It Seems the Demon King Has Returned to a World Where Gender Roles Are Reversed - Chapter 17

Chapter 17 :

“…and that’s the story.”

“…Hmm, so that’s how it went… Wait, no it’s not! If it’s like that, you should’ve explained it to me first!”

“Ugh… sorry.”

Seria shrinks back, apologizing.

Watching her, Ragna lets out a sigh.

“Seriously… you scared the hell out of me. Getting tied up and dragged here out of nowhere like that.”

As he speaks, Ragna recalls what just happened.

While he was working at his job, a group of soldiers suddenly burst in, shouting, “Where’s Ragna?!” and “We’re looking for Ragna! Where is he?!” causing a huge commotion.

In that moment, Ragna tensed up, wondering if his true identity had been exposed.

Should he break through and escape? That thought had crossed his mind.

“…Good thing you didn’t try to run,” Seria says.

“Ugh… I wanted to explain, but with Lady Karen’s eyes on me…”

Seria fidgets nervously, still trying to make excuses as Ragna slumps with another sigh. Watching her, he chuckles lightly and pats her head.

“…Hey.”

“It’s fine, I’m not that mad. I was just a bit startled, that’s all.”

“…Okay.”

“You worked hard, though, didn’t you? Trying to make this opportunity happen.”

“Hehe…”

Seria nods happily, and Ragna’s smile deepens at the sight.

He thinks to himself that Seria really put in a lot of effort in that situation.

If she had given up on facing that woman named Karen, everything would’ve ended right there. But she fought to seize this chance.

And now, this stage for the test had been set.

“If that’s the case, all that’s left is for me to step up.”

“Yeah! I’m counting on you, Ragna!”

“Counting on me, huh… Well, I guess I just have to do my best.”

Grumbling lightly, Ragna asks Seria about golem control techniques and the basics he needs to know.

But everything she explains is either tied to vague instincts or filled with incomprehensible sound effects. As expected from a physical type, it’s all about “figuring it out with your gut.” Even with his sharp intellect, controlling a golem based on that alone is no easy task.

In the end, all Ragna can grasp is the rough structure of the cockpit and some basic concepts. But that should be enough.

To put it simply, what Ragna needs to do is prove whether he can move the golem or not. There’s no need to go overboard or show offhe just needs to demonstrate that he can make it move.

As Ragna organizes his thoughts, a loud *thud, thud* echoes through the air.

The sound of heavy footsteps draws everyone’s attention. Approaching from across the plaza is the massive figure of a giant heading toward the open field.

Ragna sizes it up. It lacks what you’d call a head. Its overall shape is a bit stout, like a dwarfish giant.

Compared to the golems he saw brawling in the central plaza from his lodging, this one seems about a head shorter.

“So, I’ve got to move that thing…”

He’d made up his mind, but now, looking up at it, it feels daunting. A small doubt creeps in can he really do this in his current state?

As he lets out a small sigh, thinking it over,

“Ahh!”

“…What’s wrong, Seria?”

Seria lets out a sharp yelp, and Ragna turns to her, puzzled. Her face stiffens as she says,

“That golem… it’s a ‘Short Sword’ grade.”

“…?”

Short Sword? Like a short sword? What does that mean?

As he wonders, the golem arrives at the clearing, creaking and groaning as it bends its knees and lowers its body.

Up close, its movements feel oddly unnatural.

Not only that, but its exterior is covered in patches of filthy rust. That’s probably part of why its movements seem so clunky.

With a *hiss*, a locking mechanism releases. The upper part of the golem, where a head would normally be, opens up, splitting the chest to reveal a passage big enough for a person to enter. A slender, blonde woman leaps out, landing lightly on the golem’s chest plate, then hopping down using the waiting hand and bent knee as steps.

“What’s going on, Lady Karen?!”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I’m asking why! This is supposed to be a test, right? To see if he can control a golem! If that’s the case, shouldn’t you be using a ‘Dagger’ grade golem instead of a ‘Short Sword’ one?!”

Seria glares at Karen as she speaks.

The terms “Short Sword” and “Dagger” she’s been mentioning refer to golem grades. The smallest is “Dagger,” followed by “Short Sword,” then “Long Sword.” The higher the grade, the larger the golem and the more magical energy it consumes.

For that reason, beginners typically start with Dagger-grade golems.

But

“Do you think this place is some kind of playground? This is a military facility. We don’t have any use for Dagger-grade machines here.”

“But you must have at least one for experimental or training purposes! I know I saw one in the hangar before!”

“…That one’s been neglected for so long that its joints are completely rusted and immobile. So, I had no choice but to bring the ‘least bad’ Short Sword-grade golem.”

“…”

Karen smirks lightly, her eyes narrowing. Seria bites her lip, falling silent.

She hadn’t expected Karen to pull something like this. Even for a Short Sword-grade golem, this one is unusually large and in poor condition.

Naturally, golems are weapons.

Forcing a poorly maintained one to move requires an immense amount of magical energy.

It’s a dirty trick to pull on a beginner.

“Got anything else to say?”

“Well, at least bring a Short Sword golem that’s in better condition and smaller…”

“I told you, Seria. I brought the ‘least bad’ Short Sword-grade golem. Are you saying you don’t trust my judgment? The judgment of Karen Steiner, a knight of the Kingdom White Knights?”

