Humans cannot use magic.
When a wizard waves their wand with mysterious spells, poof! Magic appears. People who don’t know much, like Pastel, might mistake this and revere the wizard, but magic is not the wizard’s own power.
A wizard is more of a prayer performer, asking the natural elements to lend their power. Magic is simply the elements responding to those prayers.
It’s not much different from an artificial spirit, claiming to be a fairy, shouting “God! God!” while making wishes. If the results are good, they parade around like they did it themselves.
However, the situation of the wizard is quite embarrassing when you compare it to the circumstances of the priesthood.
The chosen priests, who received divine power directly and could perform miracles, wielded authority like true gods.
With a mere gesture, they could heal incurable diseases or summon torrential rains to parched lands. Miracles became a regularity, bringing sunlight after clouds like it was nothing.
In fact, some were so excessive they mistakenly thought of themselves as gods.
Worship and corruption.
After countless schemes and betrayals, those who completely owned the powers of the innocent deity were called demons.
Those who overshot their power grabs to the extent that they led to the god’s death and left a void of divine revelations were called the Great Demon.
Ironically, this being claimed innocence, asserting that the god simply bestowed their powers, and after a hundred years of continent-wide pursuit and assassination, fled to the Demon Realm.
But shortly after, the god thought to be dead returned, reforming doctrines and ushering in a new age, making the Great Demon’s notoriety quite ambiguous. The god simply didn’t remember the Great Demon’s existence as there were no relevant revelations or demotions provided, so the Great Demon remained the Great Demon.
The fact that they maintained this notoriety was partly due to the not-so-minor offenses like threatening the emperor’s life and preparing a sky whale to flee to the Demon Realm.
While it might be a breeze for a young prince to watch with a heart full of anticipation thinking when exactly will the emperor be taken down, the empire almost took a hit to its budget while trying to save the sky whale.
Of course, even though the Great Demon participated in the cult eradication led by Blossom Craft, winning great merits and gaining another complex reputation, the Demon Realm’s evaluation of the Great Demon was quite different from the tumultuous mainstream history.
Originally, the Demon Realm was a refuge for fugitives.
Having settled down during an age where power was everything, the Great Demon wielded overwhelming power, establishing a zone of influence after more than a century of struggle and even threatening the authority of the Demon King.
The Great Demon had become a living myth for those who immigrated from the empire. Whether good or bad, their standing was rock-solid. This glory and power were expected to last indefinitely.
That is, until a naïve, kind-hearted noble family with a penchant for charity started to poke around the Demon Realm.
Centuries after the Great Demon had settled in.
The cannibalistic barbarians still loomed large. The notion that power was everything hadn’t changed at all. As a former priest, there couldn’t be a situation more displeasing.
When the empire began eyeing the Demon Realm and declared a trade blockade, the pink-haired proposal to introduce the empire’s new technologies and reform the evil customs to create a better living world struck the Great Demon. After all, they were originally from the empire and loved its civilization.
In fact, there was no way around it.
Gem is the only ore that can be found in the Demon Realm. If one were to bring in the rapidly developing gem engineering from the empire, it would be easier than swimming with one’s feet on the ground. Not investing would be foolish.
The Great Demon honed their smuggling techniques and extensively trafficked in imperial goods. When one faction acted against policy, it didn’t take long for the trade blockade to crumble.
The pink-haired figure dancing above the head of a smuggling novice gave a thumbs up.
They then smuggled large quantities of new imperial technologies—cold weapons (Bellamont Steel, great quality! Completely new technology!)—leading to civil unrest.
“Craft…!”
In an instant, the Great Demon, branded a traitor to the Demon Realm, had to bring the civil war to an end themselves.
Ultimately, this became the fatal cause for their defeat in the Great War, forcing the Great Demon into a life of being pursued within the Demon Realm.
What followed is a story that can be long or short.
While fleeing, another naïve, kind-hearted noble with a penchant for charity appeared before the Great Demon, apologizing for the betrayal of their lord.
Having distinguished themselves in assisting the empire’s journey, they promised to repay the betrayal of their lord with utmost sincerity. This minimized the Great Demon’s sullied reputation while fostering harmony with the sacred hearth and eliminating the ongoing pursuit and assassinations.
The Great Demon had no choice but to reflect on the lesson that lineage and individual merit were separate. It wasn’t the term “Craft” that was the problem, but rather the deceptive lord.
When the Great Demon let their guard down, the pink-haired foe took the opportunity to seal them, claiming the credit before becoming the new lord.
Betrayal is more about the aftermath than the success itself.
Having knocked the Great Demon on their back and made them a huge factor of uncertainty, the pink-haired figure was fully deserving of becoming the next lord.
“Craft…!”
And after a long while.
Before the still-imprisoned Great Demon, Blossom Craft appeared.
