Chapter 30 - An Outrageous Being

After Kuro hugged me for a while, I started my practice in using the established practice of magic, even though I’m still embarrassed.

Though I said that, I still haven’t even been able to feel my own magic power yet, so I was still at the level where I’m trying to remember how to sense magic power, moving around clad in Kuro’s magic power which has been adjusted so I can see it.

[……Hmmm. At this pace, I think you would take 3 more days before you’re able to produce your own magic power, Kaito-kun.]

[Ohh…… Wait, didn’t you say that if you’re talented, you would be able to do it only after a day?]

I don’t know what exactly changed, but according to Kuro’s estimation, I’ll be able to use my own magic power in about three days.

If I’m not mistaken, Kuro said that it would take a day at the earliest and a month at the latest to use it. I started learning magic from Kuro the night after I arrived in this world, so this should be the fifth day of my practice.

So if I can use it in three days, that would be 8 days in total…… I guess that’s very average huh? No, I had an excellent instructor named Kuro and if it still took me eight days to use it, I guess I might be rather slow.

[No, I was talking about the situation where someone practices for a whole day. Kaito-kun only practices for about an hour a day, so I think your pace is pretty fast.

[Ohh, if Kuro says so, that gives me confidence then.]

[Ahaha, well, anyway, Kaito-kun will be able to use your magic power soon…… And with that, I brought a present for you today, Kaito-kun!]

[A present?]

[Unnn! You see, we had barbecue together yesterday, so the “Afexion” meter should have went up and that “ebent” has also just happened, that’s why I brought this present!]

[……What?]

Whoa there, I was being negligent and she started saying strange things again.

Seeing that I just tilted my head, Kuro sounds confident as she continued to speak with a smile on her face.

[Fufufu, I perfectly know about this, you know? I’ve heard about that culture from your world where you befriend people from other worlds called “tsudi”, and when you talk with them, the afexion increases, and when you accumulate enough of this afexion by eating with them or something like that, you’ll get a reward like a weapon or a convenient item!]

[………………]

……Where the heck should I start giving my tsukkomi!? Why the heck is Kuro’s knowledge of the other world so strangely inclined to one thing, or rather, what kind of route did she take that her knowledge is halfbaked like that!?

I think there were probably several things that were mixed in with the things she learned…… But seriously, who the heck taught you those things……

If she’s talking about 2-D and Affection, does that mean she had knowledge about Romance Games? No, but she said that you would get a reward after accumulating Affection, so it might also be an RPG game.

Or perhaps, her knowledge is a mixture of all sorts of games that she had learned. Rather, in the first place, she said that they’re another world of 2-D…… They recognize that the worlds have different sections like the Demon Realm and the God Realm so it might easier to explain it to them like so.

If she had asked about this from one of the people holding the role of Hero back then, I wonder how they explained it that they only have halfbaked knowledge of our world? After explaining that halfbaked knowledge of hers with a smug smile on her face, she looked kind of cute, but it’s somehow annoying.

As I was confused by Kuro’s bizarre knowledge of the other world, she pulled a book out of her coat and placed it in front of me.

[……A book?]

[Unnn. See, there was that book Kaito-kun was reading the other day called Introduction to Magic, right? After I saw Kaito-kun reading that before, I thought of making my own version.]

[W- Whoa…… This is really amazing……]

[Fufufu, I think this is quite well-written!]

The present that Kuro prepared for me is the Introduction to Magic that Lilia-san gave me…… that difficult book… And Kuro, who is well-versed in magic, seems to have rewritten it, taking into account my reaction to the book over the past few days and the differences between the magical culture between the humans and the demons.

Picking it up and flipping through a few pages, it’s definitely easier for me to understand it.

If you compare the Introduction to Magic that Lilia-san gave me to a reference book that’s used for exams, the Introduction to Magic that Kuro made for me was like a school textbook, it explains the basics very carefully in a way that it’s easy for me to understand, even as a beginner.

I mean, Kuro’s a high ranking demon after all, her knowledge of magic would be overwhelming compared to a human, it’s amazingly good that I think it’s on the level that it would better if this was to be used in a magic school as a reference book.

To be honest, after flipping through this, the Introduction to Magic I’ve been reading is so hard to read that it feels like it’s deliberately written to be difficult to understand.

I’m really grateful for this. I’m sure that I’ll be able to make progress with my studies in the future just by reading it in my free time.

[Thank you very much, Kuro. But, errr, I have one thing I need to discuss with you……]

[Unnn?]

[This book…… Can I show this to Kusunoki-san and Yuzuki-san…… Errr, the other children who came with me from another world…… Is it no good?]

Starting with my thanks to her, I continued by carefully choosing the words I want to speak.

This book is so easy to understand. That’s why I thought of Kusunoki-san and Yuzuki-san.

