“I heard that because of this, Thor was disliked by his father…”

　Luquier nodded while Mabel looked at me worriedly.
　I continued.

“Of course, my father—no, Duke Regus—was also a strong warrior. And the Duke’s father was a master swordsman known as the ‘Sword Saint’. He was my grandfather. But my grandfather… in his old age, started to like alcohol… and ended up being killed by bandits while he was drunk.”
“……Eh”
“……Is that so?”
“I was small at the time, so I don’t remember it well. But I thought as a child that no matter how strong someone became, if they got stabbed they would be killed. Sometimes you get weaker as you get older. But the stronger you get, the more you’ll run into people who want to defeat you and make a name for themselves…”

　There was also a story that the thief who killed my grandfather was actually a warrior striving to become the strongest.
　Apparently, my grandfather fought many opponents to become a sword master, so it was not an impossible story.

“So maybe there’s not much point in aiming to be the strongest. I’ve come to think that it would be better to use my alchemy skills and do more intellectual work.”
“That’s a typical Thor idea.”
“It’s like I can see it.”
“So, from the beginning, I had given up on the goal of becoming a strong man.”

　But everyone in the Empire was trying to become stronger.
　Because the strength of the hero was the founding stone of the empire.
　If the strength of the people in this world was 100, then the strength of the hero would be about 100,000.
　It was okay if you were caught off guard, and it was no problem if you were a little weak.

　That was why the people of the Empire aimed to become as strong as the hero.
　To stay stable and at your strongest.

“So I think that the people of the Empire, including my father, are trying to use power, achievements, and anything else they can use as tools to become like the Hero.”
“Is that why the Duke tried to sacrifice you?”
“Maybe, though.”
“I don’t understand this at all.”
“Don’t worry. I can’t do it either.”
“……it was good.”
“What is it?”
“I’m glad I share the same views as Thor.”
“Yes. I feel the same way, Thor-sama. I just can’t understand it.”
“I see”

　Luquier, Mabel, and I nodded and took another sip of tea.

“By the way, Luquier-sama.”
“What is it, Thor?”
“…It’s about time you let go of my hand…”
“…Uh, yeah.”

　Luquier looked down with a bright red face.

“I’m sorry. When I heard about how badly Thor was treated by his father, I felt very lonely. I couldn’t stop thinking about what it must have been like to live with such a father. I regretted not being able to be by his side at the time, so I ended up holding his hand.”
“Is that so……”
“At the very least, I want to make sure Thor doesn’t feel lonely today… I want to hold his hand until he falls asleep… but, no, that would be a bit selfish.”
“I’m happy, but it’s a bit difficult.”

　I had never slept holding hands with someone before, so… it was an attractive proposition, though.

“Your Majesty is a girl, after all. As for sleeping with me…”
“I-I’m not doing anything! I-I just want to hold your hand and sleep.”
“Your Majesty. I understand your feelings, but…”

　Mabel looks confused.

“I don’t think it’s possible to stay until Thor-sama falls asleep. Her Majesty cannot stay overnight in Thor-sama’s room, and men are not allowed in Her Majesty’s personal quarters. The maids are waiting in another room. I don’t think it’s possible to let Thor into your room.”
“That’s right. I know that.”

　Luquier muttered sadly.
　I was sure she knew it was an impossible request.

　But I was Her Majesty the Demon King’s alchemist.
　Let’s think of a way.

　Of course, I think it was difficult.
　Luquier would never stay over in my room, and I would never stay over in her room.
　How could we both sleep holding hands in our own rooms?

“There was”

    I opened the 『Mail Order Catalogue 』 and found something that looked useful.
　Wow, this book about the world of heroes was amazing!
　I wonder if they were prepared to deal with situations like this…

“Umm, Luquier-sama.”
“Uh-huh. Thor.”
“So, either Luquier-sama will sleep holding ‘my’ hand, or I will sleep holding ‘Luquier-sama’s’ hand, right?”
“That’s right. Then… you won’t feel lonely.”
“Okay, then I’ll try making this.”

　I pointed to the 『Mail Order Catalogue』 page.

“I need some unusual materials; can you help me?”
“Can you do something about this? No, even Thor can’t do it…”
“It’ll be fine, Your Majesty. Thor-sama will be making it.”

　Luquier and Mabel nodded with smiles.
　I checked the 『Mail Order Catalogue』.
　If this item really was, it might be able to grant Luquier’s wish.

　I didn’t care about Duke Regus anymore.
　But, if it would make Luquier happy, I would make her at least one magic item.
　I was her personal alchemist after all.
　That was why I decided to make a magic item to help me sleep better.