Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 131: Testing the “Hair Dryer”
A few days after my engagement to Agnis was announced,
I was having tea alone with Rukie.
Agnis and General Raisenga had returned to their territory the previous day.
Apparently, they had various preparations to make before the formal engagement ceremony.
Mabel was in the kitchen making sweets for tea with the other maids.
That left just Rukie and me for the moment.
Since the opportunity had presented itself, I decided to unveil a newly made item.
“This is a prototype of the ‘dryer.’”
I handed a metal cylinder to Rukie.
“I can’t afford to waste the ‘Rainbow-Colored Magic Stone.’ So before making the complete version with transformation functions, I tried creating a standalone ‘dryer.’”
To protect Mabel, I planned to incorporate both a Security Buzzer function and a Hair Dryer function into the Water Spirit Stone Pendant.
This was one of the prototypes I had made as a preliminary step.
“Oh. So this is the Hair Dryer from the other world.”
Rukie nodded with satisfaction, holding the ‘dryer.’
The Hair Dryer was a metal cylinder with a handle attached.
When someone touched it and supplied magical energy, it produced either warm or cold air.
──────────────────
‘Dryer’ (Attributes: Wind Wind, Fire, Water Water Water)
(Rarity: ★★★★)
Uses the power of a wind magic stone to produce a strong airflow.
Uses the power of a fire magic stone to heat the airflow.
Uses the power of a strong water magic stone to cool the airflow to its limits.
The Hair Dryer is an item that dries hair with warm air.
When you place your finger on the fire magic stone and pour in magic power, warm air flows out.
The wind is soft and gentle, drying the hair without damaging it.
In an emergency, it can activate Minus Teion Mode.
Minus Teion Mode is activated by folding the handle and supplying magical energy to the water magic stone at its base.
(This safety mechanism prevents the accidental release of cold air. The handle on the Heroes’ world Hair Dryer presumably folds for this purpose.)
Minus Teion Mode can produce a violent blast resembling an Ice Storm.
Because it consumes so much power from the magic stones, it can only be used three times.
Physical Destruction Resistance: ★★★
Durability: 3 years
──────────────────
“I see… So it’s called a ‘Hair Dryer’ because it dries hair with warm air.”
Rukie examined the weight of the ‘Hair Dryer’ and flipped it around.
She seemed to like it.
“I suppose Minus Teion Mode could dry hair too. If you froze the hair and peeled off the ice… although that would ruin it.”
“Yes. I agree completely, Rukie-sama.”
“…………”
“The Hair Dryer is primarily meant to produce warm air. I consider Minus Teion Mode a hidden weapon for emergencies. What do you think, Rukie-sama?”
“…………”
“Um, Rukie-sama?”
“Thor. We’re in the ‘simple storage’ inside your room, right?”
“Yes.”
“And Mabel is out, so it’s just the two of us here.”
“That’s right.”
“Then why do you still call me Rukie-sama when we’re family?”
“I’ve been wondering the same.”
“What is it?”
“Why are you sitting in the chair beside mine? Do you not usually sit across from me?”
“Because we’re family?”
“…I see.”
“Do you object?”
“No, I don’t.”
“Then you should start by changing how you call me.”
“Yes. Rukie.”
“Mm. That’s the spirit.”
Rukie brushed back her golden hair and smiled.
“I also think the cold-air function is a hidden weapon.”
“Right?”
“Washing and drying hair is something you can only do in a safe environment. So punishing someone who intrudes on that—now that’s what you’d call a real emergency.”
“That’s why I’d like you to try using this for a while, Rukie.”
“Is that alright?”
“I made three prototypes. I thought my family should use them first.”
“Then why are you still using formal speech with that family?”
“…I can’t change that immediately. Please let me keep it up for now.”
“Very well. Then I’d like to try the ‘dryer.’”
“I’ve prepared some water. Go ahead.”
I placed a bucket in front of Rukie.
…Hmm. This setup would make it difficult to use.
I can’t very well tell the Demon Lord to squat down and scoop water from a bucket to wet her hair.
“Please wait a moment. I’ll make it easier to draw water.”
I took a wooden cylinder and a metal plate from the Miniature Simple Storage.
I attached the metal plate faceup to one end of the cylinder, then placed the other end near the bucket.
