I Became the Demon King's Right Hand so I Will Alter the Original Story Chapter 3 - The Rules
Translation by Glass
『Magic is Fantasy』. For me, who had lived in a world run by science, that is common sense.
However, to account for the fact that Lapis Lazuli World has a Demon Lord, you have to acknowledge that this is a world where magic* can be used, and has a society built on the premise of using magic. In short, this is a world where 『Magic is Common Sense』. For this reason, even in the manga the meaning of magic is not defined.
T/N: In Japanese, the first character for Demon Lord (「魔王」Ma-Ou; evil+king) is the same character as Magic (「魔法」Ma-Hou; evil+law), hence the correlation between magic and demon lords.
If I had to guess, in order to use magic you need to have magical power, magic is present everywhere and that『basically everyone』 contained magic, or something along those lines. Although no one but the Demon Lord has been shown to utilize magical power from the atmosphere, it's quite possible that in general, one needs to consume their own internal magical power in order to manifest the phenomenon called "magic". This internal magical ability, basically, is something akin to physical strength. However, there are subordinates on the brink of death that are able to use great magic, so it might be something else beside physical strength.
By the way, the reason I said earlier that 『basically everyone』 has magic is because the hero is an exception. He was born without magical power. Therefore, 『possessing magical power』is necessary. And to possess magic requires the item called 『Lapis Lazuli』, which the original story is named after. It is a blue ore designed after the real lapis lazuli gem, but it is depicted as having light shining spontaneously from within so I've always imagined it like an LED light.
Not only does this ore have the feature of hoarding magical power, but it can also release that magical power when touched by a living creature. In short, with this item even the hero can use magic. However, if you use up all the accumulated magic, it just becomes a piece of rubble.
For that reason, unless the hero carried the ore around like a miner, he won't be able to live normally. This became the setup that, due to constantly being saddled with a heavy bag on his back, before he knew it his strength could put adult martial artists to shame and his abilities were to the extent that he was elected as the Ogasic country's national hero. I will explain his followers at another time.
The important point here is that, as long as the human possesses the Lapis Lazuli, they will absolutely be able to use magic.
"Take all the time you need."
"How kind! What an angel!"
"I'm a Demon Lord...... stay focused, then try again."
"Are you god?!"
"I'm a Demon Lord."
Even after receiving the Demon Lord's advice, the ore I was holding had completely lost all of its light and the temperature of the water in the kettle in front of me did not change.
"Magical power, ...... Grasp the concept, ...... Replicate the phenomenon,"
"Don't overthink it,"
"Ah, yes,"
Right now, I'm trying to boil water for the Demon Lord's after-dinner tea but at this rate it will be time to sleep already. Squeeze the stone firmly, and if that doesn't work, then boil the water as usual and close your eyes.
"The higher the temperature of water, the lower the viscosity and density becomes. Currently, for the sake of hypothesis, the water in the pot is probably about 15 degrees, more or less, which is a viscosity about 1.139cSt, and to reach the brink of temperature suitable for making tea which is 100 degrees it should be 0.295cSt[1]. At that temperature there should be visible phenomena such as rising, burbling[2] bubbles and plenty of jumping tea leaves. Again, the difference in viscosity will also create a difference in sound when the water is poured. On that basis, there should be about 450cc of water in the pot whose temperature must be raised 85 degrees. Alright, I've grasped the concept. Just do it![3]"
T/N: 1. cSt is centistokes, which is a unit for expressing viscosity (100cSt = 1cm2/s). Perhaps Tohru does have an engineering background considering her crack about building aircraft last chapter.
2. bokoboko- burbling bubbles
3. Just Do It! is written in english, script and all.
I closed my eyes.
"......, I see."
Nothing changed. This is futile. I looked up at the Demon Lord.
"For the time being, I will boil it the normal way. Please wait a little longer."
"The normal way, is that so,"
The Demon Lord took his eyes off the book and looked in my direction.
"Wah!"
Immediately, the water in front of me boiled.
"Incredible! As expected of our Demon Lord!"
"Well, for one such as I, this is normal."
When the Demon Lord snapped his fingers, the ore floated up from my hand, then bobbed and wobbled over to the Demon Lord's vicinity.
