“By the way, Karl, what exactly do you do in your stonework?”
“Oh, Takemi. Are you actually interested in my job?”
He looked a bit surprised, but if I had to say, I was somewhat interested.
That said, it was purely curiosity—I wasn’t looking to learn anything from his work.
“I’m only curious about what kind of work it is, that’s all.”
“Well, I suppose I can tell you. It’s about processing stones mined from around here. I also work with gemstones, but mostly I focus on mana stones.”
I always had the impression he did more physical labor, but it turns out his work involves detailed craftsmanship.
I can kind of understand gemstones, but mana stones?
They obviously don’t exist in the world I came from, but apparently, they need to be processed for use.
“What happens when you process mana stones?”
“The flow of mana improves. Whether you’re imbuing mana into them or extracting it, processing them helps reduce unnecessary energy loss.”
I see… In that case, Karl’s work seems pretty important.
Mana is likely a vital resource and energy source in this world, and mana stones must be just as crucial.
If his job is directly tied to that, it’s no small matter.
“Getting interested, are you? I wouldn’t mind teaching you a thing or two if you’ve got some free time.”
“No, I couldn’t… And besides, isn’t it the kind of skill you shouldn’t just teach anyone?”
“It’s fine. Who knows how long I’ll be stuck working here anyway? Besides, the other dwarves aren’t interested in this type of work.”
“Is it because making equipment is more popular?”
“Pretty much. It’s not that they look down on my work, but when it comes to what they want to do, it’s a different story.”
So it’s not the kind of job that just any dwarf can do, then.
“What happens to the mana stones after you finish processing them?”
“They’re offered to the Demon King. …Having helped the demons like this, it’s clear I’ll never make it to the Kingdom of God.”
“The Kingdom of God…?”
I asked, unfamiliar with the term, and Karl gave a knowing nod.
“Oh, right… You’re a reincarnator.”
“Yes, we even met the goddess, but does that have anything to do with this?”
“So you’ve met the goddess too… Then you must know how demons are treated in this world.”
How demons are treated… If I remember correctly, they were described as a race meant to help us level up.
Killing monsters and demons helps us gain levels.
Demons, being more intelligent, grant more experience points.
That’s why we were told to kill them without hesitation by the goddess.
Still…
Even monsters are dangerous foes if we’re careless.
And demons, who are likely even harder to deal with, aren’t something we can easily confront.
Some people, empowered by the goddess’s blessings, eagerly went out to fight demons, but we didn’t have that kind of resolve.
And I think that was the right choice.
Having met the Demon King and his aides, there’s no way we could take on someone like that.
“You seem deep in thought. Did I say something too complicated?”
“No, I was just reflecting on the current situation.”
At that moment, I thought of Kunimatsu.
I’d thought he was being reckless just to show off, but was he seriously planning to take on the Demon King?
If so, then of course he had to push himself—it would take that much just to stand a chance against such a powerful foe.
Maybe he wasn’t just acting on a whim. Perhaps he was genuinely determined to challenge the Demon King.
“Did I… do something wrong?”
“You all right there?”
“Yes, I just felt a bit of guilt, but I’m fine.”
Karl gave me a puzzled look but returned to the topic at hand.
“Demons are considered an accursed, defiled race. We’re not supposed to befriend them; we’re supposed to destroy them. If you break that rule, your soul won’t be welcomed into the Kingdom of God after death—you’ll be turned into a demon yourself.”
“And the goddess conveyed this?”
“It’s not just an old legend. Every few decades, it’s directly passed down. It’s an undeniable fact.”
I thought it might be a religious belief, but it seems there’s solid evidence behind it.
If the goddess herself says it, it must be true.
Which means…
“We’ve been helping the demons, so we’d be considered friendly toward them, right?”
“That’s why I’ve given up. Some people might have chosen to die instead, but I didn’t have the courage for that.”
And who could blame him?
How many people could willingly face death, even for the sake of the afterlife?
But if what Karl says is true, then Arata, Tomoka, and I may already have no chance of returning to the Kingdom of God.
“Well, let’s focus on contributing to the Demon King and improving our lives while we’re still alive.”
“Right… I’ll do what I can to help.”
And so, we continued to offer processed mana stones to the Demon King.
“Hmm, you really don’t know until you ask.”
The demons seem to be an even more cursed existence in this world than I thought.
I happened to overhear the conversation between Kazama and Karl while I was with Pilkaya, and I learned more than I expected.
“It’s depressing, isn’t it? We’re the race abandoned by the goddess.”
“Wait, Pilkaya, you knew about this?”
“Of course, I’m a demon.”
… I should have asked earlier.
I’d just assumed demons were hated because they’re the enemies in this world, like in games.
