The best thing ever
——Magic power charged to 5,000.
I suddenly heard a voice while gathering materials.
No one around. Just me.
Magic charging used to be Risha’s thing—either a laugh or a smile. So I was surprised.
“Menu open.”
I recite it, holding DORECA.
--------------------------
Akito
Classification: Normal Card
Magic Power: 5,900
Items Created: 11
Servants: 1
-------------------------
It’s increasing again. My magic, which was about to run dry—now it’s rising.
What the hell happened?
Curious, I headed back home.
I ran into Risha just as she was stepping out of the storage room.
“Master.”
Risha came sprinting toward me.
“Welcome back, Risha. Did something good happen?”
“Eh… h-how did you know?”
No need to say it was magically charged—just seeing Risha sprinting toward me, her face lit up like she’d found a sunbeam, told me everything.
She looked oddly happy. Like she might skip right off the ground.
“Actually… I found this.”
She held out a steel sword to me.
Same kind as mine—older, worn down, but unmistakably the same.
“Found it, huh?”
“Yes.”
“Huh.”
Somebody made it, then lost it or threw it away.
“Looks just like my lord’s.”
She grinned, eyes bright.
Was she happy because it matched mine?
Sweet girl.
“Huh?”
Her grin faltered. Risha tilted her head, puzzled, staring past me.
“What… is that?”
I turned. Where she was looking, dust swirled into the air.
It moved. Came this way.
I squinted. A monkey with terrifyingly long, sharp claws and a vicious face.
"Monster! W-what should we do, my lord?"
Risha panicked.
"Stay calm. I'm here."
"Y-yes..."
"I'll handle it. Risha, stay back."
"Y-yes... no, wait—I want to fight too. Let me fight."
She gripped her iron sword tight.
"Fine. But if it gets dangerous, you step back."
"Y-yes!"
——Magic power charged: 2,000.
Somehow, my magic had grown again. But I didn’t have time to care.
Four monsters. Outnumbered. I steeled myself.
—Then, completely surprised.
They were weak. Incredibly weak.
Same size as humans, slashing with those sharp claws...
But their strength was like a child’s. The claws snapped off instantly when I blocked them with my iron sword.
In the end, the monsters pull out their childish punches.
Kind of felt like the weakest kind, really—like a slime or goblin in an RPG, you know?
That rabbit over there’s stronger. Hell, just that one rabbit could probably take down all four of these.
Naturally, I knocked them out effortlessly.
“Good work, master.”
“Not tired at all, you know. You’re not either, are you?”
“Yes.”
Risha gives a wry smile. To her, they felt pathetically weak—she’s even embarrassed about panicking earlier.
If all monsters were this easy, I’d be grateful.
“Now, what kind of materials could these be?”
I pull out DORECA, open the menu.
Just to mark it as acquired, I reach toward the fallen apes.
They glow.
Their chests flare with light, wrapping their entire bodies.
All four of them.
“Master.”
“Back off.”
“Yes!”
I lower Risha, then raise the iron sword again.
Should’ve known it wouldn’t be that easy… I brace myself, ready for anything.
But.
“Hmph.”
“C-Can this really be… a human?”
Risha’s stunned. So am I.
Turns out, every glowing ape had turned into a human—no exceptions.
☆
“So, you remember only being killed by monsters?”
“Yes.”
I wait for the four newly human figures to rise, then ask them.
The oldest-looking one—mid-forties—speaks.
His name’s Yoshif.
“Was killed by a monster. Definitely dead. Then—next second—I’m here.”
“So you have no idea the world was nearly destroyed?”
“No.”
“Um… I know that.”
A quiet boy raises his hand shyly.
“You know that, then? So how much do you know about the world? What happened to the Hero?”
“Um… I heard a rumor that the world was about to collapse, so the Hero went to the Demon God’s castle.”
“I didn’t know that.”
“What about the Four Heavenly Kings, the Demon God’s lieutenants?”
“I heard a rumor right after I died that one of them was defeated.”
“I’ve got up to the third one—twice.”
The four who’d reverted from monkey to human spoke in turn.
Seemed like they’d died at different times.
But anyway, the gist was clear.
The key point was this: when a human dies at the hands of a monster, they become a monster themselves—and if you defeat them, they return to human form.
That fact, revealed by the Goddess, was crucial to the world’s rebirth, and to the ultimate goal of “founding a nation”—increasing the number of humans was vital.
Just knowing that we should keep defeating monsters we find from now on? That was a huge payoff.
As I was thinking that, Yoshif and the others started murmuring.
"Who knew the world would end up like this... what do we do now..."
Everyone looked uneasy.
Better take care of the worst of it, at least.
"Menu open."
Checked the magic power—7,900 in total.
Not enough, but I’ll do what I can.
Spent 7,500 magic power to cast a magic circle a little distance away from the wooden house.
Risha, already quite used to being a slave assistant, sprinted to the storage the moment I said "Menu open," and brought back glowing materials.
Like breathing in unison—kind of nice.
While the others stared, dumbfounded, she kept hauling materials one after another, until three wooden houses stood finished.
"Wh-what in the world is this..."
Yoshif was stunned. The others couldn’t close their mouths.
"Made it with magic."
"Magic?"
"There’s power in me. I’m going to use it to build a town here. I’ll need your help."
"B-but with just these few people… it’s not enough for a town…"
"I’ll increase the numbers. I’ll defeat the monsters you used to be. I’ll make things—houses, clothes, food. I’ll provide everything."
The five of them stirred, murmuring. They looked at the wooden houses, then the fruit trees surrounding them, then the trickle of water flowing beside.
Not the same anxious murmur as before.
Gradually, they settled.
Once the plan was agreed, Risha spoke up.
"Master, there aren’t enough houses."
Right. They’d grown to four residents, and only three houses had been built. Just barely short.
And there was no magic left to spare…
"Risha."
"Yes?"
"Stay at my house for now."
She’d hand over her home, and that would fix the numbers.
"I’ll build more later, when I can. For now—"
"Yes!"
Risha said it with her mouth half-open, her face split wide in delight.
— Magic power charged: 30,000.
I blinked. Did it really charge… with me?
And all at once, the highest amount yet—30,000, all at once.
Is living with me really that much of a joy?
“Fuhn fuhn foon~”
Risha humming to herself.
I managed a dry smile. Unexpected, this.
…Still, not a bad feeling.