“‘Summon.’ ‘Come forth.’”
I poured magic power into the metal plate.
Shwaaa—
Water gushed out from the top of the cylinder.
“Now it’s easier to draw water. Please go ahead.”
“…………”
“I’ll hold the cylinder, so wet your hands or your hair as you like.”
“…………”
“Are you worried about the floor getting wet? I’ll wipe it up later, so don’t worry.”
“………Hey, Thor.”
“Yes, Rukie.”
“Why is water gushing out from the cylinder placed over the bucket?”
“Because I summoned it.”
“You summoned what?”
“Water.”
“How?”
“With ‘summoning magic.’”
“Summoning magic… then I suppose it can’t be helped.”
“It’s the kind of magic that summons heroes or monsters from another world, after all.”
“Then drawing up water from a bucket is a given.”
“It’d be stranger if it couldn’t.”
“Indeed.”
“Now then, Rukie. Don’t hold back—go ahead and test the ‘dryer.’”
“Alright. But before that—”
It was all so sudden.
Rukie grabbed my shoulders with both hands and stared intently at me.
“…Explain properly why you’re using ‘summoning magic’ for something like this, Thor.”
“Yes.”
That’s how it all started.
“Now that you mention it, you did say it. That you wanted to use ‘summoning magic’ to create items for ordinary households.”
After listening to my explanation, Rukie nodded in apparent understanding.
“You got permission too, didn’t you? So, it’s completed?”
“Yes. I named it the ‘Water Summoner.’”
──────────────────
Water Summoner (Attributes: Water, Water, Water) (Rarity: ★★★★★★★★★★)
An octagonal metal plate engraved with a summoning-magic circle.
The summoning magic used by the Empire summoned magical beasts from another world by means of a catalyst.
This is a simplified version of that.
Using the water attribute granted to the metal plate as a catalyst, it draws nearby water toward itself.
Because it only draws water from nearby, there’s no need for a complicated ritual.
Supply it with magical energy and chant “Summon” or “Come forth,” and it’ll draw in water.
Physical Destruction Resistance: ★★★
Durability: 10 years
──────────────────
“I based this on a pump from the Heroes’ world.”
I spread out a Mail-Order Catalog in front of Rukie.
The photograph showed water flowing from a pipe far smaller than the hand pumps in this world.
Yet a large amount of water flows from the pipe.
“The moment I saw this picture, I understood. The Heroes’ world must use summoning magic to call forth water.”
I explained.
“So, as an application of that, I embedded a summoning magic circle into a metal plate with a water attribute.”
This ‘summoning magic’ has the characteristic of drawing similar things based on the catalyst.
The culprit behind the magical-beast summoning had tried to summon a hero using a handkerchief from the Heroes’ world as the catalyst.
As a result, what came was a magical beast.
Perhaps the creature had come from the Heroes’ world; regardless, the summoners had succeeded in drawing something from another world.
So, what if the catalyst was just water?
What if the spell was drastically simplified to only “Summon” or “Come forth,” and the target was restricted to water?
Through repeated experimentation, this ‘Water Summoner’ was created.
“After a great deal of trial and error, I finally made it draw water. I altered the magic circle and incantation in several ways, but it worked. That’s the Water Summoner.”
“I see. So when you attach that metal plate to a pipe and infuse it with magic—”
“Yes. Water comes out of the pipe.”
“…Why are you so calm about this, Thor?”
Rukie looked at me curiously.
“You made something like this. Shouldn’t you be a lot happier?”
“Because it still can’t compare with the pumps of the Heroes’ world.”
In the Mail-Order Catalog, water is flowing from the pipe even though no one is there.
That means that even without continuously infusing it with magical energy, it keeps summoning water.
But my ‘Water Summoner’ stops bringing water just a few seconds after I stop infusing magic.
It was still nowhere near the level of the Heroes’ world.
“What the Heroes’ world can do is irrelevant! This… this is incredible!”
With water splashing on her hands, Rukie’s eyes sparkled.
“With this, there’s no need to go to the well to fetch water anymore. We won’t need to transport water from underground sources to the surface. This is wonderful, Thor!”
“Thank you. That makes me happy.”
“I’d love to adopt this for the Demon Lord’s Castle… but can you mass-produce it!?”
