The legend of the Crimson Demon clan started from Suqing

#417 - What curry sticks?

It was the first day of their journey to the neighboring country.

The sky was beginning to darken, so they decided to start preparing for camp. This wasn't just because of the time; they were also feeling quite exhausted.

Honestly, they hadn't expected to encounter so many monsters along the way.

Wave after wave.

Although most of them were taken care of by Alice, the others were also quite weary, even Kazuma Sato had leveled up.

"Say, Zun Zun."

While Darkness was setting up the tent, Kazuma Sato came over with a dubious look and asked, "Why is Alice so strong? Besides, don't you think we're not needed at all?"

Since Zun Zun was the one who had been taken away, Kazuma Sato hadn't joined Alice's training sessions.

"Well... Kazuma probably doesn't know, but the royal family and some high-ranking nobles have long been incorporating the bloodlines of powerful heroes to greatly enhance their potential abilities."

"Who would know something like that? By the way, if they're so powerful, wouldn't it be better to have the royal family defeat the Demon King?"

"Maybe there's some kind of agreement."

This was also what Zun Zun found puzzling.

Admittedly, the Demon King's army had barriers, and the Demon King's strength was formidable, but the royal family wasn't at a disadvantage either, especially with the other kingdoms being even stronger. Unless there was an agreement, she couldn't think of any other reason.

"Besides, Alice's strength isn't just that."

"What?"

"Back when Alice hadn't changed classes yet, she could destroy a Chimera with an ordinary rusty iron sword. Now that she's changed classes to Sword Master..."

"Really!?"

In Kazuma Sato's mind, Alice should have been a delicate, petite, and naive princess, and she had indeed been playing that role well until today. But after the battle, that image was completely overturned.

"Alice, she..."

"Is something the matter?"

"—Alice!?"

Alice was, after all, a princess, and setting up camp was the job of the guards, so she had some free time to chat with the two on watch.

"What were you guys talking about just now?"

"We were talking about how amazing you are, Alice."

"Really! I've been working hard!"

Alice smiled brightly.

Seeing her eager for praise, Kazuma Sato immediately decided not to delve any further.

"As expected of Alice. Although you're not as amazing as me, who has defeated many Demon King army executives, you're strong enough to get a passing grade. Just keep fighting like that."

"I don't know where Brother gets his confidence from, but I'll leave the job of leading the charge to me! I'll use this divine artifact passed down from our ancestors to sweep away the monsters attacking us!"

Divine artifact?

Kazuma Sato looked at the sword Alice was holding, then looked at Zun Zun, who nodded slightly.

The Crimson Demons could see the magic power contained in tools, so there was no doubt that this sword was a divine artifact.

"Alice, what kind of sword is that? It looks incredibly expensive and shiny."

"Calibur."

"...What?"

"This sword is a national treasure called something Calibuer. It's a divine artifact that can protect the wielder from any abnormal status or curse. I thought the scabbard was pretty, so I begged Father to give it to me."

Kazuma Sato was dumbfounded.

This weapon was famous in another world, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it a legendary weapon.

Considering that Kyoya Mitsurugi had a magic sword called Gram, it was normal for Calibur to appear in this world.

It's just that this powerful weapon wasn't in the hands of a hero fighting on the front lines, but rather in the hands of a princess, which made people want to complain.

"You guys, the mansion is set up!"

At this time, Darkness called out to the three of them, and she seemed to have said something incredible. Shouldn't it be a tent that was set up? How did it become a mansion?

However—

"...What is this?"

"What's so strange about it? Did you think I would let the noble princess sleep in the wilderness? This is one of the highest-grade magic tools kept by the kingdom. It has a barrier to ward off monsters and is easy to carry..."

Darkness's explanation was no longer important, because what appeared in front of them was a slightly smaller noble mansion.

Small and exquisite.

That was the perfect phrase for it.

"Ah, it's here," Kazuma Sato sighed, covering his forehead. "A staple of the other world, a tool cabin. This lowers the style by several notches."

"Kazuma, don't say silly things."

"Alright, let's go explore!"

"Yeah, I'm actually quite interested."

"Zun Zun too?"

Kazuma Sato was a little surprised to hear Zun Zun say that.

"Yes," Zun Zun said, stroking her chin. "This should be a divine artifact. At least, the Crimson Demons can't make something like this."

Almost all the Crimson Demons were magic tool masters, but they couldn't make such a tool, so there was no other explanation besides it being a divine artifact.

Actually, Zun Zun had the idea of making something like this a long time ago, but it was too difficult. Even the most skilled magic tool master in the clan couldn't do it.

"No, it seems possible..."