"I can use it without any problems...... It couldn't be the ore's flaw, could it,"
"You used the ore just now?"
"Ah."
The light dimmed from the ore in the Demon Lord's hand.
"As expected of our Demon Lord! How marvelous! Such perfect understanding of the phenomenon of changing water into boiling water, right!"
"......there was an adventurer around the same age as you who couldn't use magic, but the reason for being unable to use it seems different."
Spinning the dimmed blue stone on his fingertip, the Demon Lord muttered 'it doesn't really matter'. No, it's impossible, but somehow, —if we're talking about a hero who couldn't use magic, it can't be anyone else but that.
"Uhm, ...... how old do you think I am?"
"Aren't you an adolescent?"
The age of adulthood in this world is fifteen years old.
"Well, there's no reason to have a wide range of magic spells. You only use it when you need it, so it's fine, ...... Tohru? Are you listening?"
"No, it's that, just now.... I'm getting worried,"
"What for?"
Whether I should just laugh about it, get angry about it or just ignore and leave it as is.
"......, Sir Demon Lord, how old are you?"
"That's right... I have lived 1,000 days."
"Ah, I suppose you meant years. I was wondering if the Demon Lord had been living for a hundred years because you're the Demon Lord."
"If I had been alive for that long then it should already be well past the end of the world."
While saying that nonchalantly, the Demon Lord tossed the ore with a boing. The ore described a parabola in the air, boi-ng, then shot right into the Demon Lord's open mouth! In the interval of my stupefied silence, the Demon Lord's throat moved with a gulp.
"Eh?!"
"Hmm?"
"Wh- ehhh?! Why did you eat that?!"
"It didn't taste awful."
"Won't that hurt your throat?!"
"? I could swallow it just fine."
"Are you a snake?!"
"I'm a Demon Lord...... Why is the tea taking so long?"
"Of course, immediately!!"
"Please take your time."
Well, it doesn't matter if I can't use magic, I swore to bring happiness to the Demon Lord repeatedly as I poured the hot water into the pot of tea leaves.
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"By the way, does this castle move?"
"The position of the castle does not move. It is the location of the rooms that change."
"Isn't that sort of thing a problem?"
"Once you get used to it...... you'll even understand what mood the castle is in."
"Mood."
"Oh, you could call it a rule."
While the talons of the Demon Lord's left hand deftly carried a teacup, his right hand was flipping through a book balanced on his knee. Since he was reading a book, I would keep silent for a time but each time I went quiet the Demon Lord would say, 'What's wrong?' or 'Speak up,' so I promptly put my ideas into words. The Demon Lord is a Demon Lord, so perhaps listening to a story while reading a book is no trouble for him.
"As long as you don't use magic on it, the castle won't do anything bad."
"What happens if you use magic?"
"....... That's right. For example, if you use wind magic in the throne room, gravity will go wild. To put it simply, you will die."
"I will die."
"It is not a problem for one such as I...... Likewise, if you use magic in the corridor, depending on the location a spear will fly out from the floor, or maybe there would be rolling boulders, or even turn into a bottomless sea of blood...... in other words, you will die."
"I will die."
"However, the trigger is magic. As long as you don't use magic, ...... Wait, no, don't snap your fingers in the hall or vines will come out of the floor."
"Is that the trigger over there?! In that room?!"
"Yes. In that room, if you cluck your tongue things will fall to the floor and then corruption will set in."
"But it's just a dining hall?! Aren't there too many death switches?!"
"Actually, it's probably the fact that it's for dining, ...... That room sure does have a lot of rules..... Until now I haven't used that room at all so it never bothered me."
I couldn't say that we should stop using that room. I had decided in my heart that from today onwards that room will be for practicing table manners until I can do it unconsciously.
"Well anyway, it's probably best not to use magic."
"I see, ......that's true. Then I will think of some other way to be useful."
Swallowing a mouthful of tea while wondering what could be done, the Demon Lord slapped the book close with a faint noise.
"Would you like another?"
"No, it's fine. Come here."
"Ok."
