Chapter 28: A Resurrection for this Legendary Crimson Demon!
Editing and supervision: LordVTP and Marv
Part 1
There was a good vibe in the streets of Elroad once news of the Golden Dragon and Cream Puff Fairy Queen's defeat by the hands of Belzerg's heroes spread around.
Our approval rating went up.
This news was reported to us the next morning by one of Revi's advisors, who was an expert in the state of mind of the common folk.
That is to say, he was the eavesdropping type.
My companions puffed their chests out in pride.
"Fufun! It was all thanks to the contributions of the great me. What's a monster to a goddess? That's right, nothing."
"It was a shame that the Cream Puff Fairy Queen wasn't actually a giant cream puff like I expected, but this victory will make up for my disappointment."
Aqua and Megumin were feeling good about themselves despite being the ones who were taken out first.
We were having breakfast at Revi's palace.
Before us was an array of fruits, cheeses and light pancake-like pastries.
There were also some exotic juices offered.
"Kazuma, you may have dealt the finishing blow, but there is no doubt that I was the MVP of that fight. I was the one who performed the noble duty of the vanguard and kept the Queen occupied while Kazuma charged up his spell…"
"What Darkness is saying is true, but if you had any skill with a weapon whatsoever, we wouldn't have had as much trouble as we did."
"Kuh! Ruthless with your words as always! I'm… I'm trying to improve in that area! It's not like I enjoy missing my targets all the time!"
So this Baka-sader says, but I don't see any improvement at all.
"Please don't be discouraged, Lalatina! After all, Lalatina was the one who trained me in combat when I was young! As your pupil, I'm proud to see how much my teacher has improved!"
"Princess Iris…!"
Why is the student encouraging the teacher?
"Iris, don't spoil this one. If you say that to her, she'll go back to her muscle training like always while not improving in the area she should improve the most!"
"At least allow me to enjoy a bit of praise!"
"Onii-sama, please stop this cruelty towards Lalatina! Her technique has improved! In the battle with the Cream Puff Fairy Queen, her strikes were landing close enough that the Queen was in a panic and feared for her life! If it was the Lalatina from before, her strikes would have landed about half a meter away from the target and the enemy wouldn't have even registered her as a threat at all!"
"U… Um, thanks… Princess Iris…"
"No problem!"
Iris smiled brightly, in contrast to her words that cut deeper than mine did.
Revi appeared a bit later.
"Ah, everyone! I hope you're enjoying your breakfast!"
He came in with a group of attendants behind him.
It must be a pain to have attendants and palace staff around you at all times.
"Your highness, I have informed the heroes about the fruits of their great labor."
"Thank you, Florentia-dono."
The advisor who told us of our rising approval ratings among the people didn't waste any time reporting his contributions to Revi.
Even though I had felt this same guy derisively looking at us in the past, he was now calling us heroes and flattering us at every turn.
Nobles sure are shameless.
I should take care not to turn into this rotten kind of noble.
...Well, in regards to my treatment of Iris, aren't I acting like one of these nobles hanging around Revi right now?
During the trip to Elroad, I limited her freedom and treated her more like a political pawn than a little sister…
She wanted to play and try all kinds of food with her rare opportunity to go outside of the palace walls, and I ruined it for her.
What kind of onii-chan am I?!
I should have a talk with her later and properly apologize.
As I resumed the train of thought I had last night, Revi, instead of taking a seat to join us for breakfast, put on a serious look.
"Everyone, actually, I hate to interrupt your breakfast, but there is an urgent matter we need to discuss… It is about the last remaining monster of Elroad's 'Top 3 strongest monsters'..."
The mysterious monster in the mysterious cave.
I still didn't know what the deal was with that thing.
Can a suspicious existence with such a vague nature really be considered as one of this country's strongest monsters?
"Hey, didn't our approval rating already go all the way up? So it's fine to leave this cave monster thing be, right?"
Aqua sensed that Revi would try to pile more work on us and sighed as she munched on some grapes.
"If it's just a cave, I can simply blow it up."
"That… That won't be necessary, Crimson Demon-sama!"
The advisors started panicking at Megumin's half-joking, half-serious remark.
"Indeed, the people would certainly agree to a renewed partnership with Belzerg with their approval rating as high as it is. There is no need to slay the third and last monster. However, this is a separate matter. Rather than talking about this here, shall we go to the throne room? I have a guest waiting there."
Sensing Revi's serious mood, we obediently followed him to the throne room.
Part 2
The guest he mentioned was standing before the throne. She bowed once she saw us.
"The heroes from Belzerg… Thank you for your hard work."
"Eh? Is that you, Luna-san?"
"Luna… Could it be that the hero-sama is acquainted with my cousin?"
Before us was an exact replica of Luna-san, the guild receptionist who worked at the Axel branch.
It seems that Luna-san, who we were indebted to for taking care of us as rookies, has a cousin here in Elroad, who also works as an adventurer's guild receptionist.
She looked like Luna-san, but her hair was a bit longer and fell (parted) down to her shoulders and she looked a bit younger. And her features weren't nearly as 'advanced'.
...I won't mention that 'younger' part to Luna-san.
Rather, for there to be a Luna-san look-alike in Elroad's adventurer's guild…
Is Luna-san the Nurse J*y of this world?
"Lina-san here works for the adventurer's guild in the capital city… She will explain the details to you."
"Thank you, Prince Revi. I will get right to it. Yesterday, some adventurers escorted a group of noble ladies into the mysterious cave with the mysterious monster residing within it. The noble ladies wanted to go down there as a test of courage or some sort…"
"Fufu. One of those noble ladies is my lovely daughter, Windry-chan. Ah, Prince Revi, my daughter sends her regards…"
"Oh! How kind of her! Tell Windry-san I said 'hi' back! Hehe…"
"Fufu, yes I will, Prince Revi. Ufufu…"
Ah, so this Windry-chan is the daughter of this Florentia guy?
That must mean that the 'daughter of an advisor', who Revi told me he had his eye on recently, was this Windry-chan.
His reaction says it all.
Lina-san went on.
"The test of courage lead by Lady Windry has inadvertently led to the discovery of a secret room in the cave…"
A secret room in the mysterious cave where a mysterious monster resided.
How extraordinarily vague.
Revi spoke after Lina-san.
"The secret room, based on the reports, appeared to be a research facility of sorts, and it seems that a scientific research project of sorts was being conducted there. It's possible that my father would know about this, but as he isn't here, and such a project would probably have been kept confidential. We are sorting through the kingdom's archives right now, so that will take some time."
"Wait, if it's just exploring this secret room, then why do we have to get involved? Just send your lackeys to take a look!"
Aqua was saying something irresponsible.
"Please remember that the cave contains a mysterious monster that has slain strong adventurers in the past! It was considered as one of the three strongest monsters in the nation, after all! It is so strong that no one has managed to provide a proper physical description of it yet. We only know that there is simply a powerful monster in that cave…"
Then why did a group of noble ladies think it was a good idea to have a Test of Courage there?
I couldn't help but glance blankly at this Florentia-san who was the father of that Windry girl.
"As Prince Revi said, the mysterious monster is dangerous, but it is rarely active. It only is more of a guardian of the cave than an actual threat, and it will produce loud sounds to scare intruders away rather than immediately engaging. If this was simply a scouting mission to explore the secret room, I wouldn't bother the heroes of Belzerg about this. However, there seems to be a civilian imprisoned in that secret room, and despite numerous attempts, we couldn't break the glass prison she's trapped in."
