Chapter 6
Chapter 6
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>Translator: Lord First
>Chapter: 6
>Chapter Title: Odil's Grand Transformation★
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For someone like me, with over a decade of housekeeping experience, this was a piece of cake. Thread and fabric flew through the air, and in an instant, a garment began to take shape. It was as if it were being crafted in a flash.
“Whew.”
Once it was finished, I wiped my brow and looked at the final product. The only material I had was black cloth, yet what I’d made was a splendid uniform adorned with ornate decorations. A normal person would have been bug-eyed with shock, but I wasn't surprised. In a gag anime world, this was perfectly normal.
“This should be good enough to avoid any complaints.”
I carefully took the clothes, left the room, and headed for the laboratory where Odil was staying.
“What is it—huh?”
“I tried mending your clothes… What do you think, Lord Odil?”
“This is…”
“This is what you’ll be wearing today, Lord Odil! If you wear this, you’ll look twice—no, three times as magnificent as usual!”
“Did I… even have clothes like this in my home?”
“Of course you did!”
“Hmm…”
Odil seemed to like the splendid uniform, as he took it from me.
“I’ll try it on.”
“Yes! I will wait here.”
Odil headed to another room, and left alone, I looked at the desk where he had been sitting just moments before.
“So this is the communication mirror.”
I knew it had some fancy name, but I couldn't remember such minor details. The mirror wasn’t active yet, so it was just reflecting the room. When it was used later, the room's scenery would be visible as it was now.
“Alright, now that the clothes are done…”
I placed my hands on my hips and surveyed the messy room. Thanks to the thorough cleaning I did last time, the crimson carpet and wallpaper were spotless, but everything else was a disaster. He’d made a mess again in no time. It was a common occurrence in the gag anime world, so I wasn't particularly angry.
“Time to start tidying up the room!”
A cloud of white dust rose, and sounds of *CRASH! BOOM! RATTLE! THUD!* echoed through the space.
Just as the construction-like noises filled the air and a fog-like cloud of white dust enveloped the room, Odil, who had changed his clothes and was leisurely walking back, heard the terrifying sounds and rushed into the room with a stiff expression.
“What is all this commotion!”
*Swoosh.*
The moment he appeared, the white dust settled in an instant, revealing an antique-style black mage's room.
“Gasp…?!”
Unlike before, the entire room now glittered with a black sheen. Odil's laboratory had been transformed, now looking as if it had been beautifully decorated by a veteran of a room-decorating game. The problem was that it was now filled with furniture he had never brought in.
“Wh-what is all this? You… where did you get all this…?”
“What? It was all in the room.”
“Where could any of this have been?!”
“Well… inside that huge pile of things…”
“No, the size of that thing is too big to have come from that pile!”
As he said, the celestial model hanging from the ceiling was as large as the entire pile of junk had been. It made no sense that all this splendid furniture and these decorations could have come from that pile. But in a gag anime world, such things could happen.
“But… it was there?”
As I tilted my head as if genuinely puzzled, Odil finally gave up.
“Haa… forget it. I won't ask where you got this stuff, so just get out of the room!”
“Yes…”
Pretending to be dejected, I let my shoulders slump and left the room. The moment I was out, I held my breath and pressed myself flat against the door.
*Creak.* I very carefully opened the door just a crack to check inside.
“Hehehe… this is my laboratory?”
As soon as I was gone, Odil, like an excited child, plopped down in the antique chair in front of the desk with the mirror and struck a cool pose. It was plain to see, even without looking, that he was wearing a triumphant expression as if he were an Archmage. I quietly closed the door.
“This should be enough.”
If the experiment still went on after all this, then there was nothing more I could do.
“I’m tired from working for the first time in a while. I should get some rest.”
Stretching to relieve my stiff body, I headed to my room.
At that moment, I had no idea how the good deed I had done today would come back to me.
***
In a black castle towering over a land that had turned completely black and died, a U-shaped table was set in a room as spacious as a royal dining hall. A few people were seated at the table.