After placing the pot and cup on the small side table that the Demon Lord had recently taken out from behind the throne, I pattered over to the Demon Lord's location.
"What is it?"
"I think you'll understand it better if you see for yourself at least once."
"See what? Eh?!"
Suddenly, the Demon Lord seized me with his left arm and tossed me onto his lap, where I landed with a plop. This seemed too disrespectful so I tried to get off in a hurry but the aberrant arm around my abdomen held me in place. It's fluffy and warm.
"If you don't want to die, keep still."
"Eh?"
Pop, the Demon Lord snapped his fingers. A light breeze stirred up from the floor and his hair floated up lazily.
"Now, I wonder where it will come out today."
"Uwa~h!"
"Up there, I see."
Suddenly, it felt as if my body was about to be thrown in the air so I instantly clung to the Demon Lord's chest in front of me. My legs, even my hips were floating.
"What's this, what is happening?"
"......, try counting the number of stakes on the ceiling,"
"Eh, uwah, that's a fact that I didn't want to know! Eeek!"
The Demon Lord's braided hair flowed to the sky instead of the ground. However, both of his legs remained gracefully crossed as if still seated. Somewhere in his tone of voice was a note of enjoyment but, for someone like me whose life in danger is at the verge of crisis, I couldn't help but feel that there's a difference in opinion. Moreover, the force pulling us up was gradually becoming stronger. This is dangerous. I close my eyes and cling with all my might at the Demon Lord's chest. —— tap, tap, a cold hand poked at my cheek.
"Tohru, keep your eyes open no matter what."
"O-okay."
When I opened my eyes, the Demon Lord was laughing softly.
"That's a good child, now look over there."
"W-what is it?"
I looked at where the Demon Lord pointed to.
"Your chair, desk, pot and cup aren't flying, right."
"Eh, oh."
It was exactly as he said, the chair and desk are not floating, they remained securely on the ground.
"This castle imposes a lot of rules on things that are not its own. If you violate the rules, then you get punished, that's all to it."
"I see!! Just like a teacher that's very strict about manners, isn't it?!"
"......, That's right, and speaking of which...... That chair and desk appeared in this room when you became my subordinate."
"Ohh?! Is that so?!"
"......That is the castle's sign of welcome to you."
"That's what it's doing?! This?! Are you doing this?! Ugyah~! I'm flying away!!"
While clinging with all my might at the Demon Lord's neck, somehow there was a very nice scent, isn't he an angel, he's definitely an angel. While I'm thinking about that, the force that was pulling on me had rapidly gotten stronger. The large hand pressed down on my back barely kept me from flying away but everything from my hips down is floating.
"The castle has its own rules, ...... so much so to the point that you can think of it having free will."
"S-Sir Demon Lord! My, my arms are at their limit!"
"And yet at the same time, you could say it's almost a castle, as there is a portion of it that reflects my own consciousness."
"Th-then, how long will do you think this force keep pulling at us?"
"That's the long and short of it."
"No wa~y uwa~ah gyaaa~h!"
Suddenly, the Demon Lord let go of me. Abruptly, my entire body was thrown out into the air. Ah, I'm gonna die, that was what I thought when the Demon Lord's left hand grabbed my right hand. On top of that, without unsheathing the talons, even with such a large hand wrapping around mine, he held my hand as gently as possible. Thanks to that, even though my arm is fully extended and my whole body is upside down, the stakes remained in the distance. Yes, it's far away but it's still scary. I was scared to the point of crying but since I was told not to close my eyes, I somehow kept my eyes open.
The Demon Lord is looking straight at me. Those ash-colored eyes emitted blue light from within, like sapphires.
"Tohru,"
"Yes?"
"Are you scared?"
"Am I'm scared, a-aaaaa~h, but rather, maybe flying into the sky isn't such a good idea after all, is it?! As I thought, humans are meant to walk with their feet firmly on the ground, right! I'm no good for this!! Really!! I'm not meant to fly in the sky! Just walking is fine, walking is aa~h!! Truly!! Ahh, the pressure hurtsssss!"
"That's not what I meant, ...... are you not scared of me?"
"Y-Yes?! But why?! I like you very much!"