I see. So this went beyond a simple exploration quest.
It was a rescue quest.
"Could it be possible that this person was a human experiment of some kind?"
With sparkling eyes, Megumin asked such a question.
What she's saying would have been horrible if it was true, but this chuuni was still getting excited.
"H-Human experiment…"
Darkness was also getting needlessly excited.
"We can't rule out that possibility. Of course, human experimentation is illegal here in Elroad, as it always has been, but every nation has its dark secrets…"
The mood got tense.
"The only clue we have so far is this black book. It was found in the cave by Lady Windry."
"As expected of my girl! So capable!"
Lord Florentia got excited about his daughter's achievements as Lina-san handed me a black book.
"The contents are written in code… Or perhaps another language? In any case, none of us at the guild have been able to decipher it."
"Ah, isn't this the code of the Crimson Demons?"
"Eh?!"
Megumin instantly noticed the strange letters inside.
Crimson Demons were a troublesome lot who had to display their chuuni in every occasion.
The letters and memos they sent to each other were often written in code or made invisible with minor magic.
The letter Yunyun received from the village chief had a hidden message under the 'Illusory Script' spell.
Incidentally, I had also learned this magic to make an indirect confession to Megumin.
...L-Let's forget those embarrassing memories!
"Eh? Kazuma, why is your face heating up? Do you have a fever?"
Before I knew it, Megumin was right next to me and looking up at my face.
"M-Megumin-san, we're in public… Please be gentle."
"...? What are you talking about? Give me the book, I'll decipher the code."
"Oh. Right."
I gave the book to the eager Megumin, who excitedly deciphered the code.
Crimson Demons really like this kind of stuff, huh…
As we gave Megumin time to decipher the code, Florentia-san started schmoozing it up to Darkness, who is now a noble influential enough to be known even in foreign countries.
Well, we were all well-known nobles to begin with, but while we were 'new money', the Dustiness familia had always been held in high regard.
I was also approached by Lina-san.
"I'm very curious as to how Luna-nee is doing. Ah, but of course I know that she's doing great. She's the reliable Luna-nee, after all!"
Based on her behavior, it was obvious that Lina-san held her cousin in high regard.
"Yes, Luna-san has done well to service me in the past. She made sure to give the VIP treatment to a prominent adventurer like myself. She took very good care of me. She'd accept my unreasonable requests and didn't even mind when I made a mess…"
"S-Satou-sama is talking about the professional relationship between guild staff and adventurer, right?! Surely this isn't anything illicit?! Or maybe the way the guild works in Belzerg is different from the guilds in Elroad?!"
"Oh? Is Lina-san saying that Elroad's guild staff don't provide special service for VIP adventurers? Oh, my. I don't know what to say about this."
"S-Sorry! Even if that's a custom there… I can't! As expected of Luna-san… She'll even put her body on the line if it's for her work…!"
This Lina-san seems to have an overactive imagination.
Though it was probably my fault for intentionally saying suggestive things to provoke her.
"Lina-san is pretty cute."
"...Wait, Satou-sama is teasing me, isn't he! Geez~!"
"Ah, stooop, that huuurts~! Haha~!"
"Don't tease me, Satou-sama~!"
She didn't seem all that mad, though.
Perhaps Lina-san is the type who likes to be teased by guys?
"Ahem."
However, my current girlfriend, Megumin-sama, didn't seem to find my teasing of Lina-san all too amusing.
"...I'd advise you to back off from my man."
"I-I wasn't making a move on Satou-sama or anything! Eeep!"
Despite being Luna-san's cousin, Lina-san's personality was too different.
"I'm done cracking the code, Kazuma."
Megumin went to a study to translate the code, but she came back sooner than I expected.
"So, what was written in the book?"
"It would be easier if you all read it. Here's the translation."
She handed me a pile of paper held together in a binder.
We all crowded around it and read along.
Megumin's handwriting was neat and actually somewhat refined, but…
"Oi, what is this? I can barely read this."
"Eh? What's wrong? This is how we were taught to write in school."
It was heavily stylized.
I didn't even know one could write this kind of gothic font without machine assistance.
It took me a bit to get used to it, but I was eventually able to read the translation.
...In a certain place, in a certain time, there was a certain girl who would certainly become a child of destiny… This much was certain.
"Why is there so much 'certain'?!"
It was only the first sentence and I was already getting pissed.
"Onii-sama, you must calm down! You're tearing the paper!"
I took a deep breath and resumed reading.
This certain child of destiny hailed from a clan of powerful demons, a clan feared for their magical prowess. They are characterized by their bright, crimson eyes, hair as black as the night, and skin as pale as the snow… They are known as the 'Crimson Demons'...
...Among this clan of dangerous demons there was a certain girl… Even among a clan of geniuses, she rose above them all in power, intellect, and beauty… From a young age, she saw the potential in herself, even when others couldn't… No, they refused to see it. Yes… This extraordinarily gifted girl was the one from the prophecy…! She was the 'Legendary Crimson Demon, Fuwarin!'
...Yes, that's me. I am Fuwarin. One who will become the Legendary Crimson Demon...
"...What the hell is a Fuwarin?"
"Fuwarin is quite a common name for us Crimson Demons, but it is quite old fashioned. There are a lot of grannies in the village with the name Fuwarin."
"So it's something like 'Sachiko' or 'Etsuko'? No, even if you say it's 'common', it still sounds weird. Rather, is there really such a thing as the 'Legendary Crimson Demon'?"
"The 'Legendary Crimson Demon'... Ah, when I was a child, my mother told me that if I worked hard enough, I could one day grow up to become the 'Legendary Crimson Demon'."
So, it's the equivalent of 'You'll surely become the Prime Minister of Japan when you grow up!'
One of those fibs parents tell their kids to encourage them to chase after lofty dreams.
We skipped the more superfluous parts of what seemed to be this Fuwarin-san's journal of delusions.
Finally, we came across something interesting.
The Bomber Majin Moguninin that is guarding the village happened to notice me when I was doing my daily magic training. ..
"...Oi, what the hell is a Moguninin?"
"Moguninin is Moguninin."
Megumin said, as if that was enough to explain things.
"It is the guardian of the Crimson Demon village. It lurks in the woods surrounding the village and will attack anyone who isn't a Crimson Demon."
"Then wasn't it strange that Maouko's army could camp deep into the woods during her invasion without this supposed guardian intervening?"
"The Moguninin's movements are random. It could have been lurking in another part of the woods. Furthermore, the Bomber Majin Moguninin is very cool, and I view it as a rival of sorts. It is known to possess a form of Explosion magic and will blow up any intruder that is not a Crimson Demon on sight. Combined with its mobility and ability to hide its presence, it is indeed a formidable opponent."
"...I can tell you're excited, but there's no need to drool. And I still don't know what the hell a Moguninin is."
Aqua leaned over my shoulder and pointed to the paper,
"Ah, look, the story is getting interesting!"
We're doing proper investigative work here, can't you tell, Aqua-san? Please don't treat this like it's a bedtime story.
