The Gift of Light
"The Demon Realm does not belong to the Demon King!"
There were those who constantly chanted such slogans. They were the ancient high nobility of the Demon Realm, the Merchant Alliance that controlled the markets, and the Alchemist Guild.
Even during the golden age when the Demon King had fully unified the realm, their power was so robust and terrifying that even he hesitated to touch them.
But ironically, the one who shook these ancient, deeply rooted cartels of the Demon Realm was...
"The Head Mod. That person is far too big of a problem."
"I agree."
"We are also at our wits' end lately."
It was the Head Mod of the Demon Race Gallery.
"Honestly, I want to murder that Head Mod girl. Ah, I don't mean I'll actually do it. I doubt we even could, anyway," the Alchemist Guild Master added, waving his hands dismissively.
"I completely understand your feelings," the Merchant Alliance President agreed, his snout twitching.
The key members gathered were as follows:
"Just thinking about the humiliation I suffered because of that wretched bastard... Urgh!"
He had built an independent faction within the Demon King's army and pushed his favorite subordinate to become a Legion Commander. But after clashing with the Head Mod, he lost Bernheiter, cast the sole dissenting vote against his dismissal, and ended up utterly humiliated. This was the Elder of the Demon Realm, the Lich Master.
"Because the Head Mod dragged those reclusive witches into the light, the price of potions has plummeted to dirt cheap! At this rate, our guild might actually dissolve!"
He used to rake in exorbitant profits, charging gold coins even for low-grade potions. But once the Gallery Exchange feature was introduced, people swallowed the red pill: 'Wait, a recovery potion that cost five gold coins could actually be bought for silver coins?' Now, the Alchemist Guild Master was drowning in endless streams of abuse from the public.
"Because the Head Mod is releasing high-quality ingredients at dirt-cheap prices, all the food we hoarded in our warehouses is about to rot away. Sigh..."
In the unstable wartime economy of the Demon Realm, he had used his overwhelming capital and countless merchants to buy up grain at low prices and hoard it in warehouses, waiting for the day prices would skyrocket. This was the president of the malicious Merchant Alliance.
These individuals believed their "rightful privileges" were being "infringed upon" by the "tyranny of the Head Mod."
Since their interests aligned perfectly, they gathered regularly like this. Their goal was to protect their vested interests against the Head Mod.
The Lich Master tilted his skeletal head and asked, "Still, I heard your side is making a tidy profit smuggling items from the Gallery Shop."
"Ahem! Cough! That is all to raise war funds to overthrow the Head Mod! With that money, I can host you all like this and slide bribes here and there, can't I?"
"I know. I just brought it up, so don't take it to heart."
The Merchant Alliance President, a boar beastman, realized the underlying implication of those words and felt displeased. However, since his counterpart was an Elder of the Demon Realm, he stopped at merely twitching his snout.
"Let us not bicker amongst ourselves. Didn't we gather here because there is good news?"
"Indeed. I believe it is time to share it."
The last to arrive, the Ghoul Count—a member of the aristocratic faction opposing the Demon King and his inner circle—said as he pulled back his hood.
"You all know that the Head Mod collects copper coins when selling goods."
"Of course. One must pay to receive the goods, after all." The Merchant Alliance President wore a face that asked why he was stating the obvious.
But the Ghoul Count smirked. "Then what happens to the currency that flows into the Head Mod's hands?"
"Doesn't the Head Mod just spend it as he pleases?"
"No. The currency that goes to the Head Mod has never returned to circulation. It is as if it has been completely incinerated."
"What?" the Lich Master asked. "Does that mean a massive amount of copper coins has gone to the Head Mod and is not circulating in the market at all?"
"Exactly. Recently, I heard that business has been terrible in the market streets of Kronendike, so I cross-referenced the capital flow with an acquaintance in the Ministry of Finance. It turned out to be true."
"My word."
"The economy of the Demon Realm is already unstable due to the war. A sudden fluctuation in the money supply will be fatal."
Most of them didn't fully grasp the economic implications, but the Lich Master and the Merchant Alliance President understood and wore grave expressions.
"If the money supply decreases, transactions themselves will grind to a halt, and the total tax revenue collected in the future will plummet."
"And naturally, it will become difficult to secure war funds."
"The Head Mod... Is this being beneficial or harmful to the Demon Realm? He is truly an incomprehensible existence."
However, the Lich Master smiled with a satisfied expression.
