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 36

Episode 36: “Operation to Subjugate the 『Demon Beast Gargarossa』 (3) 『The Demon King’s Army vs. the Giant Demon Beast』” 

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

“That’s strange. What is this power……?”

　Demon King Luquier tilted her head at the sight before her eyes.
    When she aimed at the demonic beast with the 『Laser Pointer』 and fired the magic spell, and it hit perfectly.
　Furthermore, the attack magic of more than a dozen was concentrated on one point, blowing away the legs of the demon beast.

“Isn’t the 『Laser Pointer』 that Thor created just for extending the range of magic?”
“To this Kelve, it looked as if everyone’s magic was flying towards a single point in succession…”
“Thor. Explain. Thor…?”

　After calling out to him, Luquier remembered that he was not here.
　She asked Thor to stand back.
　With the battle approaching, it was dangerous for him to be near Luquier.

“Your Majesty. What did Thor-dono say about this 『Laser Pointer』?”
“He said that the magical powers of light and darkness flow towards the enemy in a straight line. By riding that flow of magical power, the range of your magic will increase.”
“So what happens if multiple people unleash magic at the same time…?”
“That’s right… Magic that goes with the flow of magic will form a line and converge on one point…”

“”……Ah””

　They realised.
　This 『Laser Pointer』 did more than just extend the range of magic.
　The offensive magic cast by multiple people was converged into a line of red light──in other words, a flow of magical power.
　It was the same as a dozen people’s worth of offensive magic being slammed into a single point.

“There’s no way any demon beast would be able to resist if it were hit by the attack magic of a dozen people at one point!”
“Thor! What a thing you have created!”

　During the training, each person was using their own 『Laser Pointer』, so she didn’t notice.
　When this item was used by a group of people, everyone’s magic would hit the same point in succession.
　Moreover, its range was three to four times longer than normal.

　Moreover, it penetrated a small spider that had entered the line of fire and landed on 『Demon Beast Gargarossa』.
　This 『Laser Pointer』 was not an attack support item.
　It was an specialized『Magic item for magic attack amplification』.

“Anyway, attack the 『Demon Beast Gargarossa』 now! Let’s help the retreat of the empire’s soldiers!”
“Your Majesty… they are trying to outwit us…”
“I know, but I can’t just leave them to die.”

　Demon King Luquier nodded as if convincing herself.
　She too had not expected the Empire to start fighting the 『Demon Beast Gargarossa』 on its own.
　Perhaps they wanted to add a foil to the princess who used the holy sword… That was Thor’s opinion before they went their separate ways. Perhaps he was right.

“If you don’t help them, we won’t be able to listen to them.”
“Did the Empire’s troops really intend to defeat the 『Demonic Beast Gargarossa』 by themselves?”
“Probably so. I think some of the soldiers provoked the demon beasts and lured them to this point. Otherwise, the situation cannot be explained.”
“Indeed, the only way to deploy a large force is to lure the enemy into these rocky areas.”

　Chancellor Kelve nodded.

“Surrounding the little spiders and attacking the leader, the 『Demonic Beast Gargarossa』, with the holy sword—is this an attempt to use maximum firepower with maximum efficiency? If it can land a fatal blow on Gargarossa, then it is an effective tactic…”
“It’s a one-point breakthrough, such as a battle for siege and annihilation using large forces.”
“The miscalculation was that the 『Demonic Beast Gargarossa』 was stronger than expected.”
“That’s understandable. That demon beast isn’t even in the records of the Demon King’s territory. It doesn’t exist in history books either. It’s a demon beast that suddenly appeared, and it’s out of the ordinary. I wonder where it came from…”

　Because it was an abnormally large magical beast, the Demon King’s territory was cautious when it came to subjugating it.
　Gathered a lot of soldiers, sent out reconnaissances, and even the Demon King Luquier and even General Raizenga came to the site.

“I’m sure I conveyed that sense of crisis to the Empire as well… but perhaps I should have been more persistent in sending out letters.”

　Currently, Luquier and the others were looking down on the battlefield from high ground.
　Below, the Imperial forces are beginning to retreat.
　The shield-bearing soldiers formed a wall, helping the others escape, a practiced and skillful movement, but still they were being pushed back by the spiders.
　After all, they would need support.

“There’s something I want to say to the Empire… but that will come later.”
“I agree. Let’s let them survive so they have something to complain about.”
“There’s no change to our plan. We’ll stall the enemy with long-range magic. Once they stop moving, General Raizenga’s forces and the Minotaur’s troops will charge. Got it!”

