After finishing his renewed contract with the imp, Danil heard about everything that had happened in the meantime.
Figuring out what had gone on at the company while you were away was a basic skill for any working adult.
“To summarize briefly, Chief Danil, you’ve acquired some nicknames.”
“Nicknames?”
“Magic Knight Danil, Danil of the Black Flame, Danil, Our Household Calamity… The most famous one is Dragon Slayer Danil.”
“Excuse me?”
What kind of nonsense was this?
Elena wore a calm smile.
“Congratulations, Dragon Slayer Danil. You’re the first mage ever to receive such an epithet.”
“No, this is absolutely not something to congratulate me for?!”
Danil was horrified. The reason? Simple.
“That Dragon Slayer’s toxic fans are obviously going to go berserk!”
Dragon Slayer Siegfried.
The knight who had accomplished the feat of slaying the empire’s first Ancient Dragon.
Naturally, among knights, he was considered a legendary idol, and an immensely powerful fandom had formed around him.
But did you know this saying?
“Stans create haters.”
Within Siegfried’s fandom, there were a few—no, quite a lot—of extreme lunatics.
There was the story about how one of Siegfried’s armaments went up for auction, and the bidding war grew so heated that it ended in a knife fight. The story about people arguing over what sword Siegfried had used, which escalated into an honor duel and ended with someone actually dying. The story about someone setting fire to a sculpture in another person’s garden because “this isn’t Siegfried.” Even the story about illegal trespassing for worship at Siegfried’s mausoleum.
In this way, the records of incidents and accidents caused by Siegfried’s extremist fandom were already another legend in themselves.
If news of this reached the ears of those radicals?
‘Those crazy fanboys might come to fight me in real life!!!’
Seeing Danil’s expression, Elena giggled.
“Don’t worry too much. Only the people in Kazan are calling you that. Even if the rumor spreads, it should be limited to the north.”
“That’s already more than enough of a problem.”
Danil sighed.
After hearing one shocking piece of news after another, the kind that snapped him wide awake and sent chills down his spine, his heart was not doing well.
‘The best thing would be if nothing had happened at the company, but that’s too much to ask. Would it kill this world to be different from my past life in matters like this?’
The indefinite-term contract mage, who had not yet fully shed the habits of his previous life, let out a sigh.
*
As he continued listening, good news finally began to emerge.
“So, to sum it up, no one died. Is that right?”
“Yes. There were a few injuries, but zero fatalities.”
“Whew. That’s a relief.”
A sincere sigh of relief escaped him.
“In battle, the best outcome is for no one to die. I guess all that suffering, even bracing myself for mana exhaustion, was worth it.”
“… At this point, it’s practically like you tempted me first.”
“Pardon?”
“I said Chief Danil is a capable mage.”
“Haha. Capable? Not at all. I just worked hard. And then, by chance, I hit the jackpot this time.”
“… Don’t say that kind of thing elsewhere.”
“Eh? Why not?”
“The fact that you’re asking why is the biggest problem.”
“……?”
“Chief Danil. You are…”
—Grrrrmble.
The conversation cut off.
Silence fell at the cry of protest from the stomach of a patient who had starved for two weeks.
“Oh dear. My apologies. After skipping twenty-eight meals, this little fellow is making a fuss.”
“? Why are you calculating it as two meals a day instead of three?”
“Hm? Well, when you’re working, two meals a day is plenty, isn’t it?”
“… There are many things I’d like to say, but let’s move on for now.”
Elena stood up.
“First, let’s go eat.”
*
If you were hungry, you ate.
The problem was that it was not currently restaurant hours.
‘It’s dark.’
Through the window, he could see the darkness of dawn.
There was still a long while before the reveille horn would sound.
Danil was in the middle of an absurd thought about finding some guard post and asking for bread when—
“Just a moment.”
Elena took out a communication crystal sphere.
Blue light rippled, and one by one, the faces of mages appeared in the crystal sphere.
After giving a few brief instructions, Elena ended the communication.
“Please wait a little. I told them to find a dining hall that’s operating, so we should hear back soon.”
“Was it not just you who came, Grade Five Elena?”
“No. I came with four permanent employees.”
“As many as four?”
Elena smiled sweetly.
“There were various political circumstances involved. If you’re curious about the details, I can tell you.”
“… Is it something I absolutely need to know?”
“It shouldn’t be a problem even if you don’t, Chief Danil.”
“Then I won’t listen.”
Politics. Truly a sickening word.
Office politics, balancing between factions, stress itself—how much had he suffered in his previous life because of those things?
The fact that, at the mere age of thirty, he had gotten a hole in his stomach and started losing his hair was, no matter how he thought about it, because of that.
He wanted no more of that life. That was why, after joining the Magic Tower, Danil had cut off all interest in internal politics, and that stance had continued to this day.
If he had been a permanent employee, it would have been impossible, but because Danil was an indefinite-term contract employee, there was no problem at all.
Just as he was trembling at the memory of a company life so hellish that even military service seemed laughable by comparison, the crystal sphere flashed.