I’m blessed, to say the least. I’ve got the guidance of Kuro, which is in no way on a level that could be considered normal, so there’s a big difference between us in terms our circumstances.

I think that the two of them would want to use magic, but the original method of teaching magic for humans takes a few months, even for a talented person. On average, one would need to spend as long as a year to be able to use magic.

But in this book, Kuro taught me only two kinds of magic, and it explains in detail the differences between the so-called magic culture of the demons and the humans, and even how to handle magic power itself, so I think that if they were to use this book, they will also be able to use magic really fast.

However, if I were to show this book to the two of them, I think it’s only polite for me to also tell it to Lilia-san, who is currently teaching us magic.

In that case though, I would also have to tell her about how I’m being taught magic by Kuro—– and I would have to explain how Kuro comes in this residence every night. That’s also the reason why I’m hesitating.

According to Lilia-san and Lunamaria-san, Kuro has been using Information Concealment Magic on herself and she’s also usually only shows up when I’m alone, and when she invited me to barbecue, she also used the name of someone she knows to invite me.

That would mean that Kuro is hiding her identity and for this reason, I’ve never asked Kuro any question regarding her background and why I kept the fact that I was meeting with her a secret from Lilia-san and the others.

That’s why I was trying to indirectly consult her if it’s okay to tell Lilia-san and the others about Kuro, so to speak, and I was losing my bearings thinking of a way how to ask her about it.

I owe Lilia-san a very good debt of gratitude in this world…… However, even so…… If I had to choose between the two of them at this point in this…… I would give priority to Kuro. Although it’s only been a short time since we met, Kuro has become quite a big part of my life and I don’t want to do anything that is like I’m betraying her.

That’s why this isn’t a suggestion or a request, but a discussion instead…… If Kuro shows any signs of being uncomfortable about it……]

[I know that you’re hiding your background, Kuro, but if it’s possible—–]

[………..Eh?]

[………..Eh?]

Amid my nervousness, I turned to Kuro to convey my thoughts…… but I stopped talking when I saw the strange look on Kuro’s face as she was pulling out “several books that look the same as the book I had”.

Arehh? Her response is way different than I had expected.

[……Errr, Kuro? What’s that?]

[Eh? No, it’s just that I thought that if it’s Kaito-kun, you would say probably be saying something like that, so I also prepared several copies of the same book.]

[……Errr, there’s one thing I want to confirm but……]

[Unnn?]

[Are you hiding your background to the people around you, Kuro?]

[Eh? No, it’s not like I’m trying to hide it though?]

[……What?]

Arehh? The heck’s happening? For some reason, I feel like there’s some misunderstanding regarding the major premise right from the start.

I thought Kuro was using Information Concealment Magic to hide her identity because she didn’t want people to know about her and that’s why she was sneaking her way here…… Don’t tell me, am I mistaken?

[……Kuro, why are you using Information Concealment Magic?]

[Unnn? My hobby is eating out and since I was quite famous in the Human Realm, so I’m using it so that I won’t make a scene.]

[……Why is that you would always slip through the Detection Barrier to enter this residence?]

[Eh? It’s not that I didn’t think of just giving my name to normally enter, but writing a letter just to visit a Duchy is troublesome……]

[……Then, why is it that you sent that invitation for the barbecue under a different name?]

[Sending it under the name of a child who lives in the Human Realm makes the conversation smoother, right?]

[………..]

Umu, what she means is that. To sum it up…… She’s a bit famous in the Human Realm and she feels that making a scene is troublesome, so she uses Information Concealment Magic all the time. But it’s not like she’s really trying to hide her identity, and it’s perfectly fine for her to hand out these books to other kids and tell Lilia-san about it……

Then what was my concern and determination to consult her for!?

[Ahh~ Errr, Kaito-kun? If you want, do you want me to visit under my name and explain it to them?]

[……Unn. If you do that, it would be a great help. I mean, I wish you had done it from the beginning though……]

[Ah, Ahaha, sorry sorry. I wasn’t really interested in anyone here other than Kaito-kun, and I’ve also been thinking about it…… But decided on waiting for when you ask me about it~]

In the end, my shoulders dropped from getting worked up for nothing. After wrily smiling and apologizing to me, Kuro takes out a small message card from her coat, writes something on it, puts it in an envelope, and hands it over to me.

[Well then, I have a few things I need to get done tomorrow…… So I’ll come the day after tomorrow, so can give this letter to the homeowner?]

[Yeah, roger that.]

I received the envelope from Kuro, which apparently contains a letter requesting a quick visit.

How should I say this, I feel kind of tired, but in any case, I can now tell Lilia-san about Kuro.

I felt awkward hiding things from Lilia-san, who is actually a great help to me, and if I knew she would easily agree to it, I should have brought up this conversation earlier.

After the night passed, I quickly explained the situation to Lilia-san while we’re having breakfast.

