Chapter 6 : Too many messages

While there wasn’t a set giveaway for the radio broadcast, the most common ones were ‘department store gift vouchers’ and ‘keychains’.

I didn’t know why those two were the most popular. It was probably just tradition.

Anyway, I decided on ‘keychains’ as the giveaway, out of respect for the traditions of my past life. There weren’t any department stores in this world anyway…!

So, first, I needed to buy materials for the keychains.

“I’m going to the commercial district. Want to come along if you’re bored?”
“Yes, Mage-nim.”

I called out to Sylvie, who was diligently munching on a salad while lounging in an armchair.

It wasn’t that I needed someone to carry things for me. I just wanted her to get some fresh air since staying indoors all the time could be depressing. (I stored everything in my inventory anyway.)

Sylvie nodded, put on a cloak, and covered her head with the hood.

…It was summer outside, so it would be hot. Were elves a race that was sensitive to temperature?

“Won’t you be hot dressed like that?”
“Yes? Ah… It is a little hot, but… I thought I would attract attention if I showed my face.”

“Ah, because of the burns?”
“Yes…”

Indeed, with that face, she would stand out.

Because I was in the habit of checking someone’s status window before their appearance, it hadn’t occurred to me, but Sylvie was a s*ave who hadn’t been sold because of the burn scars covering her face.

“Then I’ll heal them.”
“Yes?”

There should be a healing skill somewhere in my skill tree from the Great War…

Ah, found it.

[Using Life Restoration (LV.7).]
[Using Life Purification (LV.MAX).]

Life Restoration, a holy skill that restored a living being’s physical age to its prime.

Life Purification, a holy skill that purified a living being to their optimal state.

Using these two skills in succession could forcibly bring the target to a ‘perfect state’, ignoring most curses or status ailments.

It was a skill combination I discovered during the Great War when I was actively working to gather skill points.

It was a mana-intensive combination, but… thanks to the Super Chats, I had plenty of high-grade Mana Stones. This much was easily affordable.

“Ugh?!”

As I activated the skills, a halo of light appeared above my head, and the radiance emanating from it permeated Sylvie’s body.

Sylvie groaned and collapsed to the floor.

“Ugh… Huh… Ah, uh…”
“It’ll be over soon, just bear with it a little longer.”

“Y-Yes…”

Soon, the light dispersed, revealing Sylvie’s completely transformed appearance.

“Are you alright now?”
“Yes, yes. But what is this…?”

I created a mirror with magic and showed it to Sylvie.

Sylvie stared blankly at the mirror, speechless, as if she were in a daze.

Then, she raised her hand and touched her face.

As if that wasn’t enough, she took off the cloak she was wearing and checked all the parts that had been covered by her clothes.

“The… the marks… are gone…?”

Only then did she finally let out a gasp in a bewildered voice.

“Let’s go if you’re ready.”
“Y-Yes?”

“If we’re too late, the shops will be closed.”
“Ah, yes!”

Magic Kingdom.

Special Commercial District. Regent Street.

The busiest street in the commercial district.

I put the keychains made from processed gems and Mana Stones into my inventory and looked at Sylvie. She seemed restless ever since I healed her scars with magic.

“We found the keychain shop faster than I thought. Do you need anything, Sylvie?”
“…Are you going to give me a gift?”

“Well, you were a s*ave, so you don’t have any money, right? Or do you want me to give you money and you can go around by yourself?”

When I asked, pulling out a money pouch from my inventory, Sylvie shook her head.

Then, she spoke in a slightly gloomy voice,

“…Mage-nim. The s*ave mark on me disappeared because of your magic earlier.”
“Ah, is that so?”

“What would you do if I ran away?”

Ah. Was that what she was thinking about?

No wonder she’d been so restless.

“You’re thinking of running away?”
“Absolutely not! On the contrary, I intend to repay this kindness for the rest of my life.”

Kindness?

Ah. Healing her scars.

“Then it’s fine. Whatever.”
“But… what if I’m lying?”

“Well, it’s fine even if you run away.”
“…As expected, I’m of no use to Mage-nim. Someone like me…”

Sylvie suddenly became dejected and started muttering to herself.

What was she talking about?

“No, it’s not that—I’ll just catch you if you run away.”
“Yes?”

How could I let a rare race with high magical aptitude escape?

Their brain was too valuable.

“I’ve already marked your soul. I can track your coordinates and bring you back anytime. I’ve also cast a Labyrinthos spell on the mansion; if you try to escape, you’ll be returned to your room.”
“Yes?”

The reason I didn’t care about ‘s*ave marks’ was because I didn’t need to rely on such ‘trivial’ magic.

“Even if you run away to hell, I’ll drag you back, so it’s pointless.”
“Ah…”

My declaration of ‘I will forever extract resources from your brain.’

I wondered how my answer sounded to her.

“Ha, haha… Pfft, hehe…”

Sylvie suddenly started giggling.

It seemed something I said had tickled her elven sense of humor.

“Let’s go if you understand.”
“Understood, …Master. Please remain my master forever.”

“Uh-huh. Of course.”

Had she developed some kind of dependency from being alone in her room all day?

I should buy more elf slaves and put them in the mansion.

[“Hello! Friends! The unknown Archmage is back from the dead. Do you have lots of messages prepared today?”]

Ding!

Ding! Ding! Ding!

