SYOV 06

Chapter 6

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In the comic, Havi had just awakened her power, just like me.

Beside her floated a mummy-like fairy that looked as if it had been thoroughly dried in the fires of hell.

[Havi: I can feel a mysterious power!]

[Fairy: Congratulations! Havi, you’ve finally become a true Clavis! With that power, you can help those in need and defeat evil villains!]

[Havi: Wow! How do I do that?]

[Fairy: That power is Open and Close. It can open a bottle cap that won’t come off, or close the blood vessels of trash pretending to be human and give them fatal arrhythmia until they die—]

Snap!

I immediately closed the book.

The Bleached Demon looked at me with a proud smile.

“Well?”

“Isn’t it amazing?”

“……”

A Demon was still a Demon.

The next morning…

“Wake up! Get up!”

The Bleached Demon woke everyone by banging a soup ladle against the lid of a cast-iron pot.

“Gaaah!”

“Ugh! Aaaah!”

We all jumped awake in panic and staggered into the yard.

“You.”

Today, the Bleached Demon was wearing a bright blue silk shirt.

Once again…

He pointed at Uncle Modi.

At this point, he definitely had personal feelings involved.

“Formation.”

“Huh?”

“Formation!”

“F-Formation…?”

Uncle Modi repeated it without thinking.

“Everyone, spread your arms! Keep proper spacing! Line up!”

Soon, we were standing in four neat rows.

“Morning exercises!”

“Start!”

Following the Bleached Demon’s energetic movements…

We cheerfully exercised to a song about a man who regretted everything after showing up at his ex-girlfriend’s wedding.

After the exercises ended…

Everyone curiously gathered around the radio that had been playing the music.

“Demons really have interesting things.”

“Maybe it’s some kind of magic tool.”

“How does it work?”

“Bleached Demon, can I touch it?”

“Don’t touch it!”

“You’ll break it!”

The moment he shouted…

Everyone burst into laughter.

“Honestly…”

“Humans always push their luck the moment you let your guard down.”

Even though he grumbled…

The corners of his mouth quietly curled upward.

Pretending not to notice, I spoke.

“I want to make a wish.”

“Oh, right.”

“Good timing.”

“I was about to leave anyway.”

The Bleached Demon fastened a watch around my wrist.

It looked exactly like a smartwatch.

When he tapped the black screen…

An upside-down five-pointed star appeared.

It reminded me of the bright red floating eye I had seen back in the exile settlement.

“Oh, right.”

“The long-haired Demon gave me a winged eyeball before.”

“Oh, that?”

“Do you know what it is?”

“It was a surveillance magic tool made by the Lord.”

“Originally, Exilium was like a playground for the Lord’s familiars.”

“He used it to check whether they were doing well.”

Apparently…

All the monsters living here were just snacks for those familiars.

Wow.

Those pets have an amazing life.

If I get reincarnated again, I want to be a rich family’s dog.

I’d even accept being neutered.

“This watch is basically a free pass.”

“Oh?”

“It means you won’t have to spit every time you summon a Demon.”

“Ghk!”

The Bleached Demon lightly pressed my head.

It seemed he still hadn’t gotten over the fact that I had summoned Demons by spitting.

He’s so petty.

He told me I could learn all the watch’s functions by reading Everything About the Clavis Family in One Book.

“So then, Little Ant.”

“What’s your wish?”

“Please make these.”

I explained every item the exile family had requested.

A large wagon.

Various farming tools.

Real swords.

Armor.

Shields.

Summer vegetable seedlings.

And many other things.

The Bleached Demon slowly read through the list.

“So…”

“You’re planning to earn money yourselves?”

“And eventually leave this place?”

“Yes.”

“If that’s the case…”

“You could simply wish for—”

“If we keep depending on wishes forever…”

“One day we won’t be able to do anything ourselves.”

“……”

“We’re not ready to leave yet.”

“So we’ll prepare ourselves here.”

“We’ll try different things.”

“It wouldn’t be good if we stayed like baby birds that only waited to be fed.”

“So… rehabilitation for returning to society.”

His large hand ruffled my hair.

“Well done.”

The Bleached Demon smiled brightly.

Feeling embarrassed…

I simply kicked the ground with my foot.

Soon…

White smoke and dazzling light began gathering around his feet.

It was finally time to say goodbye.

Before disappearing…

He told me about the Demon butler who would soon be assigned to me.

“He’s pretty strong.”

“So if you want training…”

“Ask him to help.”

The Bleached Demon’s body gradually became transparent.

I hurriedly asked,

“When will the health checkup results be ready?”

“They’ll be mailed to you in one week!”

“But we don’t have a mailbox!”

“Then build one!”

And just like that…

The Bleached Demon disappeared.

In the place where he had been standing…

Everything I had wished for was piled high.

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That morning…

We chose one of the empty fields.

Then we plowed it and planted seedlings.

Tomatoes.

Potatoes.

Corn.

Peas.

Everything could be harvested during summer.

The exile family also each chose an empty house and finally moved out.

At last…

Everyone had a private space of their own.

At first they felt awkward.

But once they stepped inside…

They couldn’t hide their happiness.

