“Hmm...”
I’d been keeping the throne warm for a while now, with the menu humming in front of me.
“Is something the matter? You gaze so ardently at the empty space before you.”
Lefi turned toward me with a puzzled look on her face, waiting for me to answer. Until she asked me that question, she’d been poking Shii’s body incessantly while talking to it. I vaguely remembered her saying stuff about how “intriguing” it was, that she’d never met a slime until now, and what a “splendid creature” Shii was.
“Nah, it’s nothi— Wait, what do you mean, ‘empty space’?”
She couldn’t see the interface?
“How shall I say it...? All I saw was you gazing at nothing like a simpleton. Ah, I see now. Perhaps you were reading your own attributes? I am quite certain you possess the Analysis ability as well.”
Lefi said that like she finally understood what I’d been doing.
“Then that means you have it too, Lefi?”
“Indeed. It is quite a convenient ability. If you master it, you obtain the power to comprehend all of creation. There exist only a handful of beings who have trained themselves to that level, however.”
“The first time you realized I was a demon lord was when you came here yesterday, right? But if you have Analysis too, doesn’t that mean you knew from the get-go?”
“No. At our first meeting, I thought you were merely a lesser demon who had heedlessly wandered into my territory. I saw no meaning in using Analysis on inconsequential vermin. And after our negotiations, my mind was drowning in the pleasure wrought by that mud-colored confection. So, naturally, I did not remember to use Analysis at all... Ahhh, Yuki, I desire more of that chocolate.”
“You’re definitely gonna get cavities at this rate.”
“Preposterous. Have you forgotten that I am an ancient dragon? It is impossible for abnormalities such as that to afflict me.”
So she considered cavities anomalies? Huh. Kinda crazy that she’d never had one. Putting that aside, per Her Majesty’s request, I opened the DP Catalog, bought a treat, and tossed it her way.
“Oh? And what might this be?”
“Cookies. Tear the bag open and eat them.”
“Understood... Mmm! These are quite scrumptious as well! Leaving my nest to live here was most assuredly a good decision! The freedom to eat such lovely sweets, the heavenly comfort of sleeping in a futon—I never knew living as a human could be so wondrously easy!”
She devoured the cookies like a happy little kid. I couldn’t help smiling wryly at the sight of the silver-haired girl excitedly munching away. They were a lot cheaper than chocolate too, so if she wasn’t complaining, I wasn’t complaining.
“So, tell me why you scrutinized your data in such a concerned manner.”
“I wasn’t concerned so much as I was thinking that I’d like to use magic. My Magic stat seems pretty high, so I should be able to use it, but...”
I’d had this thought running through my head ever since witnessing the bloodbath I caused when I killed that cursed dog. I could tell I had pretty high physical power, but I also knew that there were other, stronger monsters out there.
The ones who invaded dungeons were the types whose only purpose was fighting. I didn’t think I could beat those kinds. At least, not the way I was now. I mean, c’mon, I was basically a combat virgin. Just because I had the Conqueror of Dragonkind as an ally didn’t mean I could have her do all the dungeon protecting. If I sat back and relied entirely on her, I knew it would just cause an endless cycle of attack and retaliation from enemies. They wouldn’t be able to resist trying to take her down along with me and the dungeon.
Without anyone asking me first, I suddenly got thrown into a world where everyone struggled desperately to stay alive. In order for me to survive in this world too, I had to dedicate myself to getting stronger. I had to do the work myself.
I just remembered a line from one of the Servants in that famous gacha game: “What is a king without an ego?” But I understood that those with that kind of mindset only wound up dead. If I wanted to live, I couldn’t think like them.
At the end of the day, this world was harsh. With that being the reality, having power definitely wasn’t a bad thing. And seeing as I was in this new world anyway, no reason to not get that power through magic.
As far as my stats went, I could tell my Magic value was considerably higher than others. It was practically begging me to use it. Why, then, didn’t I summon more powerful monsters to serve me? Well, the long and short of it is that I just wanted to use magic. Nothing more, nothing less.
The issue was that I didn’t know how. I tried shouting famous attack lines like “Ka-me-ba-me-ba!” and “Platinum Star! The Planet!” but it did absolutely nothing. Kidding! I’m kidding! Of course I didn’t do that. But the fact that I’d gotten the Unarmed Combat ability just from stomping that dog to death had me thinking. Maybe it was possible to do something similar to obtain magical abilities? If I tried to do magic, then the magic would show up. That was the hope.
What even was magic, though? In this world, that is. Since I could sense the dungeon’s magic, I figured I should be able to do the same with my own. No dice, though, so I honestly had no clue. I tried meditation, thinking it might help me tap into my magic, but all I could hear was Lefi playing with Shii. Did that mean I was going about this the wrong way? I snapped back to reality when Lefi started talking again.
“Hmm, yes, I would say your magic is stronger than most others’. Oh? Well, now this is indeed a surprise. The value increased. Did you perchance defeat a monster while I slumbered?”
“Yeah, I did. So, uh, hey, I want to ask you something. Just out of curiosity, what do you think about my stats?”
“The range in your attributes varies widely, but I would rank you equal to the creatures living in the southern reaches of this wood. Though I would be remiss if I did not tell you there are many who are more powerful than you. Regardless, your values measure less than a hundredth of my own!”
Lefi cackled when she said that last part. Less than a hundredth, huh...? While I tried to work through the shock of finally knowing the exact difference in our power levels, Lefi managed to finish all the cookies. She kept sneaking disappointed-looking glances at me, which meant that it was time to see what she was up to.
“I will take pity and deign to teach you how to use magic. Naturally, however, the lessons will come at a price. I require a suitable reward—”
Without a word, I bought another bag of cookies from the Catalog and threw it to the dragon girl.
“Excellent! Then our pact is made. Under my tutelage, you shall become the greatest mage of this era.”
My Luck might not have been the greatest, but it was good enough to land me a supreme dragon that was super easy to handle.
“Let us begin. The first step is to feel the magic. Extend both of your hands.”
“Huh? Oh, okay.”
While she spoke, Lefi clapped the cookie crumbs from her hands. I wasn’t really sure what was happening, but I still did as she said. The silver-haired girl grabbed my hands with her tiny, soft ones, and—
“What? Whaaaat?! Whoooaaa!!!”
✦ ✦ ✦