“Understood. Stand by until the next contact.”
After finishing the call, Elena rose from her seat.
“We found a dining hall. Let’s go.”
“Pardon?”
*
“There’s a place serving food at this hour? I never saw one the whole time I was working.”
“It’s not in town. It’s a late-night dining hall for nobles operating inside the castle.”
“Hm?”
Walking down the corridor after Elena, Danil tilted his head.
“This is the first I’ve heard of such a thing.”
“Of course it is. It was created while you were unconscious, Chief Danil. Ever since you took down the wyverns, the nobles have been working through the night.”
“There’s that much to do?”
“Yes. Because of you, Chief Danil.”
“Pardon? What do you mean by that?”
As Elena walked, she began to explain.
“Chief Danil. The value of wyverns is astronomical. They may be a lesser draconic species, but a draconic species is still a draconic species. Their bones and oil become materials for top-grade armaments, and their blood and organs become materials for high-class elixirs. And you unearthed an entire heap of such treasures.”
“……! Then?”
“Yes. Because of processing those treasures and handling postwar administration, Kazan’s officials and nobles have been pulling all-nighters for a week now.”
“Gasp!!!”
A week of all-nighters. What a horrifying and terrifying phrase.
The second-life mage, who had once experienced an ending by death from overwork, shuddered from a mild bout of PTSD.
“Chief Danil. What’s wrong?”
“No. I’m just a bit cold… They must be suffering a great deal because of me. If I’d known this would happen, maybe I should have caught only a moderate number.”
“Ahaha. Chief Danil, you’re good at jokes too. That was rather funny. I’d like to tell that to those people, who are working while screaming with joy, and hear their reaction.”
“Pardon?”
No. What did that mean?
People had been ground down for a week, and they were happy about it? There was no way such an occult-like thing could be…
“You should brace yourself when you meet them. The Steel Scale tribe invaded, yet no one died, and the wyvern corpses have effectively copied at least two years’ worth of Kazan’s budget, so they’re treating you as a hero.”
… There was?
“… It was a j-joke I delivered with all my heart, but it seems their reaction will be good. What a relief.”
“The problem is that if Chief Danil isn’t the one saying it, it’ll just be a lame joke. I’m asking you this much—if you’re going to make that joke, please choose your audience carefully.”
“Understood!”
Still not fully rid of the habits of his previous life, the indefinite-term contract employee, who sometimes committed unintended blunders, followed Elena with cold sweat running down his back.
*
“Ah, right. Chief Danil. Keep this to yourself.”
“What is it?”
“When this matter is wrapped up, permission to become a fifth-circle master black mage may come down from above.”
“Really?”
Danil was startled.
“It’s only a rumor, but in my personal opinion, I think the likelihood is high. You’ve rendered achievements worthy of it, Chief Danil.”
‘Wow. Is this for real?’
Danil felt dazed.
An official black mage was a mage recognized by the Magic Tower and the state, but in the end, they were still a “black mage.”
If one skimmed through history books, there were countless nations destroyed by wicked black mages.
That was why the Magic Tower acknowledged official black mages while placing restrictions on their limits.
A fifth-circle master was, in effect, the final boundary legally permitted to a black mage.
‘Wasn’t the last person to receive that permit sixty years ago?’
Blue Zeiser, Dragon Slayer, budget duplication, and now even a fifth-circle master permit.
The indefinite-term contract black mage was finally beginning to realize just how enormous a thing he had done.
“There’s also talk of a pass to the Infinite Archive. If it happens, it will probably be for at least a week as a basic reward.”
“Why do the rewards keep coming?”
“Because you’re the Dragon Slayer.”
“Aaaaaaah!!!”
“Hehe. I’m joking.”
At Danil’s genuinely horrified reaction, Elena could not hide her laughter.
“Haa. Please go easy on me. Every time I hear it, my whole body curls up.”
“I’m sorry. Your reaction was just too cute, so I couldn’t help myself.”
“What did you say?”
“Ahem. Nothing at all. Oh my. I can see the dining hall. Let’s hurry.”
“Grade Five Elena? Miss Elena? Excuse me?”
Danil chased after Elena as she ignored his calls and headed for the dining hall.
*
Though it was dawn, the dining hall was lit, and it was full of the smell of food.
The smell of meat and spices, the smell of freshly baked bread, even the savory scent of soup.
As Danil entered the dining hall after Elena, his expression changed into that of a man who had starved for over a week.
‘Hmm. There he is.’
There was already a guest in the dining hall. A man dressed like a noble was sitting at one table, eating.
Confirming that he matched exactly with the information she had received, Elena’s eyes flashed.
“Please wait here for a moment, Chief Danil.”
Elena approached the noble.
The knight standing guard blocked her path.
“The person I serve is currently dining. If you have something to say, please wait a moment.”
“We would like to share his table.”
“He prefers to dine alone.”
Elena took one step closer and whispered into his ear.
“!? Dragon Slay—!”
