Chapter 52

52 – Concerning the Last Defense and a Vampire’s Apron

Several minutes after Milla left my room, I head towards the washroom.

I could still feel the softness and warmth in my hand.

I washed my face to drive away the wicked thoughts.

When I pop my head into the living room, I could see the figure of Milla in the open kitchen.

Before I knew it, she had put on comfortable clothes and a white apron over them. Her long hair was held together by a scrunchie, forming a ponytail, spilling out behind her.

I think it has a somewhat wholesome beauty to it.

I do enjoy her usual suggestive approach, but if I was forced to pick, I’d have to go with her relaxed and natural figure.

「Anything I can help with?」

「Thank you, but I’m quite alright. Please just watch TV and wait.」

Even if you aren’t a Chef, you can still partake in cooking. Ultimately, you’ll only be as good as a homemade cook, and your growth will stop just short of being able to earn money with it.

Nonetheless, I don’t possess a delicate sense of taste and I think Milla is a good cook.

By the way, when I was studying under my master, I was supposed to make my own food but on the first day, my master scolded me saying「Stop, I’ll do it. At least I have some ability.」and I never had to cook.

Was I really that bad…?

The first time Milla offered to cook, she said「Us cooking together seems like a lovely idea」but two minutes later,「I want to treat you to a meal I made from start to finish, so please just wait in the living room.」and she drove me out of the kitchen.

Since then, she’s never let me help out.

Maybe I should try practicing secretly from now on.

While thinking that, I turn on the TV. It’s slim and the image is crystal clear. It’s miles apart from the box-shaped, staticky TV we had back in the countryside.

I tune in to the news channel and see some familiar Adventurers on the screen. More accurately, it was the Adventurer’s Dungeon Clear footage.

It was footage of the time Fenix and co. challenged the Demon King Castle’s tenth stratum.

It was aired just yesterday.

When Dungeon Clears are aired on TV, they are all basically made into a TV special.

One slot was prepared for every stratum in the Fenix party’s Demon King Castle Dungeon Clear which totaled to eleven programs. That definitely got them motivated.

The Clear of the Succubus Domain on the fifth stratum, where the Demon of Love Sitri works, was completed in the shortest time.

So it was broadcast together with the Clear of the sixth stratum, lead by the Ruler of the Waters Vepar.

Conversely, the Clear of the seventh stratum, the Domain of Sky and Trials governed by the Eloquent Thrush Lord Caim, took a long time and the broadcast was spread over two weeks.

This way, everything balanced out. From then on, it would continue with the usual one slot per stratum broadcast until the tenth stratum.

The actual Clear time was quite short, but with before and after interviews, extra scenes of the party training, and a look back on how they got here, they managed to fill the time slot.

Normally, such blatant stretching for time would incur displeasure from the viewers but since the Dungeon Clear footage and the result were so shocking, no one pointed it out.

Next week, it looks like they’re going to air a documentary on Fenix’s party.

They assumed that the Clear of the Demon King Castle was a longshot in the first place, so they prepared plenty of raw footage and alternate plans.

「Goodness, what a shocker.」

The Minotaur commentator, who is well-informed of the activities of Adventurers, begins to speak.

「The Flame Hero Mr.Fenix was never defeated in any of the officially unveiled Dungeon Clears until now, so it was truly shocking for the viewers.」

「It’s a real shame we couldn’t see the crucial bits. But y’know, I thought the cameras inside Dungeons were made to withstand Magical Energy? It’s not supposed to break even if you hit it directly with magic.」

Mr. Mino nodded to the words uttered by the famous Dwarf comedian.

「Yes, you’re right. They were all melted. Some cameras broke without displaying flames, It’s possible that these were broken by magic filled with highly dense and pure Magical Energy. I believe it was Spirit Magic.」

「The scene was crazy when they managed to get a camera in the Dungeon. There was nothing left! Just two people standing there. Man, I really want to know the details but I have to ask about that Dark Sorcerer guy. What was it? Lemegeton. That Demon King Army Chief of Staff, why didn’t that guy melt like the cameras…I shouldn’t say it like that, but I do wonder how he was able to withstand the flames?」

「It’s because he is a Majin. Majin’s horns can store Magical Energy and can enhance the quality of their Magical Energy much like how Spirit Magic can. With the same quality of Magical Energy as Spirit Magic, I believe he was able to protect his body.」

「Aha, I see. So that means Mr. Chief of Staff had stored up a huge amount of Magical Energy? But that means that he used up all of his reserves, right? So that means that the next person who comes along will have an advantage?」

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「You’re not wrong to think that, but I would like you to recall Mr. Lemegeton’s actions prior to the one-on-one fight with Mr. Fenix. If you exclude the way he used Mr. Alba’s attack against him, he skilfully commanded his subordinates to defeat his enemies, allowed them to have a one-on-one fight with Mr. Fenix, and then finally he began to take action.」

「Right. Up until the halfway point, he was fighting smartly, and he seemed to use his subordinates well but then the plan became all about Fenix. It seemed like the plan had changed.」