The moment I started the broadcast, Super Chat notifications suddenly started going off like crazy.

I checked the chat window to see what was going on, and one person was practically spamming the chat with Super Chats.

[‘IamtheDemonMonarch’ used a Megaphone.]
[‘IamtheDemonMonarch’ used a Megaphone.]
[‘IamtheDemonMonarch’ used a Megaphone.]

[Start broadcasting every day. How dare you make me wait, it’s rude.]
[Giving a gift to only one person is unfair. Offer me a sandwich as a tribute.]
[If you use this communication magic for me, I will give you as many Mana Stones as you want. I will also provide unlimited support for your magical research.]
[I am the Demon Monarch. I can provide an unlimited supply of high-grade Mana Stones like this.]

An overwhelming number of Super Chats arrived non-stop.

Even when I tried to proceed with the broadcast, the constant ding ding notification sound drowned out my voice.

In the end, I decided to take drastic measures.

[“IamtheDemonMonarch-nim. If you keep spamming like this, I can’t continue the broadcast, so I’ll temporarily disable the Megaphone function. And IamtheDemonMonarch-nim will be muted for 1 hour, so please don’t spam in the future.”]

It was time to ‘close donations’.

I blocked the Megaphone function and muted the user ‘IamtheDemonMonarch’ for 1 hour, preventing them from sending any messages.

This should teach them not to spam next time.

[‘IamtheDemonMonarch’ used a Megaphone.]
[W-Wait! I am the Demon Monarch! To dare silence me—]

[“I’ve disabled the Megaphone function for now. I’ll only be accepting messages today, so please bear with the inconvenience.”]

Seriously, a spammer already?

It seemed the people of this world were adapting quickly to strange things.

Was trolling truly human nature?

Tutankhamun Desert. The ruins where the ancient emperor was sealed.

[“I’ve disabled the Megaphone function for now. I’ll only be accepting messages today, so please bear with the inconvenience.”]

“No! I want to talk too!”

The hero, who had been diligently digging every day, waiting for the broadcast, looked crestfallen.

He had thought hard about what to send as a message today, but the Demon Monarch had completely shut down the Megaphone function.

Of course, he could still send messages with low-grade Mana Stones, but…

Having already experienced the new world of the ‘Megaphone’, he couldn’t be satisfied with ordinary message magic, which didn’t guarantee the mage would read it.

“Evil Demon Monarch! As expected, the Demon Monarch is the enemy of humanity! I must defeat them!”

Unable to contain his frustration, the hero swung his holy sword and rampaged.

The impact shook the underground ruins, and red sand began to pour into the hole the hero had dug.

“Uh, oh no!”

In the end, the tunnel the hero had diligently dug for weeks was completely buried in sand.

The hero stared blankly at where the tunnel had been.

And…

After closing his eyes for a moment to avoid reality…

“T-This is all the Demon Monarch’s fault!”

…He realized that blaming the Demon Monarch for everything would solve all his problems.

The Megaphone being blocked, the tunnel collapsing, it was all the Demon Monarch’s fault.

Come to think of it, even the fact that he was chosen by God and burdened with the duty of a ‘hero’ was the Demon Monarch’s fault.

Perhaps… even the existence of the ancient king’s tomb here was the Demon Monarch’s fault!

The Tutankhamun Desert, the desert mole eating the sandwich he was saving, the extinction of the dinosaurs, the start of the Great War, it was all the Demon Monarch’s fault.

Yes!

It was all the Demon Monarch’s fault!

“Evil Demon Monarch!”

This was the moment the hero awakened to the concept of scapegoating.

Approximately 8km above sea level.

Inside the celestial chariot pulled by a divine beast.

[“The next message is from the Holy Nation. ‘Hello, this is the believer who sent the message about being anxious about entering the academy. The transfer process is complete, and tomorrow is my first day at the academy. I’m still a little nervous, but I’m not anxious anymore. I studied the culture of shame among nobles. The more I study, the more I think that perhaps we can understand each other more easily than we thought. Thank you for helping me realize that the effort to understand each other is more important than prayer.’”]

“Ah! You read my message. Thank you.”

Inside the chariot heading towards the Magic Kingdom, the Saint offered a prayer of thanks in a devout posture.

At first glance, it looked as if she was praying to the ‘unknown Archmage’, not the god she believed in.

Indeed, the Saint’s entire focus was on the mage’s voice echoing in her ears.

[“I’m glad my advice was helpful. Send me an update on how you’re settling in once you enter the academy. As a token of support for your new beginning, I’ll send you a keychain engraved with the Fly spell. You’ll be able to soar as if you have wings on your back.”]

A blue window opened in the air, and a luxuriously crafted keychain made of gems and Mana Stones dropped out.

The Saint carefully picked up the keychain that had fallen before her.

[“Now, the next message is from the Northern Fronen Mountains…”]

Holding the enchanted keychain preciously, the Saint closed her eyes and focused on the voice she heard.

Instead of the god who didn’t answer anyone…

She listened to the voice of the mage who spoke equally to everyone.

After the broadcast.

When I went to the mansion’s dining room for dinner…

Sylvie was looking at me with a strange expression.

“Master.”
“Yeah.”

“The keychain engraved with the Fly spell… Could it be… that you’re the ‘unknown Archmage’ who uses communication magic…?”
“Yeah, that’s me.”

Ah, hadn’t I told her?