Black Iron Magician

「Deris, any last words?」

「No, wait. Calm down, Nell. You’re misunderstanding something.」

「Fueeh, my legs are getting numb….」

The door of the workroom was suddenly blown open by an explosion, and Nell appeared in front of us with a furious expression. ‘What? Are you angry that you couldn’t meet me yesterday?’, I thought of joking so, but she was so angry that I couldn’t even joke about it. What the hell did I do? Okay, let’s try to remember what happened before Nell appeared. Just before Nell appeared, Lily was whining. If I’m not wrong, it was like this――

『――Okay, this one is also complete. I can see Haru’s happy face.』

『How can such an inhumane thing lead to happiness?』

『I mean, it will be worth overcoming.』

『Your way of thinking is perverted…. The sun is already up, so let’s take a rest~. I’m so exhausted. We’ve been doing it since yesterday~』

『Hey, I told you yesterday that I won’t let you sleep, right?』

『You said tonight…. I’ve been standing that my waist hurts….』

『Haha, what is the 『Degenerate Demon』-sama, the one who stands at the top of the succubus, talking about? Well, don’t worry. A more pleasant sleep than usual awaits you after hard work that exceeds your limits.』

『I don’t know what’s reassuring about it. I think I’m going to cry.』

『I don’t care if you cry, but just keep moving your hands. Also, please check this, this, and this.』

『M-My workload is already full, you can’t put it in anymore~!』

――Yes, we had a conversation like this, and right after that, the door exploded. However, I don’t know why Nell is so angry, even after thinking about it again. I have no idea at all. I had been up all night and my brain is slow. I was making magic items and Lilyvia was assisting me. There was nothing strange in our conversation, and we were just absorbed in our work. The mystery only deepens, so let’s just ask about it.

「Rather than my last words, I want to ask the reason for your anger. Why are you so angry?」

「Why, you ask? Are you really trying to make me say that!?」

「Ehh….」

The temperature in the room suddenly rose. Now, the room has turned into a sauna. This is harsh after staying up all night. It takes away my ability to think and all the water in my body.

「*Whisper* (Goshujin-sama, Goshujin-sama. Isn’t Nell just jealous that we were alone together? There’s no other reason for this anger.)」

「*Whisper* (Is that so? I don’t think Nell will be this angry over something like that….)」

「*Whisper* (A woman’s heart is whimsical like a storm. Actually, I don’t care about the reason. I want to get out of this sauna as soon as possible, so how about you apologize to her? Everything will turn out fine if we’re lucky, but if unlucky, it will only end up with Goshujin-sama being blown up. Come on.)」

「*Whisper* (Are you really trying to win my heart?)」

Apologizing for something I don’t even know is very painful and unreasonable, and it’s something I can’t accept. However, being an adult means that sometimes you have to hold back what you want to say and bow your head. And right now is exactly the time for me to do that. Good grief, what a disaster.

「What are you whispering about? Do I really have to say it so that you can understand? Then, I will tell you.」

Nell puts her hand on the sword at her waist. Oh no, this is bad.

「Well, you see… I’m sorry――」

「――I heard it through the door! 『You’re a pervert, so exhausted, doing it since yesterday, won’t let you sleep』! It’s natural that your waist is hurt! And there’s more! 『A succubus feels pleasant, keep moving your hands, can’t put it in anymore』! Okay, I will kill you! At this rate, you might put your hands on Chinatsu as well!」

「Wait, wait a minute! You’ve got it all wrong!」

「Yes, I was wrong about you. I thought you would never give in, no matter how Lily tried to approach you…!」

「Yawn, so sleepy….」

Lily began to skillfully sleep while sitting seiza. Next to her, I stopped Nell’s sword that was approaching me. I was somehow able to catch the blade, but the sword itself is so hot that just touching it is dangerous. Ouch, my skin is melting!

「Ouch…! Y-You only heard bits and pieces of the conversation through the door, you know!? We were just making magic items here! We didn’t do anything else!」

「Weren’t you making something different? I won’t be deceived by your words anymore. Deris, just accept your punishment obediently! That’s what it means to be an adult!」

「Even adults don’t accept everything!」

「Suya~…」

I desperately defended against Nell’s attack. I want to praise myself for being able to handle Nell’s attack in this shitty condition. Also, how can Lilyvia sleep in a situation like this? Is she in forced sleep mode and concentrating on recovery because of the accumulated fatigue and the heat that drains her stamina? Damn, I want to sleep right now, but at that moment, I’m sure I will go to the next world. That’s why I must not lose consciousness, even if my arms burn and my blood boils. But, this is tough…!

「Ahaha, it’s rare for Deris and Nell to fight seriously~. I’m going to watch in the special seat~」

「「!」」

As soon as we heard that young and annoying voice, we instantly stopped our fight and turned in the direction of the voice. By the way, I also instantly healed the injured area with recovery magic and took out my black staff.

「Huh? Why did you stop? I know that I’m standing out like a twinkling star, but you don’t have to mind about me now. Come on, continue~」

Sitting on my workbench was none other than Maria. Perhaps she’s on her way home from a concert, she’s wearing an idol-ish red dress. Perhaps she was using teleportation magic, I could feel a slight residual magic power, but I couldn’t detect her until just now. Tch, what a blunder.

「Maria, there are a lot of things I want to say, but first, don’t trespass.」

「Ahaha, there’s no need to worry about such trivial things~. I was so worried about my beloved daughter, so I came to take a peek~」

Maria sticks out her tongue and shows her playfulness. Normally, I would be annoyed by this situation, but I am grateful for it now. After all, Nell stopped attacking me because of it.

「I told you, it’s a misunderstanding…! Lilyvia has been assisting me in making magic items since yesterday. She complained because she was working all night, and you misunderstood when you heard it.」

「… Really?」

「Really! Calm down and think about it, there’s no way I would do something like that!」

I strongly declared so to Nell, who is still suspicious of me.

「That’s right. Actually, I know about it too~. I don’t want this to hinder his battle against Haruharu, so I will support Deris~. Nell, unfortunately, the thing you’re thinking hasn’t happened yet~. It’s really regrettable! Deris, it’s not too late, you know? You should assault the sleeping Lily-chan!」

This bastard…!