My outstretched left hand managed to grab the Demon Lord's hand. But I understood just then that my body was at the very boundary of its limits.
"I'm sorry, Sir Demon Lord, but I'm going to die before I can be useful to youuuu~!"
"......poor kid,"
On the Demon Lord's face, a godlike smile surfaced.
"Hyaa~h?!"
Suddenly, gravity turned back to normal, and from above the Demon Lord's head I fell onto his knee.
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"Sir Demon Lord's hair sure is pretty, isn't it?"
Since the Demon Lord's hair had loosened from its braid, it needs to be completely unravelled then untangled with a comb. Although, since I knew that the Demon Lord's hair was silky all the way from its roots, once it was unravelled there would be no need for a comb. In other words, this was just an act for my feelings of simply wanting to serve the Demon Lord, and wanting to touch his hair as well. This is just the story of why, to put up with my self-satisfaction, the Demon Lord is indeed an angel.
"As one would expect of the sacred place where the Demon Lord lives! I am deeply moved. Would you like to have your hair braided again?"
"No, it's fine"
"Understood."
After pocketing the comb, the Demon Lord looked at me.
"Tohru,"
"Yes, what is it?"
"Will you be able to sleep by yourself?"
"Yes?"
The Demon Lord had a serious face. Even after I stared at him for a while, the serious expression remained. My head started to hurt, so for the meantime I applied pressure between my eyebrows.
"Well, ...... the bed I use for sleeping is wide enough that there shouldn't be a problem."
"...... Sir Demon Lord,"
"What?"
"...... There's something I neglected to tell you."
I removed my hand from my brow as while I stared at the Demon Lord who squinted dubiously and opened my mouth.
"...... I'm twenty-four."
"What is?"
"I am."
"...... hah?"
"I am 24 years old."
The Demon Lord's eyes widened.
"Is it that suprising?!"
"......."
"No, please don't turn your eyes away! Please look at me! Please use your appraisal ability now! Sir Demon Lord!"
"Impossible."
"It is possible!"
"There are adults like you?"
"Yes, there is?!"
Afterwards, with ample bickering, the Demon Lord refused to appraise me, I failed to convince him, so in the end I was thrown* into a side room near the Demon Lord's bedroom. Near, or should I say it, right now the location is indeed nearby but probably only because it seems the castle's mood dictated the distance of said room, so anyway in the end it came down to『I understand that you can sleep alone. Well, if you get a nightmare then call me』, and 『I'm not gonna call you, you know?!』.
*T/N: not literally thrown, more like 'thrown into jail' or forcibly assigned to the room.
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The given room was about 15 tatami mats*, not too large and not so narrow and thus was just about the right size. The blue-themed room is simply furnished with bed, closet, dresser and a bookshelf with a number of volumes that made it cozy. For the time being, she took off her suit and put it in the closet, then changed into the gauze-like negligee that was found there. Then she washed only her feet in the bath provided with the room and decided to call it a day.
*T/N: about 24 sq. meters
After all, her whole body was exhausted to its limit.
She staggered over to the bed and collapsed, sighing deeply again and again, then reviewed today's events one by one.
"He's really cool...... the best, what a nice dream this is, I'd say! If I had said I couldn't sleep, wouldn't that mean I could've slept next to the Demon Lord?!"
She had discovered a new side of him in that he's particularly kind to children. Even without that, she felt like she had already fallen too deep.*
*T/N: lit. fallen into the swamp. Echoing the previous chapter, it means she's completely obsessed.
"How noble......and how precious....."
She looked up at the beautiful night sky outside through the window above the bed.
"There really are four moons...... A planet similar to earth with 4 satellites......"
Lapis Lazuli World is a one-shot, stereotypical fantasy manga.
However, when it was serialized on the WEB, the total number of pages in that single chapter was more than 500 pages. That was due to the fact that there were numerous depictions of daily life in minute detail, which made the turning point especially moving. This narrative completely collapsed when the story moved to the commercial paper medium in weekly format. And thus, it was discontinued while only halfway through the story written on the WEB. Just as I thought, I ended up crying. It was the typical route to failure.
"Good grief, that's the only reason why I thought I didn't want them to overdo it."