Nonetheless, I followed Aqua's finger and read on from there,
...The Moguninin… the guardian of this village… It has chosen me?! It recognizes my potential to surpass the limitations of a mortal magic user?! C-Could I really be the 'Legendary Crimson Demon' after all?! W-Well, of course I am! Haha! I never had any doubts! G-Geez, Moguninin-kun! If I'm the Legendary Crimson Demon, you should have just told me earlier? I guess I can't complain though! Fuwahahaha!
...Um, now what? The Moguninin said that it's making a report to the country of Noise… Wahh… Maybe I'm going to meet the creator of us Crimson Demons? Shall I call him otou-san?
"...Creator? There's someone known as the 'Creator of the Crimson Demons'? And what is this country called Noise?"
"Kazuma, this could all be a delusion at this point. Don't believe everything you read."
"Ah, for me fall for a typical Crimson Demon delusion that even Aqua saw through. I need to be more vigilant."
"Oi, why do you people not believe the words of my fellow clansman?"
We all dismissed the obvious chuuni delusions.
With this undeniable proof from the village's guardian itself, the others had no choice but to acknowledge me as a superior being! Yes, this is the sort of treatment I was waiting for! No longer will I be called the 'NEET with her head in the clouds and who does nothing but fight the monsters in the woods all day'.
They're even holding a festival for me? How nice of them! Ah, one of the black haired and black eyed tourists, who are temporarily staying in the village, made a miniature statuette of me! I'm honored!
...Why does this thing have cat ears though?
The party was so much fun, but I have to leave now. The Moguninin sent a message to the country of Noise, but apparently the Creator of the Crimson Demons wasn't in Noise right now. He went over to the neighboring country of Elroad on a business trip, and he asked us to come there so he can meet me personally!
So, Moguninin-kun and I will be travelling to Elroad now!
"So that's how she ended up here."
Darkness said thoughtfully as I flipped to the next few pages.
But there were only a bunch of doodles in the next pages and the entries stopped there.
Part 3
We didn't know what to make of Fuwarin-san's journal.
"I see… So that's how it is…"
The only one pretending to understand was Megumin.
"This might all be chuuni-talk, but it is a fact that a girl assumed to be Fuwarin-san is trapped in a glass capsule in that laboratory."
Revi nodded to my words.
"Nii-san is right. We could always just ask Fuwarin-san about her story once she is rescued, but retrieving her is our priority right now."
"...Eh? Prince Revi… What did you just call onii-sama?"
Iris, who had been quietly listening so far, spoke up on something unrelated.
"Um… I called him nii-san."
"..."
Eh?
Why is Iris glaring at me?
"I'm the only little sister onii-sama needs!"
"Eh? But I'm not trying to be his little sister! I'm his little brother, OK?!"
"Oi! Onii-sama! I don't mind losing the contest for your affection that Megumin-san and I once had, but I won't lose as a little sister to this spoiled AF prince!"
"Eh?! Nii-san, what is this brute of a sister saying?!"
Iris was letting out all of her pent-up emotions.
And what was that about losing to Megumin?
Uwa…
I had my suspicions, but it was really like that, huh?
So that's why she went through a fit once I told her I was dating Megumin.
And it didn't help that I acted strict towards her during the trip to Elroad that she was looking forward to.
"So it wasn't PMS, after all."
"I told you onii-sama, it was never about PMS! Geez!"
I was only making her more angry with my careless remarks.
I'm not trying to act like an uncaring jerk here.
It's just hard for me to say what I really feel!
I can't even be honest to myself, so why am I expected to be honest with others!
Thankfully, Darkness came to save the day.
"Let's calm down for now, Princess Iris…"
"Hmph!"
She took Iris aside to try and calm her down.
"...Um, perhaps I said too much, nii-san."
"No, I can't really blame Revi for reacting when he was called a 'spoiled AF prince'."
"What does 'AF' even mean?"
"..."
It's clear now that Iris's recent rebellious attitude was entirely my fault.
I resolved not to corrupt another member of the royalty by teaching them weird things.
…
...
Revi lent us his royal carriages once more for our trip to the cave.
The people who saw us in the streets of the capital cheered as we passed by.
The critics were nowhere to be seen.
"This is looking good! Once we rescue that girl, that means our job here is done and we can go home!"
Aqua was in good spirits and was taking it easy as she munched on the treats Revi gave us for the trip.
"Aqua, please don't forget that we will have to report to his majesty once we have succeeded with our mission. We will need to stop by the capital first. And there is also the manner of the ceremony to officially make the three of you nobles…"
The king sent us here in this diplomatic mission partly because of the controversy I caused with Claire and Lucie.
The ceremony to give us noble status was postponed until we completed this diplomatic mission, so that the people wouldn't have any problems with a controversial figure such as myself rising to nobility.
"M-May I just say… It is truly an honor to be in the company of such important people! I'll try not to drag everyone down!"
A rather skinny guy whose gear immediately gave one the impression that he had the Thief class, bowed to us while saying those humbled words.
This fellow was one of the adventurers who escorted Lady Windry and her friends.
Since his party was the one who discovered the secret room, while also dissembling the traps himself, he would be our guide for this rescue mission.
"Please raise your head. We will make sure to protect you should anything happen, so please, feel free to use me as a meat shield and as disposable bait you can abandon at anytime to ensure your own personal safety…"
"Um... Eh? Thank you?"
He didn't know how to handle Darkness at all.
"Now, now! There's no need to worry! Nom, nom. We are capable adventurers after all! Nom, nom. We can take on any opponent as long as they're not Giant Toads! Nom, nom."
Aqua made a questionable boast as she was talking with her mouth full of dango.
"...! Amazing! As expected of the heroes of Belzerg! But… Giant Toads? Aren't those supposed to be weak monsters?"
"That's not true. The Giant Toads in Belzerg are powerful creatures. They are impervious to any attack and their skillful tongue can catch any prey… Even if the prey is moving at the speed of light!"
"Is that really true, Crimson Demon-sama?!"
"Oi, knock it off you two."
I stopped Aqua and Megumin from filling this poor guy's head with nonsense.
"..."
Meanwhile, our little ace and secret weapon, Iris, was sulking.
"...Iris, I already apologized. Please forgive me. I didn't know you'd take offense to that."
"...Hmph!"
Iris pouted and turned her head away from me.
"I've never seen Princess Iris act so defiantly before…"
As Darkness said, this was the first time I've seen Iris act so willful.
"...I'm the only little sister that onii-sama needs… Hmph!"
Crossing her little arms, Iris said these words that broke the 'obedient little sister' image I had of her.
"Um, Iris does know that Revi can't be a 'little sister', right? He's my little brother now. Please get along with your brother."
"..."
She refused to meet my eyes.
"You shouldn't force the issue, Kazuma. You two can talk it out by yourselves later."
Megumin said, and as she was used to dealing with young girls as the elder sister of the willful Komekko, I took her advice readily.
"Hero-sama, we are here."
The coachman said as the horses outside slowed down into a steady gallop, and then stopped in their tracks completely.
"Let's head out and get this over with."
Aqua popped the last of her dango into her mouth and filed out of the door as the coachman opened it for us.
He helped the girls step down one by one, with me and our guide stepping down last.
"Ah, by the way, for your own safety, you should tell us your name."
I asked our thief guide as we, with the exception of the coachman, headed to the entrance of the cave.
