Chapter 52 – Industry Awards
It was morning when I woke up after a good night’s sleep.
Embarrassed, I asked Camilla, who brought water to wash, why she didn’t wake me up, and Camilla replied that she looked tired and just let her sleep.
“Then what about the mission completion report?”
“This is what the Demon King ordered. He will be fatigued from travel, so he told Kaldrash-nim to come see him slowly.”
Glad then
I also wondered if I had an accident unintentionally.
As I got out of bed and was about to change my clothes, I realized one more thing.
“When did I take off my clothes?”
Apparently, I was tired and fell asleep as soon as I entered the room, but before I knew it, my coat and socks had come off.
As I was tilting my head for something, Camilla, who was next to me, said.
“I took it off last night because it was stuffy.”
Indeed, it is the perfect maid that I acknowledged.
I am being taken care of without even knowing it.
After living like this for almost a month, I now accept her care as if it were natural.
After briefly washing my face, I asked Camilla.
“What’s the schedule for today?”
“After reporting the completion of the mission to the Demon King, you can send it freely. Since you have been on a business trip for a long time, the Demon King will be considerate so that you can rest for a while.”
It is a good thing to know the identity of the superior.
I wasn’t too overworked when I was on the eastern front, but it’s better to rest when I can.
“Is Maou-sama busy from morning?”
Then Camilla glanced at the grandfather clock on the other side of her room.
“The real business hours start at 10:00. Before that, have a meal or spend time with your family.”
“Does the whole family live together in the castle?”
“Yes. The Queen and Ozma are living in the annex of the castle. The Demon King eats one meal a day with his family unconditionally.”
A perfect boss at work and a kind father at home, how sweet is this demon king?
While I was thrilled by the unexpected fact, I saw it as a good opportunity.
“Camilla, can I join you at the meal?”
“Yes?”
“I have to go to breakfast anyway. So I thought I’d say hello.”
In order to win the favor of his boss, he attacks those around him first.
This is a very common story.
However, from Camilla’s point of view, I wonder if my proposal was really unexpected.
“Well… Then, I’ll try to make a request. But don’t be too disappointed if you get rejected. It means that you value time with your family that much.”
It is the main battle that must come down.
If I was rejected, I just had to find another way as I was rejected.
“Okay. If I get rejected, I’ll give up cleanly, so just ask me.”
“…Then I’ll be gone for a while.”
Camilla lifted up the bronze basin containing the water I used to wash my face with, and left her room that way.
It would probably take another year for her to come up with her answer, due to the needlessly expansive structure of the castle.
I decided to meditate on her while I waited for her.
Originally, it should have been done immediately after waking up, but sometimes there are days like this.
Kooooo─
Sitting on the floor, cross-legged, and using our school’s unique breathing method, I felt the mana in the air quickly seep into my lungs along with the blue breath.
Oxygen and mana supplied to the blood vessels pass through the carotid artery and are absorbed into the virtual magic channel created between the lungs and the heart.
After doing this one week, almost 30 minutes had already passed.
Come to think of it, lately I’ve been frequently using it until my mana runs out.
After repeating it over and over again, it felt like the absolute value of the mana that could be stored in the body increased slightly.
“Whoa…”
As I was glad that I had grown up a bit, Camilla finally came in.
She opened the door and came in. She had a strange expression on her face.
“The Demon King accepted Kaldrash’s proposal. I think you can join us for breakfast.”
“It was good.”
For some reason, I feel like things are going well today.
I got up from my seat and opened the closet door to change my clothes.
***
“I don’t have anything, but it will cost a lot.”
“Yes.”
It seems that being a demon king doesn’t mean you can only eat steak for three meals a day.
I was speechless at the unexpectedly healthy breakfast table.
Salad, salad, salad, salad.
I get confused by the feast of countless vegetables on the table, which I can see no matter where I turn my head.
Since there were two women sitting at the head of the table, it was not difficult to infer that the head of the household, Mawang, had no choice on the menu.
As I forcibly ate a bowl of green salad, the one who unexpectedly started talking to me was the wife of the demon king—in other words, the queen.
“How does it suit your taste?”
“Ah, yes. Out of all the salads I’ve had so far, this is the most delicious. I especially liked the sweet and sour taste of the yuzu sauce.”
When I said that and praised her, the demon king’s wife continued the meal with a strange smile.
My stomach, which usually doesn’t care much if I eat meat in the morning, cries out for something delicious, but today is an exception.
‘Oh, write! Stay still.’
It’s an opportunity you’ve made.
I couldn’t be content with simply exchanging a few words and end it, so I had to elicit a good impression as much as possible.
While I was chewing on the salad with a forced smile while thinking about such things in my heart, Ozuma, the daughter of the Demon King, said in a gruff voice.
“You don’t have to be so pretentious. Mother doesn’t care about it anyway.”
“Uh-huh, Ozma. What a way of saying that to her mother.”
“Did I make up something? I’m just telling you not to be mistaken.”
As she said that, Ozma stuck her tongue out at her father and began to eat her rice again in silence.
Maou-nim, who looked at Ozma as if he was tired, soon smiled shyly and spoke to me.
“Rather than that, Kaldrash, I heard that your performance in the Eastern Front was very impressive this time. I thought you would defeat the mage of the ocean, one of the two pillars of the magic world in that kingdom.”
“It was only possible thanks to the cooperation of the Four Heavenly Kings, Dorothea. In fact, no matter how powerful a mage he is, he wouldn’t have been able to deal with two mages of the same level in a row.”
Magic is infinitely close to omnipotent power, but those who wield it are creatures made of cloth, so there is always a limit.
I was poking the gap that was revealed by that.
“But isn’t it all your skill to defeat him? Don’t underestimate yourself too much. Just defeating him is no different than contributing to the entire demon lord’s army. Not only did you capture Hamburg Fortress, but Hamburg You even assassinated the Marquis himself? Thanks to you, our demon lord’s army can plan to invade the kingdom again next year.”
“I’m glad I was helpful.”
“So, by any chance, do you want anything from me? If you need anything, I’ll give it to you.”
It’s like giving him a prize.
Unlike the time of Dorothea, which felt like eating a flea’s liver, there was no option to refuse because it was clear that the gift from the Demon Lord would be mixed with something great.
That’s why I decided to tell you what I’ve felt the most painfully lately.
“I need a useful weapon. It’s very inconvenient to use magic with my bare hands.”
No matter how much I am a martial arts wizard, it is much better to use a suitable medium when using magic.
It was the short wand that Baron Bettendorf had and Dorothea’s ruby shoes.
The staff who had one broke it long ago, and I can’t even remember when the last time I used it.
As if he had understood my circumstances, the Demon King gave me a clear answer.
“I’ll tell Seneca, so after dinner, go to the treasure chest of the Demon King’s castle. There are collectibles from past demon kings there, so there must be at least one weapon you like.”
“The castle is ruined.”
“Haha, I never thought the day would come when I would hear you say that.
Maou-sama murmured as if he was deeply moved, and chewed on the bread.
It’s not that I don’t understand that feeling, so I shrugged my shoulders.
Actually, I didn’t know that I would say such a thing to the demon king, who was my enemy.
It feels like the court etiquette I learned to deal with influential nobles or old kings in the royal castle as Master’s agent has finally found its owner.
I didn’t want to talk about work more while eating, so after that, I continued to have breakfast in a quiet atmosphere.
