Before long, Diera and the others hurried away.
This had been the last of the executives I needed to speak with.
Since there was no longer any sense of anyone else coming, I finally returned to the magic circle.
The Chief was waiting nearby.
It seemed her inspection was already complete.
Currently, she was alone.
The extra bodies she’d created during the work must have been absorbed back into her.
The Chief could freely increase or decrease her numbers at will.
She was an extraordinarily exceptional existence, even among the undead.
Nothing she did would surprise me anymore.
Beside the Chief stood Gwen.
For some reason, her attire had changed.
She was now wearing servant-like clothing in a black-and-white color scheme.
Gwen plastered on an exaggerated smile, then performed a bow as if demonstrating one.
"Welcome back, Master!"
"...What’s this all of a sudden?"
A headache began to pulse behind my eyes.
It was from sheer confusion at Gwen’s baffling behavior.
Meanwhile, Gwen looked at my reaction with visible disappointment.
Pouting, she snapped her fingers.
Then her entire outfit transformed like a shadow, and the next instant, she was back in her usual black attire.
"My, my, so you don't have a maid fetish. How disappointing."
I didn't really understand, but it seemed there was no deeper meaning.
Gwen's words were almost always like that.
Fundamentally, you weren't supposed to take them seriously.
Letting them pass lightly was the correct response.
Beside the discontent-looking Gwen, the director reported to me.
"All that remains is to place the remains and the soul."
"May I do it?"
"Of course! That's why I saved them for you."
The director pointed to a crystal and a glass container placed nearby.
Inside each were the remains and the soul, respectively.
I used magic to levitate myself, then lifted the crystal and glass container in the same manner.
I then glided over the top of the magic circle.
*(There.)*
I focused on the center of the magic circle.
Near the keepsake sword, there were two circular sections carved into the pattern.
This was a crucial part of the ritual formula.
Within those circles, the remains and the soul were to be placed.
I carefully shattered the crystal and the glass container, then made the fragments vanish.
Finally, I positioned the resurrected remains and soul. After carefully confirming there was no distortion, I returned to the director and Gwen.
The director, who had been observing the entire process, spoke with delight.
"With this, the ritual formula is complete. You can activate it at any time."
"My apologies. You've been a great help."
"Not at all, it is I who should be grateful! To participate in a feat that will go down in history! I can boast about this for centuries to come."
The director, with her breath quickening with excitement, clenched her fists, eyes gleaming. Though she said it so casually, she apparently had the resolve to live for several hundred years. It was something she should have come to terms with upon becoming undead, yet the director had accepted it naturally. There was not a trace of a tragic air about her.
That positive mindset was something I ought to emulate as well.
"I will be waiting at the research facility. There are several proposals I wish to discuss with the Demon King!"
"Is that so? I look forward to it."
I responded to her enthusiasm. She had not the slightest doubt about my safe return. Although I had only ever discussed work with the director, it seemed I had earned her trust nonetheless.
Next, I turned to Gwen.
"You've been a great help in many ways."
"Think nothing of it. If you trace it back, this was our own doing. It is the law of the jungle, after all."
Gwen said this with a cool smile.
There was a hint of self-mockery in her air. Perhaps she was reflecting on past mistakes.
I asked about what had been on my mind.
"Are you going back to space?"
"Quit joking. I have no intention of going back now. Living in this world seems far more fun. I told you before, remember? I wanted to join the Demon Lord's Army."
"You were serious about that?"
"Of course! I'm totally serious about getting hired."
Gwen declared strongly and suddenly pressed closer.
Unusually for her, there was no trace of a joking tone.
After a few beats of silence, I stepped back as I answered.
"...I'll consider it positively."
"Ugh, you always say stuff like that to keep things vague. No wonder you're popular."
Gwen sighed dramatically, seizing the chance.
She was expressing genuine exasperation.
Shrugging, she quickly perked up again and told me, looking amused.
"I finally found a star that seems comfortable. Make sure to protect it so it doesn't get destroyed, okay?"