"Eh? My name? It's Flint."
"Alright, Flint. Your chance of survival just increased, but please be careful in there."
"U-Um… Please tell me why me telling you my name increases my chance to survive?"
"Nevermind that. Are you planning to get married soon? Or do you have a baby on the way?"
"Um… No, I don't even have a girlfriend."
"Good, good. Just in case, please don't say anything like: "Ah, the monster hasn't showed up yet. This quest is easier than I thought!", or anything stupid like that. Please don't trigger such obvious flags."
"Eh? I don't really get it, but sure."
While taking care of this important matter, I let Flint go ahead and lead us into the cave.
"Farsight."
Even when we had a guide, I used the night vision ability of the Archer skill Farsight and examined the surroundings thoroughly.
Aqua also had night vision but she was busy chatting it up with Darkness and Megumin, not taking our job seriously at all.
"Scout Sense…"
Every so often, Flint would tell us to wait while he closed his eyes.
I asked him to tell me about this skill he used.
"It's a radar skill available to thieves that resembles a bat's echolocation. It's useful for scouting areas ahead and checking for enemies and traps. One could say that it's an upgraded version of the Detect Enemy skill."
"Alright, please teach me that skill."
"Eh? Satou-sama is of the Thief class as well?"
I had Flint teach me this useful skill.
"Kazuma, you're really getting addicted to collecting all kinds of skills. But don't you dare learn any healing or Priest skills! I won't hand you my role so easily!"
Aqua said this as she felt like her place in the party was disappearing.
"It's not like I have Aqua's high stats and magic power. If I do learn Priest skills, I'll have to settle for the weak to mid-tier healing and buff spells."
"Ah, then if it's like that, then that's OK, I think?"
She was upset before, but instantly recovered. So easy.
Part 4
"And this is the wall… And if you press here…"
Flint was looking for a hidden button on the cave wall.
"...Ah! There it is!"
With a click, a large section of the wall opened before us.
"Ack! The light, it burns!"
We covered our eyes as bright light flowed out of the hidden entrance.
"Scout Sense… All clear. Please follow me."
Flint used Scout Sense once more before we stepped inside.
Looking inside the secret room, it looked to be a stereotypical hidden laboratory.
The walls and roof were painted a complete white. There were strange machines by the walls that went 'beep boop boop' and emitted bright lights.
Everything here was mana-powered, but this was probably the most modern tech I've seen in this world.
Well, I was basing this from appearances alone. It's not like I knew what purpose those machines served other than flashing weird lights and going 'beep boop boop'.
"There are a lot of cabinets and such that we can't open here. They are resistant to physical attacks, so we couldn't open them with brute force."
Flint explained as we came upon a locked cabinet.
"Please enter the password… Beep beep boop."
There was a pin pad on the cabinet and a mechanical voice activated when we came near.
The pin pad had a display screen and a series of numbers from 0-10, the respective numbered buttons had a different color each. 0 was white while 1 was red and 2 was yellow, etc.
"Have you guys tried putting in a random password?"
Flint shook his head to my question.
"We didn't want to trigger a trap, so we left it alone."
"I see… Open Lock."
I used the skill, Open Lock.
"Please enter the password… Beep beep boop."
Seriously, what's up with that 'beep beep boop'?
"I tried my Lockpicking skill before but that also didn't work."
"Hey, let's just leave this thing alone. I doubt it'll be useful to us anyways."
Aqua was getting bored and urged us to forget about this thing.
As I looked at Aqua…
"Most of the 'machines' and utilities in this world are powered by mana. So maybe Aqua's Spell Break will have an effect?"
This idea occurred to me while I looked at Aqua's bored face.
"Hm? You need the great Aqua-sama's assistance? Very well. Step aside."
We made way for Aqua as she made a big show of stretching and working herself up.
"Spell Break!"
We closed our eyes as a bright light filled the room from Aqua's Spell Break.
"Oi, you're putting too much power in it! Ah, the lights turned off."
The mana powered items that illuminated the room all turned off.
"Eh? Where'd all the lights go?"
"It's all your fault, stupid goddess. Oi, is everyone OK?"
"I can't see but… I feel something hard. Ah, this must be Darkness."
"This hardness… Ah, these must be the muscles of Lalatina."
"H-How rude! Well, it is me, but still, how rude!"
Megumin and Iris easily found Darkness.
"Please… enter the… password… beep… boop… boo…"
The pin pad mechanism powered down soon after.
There was a click and the cabinet doors opened.
I looked inside for anything useful.
"Let's see… Ah, there's some documents here."
I opened the contents, but even with the night vision of Farsight, it was hard to read the contents of the documents in the pitch-black darkness.
"Let's look over these later."
I put them inside my travel bag.
We advanced carefully as we followed Flint to where he found the glass capsule containing the girl who was likely to be Fuwarin.
As the others couldn't see in the dark, I gave them the rope I use for the Bind skill to hold onto.
We formed a line with Flint and I ahead, and Aqua at the very back. Aqua was there to make sure the others wouldn't get lost or left behind.
"It's kind of scary back here, Kazuma-san. It's so dark…"
Aqua was shivering in fear behind the line.
"I think the atmosphere is quite cool. When I heard that this was a secret laboratory, I imagined that the atmosphere would be much more eerie. Right now, these expectations of mine are fulfilled."
The only one who was enjoying this was Megumin.
"...Everyone, we're here."
Flint motioned for us to stop.
Pointing beside us, we followed Flint's finger.
Inside a glass capsule filled with bubbling, transparent green fluid was a girl with black hair and pale white skin.
There were a series of tubes that resembled electric wiring connected to the girl's black, skin tight bodysuit.
She was hovering in the fluid, looking as if she was suspended by the tube wiring.
"...Beep boop boop."
Of course, the machinery around the capsule made this annoying sound.
"It seems like this machine wasn't affected by my Spell Break. Should I cast it again?"
Aqua placed her hand on the glass.
Seeing us nod, Aqua's hand let out a bright light again.
"Spell… Break!"
The glass shattered.
"Everyone, get behind me!"
Darkness was quick to react, forming a wall in front of us.
"Wahhh! Darkness! Save me!"
Aqua also had high physical specs, so the glass shrapnel didn't damage her, but she still screamed her head off and hid behind Darkness.
The green fluid flooded around our feet. Since the machine was mana powered, I didn't have to worry about getting electrocuted, but just in case…
"Chasmic Mud Trap!"
Using an Intermediate level magic, I stopped the flood by filling the room with mud.
The original spell produces thick mud going up to the person's knees, a weaker version of Wiz's Bottomless Swamp spell.
But I held back my mana output so as not to restrict our movement.
"Yuck, Kazuma, was this really necessary?! This is absolutely filthy! Purification! Purification!"
I didn't know what Aqua meant to say by using 'Purification' on my spell, but I got pissed for some reason.
I picked up some of my mud and threw it at her.
"Hey! Why you… Take this!"
Before we could have a mud ball fight, Darkness stepped in between the mud we were throwing.
"Everyone! Please calm down and focus on the mission!"
"...! Onii-sama! Everyone! Look!"
I followed Iris's gaze.
The girl in the capsule began to move.
The slight, unconscious twitching of her body changed into deliberate movement.
One by one, she tore away from the wiring and tubes connected to her bodysuit.