This time, they were not naive or kindly, but a slightly different pink-haired individual unaffected by charity. They showed no pretense.
The underage girl proclaimed she would reform the wicked family and asked for assistance in becoming the lord.
The righteous request from a young girl was something a former priest couldn’t refuse, especially since they had already been betrayed twice by that wicked family and were bent on bringing it to ruin someday.
While extending their heartfelt help and wrapping up various matters, there was the small issue where she, true to her pink-haired nature, broke promises and imprisoned them again.
“Craft…!”
At this point, you might question if the problem lies with the Great Demon continually being deceived by the pink-haired girl.
Elly thought so too.
As a reformist who would have succeeded in implementing the Great Demon’s plans for reforming the Demon Realm had it not been for the pink-haired tricks, the Great Demon reflected that the real issue wasn’t in their direction but in their naïve execution.
The Great Demon, who had been but a show-off in the old Demon Realm, was quite the rare reformist, worthy of a bit of admiration.
After all, those who tread on uncharted paths are bound to be clumsy. It’s the bad pink-haired individuals that are to blame.
“The supply chain for coal is indeed a weak link. There are not nearly enough quality coal mines compared to gem mines, and we’re importing coal from Bellamont Mountain.”
Elly offered a policy briefing right in front of the Great Demon.
Drawings of trains and skyscrapers covered the table. While it was in a completely different direction from the Great Demon’s gem engineering reform proposal, this was nonetheless a new achievement for this generation.
A sense of pride lifted the corners of her mouth.
The demon narrowed their eyes and rubbed their chin.
“This might not be a big issue now, but when national development kicks off and demand rises, outside interference from the empire will become inevitable.”
“Yes. That’s why we are conducting hybrid research with the gem engineering department.”
“Pure engineering is something the empire is skeptical about, so the restrictions aren’t too harsh, but gem engineering is a different matter.”
“Right.”
The source of gems is as threatening as obtaining gem engineering.
“The research of materials has become so intense that it’s difficult to conduct studies.”
Elly smiled as the reformist senior instantly understood.
The wand pointed at one report.
“That’s why we are pinning our hopes on the train seized by Pastel.”
This referred to the train and engineer team encountered in the port city. The engineer team, previously members of the cult, all perished in what was believed to be a massacre ordered by the cult to silence them, but the train with abnormally high technical capabilities remained.
“Currently, pure engineering could never produce that kind of speed. I can say this with the honor of the kingdom. Although I got kicked out of the hotel and couldn’t see the merchant report, it’s definitely a hybrid system.”
If not, it would mean that the cult surpassed the technology level of the United Kingdom, a leader in pure engineering—a rather dubious claim. After all, unless it was a group investing in pure engineering, that wouldn’t hold up.
“It’s definitely a hybrid!”
A cheerful voice suddenly rang out.
Turning her head, she saw Governor Pastel’s head peeking through the door.
Her pink eyes quickly scanned the demon and Elly.
“The gem engineering proportion is overwhelmingly at 70:30. The merchant tech team said that with the royal family’s help, they can increase the speed even further.”
“Oh, interesting. What specifically are we talking about?”
“You don’t need to know, Demon Lord!”
“What?”
While this was good news, Elly found her heart racing. The way that gaze examined her felt unsettling.
But maybe it was just her imagination, as the pink-haired girl soon erupted into a bright smile. Her small steps moved inward.
“I didn’t know Elly was working on such a plan! I’ll talk to the merchant and share the train data with the royal family! We should do joint research!”
Pastel prodded her finger at Elly’s side.
“Make sure to negotiate the patent rights with the practitioners!”
“Really? If you do that, it would be great for me.”
The mention of negotiating patent rights essentially meant that it was a green light for her—as Pastel’s original core staff, Elly could intervene as she saw fit.
A fierce patent negotiation unfolded between Elly, the royal family’s representative Princess Ellycita, and the Governor’s representative, Assistant Elly.
Having feared Pastel might be mad after being expelled from the hotel, Elly felt a sense of relief.
The very rational Pastel didn’t seem like the type to hold on to resentment, especially when they acted momentarily for the national interest, but as always, underlying unease remained.
All the same, she decided to be cautious next time.
Balancing between a rational friend and national interests was not healthy for the heart.
“Yeah! Elly’s a workaholic and seems to need work enough to unnecessarily brief the Demon Lord! So, I’ll give you more work!”
Pastel pointed at herself.
“I’m such a good boss, making sure my subordinates don’t become unemployed!”
Wow.
The girl let out an effective sound.
Elly cocked her head.
Is that really the definition of a good boss?
But she felt good because of that.
“Thank you.”
“Yep!”
Pastel nodded vigorously.
“I’m totally nice!”
The pink twin-tails danced with enthusiasm.
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