It Seems the Demon King Has Returned to a World Where Gender Roles Are Reversed - Chapter 16

Chapter 16 :

Ragna was capable of using mana.

For Seria, who had just realized this, there was only one course of action.

If Ragna could wield mana, it was possible he might also be able to control a golem. If that were the case, Ragna wouldn’t just be an ordinary lumberyard worker but an exceptional talent capable of handling golems.

However, with Seria’s current authority, it was impossible to pull Ragna out of his position.

As she herself had noted, she was merely a cadet from a single kingdom. But that wasn’t a problem. Because she knew someone she could entrust this matter to.

That someone was Karen Steiner.

Karen, a knight assigned to mentor Seria, was a member of the White Knights, the elite unit of the United Kingdom’s most prestigious forces, and hailed from the same kingdom as Seria.

She was the perfect person to discuss Ragna’s situation with.

Or so Seria thought. But contrary to her expectations…

“That’s absurd.”

“What?”

Karen’s response was colder than ice.

Caught off guard by Karen’s attitude, Seria looked at her in confusion.

“Um, why would you say that, Lady Karen? He can wield mana. Doesn’t that mean he could be a valuable asset to the kingdom?”

Unlike women, who could control golems for a short time upon passing a consciousness test, male knights capable of piloting golems without innate talent were exceedingly rare.

At Seria’s academy in Shreid, there were fewer than ten male students.

Given that, Seria’s question was entirely reasonable.

Which made Karen’s dismissive attitude all the more baffling.

But to Seria’s confusion, Karen responded:

“Honestly… I can see exactly what you’re thinking. But aren’t you forgetting one crucial detail?”

“…?”

“The most basic fact you’re overlooking is whether or not he can actually control a golem. Just because he can use mana doesn’t mean he can pilot one.”

“…Oh!”

It was only then that Seria realized the truth she’d overlooked, her face paling.

She was right.

Operating a golem required mana.

But mana alone wasn’t enough to control one.

“To move a golem, you need to be able to convert mana into arcane energy. Without confirming that, we can’t recklessly pull a worker from the lumberyard.”

“…”

Faced with Karen’s cold logic, Seria fell silent.

It was sound reasoning.

What Karen was stating was the most fundamental rule. As a knight bound by the framework of the Kingdom, she couldn’t move a lumberyard worker considered shared property of the union for personal reasons.

Even if that rule was practically obsolete, Karen, who prided herself on her rigid adherence to knighthood, would never do anything that might tarnish her own honor or that of her kingdom.

Seria, having spent enough time with her to know this, could only bite her lip in silence. Narrowing her eyes, Karen continued:

“…Come to think of it, I’ve warned you before, haven’t I? To stay away from that boy.”

“W-Well, that’s…”

“And didn’t I explain your position to you back then?”

Karen’s words brought Seria back to the day she’d first had a proper conversation with Ragna only to be forcibly separated from him by Karen.

That day, under Karen’s harsh guidance, Seria had been reminded of her place and ordered to stay away from Ragna.

“Joining the White Knights is the greatest honor an individual can achieve. It means reaching the pinnacle of knighthood! But that’s not all. It’s also an honor for your kingdom! The White Knights are the Union Kingdom’s most elite martial force. The number of members from each kingdom directly affects that kingdom’s influence.

In other words, your shoulders carry not just your own expectations but those of your homeland.

If it got out that someone like you, in the midst of training, was fraternizing with some lowly lumberyard worker, what would that do to your kingdom’s reputation?”

“…”

At Karen’s words, Seria quietly bit her lip.

Even Seria, with her limited worldly experience, understood what Karen meant.

The expectations of her kingdom. The expectations of her family. Even someone as inexperienced as her couldn’t help but grasp it after hearing it endlessly.

But understanding didn’t mean accepting.

Seria had grown up in the mountains, isolated from society, living with her father.

She didn’t consider that time unhappy, but she had no particular attachment to the so-called “homeland” that had given her nothing.

So, the sudden weight of expectations and Karen’s demand to devote herself entirely to her kingdom felt far from welcome.

“…In any case, don’t meet that boy again.”

“…! B-But!”

“That’s an order. Or what? Are you going to defy me? Fine, then. I’ll have you sent back to the kingdom tomorrow. That’s all.”

“…!”

Seria’s face went pale at Karen’s words.

What could she do?

This was turning everything upside down. She’d hoped to get Ragna out of this place, but now she was at risk of never seeing him again.

She had to find a way… As she looked at Karen, desperation mounting

“…Ugh!”