"...Ughh… Hughh…"
She groaned as she staggered away from the destroyed capsule that contained her.
She looked up. Red eyes that glowed in the dark met my own.
Black hair, porcelain white skin, and red eyes…
She's a Crimson Demon. There's no doubt about it.
"Um… Are you… Fuwarin-san?
Aqua asked with an uneasy smile.
She turned to Aqua.
"Y-Yeah… Um, who are you people? Ugh, my legs feel wobbly. Mind if I sit down? ...Why is there so much mud everywhere? Create Golem. Golem Transmutation."
With a snap of her fingers, Fuwarin-san created a golem from the mud I produced. It took the form of a normal, humanoid golem at first, but then it transmuted into a simple chair.
What a useful spell combination…!
She sat on the golem-turned-chair unsteadily.
"I am Fuwarin. My calling is that of a Crimson Demon who once wished to become the Legendary Crimson Demon… Well, in the end, I turned out to be a fake and a failure."
She gave us a self-deprecatory smile while making that depressing introduction.
Part 5
After a two week journey with the Moguninin, Fuwarin made it to where 'otou-san', the supposed creator of the Crimson Demons, was conducting his research at the time.
Excited to meet a person that was widely regarded by her people, Fuwarin ecstatically introduced herself as the 'Legendary Crimson Demon'.
"...Sorry, but this unit is busted. It made a mistake. Wahh… I hope the other one that stayed in the village is functioning properly."
"...Eh?"
Only to find out that the Moguninnin had a fault in its program.
"So… My magical power and potential is…"
"Yeah, sorry. You're about average."
Something inside Fuwarin-san broke.
At that moment...
What became a lifelong ambition to become the Legendary Crimson Demon became a fanatical obsession to seek the real thing.
She begged for the creator of the Crimson Demons to 'seal' her until the day when the Legendary Crimson Demon was discovered.
This Creator-san seemed to be the carefree type and chose to go along with Fuwarin's momentary whim.
"Alright, alright. I'll let you play around with this 'seal' thing I just made. What a strange thing to ask for, but you came all this way so I guess I'll go along with it for now."
He said these careless words.
As for why Fuwarin-san was trapped here for all this time…
"Oh, but you actually caught me at a bad time. One of my inventions, the Mobile Fortress Destroyer, is on a bit of a rampage, so I guess I'll have to come back and take a look inside it and fix it. I'll come back in a week to let you out. Enjoy your abandonment play in the meantime… Hey, come to think of it, that looks kind of fun? Mind if I try it when I get back?"
...It turns out that this creator of the Crimson Demons was the same idiot who made the Mobile Fortress Destroyer and got trapped inside it, eventually dying inside his own disastrous creation.
Oi, just how did that guy pass on peacefully?
His skeleton even had a smile on its face?
After recounting those events to us…
We eventually told her the situation.
"Um… So… You're telling me… I've been in here for a really long time?"
Fuwarin-san was expecting that guy to come back after a week or so.
Obviously, since that guy was trapped in the Destroyer and watched as the country of Noise burned before him, he never had a chance to come back and free her.
"Yes… It's been many, many years since then."
Megumin, as a fellow clansman, felt that it was her responsibility to break the news.
"I… I see. So everyone in the village, by now… My mother, father… My friends…"
With deep shock painted on her face, streaks of tears started pouring down Fuwarin-san's cheeks.
"Kazuma, everyone… Can you give us a moment?"
We left the room at Megumin's request.
…
…
Once they came out again, Fuwarin-san seemed to be in a better mood.
Megumin was helping her walk since Fuwarin-san had effectively been immobile for decades now.
"I see… So the Crimson Demon clan is still prospering, and one of them even became a hero who would defeat the Devil King and achieve many wonderful things!"
"Yes, that's right, Fuwarin oba-san. The generation that succeeded you fulfilled the purpose given to us Crimson Demons."
"I see… I'm really glad, Megumin-chan."
Fuwarin-san showed a genuine smile as Megumin told her about the achievements of the Crimson Demons.
...Well, those were all the party's achievements, though. The other Crimson Demons don't really do anything too useful.
And why is Megumin calling Fuwarin-san 'oba-san'?
While they were talking, I had Flint go back to the capital and report our findings to Revi.
Meanwhile, I was reading the documents we found in the cabinet.
As for what this creator guy was researching here, Elroad commissioned him to find a way to produce unlimited luxury resources with his 'Creation' cheat.
The country of Elroad who cared a lot about wealth and luxury was interested in producing valuable items, like gold, endlessly.
I suppose they wanted him to make something that was like a 'Philosopher's Stone'.
Prior to meeting Fuwarin-san, through some kind of weird experiment, he somehow created two creatures that could produce an unlimited amount of luxury goods, the Golden Dragon and the Cream Puff Fairy Queen.
The outcome was not what Elroad envisioned, but he did manage to create a means to produce luxury items endlessly.
The Golden Dragon, whose scales were made out of gold and other precious stones and could keep shedding them endlessly.
The Cream Puff Fairy Queen, who could give birth to the luxury desserts known as Cream Puff Fairies as long as she had life energy.
But still…
"This guy is seriously such a pain in the ass!"
It turns out the three most dangerous monsters in this nation were all made by that guy.
Even the monster in this cave, which is the most dangerous monster in Elroad, turned out to be a creation of his as well, another variant of the Moguninin.
Obviously, with the exception of the Moguninin variant, the monsters had freed themselves from Elroad's control and escaped into the wilds.
What was that guy thinking by making such powerful, intelligent monsters?
"Was that guy not satisfied unless he screwed something up?! He's lucky that these monsters didn't try to turn Elroad into a ruin like the Destroyer did to Noise!"
"Um… I understand why Kazuma-san might say that, but please don't say those things about the creator of the Crimson Demons…"
Despite how this guy inadvertently had Fuwarin trapped down here for decades, she was still referring to him with respect.
"Fuwarin-san, about this 'creator of the Crimson Demons'... Can you please tell us more about how exactly he created the Crimson Demons?"
Darkness asked a question I was also curious about.
I always thought the Crimson Demons were… Well, a type of demon of some sort.
It seems that even the name of their race is just a chuuni frivolity.
"Crimson Demons were originally normal humans who volunteered for experiments intended to create super soldiers with well-beyond-average mana capacity and magic power. As for the red eyes that glow when one is excited, or the barcode tattoos inscribed in our bodies… The original Crimson Demons wanted those features to be added. They thought it would look cool."
...As expected of those chuuni.
Even their ancestors had this kind of problematic behavior, huh?
"I see. All this information has been lost in time. Our current generation believes that Crimson Demons are the spawn of the Devil King who would end up rebelling against him, and thus they were given magical powers by the gods in heaven along with their natural demonic powers to fight against the Devil King, who was originally their father..."
"No, I think you just made that up right now, Megumin."
I quickly retorted to her nonsensical scenario.
"Well, then. Now that that's been taken care of, let's bring Fuwarin-san to the capital, then we can head home ourselves!"
Aqua excitedly said this as she began heading towards the exit.
"...Please wait… I'd like to do something before I head back into society."
Fuwarin-san said, stopping Aqua in her tracks.
"Err… What now? Listen, we'll make sure you're taken care of and that you live your life in luxury. You can even come back to the Crimson Demon village if you want, so let's get a move on!"
