The carriage ride went without any problems.

　Kash, who said it was his first time riding in a carriage, was excited at first, but he didn't seem to be able to sleep the day before, so he immediately started rowing the boat.
　Now he's making cute little "spi...spi...spi...spi...spi...spi...spi...spi.
　I suppress the urge to touch the fluffy dog ears.

　When I handed him the cookies I had prepared for such an occasion, he said, "Thank you, Chief of Staff. I gave him a cookie that I had prepared for him, and he said, "Thank you, Chief of Staff.
　I was happy that he seemed to be feeling better, but his eyes were glued to the cookies even as he praised me.

"The Chiefs of Staff,

'Oh, usually it's just my name.'

　I'm not used to being called the chief strategist except when I'm at work. It's just a matter of consciousness.

'Yeah. 'Leme. I can call myself Fulkus. I don't like my real name.

I understand, Mr. Fulkus. So, what's this all about?

　It's rare that she speaks to me.

'Does your chief of staff like you?'

"Huh?

　The 'self' in this case would be Mr. Fulkus.

'You feed me well,'

　I gave him a hamburger as a thank you when he had to practice with me, because I was watching him at the welcome party, and earlier I gave him a cookie.
　He wondered if they were doing him a favor.

Oh, no, no, that's not why I'm here.

Yeah.

'It's not that Mr. Fulkus isn't attractive or anything,'

"Hm.

　I can't read his emotions because he lacks expression and voice inflection.

'Excuse me I'll be careful.

No problem. I'm happy with the food.

It's all good, I guess.

I was curious as to why. That's all.

'I see. When you're being practiced on, it's in return. At other times........what is it?　Somehow?　It's hard to put it nicely.

Okay.

　Mr. Fulkas nodded his head.

''You like to eat, Fulkas-san, don't you?

I like it. I eat a lot of lemmes.

''That's right. Even if you train your magical organs, you can't create magical power if your body has nothing. If you want to make a lot of magic power, don't just train it, eat it anyway, master.

　In addition to two breakfasts, I often stop by Mr. Blitz's place to buy fruit.
　People with good magical organs like things that might give them energy. Meat, fried food, and sweet things.

　People think of Fenix as smart and cool, so there were many times when I couldn't just gobble it up in front of people and was hungry.
　Whenever I had to, I'd make him unrecognizable by throwing him into confusion so he wouldn't recognize me, and then I'd make him eat something to eat in the meantime.

　Come to think of it, I wonder what he's been doing after I left.
　Béla-san is also a [brave man], so maybe she's cooperating with me as a good understanding person.
　Well, it's easy for that guy to disperse people when he's really at his limit. There's no need to worry about that.

"Leme's master. What was that, the previous demon king?

　I laugh vaguely. Even if they'd already found out, I wasn't comfortable affirming it.

'It's fine. You don't have to say it. Was it just magic you were taught?

You've been instructed, yes.

But you know, Leme, I work out. To the limit of a person with no talent. A sword is a dead end.

'Haha. It's true, I was trained. It's not so much that I was taught, it's more like I was thrown into an environment where I had to be. They told us to survive for a week in the mountains with just a water bottle.

　I think I've developed my mental powers quite well. I am such a small thing in front of nature. That training made me realize how wonderful and special water, food, clean clothes and a safe place to sleep were.
　Looking back on it now, that training was something that the Demon King imposed on my child, even though he adjusted it so that I didn't die.
　In other words, the content of the training must have included 'building a body that can withstand the inheritance of horns'.
　That's why I was trained 'of a person with no talent, to the limit', as Fulkus-san said.

　I, who couldn't give up the path to becoming a brave man, continued to train in secret on a regular basis.
　There was a limit to how much I could learn on my own, but there wasn't anyone who could instruct me in combat techniques to 【Black Mage】. Even so, he managed to maintain his physical body.

''Once again, thank you. Thank you for training me in swords, it's a big help.

　Mr. Fulkus never once laughed at me, nor did he call me a waste of time.
　He's teaching me seriously in his spare time.
　Well, it seems to be a 'no-no', but it was easily accepted because there was no malice.

'Good. But other than the ability to fit the [position (job)], you'll soon get a head start.

　What Mr. Fulkus is saying is true.
　The [position (job)] is an apt job that God tells us about. After taking into account your abilities and growth potential, God will show you the stage where you can show your abilities the most.

　There are a number of aptitudes built into the position (job title).
　In fact, the combination of aptitudes determines the position (job).