「Indeed. In fact, the Watchdog of Hell Mr. Naberius, and the Chief of the Werewolves Mr. Marchosias clearly mentioned how they were permitted to have a one-on-one fight with Mr. Fenix. The Spirit Commanding General Mr. Kimaris requested for the Frost Hero Ms. Bella’s Avatar and his subordinate, The Black Wound Hunter Ms. Leraje, displayed her fixation for the Hunter Ms. Lily.」

「Ah, now that you mention it… So you mean Mr. Chief of Staff was considering the feelings of his subordinates when planning his strategy? Is that why the plan became pretty inefficient halfway through?」

「I believe so. Perhaps he had the intention of forcing Mr. Fenix to use up his Magical Energy but even so, there are surely more effective ways of doing that. Judging from what we saw of Mr. Lemegeton’s abilities from the footage, it’s only natural that he would think that too.」

「So in other words, he allowed those that felt frustrated about being defeated by Fenix in one blow, and those with some connection or interest in a party member to do as they please, then he fought Fenix by using his own horn? And if another Adventurer were to come by, he’d finish them off with a plan that doesn’t rely on his horn?」

「Even in that case, the orders he gives to his subordinates would change depending on how the Adventurers got to the tenth stratum, and if his horn doesn’t have enough Magical Energy, he will most likely form a surefire plan with that in mind. Judging from what I saw, he seems like he possesses a genuinely high-performance Magical Energy Organ.」

「Summoning five Monsters in one go, right? Was that using the Magical Energy from the horn?」

「I don’t think so. Fenix and co., or rather, Mr. Fenix himself, only sensed the summoning after it was completed, yes? If the horn was used, he would have been shocked at the response from the first summoning.」

「I see, so even his own Magical Energy is amazing. Just who is this guy? To be able to seriously win against a wielder of one of the Four Great Spirits. Since he only has one horn, could he be the Demon King from two generations ago or something?」

「His physique and fighting style are different, and to think that man would return is quite… It’s possible that the real person has two horns, but chose to hide it by having his Avatar only have one horn. Although I am uncertain as to why he would do that.」

「He said he was the Dark Sorcerer so I expected something like a Black Sorcerer, but he was able to dodge the Magic Sword and use it against them and also defeat Fenix with a punch! He’s all over the place! Not to mention people are gonna complain that summoning a bunch of Floor Bosses is unfair.」

「There will certainly be people with that opinion, but the cost on the summoner is, allow me to put it simply, high depending on how strong the Contract is. Practically, a summoner would normally summon just one strong subordinate or many weak ones. To summon five Floor Boss equivalent Monsters at once is nothing short of amazing.」

「So that’s how it is… Well, I suppose there are people who think Spirit-wielding Heroes are unfair as well.」

「Certainly. What’s important is how one uses one’s own power. And on that, Mr. Lemegeton used his splendidly.」

「That’s some high praise. On the other hand, what about the Fenix party? It was around the fifth stratum, yeah? After the Black Sorcerer left their party, it’s like they hit a bump in the road.」

「Honestly, Fenix and co. have been gathering harsh opinions. Aside from the two Heroes, the other three haven’t been doing well ever since the fifth stratum.」

「I thought they improved a little until…uh, what stratum was it again?」

「The seventh stratum perhaps? It was plain to see on the eighth stratum and beyond, that they have not improved」

Other people started chiming in and the topic shifted to Fenix and co.

「He’s a good commentator. Let’s remember him if we ever need him.」

Said Milla in a good mood as she carried breakfast over to me.

「Gosh, I’m so embarrassed, getting all this praise…」

「They are justified evaluations. Although I wish society acknowledged Lem rather than just Lord Lemegeton.」

「Hmm, that’s gonna be tough.」

Working as a Monster while also being an Adventurer will be quite difficult.

A Monster’s job is to lie and wait while an Adventurer’s job is to go around the world.

You need to be in a party and Clear Dungeons in order to be an Adventurer, and I could barely do that in the first place.

Nobody would want an Adventurer who can only Clear Dungeons that are a day trip away from the Demon King Castle, not to mention a Black Sorcerer. Under those conditions, not even I would want that.

I just don’t see a future where the Black Sorcerer Lem is reevaluated in a straightforward manner.

「There must be a way…there must be.」

「I’m very happy that you put so much thought into that, but it’s fine. I have someone like you who notices me, and the people at the Demon King Castle who acknowledge me. I even have first-rate Adventurers like Fenix and Aerial who understand me. I can’t possibly hope for more than that right now.」

「You are too modest, Lem. It is fine to have a society altering ambition, you know? And I pledge my life to help you achieve such a thing.」

「Tha-thank you…」

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I can sense the essence of a fan who wants everyone to appreciate the good qualities of her favorite.

Her feelings are a little too strong, but it’s the thought that counts.

「Well, uhm…I guess I’ll dig in.」

「Please, bon appetit.」

I eat my breakfast while continuing to watch the news with Milla.