It Seems the Demon King Has Returned to a World Where Gender Roles Are Reversed - Chapter 18

Chapter 18 :

The onlookers outside stared in astonishment as the golem moved.

It was slowly wiggling both arms, as if testing its range of motion.

The sight resembled a simple warm-up exercise, checking its own condition.

For someone controlling a golem for the first time, Ragna seemed remarkably calm and composed.

But there was a reason for that.

Inside the golem, within the cockpit, the grinding sound of gears echoed around the seat and control mechanisms.

And in the midst of it, Ragna was struggling fiercely.

“Damn it!”

Cursing under his breath, he moved his arms again, channeling magical energy.

A strange sensation washed over him, as if part of his body was being drained.

Gritting his teeth against the odd exhaustion, he stomped on the pedal.

Through the cupola installed for visibility, he saw the golem’s arm lurching with a grinding noise.

Using that feedback, Ragna began to get a feel for it.

The key was how much magical energy to channel and how precisely to visualize the action.

Simply pouring in energy wasn’t enough to move the golem.

He needed to specify exactly how the joints should move, how the fingers should flex.

The armor-like structure securing his arms was designed for that purpose it helped him form a clearer mental image, acting as an assistive mechanism.

For such a massive machine, the control system was surprisingly simple.

But perhaps it was that simplicity that allowed it to mimic human movements so uncannily.

With that in mind, Ragna repeated various hand motions, gradually learning the ropes. There were no major issues there.

The real problem lay elsewhere, in the most fundamental aspect: the amount of magical energy consumed.

“Damn it, Seria was controlling this monstrous thing so effortlessly.”

Or perhaps it made sense, considering the vast amount of dark magical energy black mana latent in her body.

But Ragna’s current reserves were limited.

Unlike black mana, which didn’t occur naturally, there was no way to replenish it externally. To move the golem, he had to rely solely on the mana within his body.

“Damn it…”

Panting heavily, Ragna checked his remaining mana.

It was roughly half of what he’d started with.

Considering he’d only moved the golem’s hands a few times, the consumption was staggering. Sure, he’d occasionally used more mana than necessary mid-motion, but even so, operating a golem was no small feat, he realized.

So, what now?

With about half his mana left, his time and actions were limited.

He could stop here and climb down that was an option.

Moving the arms alone was enough to prove he could operate the golem.

He’d already passed the test set by that blonde woman, Karen.

But…

“She might still say it doesn’t count as ‘moving’ it.”

Ragna recalled the look in Karen’s eyes from earlier.

Blatant hostility and contempt.

It was the gaze of someone determined to make him fail, no matter what.

If that was the case, she might dismiss the golem’s arm movements as mere twitching, refusing to acknowledge his success.

“If that’s how it’s gonna be… I’ve got no choice but to go all in.”

If he was going to do this, he’d do it thoroughly, leaving no room for her to argue.

With that resolve, Ragna took a deep breath and channeled mana into both hands again.

A low hum resonated as the mana crystal began to vibrate with the influx of energy.

But Ragna didn’t stop there.

Not yet. This wasn’t enough. More, more, more!

With that thought, he poured mana into the crystal until it trembled like an earthquake. Then, he slammed his foot on the pedal.

*Groooar—*

As mana surged through the golem, a resonant wail, like a cry, erupted from its joints.

The creaking joints began to move.

*Grind, grind—*

“...!”

The golem, previously hunched over, slowly straightened its back, prompting the surrounding soldiers to shout and scramble back.

Watching through the cupola near his eyes, Ragna prepared the next motion, channeling mana into his hands again.

Following the commands he’d inputted, the golem, now upright, began to adjust its balance. Then, it started lifting its legs.

“It… it’s standing?!”

The soldiers who’d brought Ragna stared up in disbelief.

The golem fully stood.

Though it wobbled unsteadily, it was undeniable the golem was standing on the ground.

He’d actually made it move.

Karen’s mouth hung open, unable to close in the face of this unbelievable reality. Meanwhile, the golem moved on to its next action.

*Creak—*

“…?”

