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 45

Episode 45: “Meeting a Small and Loyal Tribe”

“It seems that someone among the Winged Fairies (Pixie) who lives in the west forest can use light magic magic.”

　Agnis said that.

　Mabel, Agnis, and I were sitting around the table.
　For now, I put away the 『UV-cut Parasol』 and alchemy materials and had tea time.
　I was drinking tea and listening to the information that Agnis had found.

“After hearing Thor Kanan-sama’s story yesterday, Agnis listened to the stories of everyone in the mansion… But I didn’t know anyone there, so I went to town this morning.”
“Sorry for bothering you, Agnis-san.”
“No. This is something Agnis wants to do.”

　Agnis picked at the hem of her dress and laughed.

Besides, walking around town wearing clothes that are not armour has always been a dream.”

　Apparently, the people in town were surprised to see Agnis wearing a dress with her face uncovered.
　Some people looked on curiously, others with worried expressions.
　However, some people approached her because she was looking beautiful.

　Agnis asked these people about the 『Light-attribute magician』.
　While she was doing so, one of the soldiers in town told her about the Winged Fairy (Pixie), who could use light magic.

The Wing Fairies (Pixies) are demi-humans with a height of only several tens of centimetres and wings on their backs, right?”
“Yes. It’s as you say.”

　Agnis nodded at my words.

　Winged fairies were almost legendary in the Empire.
　What we knew was that their population was small and, for some reason, they only consisted of females.
　Because they were sensitive to magical powers and the presence of people, it could be difficult to even see them, let alone talk to them.
　That was the image of the winged fairy as spoken of in the Empire.

“In the Demon King’s territory… wings fairies seem to usually live there.”
“Yes. Those people are sensitive to magical power, so they are investigating the magical power within the Demon King’s territory…”

　Agnis said as she sipped her tea.

“They can also tell the flow of magical power in the land, so they can help us choose fields and pastures. It was also thanks to the fairies that we were able to find the mines. However…”
“However?”
“They are very shy and don’t come out in public very often.”
“I guess it’s difficult to ask for favours.”
“…That’s right, but…”

　Agnis looked troubled.
　If winged fairies (pixies) were really shy, it would be difficult for me to ask them for a favour.

“Thor-sama, how about asking Her Majesty to ask the Winged Fairies to accompany you in an experiment on the 『UV-cut Parasol』?”

　Mabel suddenly said.
　But I shook my head.

“We don’t have to go that far… I guess it’s okay.”

   The 『UV-cut Parasol』 was created as part of an experiment on the magic of light.
　It wasn’t at Luquier’s request. It wasn’t made for anyone else.
　To be honest, I made it 100% as a hobby.
　It was not something worth making Luquier move and give orders to.

“Now that we know it’s possible to dispel 『Light』 attribute magic, we can do the next experiment when the opportunity arises.”

　Actually, I’d like to meet a winged fairy.
　Winged fairies were the stuff of legend in the Empire. I’d love to meet one and hear their stories.
　I was really curious about what kind of life they led and how they saw the world.

　Moreover, the Winged Fairies were not involved in the battle between the Hero from Another World and tge Demon King.
　Because they were small and weak, they did not take part in the battle and instead stayed in hiding.
　As someone with no fighting ability, I thought that was a great way to get along with people.
　I’d love to hear their story and learn about their way of life…

“I’ve only just arrived in the Demon King’s territory. I can’t be too unreasonable.”

　I looked at Agnis and said that.

“So, I’m sorry that you took the trouble to find them, but I think it would be best to leave the Winged Fairies alone──”
“No, actually, a winged fairy came to say that she wanted to meet you, Thor Kanan-sama…”

　Agnis said that.
　Mabel and I both had our eyes lit up.

“Have you contacted them yet?”
“Yes. It’s a different matter from this case.”
“Different matter?”
“The area near the western forest where the winged fairies live is a potential location for Thor Kanan-sama’s workshop and residence, so I was in contact with her about that matter…”

　Ah…I forgot.
　To think of it, the reason I came to the General’s territory was to sightsee and check out the land to set up my workshop.

　They seemed to have already started arranging the workshop.
　As expected of General Raizenga, he was very quick.

“Father chose a site for your workshop that was close to the mines and the town, had a water vein, and was rich in magical power. That place was near the Western Forest.”

　Agnis said.

“But the nearby Western Forest is an autonomous region for the winged fairies… so…”
“So you contacted them and said, 『I want to set up an alchemist’s workshop nearby.』 “
“Yes. The Winged Fairy replied, 『In that case, I would love to meet that alchemist-sama』”

　……I understood.
　If the winged fairy was shy, I didn’t think there was any need to force myself to meet them.
　But if they were going to be a neighbour at the workshop, I’d better say hello now.