“I think we can produce quite a few.”
The process isn’t all that complicated.
If the craftsmen of the Demon Lord’s Domain made metal plates engraved with the magic circle and incantation, I would only need to use Creation Alchemy to grant them the water attribute.
That should be enough to produce them in numbers.
“But there’s one flaw in it.”
“A flaw?”
“The amount of water it produces… in other words, the output is unstable.”
“You mean the water volume changes depending on the magical energy infused?”
“That’s right. And another issue is that the maximum output is weak. I had Mabel infuse it with magic, and even then, the most we could get was a fountain-like flow.”
“…Well, isn’t that enough?”
“But with that output, we can’t attach a waterwheel and use it as a power source.”
I explained.
Rukie looked dumbfounded.
Huh? Did I say something weird?
No, but if I can move a large amount of water using magic, then I could turn a waterwheel with it, right?
And by using that as a power source, I could grind flour and such, right?
If I improved it further, maybe I could even use it to move wheels?
The Heroes’ world had probably already perfected water-powered mechanisms. Perhaps they had even built carriages that ran on water. If flowing water turned a waterwheel and its power rotated the carriage wheels, the vehicle could move forward.
Wait, hold on. If you carry water, the carriage will become heavier. Which means you’d need even more water to move the heavier carriage. To solve that… maybe they’re using air instead of water as the power source. I’ll have to research this. Next time, I should create an “Air Summoner” to summon air──
Rumble, rumble.
“Hey, Thor! Don’t get lost in thought. Come back.”
Before I knew it, Rukie was shaking me.
She was looking at me with an exasperated expression.
“…Sorry. It looks like it’s still too early to use ‘Summoning Magic’ to move carriages.”
“No, no, you don’t need to go that far.”
“Really?”
“This Water Summoner will transform everyday life in the Demon Lord’s Domain. That’s more than enough.”
Rukie stared intently at the metal plate attached to the tube.
“After we show this to Kelve and the others, let’s try using it in the castle.”
“Yes, I think it’ll be helpful for those in charge of water-related tasks.”
“The kitchen staff, the maids, the bath attendants, the laundry workers… There must be countless uses.”
“I’m looking forward to it.”
I wonder what kind of feedback everyone will give.
Maybe they’ll say they want better stability, or ask for wind to be summoned too, or for it to be smaller or larger. I hope we get a lot of suggestions. I’m excited.
“Still… I bet the ones who summoned those magical beasts never imagined their magic would end up being used for water-fetching tools…”
Rukie looked off to the south with distant eyes.
“Magical Beast Gargarossa and Magical Beast Nozerius. Their summoners caused the Demon Lord’s Domain no end of trouble… but thanks to them, we have created an item that will transform this land. Let us call it even.”
“Yes, Rukie-sama.”
“Hey, Thor. You’re calling me ‘Rukie-sama’ again.”
“…I’m just not used to it yet.”
“Well, fine. I’ll let it go since you made the ‘Water Summoner’ and the ‘Dryer’.”
“What about testing the ‘Dryer’?”
“Right. Let’s try wetting my hair with the water from the ‘Water Summoner’.”
Rukie brought her face close to the water outlet.
Then she touched the metal plate of the ‘Water Summoner’ and said,
“I just pour magic into here, right? Hmm, I think the water flow needs to be stronger. Let’s see… ‘Summon’, ‘Come forth’──there!”
“──!? Wait, Rukie!!”
The ‘Water Summoner’ reacts even to my weak magic.
If the Demon Lord Rukie, without any practice, pours her magic into it and summons──
Grab. Yank.
Fwoooosh!
“O-Ohhhhh!?”
“…Just in time.”
Right after I pulled Rukie away, water gushed out of the pipe.
It shot out with the force of a water cannon.
The ‘Water Summoner’ responded to Rukie’s magic and pulled in a huge amount of water.
And then it blasted it out at high speed.
“Please be careful. I told you the output isn’t stable yet, didn’t I?”
“R-Right. My apologies…”
“That was dangerous. A little more and you would’ve been completely soaked──”
SPLASH!
Rukie got completely soaked.
The water that had shot out like a fountain reached near the ceiling of the “Simple Storage” and came crashing down.
It hit Rukie’s body directly—while I was still holding her.
