Make Dark Fantasy Great Again

Chapter 67 *** Can I really do this well? Would you please reconsider? Those words rose to the tip of her throat. But in the end, she couldn't bring herself to say them aloud. There must be a reason why her master entrusted such work to her. So, the doll decided to act the part her master wanted. Since coming to the Magic Tower. Demiya felt as if she wasn't truly living even though she was alive. Administrative work that remained difficult no matter how much she studied. Heavy duties that never diminished no matter how much she worked. Freedom and will thoroughly restricted in the process. Sometimes she even resented her master for entrusting all of this to her. But whenever that happened, Demiya forced herself to straighten her heart. -Master wouldn't have given me this work without good reason. -If there are problems, it must be because my efforts are insufficient. Demiya could only endure and hold on while desperately hoping. That someday all of this would end. That a day would come when the Magic Tower would stabilize according to her master's will, and she could enjoy rest with peace of mind. And finally. All of that was shimmering before her eyes as if she could grasp it with an outstretched hand. Of course, she knew. The fact that she was far from perfect, not even adequate. But what could she do? This was her limit. She couldn't try harder than this, couldn't do better than this. When she happened to get a good night's sleep, she was tormented by inexplicable guilt, and when she was too tired and spaced out, the walls on all sides seemed to close in on her. Sometimes tears would well up without warning. What she had reached now was built up clumsily but stitch by stitch, and Demiya was quite satisfied with the result. 'Risir...' But that man had ruined everything. Demiya intended to resent him with all her might. But why was it that... "You called for me—" When she faced him, those negative feelings melted away like snow. Something warm seemed to be comforting her. Was it because he was currently receiving all the attention from the Bondaless merchants? She didn't know. What was certain was that with his help alone, she might be able to end this tedious nightmare. 'I'm here in place of my master... I absolutely cannot let him look down on me...' After finishing her usual resolution, Demiya calmly opened her mouth. "Yes. I summoned you. You know who I am, don't you?" Her appearance, unaffected by the passage of time, retained the freshness of a young girl. But her expression steeped in fatigue and resignation, along with dark circles under her eyes, forcibly added gravitas to her atmosphere. The Tower Master Proxy looked down at her counterpart with her upper body held straight. "Of course. You're the Tower Master Proxy, aren't you?" "Do you perhaps also know the reason I called you here today?" "...Is it perhaps because of the matter I resolved last time?" "Yes. Folda. That man seems to have been greatly impressed by your efforts." Demiya handed Risir the document she had prepared. "He has expressed his intention for long-term support. And at double the previous amount." Risir's eyes widened as he checked the amount written in the document. If it wouldn't be rude, just one ice cream— "As expected of the owner of a large trading company, he spends generously." "They're not always like that." "Pardon?" "Merchants are those who know exactly when to open and close their purses. The fact that they've shown this level of sincerity is only possible because you demonstrated sufficient value." "..." Risir nodded repeatedly. To Demiya's eyes, he appeared to be moved by her flattery. It was a moment when the teachings learned from the book [How to Handle Subordinates] shone through. 'He must have gotten a good impression of me, right?' Judging that sufficient groundwork(?) was complete, Demiya brought up the main point. "The introduction was long. The thing is, the reason I called you here today is to discuss the continuation of the previous matter. Whether Folda's case has been shared among merchants, it seems various trading company owners have gotten a good impression of you. They've promised support for the Magic Tower while requesting to meet with you. You understand what their intention is, don't you?" "Do those people also have problems with that fellow named Kal?" "Not only that, but they seem to think your influence encompasses the entire northern back alleys." "..." "Do you have any idea about this?" After deep contemplation, he let out a wry smile. Then he carefully nodded his head. "Is that so? Then—" Demiya fell into contemplation. How could she get him to readily offer his help? -Why would the Tower Lord entrust such a person with... -How troublesome. If only that person weren't the Tower Master Proxy. It was always the same thought, but handling subordinates as that person's proxy was truly not an easy task. No matter how much she tried and worried, voices of discontent emerged. As if reminding her that if she weren't that person's proxy, she would be nothing. "Then..." Suddenly her stomach felt queasy. 'Come to think of it, he's an Honorary Mage—' He wasn't formally affiliated with the Magic Tower. In other words, he had no need to bow and scrape before her, even superficially. 'What if I make a verbal mistake and he says he won't help?' Disappointed merchants. Withdrawn support. Goals growing ever more distant. The worst-case scenario was easily painted in her mind. The queasy feeling grew stronger and her lips felt heavy. 'He also... knows that I opposed his appointment as Honorary Mage, doesn't he...? He must be looking down on me inwardly...?' Strange. It usually wasn't this bad. Demiya felt that the mask she had created seemed particularly thin today. She concentrated all her attention on her expression, worried that her pathetic true self might be revealed. The same went for her voice. "I, I would like to give you an opportunity to help the Magic Tower..." But despite such efforts, what came from her mouth was an utterly pathetic voice. The content was even more ridiculous. Oh no! Just as Demiya was about to panic and try to salvage the situation, Risir smiled mischievously. "My, such a precious thing. In that case, I shall gratefully accept it." As if simply playing along with a joke. It was an alien reaction, as if he had no preconceptions about 'how a Tower Master Proxy should be.' Demiya didn't know how to handle such a situation. The difficult books she had read didn't cover anything related to this. "Y, yes... consider it an honor..." So, Demiya ended up speaking as her heart moved her. And she watched Risir's