　The Demon King’s territory was the country of demons and demi-humans, and I was a human.
　I wanted to make sure I had everything explained properly so as not to make them suspicious.

“Okay. If that’s the case, then I’ll try to meet the winged fairy (Pixie).”

　I said.

“It would be bad to have them come all the way here, so I’d like to go there by myself. Is that okay? I’d also like to check out the location of the workshop.”
“I think it’ll be fine. The winged fairies… I think they’ll feel more at ease.”
“In that case, is it okay if we first visit the Winged Fairy Forest, and then stop by the workshop location?”
“That’s okay. Well then… I’ll send a letter to the winged fairy.”
“By the way, how do we get in contact with the winged fairies?”
“There’s a stump near the woods that we can use as a link.”

　Agnis thought for a moment and then said.

“If you leave a letter there, they’ll pick it up before you know it. And then, the next thing you know, there’ll be a reply waiting for you.”
“They’re really shy, aren’t they?”

　Rather, it felt like a mysterious presence.
　Even in the Empire, it was said that winged fairies rarely showed themselves in public.

　A mysterious race that avoids public attention and flies by riding the currents of magical power. That is the winged fairies.
　I never thought I’d come to the Demon King’s territory and encounter a legendary race.

“Do you know anything about winged fairies, Mabel?”
“I’ve only seen it once, when I was in the elven village.”

　Mabel poked her ear as if trying to remember something, then said.

“Instead of clothes, the leaves were wrapped around her body, and she was flying between the trees. It seems she was talking with an Elf elder. I don’t know what she was talking about. They are a race shrouded in mystery, even in the Demon King’s territory.”
“They do a lot of work for the Demon King’s territory, right?”
“Yes. As Agnis-sama said, they are observing magical powers and investigating small spaces.”
“Most of the communication is done through 『Stump Correspondence』. I write a request and leave it on the stump, and they reply whether they will accept the request or not… That’s how it goes.”

　Agnis took over Mabel’s words.

“So, that’s why the client doesn’t even know which Winged Fairy Pixie does the job…”
“Then, when the job is finished, the fairy places a piece of parchment with her findings on the stump, and we place our reward on the stump.”
“The rewards are milk, nuts, magic stones… etc.”
“They are a really shy species.”
“It’s really quite rare for them to ask to meet someone. Thor Kanan-sama is a special alchemist after all…”

　Agnis and Mabel were both speaking quickly, probably because they were surprised.
　Apparently, it was extremely unusual for a winged fairy to wanted to meet someone of her own accord.

“I wonder if I should bring a souvenir so as not to be rude.”

　But I wonder what would make the winged fairy happy.

“What do you think I should bring, Mabel?”
“Of course, it’s milk, nuts, and magic stones.”

　Mabel answered without hesitation.

“Those are the rewards when making a request to the winged fairy. I think this will be fine, if that’s the case.”
“Well, Agnis will get ready!”

　 Agnis shouted, raising her hand.

“This time, Agnis will act as your escort and guide you to the forest. I’ll prepare the items you need to take with you.”
“I’ll help with the preparations, Agnis-sama.”
“Yeah. Let’s do it together, Mabel.”
“Thor-sama, please rest.”
“I’ll call you when it’s ready.”

　With that, Mabel and Agnis left the room.
　It seemed there wouldn’t be any problem if I left it to the two of them to choose souvenirs for the winged fairy.
　It seemed fine… but it was a bit lacking.

　She wanted to meet the alchemist.
　Maybe there was something she would like to request.
　If that wasn’t the case, there would be no reason for a shy species to summon me.

　In that case, I’d better prepare something the fairy might use.
　Since I was aiming to become an alchemist who would surpass the hero’s world, I had to be able to do that much.

　The amazingness of the Hero’s World could be seen by looking at the 『Mail Order Catalogue』.
    The 『Mail Order Catalogue』 was filled with items that could solve any problem.
　What this meant was that in another world, it was common to predict potential problems and prepare items in advance.

　They were top-notch at creating items after receiving a request.
　Predicting requests and preparing items in advance was what being a top-class hero in the world of heroes was all about, I guessed.
　I would follow that example too. Yeah.

　With that in mind, I began my preparations.

　The next day.
　We were in a carriage, heading to the west forest where the Wing Fairy (Pixie) lived.

“But… I can understand why there is a light magician in the Winged Fairies (Pixie).”

　Suddenly, Mabel said.

“I’ve heard that fairies are a race that is sensitive to magical power and are born with a variety of attributes. Most are water fairies or wind fairies, but sometimes fire fairies and earth fairies also appear.”
“So, there are dark and light winged fairies too?”
“That’s right.”

