It Seems the Demon King Has Returned to a World Where Gender Roles Are Reversed - Chapter 55

 Chapter 55 : 

Since he’s the one asking for a favor, he can’t treat it lightly.

That said, it’s the peak hour when places are crowded with people.

All the popular restaurants on campus are packed with women who’ve come to eat. As a result, the atmosphere wasn’t exactly welcoming for two guys like Ragna and Eric to walk in. But having promised to treat Eric, it wouldn’t do to take him to the men-only section of the student cafeteria either.

However, Ragna had a plan in mind.

“…I never would’ve guessed there’d be a restaurant in a place like this…”

As if he couldn’t believe it, Eric looked around, taking in the sight of a quiet, small shop that resembled a modest house. Ragna, smiling, explained to him.

“They say it’s a place only a few people know about. And even most of those who know don’t come here to eat in person.”

“Why not?”

“Because it’s too far. As you can see, there aren’t many seats for dining in. So, most people order lunchboxes instead.”

The two were seated at a small restaurant located on the outskirts of the campus grounds.

It was so remote that one might wonder why a restaurant was even there.

No one would go out of their way to eat at such an out-of-the-way place.

Unlike men who had plenty of free time in the afternoon, women valued their break time highly. Knowing this, the restaurant mainly focused on lunchbox orders, or so Ragna had heard.

The food was apparently quite good, so those who tried it often became repeat customers. Word of mouth was quietly spreading, or so it was said.

For reference, this information came from Anita. Yesterday, when Ragna asked if she’d missed a proper meal because Hazel had suddenly shown up and picked a fight, wasting her precious time, Anita had laughed and told him about this place. She mentioned that ordering a lunchbox from the restaurant would do the trick.

As they chatted, the food they ordered arrived. Ragna had ordered a sandwich with thinly sliced ham. Eric, on the other hand, ordered a shortcake that looked sweet at first glance. It was a specialty item, one that couldn’t be delivered because it would lose its shape, so you had to come to the restaurant to eat it.

Eric had ordered it out of curiosity after hearing about it.

“…”

Ragna chewed his sandwich thoughtfully. Meanwhile, Eric scooped a piece of the shortcake with a small silver spoon and brought it to his mouth. And then,

“…!”

In that moment, a blissful smile spread across his face, as if he’d gained everything in the world.

…Is it that good? The sandwich Ragna was eating wasn’t bad, but he couldn’t help feeling an urge to try a bite of the shortcake.

Come to think of it, yesterday, those three girls had mentioned they were heading here to eat this very thing when they ran into Ragna.

It seems women really do love sweet things.

In any case, thanks to this, Ragna was able to treat Eric to a satisfying meal.

Grateful to Anita for telling him about the place, Ragna decided he’d treat her next time as he paid for the meal. Then, the two left the restaurant.

_____

The two headed to a large sports field in a corner of the campus. The sound of crunching sand echoed under their feet.

Upon arriving, Eric asked Ragna to wait there for a moment before running toward an old building in one corner of the field.

He spoke briefly to someone at what looked like an office guarding the entrance, then disappeared inside.

“…”

Ragna watched Eric’s retreating figure blankly. A short while later, there was a creaking sound.

With the screech of metal rubbing together, a large, hulking machine emerged from the building’s entrance. It looked like a clumsily made pair of stilts. Rather than a golem, it resembled an automaton crafted by an alchemist. At its center sat none other than Eric.

“Phew…”

Having driven the golem right up to Ragna, Eric let out a sigh and climbed down. The machine’s open structure, lacking any armor-like covering, made it easy for Eric to step off and stand in front of Ragna.

Ragna, looking at him, asked in a low voice,

“…Is this the so-called Dagger-class golem?”

“Yeah, that’s right. I think the Hazel you mentioned will probably come out riding one of these too.”

“…”

Hearing Eric’s confirmation, Ragna recalled the machine he’d ridden before.

That one had been shorter, stockier, but it definitely felt more ‘human.’ The Dagger-class golem in front of him now, however, was different.

