“Darkness is merely an element, just as the four main elements and the light element are. It is weak to light but strong against water, earth, wind, and fire, making it a very powerful element. It is up to the user to decide how to use it.”
“Dark magic is used by high-ranking monsters. Are you sure it’s not something evil?”
“There are also monsters that wield the four main elements. Though I cannot confirm if it is true, there are written records of monsters using the light element as well. Given that it is an element with very few users, there were probably many people whose imaginations ran wild, leading them to believe it is a negative path.”
“Hm, I see. You’re saying that people tend to fear uncommon things that they don’t understand. It may be that black hair is loathed for a similar reason.”
The king and the archmage spoke as if they were making sure their conversation was heard by everyone. This Q and A session was probably done for my sake. Seeing that dark magic and black hair seemed to have the worst reputation, I was grateful for their consideration.
The king moved his gaze back to me. “Lady Yumiella, you have reached a height that perhaps no man ever has. Well done. I’d like to hear about your process of how you reached that point.”
Ah, he wants to know how I level grinded. It’s only natural for him to be curious, given that this is a matter of national strength. I don’t think I’ll be of much help since I didn’t do anything particularly special, but there’s no harm in telling him the truth.
“There wasn’t anything particularly special about what I did, I merely kept taking down monsters. I was luckily able to use some magic at level 1.”
“You must have had a mentor, no?”
“I did not. I am self-taught. I started with the monsters in the forest in our county, and once I got comfortable, I continued my training in a dungeon.”
“I was unaware that there was a dungeon in the county of Dolkness,” His Majesty mused.
“Yes, we have a dungeon nearby. It’s not very popular because it’s disadvantageous for the four main elements due to the considerable number of dark-type monsters that appear.”
Come to think of it, I’ve never seen anyone else in that dungeon. In the game, it’s actually a bonus stage for the light-type main character.
“So, you had no mentor... Does that mean you had no battle training?”
“That is correct. I thought I could get stronger by focusing on defeating monsters and increasing my level.”
“O-Oh... I see...”
The king seemed disturbed by my response. Apparently, the standard procedure in this kingdom was to have plenty of training before taking on a monster.
“Did no one in your household try to stop you from doing something so dangerous?”
“This is a bit embarrassing to admit, but the truth is, I was sneaking out to train. No one noticed as long as I was home on the days that the tutors came by.”
“Your parents didn’t... Oh, I’m sorry. You can disregard that.”
The king must have remembered that my parents never left the Royal Capital, as his expression had turned to one of pity.
Don’t feel bad, Your Majesty. It was honestly a pretty fun and fulfilling childhood. I should probably change the subject, though.
“I don’t think there was anything else I did... Oh, wait! Yes, I had an amulet of growth with me.”
“You didn’t carry an amulet of protection?!”
Amulets were a type of equipable item with various effects. The amulet of growth was an item that doubled your experience points. In the game, it was only available for purchase after defeating the Demon Lord, but in this world, it was just another item at the shops.
The amulet of protection could block one fatal strike. It wasn’t used much in the game, but it was probably very useful as a real-world item. Its price in the shops reflected that as well, as it was the only expensive item by a large margin. The only drawback was that amulets seemed to cancel each other out because carrying more than one negated their effects.
“I-I also used a monster-summoning flute... I would play it as loud as I could in the forest and dungeon.”
The monster-summoning flute was an item that would force an encounter with monsters. It was an extremely helpful item since I couldn’t just spawn enemies by walking around like in the game.
“Adolphe, would you be able to do the same?”
“I could not part with my amulet of protection, nor could I do something as frightening as playing a monster-summoning flute while alone,” he answered seriously.
The king and Commander Adolphe stared at me as if I were deranged.
All I did was try to level grind efficiently. This feels like an overreaction. I did have some near-death experiences, though...
The king cleared his throat and spoke in a rigid manner.
“Yumiella Dolkness, I hope you will employ your strength as this kingdom’s sword.”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” I said, nodding. “As one of your vassals, I intend to be the Kingdom of Valschein’s shield,” I continued, having swapped the phrase “kingdom’s sword” for “kingdom’s shield” nonchalantly.
“Very well, you shall utilize your strength in the event of a national emergency.”
I was relieved to see that my intentions were understood and agreed to by the king. However, my relief was short-lived as my audience with the king didn’t seem to be over. His Majesty seemed to be sizing me up, his gaze still piercing.
“Well then, I would like to reward you for your unprecedented achievements. Feel free to speak honestly about your desires. We can arrange for you to have a title, a domain, or even a national treasure. Welcoming you into the royal family wouldn’t be out of the question either.”