"Actually, this is perfect."
"How so?"
"The Head Mod is destabilizing the wartime economy of the Demon Realm. We can use this to shake both the Demon King and the Regent who compromised with him in one fell swoop."
"!!!"
"As expected, you are brilliant!"
To achieve that, they only needed one more step.
"We need to win over the Minister of Finance to officially certify all of this."
"I will handle that," the Merchant Alliance President said, slamming a heavy pouch of gold coins onto the table. "If reliable information is backed by a little 'sincerity,' I am confident I can persuade anyone."
"Excellent. Then I shall leave it to you."
They all laughed heartily, anticipating the impending downfall of the Head Mod. They firmly believed that once the Head Mod was gone, their world would return to the way it was.
A few days after the day Kronendike almost burned to ashes.
The weather was moderately warm, the air conditioner was blasting cool air, and I was eating coffee and toast for breakfast again today.
"Liv."
"Yes?"
"I think you're eating a bit too much. Aren't you full?"
"Oh, come on. Eating just three slices of bread won't fill me up."
It wasn't just "slices of bread." She had eaten three toasts stuffed with fried harpy eggs, bacon, and cabbage. On top of that, she had already emptied half a plastic bottle of orange juice. Yet, Liv wiped her mouth as she reached for a fourth toast. Her face said this was nowhere near enough to satisfy her hunger.
"If anything, shouldn't you be eating more, Head Mod? Aren't you hungry?"
"I'm fine with this much."
My activity level was low anyway. All I did was lie down, manage the gallery, and sleep. Eating any more would just make my stomach feel bloated.
Still, I'm glad she's stable now.
Over the past few days, through the tireless efforts of Reina and myself, we had managed to keep Liv's mental state stable while explaining various things to her.
We told her that this place was safe from the Ared Empire, that she was actually a half-demon, and that I was the Head Mod of the Demon Race Gallery.
Because we broke the news to her gradually over several days, the shock seemed minimal. Now, she didn't even bat an eye when Reina walked around with her wings, horns, and tail fully exposed.
"And you haven't changed your mind about that?"
"Huh? Ah, that? Of course. I like it here."
Two days ago, while explaining things to Liv, I had made a proposal.
- "We have absolutely no intention of harming you. If you want to go back to your hometown, we'll find a way to help you."
- "What? Why would I go back to my hometown?"
- "...Huh? Well, isn't it better to go back than to stay in the Demon Realm?"
- "My memories are so tangled up that I don't even remember my parents' faces. And there's no guarantee they'd welcome me back anyway."
Liv had asked me if parents who had already handed their daughter over to the Cult for a payout would really welcome her back. The Cult had taken quite a few children from all over the country for their experiments.
- "I saw some kids who escaped and went back home, only to get caught again. Their parents were the ones who reported them."
If a child they assumed was dead suddenly escaped and returned home, it was apparently normal for parents to immediately report them to the Cult or the Imperial Administration to avoid getting into trouble.
Do they not have human hearts...?
My heart almost froze at the cold reality of this medieval fantasy world.
"But, Head Mod. About... the name you gave me."
"Liv?"
"Yes..."
At first, she had seemed reluctant, saying it felt "unfamiliar" or "didn't suit her." But after Reina dragged her into a dark room to binge-watch WALL-E...
"Is it really okay for someone like me to use a name like Liv?"
Her attitude had shifted to feeling burdened, thinking the name was far too good for her.
"What's wrong with it? It's not even real, just a movie."
"Don't lie to me! How could such a touching story not be real?"
"Because... it's a movie."
Well, no matter how many times I told her that the movie she just watched was actually fiction, she refused to believe me, so I decided to give up explaining.
As I cleared the dishes and stepped into the living room, a hammering sound echoed from the second floor.
"Is the construction going well?"
Since Liv was going to stay with us for the time being, I had made up my mind and spent 200,000 points to expand the house. They said it would take about a week, and it seemed they were finally in the finishing stages. The noise had decreased significantly compared to a few days ago.
"Perfect."
The house was cozy, and the gallery was peaceful. In other words, a world where no one could disturb me was complete.
I climbed into my hammock and opened the gallery.
"Hmm, I'm bored. Should I try using this?"
It was the new feature I had unlocked as the gallery leveled up, colloquially known as the "Gallery's Eye." I hadn't used it yet, partly because I had been busy, but also...
I honestly don't know where to use this.