As a result──
“…Well, I guess the goal of wetting my hair was achieved.”
Rukie gave a troubled smile.
“Thor.”
“Yes?”
“Step outside the ‘Simple Storage’ for a moment. And lend me a towel. I need to dry off.”
“Do you have a change of clothes?”
“There’s nothing in the Miniature Simple Storage… only a Recognition-Inhibiting Mask and Robe. Thor, could you lend me something to wear?”
“Of course, no problem. But are you sure you’re okay with mine?”
“The Recognition-Inhibiting Mask and Robe are dry. If I put them on, I’ll appear in my official guise as the Demon Lord, and no one will know what I’m wearing underneath.”
“Understood. I’ll prepare them right away.”
“Please do. If I stay in these wet clothes, I’ll catch a cold.”
Just as Rukie said that and reached for her dress──
Knock, knock.
There was a knock on the door of the ‘Simple Storage.’
Mabel had come back.
“T-This is bad. I can’t let Mabel see me soaked like this…”
“Huh? I think Mabel would be fine with it though?”
“…Mabel is your fiancée now, Thor.”
Rukie stared at me.
“Letting Thor’s fiancée see me soaked after messing up using one of his magic tools… I just don’t feel good about that. It’s like… showing her that I don’t really understand Thor…”
“…Is that how you feel?”
“Yes, that’s how I feel. I-It can’t be helped. If that’s the case──!”
Suddenly, Rukie placed her hand on the dress.
She blushed and glanced at me sideways──
“Turn your back! Quickly!!”
“Y-yes!”
“Listen carefully! Don’t look this way until I say it’s okay, got it!?”
“…Understood.”
When I turned my back── behind me, there was a soft ‘shuru’ sound.
Then, the sound of something wet being placed on the floor.
It was only a matter of a few dozen seconds.
After that──
“It’s alright now, Thor.”
I heard a voice and turned around… Rukie was standing there in her Demon Lord style.
She appeared as her usual imposing figure, clad in a jet-black robe.
She wore a mask that concealed her expression.
“This should suffice. With the Recognition-Inhibiting Mask and Robe on, no one will notice what I look like underneath.”
“…Um, Rukie.”
“…I’m not accepting questions, you know?”
“…What’s under that robe?”
“I told you I’m not accepting questions. More importantly, before anyone gets suspicious, bring Mabel inside.”
While drying her hair with a ‘hair dryer,’ Rukie said this.
Is this really okay?
…But since she’s not going to walk around the castle like that, maybe it’s fine.
……Let’s just say it’s fine.
Until now, the Recognition-Inhibiting Mask and Robe had always concealed Rukie’s true identity perfectly.
Hiding what’s inside the robe for a short time shouldn’t be a problem at all.
Knock, knock.
The knocking sound came again.
“Sorry, Mabel. I’m opening the door now.”
“I brought some tea. Huh? Your Majesty?”
Mabel tilted her head as she looked at Rukie in her Demon Lord style.
“Your Majesty? Why are you dressed like that inside the ‘Simple Storage’?”
“Just a change of mood.”
“Could it be that this is an official occasion?”
“Not at all. You can’t dress like this for an official event.”
“But that’s your official appearance… right?”
“…Ugh.”
“And the floor is wet because…”
“Ei.”
Splash.
“Wah!? Thor-sama!? Why did you suddenly pour water over your head!?”
“I wet my hair to test the ‘hair dryer.’ That’s why the floor got wet.”
“But you just got wet now, right!? Isn’t the timeline strange!?”
“Strange things always happen in alchemy experiments…”
“…I, I see. Anyway, you should change clothes.”
“Then, Mabel, could you help me?”
“Huh?”
“My clothes might be wet and hard to take off, so I want your help.”
“That’s exactly what I hoped for… N-no, it’s no trouble.”
“I put my change of clothes in the ‘Miniature Simple Storage,’ so I’ll change here. But I can’t let the Demon Lord see me changing…”
“I’ll just be considered to be outside.”
Rukie and I exchanged glances and nodded at the same time.
“I’ll change here.”
“I’ll be outside the ‘Simple Storage.’”
“My clothes are in the dresser in the room.”
“But since Thor will change here, it’s not necessary.”