Karen’s gaze was unrelentingly stern.

There was no reasoning with her.

She had to find a way, somehow, someway…

Then—

“…!”

A sudden idea struck Seria.

It was an utterly ridiculous plan… but it was her only shot.

“…Understood, Lady Karen.”

“Hm?”

“I’ll follow your orders. I won’t meet Ragna… I mean, that boy, again.”

“…Is that so? Good. Then return to your room—”

“But!”

“…?”

“…Before that, please test Ragna!”

Karen’s gaze sharpened. Under that piercing, icy stare, Seria gritted her teeth and held her ground.

“…That’s ridiculous. Utterly foolish.”

“W-Why is that?”

“Didn’t I already tell you? How many men do you think are born with the ability to wield mana? And of those, how many do you think have the talent to control a golem?”

Hundreds, even thousands, of men and women with the ability to wield powerful mana and control it are born every year.

But among them, men especially those born with the ability to convert mana into arcane energy—are a mere handful.

“…The odds of a man being born with the ability to pilot a golem are vanishingly small. The idea that such a person would be wasting away in a place like this, a beggar wandering the forest, is absurd. It’s not even worth checking.”

“Wait, please, Lady Karen!”

“I told you, it’s not worth discussing.”

Karen’s response was resolute.

What could she do? Seria racked her brain desperately and shouted:

“If he can use a golem, what then?”

“I told you, the odds are—”

“But what if? If he can operate a golem, letting such a talent slip through our fingers would be a loss to the kingdom, wouldn’t it?”

“…Tch.”

For a moment, Karen’s stern demeanor wavered. Seria caught it, her eyes gleaming. This could work.

“If… if another kingdom recognizes his talent and recruits him, what then? Wouldn’t that mean we let a valuable golem-piloting man slip through our fingers for nothing?”

“…”

Karen opened her mouth to retort.

But no matter how hard she thought, no counterargument came to mind.

It was sound logic.

Seria was right.

For Karen, who prioritized honor above all, the idea of her kingdom’s reputation being tarnished by a “lowly” peasant boy was unthinkable.

But if that boy could pilot a golem, the story changed entirely.

There’d be no issue. In fact, securing a rare male knight would be worthy of praise. But…

“…”

Karen still didn’t respond. She seemed to be searching for any excuse.

Seria decided to push further.

“Lady Karen, isn’t that right? For the sake of our kingdom.”

“…”

Honor. For the kingdom.

Karen was someone who cared more about that than her own personal desires. It was precisely because of this that she’d taken on a posting at a remote lumberyard a place most White Knights would avoid to serve her kingdom.

The phrase “for the kingdom,” which she’d always preached to Seria, had now turned into a dagger that bound her hands and feet.

“…Fine. You’re right.”

“…!”

Karen’s surrender.

At that, Seria’s face lit up with hope.

She’d done it. Clenching her fist subtly, she savored the moment.

“But even so, we don’t have any tools here to measure mana. This isn’t a training ground, so there’s no reason for such equipment to be here.”

“I-If that’s the case, we could bring some from outside…”

“That would take too long. It could be a month, maybe two, before the next supply shipment.”

“…”

By then, Seria would likely have already left this place. At Karen’s words, her expression darkened.

Seeing this, Karen inwardly smirked, thinking, (Got her.)

This way, Seria would be unable to meet the boy.

All that was left was for Karen to test the boy’s aptitude at an appropriate time.

This would protect a potential asset for the kingdom, and if luck was on her side, they might even gain a valuable male knight.

Just as Karen was about to tell Seria to return to her room—

“…No, there’s still a way. A way to test that boy’s abilities.”

“A way? I told you, we don’t have tools to measure mana here…”

“No, we don’t need tools. There’s a far more reliable method.”

Karen frowned at Seria’s words.

How could they measure whether someone’s power was mana or arcane energy without tools? But then, a sudden thought crossed Karen’s mind.

“…Wait, you don’t mean?!”

Karen asked, half in disbelief. Seria nodded vigorously.

“Yes, that method.”

“No, even if you say that, that method…”

“No, there’s no surer way than that.”

Why was the ability to convert mana into arcane energy necessary?

To pilot a golem, that’s why.

If that was the case, it was simple.

The entire point of testing was to determine whether someone had the talent to operate a golem.

So why bother with the middle steps?

“Let him… let Ragna pilot a golem. If he’s deemed incapable of moving it, I’ll never meet him again. How about that, Lady Karen?”

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Translated by Reversalnovel.web.id