At the house, I announced my arrival to Noela and rushed by her.
“Groo? Master in hurry?”
“Hm? Oh, yeah. I’ve got to make something real quick.”
“Noela help!”
I wish she’d watch the store for me instead. We don’t seem busy though, so whatever. “Much obliged, partner.”
“Garoo! On it!”
I tousled Noela’s hair, and we headed to the lab. Once I’d jotted down the ingredients I needed, she grabbed them for me. However, one key ingredient—a type of moss apparently known as “magic moss”—couldn’t be found in Kalta.
“Where the heck do you get ‘magic moss’?” I muttered.
“Ejil time, Master.”
“Good call,” I agreed. “We’ve got a secret weapon named Ejil!” I was pretty sure the demon king had the day off though. “Hey, Ejil?! Can you hear me?” I cried, wondering whether he’d come.
Suddenly, a magic circle appeared in the air. Ejil fell through and landed dramatically on one knee. “What’s wrong, Doctor?”
“Sorry to drag you in on your day off.”
“No problem at all! It’s just that I’m a bit busy right now, so I can’t hang around too long.”
“Could you grab me something?”
“Hmm…” Ejil’s face was conflicted.
“It’s called magic moss,” I added.
“I’m so sorry, Doctor. I’d love to help right away, but today’s been a day.”
“Yeah…?”
“Some weirdo charged my castle, claiming he was a ‘salaryman’ in a previous life.”
Wha—?! Does that mean he reincarnated here? There’s someone else here that’s from Earth?!
“Will you be okay, Ejil? This ‘salaryman’ isn’t too strong, is he?”
“Gah ha ha! Doctor, you forget who I am,” Ejil said confidently.
“An awesome part-timer?”
“‘Awesome’…? Gosh! Erm…I don’t deserve your praise!”
You know, he really doesn’t come off as a demon king, I mused. I would’ve loved to hear more about this reincarnated salaryman guy, but Sylveen’s spirit cold came first. “Anyway, Ejil, is magic moss hard to find?”
“Very much so. If I weren’t in a hurry, I’d have my entire army hunt out every last bit, but…”
“I just need a little.”
“Arroo! Ejil no destroy nature!” Noela’s expression was fierce.
Ejil flinched. “I never knew you were so environmentally conscious.”
“He doomed, Master,” Noela told me with a look of despair, shaking her head.
“Fear not, Noela. The only one who’s doomed is that human man attacking my castle. I’ll annihilate him with a flick to the head!”
That’s not what she meant, Ejil.
“S-so, when this battle’s over…please marry me, Noela!”
Look at our little demon king, flying a death flag all on his own.
“No way. Not happen. Battle start, end, no marry.” Noela was as consistent as always. “Finding moss more important.”
With all the wind taken from his sails, Ejil was in no mood to get the magic moss I needed. “I’m just not motivated,” he complained. “All…all this rejection and hatred…! And on top of that, I constantly have to strive to ensure my underlings won’t underestimate me…”
He’s finally buckling.
“Master…?”
“Noela, in this kind of situation, it’s all about the stick and carrot.”
“Groo?”
You had to reward people sometimes, or they wouldn’t feel motivated to do anything. “Ejil, if you grab that magic moss, I’ll make you a fresh potion.”
At the words “fresh potion,” Noela’s tail immediately wagged.
“Do you really think that’d make me happy, Doctor?”
I lowered my voice and whispered into his ear. “Maybe not you, but what about your beloved Noela?”
Ejil glanced at the werewolf girl, whose eyes screamed that she was desperate for a potion. “I’ll do it!” he cried. “Yes! Let me! I’ll find your magic moss!” Just like that, he teleported hurriedly from the lab.
“Groo…Ejil no listen to Noela,” she complained.
“That’s because you’ve still got to learn how to ask a favor. Ordering someone around won’t always work, not even on Ejil.”
Noela mulled that over. Meanwhile, I did as much work on Sylveen’s treatment as I could without the magic moss. That salaryman at Ejil’s castle… Did he come from another world, like me?
“Use this, Master?” Noela pointed at the panacea I’d placed safely on the shelf a while ago. Panacea wasn’t something I could make easily, since getting your hands on a unicorn horn was nearly impossible.
“If Ejil can’t find the magic moss we need, yeah.” If I had a reason to use it, holding on to it would be pointless. And I couldn’t leave Sylveen too ill to create wind, so…
“Got it.”
However, it turned out that I probably wouldn’t need the panacea. Just then, Ejil fell through a magic circle in midair. “Haaah… Haaah… Haaah… D-Doctor, I’ve got the moss you needed!”
Even for the demon king, teleportation magic was tough; he seemed pretty exhausted. His shoulders heaved as he handed me a leather bag.
Magic Moss: This rare organism’s valuable extract is used in spiritual medicine.
“Ooh, this is it!” I confirmed. “Thanks, Ejil.”
“Haah…Doctor, about our deal…”
“Hold your horses. I’ll make your potion right after I finish with this.”
Ejil flashed me a grin. “You’re a real villain, Doctor.”
“I don’t need the demon king telling me that,” I sighed. “So, what happened to that former salaryman?”
“He hit his limit and ran off.”
“Huh?”
“Fear not—I didn’t need to do anything to him! Gah ha ha ha ha!”
“I see.” That was all well and good for Ejil, but I would’ve liked to know more about the guy.
“Ready, Master!”
“Thanks.”
With my assistant Noela’s help, I completed the new treatment quickly.
Spirit Cure: Heals spiritual beings’ ailments and injuries.
Perfect. It was time to head back to Sylveen and Vivi.