　For example, if you are a warrior, you have "mobility", "combat instinct", "swordsmanship" or "spearmanship", etc.
　If you have these skills, you'll be a warrior.
　However, this is just humanity's assumption based on a vast amount of precedent, and it doesn't mean that God has said anything about it.
　Well, let's leave God out of it.

'Yes, I know. But I can't give up, so.

　The same position (job), but there is a difference in "aptitude" for each individual.
　It's a good idea to have a high level of "mobility" or "swordsmanship". The more you train yourself, the more you'll understand.
　The fact that you have an aptitude means that your efforts will be more fruitful when you train that area.

　The basic aptitudes included in [Black Mage] are 'Black Magic', 'Magic Resistance', 'Magic Power' and 'Magic Power Sensing'.
　Black magic is easy to grow, mainly resistance to black magic is strong, the magic organ is easy to grow a little, and it's easy to trace back to magic power.
　This "magic power" is also better than the "magic power (weak to medium)" of a wizard or brave man if they are "magic power (strong)" or "magic power (extreme)", so it's better than a job that doesn't allow magic to be used.

　The 【Aptitude】 for direct combat is not in the 【Black Mage】.
　【Position(Job)】 doesn't change acquired, so it doesn't mean that I will manifest 【Magic King】 just because I inherited the horns. God probably doesn't intend to update it.
　It's just that it's not reflected, but I actually have a part of the Demon King's power in my body.
　That doesn't mean I've increased my 'aptitude' other than my horn abilities or anything like that.

''Huh. Training is good. But it's not as good as my day job.

　Mr. Fulkus' words are inorganic, but not cold. That's probably why he doesn't sound like he's shoving me away.
　Also, I guess it's the fact that I know he's a good person.

'I know I can't compete with them in terms of taste or skill. The same effort won't pay off even a hundredth as much as my day job. Still, I'm happy to grow. I won't waste what I've learned. If you can, please continue to teach me things.

"Hm.

　After nodding, Fulkus pointed to his head with his index finger.

'If you're missing something, you can make up for it with something else. The head, or black magic.

Yes, sir.

Or buy a spell.

　Indeed, weapon armor and special items are also part of my strength.
　Just like the ring has increased the use of summoning to the magic power I produce.

''I've rarely seen them for sale........ Even if there is one, it's not very affordable.

　Very rarely they are sold at auction, but they fetch eye-popping prices.
　Can you buy at least one of these from Fenix? That guy has a holy sword, though, so he wouldn't need it.
　It's an option, but it's not very feasible. It's the same with money, and I don't even know when I'll come across any of them. It would be just as well to put it in the corner of your mind and not expect it.

I would buy food if I were to buy a magic tool.

'Haha. You already have two of them, Fulkus-san.

Convenient.

That spear is especially nice. How was that--

　For a while after that, we exchanged words.
　Mr. Fulkus was quiet, but he still responded in kind.

　We arrive at our destination while there is still daylight.
　After waking up Kash and thanking Him, we entered the city.
　The size of the city is smaller than the city where the Demon King's Castle is located, but it is a lively city.

''Fluffy...!　　

　Kash, who had been waking up in a daze in his sleep a little while ago, has a glint in his eye.
　Come to think of it, when I was a rookie, Fenix and I also felt nostalgic about the fact that the cities we went to were so fresh and new to us. I thought it was because we were country folk, but seeing Kash in high spirits, it seems that that's not the case.
　I'm smiling at Kash's eyes as he looks around, and I hold his hand so that we don't get separated.

"Do you want to hold it with yourself too?

　Ms. Fulkus asked me with a blank expression.
　Seeing me unable to decide if she was serious or joking, she put the last cookie in her mouth and then said.

'Just kidding,'

　I wondered if I could get to know her a little better, if I got to know her a little better, if I could get to know her a little better, if I could get to know her a little better, if I could get to know her a little better, if I could get to know her a little better.
　As I was thinking about that, the sound of hooves tapping on the cobblestones came closer.



　Isn't the information in that memo too cursory for me?
　No, I'm using black magic to make sure people around me don't know it's me, so I guess they told me to include that so they could identify me.

　The woman who approached was a cool-looking woman dressed in a maid's uniform.
　Black hair, black eyes, and - black fur (...).
　The beautiful woman's torso, and underneath that - was that of a horse.
　A centaur - a human horse.

''Are you sure you're the staff of the Demon King's Castle?''

　We look up at her, as she is a horse below the human body, and we look up at her.

''Yes, I'm looking after you from today.''

"The Lord has sent me up for you. My name is Kay. My dungeon name is Orobus, but I was wondering if you could call me by whichever name you prefer.

　We will each say our names.

Then we will take you to the Lord.