*Thud!*

“...!”

The golem began twisting its lower body. Was it turning? No it was preparing to walk forward. Its massive frame let out a tremendous boom as it took a step.

*Hiss—*

Air trapped between the armor plates escaped through the gaps, sounding like a deflating balloon.

Riding the momentum, the golem took another step.

*Thud!*

Karen was speechless.

It was now undeniable to anyone watching that Ragna had the power to control a golem.

*Groan…*

As if deciding it had done enough, the golem slowly came to a stop, straightening its posture. Then, it began to bend its knees.

Ragna must have thought this was sufficient and was preparing to exit. With a creak, the golem’s upper armor opened.

Staggering, Ragna emerged from the gap.

“…! Ragna!”

“...!”

Suddenly realizing something, Seria let out a sharp cry.

All eyes turned to Ragna.

The soldiers nearby shouted in alarm. And for good reason Ragna’s body was swaying dangerously as he stepped out from the armor.

“He’s going to fall!”

Someone’s shout rang out. Ragna’s body, emerging near the chest armor, wobbled violently.

“No!”

Seria screamed, rushing forward. But it was too late. Ragna, stumbling as he tried to descend, lost his balance and fell to the ground.

*Thud!*

He fell from about two to three meters onto a sandy surface, but the impact was heavy. Panicking, Seria ran to Ragna, sprawled on the ground.

“Ragna! Are you okay? Can you hear me?!”

Seria, reaching him faster than anyone, frantically checked on him, trying to support his limp body. She checked his breathing.

She let out a sigh of relief.

His breathing was a bit fast, but there were no major issues.

Seria examined his body further. There were no visible injuries.

But she couldn’t relax yet.

Even without visible wounds, falling from that height in his natural state could be dangerous. A spinal injury would be catastrophic.

Carefully lifting Ragna’s body, Seria stood up.

As she started heading toward the infirmary-

“Hold on, Seria. Where are you going?”

Karen’s voice stopped her in her tracks.

Seria turned to her and said, 

“Where do you think? The infirmary, obviously.”

“That boy is a lumberyard worker. He can’t be treated in the officers’ infirmary—”

“He's not just lumberyard worker, Lady Karen.”

“…?”

“He’s proven he can operate a golem. That makes him no longer just a lumberyard worker, but a ‘male knight’ capable of controlling a golem, doesn’t it?”

Karen clicked her tongue at Seria’s words. There was no flaw in her argument.

Ragna had brilliantly demonstrated his ability to control a golem.

And that fact was witnessed not only by Karen but also by the surrounding soldiers.

“…Fine. Send the boy to the officers’ infirmary.”

“…?”

“But there’s no need for you to take him there yourself. Leave it to the soldiers here, and you-”

“I believe I made myself clear, Lady Karen. Ragna has undeniably proven his ability.”

“…So—”

“So, you promised, didn’t you? If Ragna couldn’t control a golem, I’d never see him again.”

“…?”

“But he’s proven his ability splendidly. That means I’ve won our little bet, doesn’t it? So, I see no reason for you to interfere with my meetings with him.”

Karen let out a low groan at Seria’s words.

This was exactly what she’d wanted to avoid.

“What’s going on?”

“Hey, what happened here? There’s a golem…”

“…!”

Had the commotion drawn their attention?

Officers lingering nearby began to show interest.

No.

Karen’s expression grew urgent as she scanned the surroundings.

If this continued, word of Seria’s relationship with this boy would spread.

That would tank her reputation.

The future of a girl sent with high expectations from her homeland would be ruined by her own actions.

“I’ll take my leave now. I’ll see you later, Lady Karen.”

“Wait, Seria!”

“What’s happening, Lady Karen?”

“Well, Officer Bristol, it’s…”

Karen’s attention was diverted by the arrival of a high-ranking officer from the Union Kingdom.

Seizing the opportunity, Seria slipped through the crowd and hurried toward the lodging.

Karen tried to stop her, but the crowd’s presence made it impossible to move.

Ignoring them wasn’t an option their influence was too significant.

And ignoring them could lead to further missteps.