To be precise, I hadn't found a practical use for it.
Of course, I had tested it with Reina. If the other party accepted, a new window would appear next to my gallery screen, playing a real-time video with audio. The video showed whatever the gallery was pointing at, and I could block my own information at will, so there was no risk of exposing my identity.
It really feels like looking through a CCTV camera.
To put it nicely, it was view-sharing. To put it bluntly, it was voyeurism.
"Well, I'm sure it'll come in handy someday."
So, for now, I decided to practice. But with someone other than Reina.
Reina was currently busy managing the Exchange, where transaction volumes had recently surged. Plus, since she was close by, the audio would overlap if I turned on the Gallery's Eye, making her unsuitable for practice.
"Someone who is far away, and won't cause any clique drama if I ask them."
The perfect candidates came to mind.
"Alright, then there's no reason to hesitate."
I immediately activated the feature. First, with the Ancient Demon God's gallery window.
Phew.
I let out a sigh of relief. It seemed the gallery automatically modulated my voice, as a setting for that was turned on by default.
I looked at the window, but...
"Huh?"
A vast, pitch-black cave stretched out before me.
"What is this? Where are you for it to be like this?"
With that, the gallery window suddenly spun around.
And then...
"Whoa."
A stunning woman with striking red hair and orange eyes appeared on the screen. One of her thick, pitch-black horns was broken, but the other was perfectly intact and glossy. She wore a rather daring black dress, adorned with exquisite accessories here and there.
"Excuse me?"
"T-That's reassuring."
Next, I checked RD1234's place.
"Well, how should I put this..."
It looked incredibly dusty and dark. The space RD1234 was living in resembled a sealed laboratory or a ruin from some post-apocalyptic world.
Being able to see the outside world while staying cooped up in my room...
It seemed the "Gallery's Eye" was strictly limited to that function. After all, it required the other party's consent to share their vision.
"It's cool, but it doesn't feel like a feature I absolutely need."
Of course, if this had fallen into the hands of the Demon King leading the war against humanity, the story would have been entirely different. He could have monitored the enemies' movements in real-time through the galleries of special forces infiltrated behind enemy lines, which would have been a massive help in formulating strategies and future war plans.
But...
"Goo-goo, gaga. I'm just an unemployed forum addict, so I don't know anything about that."
It wasn't a feature I needed.
Instead...
"It's been a while. I should send some gifts to my sub-mods."
Neither of them were children of the dark, yet they were living in such gloomy, pitch-black environments. They were going to ruin their eyesight at this rate.
So, I browsed the Point Shop and found something.
"Oh, how does this look?"
"Huh? What is this mushroom-looking thing?"
"Does it look... like a mushroom? It's a lamp that lights up."
"A lamp? It'll be highly inefficient since you have to grind magic stones to power it. Wouldn't candles be better?"
"Now that you mention it, there's no electricity here."
However, as I checked the options...
◈ Power Source: Magic Stones can be used as a power source for this lamp.
◈ Efficiency: By converting mana directly into electricity, it is 100 times more efficient than conventional magic stone powder lamps.
The moment I saw that description, I bought several without hesitation.
"One for the Ancient Demon God, one for RD1234, one for Reina, and one for Liv."
I'd use the remaining one myself.
As for the magic stones, I could just buy them from the Exchange. Lower-grade magic stones were selling for only one or two copper coins each.
I drew the curtains to darken the room, then slotted a magic stone into the center of the lamp.
Fwoosh!
"O-Oh my?"
"Munch, munch. Head Mod, what is this?"
"It's a lamp. With this, you can stay in a bright room even at night."
"Like the one up there?" Liv pointed to the fluorescent light on the ceiling while chewing on some jerky.
"Similar. But those fluorescent lights only work in our house. I'm sending these to the sub-mods as gifts."
It broke my heart to think of my sub-mods working day and night to manage the gallery, relying solely on the faint glow of their gallery screens in the dark.
So, I bought a generous amount of magic stones from the Exchange and sent them along with the lamps.
This is what you call direct welfare from the Head Mod.
But a moment later...
"H-Head Mod?"
"Yeah?"
"The senior sub-mod's state is a bit strange."
"What?"
I checked the gallery, and...
"For real?"
The sub-mod, Ancient Demon God, had suddenly gone wild and started spamming posts in the gallery.
"Why is she like this??"
The sub-mod had been completely consumed by madness.