The human capital had changed.
Luceris stood on the third floor of Crystal Communications, one hand resting against the window frame as he looked down at the crowded street below.
Carriages jammed the road.
Nobles argued over stock.
Young masters challenged complete strangers to Escape Dungeon.
One elderly viscount had apparently declared he would not attend his own birthday banquet until he cleared Level Twenty-Seven.
"...He missed the banquet," Enia reported matter-of-factly.
Luceris nodded solemnly.
"A true gamer."
"He hosted the banquet."
"...Even truer."
Enia quietly added another note to the ledger.
"Potential symptom: loss of social awareness."
Outside, another customer burst from the shop.
"I DID IT!"
The young noble raised the crystal phone over his head.
"I BEAT LEVEL THIRTY!"
Three complete strangers surrounded him instantly.
"Teach me!"
"What weapon build did you use?"
"Did you sacrifice your sleep schedule?"
Luceris watched the scene unfold.
Then sighed.
"...They're using exactly one quarter of the phone."
Enia looked up from the ledger.
"Twenty-three percent, actually."
"You calculated it?"
"I was curious."
Luceris rubbed his forehead.
"They discovered games."
"Yes."
"They discovered Notes."
"Mostly shopping lists."
"They discovered Gallery?"
"They use it to admire screenshots of the game."
Luceris slowly turned.
"...Camera?"
Silence.
Enia blinked.
Sylas blinked.
Caelum blinked.
Nobody answered.
Luceris narrowed his eyes.
"...Nobody uses the camera?"
Enia finally spoke.
"They don't... understand why they would."
Luceris stared.
"They don't..."
"They ask why anyone would trap their own face inside a crystal."
"..."
"They also asked whether the camera steals souls."
"..."
"And one bishop attempted to exorcise one."
Luceris pinched the bridge of his nose.
"I invented photography..."
Nobody dared interrupt.
"...and humanity collectively decided it was haunted."
Caelum coughed.
"To be fair..."
Luceris looked over.
"...there is a tiny flash."
Luceris groaned.
"This world..."
He turned back toward the window.
"No."
"What?"
"No."
He pointed dramatically toward the city.
"They simply haven't discovered narcissism yet."
"..."
"..."
"..."
Enia slowly nodded.
"That... is surprisingly convincing."
Luceris spun around.
"Meeting!"
—
An hour later.
The conference room.
Sylas.
Caelum.
Enia.
The butler.
Three department heads.
A confused janitor who had accidentally entered the wrong room and was now too scared to leave.
Luceris slapped both hands onto the table.
"Our greatest invention is being ignored."
Enia raised a finger.
"The smartphone?"
"The camera."
"Oh."
He began pacing.
"Photography changed civilizations where I came from."
Nobody understood half that sentence.
"It records memories."
Silence.
"It captures moments."
Silence.
"It preserves beauty."
Caelum scratched his cheek.
"...We usually just remember things."
Luceris pointed dramatically.
"Exactly!"
"...How is that a problem?"
"Because memories fade!"
The room considered this.
"...Eventually," Sylas admitted.
Luceris nodded vigorously.
"So!"
He clapped once.
"We need..."
He paused dramatically.
"...models."
Silence.
The janitor slowly shrank lower in his chair.
Luceris scanned the room.
Then suddenly snapped his fingers.
"The elves!"
Sylas blinked.
"The forest elves?"
"Yes!"
"I... think I know which ones."
"The siblings."
"Oh."
"I saw them months ago."
"The ones helping with the Abyssal Forest construction?"
"Exactly."
Enia tilted her head.
"You remember everyone."
"I remember attractive people."
Nobody could even argue.
—
Two hours later.
The office doors opened carefully.
A young man stepped inside first.
Tall.
Elegant.
Long white hair flowed over a simple green cloak.
Soft peach-pink eyes.
Graceful pointed ears.
His movements were gentle enough that he looked almost afraid of stepping too loudly.
Behind him peeked a girl with almost identical features.
She hid halfway behind her brother.
White hair.
Pink eyes.
Tiny nervous smile.
She clutched the edge of his sleeve like it was a lifeline.
The boy bowed.
"I am Rex."
The girl hurriedly copied him.
"...R-Ria."
Luceris's eyes lit up.
They're adorable.
Sylas watched his king's expression and immediately knew trouble was coming.
Luceris smiled warmly.
"Relax."
Both siblings visibly relaxed.
"...Not that much."
They stiffened again.
"...Perfect."
Caelum sighed.
"Our king enjoys confusing people."
Luceris ignored him.
He walked closer.
"You two helped construct the Abyssal Forest roads."
Rex nodded politely.
"We only carried timber."
"Modestly said."
Ria finally spoke.
"Your Majesty remembered us?"
"Of course."
She blinked.
Luceris shrugged.
"You nearly dropped an entire watchtower on Sylas."
Sylas immediately looked offended.
"I had forgotten that."
"I hadn't."
Ria's face instantly turned scarlet.
"I-I'M STILL SORRY!"
Luceris laughed.
"It was funny."
"It wasn't!" Sylas protested.
"I was under the tower!"
"You survived."
"Barely!"
Luceris waved dismissively.
"Details."
Rex hid a smile.
Luceris noticed.
A smiling elf.
Achievement unlocked.
He motioned toward the table.
"Come."
On it rested two brand-new DemonOS devices.