“Shh. Quiet.”
Elena covered the knight’s mouth.
“We do not want a commotion. That man has only just awakened. He will eat quietly, then return immediately to rest.”
“…….”
“But that does not mean we can serve him any random food. I will say it again. It smells quite good here. Would you invite us?”
“P-please wait just a moment!”
The knight ran back in a fluster and whispered to the noble.
The startled noble’s gaze turned this way.
Smiling softly, Elena turned her head to Danil.
“Let’s go. I’ve arranged seats.”
“Is this really all right?”
“It’s fine. There’s no problem.”
“It doesn’t seem like it.”
Feeling suspicious, Danil carefully walked toward the noble.
Completely unaware of what sort of look Elena, standing behind him, had in her eyes.
*
“I-it is a pleasure to meet you for the first time. I am…”
“We know, Viscount Karon.”
Elena cut him off with a smile.
“As you have heard, this man has come here simply to eat quietly. So for now, please call him not by name, but simply ‘Mage.’”
“Ah, of course. My apologies. Seeing a hero—no, seeing you, Mage, seems to have made me overly excited.”
The viscount smiled awkwardly and raised a hand toward the kitchen.
“One serving—no, two more servings! Bring out the very best!”
A short while later, a splendid feast was laid out across the table one dish after another.
Danil lifted his spoon and took a bite.
His vision blurred slightly.
A meal eaten after skipping twenty-eight meals was pure bliss itself.
—Clatter, clatter.
Danil devoted himself to eating without saying a word.
For a while, only the sounds of spoons and forks moving at the table could be heard.
“Whew.”
After eating his fill, Danil bowed his head to Viscount Karon.
“Thank you, Viscount. Thanks to you, I ate well.”
“Haha. Pay it no mind, Mage. I am the one honored to have been able to treat you to a meal.”
Viscount Karon laughed heartily.
“If it is all right with you, Mage, could you tell us what happened that day? It seems perfect as a tale to accompany drinks.”
“That much is no trouble.”
Danil spoke of what he had experienced on the day the Steel Scale tribe attacked.
Exclamations of admiration never ceased from the listeners’ mouths.
Elena, too, murmured, “This probably wasn’t all conveyed in the report,” and focused on Danil’s words.
When the lengthy tale came to an end, the people fell silent.
Among those lingering in the afterglow of emotion, the viscount was the first to speak.
“Remarkable.”
Viscount Karon set down his empty glass and shook his head.
“I thought they had at least reduced the number of victims out of consideration for morale and public sentiment. This sort of publicity strategy happens every year, after all. But… to think the rumors were all true.”
“You truly are amazing, Master Mage!”
The escort knight, cutting in, could not hide his excitement as he continued.
“So it really was you who defeated Kudan, Master Mage!”
“Kudan? Who is that?”
“Pardon? You didn’t know? He’s the chieftain of the Black Fur Tribe that attacked this time!”
The knight looked at Danil with eyes brimming with emotion.
“I hate the other Steelscale tribesmen too, but as a northerner, he was one man I especially wanted to see eradicated. I don’t have the right to speak on behalf of all northerners, but still, I would like to speak as the representative of those here. Thank you for killing him and protecting the lives of the citizens, Master Mage.”
“Not at all. Please don’t mind it. I merely did what I had to do.”
“Oooh!”
Danil had only tossed out a standard business pleasantry, but to the viscount and the knight, it seemed to sound quite different.
Watching this from the side, Elena shook her head.
‘The fact that this is unconscious makes it even scarier.’
“Thank you, Viscount. Thanks to you, I ate well. I don’t know how I should repay you.”
“Haha. Don’t concern yourself with it. It was nothing much.”
Viscount Karon hesitated for a moment, then quietly said,
“If it truly bothers you… would you treat me to a meal sometime?”
“Hmm.”
“Hahaha! It was a joke. A joke. Don’t take it seriously—”
“Sure, why not.”
“……!?”
“……?”
“Haa.”
The viscount was shocked, the escort knight blinked, and the full-time mage pressed a hand to her forehead.
“A-are you serious?”
“? What’s the big deal about buying someone one meal? Of course I should.”
“Ha, hahahaha! I see. As expected, Mage, you are a hero among heroes!”
“I’m moved, Master Mage!”
‘What the hell? Why are they acting like this over one meal?’
Behind Danil, who tilted his head in confusion, Elena let out a sigh.
‘Department Head, you were right. If it really hadn’t been for me, we would have lost this man Danil.’
Elena once again resolved to thoroughly monitor and watch over this man, who behaved as dangerously as a child left by the water’s edge.
Danil knew nothing.
He did not know what that promise of a meal meant in northern noble society.
Otherwise, there was no way he would have made such a promise so easily.
‘Ignorance is frightening. But there’s no problem.’
Her eyes narrowed.
‘Because right now, this is a situation where we need to use that ignorance. We’ve obtained a better card than I expected.’
The eyes of the political human shield Titania had sent to fight Rainer gleamed.
The night of plotting deepened.