It was because it was monetized to that point that it failed, thus at that time she strongly felt that she didn't want it even if it had been faithfully adapted. For sure, that was exactly what she thought then. That was her opinion as an addict of the original work, as if she was an overzealous parent. However, even when putting theory into practice, it had come to this.
"Well, no, actually, if we're talking about adaptations, ...... since I'm here in person, and I'm still alive.... Rather, haven't I entered the world of the manga itself? ...... then, that means......"
I'm an outsider, she realized.
"No way."
She's dripping with cold sweat. Slowly, very slowly she stood up, then moved to the front of the dresser placed in the corner of the room and, trembling with fear, peered into the mirror.
"Uwa~ah, I see, so- so this is what happened?"
The bags under her eyes are gone, her skin is clear, and there is no trace of the fatigue or shabbiness that plagued a working citizen. In fact, no matter how she looked, this thing could only be called a baby face.
"...... yep, that's a minor."
Speaking of which, she noticed that every time the Demon Lord fluffed her head she could feel power gushing out. Could it be. Could it be that her HP was being completely restored at those times. Then that would mean she had always been stuck with a poisoned status. In short —— The Demon Lord is the best!
"I am deeply grateful, this is the best dream ever."
It would be better not to think about the inconvenient points. After all, this is the best thing. If there was anything she could wish for, then no matter what, please continue this dream.
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He yanked off his clothing. The discarded clothes were then carelessly thrown into the closet. In its stead, he put on nightclothes while heading towards the study desk. In order to read the material he had skipped while he was talking, he lit a candle. Which was immediately extinguished. Again, he lit it on fire. Again, it died.
"...... Is it saying I should be going to sleep soon?"
A rustling arose as if to answer him, the quilt on top of the bed unfurled.
"Just how long does this castle plan to treat the Demon Lord like a child?"
The bedding flew up at him and flapped in his face as if clucking its tongue in disapproval.
"...... Fine, I'll sleep, ...... After I've read a bit, I'll go to sleep. ...... Let go of me."
At that, the quilt returned to the bed and again, he lit the candle. This time the fire burned and didn't go out. He opened to the part where he had left a bookmark.
"...... I don't remember this, at all."
He backtracked for a few pages until finally there were sentences that sparked his memory.
"...... I should stop talking to her when I'm in the middle of reading."
With a sigh escaping him, he put on a pair of glasses. Grumbling, he turned to the beginning of the section to start over.
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Fwump, came the sensation of falling.
"-hah,"
Moving so painful that it seems to pierce my heart, sweat pouring from my whole body, I draw breath.
"-gehh,"
Choking a little, I raised my upper body and coughed out another breath. Forced to come out of a nightmare by compulsion, as always, filled my whole body with fatigue. It's possible that I've been having so many nightmares that, I've somehow figured out how to wake myself by force. If I do that, then I won't remember the contents of my dream. It's just that, ahh, all that's left is the sensation that I've been seeing a dream that I hated.
I glanced out of the window.
"Already morning, huh,"
Well, I'm already awake anyway. Today is a continuation of yesterday where, I was supposed to do something important. Oh, that's right, I was supposed to improve the core section, I thought. If you don't maintain the specs while reducing the cost, then whatever is left to release on the market will just be bullshit. I thought then, we should be changing the materials. That steel mill in Okayama was making it, they had a patent for that material. We have no choice but to collaborate with them. I knew it, there's no way unless I directly negotiate with them. I need to call the company and go to Haneda* first thing in the morning and......, ....... wait what?
*T/N: Haneda airport, most likely
Even though I had already gotten up, the quilt seemed to wrap around me and before I knew it, was deposited back into bed.
"Ehhh?"
Both my hands and feet are restrained by the soft bedding.
"No, I'm already awake, I should be worki-ffffff-"
A cushion was plopped onto my face.
"Wait, my......"
Eh, somehow there's a nice scent somewhere.
"...... work is,"
A sweet scent. A calming scent. What was that scent again. This futon is so warm. It seemed to wick away my cold sweat and calm my breathing. Oh no. At this rate, I'll fall back asleep. My job ......, if I don't do my job, ...... I'm going...... to fall......
