Black Iron Magician

「I’m last, huh. Well, I guess that’s reasonable.」

The last one to arrive, Hund, gently touched the fruit, and the trial was over. It was the moment when everyone passed the trial without dropping out or sustaining serious injuries.

「Damn, I lost again! I see! If I’m allowed to touch it with my knuckle, then Haruna is also allowed to touch it with her weapon! I misjudged the conditions…!」

「…… Haruna, were you aware that you were competing?」

「Well, my body reacted before I think about it.」

Haruna and Chinatsu smile bitterly at the figure of Touko who’s hitting Rimudo’s horn in frustration. It seems that she’s really frustrated that she even unconsciously put Berserk on her fists. And then, the damage to the horn is steadily accumulating.

『Sorry, but I want you to stop hitting my horn. Your attack hits the core, so it’s painful even for me to take it over and over again.』

「Ah, sorry!」

Touko came to herself and apologized. The horn was slightly dented, but it had started recovering, and now it has returned to its original state. Looking back at the path they took, they could see that most of the dragon scales have already been restored.

「Rimudo-san’s recovery ability is amazing! Hmm…. The attack could work against him, but it’s still not powerful enough, I think?」

「Yes. If it were a serious battle like the one we had with Lily-san, we would have no chance of passing the trial. In short, thrill rides are the best! Let’s ride again one more time!」

「…… Hey, Haruna. When will she return to normal?」

「After getting off, I think? She will suddenly hold her head, so you will understand immediately.」

「I see. She will regret it when she calmed down, huh…」

「Acceleration and speed will save the world!」

Chinatsu raised her hands to the sky and shouted. The trial is over and the violent wind noise had subsided, but there’s still no sign of Chinatsu returning to normal, perhaps because Rimudo is still flying.

『Allow me to congratulate you once again. You faced my trial head-on and won. This is the first major accomplishment since the start of my trial, and it is a very good thing indeed. Let me say this from the bottom of my heart. Congratulations, you are genuine heroes.』

「Eh, it was the first!? I thought that Shishō and Nell-san had tried it already.」

「In their case, they would nonchalantly launch a sneak attack on my back with the trial as the pretext. So, they are blacklisted from challenging the trial.」

「I-I’m sorry that they are like that….」

Deris, whose specialty is dirty tactics, Nell, who is the perpetrator of most disasters, and Alezel, who takes advantage of the confusion. They can only be seen as villains from their history.

「Rimudo-dono, I would like to say my greeting properly this time. At the first meeting, I caused a lot of trouble due to my ignorance. I hope you will forgive me.」

『Hund-dono. Compared to others, your actions were proper as the Great Eight Demons. Rather, the ones who caused more trouble are Lilyvia Irygal and her parent, Maria Irygal. You’re still inexperienced, and that’s exactly why I have high for you. Keep up the good work.』

「I’m grateful for your words.」

「*Whisper* (Wow, Hund-kun is having a cool conversation. It’s like a conversation between big shots.)」

「*Whisper* (Well, Hund is actually a big shot. Also, it’s easy to forget because of her usual behavior, but Lily-shishō is a big shot too, you know?)」

「*Whisper* (Isn’t that obvious? Lily-senpai is the head maid after all.)」

「*Whisper* (…… Haruna, you’re amazing that you feel that way even after looking at that figure of her.)」

While there are the Great Eight Demons like Maria and Lilyvia, there are also the serious and dignified Great Eight Demons.

『Now, I will give you a reward for passing my trial.』

「Reward? Don’t tell me, are you going to give us a free pass ticket to ride the thrill hmph hmmph hmmph?」

「Chinatsu, keep quiet for a while, okay?」

Touko immediately blocked Chinatsu’s mouth with her hand to block the desire-filled remarks. It was a nice assist.

『The reward is this golden fruit. This is the only fruit that grew on the Yggdrasil tree, which no longer exists, and it has a miracle of giving power to those who eat it.』

「Power?」

『Umu, specifically, it increases all skill levels by about 10.』

「It’s a very specific miracle, huh…. Is it really okay to eat? I mean, it’s golden. Also, is it okay to pierce the miracle fruit with your horn?」

『This fruit has the ability to regenerate. It won’t be a problem even if it’s pierced a little like this. Also, it’s indicating that no matter how many times you eat it, it will never decrease. Of course, the taste is superb for any race, and it’s very nutritious. The effect of raising the level is only for the first bite, though.』

「T-The ingredient is regenerated…!? Isn’t that an amazing fruit!? You can use it as much as you want in tarts, salads, and as a secret ingredient in cooking! It’s worth cooking with!」

「Whoa!? Haruna is excited this time!?」

「Of course! After all, it’s a dreamy ingredient that’s tasty and nutrihmph hmmph!」

Touko used her other hand to block Haruna’s mouth.

「Sorry, please continue.」

『Well, umu…. That’s why it’s a miracle fruit. Therefore, there is no end to those who try to abuse it.』

「I see. That’s why Rimudo-dono owned it and gave it to those whom you acknowledged.」

『That’s right. Those who don’t make efforts will only gain disproportionate power when they obtain this blessing. Moreover, the growth will be at a low level. It will be a waste, right?』

「I admire your noble spirit.」

「…… By the way, you’re not squeezing this thing into juice and drinking it on a daily basis, are you?」

「Touko, you’re being rude.」

「Ah, no, sorry. I was just asking because I saw you drinking a lot of fruit juices when I was serving you before. Please don’t take offense.」

『…… I-I only do it once in a while. Yes, it’s only on a reward day for me who worked hard. On other days, I put up with substitutes. The other day, Agalia told me about a really good drink. It’s far from the fruit of Yggdrasil, but it also has its own charm――』

「「………」」

The fourth rank of the Great Eight Demons, the 『Dragon King』 Rimudo Baha. He’s the Great Eight Demons with conscience and childish taste. But, isn’t it fine that there’s such a Great Demon King? The word is big after all.