reaction. How exactly did her current appearance look in his eyes? He laughed again as if finding it simply amusing. Demiya burst into laughter as well. It was an innocent smile that carried not a trace of the Tower Master Proxy's dignity. *** ────────────────────────────── [Today's Diary] [Weather: Cloudy] I hate rainy days. I like the sound of rain tapping on windows, but I hate everything else about them. This place called the Magic Tower is unnecessarily spacious, so when it rains, it gets really eerie. To the point where I naturally think, "Aren't ghosts going to appear!?" (Actually, they say there are places in the Magic Tower where ghosts appear [screaming painting]) Especially at night! When the Masters and staff have gone home, and the students have returned, leaving no one around!!! At this time, all the lights in the Magic Tower go out, so I have to endure alone in this spacious office with only a candle! Does this make sense!? This is seriously scary!? When the wind made the windows rattle, I was so startled that I almost became a ghost myself. On days like today, I especially miss my master. Is my master doing well? Surely they are not getting rained on? I hope they return soon. If I were with my master, I could even visit that place where ghosts appear. ────────────────────────────── ────────────────────────────── [Today's Diary] [Weather: Clear] Today while passing through the corridor, I thought I misheard. Well, apparently the students were talking about something called rainbow cake! It's a dessert sold at a newly opened cafe, but why is it called rainbow cake? Is it big like a rainbow? Or is it arch-shaped like a rainbow? Or could it possibly be rainbow-colored? What should I do, I'm completely curious. If it's rainbow-colored, how did they make the colors? Red would be strawberry. Orange would be grapefruit. Yellow is... yellow is... orange? (It's different from tangerines, different!) Anyway, roughly moving on, the problem starts here. Green. What did they use to make the green color? Apple? Surely not tree leaves? Ah! Right! There's green tea! ...But then what about blue? Indigo? Purple? This is just my personal opinion, but couldn't those three be omitted? They don't seem like appetite-stimulating colors... But then, without those three, can it be called a rainbow? It's difficult. Perhaps it's not rainbow-colored after all, but shaped like a rainbow, making it a rainbow cake? Wouldn't I know if I tried it once? No way! This is a situation where even saving and saving more isn't enough! As the person responsible for the Magic Tower, I should set an example! That's probably right, isn't it? Ugh. I hate this. This position is really too burdensome for me. I still don't understand even after thinking about it again. Why did my master entrust me with this work...? Because he believes in me! ★★★ Right. My master must have believed I could do it and entrusted me with this work. So let's not give up and work hard today too! ────────────────────────────── ────────────────────────────── [Things I Must Do Later] 1. Sleep lying in bed all day long 2. Try reading something called romance novels 3. Try going to a place called a cafe 4. Try eating rainbow cake ★★★ 5. Go ghost-watching with my master (No need to be scared because my master is stronger than ghosts!) 6. Learn how to apply makeup 7. Romance??? <I don't know about this one yet ... ... ... 37. None of this is necessary, so please just let it end. (E/N: *hug*) ────────────────────────────── ────────────────────────────── [Title: Who Was Demiya Again???] Content: I picked up something called Demiya's diary at the Magic Tower and read it, for real; the content is so girly that I smiled like a dad while reading it - : Is it right to smile like a dad while peeking at a girl's diary, seriously - : A bastard who should absolutely never become a father, seriously -[Author] : Ah, seriously, it's not like she dropped it for me to see - : I suppose lost property could be interpreted that way - : We've agreed to call that misappropriation of abandoned property -[Author] : The production team dropped it, the production team, seriously - : That's Demiya, the Tower Master Proxy -[Author] : ? -[Author] : No, not that dark circles girl - : There's no other Demiya though? -[Author] : ? -[Author] : No, you're saying she wrote that diary? -[Author] : Seriously, what kind of split personality is this? - : Probably split personality -[Author] : ????? -[Author] : For real? - : Split personality (forced) - : A doll that mimics her Tower Master days < What the Gray Tower Lord originally tried to make - : A doll that mimics her 14-year-old self < What the Gray Tower Lord accidentally made wrong - : When Demiya wrote that diary, her mental age was probably 14 or something -[Author] : So you're saying they entrusted Magic Tower administration to a 14-year-old? - : She must have aged as time passed by now That's how it started, yeah -[Author] : The Tower Lord, this crazy bastard -[Author] : So no one noticed that a 14-year-old was doing administrative work? - : The Tower Master's 14-year-old days<<< - : Since the software is the Tower Master, yeah, she probably managed to endure through sheer stubbornness - : At first she was really like "oh my," but as time passed she became tolerable< Masters' evaluation -[Author] : The Tower Lord route is really harsh, for real ────────────────────────────── *** After the conversation ended, Risir left the office. In front of the door, Master Meltas, Didoa, and Marina were waiting for him with faces full of worry. "Risir, are you alright!?" "You must have felt bad waiting without any word, right? If so, I'm sorry. Risir. Have you been well? Oh right, the reason I was waiting here was—" "You're being too verbose, Didoa!" It was like treating someone who had been dragged away by demons and returned. They couldn't help it, as the Tower Master Proxy's peculiar personality was notorious even within the Magic Tower. She was someone who pathologically flaunted and emphasized the Tower Master Proxy's authority and power even in front of Masters. So how much worse would it be in front of Risir, a mere Honorary Mage? Moreover, she had been the one persistently opposing Risir's appointment as Honorary Mage. It wouldn't have been strange if Risir had suffered some unfair treatment after being summoned by her. "Eh? Ah. She was an interesting person though? Since I'm going to meet with the trading company owners this time, we decided to tour the city together. She said there's a place she'd like me to take her." "?" "?" "Perhaps the execution ground?" The three people reacted as if they had seen a ghost.