　I understood.
　If each person has one attribute, then there are also winged fairies with the attribute of light.
　So that means there are winged fairies who can use light-element magic. Easy to understand.

“Although the winged fairies are shy, they do accept requests. Therefore, if Thor-sama makes a formal request, I believe they will cooperate with the 『UV-cut parasol』 experiment.”
“That would be helpful, but… I think it’s a bit too extravagant.”

　In fact, just being able to meet and talk with the winged fairies was enough for me.
　The winged fairies were legendary creatures.
　On top of that, if I made a request and asked them to accompany me in an experiment on a magic item…

“…As an alchemist, I don’t know how to repay them.”
“No, there will be no problem if it’s Thor-sama. Thor-sama is an alchemist directly under Her Majesty, and has contributed to the Demon King’s territory.”
“But I’ve received more than enough, haven’t I?”

　As for me, I was appointed as Luquier’s 『Personal Alchemist』 and was given a workshop.
　In that place, I could make whatever I wanted.
　That was enough for now.

　If I received any more gifts, I wouldn’t know how to repay them.
　For the time being, I intended to make the Demon King’s territory a more comfortable place than the Hero’s World… but at the moment I didn’t know how to go about doing that.
　That was why I was thinking of repaying her by making a sword that would surpass the lost magic sword, but I didn’t have any idea when that would happen.

“…I think it’s okay for you to be a bit more selfish, Thor-sama.”
“Is that so?”
“So, can I make it my goal to make Thor-sama more selfish during this journey?”
“What kind of goal is that?”
“A maiden’s goal!”

　Mabel looked away for some reason and laughed.
　It seemed like she was up to something.

　… Selfish, eh?
　The only thing I could think of was to ask Mabel and Agnis to accompany me in an experiment on the 『Magic Woven Fabric』.
    Thanks to making the 『UV-cut Parasol』 , I was now able to create something new.
　But I didn’t know what effect it would have.
　At the very least, after doing a little more experiment──

“Thor Kanan-sama. We will be arriving at the Western Forest shortly.”

　──As I was thinking about this, Agnis called out from the driver’s seat.

　Looking out the window, I saw a large forest at the end of the road.
　A large forest with tall trees that stretched to the foot of the mountain.
　This was the West Forest, the Autonomous Region of the Winged Fairies (Pixies).

　After a while, the carriage came to a halt, and Mabel and I got out.
　The road ended here.
　There was a large stump at the end of the road.
　The cut edges were levelled, making it easy to place things on them.
　There was a big stone next to the stump. This was to keep the letter from flying… or something like a so-called paperweight.

“Is this the location of 『Stump Communication』?”
“Yes, Thor Kanan-sama.”

　Agnis nodded.
　She looked at the top of the stump, wondering,

“I instructed the herald soldiers to leave a message here this morning. It said, 『The Alchemist Thor Kanan-sama will be visiting the Winged Fairy.』”
“…the letter is gone.”
“…It’s gone.”

　Agnis, I, and Mabel all stood in front of the stump, tilting our heads.
　According to the story, the winged fairy would reply when she received a letter.

　But there was nothing on the stump.
　The stone used as a paperweight was next to the stump.
　This meant that the letter did not seem to have been blown away by the wind.

　As I was thinking about that──

“……I have been waiting for you.”

　A small figure popped out from behind the stump.

　White skin. Black, straight hair. Instead of clothes, she had large leaves wrapped around her body.
　And on her back were beautiful, translucent wings.

　A small winged fairy was watching us, hiding in a stump.

“N-nice to meet you. I’m René, the winged fairy… um…”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Thor Kanan, an alchemist working directly under His Majesty the Demon King.”

　Reflexively, I sat down on the ground.
　This was to ensure that my eye level was the same as that of the winged fairy.

　I learned a lot in the Empire about how being looked down upon by a larger opponent could be stressful.
　My father and the noble warriors were all big guys with loud voices.

“Thanks to the generosity of His Majesty the Demon King, Luquier Evargard, I have been given a workshop and mansion in General Raizenga’s territory. As the location is close to all of you winged fairies, I came to pay my respects.”
“I’m Thor-sama’s maid, Mabel Refrain.”
“I am Agnis Freyzadd, Thor Kanan-sama’s guard.”

　Mabel sat down next to me, and so did Agnis.
　The three of us sat side by side, lowered our gazes, and faced the small winged fairy.

“It’s a pleasure meeting you, the legendary Winged Fairy, René.”
“Thank you so much for your kindness. Let me introduce myself again. I am the dark winged fairy, René…”

　Then, slowly, a winged fairy appeared from behind the stump.
　She appeared before us as if she had made up her mind, and she bowed deeply.