Aqua was really eager to go home.
"...Please forgive my selfishness, but… I must confirm something."
Fuwarin-san looked directly at Megumin.
"Megumin-chan… If what you said about defeating the Devil King is true… I've been thinking… Couldn't that mean that you're the Legendary Crimson Demon?"
We all looked at Megumin.
"Well, I will gladly accept the title if it's given to me."
Megumin said this without hesitation.
We all looked at her blankly.
"Hey… Megumin is taking advantage of the situation to get one up over Yunyun, huh?"
"Yeah, isn't it obvious? She didn't even pretend that she didn't want the title. She pretty much said 'Please give it to me'."
"And what's the problem with wanting that cool title?!"
Megumin blushingly yelled as we whispered among ourselves.
"...Of course, I can't just give this title away to anyone. Megumin-chan needs to first prove that she is worthy."
Um… I don't want to be rude, but who said she was qualified to give away the title in the first place?
Of course, I kept these thoughts to myself.
Part 6
"Please participate in my 'trial' to determine whether Megumin-chan really is the Legendary Crimson Demon..."
This was Fuwarin-san's request.
It didn't feel right to deny the request of the pitiful Fuwarin-san.
And Megumin was excited about this 'trial', anyways.
Before Fuwarin was sealed, she prepared a trial in this cave to test the real Legendary Crimson Demon.
"...My mind was out of sorts at the time, so I had all sorts of strange ideas about 'trials' and 'seals'... Haha…"
Fuwarin-san admitted this now that she was able to think more rationally.
"Still, I don't want to waste all of that preparation… And all of that time I wasted while I was sealed away from the world… I want to do this properly."
Yeah, we really couldn't deny such an earnest request.
Even so…
"Um, why do I have to participate, too?"
Alongside Megumin, I stood before the entrance of the 'labyrinth' that Fuwarin-san had created inside the cave before she was sealed.
The labyrinth was constructed with her patented Create Golem and Golem Transmutation spell combination.
She was able to make a labyrinth in this cave that resembled an area one could find in a high-level dungeon.
"For a Crimson Demon trial, there must always be one in the vanguard to accompany the Crimson Demon partaking in the trial. Since, as Arch-Wizards, we are backline fighters in general."
Eh… Most of them just charge at the enemy without worrying about frontline/backline positions, though?
"And it was also said that the one who claims the title of the Legendary Crimson Demon will fight alongside the greatest hero of the era. That is the true role of the Legendary Crimson Demon…"
Megumin looked at me.
"Since Kazuma and I beat the Devil King together, I thought that Kazuma is fit to be 'the greatest hero of the era'. That is why I chose Kazuma as my partner in Fuwarin oba-san's trial."
"Um… Darkness-san and I contributed in the battle with the Devil King, too?"
Aqua chipped in her opinion, which was ignored.
"But realistically, wouldn't Iris be a better choice as a frontline fighter…? Even Darkness is… OK, OK! Stop giving me those looks as if I'm trying to weasel out of this! I'm going, I'm going!"
Even I can read the mood.
Seeing that Megumin and I were more or less ready, Fuwarin-san snapped her fingers and the entrance to the labyrinth opened.
The walls that were transmuted from earth golems obeyed Fuwarin-san's commands.
I didn't know that the Golem skill-tree was so versatile.
Maybe I can use these skills someday.
I also know the Create Golem spell, but the only golems I can create were those little mini-me's that resemble Vanir's dolls.
"This labyrinth is an impenetrable maze… See if you can get out of it… Fufu…"
Fuwarin-san seems to be having fun with this.
Well, if it's like this, might as well take this trial seriously.
"Scout Sense."
I expended a large amount of my mana capacity on the new skill Flint taught me.
I overcharged the skill to extend the limits of the original effective range.
I saw the extent of this labyrinth in my mind's eye, viewing it as if I were looking at a map.
Then I reached to a wall that was originally an earth golem and sapped the mana that was naturally inside of it with Drain Touch. I regained my expended mana.
"Alright. I know the general layout of this labyrinth now. Here, Megumin, I'll draw up a map for you."
"Ehhhhh?!"
We hadn't even stepped foot inside yet and I had already mapped out the 'impenetrable maze'.
"What… But that's not fair!"
"Ah, Megumin, watch out for that area. My Detect Trap is warning me of something. I don't feel like disabling it so let's just avoid it."
"..."
"Kazuma, your skills are way too useful. You're going to make Fuwarin oba-san sad."
"It's not like I can hold back on my usefulness. Ah, watch out for that spot there."
...
…
We easily made our way through the labyrinth.
We even held hands while avoiding dangerous pitfall traps and the like.
"Hm… The atmosphere in this labyrinth is actually quite exhilarating. Walking with Megumin here… It feels like having a date in a haunted house as a test of courage or something… Not that I know what that feels like. Ah, hang on a sec."
I let go of Megumin's hand and drew my bow and an arrow.
"Snipe."
I took aim with my arrow and fired it at a wire trap. A row of spears came out to stab at the area ahead.
We held hands again as I placed my bow back around my back.
"For me, this feels like going on a test of courage in the woods bordering the Crimson Demon village with your lover… Not that I know what that feels like."
So a date scenario like that existed for the Crimson Demons, too.
But if this really is like that kind of scenario...
"In a situation like this, shouldn't Megumin go 'kyaaa!' when a trap appears, while hugging my arm?"
"Does Kazuma want me to do that? Very well… Ah, but it looks like we already reached the end."
There was a boss area-esque door in front of us.
So there will be no 'kyaa~!' for me, huh?
"V-Very impressive. To have cleared my labyrinth with such ease. As expected of this era's greatest hero and the Legendary Crimson Demon! But what lies beyond the last room… Will you be able to handle it?"
Fuwarin-san seems to have some way of surveilling us and she even had an intercom system as well.
That creator guy was an idiot but he made some useful things.
"Fuwarin oba-san seems to be implying that there's a boss monster beyond this door. I can't use my explosion magic in an enclosed space like this. Will Kazuma be able to face this monster alone?"
"...I thought this trial was for you, but why am I doing all the work?"
"Now, now. This is only the first trial. I will have my chance to shine later."
"That better be the case, or I'll have to take the title of Legendary Crimson Demon myself."
"...! I-I'll definitely show my true capabilities later, so try your best for this stage of the trial, Kazuma! But this stage only! Don't you dare steal the spotlight!"
What kind of selfish demand is she asking for?
But I realize that Fuwarin-san didn't intend for a non-Crimson Demon like me to clear the trials myself.
I'll repeat this again, even I can read the mood.
After using Scout Sense to confirm that there was indeed a monster ahead, we opened the door leading into the boss room.
"Intruder Alert! Intruder Alert! Bio-scanners activating… One of the intruders is a Crimson Demon! Must not engage the Crimson Demon. Bio-scanners activating… The other intruder is not a Crimson Demon or registered staff. Eliminate Intruder!"
"...!"
Before us was a metallic, robot-like creature.
It had a humanoid form and was moving bipedally, but rather than a living armor that was found in this world, it resembled the mecha that one would often find in anime and manga.
It carried a shield and a sword but the sword had a transparent blade that resembled the glass capsule containing Fuwarin-san.
"Oh? That thing resembles the Bomber Majin Moguninin that guards the Crimson Demon village. How cool!"