　Luquier spoke to her soldiers and the General.

“Haha! Let me show His Majesty the power of this Raizenga flame!”
“Minotaur troops… are equipped with 『Health Promotion Pendants』.”
“The elven troops will also unleash magic until they run out of magical power!!”

　General Raizenga, the Minotaur captain, and the Elf captain all spoke up.
　It was disappointing that there was no reply from Agnis, who was guarding Thor and Mabel, but it couldn’t be helped.

　Luquier gave instructions.
　Of the three 『Laser Pointers』 in their hand, one was  aimed at the 『Demon Beast Gargarossa』.
　The goal was to stall him using magic.

　The second one was held by the elf captain and aimed at the small spider that was moving around.
　The last one was carried by Chancellor Kelve, who supported Luquier’s magic.

“My 『Dark Magic』 is powerful. Even by myself, I should be able to defeat at least a small spider.”
“Okay. I’ll bring you a 『Laser pointer』.
“General and the Minotaur troops, prepare to charge. Once we’ve defeated a certain number of the small spiders, we’ll attack the main body of the 『Demon Beast Gargarossa』. Got it?”
“”We understand!!””
“Elf forces, begin your attack. Unleash your magic!”
“Oooooooohhhh!!”

　The elven troops simultaneously fired off attack magic spells.
　The target was the red dot of light on the body surface of the 『Demonic Beast Gargarossa』.

　It was a long distance. It was hard to hit.
　Some were too far away to see the light.
　Some missed their aim slightly.

　Nevertheless, 『Laser Pointer』 didn’t allow it to miss the target.

　The flow of magical power stretched out towards the target, forcibly drawing in a large amount of magic.
　It gathered up all the shots that were off-target or off-timing and forcibly corrected their trajectory.
　Furthermore, the flow of magical power increased the distance the magic could travel──

　ZDODODODODOOOOOOOOON!!

『Giiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!』

　The rushed offensive magic blew off one of the legs of the 『Demon Beast Gargarossa』.

“You are truly frightening, Thor-don…”
“… Yes. This 『Laser Pointer』 may change the form of battle.”
“But I don’t understand.”

　Chancellor Kelve tilted his head.

“There must be alchemists in the empire. So why didn’t the Imperial Princess use a similar magic item?”
“It’s predictable.”
“So you say.”
“In this battle, the Empire outwitted us. They refused to discuss and decide on a strategy with us demons and demi-humans. Do you think a bunch of stubborn people like that would be able to use a 『Surprising Magic Item』 like this?”
“……Ah”
“I am grateful that my predecessors left me with the words, “Learn from humans.” Otherwise, I might have overlooked Thor’s talents.”

　If Thor had not been allowed to use his powers, if he had not been able to make use of his talents, the tea party at the 『Simple Warehouse』 probably would not have happened.
　She couldn’t talk to Mabel like he could now, and she couldn’t be Thor’s friend.
　Imagining such a situation made Luquier feel a chill run down her spine.

“Well, I must get to work. Kelve. Please.”
“As your will!”

　Chancellor Kelve held up the 『Laser Pointer』.
　The target was the small spider in the foreground.

“The Imperial Princess has demonstrated the power of her holy sword. Now the Demon King must demonstrate his dark magic.”

　The reason why the Empire fought against demon beasts in the Demon King’s territory without permission and used the holy sword was probably to demonstrate their strength.
　Although the two countries had pledged peace, they were not friendly nations.
　It was understandable that they would try to demonstrate their power to prevent the other party from attacking.

(But what kind of princess is she if she doesn’t keep her promises?)

　Moreover, there was something that bothered Luquier personally.
　Earlier, Thor’s eyes had lit up when he saw the light of the holy sword.
　He said he was using the holy sword as a reference to create Luquier’s magic sword, but the fact that he was staring at the princess… somehow, she didn’t like it.
　So she thought she should show her strength too.

“『In the name of Demon King Luquier Evargard, awaken the flames of purgatory.』”

　Luquier raised her hand towards the hollow.
　Dark magical power overflowed from her body.

　Dark magic means 『Nothingness』, 『Blank Space』, and 『Empty Space』.
　The magic of the demon king Luquier, who manipulated it, could create the 『Jet Black Flame』 that scraped away the very existence of the enemy.
　Although it had the drawback of having a short range──the 『Laser Pointer』 should make up for that.

