Inside a beautifully maintained guest room within the Adventurer Guild building in the Sinfonia Royal Capital, I was speaking with the Guild Master, Shion—also known as Catastro.
Our conversation revolved around the specialized brushes I’d recently discovered. Since I had heard that Catastro also possessed a true form different from her current one, I decided to introduce the items to her just in case.
In her case, however, I didn't get the impression that she was a Beastman-type Demon.
"I see. This is certainly a marvelous item. I also pay close attention to my magic power penetration rate every day to polish my own beauty."
"...Um, I heard that magic power penetration doesn't really matter much for ordinary Demons or Humans. Does that mean you are classified as a Beastman-type Demon, Shion?"
"No, in my case, I fall under the category of a Magic Beast-type Demon. We are perhaps most similar to the Dragon Species. Because the Dragon Species are so numerous, they are usually grouped together, but ecologically speaking, it wouldn't be incorrect to call them Magic Beast-type Demons as well. We possess a distinct, original form and typically spend our time in a humanized form. Yes... while I loathe to acknowledge my original form as my true self, if one were to classify me, I am a Magic Beast-type Demon."
"Ah, I see. So Demons who have a separate original form are called Magic Beast-type Demons. Are there quite a lot of you?"
Now that she mentioned it, Beastman-type Demons were literally just that—humanoids with beast-like features. However, the Dragon Species, much like Flare, switched between their original draconic shapes and their humanized forms.
It was only natural that other Demons like that existed, so it wasn't surprising they had a specific categorical name.
"There are a fair number of us. However, many Magic Beast-type Demons have quite large original forms. Since most cities have a body size restriction, you likely won't see them within town very often."
"...Now that you mention it, I don't really see clearly massive Demons like Megiddo-san around."
"Individual shops vary depending on the owner's rules, but most cities essentially have regulations stating that one must either shrink their body to a size under three meters or use humanization magic."
"Ah, so that's why even Megiddo-san usually stays humanized when he visits the city."
"It is unavoidable. If a size is too great, it can obstruct traffic or result in unintentional property damage. Such restrictions are necessary for various races to coexist."
That made perfect sense. For instance, if several Demons the size of Megiddo-san—over ten meters tall—were walking down the Main Street, the flow of people would be thrown into absolute chaos, and they would likely spill over into the carriage roads.
I didn't think Megiddo-san was the type to worry about such things himself, but Kuro probably kept him on a short leash regarding those rules.
"Among your acquaintances, Miyama-sama, the Special Individuals of the Black Wolf Race and the Ogre Race under the Underworld King are Magic Beast-type Demons."
"Ah, that’s right. Eva is originally a giant wolf. Acht is also quite big in his true form. I see... Then there might be a demand for these brushes among people like them, too."
"Indeed. If you wish, Miyama-sama, shall I promote them to the Magic Beast-type community on my end?"
"Wait, is there an actual community for that?"
"Yes. Since Magic Beast-type Demons have many factors to keep in mind, such as the body size restrictions I mentioned, we have a network to share information and cooperate on things like humanization magic instruction. I can contact the representatives of various species immediately."
"Oh, then by all means, I’d appreciate it if you could give them a light promotion."
"Understood. Please leave it to me."
If there was demand beyond the Dragon Species and Beastman-type Demons, it was probably for the best to have them advertised. When I gave my answer, Catastro bowed respectfully.
Once I finished my talk with Catastro and returned home, Anima brought me a letter that had arrived via Emergency Express Mail. I took it to my room to look it over. The Emergency Express Mail was a remarkably fast service that arrived almost the same day it was sent, though the cost of a single letter was quite high.
I wondered who it was from, and when I checked, I saw it was from Cornelia-san. The letter contained her thanks for the promotion of the specialized brushes and... a polite request stating that since they had already received more than enough orders, I didn't need to advertise them any further.
I had already finished telling everyone I could think of anyway, so I hadn't planned on any more promotion. I couldn't read her emotions through the letter since Sympathy Magic didn't work on text, but for the time being, it seemed like she was happy about the surge in orders. I was glad I could be of at least some help.
While I was thinking about that, Alice suddenly appeared in my room and wordlessly handed me a wine glass. I tilted my head, puzzled, but accepted it.
Alice then poured wine into my glass and another she had presumably prepared for herself, then lightly clinked her glass against mine.
"Cheers! Man, this wine is delicious."
"U-Um? Why wine all of a sudden?"
"Well, I happened to get my hands on some high-quality wine, so I thought I'd share a drink with you, Kaito-san. Oh, and I’ve got some cheese and other snacks to go with it."
"That was out of nowhere... but I don't have any more plans for today, so I don't mind. Yeah, this really is a great wine."
I didn't quite follow her reasoning, but it seemed she wanted us to drink together. I decided to indulge her, sitting on the sofa and enjoying the wine with Alice.
Serious-senpai: "This guy is unbelievable. He managed to expand the casualties even further after that lineup from before... And then there’s that fatal flaw where Sympathy Magic won't convey emotions through a letter..."
???: "Judging by Miyama's state of mind after reading it, his takeaway was: 'Cornelia-san seems happy, so it’s all good!'"
Serious-senpai: "It’s not 'all good' at all!"