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"--wha?!"
When I opened my eyes, it was bright outside my window.
"I fell back asleep?!"
In a panic, I jumped out of bed, shedding my pajamas as I did so. Well, that was what I thought I did. Where did the pajamas go?
"Eh?"
But, in my own hands, something else had been placed instead.
"Eh?"
Something that was undeniably frilly.
"No, no, my suit is gya~h!"
Something hard struck my head this time. Looking around, I found a pair of rollerskates.
"...... ah, ......oh yeah,"
I am, somehow, probably still dreaming.
"Well, I suppose it's fine not to go to work,"
Suddenly the strength left my body, collapsing to the ground from the waist down. But, before my hips could make contact with the ground, my butt was seated in a folding chair. Before I had any time to think about it, the chair floated up and left for the bathroom.
"What's going on?! Gyaaa~h what?! What are you going to wash?! I can wash it! Let me wash! I can wash by myse-gyaa~h, wait, ow ow ow, blegh, ptoo, my nose, my nose uwaah gehh ugh....."
To summarize, a person submerged in liquid will drown.
"....... ack,"
I am enveloped by a big bath towel and by the time I was fluffed and dried, my escape from reality was over. After I put on the bathrobe, once again I was placed on the folding chair and was transferred to the front of the dresser. Well, now isn't this convenient. Is this what a magical world should be, I thought with a sigh.
"Gyahh?!"
Something fell from above.
"What is it this time...... oh,"
This frilly, fluttery thing, ——might be a dress. Most probably a dress. I have never worn a dress before so I'm not entirely sure but generally this kind of attire is what you would call a dress. While as a whole it feels different, upon touching it the first thing that comes to mind is that it is expensive. Slippery smooth yet somehow undeniably light, at any rate, it's probably expensive.
"Eh, this is...... no way, I'm supposed to wear this?!"
As if in response to my voice, the dress floated up and then forced itself down on my head.
"Wait, wait! I'll wear it! I will wear it! I can put it on by myself -uguhhhehhh what? Toner? Is that face lotion?! Guhh bleghhh, I can do it, if you just explain to me, I can do it, uwah, that's too tight! Isn't this too tight?! My bones will bend! Ahuhhiehh, ok you loosened it a bit, thank you! What, who exactly am I thanking here! Uhyah, what is it this time?! Is this cream?! Thanks, I guess?! Ow ow ow, my hair isn't straightened that easily, ow ow ouchh,"
And finally, using the folding chair, I was thrown out onto the corridor.
"That, that was just too absurd...... Ah, ouch, oh a comb, thank you...... um......"
It's a black-themed, one-piece dress. Whether this material is silk or not, you can tell by touch that it is a high quality material. From the neck to around the hips, buttons made of sparkly rocks lined the front-opened dress, but underneath was adorned with a transparent tulle down to the hem. Looking closely at my arms, even the sleeves are accented with black lace. Additionally, from the waist down there is a layer of frilly white apron.
"Is this a maid outfit, it's a maid outfit, isn't it, it's so tight though......"
I really didn't want to think about it from an objective point of view but for the mean time I put the comb in the apron pocket and considered my options.
"...... For now at least, should I make some breakfast?"
I put one hand on the wall, and slid my right foot forward. Unlike yesterday, doing so made my body advance."
"I see, so you have to transfer your center of gravity,"
Left foot, right foot, and so on in that order, my speed gradually increased. Letting go of the wall and putting both hands at the back of my waist, made my body fall forward and accrued more speed. Indeed, being able to sleep all night lets your mind and body comprehend much more quickly.
"Speaking of which, ...... It's been a really long time since I've had a a proper full night's sleep, huh."
When was it, while dimly remembering my unpleasant past, I arrived at the kitchen that I had used yesterday. Besides, neatly stacked on top of the chopping block were vegetables, eggs, meat and some white bread.
"...... So you can't cook with magic?"
It's taken me this far, yet somehow it can't, I thought, while looking over the ingredients. The bread is soft and exuded a nice scent. Is it something more like a muffin? Well, no matter what I make the first step is to boil some water.
"I wonder if the eggs are fresh......"