I’m not sure how much of an effect the Information Concealment Magic has, but at the very least, it seems like she got the message that I’ve been meeting with a demon every night so far, and that the demon has told me that they want to officially come visit, to which, Lilia-san nodded as if she was somewhat convinced.

[I see, it’s true that a high-ranking demon would be able to slip through the Detection Barriers, so it’s not surprising that they have a connection with the Seditch Magic Tool Company.]

[It’s a company with a parent organization that came from the Demon Realm after all. Rather, the fact that you have become so close to a high-ranking demon that doesn’t normally have much contact with humans… I guess you could say that it’s to be expected from Miyama-sama.]

Lilia-san and Lunamaria-san’s reactions weren’t as bad as I expected, and in fact, it was good that they reacted favorably.

It seems that from the beginning, the two of them seemed to be aware of the possibility that the demon I encountered when I got lost was a high-ranking demon, and they didn’t want to get into a situation where they’re met with hostility.

And after listening to what I said, Lilia-san was relieved to find out that Kuro favors me and that she has the intention of antagonizing her and the others.

That also shows how outrageous the power of a high-ranking demon must be.

[However, with that high-ranking demon adding to the list, this shows how amazing Kaito-san’s ability to have connections with others can be. If it’s someone who often visits the Human Realm, I may have probably spoken to them before.]

[Yeah, she said that she was quite famous.]

[Fufufu, that kind of makes me nervous. Well, since there’s already that one incident with the Goddess of Time, I doubt that there’s anything that would……]

Rather than saying that she’s calm about the situation, I think it would be better to say that Lilia-san received the envelope from me with a somewhat resigned smile on her face. She then opened the envelope as she talked about the big event that is coming up for her with a distant look on her face, as if she’s escaping from reality, taking out the folded message card from inside the envelope, she opened it up—– and quickly closed it.

[…………..]

[My Lady?]

[……I must have seen it wrong…… Just now…… I must have…… I must have seen it wrong……]

[My Lady…… What exactly is happening……]

After closing the message card once again just after she opened it, Lilia-san started mumbling something, and both Lunamaria-san and us just tilted our heads, not understanding why.

Then, after taking a deep breath, Lilia-san opened the message card again—– and immediately afterwards, she struck the desk with her face.

[My Lady!?]

Lunamaria-san quickly rushed over to her, but Lilia-san didn’t react as she laid down on the desk, and after a few moments, she looked up while holding her head in her hands, but for some reason, her face was very blue.]

[……No more…… Kaito-kun’s friendly connections…… It’s scary……]

[Errr? My Lady? What exactly happened?]

After looking at me with trembling eyes filled with fear, she held out the folded message card with her trembling hand in front of Lunamaria-san, who has a worried look on her face.

[Alright, Luna. Please take a deep breath…… After you keep a strong grip on your heart, then open it.]

[H- Hahh…… I respectfully obey.]

Seeing Lilia-san who was pale and shivering on her seat which was quite unusual, with a dubious expression on her face, Lunamaria-san took a deep breath just as she was told and with a serious expression on her face, she opened the message card—– and a few seconds later, she collapsed on her knees.

[Luna!? Luna! Please get a hold of yourself!]

[…………..]

Lilia-san hurriedly calls out to her, but Lunamaria-san just looked stiff and dumbfounded with her eyes wide opened.

Seeing Lunamaria-san looking as if she fainted while kneeling there, Lilia-san senses that there wouldn’t be any response from Lunamaria-san and gave some instructions to another servant.

A few moments later, a flurry of servants arrived in the dining room, one after another in a hurry…… And if I’m not mistaken, the people who were supposed to be in charge of various departments gathered, and in front of me, who haven’t been able to keep up with the situation, the pale Lilia-san opened her mouth.

[Tell all hands at once! Tomorrow at noon, we’ll be receiving a very important guest!! Any kind of disrespect in her presence isn’t allowed!! Prepare our best possible hospitality. Also, “immediately send a fast horse” to convey my message! Overlook the cost of ingredients…… No, tell the King that to “send the royal palace’s ingredients, along with the chefs”!]

[Huh? M- My Lady…… What’s happening……]

I can understand why they’re like that just from hearing all these preposterous instructions she’s telling them. I mean, the servants also seem like they’re confused as if they don’t understand the situation.

And when one of the servants timidly asks, Lilia-san stops moving…… and with tears in her eyes, she spoke.

[……coming…… tomorrow……]

[……Eh?]

[As I said! Tomorrow noon!! “Underworld King-sama” is coming here tomorrow!!!]

[ [ [!?!?!? ] ] ]

Lilia-san’s voice that sounded like a scream echoed and vanished from the surroundings.

Dear Mom, Dad—– I became friends with a demon named Kuro when I came to this world. However, she was a being—– more outrageous than I had imagined.