“This is my first time speaking with humans, but I was surprised to find that they are such a gentle and kind race.”
“Really?”
“Yes. According to legend, humans have greater power than demons, and they love to use great magic to change the world…”

　It was probably a reference to a hero from another world.
　I wondered if the winged fairies lived further south in those days.
　For the little winged fairies, the presence of a hero who could use powerful magic freely must have been quite a pressure.

“…If the alchemist-sama is such a kind person… I can talk to him in peace.”

　The winged fairy René nodded, her black hair swaying in the wind.
　Slowly, she came closer to my knees.

“Is it okay if I put you in my hand?”
“In your hands?”
“I think it would be easier to talk that way, if that’s okay with you.”
“Sure. Go ahead.”

　I held out my hand.
　The winged fairy René moved her translucent wings, jumped into the air, and landed on my palm.
　Small and light.
　If I touched it carelessly, I might break her.

I can’t believe it… that a winged fairy would get on someone’s hand…”
“I’ve never heard of… such a story either, Agnis.”
“When we winged fairies ride on the hands of humans, demi-humans, and demons… it is a sign of trust.”

　The dark-winged fairy René’s body was trembling slightly.
　I understood how she felt.
　Just by holding my hand, the little winged fairy’s body would break.
　 She was so small and delicate. A winged fairy.
　So I understood that sitting on the palm of someone’s hand like this meant that they trusted the other person. I understood, but…

“But I haven’t done anything to earn that much trust…”
“When a winged fairy trusts someone like this… it’s when she wants to make a request.”

　The winged fairy René closed her spread wings.
　Now she couldn’t take off anytime soon.
　With her life completely entrusted to me, the winged fairy Rene raised her head and looked at me.

“This is a declaration of intent that says, 『I trust you. Therefore, please help us.』 Alchemist-sama.”
“No, you don’t have to go that far…”

　I brought my palm up to the stump.
　Moving my fingertips, I moved René onto the stump.

“I am an alchemist under His Majesty the Demon King. If there is a request, I will listen.”
“That’s not going to work.”

　But the winged fairy René shook her head.

“We winged fairies have come to the Demon King’s territory and have even been granted an autonomous region. However, we have yet to achieve results worthy of this. It is not permissible for us winged fairies to unilaterally ask for favours.”

　 She was serious.

“In the first place, winged fairies can only wear simple clothes made from leaves like this. It is rude to appear in public in such an outfit. However, since I am asking for a request, it is only natural that I will entrust my life and death to you.”

　It was serious.

“The reason why I was chosen as the host is because I have the dark attribute just like His Majesty the Demon King and can manipulate the magical power of darkness. If someone like me is willing to offer my life, I don’t think it would be a problem if they were to listen to my wish.”

　It was too heavy.

“…Umm, Mabel, Agnis-san.”

　I asked the two of them.

“Is the winged fairy a race with such a serious and heavy personality?”
“No, I’ve also… heard about it for the first time.”
“I know that they are diligently completing requests, but… as for their personality.”

　Mabel and Agnis were also surprised.
　It seemed the two of them had no idea that the winged fairy had such a personality.

　Or rather, the reason why the winged fairy didn’t appear in public was casually confessed.

　──Winged fairies can only wear clothes made of leaves.
　──It’s rude to go out in public like that.

　That was the reason why winged fairies rarely appeared in public.
　That was surprising.

“Please use me as an alchemy material. In return, I ask you a favour──”
“Wait a moment.”

　I raised my hand to stop Rene from speaking.

“I don’t want to hear about using you as alchemy material or offering yourself up. I have no intention of doing that.”
“But, I can’t just ask you to do something unilaterally──”
“In that case, could you introduce me to a winged fairy who can use light magic?”

　I said.

“The truth is, I’m looking for someone who can use light magic in order to experiment with magic items. I’ve heard rumours that there is a light magic user among the winged fairies, so I’d like to be introduced to her if you don’t mind.”

　I didn’t mean to force her to cooperate.
　However, the winged fairy might be more convinced if I asked her for a favour as well.

“…Did you have business with that child?”

　The winged fairy René’s eyes widened at my words.

“The truth is, I also wanted to ask you a favour about that child.”
“Really?”
“Yes. I would like to ask the alchemist-sama, to help that child who possesses the light attribute…”

　The winged fairy René said as she embraced my index finger with both hands.

“That child who has strong light magic… but is physically weak because of it and easily falls ill… could you please help that light-winged fairy (pixie) Soleil? Alchemist Thor Kanan-sama.”