“That’s right. The shirt at the very top of the wardrobe is long enough to cover the Demon Lord down to her knees.”
“Since Thor will change here, it’s not necessary.”
“Wearing two shirts layered might be safer.”
“Since Thor will change here, that comment is meaningless.”
“Absolutely meaningless.”
“Hmm. I’m convinced.”
At the same time, we both nodded in agreement.
“…Um, Thor-sama. Your Majesty. You two seem strangely in sync…”
“You’re imagining things,” Rukie and I replied in unison.
“Ah, I see…”
“Well then, Mabel, stay here.”
I spread both arms wide in a pose waiting for Mabel to help me change.
Mabel nodded with determination.
“Y-yes. Then, excuse me, Thor-sama.”
“Y-yes. I’ll be outside. I’m right outside.”
“Your Majesty… something seems off.”
“I told you it’s nothing. I’ll be back soon, so wait for me!!”
With that, Rukie hurried out of the Simple Storage.
Phew… now I can relax.
All Rukie had to do now was take one of my shirts from the wardrobe and put it on.
If she then wears the Recognition-Inhibiting Robe over it, there will be no problem.
“Thor-sama, getting water suddenly poured over your head like that… I was so surprised.”
“Sorry, Mabel.”
“Your hair is soaking wet, you know?”
“I’ll dry it myself later.”
“That won’t do. Let me dry it with the ‘dryer.’”
Mabel suddenly seemed to realize something.
“Come to think of it, the ‘Hair Dryer’ you made for me is still in Thor-sama’s room.”
“…Huh?”
“It’s outside the ‘Simple Storage.’ I’ll go get it right away!”
Mabel ran toward the exit of the “Simple Storage.”
I tried to follow, but my wet pants clung to me, making it hard to run well.
In the meantime, Mabel opened the door of the “Simple Storage”—
“………?”
Clack.
She closed the door and turned to face me.
“Um… Thor-sama.”
“Yes, Mabel.”
“Could you explain what exactly happened here?”
“Mabel.”
“Yes, Thor-sama?”
“What exactly did you see?”
“…I’m the loyal servant of the Demon Lord. I can’t speak of Her Majesty’s undignified appearance.”
Mabel declared this with a bright red face.
Afterwards, I explained the situation together with Rukie, who had returned still in Demon Lord style.
After hearing the story, Mabel immediately prepared a change of clothes for Rukie.
While Rukie was getting ready inside the “Simple Storage,” I changed in the room.
Then, when I returned to the “Simple Storage”—
“W-well then, let’s have a tea party!”
“T-today, I got some good tea, Thor-sama.”
Rukie and Mabel began the tea party as if nothing had happened.
For now… I decided to go along with it.
The topic was, of course, about the “Water Summoner.”
I was going to show this item to Chancellor Kelve later.
After that, it would be tested in several places around the Demon Lord’s castle to decide whether to distribute it widely.
Because its output was difficult to control,
I thought it best to have various people try it out and see how it goes.
Thus, the tea party ended.
Rukie returned to her duties, and Mabel saw her off.
I was relieved that the unveiling of the Water Summoner had gone well.
While absentmindedly imagining what Rukie looked like when Mabel entered the “Simple Storage,” I started preparing for the next research.
Then, after a while—
“Her Majesty said she wishes to unveil the Water Summoner tomorrow. She also asked you to prepare for it, Thor-sama.”
Mabel returned and relayed the message from Rukie.
Then, for some reason, avoiding eye contact, she added:
“There was one more message… Since your shirt has been worn, Thor-sama, it’ll be washed before it’s returned.”
“No wonder it was missing.”
So Rukie had worn my shirt once…
Well, it’s understandable it was missing then.
Naturally, a shirt that the Demon Lord had worn should be washed before I wore it again.
“…Well, if Rukie-sama wore it, it can’t be helped.”
“I was surprised too. Her Majesty looked so happy…”
“Then Mabel, what exactly did you see?”
“I’m the loyal servant of the Demon Lord. I can’t speak of the secret appearance Her Majesty wishes to keep hidden—”
“I think you’re basically saying the same thing already.”
For the time being, since Mabel put a finger to her lips in a “secret pose,” I gave up on pressing further—
I decided to start preparing the presentation for the “Water Summoner.”