“『Appear! Flames of Darkness!』”

　In front of the awe-inspiring soldiers── the chanting of Luquier ended.

“Accept it! My dark flames! 『Flame of Nothingness』!!”

　And then the Demon King Luquier unleashed a jet black flame.
　The black flames caught the flow of the 『Laser Pointer』 and landed directly on the little spider’s body.

『Kiggieeeeeeeeeeeee!!』

　The human-sized spider screamed.
　Burned by the black flames, the arms and torso disappear.
　This was the power of 『Dark Magic』 wielded by the Demon King.

『──Gear……ahhh』

　The small spider was burned by the black flames, and its body was quickly carved away.
　Seeing this, Demon King Luquier gave instructions to Kelve beside her.

“That’s enough for this. Let’s aim the laser pointer at the next enemy.”
“Y-Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Hold on tight, and I’ll take aim.”

　Luquier reached out and pointed the light from Kelve’s 『Laser Pointer』 at the next small spider.
　The red light quickly moved to the next small spider.
　The black flames were drawn in and quickly moved to the next small spider.

『GYAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!!』

　A small spider who was hit directly by a void flame screamed.

“”Eh?””
“””Oooooooooohhhh!!”””

　Demon King Luquier’s mouth dropped open.
　The Demon King’s troops, including Flame General Raizenga, cheered.
　Incidentally, Chancellor Kelve’s eyes were dotted.

“Wh-why? Why does the flame of 『The Magic Flame of Nothingness』 move?”
“I, I don’t know! I can only assume it’s the power of the 『Laser Pointer』 that Thor-dono created…”
“……Let me see”

　Anyway, the dark flames should go out eventually.
　With this in mind, Demon King Luquier began chanting magic once again.
　After gathering the magical power of darkness and preparing it, she looked and saw that the first magic flame was still on fire.

　As a bonus, Luquier, who was finishing chanting, quickly moved her aim; she had already started to burn the third one.
　The second one has long since been burned to ashes, with only its legs remaining.

“Let’s go. 『Magic Flame of Nothingness』 (Void Flame)!!”

　Luquier’s activated the second『Magic Flame of Nothingness』.
　Naturally, the black flame hits the third little spider.
　The next magic flame hit the fading magic flame, and they combined.
　Result.

『────Gyi』

　The small spider was burned by black flames and disappeared without even leaving any legs.
　Luquier had no idea what was going on.
    Every time the light from the 『Laser Pointer』 moved, the dark flame also moved.
　Such a phenomenon had never happened before…

“…Could it be that the 『Laser Pointer』 is using dark magic?”

　Suddenly, Luquier had an idea.

“Thor said that this laser pointer uses dark magic to crush the light magic, sending it flying away together. And my magic is dark magic. In other words, Could be the  『Magic Flame of Nothingness』 combined through the magical power of the 『Laser Pointer』 ? ”

　So the magic flames would never go out.
    This was because Luquier continued to supply dark magical power through the 『Laser Pointer』.

“Imagine a needle or a fork that leads to the 『Magic Flame of Nothingness』. If you think that the flames moved because you moved it, you will understand.”
“So, when His Majesty uses this 『Laser Pointer』…”
“Once I unleash dark magic, I can use it however I like…”

　As she spoke, Luquier adjusted the aim of her 『Laser Pointer』.
　The black flames also moved, annihilating the small spiders one by one.

(…You see, Thor.)
(You said you would make a magic sword for me… but with this item… it may not be necessary…)

　Luquier stared in shock at the scene before her.

　She just moved the 『Laser Pointer』 a little, and the magic flame moved along with the light.
　The little spider desperately tried to escape, but Luquier was quicker than it by slightly moving the 『Laser Pointer』.
　Furthermore, with the combined attacks from the elven magic troops, the number of small spiders gradually decreased.

“…What should we do, Your Majesty?”
“…We are preparing… for an attack.”

　General Raizenga and his minotaur troops stood still, weapons in hand.
　Even if they tried to charge, the enemies were disappearing one after another.
　All that remained was the body of the 『Demon Beast Gargarossa』.
　Furthermore, it was now under a concentrated magical attack from the remaining two 『Laser Pointers』.

『──Hi, Hiiiiiiiiii!!』

　And finally, the 『Demon Beast Gargarossa』 tried to escape.
　It might have been a clever monster.
　It even managed to hide an ambush under its belly. It must have some intelligence.
　So, it realised that it was in a desperate situation.