Megumin had this casual commentary to say as this thing said some ominous words about us intruders.
Specifically, me.
"This is the guardian of this research facility that the creator made. It is a variant of the Bomber Majin Moguninin. It is the Saber Majin Shutsukishishi!"
"S-So cool!"
"Oi! I'm the one who will have to fight this thing, right?! Stop admiring it and… Whoa!"
My Detect Enemy and Auto-Dodge worked together to sense and avoid the downwards slash the Saber Majin Shutsukishishi aimed at me.
My body leapt to the ground and rolled as it avoided the attack.
It was taking careful measures not to harm Megumin, but it was making a real attempt to kill me…!
It raised its glass sword high.
A radiant light emitted from it…!
"Here comes Saber Majin Shutsukishishi's special move! Light of Saber!"
"This thing is so cool…!"
This thing knows that dangerous Advanced level attack spell?!
I just barely managed to dodge a Light of Saber attack that was about on par with Yunyun's own Light of Saber.
It cut a clean crevice where I had just been standing.
"I'm really the only one doing the work! I don't imagine how the trial can get any harder from here! I'm taking that title after I'm done with this, Megumin!"
"No, that's not fair, Kazuma! If you really want me to help then I'll release my Explosion right now!"
"Don't you dare! And if this thing isn't even attacking Crimson Demons in the first place, how can this be called a trial to test the Legendary Crimson Demon?!"
T-That doesn't matter for now! Just focus on the enemy in front of you!
Fuwarin-san, you really need to think more deeply about your actions…!
"Kuh! Volley!"
It raised its shield and easily deflected my hail of arrows.
...I should have seen that coming.
"Kazuma, watch out!"
I rolled away again to dodge yet another Light of Saber slash.
"Hey! If this thing keeps attacking, this whole room will collapse!"
"Don't worry! This room is durable! I made sure of it! Don't worry about holding back or anything, Hero! Show me your poweeeer!"
"Again, who is this trial for, exactly?!"
My Auto-Dodge was dealing with the attacks for now, but if I was faced with an attack my body wasn't physically capable of dodging, even the Auto-dodge skill wouldn't be able to save me.
"...Fire ball!"
I launched the Intermediate level magic, Fireball.
A standard spell found in almost every RPG's magic system.
But the Fireball was extinguished as soon as it made contact with the shield.
"Fufu. The shield is made out of mythril. Ah, but the rest of its body is ordinary metal."
If that was the case… Then if I managed to hit it where it couldn't defend itself with it's shield…
...The back!
But still, I need a way to distract and immobilize it.
I used Drain touch on the walls again to restore my reserves.
I held out my hand just as the Saber Majin Shutsukishishi raised it's transparent sword again.
"Chasmic Mud Trap!"
A pool of deep mud appeared underneath the Saber Majin.
It's metallic body creaked as it struggled to free itself.
A heavy body like that will fall quickly.
But since this was still an Intermediate level spell, it wasn't as effective as Wiz's Bottomless Swamp.
The Saber Majin stopped sinking, and was already trying to brute force its way out.
"Create Golem!"
From the mud, I created the mini Golems that resembled my features for some reason.
"Kukikikiki!"
They made that weird sound for some reason.
They took out their little Chunchunmarus and started hitting the Saber Majin's armor, their hits producing a clank.
"Ehhh? The Hero stole my technique?!"
It's a useful combo, what can I say.
With the Saber Majin distracted, I used Lurk to erase myself from its awareness.
It completely forgot about me for the time being and focused on the small fry running around and aggroing it.
I silently positioned myself behind its back.
I drew my partner, Chunchunmaru.
"Sneak Attack!"
The main attacking skill of the Thief class.
If it's a back or flank attack, the skill provides armor penetration and chance for a 'critical hit'.
The Luck stat also provides bonuses.
Chunchunmaru penetrated the metal and sunk through, creating a clean hole in the armor.
"Good job, Kazuma! ...Eh?"
Megumin started giving me praise, but...
Saber Majin was still moving.
It ignored the mini Golems and attempted to turn in the mud and face the threat that harmed it.
"Eh? How come this thing is still moving?"
I said, as I tried to pull Chunchunmaru out, but it was stuck stuck in some machinery within the Saber Majin.
"Nice try, Hero, but Saber Majin Shutsukishishi will only go down once its core is destroyed!"
As expected of a troublesome invention made by that bastard.
"Oi, Kazuma, Shutsukishishi is about to escape!"
Megumin warned me as the Saber Majin was steadily forcing its own heavy body out of the mud.
"Geh! Fine! I just need another blade, right?! Who needs fancy high level magic when Elementary magic can do this! Take this! This is the ultimate form of Elementary level magic! Create Water! Freeze!"
Just as water poured out of my hand, it froze to take on a specific form.
I made a blade of ice.
"What… What was that move?! Kazuma, you're so cool right now! Kyaa!"
Megumin was squirming around as she admired my improvised magic.
She only shows her girly side when it comes to magic tricks like this, huh?
Then, while I'm at it…
"I am Kazuma! An adventurer who utilizes many skills! The hero who leads the Legendary Crimson Demon, the explosion user, Megumin! You are a worthy foe, Saber Majin Shutsukishishi, but with my Frozen Blade, I will vanquish you… Hiyah!"
I struck the improvised blade inside the hole I made with Chunchunmaru.
"Kazuma… Where did this come from?! You're way too cool right now!"
Megumin looked at me with glowing eyes of admiration.
"If Megumin is really so impressed with me then come here and give me some affection…"
"Yeah, I actually feel like spoiling Kazuma right now!"
Ehe… Ah, this feels nice.
Having a girlfriend feels so nice.
But while we were flirting…
"Core was damaged, but still active. Beginning repairing sequence. Must eliminate threat, must eliminate threat."
The Saber Majin, after seeming like it had stopped moving, suddenly came online again.
"Gahh! This thing is still alive?!"
It seems that I had damaged the core with that attack, but it wasn't enough to completely destroy the core.
"If it's like that then I'll shoot a Fireball inside this hole… Whoa!"
Before I could burn it from the inside, the Saber Majin bumped into me, making me fall backwards.
Then its body creaked as it was finally able to force its way out of the mud pit.
It slowly turned and looked at me.
Menacing robot eyes peered at me from behind its helmet visor.
"Kiiiee?! Megumin-san, save me!"
I ran to Megumin and hid behind her.
"Oi? Where did that cool Kazuma go?! Just when I was thinking about ways to reward you after this… Ah, the Saber Majin is heading towards us…!"
But the Saber Majin stopped in its tracks.
"Must not harm Crimson Demon… Must not harm Crimson Demon…"
Oh, that's right. It was programmed like that.
"Ah, I get it. This was part of Kazuma's plan, right? Good thinking."
"...Eh? R-Right, this was my plan."
Let's go with that for now.
I took this chance to attack while it was distracted by Megumin.
"Bind!"
I didn't want to waste my rope since it could just deflect it with its shield or use its sword.
But now that it was staying still so as not to harm Megumin, the rope went around the Saber Majin's body.
"..."
But the rope fell down after the Saber Majin moved a little bit.
It turns out its body was too wide for the rope to wrap around it.
I should have got a longer rope for situations like this, damn!
"Kazuma, I don't think you can hide behind me forever. Do you have anything else planned?"
