Translator: SupreTentacle
Editing: Joker
“Hmmm…” I propped my face up with one of the arms I had resting on my knees as I frowned. I was seated upon the throne, which I’d slowly beco accustod to.
“What is the matter?” Lefi asked. “You appear awfully focused for a man staring off into the void.”
The dragon girl stopped poking Shii to give a dubious stare. She’d been complinting the sli just a minute prior; she ntioned that she found it surprisingly adorable. Despite living for over a thousand years, today was the first she’d ever interacted with a sli.
“It’s nothing spe—Wait, did you just say the void?”
Can she not see the nu?
“Indeed. It appears as if you are flying off into the distance in a manner akin to that of a fool. The only conclusion I can possibly draw is that you are gazing upon your status, as I do recall you ntioning that you had the analyze skill,” said Lefi. She nodded as she spoke, as if coming to so sort of understanding.
“You make it sound like you have it too.”
“I do. It is quite the convenient skill. Leveling it has allowed to fully comprehend everything I had ever needed regardless of the circumstance. I’m sure it would serve you the sa. It is unfortunate that there have only ever been a re handful of individuals that have co to understand its value. Very few have ever fully leveled the skill.”
“Wait, did you not know I was a demon lord until after you entered the dungeon? Wouldn’t analyze have let you figure that out earlier?”
“You are correct,” said Lefi with a nod. “But that is only because I chose not to activate the skill. I assud you to be just another weak and worthless demon that thoughtlessly invaded my territory. I would have realized that you were more than that when you offered to strike a deal, but I was unable. My thoughts had all been swept away by the sweet scent and flavour of the chocolate you presented . I had not the chance to give a second thought to your identity.”
“I see.”
“Speaking of chocolate, I would like so.”
“You’re going to get cavities if you eat that much chocolate.”
“What are you saying? I am an ancient dragon. Abnormal status conditions do not affect ,” said Lefi, as if she were stating the most obvious thing in the world.
Wait, so cavities are treated like status effects?
I opened the catalogue, purchased a bag of sweets, and chucked in Lefi’s general direction.
“Hmmm? What are these?” Lefi raised one of her brows in confusion.
“Cookies.”
“How interesting.” The Supre Dragon opened the bag and popped one of the sweet treats into her mouth. “Mmmrrpphh! How delectable!”
That “Mmmrrphh” though.
“Relocating was a splendid choice. The food here is delicious and the bedding is comfortable. I knew not that living in a human form was this convenient and comfortable.”
Seeing the childish, happy expression that appeared on Lefi’s face as she munched through the cookies I presented her caused a wry smile to show on my own.
Whew. I’m glad she likes the cookies. A full bag of cookies is cheaper than a bar of chocolate and contains a whole bunch more stuff. It’s much more cost efficient.
“So I take it you are contemplating your stats?”
“Yeah. I was just thinking that I kinda want to learn how to use magic. Magic’s my highest stat, so I’d imagine I’d probably be able to cast stuff if I figured out how.”
One of the biggest factors that contributed to my desire to cast magic was the grueso scene that followed the Cerberus’ death. Though my physical stats seed sowhat decent, I couldn’t see myself making use of them. I had spent my past life living in peace; I wasn’t exactly all that keen on blood or gore. More importantly, though I had sohow managed to defeat the three headed wolf, I highly doubted that I would continue to succeed. Monsters far more powerful than the Cerberus were bound to exist, and I highly doubted I would be able to win against them with my physical prowess alone. Likewise, I was fairly certain I would find myself defeated if I attempted to engage a mber of the races in physical combat—there was no way a random civilian would find themselves in the midst of a dungeon. The only ones that would challenge were experienced warriors with much greater mastery over the martial arts than I.
I had to get stronger. So claid that there was no need for a demon lord, or any other sort of ruler, to train and beco more powerful. They vouched that training was akin to throwing away one’s pride. But as far as I was concerned, every mber of the aforentioned group was an idiot that had sealed his downfall in stone. And it was for that reason that I intentionally chose not to rely on the Supre Dragon. I understood that growing dependent on her would one day co back to bite in the ass.
Given this world’s harsh nature, there was no reason not to grow more powerful. My magic stat was my highest, and the world I’d been reincarnated in was one filled with magical energy, so I saw no reason not to learn the art of magecraft.
That was, of course, but one school of thought. It was equally valid for to focus my energies on summoning powerful monsters capable of crushing my foes with ease. But I didn’t. To be honest, there wasn’t any real logic governing my choice. The only reason I’d chosen magic over the monster-based route was because I wanted to use it. That was all.
The only problem was that I lacked the technical know-how. I had absolutely no idea how I was supposed to even begin to cast a spell. I tried firing off a kaham*ha[1] and even tried to stop ti by screaming “the w*rld[2],” but neither approach yielded any results—not that I was expecting them to. Both attempts had just been for kicks. But all jokes aside, the kick I perford netted the martial arts skill, so I figured that doing sothing along the lines of casting a spell would net a skill centered around magic.
The problem is that I don’t even know what magical energy really is.
At first, I thought that I would be able to just feel the mana inside of in the sa manner that I’d sohow managed to feel the dungeon’s mana, but I couldn’t quite get it to work. I tried concentrating and even ditating, but all my attempts had ended in failure. A part of suspected that I’d only proven unsuccessful because Lefi’s joyful, entertained cries had distracted and prevented from truly focusing, but that didn’t quite seem to be it. I believed that it was more likely that I just didn’t have the right kind of approach.
“That is true. Your magic stat does appear to be above average,” said Lefi. “Oh? Your level increased? I assu you defeated a monster or two while I was asleep?”
“Yeah. Oh right, that reminds . I’ve been aning to ask you for future reference, but how are my stats?”
“Of course, monsters have different specializations, so it is difficult to provide you a aningful comparison. I can, however, affirm that all of your individual stats are at least average when compared to the monsters that have made the surrounding area into their territory. Naturally, there are still many far more powerful than you. For example, your stats fail to reach even a single percent of my own.”
Less than 1%!? Holy sh*t, dude, that’s insane!
Lefi tossed the last cookie into her mouth as I contemplated the sheer extent of her strength. Her expression made it clear that her thoughts failed to align with my own. All she cared about was that there were no longer any cookies for her to snack on; she was wearing a clear expression of disappointnt.
“Of course, I mind not teaching you the magical arts.” She shot a few glances at as her face lit up with expectation. “But only if you are willing to pay the pri—”
I cut her off by chucking a second bag of cookies straight at her. I didn’t bother saying a word. I could tell from the look in her eyes alone that the bag of sweets I offered her was more than enough to cover my tuition.
“I see that you understand my terms. Very well, I shall make you this century’s most powerful mage!”
Tis like this, I really have to appreciate just how easily she’s swayed by her stomach.
[1] The Kahaha from Dragon Ball. If you don’t know this, I would be surprised. (Joker)
[2] The World Stand from Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure. Might not know this one. Very weird ani. (Joker)
[2.5] How can you not know Jojo!? (ST)
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