“But aren’t you a spirit? You weren’t originally a demon, were you?”
“I became one because I was friendly toward demons. If the goddess abandoned us anyway, why not just become a demon a little earlier?”
So that’s the kind of character she is.
She was originally on the human side but grew disillusioned with the goddess and joined Fiona’s side.
Perhaps there’s a future where Pilkaya could have been an enemy.
“I’ve noticed some people are really reluctant to help demons. I guess that means their faith is stronger.”
“Probably. Worrying more about the afterlife than the present? What fools.”
“Then again, Pilkaya, you’ve already died once.”
If you can come back to life, do you really need to worry about the afterlife?
Or are Pilkaya and her kind special, while other races just head to the afterlife unless revived with a potion?
“Actually, twice.”
“Twice?”
“Heroes are strong, aren’t they? We can hardly stand a chance. But things have changed.”
Apparently, Pilkaya has been killed twice.
And from her words, it seems both times were by heroes.
… If that’s the case, then the heroes are likely well-versed in fighting her.
“If reincarnators are our allies, then we won’t just sit back and let ourselves be defeated.”
“Ugh… Don’t put such expectations on me. I can’t handle that.”
“Haha, I’m counting on you~. After all, we can finally graduate from being the ones who always get beaten.”
This is such a heavy burden… Should I just dump everything on Fiona-sama?
“Speaking of which, it’s about time those magic stones were offered to Fiona-sama. Will this increase the number of treasure box rolls we can do?”
“Even if it does, you shouldn’t get your hopes up too much. Besides, even if the number goes up, well…”
“It’s Fiona-sama, after all.”
As we talked about that, the person in question came bouncing in, looking delighted. Pilkaya seemed slightly flustered, worried that our earlier conversation had been overheard, but from Fiona-sama’s demeanor, it seemed she hadn’t.
“Look, Rey! Pilkaya! So many magic stones have arrived!”
“Congratulations~!”
“That’s great news.”
“With the magic I can replenish from these stones, I should finally be able to draw a revival potion for the first time in ages.”
Saying this, she began pouring magic into a treasure box. It seemed she was running low on magic, as she infused power from the magic stone she was holding to supplement her energy.
… She’s supplementing her energy, huh.
… Is it really helping, though?
“Well, it might help, but only to about my level of magic capacity.”
“Ugh…”
“Ugh? Even if you complain, it’s impossible for magic stones to make up for Fiona-sama’s absurd amount of magic.”
“Did you just call me absurd?”
“So basically, it’s about the same effectiveness as Primilla -brand magic recovery potions, right?”
That won’t be enough to fully restore Fiona-sama’s magic. Pilkaya must have known this from the start, which is why she hadn’t expected much in the first place.
“Let’s just spin it. Rey, open the box.”
“Spin it…? Well, fine.”
Still, Fiona-sama had enough magic for a single pull, so at her insistence, I opened the treasure box.
“Oh, equipment. That’s rare.”
What came out was a small, black, shining ring.
“Oh, the Ring of Shadows, huh?”
“…Yeah, it is.”
Both of them seemed to know about this ring. Does that mean it’s a fairly well-known piece of equipment?
“What does it do?”
“Hmm… Let’s see. Yes. It makes the wearer harder to detect by enemies.”
“I see… Then wouldn’t it be perfect for Pilkaya to wear, so she doesn’t get spotted by accident when blending into the fray?”
“I don’t want it~.”
Rejected. Still, wouldn’t it be useful against someone like Kunimatsu, who has appraisal abilities?
“It can’t be equipped on clones. Well, it’s not impossible, but in the end, only one—my main body or a single clone—can wear it.”
“Ah, I see…”
If that’s the case, it doesn’t seem to pair well with Pilkaya, who works by creating multiple clones. Still, the idea of one hidden clone mixed into the group seems interesting…
“Th-then Rey should wear it!”
“Why are you so insistent… Well, I guess it’s true that such equipment would be valuable for a fragile demon like me.”
“Then it’s decided! Also, sorry, Pilkaya!”
“It’s fine. I’m strong, and I meant what I said earlier.”
The two of them made the decision on their own. Fiona-sama slid the ring onto my finger, so I guess that makes it officially mine.
… But the left ring finger, huh. Well, it’s probably just a coincidence. She’s the Demon King, after all, and probably doesn’t know about the cultural significance here.
The Ring of Shadows
The ring reacts to hostility and conceals the wearer’s presence.
Rings that shine with the light of gods are considered ill-omened.
For us demons, rings like this one, embodying the darkness of the Demon King, are far more fitting.
This jet-black ring symbolizes those of the demonic lineage and has been used in marriage ceremonies among demonic nobility and royalty since ancient times.
