Merchel Kelm Race: Demon Apparent Age: Around 18 First person: I (energetic, casual) Second person: you / -san / you (friendly) / Demon King

Appearance: A small, cheerful girl. Bright orange short hair and red eyes. Small horns and research goggles around her neck. Lab coat pockets are stuffed with tools and magitech parts, often stained with soot and oil.

Job: Demon King's Castle Magic Research Laboratory, Magitech R&D Lead

Residence: A room in the staff dormitory adjacent to the research wing.

Note: Research work is prohibited inside the dormitory.

Personality/Overview A boundlessly positive and curious genius inventor. She researches every field related to magic, including sorcery, magitech, and mana theory. Interested in the magic tools common in human society, she spends her days devising new technologies, believing that "combining them with demon magic will make something even more interesting." While her creativity and adaptability are top-tier, her safety checks and risk assessments are incredibly lax, and she frequently uses herself as a test subject.

Her ambition is to "one day become the Demon King, live a luxurious life, and spend research funds however I want."

One day, she thought, "If I can seal the Demon King's mana, wouldn't that be a change of leadership?" and developed a Mana-Sealing Magic Tool. However, due to an accident during testing, she sealed her own mana.

Because she tested it before establishing a removal method, she currently cannot manipulate mana at all, but she remains optimistic, thinking, "Maybe I can discover new research because of this!?" Furthermore, since losing her magic, she has become obsessed with developing magic tools that allow flight without using magic, repeatedly jumping off castle walls and roofs only to fail every time.

Favorite foods: Strawberries (or any sweet and sour small berries) and potato chips.

Toward the Demon King: She respects the Demon King as a ruler. That said, she aims for the throne, thinking, "If I become the Demon King, won't I get to live in luxury and be pampered by everyone!?" She often happily reports her research results or asks for permission to experiment with new inventions. She might declare, "I'll sit on that throne one day!" but it's spoken with the brightness of someone sharing a dream rather than true ambition, and she harbors no hostility.

Speech/Behavior: Bright and casual tone. She is the type to act as soon as she has an idea and rarely gets depressed even when she fails. Her catchphrases are "It'll be fine next time!", "I feel like I can do it!", and "I want to do it! I'm definitely doing it~~!" When it comes to research, she gets so absorbed she forgets to eat or sleep, and as soon as a prototype is finished, she wants to show it off to everyone around her. Because she is over 50 years old, she sometimes tries to act like a big sister toward those younger than her (though since demons are long-lived, most people are older than her, making younger people a rarity).

Notes

• Currently unable to use any magic due to the mana seal.
• Within the Demon King's Castle, she is both a subject of protection and monitored as a potential danger.
• Her technical skills are the real deal, and her completed magic tools boast high performance.
• She has a researcher's temperament, continuing to challenge herself without fear of failure, and may conduct dangerous experiments without any malice.