"Well, I used pretty much all of my skills… Er, I guess there's still that."
The first skill I learned in this world.
If I can manage to steal the Saber Majin's sword or shield, that would be a great advantage for me.
Even if the Steal fails, it doesn't cost a lot of mana and there are no drawbacks.
That's why, even after all this time, Steal is still my favorite skill.
"Here comes my signature skill…! STEEEAAALLL!"
I extended my hand to the Saber Majin Shutsukishishi.
"...Core has been extracted… Core has been extracted… Unit will now shut… down…."
"...Eh?" x 2.
Megumin and I looked at the item I had stolen.
It was the core.
Part 7
With the boss defeated, we made our way back to the entrance.
"As expected of Kazuma. You really showed off your full array of skills from the Scumbag skill-tree."
Aqua looked at me with disdain.
"Oi, I got the job done so why does it matter if the way I did it wasn't pretty to watch?! Um, Fuwarin-san, we finished the first stage of the trial."
Fuwarin-san looked at me blankly.
"Er… Good job. So, the next trial will be for Megumin-chan only."
She didn't want me participating anymore it seems.
"Kazuma, you really made Fuwarin-san sad. Please think about the feelings of others!"
"No, no, that's quite alright, Darkness-san. This was a trial meant to test one's ability to survive, so…"
I was the one whose life was in danger, you know?
But I wasn't going to argue about sitting the next trial out.
I don't know why I was involved in the first place.
Well, I don't see how Megumin could have passed that first trial without me… No, if she had Iris they could have brute-forced their way through that labyrinth.
There probably wouldn't have been anything left of the Saber Majin Shutsukishishi, too.
For the second trial, we were asked to wait outside the cave.
"If I'm outside, that means I can finally show what I'm made of."
"...Please hold back a little, Megumin-san. We don't want to bring panic to Elroad if you unleash a full powered explosion."
The girl who was trained in diplomatic matters had an important point to make to Megumin.
"Hey, maybe if they see Megumin's full power, they wouldn't be so arrogant about not giving Belzerg money anymore. In the first place, why didn't we just threaten them… Ah, I was just kidding, so please stop looking at me like that!"
We all looked at Aqua who was saying some dangerous things.
"I can control my explosion now, so fear not."
Or so Megumin says, but forgive me for suspecting that she'll end up getting carried away and go all out despite what we just told her.
"...Thank you for waiting. The preparations for the second trial are complete."
Fuwarin-san emerged out from the cave.
She flinched when she saw the sunlight.
Although she hadn't been conscious of it, she hadn't stepped outside of that cave in decades.
"...! Behind Fuwarin-san, isn't that…!"
"Yes, this is the Bomber Majin Moguninin that brought me here. The creator fixed its scanners, so it should be able to gauge one's magic power properly, unlike last time."
She looked at the Bomber Majin that mistook her for having a high magic potential with a mixed expression.
"I see. So this will be my opponent. I've always wanted to fight against the Moguninin as someone with similar powers… Very well."
"Um… Actually, I want the Moguninin to observe Megumin-chan's battle power, to determine if she really is the Legendary Crimson Demon…"
"...Oh."
I didn't know why Megumin was so obsessed with the Bomber Majin.
"Instead… Megumin-chan's opponent will be…"
"...!"
We were surprised as Fuwarin-san released her mana.
Apparently, this amount of mana and magic power wasn't enough to surpass that of a mortal's limitations.
But it was more mana and magic power that an untalented magic user like me had in store.
"Greater Create Golem!"
The ground shook. Darkness instinctively moved to protect us.
We watched as the dirt and earth and rocks around us gathered into one spot, forming a pillar.
And then this pillar took a humanoid form.
"Grrr… Rrrr…"
It easily towered over us, covering the noon sun.
Oi… Something like this could easily break a city's walls, right?
And high level golems are resistant to magic and physical attacks, too.
This is a calamity-level technique, you know?! Oi, Fuwarin-san, are you sure you're not the real Legendary Crimson Demon here?!
Fuwarin-san looked out of breath and exhausted, but she hadn't collapsed like Megumin does when she fires her explosion.
"...This is the extent of my abilities, Megumin-chan. Sorry, I want to make a trial worthy of the Legendary Crimson Demon, but this is all I can do."
No, this is more than enough isn't it?!
"...Onii-sama, if something like that were to attack Belzerg, I think we'd suffer a lot of damage."
"U-Un…"
Golems could be sustained as long as they didn't expend the mana they were given.
So, if they were kept idle like the golem labyrinth Fuwarin-san made, they could theoretically last for decades.
This means that if a golem-user like Fuwarin-san wanted to, she could produce an army of these giant golems over the years and then invade a country.
If she wanted to.
But this Fuwarin-san is saying things like 'I'm not worthy'.
Seriously, I don't understand what goes through the heads of these Crimson Demons!
"...Fuwarin oba-san… To make this big thing for me to blow up… I'm truly grateful!"
While we were staring at this colossus in awe, Megumin was squirming against her staff in a lewd manner.
"As expected of the mage who defeated the Devil King… Perhaps Megumin-chan really does have the potential to…!"
No, you're equally impressive, Fuwarin-san.
"Then… I won't keep everyone waiting anymore!"
Megumin pointed the end of her staff at the golem.
Since this was an exhibition of sorts, the golem was just standing there as if it were a practice dummy.
"...Hah…!"
Megumin released her mana.
"...Kuh!"
Like in the battle with Maouko's army, Megumin's release of mana forced us to our knees.
"Oi! Megumin! I thought you said you'd control yourself! If you release a crazy explosion like last time… Seriously, just stop, you're scaring me!"
"Don't worry, I'll control the area of effect! I've already mastered explosion magic to this extent! ...Fuwarin-san… You're not a failure! You're not a fake! My predecessor, I'll show you that your life has not been wasted! For you shall witness with your own eyes… The beginning of my Crimson Chronicle! I shall claim the title of the Legendary Crimson Demon!"
She threw away her hat and gave the stunned Fuwarin-san a grin.
Then she faced the golem once more with sparkling, crimson eyes.
"EXPLOSION…!"
The power was overwhelming.
It was an awesome, terrible, and beautiful display.
And yet we didn't feel the effects of this destruction.
Just warm winds that blew over us.
When the attack subsided, the golem was completely obliterated.
Even though her ultimate technique was erased before her eyes, Fuwarin-san only sighed in relief.
The orange glow of the noon sun was uncovered once more.
Fuwarin-san looked at it and smiled.
Then she turned to Megumin, who had fallen face first on the ground.
"Megumin-chan…"
She walked over to the fallen Megumin.
"Did you see my power?"
"Yes."
"So? What do you think, Fuwarin oba-san?"
"It was wonderful. Thank you, Megumin-chan. I'm glad I finally met you. You have validated my hopes and dreams. Thank you for existing."
Beside us, the single eye of the Moguninin glowed bright.
"Confirmed Observation of the Maximum Magical Capabilities of the Crimson Demons. Evaluation exceeds initial expectations. The modification project is judged a success. Now sending report to the Noise Kingdom Headquarters. HQ, please respond… please respond. The project is a success… Please respond…"
The light in its eye vanished.
"...Response received."
…
…
Chapter END
Next Chapter: A Talk with this Moody Princess! & Extras