“That looks tough.”
“If you understand, could you leave it for later?”
“No, no, I’m a customer too, you know.”
Rigma and Karmal are arguing.
Or rather, it’s just that Rigma is being treated coldly.
“You should learn from Magirema. She’s dealing with some outrageous customers.”
“…Magirema is kinda like Pilkaya, I think.”
“She doesn’t just like working; she also loves cooking. If we’re not careful, she has the potential to work harder than Pilkaya.”
“Even if we try to stop her, she’s so fast at her job… I wonder where her limits lie.”
Indeed, I had underestimated Magirema.
She prepares meals for the entire Demon King’s army, even makes bento boxes, and I thought that was already the limit of her work.
But her limits, as Karmal says, seem endless.
“She’s not pushing herself too hard, so there’s no need to worry…”
“Oh, Rey. Are you eating too?”
“Let me know when you’ve decided what to order.”
“Hey, why the difference in how you treat me…”
Ignoring Rigma, Karmal returned to work.
Is this how the main personality is treated?
“Seems like it’s tough for you.”
“Well, Karmal is the most normal one out of them.”
“There are other personalities, right?”
“Yeah, there’s a thug, a scaredy-cat, and a lethargic one.”
Not exactly great company…
“Why split your personality like that?”
“It’s not like I’m doing it on purpose. They just have such strong egos.”
“So they split on their own…”
“They do have their uses, though.”
If they’re managing well, there’s no need for us to interfere.
…Are they really managing well? Even Karmal, who said they were “better,” is like this.
“So, how’s the magic power balance going?”
In the end, I received the plates from Karmal after she properly delivered the order, and we continued our conversation while eating.
“It’s better than with the dwarves. The location everyone chose must have been good.”
“The Water Kingdom, Almasegisia. It’s a place where different races naturally gather for business. The mermaids, too, don’t discriminate against any race… except for demons.”
That’s something I’ve come to accept and not expect anything else…
As long as other races gather and the store thrives, that’s enough.
“Still, it’s surprising that just by creating a regular diner, we’ve surpassed the profits from the Dwarf Dungeon…”
“Isn’t that a good thing?”
“It is, but… we worked hard on setting up traps and other things in the Dwarf Dungeon, and now just making a simple facility gathers more magic power…”
“…I think the traps might have reduced the number of intruders.”
“What!? After all that effort!?”
“With you, Rey, your hard work turns into murderous intent…”
Seriously…
Even though I made sure the traps weren’t deadly, and I had Primilla supervise them to ensure they wouldn’t have overwhelming power due to combinations.
“I don’t know how to control my murderous intent…”
“You’re starting to resemble Lipianem.”
At that level? You’re saying I’m on the same level as that tragic monster?
“Well, for now, let’s just make sure we’re collecting magic power safely, without harming humanity.”
“Yeah… I’ll try to give a little more ‘sweetness’ to the ‘carrot and stick’ approach.”
“Also, try to tone down the ‘stick’ part…”
…Maybe I could try Griffins? Just adjust it a little, like one Griffin per room as a standard.
“Let’s take it easy. I’m not trying to wipe out humanity.”
“Maybe not…”
When it was just Fiona-sama and me, I was desperate to eliminate all the intruders.
But now that all the Four Heavenly Kings have been revived, I probably don’t need to go to such extremes to create dangerous dungeons.
…Also, with Fiona-sama here, we already have enough power, so maybe I should quietly focus on building dungeons.
“Got it.”
“Good to hear.”
“The Dwarf Dungeon was a useful hint.”
“Hm? Well, I guess so?”
“Basically, if people think it’s still under Fiona-sama’s control, it’ll only provoke humanity.”
“…Well, that’s true.”
“So, from now on, I’ll pretend it’s an abandoned dungeon and set up traps and monsters like that.”
That way, only those who are prepared to face the dangers of a dungeon will come.
If they know it’s dangerous but still want to fight monsters and search for treasure, even if the dungeon is risky, it won’t become a huge threat to humanity.
And if it’s an abandoned dungeon, even more so.
“…I feel like this is taking a weird turn, but… I guess it’s fine.”
“Alright, let’s start selecting monsters. Things are getting busy.”
“Make sure not to overdo it.”
◇
“Zino. You’re heading out again, aren’t you?”
As usual, it feels like I’m being watched… well, I guess I actually am being watched.
Anyway, she always approaches me at just the right moment.
Her long elf ears seem to work well, hearing everything.
“Yes, I was thinking of training my strength.”
Normally, that would be enough for her to accept.
Of course, it makes sense. If I did anything strange, they’d use the collar to send magic and I’d die, so they don’t worry about me betraying them.
“Are you going far?”
But this time, she’s asking more in-depth questions about my actions.
…Did I make a mistake?
“If I may have permission…”
“I see. By the way, do you know of the Water Kingdom?”
“Water Kingdom…”
That would be Almasegisia.
The main inhabitants are mermaids, but there are also large cities with giant ports, and many different races visit the country for trade.
The mermaids run a fishery, and other races sometimes come to purchase those products.
It’s also a popular tourist destination.
“Yes, it’s the country where other races gather for things like docking ships, resupplying, and trade.”
“You’ve done your homework.”
Actually, it’s from game knowledge.
I used to operate from Almasegisia quite a bit.
It’s a hub to various locations, and since people naturally gather there, information also tends to gather.
…The game flag management is so complicated that there’s no way to create a proper guide site for it.
It’s actually faster to gather information from Almasegisia than to rely on game guides.
“So, what about Almasegisia?”
“A restaurant.”
“…Huh?”
“Apparently, there’s a restaurant that’s been getting a lot of good reviews lately.”
…That’s news to me.
Well, right now, I’m focusing on gathering information from the Elf Kingdom and the Human Kingdom where Kunimatsu is, so I haven’t been getting any updates from Almasegisia.
“Apparently, they offer take-out as well.”
“I-I see…”
Could she really be so interested?
It’s unusual. Elves, with their long lifespans, didn’t typically care for food made by other races.
“You’re probably planning on going far for a long time, right? If so, could you bring me some as a souvenir?”
“…Is it okay if I go to ?”
“If you betray me, I’ll cut off your head. But by now, you should know to back off before you end up in a situation where you’re about to die.”
“Yes… I don’t want to die.”
“Then you’re fine. I’m counting on you. Our cute Zino.”
It seemed like the conversation was over. She said “cute” and “counting on you” while no longer showing any real interest in me.
I guess I’m just a useful tool to her, and I’m only cute when I act as she expects.
Well, that’s fine. Now that I’ve received permission, I’ll meet up with Kunimatsu and head to Almasegisia.
It’s the place where the most information gathers in the game. I’m looking forward to gathering information about other reincarnators or the current state of this world—things I haven’t been able to learn so far.
