Volume 6 Chapter 11 (1/2)
After having breakfast, I retreated back to my room and felt a little bit repentant. The reason for such is that I drank a bit too much the previous night.
After naming Duke, I partied with my monsters and drank the alcohol they brought. As a reward for their performance in the campaign to save Marcho, my monsters were given a considerably large bonus money. Due to that, they became somewhat generous in their spending which resulted to last night's drinking party.
That being said, we found the alcohol to still not be enough, so I used my own spending money and added more food and alcohol to the party.
”As expected, I really have no magic power, huh.”
No matter how I tried, I could not produce any magic power.
Duke was a Black Dragon of Death, a special S rank monster, so the cost for naming him was staggeringly high. And so, as a result of the strain put on whichever part of me that produced magic power by the cost, I became unable to recover magic power.
Saying that my magic power would return in a month's time—as per my initial estimate—was still too optimistic. My assumption as of the moment was that at best, it would take me two months to recover, and at worst, well, I had no idea.
”I messed up. I was too naïve on gauging Duke's strength.”
What Marcho once taught me before about naming was probably under the assumption that the monster to be named was an A rank monster. After all, normally, one would not consider a monster beyond A rank.
So, blaming Marcho for this miscalculation was just absurd. Rather, I should be thanking her.
Anyway, had I not drastically leveled up in the war against the humans and the war to save Marcho, I probably would have lost my life in naming Duke. Which got me wondering what more if it was Marcho I was going to name.
I do have one wish though.
As I was thinking of such things, I heard a knock.
”Enter”
”Master, your beloved Aura is here! To take care of whatever you want.”
With a bit of strange excitement in her, Aura the Ancient Elf entered the room. Could she still be drunk?
She looked somewhat more stylish than usual: her prized blond hair was glossy and her clothes were stimulating, giving emphasis to her chest.
”Aura, sorry to bother you before your work.”
”It's not a bother at all. It's the first time for master to say that the two of us are going to have something to talk behind closed doors, so I'm very much excited… or should I say, tensed”
Among my [Monsters of the Covenant], Aura was the only one that didn't refer to me as father.
I had once before confirmed why and it was because she looked at me differently from Kuina or Rorono.
Regardless though, I still looked at her as my daughter.
”What I meant when I said I wanted us to talk privately was that I didn't want the other monsters to know what we're going to talk about. Anyway, are you aware that a Demon Lord temporarily loses their magic power and their Demon Lord powers when they name monsters other than their [Monsters of the Covenant]?”
”Yes, you've taught us so. I believe it would take a Demon Lord somewhere between half a month and a full month to recover.”
”Yeah, that's what I thought, but apparently, Duke's far stronger than what I anticipated. As things are, my recovery will take longer than anticipated, if at all.”
Aura's face went pale.
It was bad enough for a Demon Lord to lose their strength temporarily, but for them to lose it forever, it was fatal.
”……then, why talk about it only to me?”
”When I ate a golden apple during breakfast, my body felt a tiny bit better. So, I was of the thought that you might have some medical knowledge about it. In other words, I'd like you to examine me. Also, I'd like you to look into whether the golden apples can be used for medical treatment for this condition.”
My [Monsters of the Covenant] and I ate golden apples every morning. After all, even in small amounts, eating an apple a day could improve not only our health but also our abilities, albeit only slightly.
At any rate, this morning, when I noticed a slight improvement in my condition, I invited Aura to meet after the meal.
”I see. Then, I'll go take a look.”
Aura said so, got closer, pressed her forehead against mine, and then poured some of magic power into me.
She had the skill [Personification of the Planet], and thus, one of her strongpoints was the medical treatment using Qi or otherwise known as life energy.
”Yup, it's bad. Your magic circuits are all messed up. Your magic reactor's in tatters too; it won't be able to produce any magic power. Actually, just standing up must be torture, right?”
”As expected of you, you got it all right.”
”Yeah, the other monsters must not know about this.”
Aura said so with a complicated expression on her face.
”If talk about my powers probably not returning spreads, the monsters will probably feel anxious. Moreover, Duke will blame himself for it. So, again, let's agree on keeping this between us.”
”Understood. I won't tell anyone. Now, time for an experiment. Eat this please.”
Aura said so and then thrusted her hand into her cleavage so that she could pull out a golden apple.
”What's an apple doing there?”
”If it's there, no one will be able to steal it. After all, golden apples have become our last lifeline.”
Aura said so while triumphantly puffing her ample chest out.
Needless to say, I felt extremely conflicted on eating the apple. Still though, that was no reason to waste a perfectly good golden apple.
And so, I took a bite. It somehow smells like Aura.
”How is it? Did you find something out?”
”I'll do another examination.”
Aura pressed her forehead on mine once again, this time longer than before.
”Yeah, while it is only a little, I can definitely see an improvement.”
”Great. If that's so, then it is possible to quicken my recovery.”
”I'm quite intrigued by this. I would like to pinpoint the active ingredients. If I know those things, I might be able to strengthen the effects.”
It's exactly as she says.
Upon pondering for a bit, I nodded.
”Master, what is your work schedule for today?”
”I will be having a meeting with some merchants in the evening. Until then though, it's just paperwork.”
”Then, let's bring your desk and documents over to the orchard so that you can work there.”
”May I know the reason why?”
”A side benefit of mine, or rather, of the [First Tree], which bears the golden apples, is that golden life energy is overflowing around it. My hypothesis is that if you spent some time there, it may push you to the right direction.”
What she said made sense.
I was then reminded that Kohaku the Byakko recovered from being tormented by Duke's miasma by spending time around the [First Tree].
Besides, there was no particular issue in moving my place of work to that place.
My conclusion, therefore, was that if it could help, even by only a tiny bit, I should do it.
”Alright, I'll prepare right away. Go to work ahead of me.”
”No? I mean, I can't let you carry the heavy desk and chair in that condition, master!”
She said so and then flashed a great smile.
I tried to turn down her offer but she insisted.
Due to that, I wound up letting her carry the heavy furniture. The shame of exposing a form I didn't want others to see—namely me casually walking empty handed while my daughter did the heavy lifting—was cancelled out by the sight of Aura looking so happy.
◇
After the furniture and various other things were brought to the vicinity of the [First Tree]—which was located in the innermost part of Aura's apple orchard—I began working.
In the case of something so urgent that I needed to come back to my residence immediately, I had instructed the Mythological Foxes to come here and tell me.
”Indeed, this is a nice place.”
This place overflowed with golden life energy, but more than that, this place made with her love, also overflowed with her care and kindness.
”Fumu, I am also pleased with this place.”