Rather than human, it looked like a crudely made chimera a malformed creation born from a mistake.

“…It looks different from what I saw before…”

“Have you seen a golem before, Ragna?”

“Well… back when I worked at the lumberyard. I got to ride a Short Sword-class once.”

“A Short Sword-class?! For real?”

Eric’s eyes widened in surprise. Ragna gave a wry smile and responded.

“…Well, I only managed to move it a few times before it broke down. Took two steps and then I passed out.”

“Oh, I see. Well… it’s true that compared to a Short Sword-class, the Dagger-class isn’t much to look at. That’s because it’s mainly built to help people get used to controlling golems.”

“So there’s a difference between them?”

“Yeah. Unlike the Short Sword or Long Sword-classes, which are made in the Papal Kingdom, this Dagger-class was made directly in the Kingdom.”

Curious, Ragna asked,

“Why don’t they make Short Sword or Long Sword-classes?”

“They can’t. Each kingdom tried to make them at first, but their technology just isn’t up to par. Especially the basic framework for Short Sword and Long Sword-class golems no matter how hard they try, they can’t match the Papal Kingdom’s technology. In the end, the kingdoms gave up on making their own and decided it’s better to buy from the Papal Kingdom.”

“Hmm… even so, couldn’t they just keep producing Dagger-classes? I’d think even these would be useful.”

At Ragna’s muttering, Eric shook his head with a smile.

“Not really. Like I said, these are just for getting used to controlling golems.”

“…?”

“In other words, they’re pretty much useless for anything else. Well… you’d probably understand if you tried it yourself. Go ahead and get in. You’ll see what I mean. The basic principles are similar to operating a Short Sword-class.”

“…Alright.”

With that, Ragna climbed into the golem using the lowered hanger.

The Dagger-class golem was just under 3 meters tall. When a person rode it, it felt like being on stilts.

The basic control structure was the same as the Short Sword-class.

A control system for both hands, a left pedal to channel magical energy, and a right pedal to stop the flow.

Feeling the slightly lukewarm sensation of the magic crystal at his fingertips, Ragna slowly began channeling magical energy to move it.

*Creak… Grind…*

“It’s moving.”

The golem’s body began to turn and move little by little. Meanwhile, Eric climbed up the opposite hanger and sat in a gap just above where Ragna was operating.

“…So that’s the assistant seat, huh?”

“Usually where instructors or teachers sit. It has auxiliary magic pedals, so they can stop the golem if it gets dangerous.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“Just try moving it lightly for now. Getting a feel for it is key. Oh, and you don’t need to pour in too much magic. Dagger-class golems don’t need as much as Short Sword-classes.”

“…”

Following Eric’s instructions from behind, Ragna tried moving the golem to get a sense of it.

But, perhaps because it was his first time, the golem spun suddenly or its waist twisted awkwardly, making it a struggle.

“No need to rush. Think clearly about each step and move deliberately.”

“Hmm…”

As Eric said, the sensation was different from controlling a Short Sword-class.

It required more precise commands. Unlike the Short Sword-class, which moved as intended with a general thought like ‘move this way,’ the Dagger-class demanded specific instructions for each joint’s movement and timing.

Trying to get used to it, Ragna let out a sigh.

“…This is somehow harder than the Short Sword-class.”

“But it uses less magic. According to the teacher, the amount of magic needed to go from a Dagger-class to a Short Sword-class is about six times more.”

“Six times? Feels like more than that…”

Ragna muttered, recalling the Short Sword-class he’d ridden before. But that golem had been brought by Karen to ensure he’d fail the test, requiring even more magic than a typical Short Sword-class.

“Well, that’s just for basic movements. If you move it aggressively, it’ll need even more magic, no way around it.”

Even as he spoke, Eric continued to give advice on Ragna’s movements.

Then, as a test,

“Try picking up that rock over there.”

“…?”

Though puzzled by the sudden request, Ragna followed Eric’s instructions. He grabbed a large rock in the corner and lifted it. Frowning slightly, he said,

“Hmm, it’s pretty heavy.”