Zun Zun thought that she had the secret arts of the Elf Royal Family, so maybe she could combine them to make it.

However, there were some peculiar things about this house.

For example, this mansion was clearly built on a vacant lot without water pipes or sewers, and it wasn't connected to a backup water supply, but water still flowed out when you turned on the faucet, which was baffling.

Then, the person making dinner was Kazuma Sato.

This guy resolutely refused to let anyone else do it, not even Zun Zun, who was skilled in cooking, because he confidently declared that he would make a delicious dish that would make everyone say it was delicious and different from this world.

Since he was so motivated, everyone let him do it.

Zun Zun was also looking forward to what delicious dishes Kazuma Sato would come up with, but when she saw that it was fried dumplings and fried rice, Megumin and Yunyun couldn't help but twitch their mouths. Aqua was even less interested.

Yes, the former was because she had tasted it when she was a child, and the latter ate it every day when she was in the Celestial Realm.

However, it successfully captured Darkness and Alice, after all, noble young ladies rarely got to eat cheap peasant food, so they were very happy. And the after-dinner snack, potato chips, made their eyes light up.

So Megumin, Yunyun, and Aqua said that they would personally cook for the next few days to show off their skills... Hopefully, they wouldn't make any bizarre food.

After eating and drinking their fill, everyone started washing up and resting. It had to be said that this mansion was too magical. It could release hot water even without electricity, which made Zun Zun even more certain that this was a divine artifact brought by a hero from another world.

The girls were washing up, and Zun Zun and Kazuma Sato were kicked out. No, it should be said that only Kazuma Sato was kicked out. Zun Zun even received an invitation from Megumin and Alice to take a bath together.

Although she wanted to agree, she still declined under Kazuma Sato's jealous gaze. With Aqua around, there was no such worldly desire.

After being kicked out, Kazuma Sato said that he would go to the forest to find some ingredients to show off his skills to Alice tomorrow morning. Zun Zun also planned to go with him, but he refused, after all, if there was any danger, he would be more reassuring here.

He should be safe, right?

He was smart, had night vision, and had stealth skills. He could run away faster than anyone else, so he probably wouldn't encounter any danger... Even though he said that, he also told him that he must shout if he encountered danger, and he would quickly run over to rescue him.

Kazuma Sato casually responded and plunged into the darkness.

Zun Zun then closed her eyes and put her hands together.

Gradually, some dim, tiny light clusters gathered around her.

Night fell, and the sky was full of stars shining like crushed diamonds, setting off Zun Zun, who was surrounded by light clusters, like stars surrounding the moon, making her look exceptionally sacred.

She was as if she was in a flowing altar of light, the light clusters danced around her, as if attracted by a mysterious force, forming ever-changing patterns, her clothes fluttered in the wind, revealing a transcendent aura.

"—So beautiful!"

A surprised voice came from the side.

The voice that broke the silence disturbed the light clusters, they paused slightly, and then scattered.

The originally slightly brighter area gradually dimmed, and the sacredness around Zun Zun also dissipated, and the forest returned to its usual tranquility.

The owner of the voice probably realized her recklessness, she lowered her head slightly and said very guiltily: "S-Sorry... I-I... I seem to have disturbed you..."

"It's okay, Alice."

"But, just now..."

"It's okay."

Zun Zun patted the girl's head and gave her a reassuring smile. After repeatedly confirming that Zun Zun was really not angry, the girl finally relaxed and regained her usual liveliness.

"Zun Zun, what were you doing just now?"

"Making fairies."

"F-Fairies...?"

Obviously, Alice didn't know what fairies were, and then Zun Zun explained it to her.

"Amazing! But according to Zun Zun, aren't fairies supposed to exist originally? Why..."

"No, they don't actually exist."

Zun Zun had already confirmed that fairies did not exist in this world, and Aqua probably knew about fairies because she was a goddess who ruled over many worlds.

So he wanted to create artificial fairies.

After chatting with Bei in detail, he already knew how to make them, and these micro-fairies were even simpler. As long as he created some and sent them out, it would automatically trigger the birth of fairies like an infectious disease.

"Then what is the purpose of doing this?"

"To create professions."

"Professions?"

"That's right. Whether it's a Fairy Sorcerer or a Fairy Knight, or a Fairy Swordsman, a Fairy Archer, etc., if there is this element, the strength of adventurers or ordinary people will be greatly enhanced."

"—Amazing!"

Alice exclaimed, "Isn't this the same as the gods who created professions!? The fairy tales say that powerful adventurers who turn their own inheritance into a profession become true gods!"

"How could that be, it's not that exaggerated... Wait, the same as a god!?"

This was really important information.