Let’s unravel one of the world’s many injustices.
I had just tasted one of the most intense public humiliations of my life. I’ll state this upfront because it’s important: I have absolutely no interest or inclination toward finding pleasure in such displays.
Despite my preferences, I had just suffered a level of mental trauma on a busy thoroughfare in the middle of the afternoon that could only be described as a public execution. To make matters worse, there was a terrible disparity at play.
Kuro currently had two types of magic active—Information Concealment and Recognition Inhibition. Unless someone spoke to her directly, those around us wouldn't realize she was the Underworld King. While this was a necessary measure to prevent crowds from swarming a world-renowned figure while we were out together, it resulted in an explosive amplification of the damage dealt to my reputation.
Because the people around us perceived Kuro as a perfectly ordinary girl, her presence became a massive negative factor for me. From their perspective, I was a man in his twenties sharing a Seal Fruit with a young girl barely 140 centimeters tall on a crowded street like a couple. To put it bluntly, I was being branded as a lolicon by every passerby.
"Kaito-kun? What's wrong?"
"I was just... thinking about how I’m going to walk through this city from now on."
"Hmm?"
Kuro tilted her head curiously while still holding my hand. I answered her as my shoulders slumped in defeat. If we were just holding hands, I might have been able to pass as her older brother. No, wait. Come to think of it, hadn't I heard that the marriageable age in this country was quite low? If that were the case, maybe the scene we just made wasn't actually that strange. Putting aside my own mental trauma, I might actually be safe in the eyes of society.
As I walked along lost in these thoughts, I noticed the atmosphere around us shifting. The number of large restaurants decreased, replaced by a cluster of smaller shops and stalls.
"The mood changed a bit, didn't it?"
"Yeah. There are a lot of shops around here that sell individually crafted magic tools."
"Individually crafted?"
"Most of the daily life magic tools in circulation are made by the merchant guilds," Kuro explained. "But anyone can make a magic tool if they have a magic crystal. While guild-made tools are usually focused on cost-efficiency, individual ones are often one-of-a-kind. There are lots of rare finds here; you might even find a real treasure."
"Heh, that sounds interesting."
In this world, magic tools were indispensable. From the tools that provided light and water to those used to start fires, I’d had many opportunities to use them at Lilia-san’s mansion. In a sense, they filled the same role as mechanical appliances in my own world, though some possessed performance far exceeding anything I’d ever seen back home.
For instance, the room Lilia-san had assigned to me was equipped with a magic tool that adjusted the temperature. With a single touch, the room could become warm or cool in an instant. It was like a vastly superior version of an air conditioner, and I found myself wishing such things existed in my original world.
Knowing that this area sold tools with even more specialized effects made me feel a simple sense of excitement. There were stalls where spheres of water drifted through the air and others where localized, miniature cyclones swirled. I was captivated by these fantasy-like sights, but my eyes were suddenly drawn to a specific sign.
"A teleportation magic tool? Um, excuse me, what kind of tool is this?"
"Oh, you’ve got a good eye, customer!" the shopkeeper chirped. "This magic tool is a masterpiece. You can record several locations and travel to them in an instant."
"That’s amazing. Can it move you to distant places?"
"Of course! It can't cross over from the Human Realm to the Demon Realm or the God Realm, obviously, but travel within the Human Realm is a piece of cake. Better yet, this baby is reusable. With this, you can travel to your heart's content."
The shopkeeper explained the product with a smooth, practiced tone. Apparently, this was a tool for warping. Since it required recording locations, I’d likely have to visit a place once before I could warp there, but it still sounded like an incredible item. I honestly wanted it. Being able to teleport would make sightseeing in this world incredibly convenient.
However, an item that powerful had to be expensive.
"By the way, how much is it?"
"A special price just for today! It’s yours for 30,000R!"
"30,000R, huh..."
"..."
It was expensive. That translated to roughly three million yen—more than half the money Lilia-san had given me. But considering it allowed for unlimited teleportation, maybe it was actually a bargain? I didn't see myself spending all 50,000R anyway, so I was seriously considering the purchase.
"Um, so this is—"
"Stop, Kaito-kun."
"Eh?"
I was just about to ask for more details when Kuro spoke up. She took one look at the tool and then addressed the man.
"Even a single-use disposable tool costs 10,000R. Why is a reusable teleportation tool only 30,000R?"
"What are you... wait, ah... U-U-Underworld King!?"
The shopkeeper's face twisted in shock. It seemed that since she hadn't spoken until now, he hadn't realized who she was.
"A magic tool with that much utility should cost at least 500,000R. I’d expect it to be worth more than five platinum coins. It's awfully cheap, isn't it?"
"Ah, t-t-that is, well..."
The shopkeeper was visibly flustered, his face turning a sickly shade of pale. I could more or less read the situation now. This tool had to have some sort of defect; I had almost been scammed. Wait, so a real teleportation tool costs over fifty million yen?
"This magic crystal... its purity is only about thirty percent, right?" Kuro continued. "The magic formula is sloppy, too. With this, you’d be lucky to move from one side of a town to the other. Besides, with a low-purity crystal of this size, it would take half a month to recharge after a single use, wouldn't it?"