“Right? That’s why Dagger-class golems are useless in war.”

“…?”

“The reason for riding a golem is to fight enemies bigger than you— iant magical beasts that pop up here and there.”

“Yeah, makes sense.”

“But just being big isn’t enough. You need strength, speed, and durability. Dagger-class golems can’t provide that.”

“…I see. So they don’t add much strength.”

“Exactly.”

Nodding at Eric’s words, Ragna looked at the rock in the golem’s hand.

He thought about the weight he felt.

Sure, it would’ve been tough to lift by hand, but it was manageable.

It was the same with the Dagger-class. The weight still felt burdensome. Whether riding the golem or not, the strain was only slightly different.

Realizing this, Ragna let out an exasperated sigh.

“…Then there’s no point in riding a golem like this.”

“Exactly. That’s why you don’t see Dagger-class golems on the battlefield. There’s no reason to use them.”

“…”

Ragna vaguely recalled hearing something like that before.

Hadn’t Karen mentioned it?

Recalling a memory from months ago, Ragna let out a soft groan.

Indeed, a golem like this would only hinder movement. It’d be better to fight barehanded for more freedom.

“No wonder there’s no point in making these.”

“Right?”

Eric’s tone seemed to say, ‘Didn’t I tell you?’ Ragna nodded in response.

And so, he continued practicing to get used to the movements.

_______

Right now, Ragna could operate the golem for about an hour using his magic reserves.

That was assuming he didn’t overexert himself and used his magic sparingly.

Of course, he could unleash the full potential of his body, but that was a last resort and wasn’t worth measuring.

This level of performance put him in the top tier among first-year students, male and female combined. After 15 minutes of maneuver training, Ragna still showed no signs of fatigue, prompting Eric to let out a sigh.

“…Ha.”

“Hm?”

“No, it’s just… I’m kind of jealous.”

Eric muttered in a bitter tone. For him, who could barely manage 10 minutes of operation, Ragna’s magic capacity was something to envy.

“…If you can move it this well, it feels like you wouldn’t need my little tricks.”

Eric muttered bitterly, but Ragna responded seriously,

“No, that’s not true.”

“…?”

“To win this duel, I absolutely need your help, Eric. Don’t talk like that.”

“…Alright.”

Hearing Eric’s response from behind, Ragna nodded.

And then,

“Alright, let’s move to the next step. You said it’s about know-how, right?”

“Yeah. …Don’t expect anything too amazing, though.”

“It’s fine. Anything will do.”

“Well… simply put, my know-how is about not using magic.”

“…Not using magic?”

“Yeah. It might sound weird, but it’s not a big deal. You know about inertia, right?”

“Inertia… I see.”

“You get it. My trick is simple: using inertia to move without expending magic.”

Eric went on to explain in detail how to achieve this movement.

Listening, Ragna let out a soft exclamation of admiration.

It was indeed a blind spot. Golems require magic to move.

Without magic, a golem won’t budge. But even so, once an arm or leg starts moving, it doesn’t just collapse or stop the moment the magic runs out.

This trick was especially useful for Dagger-class golems, which required constant, conscious magic input for every movement.

“But don’t get your hopes up too much. It’s just a way to slightly reduce magic consumption while walking. It’s not some super-efficient method.”

In other words, it wasn’t much help for complex or intense movements.

But that wasn’t the point.

“…”

Ragna began moving as Eric instructed.

Instead of controlling every detail, he started with the thigh, then the knee, then the ankle, sending just the right amount of magic. Finally, he adjusted the overall posture.

*Thud—*

A light cloud of sand dust rose from the ground.

The movement felt somewhat clumsy.

But what mattered was that it worked. He’d successfully taken a step.

“…”

Realizing this, a smile crept onto Ragna’s face.

It was possible.

With this, he could beat Hazel. No, the outcome of beating Hazel was never in doubt. But now, with this—

He could beat Hazel perfectly.

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Translated by Reversalnovel.web.id