However, most of the seats held only round, flat devices. The palm-sized machines glowed faintly, projecting holograms into the air.
*Whirr, whirr.*
One by one, round holograms appeared in the empty seats. It was a sight of those who couldn't attend the black mage meeting in person participating through magical tools.
*VWOOM!*
A hologram materialized at the head of the table, and a low, raspy voice echoed through the meeting hall.
[ Is everyone present? ]
In response to his question, someone spoke up.
[ Odil has yet to join! ]
A portly man grinned and glanced at the still-inactive device. A few others laughed with amusement as they looked at the machine.
‘Looks like we’ll be cleaning up a corpse today.’
‘Odil… he had a pretty useful body. Maybe I’ll ask for the head and torso.’
‘He was always acting so clueless. This is what he gets.’
They inwardly mocked Odil for his failure to join the meeting on time. The Archmage, who had been staring at Odil's device with dry eyes, remained silent for a moment before opening his mouth to begin the meeting. But just as he was about to speak—
*Whirr.*
The dormant device vibrated, and a screen flickered to life.
[ My apologies for being late. ]
All the black mages' eyes turned to Odil.
“Gasp…!”
[ Ho… ]
[ Wow… ]
The moment he appeared, the black mages, who had been quietly waiting, let out gasps of admiration.
Odil wasn't particularly handsome. Nor did he have a good physique. On top of that, he always wore baggy clothes that looked like they were bought cheap in bulk, making him look rather ridiculous.
But today, he was wearing a perfectly tailored suit, leaning back deeply into what was clearly an expensive leather chair, and looking at them.
‘What’s that floating behind him? Is that a model of the celestial bodies?’
‘My word… is that the skeleton of the mythical beast Utia hanging on the wall?’
Not only that, but his background was entirely out of the ordinary. It was as if a beggar had shown up overnight as a grand noble. As everyone stared, jaws agape in shock, a woman's nasal voice echoed through the hall.
“What’s this, Odil? You’re looking quite dashing.”
A woman wearing short pants that barely covered the essentials and a flashy bra revealed her pink-painted nails and gave a seductive smile. The moment she spoke, everyone else in the meeting hall clamped their mouths shut.
‘Why is one of the Four Heavenly Kings attending a meeting like this? Damn it, I hope I didn't make eye contact.’
‘Tsk, he’s caught her eye. His life is going to be a pain from now on.’
The vast majority of the black mages couldn't even meet her gaze and looked away.
“Hmm, can I come over and play sometime?”
[ Th-that is… ]
Odil’s imposing demeanor vanished, and he hunched his shoulders. Just as the atmosphere grew terrifyingly tense, the door behind Odil quietly opened. Fortunately, it was hidden by the chair, so the opening door wasn't visible.
The one who opened the door and peeked inside was Rian.
‘Is he doing okay?’
Like a mother worrying about her son on his first job interview, Rian glanced into the room. At the same time, a power presumed to be the ‘Gag Filter’ activated. The heavy, tense atmosphere of the meeting hall instantly softened.
“Whyyyy~ I wanna come play!”
The woman, who had just been projecting an air of authority, was now acting cute and smiling with her eyes. Odil, who would normally have been frozen with fear for his life, now widened his eyes and blatantly stared at her emphasized chest.
[ If… if you wish, by all means. ]
“Really? You mean it?”
[ Y-yes. ]
A conversation like one between a nerd with no experience and a gyaru high school girl took place.
[ Ahem, let us begin the meeting. ]
At that moment, the Archmage, who had been maintaining a dignified silence, cleared his throat and shifted the mood.
‘Looks like it’s going well.’
It seemed the situation would pass without any horrifying outbursts. Rian smiled with satisfaction and quietly closed the door. The moment his gaze left, the soft atmosphere instantly became heavy again.
‘Wh-what did I just say? Did I invite that crazy woman? Me?’
Snapping back to his senses, Odil trembled, his eyes darting around frantically.
‘I’m-I’m going to die! I’m going to die!’
Odil shivered in terror, but the gazes directed at him were completely different from before.