Reluctantly, Karen gave up chasing Seria and began explaining the situation to the officers, her gaze lingering on the path to the lodging where Seria had disappeared.

________

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Ragna’s head was foggy.

His body wouldn’t move an inch.

It felt like all his energy had been sucked out. In a way, that was half-true.

Mana was life force, the very energy that sustained a human’s existence.

Losing so much of it at once naturally had consequences.

Feeling a tingling sensation creep through his body, Ragna’s thoughts slowly returned.

(…Did I pass out?)

The last moments flashed through his mind.

To earn the acknowledgment of that blonde woman, Karen, he needed to make the golem stand and walk properly.

With that thought, he’d raised the golem, taken one step, then another.

And then he hit his limit.

It felt like his entire energy was drained in an instant.

In truth, it was. His mana reserves had bottomed out. Panicking, he stopped the golem’s movements, bent its knees, and prepared to exit.

That should’ve been enough to earn acknowledgment.

But as he released the safety harness and stepped out, something went wrong.

His body felt as if all its blood had been drained, leaving him powerless.

In hindsight, he should’ve stayed seated until he recovered.

But the dizziness, like anemia, clouded his judgment. All he could think was that he needed to get down somehow.

As a result, he stumbled, and his consciousness cut out.

(…What a pathetic sight.)

He sighed.

To think that he, once called the Demon King, had fainted from mana depletion.

His face flushed with embarrassment.

Grumbling lightly, Ragna began to circulate the mana within his body, activating the magical array etched into his flesh.

(Hum-)

A faint tremor ran through him as mana flowed swiftly through his veins. The magical array embedded in his organs began to activate.

The array’s purpose was to convert the world’s ambient mana into black mana or, in this world’s terms, legal mana.

As mentioned before, the mana in this world Ragna’s black mana didn’t exist naturally on this plane.

It was a unique power found only in the demon realm.

When Ragna fell into the demon realm, he studied how to harness it, eventually condensing black mana into his body to become the Demon King.

But there was a problem.

The issue arose when he returned to this world.

As stated, black mana didn’t exist here.

Yet, both Ragna and his subordinates needed it to function.

For his subordinates, he could share his own mana.

But how would Ragna himself replenish his mana?

The title of Demon King wasn’t earned lightly his body held an immense amount of mana.

And using that power to perform miracles for his demon army consumed a significant amount.

He couldn’t keep shuttling back to the demon realm to recharge.

So, he had to find a way to replenish black mana in this world.

That was the purpose of the magical array in his body.

It absorbed ambient mana and converted it into black mana.

After painstaking research, Ragna succeeded in creating this magic. But there was one issue.

(…Haa, the efficiency is pretty low, isn’t it?)

Checking the amount of mana gathered by the array, Ragna sighed lightly.

Despite running the array to the point of overheating, the actual mana collected wasn’t much.

And of that, the portion converted to black mana was a mere drop in the bucket.

For his current body, it was like pissing on a frozen foot—barely helpful.

(Compared to Seria’s mana recovery, this is downright embarrassing.)

He sighed inwardly.

Seria’s vast mana reserves were impressive, but her recovery ability was even more astonishing.

Her recovery rate far surpassed the meager output of Ragna’s array, making him question his own magic.

Of course, his array had its advantages.

While Seria’s recovery filled a fixed amount quickly, Ragna’s array scaled with his total mana capacity. If his mana pool grew, his recovery could eventually outstrip hers.

The problem was figuring out how to increase his mana capacity until then.

(No point dwelling on what I can’t fix.)

There was no way to drastically boost his mana right now.

The best approach was to stay calm and improve his situation gradually.

As he thought this, sensation slowly returned to his body.

He began to feel his limbs, which had been numb during his temporary exhaustion.

Having all his limbs intact was a blessing.

With that thought, Ragna tried to sit up. But then—

“…?”

His face stiffened.

Something was wrong.

Muttering that it couldn’t be, he tried again to move his body.

But—

“…!”

This was no joke.

It was real.

No matter how hard he tried, his body wouldn’t move.

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