"Um, well..."
"Kuro? What exactly is purity?" I asked.
"The higher the purity of a magic crystal, the more magic power it can store, and the more efficient it is at drawing power from the air. That’s why high-purity crystals are so expensive."
"So, basically, this crystal is a cheap one?"
"Yeah. And it's quite small. Teleportation magic requires more power the further you travel. For a tool that can move you from country to country, you’d need a purity of at least eighty percent and a crystal about three times this size."
I see. The shopkeeper had been very careful not to mention travel distance or recharge times. In other words, this tool could only teleport a few kilometers, and once used, it would take over two weeks to function again unless the owner possessed enough magic power to refill it themselves. He’d said travel was a "piece of cake" and it was "reusable," but he’d conveniently left out the specifics. If Kuro hadn't been here, I would have been the perfect sucker.
"So? This boy is a very important friend of mine..."
"I AM TERRIBLY SORRY!"
The shopkeeper, now drenched in a cold sweat, dropped into a desperate prostration at Kuro’s words. It was almost pitiful. He had tried to trick me, but while his phrasing was deceptive, he hadn't technically lied. It was a fine line between a clever sales pitch and an outright scam. If I had been fooled, it would have been partly due to my own carelessness for not checking the details.
Considering he had been caught by someone as terrifying as the Underworld King, I didn't really feel like pressing him further. He was already on the verge of tears.
"Kaito-kun, what should we do? Should I give him a proper scolding?"
"Hieee!"
"No, it’s fine. I didn't actually lose any money, and he apologized."
"Well, if you say so. But if I see you doing the same thing again... I’ll be very cross."
"Y-Y-Yes! I will never do it again!"
Feeling a twinge of sympathy for the man who was now sobbing into the pavement, I left the stall with Kuro and continued through the market. Thanks to her, I had avoided a loss, and it had been a good learning experience.
"Kuro, is the purity of a magic crystal something I can see for myself?"
"Hmm. Precise measurements are hard, but you can tell roughly. The higher the purity, the deeper the color becomes."
"I see."
So, more expensive crystals had darker colors. That meant the most valuable ones would be... black. Wait. I remembered the necklace Kuro had given me—the one with the detection magic. That crystal was pitch black. Was it actually an incredibly expensive item? Kuro had just casually handed something that valuable to me when we first met. Just how wealthy was she?
As I walked, realizing Kuro’s sheer scale in more ways than one, I suddenly felt an intense presence.
"What is this?"
"Hmm. Something’s coming."
Kuro felt it too. We stopped simultaneously and looked up at the sky. A moment later, a voice that sounded like a scream echoed through the street.
"Wyverns!"
The crowd immediately erupted into chaos. High above the Royal Capital, seven large shadows were circling. They were massive monsters with green scales and giant wings—a flock of wyverns.
"Why are there wyverns here?"
"Did the subjugation fail? That can't be!"
"Hurry, contact the knights!"
Shouts and screams rang out from all directions. This was an undeniable emergency. It seemed the strange sensation I’d felt was my sympathy magic detecting the approach of the beasts. But there was something strange about the intent I sensed from them. What I felt wasn't aggression, but... fear and desperation?
"Could they be fleeing from the subjugation force?" I wondered aloud.
"Hmm. I don't think the knights would engage them without setting up barrier magic first," Kuro replied calmly. "But seven is too small for a full flock. They’re likely survivors. Though, they might be running from something other than the subjugation force."
Despite the tension of the situation, Kuro remained composed. The beasts above were wounded animals; they could snap and attack at any moment. For now, they were circling as if searching for an escape, but if they descended all at once...
"K-Kuro..."
"Kaito-kun. Do you remember what I said earlier? About not getting involved in this country's troubles without a reason? That also means that if I have a reason, I will get involved."
Her voice was quiet and level, but I could feel something simmering beneath the surface. Was it... anger?
"I was really looking forward to this date with you..."
"Um, Kuro—Wait!"
As if she were done containing her irritation, Kuro snapped her fingers. A magic circle so massive it filled the entire sky suddenly appeared above us.
"I’ve been so excited for today. I even spent a long time getting dressed up... so... if you get in my way... I’m going to be mad."
In an instant, the sky was dyed solid black, as if someone had painted over the horizon with a single brushstroke. A heartbeat later, the darkness vanished, and the seven wyverns were gone. There wasn't even a trace of them left.
"..."
"There, all done! Come on, Kaito-kun, let’s keep going!"
"Um... Kuro-san? What exactly did you just do?"
"Hmm? They were ruining our date, so I cleaned them up with Space Annihilation Magic."
"I... I see."
Space Annihilation Magic? The name alone was terrifying. She didn't just chase them away; she erased them from existence. As expected of the Underworld King... she was on an entirely different level. It had been a crisis that threw the capital into a panic, and she had ended it with a snap of her fingers.
I actually felt a moment of pity for the wyverns. They had appeared for only a few seconds before being blinked out of reality. I never thought I’d live to see the day I felt sorry for a monster.
Dear Mother, Father—Wyverns appeared over the capital, and I thought the situation was about to turn into a disaster. But the Underworld King was just too strong.