Jimbo thinks of a name for the girl.
«Dimp, Pimp, Glimp, Wimp, so many choices.»
The imp continues to look at him with large, bright eyes full of expectation. Jim coughs to clear his intangible throat, and after realizing that this is important to the girl, he decides to put in a little more effort.
«How about Rose? It's pink in French, and well, your hair is that color.»
Jim doubts the imp knows what French is, but that doesn't stop the little one from nodding repeatedly.
«Do you like it?»
"Yes."
«But it's a bit superficial, don't you think?»
"Superficial...?"
Jimbo closes his eyes and meditates on it a while longer. If the imp is supposed to be important in his life from now on, he wants something more specific to distinguish her than just her hair color. Upon opening his eyes, Jim comes up with a new option.
«How about Dowmy? It means something like 'helper' in Korean, and since you'll be something like my assistant, the name suits you perfectly.»
The imp's wings and face droop a little.
"I liked Rose better," Dowmy says with a weak voice.
Jimbo doesn't hear the small complaint; he is too busy reading a new system prompt.
-Dowmy the Imp LV 3
Health: Full.
Ether: 10/10
Strength: Minimal.
Agility: Medium.
Endurance: Minimal.
Status: Hungry. Symptoms of malnutrition. Smelly. Scarred. Pain tolerance.
Jimbo's eyes widen as he realizes these are the imp's stats. They leave a lot to be desired; the girl's best attribute is mediocre.
«She has Ether, meaning the potential to use magic is there. But it's still pathetic.»
Perhaps if Dowmy had intact wings her agility would increase, but before Jim can investigate further on how to help her, he hears footsteps coming from the hallway leading to the cells.
The woman from before appears, the one with the eye patch and long blonde hair, dressed in armor. She is followed by an old man who nevertheless looks much healthier than Jim did in his previous body. King Marc appears, and bringing up the rear is a knight with a golden helmet.
The pair of soldiers guarding the core room startle and hurriedly step forward to take a knee. King Marc gives them permission to rise and asks about Arrax and his disciples. The soldiers report that the mages are still in their chambers, suffering and recovering from the aftereffects of yesterday's ritual.
"In that case, we shall proceed without Arrax," King Marc says. "Open the doors and bring the imp."
Jimbo returns to the crystal.
The monarch and the knights enter the core room. The soldiers drag the imp by the arm until they toss her near the edge of the well. The girl is left sitting with her legs sprawled, rubbing the area of her arm where they dragged her. The older man stands with his mouth agape, his face illuminated by the blue glow of the crystal. The man in the golden helmet whistles in awe.
«With reactions like that, you guys are gonna make me blush.»
"This is the first time I have seen one of these outside a dungeon," Lynel says. "I still cannot believe Arrax is capable of creating them."
"The limits of magic are always flexible and capricious," Claus remarks with a subtle smile.
"I find it abhorrent," Hilda says with a scowl.
«I don't like you either, lady.»
No one in the room, besides Dowmy, understands the sounds blossoming from the surface of the crystal. The king keeps his gaze fixed on the core. The atmosphere is tense; Jimbo has already lost faith in being congratulated, and instead starts looking around, worried about how people with a medieval mindset might react.
«Maybe I should have used this time to run away or something.»
The king speaks:
"Dungeon Core, you have proven intelligent enough to understand our words. I will have you know now that we find ourselves in a predicament. I do not know if you are capable of lying, but I will ask you a question and I want you to answer it. What do you think of humanity?"
Jimbo brandishes an ethereal, bitter smile, feeling equal parts weirded out and amused that they label him as someone entirely separate from humanity, when until recently he was a regular human—considered even more civilized than the people standing in front of him.
«Let's just say they inspire a certain curiosity and sympathy in me.»
Dowmy translates as best as she can:
"Curiosity... Sympathy."
Lynel takes a step back and his jaw drops in surprise again. Hilda frowns. Claus waits with his peaceful smile. King Marc nods, looking serious and calm.
"I thought all Dungeon Cores hated humanity, this is incredible!" Lynel exclaims in admiration.
"They hate us," Hilda says. "It is lying, Your Majesty. It wants to play with our minds to grow stronger and destroy us from within."
"If it wished to destroy us, it would have been as simple as letting the dark elves inside," Claus comments.
Jimbo nods, satisfied to have a smart person in the room. Perhaps if Arrax had been the one making that argument, Hilda would have exploded and rejected the words, but since she holds great respect for the First Captain, she concedes the chance for debate.
"Captain Claus, perhaps the core had no choice... Arrax did not explain the details of his creation to us, but he surely possesses some means to force it to obey," Hilda replies.
"Perhaps... But Arrax is not here, is he? The Dungeon Core has had plenty of free time," Claus says. "If it wished to hurt us, it would have been as easy as killing the guards at the doors and setting a trap or two."
"With all due respect, Captain, I cannot believe you feel sympathy for a monster creator," Hilda says.
"I feel sympathy for the savior of the kingdom, truth be told."
«Yeah, that's right, tell 'er!» Jimbo nods as he floats behind Claus, backing him up.
King Marc listens to the argument in silence, weighing the force of each opinion, and when he decides he has heard enough, he addresses the Dungeon Core again:
"I am still not sure what to do with you. You are a powerful instrument, that much is clear... But power in itself does not always bring benefit or prove healthy; sometimes it entails greater responsibility... It is like this crown I bear: the power it grants me stands above my personal values and desires, and goes even beyond the lives of the inhabitants of this kingdom."
The monarch sighs, for a moment looking very tired.
"Until Arrax recovers and we decide what to do with you, I will let you be... That is my way of thanking you for your contribution, Dungeon Core. Just keep your influence to a minimum and we will be at peace until further notice."
Until further notice.
Does that mean peace isn't guaranteed? Hilda's glaring look is proof that Jimbo's stay inside the castle is not one hundred percent appreciated.
«And that's after I saved you bastards!»
King Marc turns to leave. Jim feels a surge of urgency; he swallows his wounded pride and hastens to speak.
«Wait!»
Jim's urgency transmits to Dowmy, who translates with the same momentum.
King Marc turns back and observes the crystal with curiosity.
Jimbo takes a deep breath. Between staying quiet and letting chance manipulate his fate while crossing his fingers that Hilda's arguments don't gain traction, he prefers to make an effort to keep scoring points with people like Claus and Lynel, who seem more receptive to his goodwill. Ultimately, the king has the final say, but so far he appears to be a leader open to his subordinates' opinions.
«I was created to help! That's what I want to do!»