Ria's eyes sparkled immediately.
"...They're beautiful..."
Rex picked one up carefully, almost reverently.
"So this is Crystal Communication..."
Luceris nodded proudly.
"Play."
They looked at each other.
"...Really?"
"Really."
Five minutes later...
"...Brother!"
"I know!"
"...This game is impossible!"
"I KNOW!"
"...WHY DID THE FLOOR MOVE?!"
Luceris folded his arms proudly.
"My children."
Sylas deadpanned,
"You've known them for six minutes."
"I've adopted them emotionally."
Rex looked up sheepishly.
"I died."
"Congratulations."
"...Is that good?"
"It's tradition."
—
After another twenty minutes...
Luceris finally took the phone back.
"Now."
He opened Camera.
Ria leaned closer.
"It became... transparent?"
"It isn't transparent."
"It looks like the room."
"Because it's showing the room."
"Oh."
Luceris pointed toward Rex.
"Smile."
"...Smile?"
"Just smile."
Rex obediently smiled.
Click.
The tiny flash appeared.
Both siblings jumped.
"W-What was that?"
"The camera."
Luceris opened Gallery.
Their photograph appeared instantly.
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Ria slowly covered her mouth.
"...Brother..."
Rex stared.
"...That's..."
"...Us..."
They both leaned closer.
Ria reached out carefully and touched the image.
"It... stayed."
Luceris smiled.
"It always stays."
Ria looked genuinely enchanted.
"...That's magic..."
Luceris grinned.
"No."
"...Technology."
She clearly didn't know the difference.
Neither did anyone else.
Luceris stood.
"I have a job."
Both siblings immediately straightened.
"A job?"
"Travel."
They blinked.
"Across the Human Realm."
Ria's eyes widened.
"...We've never left the forest."
"Perfect."
Rex looked confused.
"Perfect?"
"You'll appreciate everything."
Luceris placed two phones into their hands.
"I want beautiful photographs."
"Of what?"
"Everything."
"Everything?"
"Mountains."
"Cities."
"Markets."
"Children."
"Festivals."
"Sunsets."
"Rain."
"Flowers."
He paused.
"...Cats."
Everyone looked at him.
"What?"
"What's a cat?" Caelum asked.
Luceris froze.
"..."
"..."
"..."
"This world has cats, right?"
Nobody answered.
The room suddenly became awkward.
Luceris coughed.
"...Find out."
Enia quietly wrote:
Market Research: Cats.
Rex looked at the phone again.
"So... we're recording the world?"
Luceris smiled.
"No."
"We're teaching the world why memories deserve to be seen."
For a brief moment...
Even Enia looked thoughtful.
Then Luceris ruined it.
"And if you see handsome people..."
Both siblings looked up.
"...Take pictures."
Sylas groaned.
"I knew this was coming."
Luceris continued shamelessly.
"Pretty scenery sells."
He pointed toward Rex.
"Pretty elf."
Toward Ria.
"Pretty elf."
Toward himself.
"Extremely pretty king."
Caelum immediately said,
"Debatable."
Luceris looked wounded.
"Traitor."
—
The meeting ended.
Rex and Ria happily explored every function on the phone while walking through the palace.
Every few seconds...
Click.
Click.
Click.
"Oh!"
"Brother, look!"
"Take another!"
Luceris watched them disappear around the corridor.
"...They're good kids."
Enia nodded.
"They're genuine."
"Humans will like genuine."
Then...
An idea crossed Luceris's mind.
His smile slowly widened.
"Rex."
The young elf hurried back.
"Yes, Your Majesty?"
Luceris looked incredibly pleased with himself.
"...Would you like to hear me sing?"
The corridor fell silent.
Sylas froze.
Enia stopped writing.
The butler quietly closed his eyes.
Caelum reacted faster than anyone.
He stepped between Luceris and the innocent siblings with the solemn dignity of a knight defending civilians from catastrophe.
He bowed gracefully toward Rex and Ria.
"Our Emperor," Caelum declared with absolute sincerity, "cannot sing."
Luceris gasped.
"I absolutely can."
"No."
"I've improved."
"No."
"I practiced."
"That makes it worse."
Rex looked between them, utterly confused.
"...Is it really that bad?"
Sylas answered before anyone else could.
"I once considered jumping into a volcano."
Ria blinked.
"...Because of the singing?"
"No."
"During."
The butler finally spoke for the first time that day.
"I have served His Majesty faithfully."
Everyone turned toward him.
He sighed.
"...I ask only that no further innocent lives be endangered."
Even Enia nodded.
"From a business perspective," she said calmly, "allowing His Majesty to sing would negatively affect employee retention."
Luceris placed a hand over his chest.
"I am surrounded by betrayal."
Caelum smiled politely.
"No."
"We're surrounding the problem."
Rex looked at his sister.
His sister looked at Rex.
Together, they made the wisest decision of their young lives.
"...Your Majesty," Rex said carefully, "perhaps... another time?"
Luceris thought about it.
Then sighed dramatically.
"...Fine."
The entire room released a breath they hadn't realized they were holding.
Sylas actually sat down.
The butler whispered a heartfelt, "Thank goodness."
Caelum smiled toward the ceiling.
"Another successful disaster prevented."
Luceris folded his arms with exaggerated dignity.
"You people have no appreciation for art."
"No," Caelum agreed cheerfully.
"We have survival instincts."