“…”

At those words, Seria lets out a low groan and clamps her mouth shut.

There’s no way she can argue.

No matter how unfair it seems, Karen is a celebrated figure in the kingdom.

Challenging her judgment head-on is simply not an option.

What should I do? Seria fidgets, looking around frantically for some way to break through this situation.

Then-

A hand gently rests on her shoulder.

Seria turns to the owner of the hand and calls out, “…Ragna?”

“No need to worry.”

Smiling lightly at her anxious eyes, Ragna turns to face Karen.

Meeting the disdainful gaze of Karen, who clearly doesn’t approve of him or Seria, he says,

“So, all I need to do is make that golem move?”

“…Yes. We’re short on time, so get started.”

Karen spits out the words with barely concealed contempt, as if looking at a bug.

Ragna nods with a faint smile and approaches the golem.

“Ragna…”

“Don’t worry. I’ll show you I can handle a clunky old thing like that with ease.”

With those words, Ragna climbs toward the golem. Using the ridges and handles on the lower leg’s armor, he scales up to the knee, then moves past the hand supporting the chest and slips into the cockpit seat inside the chest plate.

“…Ugh, smells like mold.”

Wrinkling his nose at the dusty stench, Ragna settles into the seat. He takes in the cramped interior.

“Hmm, so I strap my chest in, put both hands into the holes on either side to lock into the gloves, and place my feet on the pedals, right?”

Following Seria’s earlier tips, he secures himself with the seat’s restraints and slides his hands into the large holes on either side. Beyond the soft cushioning, he feels the hard metal mechanism, then the leather texture of the gloves. Near his palms, he senses a warm stone.

“So, this must be the control device…”

Recalling Seria’s explanation, Ragna prepares himself. He moves his joints inside the gloves, hearing a faint *creak* as the golem’s joints shift in response.

The fit around his elbows feels slightly off, but there’s no helping it. It’s not tailored to him, and it’s someone else’s used gear.

“…Alright, then.”

Time to get ready.

Taking a deep breath, Ragna focuses. He begins to channel the magical energy within his body.

He recalls Seria’s words about controlling a golem:

“To control a golem, you transmit your intentions to it while infusing it with magical energy.”

In other words, if you want it to stand, you think about standing.

If you want to swing a sword, you think about swinging a sword.

By focusing on those thoughts and channeling magical energy, you make the golem move.

So, where do you channel the energy?

“You put it into the contact points in your hands,” she’d said.

The warm stone inside the gloves is a mana crystal, a device capable of storing magical energy.

He needs to channel his energy into it.

But there’s a problem. Mana crystals only store energy they can’t make the golem move on their own.

That’s where the pedals come in.

“When you feel you’ve infused enough magical energy into your hands, press the left pedal hard. That sends the energy to the golem, making it move. When you think it’s moved enough, press the right pedal to stop the energy flow.”

It’s like driving a horse-drawn cart.

Channeling energy into your hands and transmitting your intentions is like handling the reins.

Pressing the pedal is like cracking the whip to signal the horse to move.

If the whip isn’t strong enough, the horse won’t move properly it might even resist its master.

So, it’s critical to press the pedal only when you’re sure enough energy has been infused.

“…Alright, so moving my hands comes first…”

With that thought, Ragna wiggles his fingers.

He’d been told that moving the hands is the easiest action for a golem and consumes the least energy since it only involves the weight of the hands, unlike other parts.

Focusing on Seria’s advice, Ragna begins channeling magical energy toward his palms. Slowly, he feels a strange vibration near the warm stone.

_______

*Seria murmurs Ragna’s name quietly.*

Watching her, Karen frowns slightly.

It’s not just her, Seria, and the boy named Ragna here.

The soldiers who brought Ragna are still standing by, and curious officers are peeking in, wondering what’s going on.

For Karen, it’s hardly pleasant to have Seria’s embarrassing behavior looking smitten with a boy on display for so many people.

*How did it come to this?*

Karen clicks her tongue, frowning.

This wasn’t her intention.

She deliberately chose a Short Sword-grade golem instead of a Dagger-grade one, and an old, poorly maintained one at that, to make this test impossible to pass.

Who would’ve thought some fool would step up to try it?

Gritting her teeth, Karen feels her pride as a golem-handling knight being tarnished.

How dare he step forward so ignorantly?

A man, no less.

A man who likely knows nothing but how to fawn over women.

“…Whatever.”

In the end, the boy’s failure is a foregone conclusion.

The golem in front of them is in such bad shape that even Karen would struggle to operate it.

There’s no way a first-timer could make it move.

The golem will stay still, the boy will be sent back to his workplace, and Seria will return to her training. Everything will go back to normal.

Nodding to herself, Karen is interrupted by a sound.

*Creak… screech…*

The grating sound of metal scraping against metal rings in her ears.

Her eyes widen at the sight before her.

*Am I dreaming?*

“No way.”

Something unbelievable is happening.

The golem, which she was certain would never move, is creaking and groaning as its hands slowly begin to shift.

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Translated by Reversalnovel.web.id