I decided to keep living in the first house together with Livi, Ian, and Aunt Dallis.

A seven-year-old child…

And a mentally unstable woman…

Both needed someone to look after them.

The Bleached Demon only stayed for one day…

But it already feels so empty without him.

Hiding my disappointment…

I picked up my book and headed toward the playground.

There was a playground in the residential district.

It had once belonged to the children who lived here.

The long-haired Demon had restored it perfectly too.

“Oh my, where’s our little lady going?”

“It’s our adorable Hebenia from next door!”

“Have you eaten lunch?”

Every time I passed someone…

The exile family smiled and waved at me.

“I’m going to study!”

I held up my book.

The adults smiled proudly and told me not to overwork myself.

My steps toward the playground became even lighter.

Sitting on a bench beneath the shade of a tree…

I looked at my new watch before opening the book.

“I wonder what kind of civilization the Demons have…”

The watch looked exactly like a smartwatch made by a famous smartphone company.

I searched the table of contents until I found the chapter about the watch.

Once again…

The main character Havi was asking the fairy for advice.

[Havi: Look! The Demon gave me this watch as a gift!]

[Fairy: Amazing, Havi! That means you’ve earned the Demons’ trust! This watch is called “Chosen Trust.” It lets you summon a Demon under any circumstances!]

[Havi: Under any circumstances?]

[Fairy: Once you register a summoning circle in the watch, you won’t need to draw one anymore.]

It also had…

A clock.

A calendar.

A phone.

Heart-rate monitoring.

A pedometer.

Music playback.

And even a camera.

…It’s literally a smartwatch.

Seeing advanced technology again after so long made me strangely happy.

“Well then…”

“Let’s try summoning one.”

To save a summoning circle into the watch…

And summon my Demon butler…

I drew the circle on the ground with the heel of my shoe.

I hope a kind and cool Demon appears.

Since it’s a butler, maybe it’ll be an older adult.

The Bleached Demon said he was strong…

I hope he’ll help train me too.

And…

My foot slowly stopped as I finished drawing the upside-down star.

Could Ian train with us too?

Among the things I had wished for…

There had been real swords and shields.

Those had been Ian’s request.

He said he’d been betrayed by his companions…

He had watched his fellow knights falsely accuse him…

And drive him away.

Anyone would have come to hate knights after that.

But Ian didn’t.

Instead…

He was genuinely happy that he could practice swordsmanship again.

Even so…

The bitter smile he had shown stayed in my mind.

In truth…

Everyone in the exile family wore that same expression whenever they looked at the things they had requested.

The world really is unfair and cruel.

I raised my left hand wearing the watch.

Using the camera function…

I saved a picture of the completed summoning circle.

“Now then…”

According to the book…

When using the watch, all I had to do was say:

“Summon.”

It feels like something a magical girl would say.

It’s a little embarrassing.

Still…

I wanted to try it at least once.

Gathering my courage…

I shouted,

“S-Summon!”

At that moment…

A warm scent of earth filled the air.

It smelled like a summer morning after rain had fallen all night.

The summoning circle began glowing softly.

Something shot high into the sky at incredible speed…

Then landed gracefully before me.

Soft wheat-colored hair fluttered in the breeze.

“Hello!”

A male student wearing a school uniform with a hoodie underneath smiled brightly.

“It’s an honor to meet you…”

“And an even greater honor to serve you, Lady Clavis!”

I once heard that Demons took on the most physically perfect appearance possible in order to tempt humans.

Maybe it was from a movie.

Anyway…

Every Demon I’d met so far had been unbelievably attractive.

This Demon was no exception.

He had a kind, handsome face.

A tall, well-built body.

A cheerful way of speaking.

And a pleasant voice.

He looked exactly like every schoolgirl’s first love.

He looks like a middle school student.

Maybe fifteen years old?

Since I had imagined an older adult…

His appearance surprised me.

“Y-You look very young…”

“Yes!”

“I’m the famous baby-faced butler!”

“I beat countless competitors to earn this position!”

“Ahem!”

The uniformed Demon proudly pounded his chest.

He was so friendly that I immediately liked him.

My surprise quickly disappeared.

Instead…

I felt strangely happy.

Suddenly…

I remembered my younger brother from my previous world.

He used to adore me when we were little.

But as he grew older…

He became the one who insulted and bullied me the most.

“He always shouted that someone like me wasn’t needed.”

“Maybe he’s happy now.”

If my old body was somehow still alive…

I honestly hoped it had already died and rotted away.

I never wanted to return to that world.

I do feel sorry for the original owner of this body…

As that thought crossed my mind…

I tilted my head.

“Hm?”

The uniformed Demon smiled…

And tilted his head exactly the same way.

Come to think of it…

The Bleached Demon seemed to know I came from another world.

The long-haired Demon did too.

Does this Demon know as well?

Curious…

I asked,

“Do you know what transmigration is?”

“Of course!”

The uniformed Demon answered as if it were obvious.

“We Demons communicate with many different worlds.”

“There isn’t just one world.”

“So we’ve met transmigrators many times.”

“Then…!”

“Yes!”

The uniformed Demon smiled brightly.

“Transmigrators are executed immediately the moment they’re discovered.”