Make a salt solution then try adding it in. The egg immediately sank. Well, at least it's not like it's past the expiration date.
"The vegetables look fresh enough to be eaten as is...... hmm—......, bread, eggs, vegetables...... Sandwich...... what seasonings do we have anyway,"
Upon opening the cabinet, I found a frightening amount of all sorts of seasonings arrayed there. Absolutely more than what was there yesterday.
Even though I felt a faint chill from somewhere, I had to confirm it.
"...... Ahh, there's even some wine vinegar here...... Oh what's this, oh, is it lemon juice, that's amazing, that's gonna be really delicious......"
I took out several of the condiments and three bowls. Take a big cut out of the slab of butter, put into a small bowl, then place near the pot of boiling water. This can be dangerous, but there's no better way if you want it to melt quickly. Divide the eggs into two bowls, separating the whites and the yolk. For the egg yolks, add a bit of lemon and wine vinegar, season with salt and pepper, then mix. If that fails, maybe I can cheat with mayonnaise, I wondered as, after a certain amount of mixing, I saw the butter.
"Eh, it's already melted?! The water's boiling already?!"
What the, even as I thought about it, I felt grateful, pouring the hot water into a big bowl. Then, while using it to warm the butter, I added the egg mix into the butter little by little, mixing all the while. If it failed to emulsify at this point, that would be absurd. Add the hot water as needed to keep temperature constant, while adding to the butter bit by bit. Once it's thoroughly emulsified, give it a taste.
"hmmm, ...... delicious,"
Now that the sauce is all done, take out a frying pan and sear the provided meat. In all probability, since the meat seems very similar to beef, most probably it will be delicious. I mean, it might be a different kind of meat but, ahh well, its probably ok. Put the remaining hot water on low heat, and some salt and wine vinegar, then stir it around using a pair of choptsticks. The image you're aiming for is like the whirpools of the Naruto strait.* Gently drop an egg in the center of that whirpool. Just one, ......no, let's cook them all together so add another one, ...... no, the Demon Lord would eat more than that so let's add another one. The eggs seem pretty fresh so I had a feeling it will be alright. Then, turn off the fire and leave it alone.
*T/N: yes that's an actual place
Cut the vegetables into fairly large chunks, then arrange on a wide plate.
"...... Should I still bake some bread, maybe Sir Demon Lord is already awake,"
Whooosh~boooom, boooom, booom.
"...... That just now sounded like a series of explosions......."
After thinking about it deeply, I cut half of the bread and shoved it into the oven.
◇◇◇◇■■■■◇◇◇◇
"This is, how do you eat this?"
"How......., well first of all, you cut it,"
"And this, what kind of egg is this?"
"Eh? Isn't this a chicken egg?"
"Chicken......?"
"Eh......?"
"...... and this, what kind of meat is this?"
"......Eh?"
"......, ......once it's been cut, what do you do next?"
"Once you've cut it to a size you can eat, then you eat it."
"But I can swallow it all at once,"
"Are you a snake?"
"Aren't I a demon lord?"
"After that, please eat the vegetables served with the remaining eggs."
"I see......, ......this is tasty."
"That's great!"
"So it's a camel, huh."
"Eh?!"
"......, am I wrong?"
"......, ...... I haven't eaten one of those yet......"
"I've never eaten it other than raw but,"
"Somehow there's something you can detect so if you eat anything cooked, as long as you've eaten it before even when raw, in short, your palate must still be growing...... but still, to eat something raw......, should I be happy about that or not......"
"It's very good when cooked."
"Then I'm very happy!"
"I want to eat crocodile next."
"Let's eat beef!!"
T/N: While I enjoyed translating this novel, my 8 yr. old laptop gave up the ghost and fried its own wifi card. Therefore, I won't be picking up this project but there is still a small chance I'll pick it up again in the future when I have a better setup. I did however, find the complete manga raws somewhere on the net and read it through to the end. I was glad to confirm some of my theories regarding Tohru but I can't confirm how accurately the manga adapted the novel.
If you like what I do and wish to help, please show some appreciation at https://ko-fi.com/glass_translation. A little goes a long way, thank you!