　Just when they thought they had cornered the human army, they were attacked from a great distance, causing heavy damage.
　When it sent its subordinate spiders, they were all wiped out within a few minutes.
    It was no wonder that the 『Demon Beast Gargarossa』 panicked.

『–Hiiii! Screeeech!!』
“No! Don’t let the 『Demon Beast Gargarossa』 escape! Everyone, charge!”

　Demon King Luquier advanced her troops.

“Raizenga’s troops and the Minotaur’s troops will attack from the left and right. Drive him towards the cliff ahead! The rest of you will attack with magic!”

　Luquier aimed the 『Laser Pointer』 at the 『Demon Beast Gargarossa』.
　The remaining magic flames moved away.

『Giiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii…………』

　The black flames burned the legs of the 『Demon Beast Gargarossa』.
　The monster moved its remaining legs, desperately trying to escape.

　Luquier shifted the aim of the 『Laser Pointer』.
　The black flames also moved.
　She chased the fleeing 『Demon Beast Gargarossa』.

『…Gaaaah! Aaaah…』

　Eventually, the 『Demon Beast Gargarossa』, cornered against the cliff, stopped struggling.
　It laid its huge body on the ground and was burned by the flames.

　The beast’s eyes finally fixed on the Demon King’s territory’s soldiers.
　As if to show respect to a worthy rival, 『Demon Beast Gargarossa』 raised the remaining front legs.
　Then, with a sudden drop…

The 『Demon Beast Gargarossa』 had taken its last breath.

“””Woooooooooooooo!!”””

　After a while, cheers rose up from the Demon King’s troops.

“That’s amazing, Your Majesty the Demon King!!”
“The 『Demon Beast Gargarossa』 and its subordinates were annihilated with just a few spells!!”
“His Majesty possesses powers that surpass those of the first Demon King…”

　The elves and dwarves all spoke in unison, praising the Demon King Luquier.
　In contrast, General Raizenga and the Minotaurs were stunned.
　That was right. Just as they were about to charge at the enemy, it disappeared.

“…I wanted to brag about my bravery to Agnis.”
“…If it was resolved peacefully, then that’s fine.”
“…I’m sorry. I didn’t think it would end up like this.”

　Demon King Luquier muttered absentmindedly.

　When she looked, she saw that the Empire’s troops had stopped moving, still in formation.
　Both the princess and the soldiers glared at the dead 『Demon Beast Gargarossa』.
　As expected from a huge military nation, their speedy response was something to be emulated.

　However, their arbitrary discretion must be protested.
　She also wanted to know why they acted this way.
　But there was something that needed to be done before that.

“The 『Demon Beast Gargarossa』 has been subjugated!!”

　The Demon King Luquier shouted in triumph.

“””Oooooohhh!!”””

　The Demon King’s soldiers also raised their voices.
　Then, Luquier turned towards the Imperial troops.

“This was the first joint operation between the Demon King’s Territory and the Dorgaria Empire! There are many things I want to say, but I was shown the courage of Princess Liana and the light of the holy sword!”
“…………”

　In front of Luquier’s field of vision, Princess Liana’s expression became distorted.
　Luquier didn’t mean to be sarcastic, though.

“I would like to talk to you about this operation and the Empire’s tactics… Would that be possible!? Princess Liana!”

　Next, Luquier spoke up to Princess Liana.

　Even Luquier knew that the Empire had acted on its own accord.
　She also knew how the Empire viewed the Demon King’s territory, as they sent Thor there as a hostage.
　When the joint operation was proposed, she had hoped that there would be some understanding, but her hopes were completely betrayed.

　Still, it was necessary to at least talk to the people of the Empire.
　This was also for the sake of the peaceful world that Luquier desires.
　She wanted to maintain a country where the residents of the Demon King’s territory could use their abilities to live peacefully. That was her wish.

　To that end, the fact that the Empire and the Demon King’s Territory conducted a joint operation could be used.
　If word spreads, it might become possible for the people of the Demon King’s territory to interact normally with ordinary people of the Empire, regardless of the Emperor or nobles.

(There’s Thor. There are probably a few people who want to get along with demons and demi-humans as well.)

　Demon King Luquier looked down at the Imperial troops and waited patiently for an answer.
　The laser pointer had already been put away to show that they had no intention of fighting.
　Instead, Chancellor Kelve and General Raizenga were guarding her on either side.
　It seemed the Empire side had been discussing it a bit──

“…Let’s talk…”

　Before long, Princess Liana and the Old Man stepped forward towards where Luquier and the others were.