Black Iron Magician

「Still~, you have to refuse properly, Rimudo~. It’s okay because I stopped you this time, but it’s an old rule~」

「Uh, I’m sorry. They reminded me of my growing children, so I couldn’t help it.」

「Jeez! You’re always like that, Rimudo! You should learn from me and push your children off the cliff!」

「 Rimudo family is a large family after all~. I think Maria is also a doting parent on her own way~」

「No, I’m not a doting parent! It’s just that Lily-chan doesn’t pay attention to me!」

「Still, children, huh. Depending on how you think about it, the undead created by my hands are like my children, right? I mean, I have a certain attachment to them, and the headless one I created the other day was like a son to me.」

「Old Vakala, how big are you going to make the family? Are you going to turn everyone in the world into your family?」

The four burst into laughter. The four’s boiling point of laughter is too low, probably due to the drunkenness.

「Still, Agalia sure has it hard too. After all, he’s chosen by the will of the world and gained such power.」

「That’s right~. If it were me, I would abandon such a duty! After all, I want to be on the stage!」

「No, it’s not that bad, you know? I mean, I can eat and drink as I please with the authority of the Great Eight Demons, and have fun playing around every day.」

「Okay, I take back my words~. I don’t see any sign of Agalia working at all~. Hey, are you really working? I mean, as a 『Guide』.」

「I take care of it behind the scenes if it seems important, you know? After all, it’s not only Adelheit who use hero summoning secretly. Still, I think those girls are extraordinary. The ones teaching them sure are outstanding, but their talents are also amazing. At this rate, I think they will be the first ones to return since the beginning of this world.」

「Hou, the first time, huh? Ever since I took this role, I haven’t been challenged by someone who seems to be a hero, but even so, they fear us so much. The Great Eight Demons at the old times might be excellent.」

「They were too excellent. Now the hero summoning from another world is no longer used openly, but it was used frequently at those times. However, no matter how much the summoned heroes were strengthened, it takes efforts to grow from that point on. With the efforts of the average person, they would never be able to become stronger than that. The only way to become stronger than that is to use eternity to train like me, who has no lifespan, or to go through the deadly battles as long as they live. However, most heroes dead with pride and satisfaction with the status quo, and heroes who were willing to go to the deadly battles became corpses before they could attain power. I’m sure the Guides at the peak time were screaming from overwork.」

「Compared to those predecessors, I’m living a very happy life in the current era. Now my main job is the Great Eight Demons, and being a Guide is like a side job!」

「Pfft! I was holding my laughter when the Guide became the Great Eight Demons~. I was like, ‘Eh, isn’t he from the enemy side?’.」

「It was so hilarious that I, who was the first rank at that time, allowed it. Tehe ♪」

「Aralkar’s face at that time was hilarious~. She was dumbfounded that you even handed over the first seat to him! And Vakala, that gesture can only be done by me. Tehe♪」

Maria’s cute gesture drew cheers from one part of the onlookers. She even went out of her way to smile and wave at them. She’s pleased to be the center of attention.

「After all, they were the war faction in the Great Eight Demons who respected the old system. They were claiming that the Great Eight Demons should act like ones, right?」

「Still, those three were weak despite being the war faction. Well, they were still better than Hund-chan, though.」

「But for me, I can’t say that they were weak.」

「Don’t worry, Agalia. If we count from the bottom, your ability is barely in the middle, right?」

「Hmm~, isn’t that pretty subtle? I’m sorry, Agalia. I can’t encourage you with confidence….」

「Uwaaaah! Rimudo, help me! These two are bullying me!」

Agalia comes in tears to Rimudo, who has a good body build, with the momentum of tackling him. Normally, this would be a confusing scene, but Rimudo has a lot of experience in raising children. He reassuringly welcomes Agalia and gently wraps him around.

「W-What’s this…!? I-It’s really comfortable in Rimudo’s chest!」

「As expected of Rimudo who can make female dragons cry, you can even win over Agalia, who’s a man.」

「Filthy, stay away from Maria.」

「That’s not my intention. I just stopped him.」

「N-No way!? But, I….!」

「I don’t care what you do, but it’s about time you let Agalia go. He’s going to swing that way for real. …… Wait, that’s also interesting, I guess?」

Agalia mustered all of his spirits and got away from Rimudo. He’s breathing heavily, his face is somewhat red, and he’s even sweating.

「That was close! If I was a little late, it would be the biggest disgrace of my life!」

「…… That’s somewhat regrettable.」

「Don’t talk about that kind of topic in front of me! It’s bad for my image!」

「I told you many times that I have no such intention….」

「Even if you don’t intend to do that, the result remains the same. Damn you sinful natural-seducer! If I have flesh, I can be popular too!」

「H-Hey, what are you competing for!?」

「Hmm~, something like a man’s trivial pride? I’m a weak girl, so I don’t understand~」

「I shouldn’t have that feeling… but, my heart definitely felt that way before….」

Vakala put his hands on Rimudo’s shoulders, and Rimudo resisted him. Maria put her hand on her cheek and acted like a cute girl. As for Agalia, he’s reviewing himself as he sinks to the table. However, looking from the outside, the situation seems to be different.

「Oh! They’re fighting over such a little girl!? One of them has already dropped out!」

「――! No~. Everyone, don’t fight over me~」

「「Ha?」」

Maria quickly sensed the misunderstanding and acted along with the flow. Compared to Lilyvia’s acting, her acting is bad. However, it’s good enough for drunk people.

「Haha, that’s good! Get him! It’s a rule that you should fight grandly!」

「…… I wonder if I can join the fight?」

「What, you are a lolicon after all!? Well, whatever, just go! You might get a chance!」

「O-Okay, I’m going!」

The chaotic situation continued like this until morning.

「Yep, I’m normal after all! I’m sorry, Rimudo. I can’t accept your feelings!」

「!?」

「Whoa!? That table has a more complicated love triangle than I thought!」

The chaotic situation became even more chaotic and continued until the morning.