"Isn't that the mentally ill Crusader?!"
"She... why is she there?!"
The people gathered at the city gate didn't catch what Darkness had said earlier.
They only heard her final line.
"I will not yield to you!"
That scene, paired with those words.
It was easy to jump to a conclusion:
Darkness had stepped forward to battle one of the Demon King's army leaders to protect the town.
Chishiya rubbed his eyebrows.
His perception was far keener than the average adventurer.
He had heard everything Darkness said.
There was no hope.
She was already this far gone...
But...
No wonder the number of commissions had dropped lately.
Even the Chamber of Commerce's carriages stopped running.
So it was because of a Demon King Army executive?
Right then, someone in the crowd muttered:
"Damn it..."
"But still, Hans is a cadre with a 300 million Eris bounty..."
"We don't stand a chance..."
Chishiya's eyes widened.
He turned sharply toward the speaker.
"How much did you just say?"
"Eh?"
"Th-three hundred million... why?"
Chishiya turned back.
He stared at the purple-black slime, and his eyes lit up.
Three hundred million...!!!
With that kind of money, he could upgrade the Labyrinth, launch new product lines, and expand his staff.
He could keep scaling up his corporate empire.
"Hey, calm down," the man warned him.
"The bounty might be high, but he's still a Demon King's Army executive!"
"Guys like us have zero chance! Don't be reckless!"
Chishiya didn't bother replying.
He wasn't being reckless.
It was simple fact.
With the protection of Vanir, Wiz, and Aqua.
And his own magical perception constantly pinging.
The enemy across the field...
Was ridiculously weak.
—
Outside the city.
Hans took a long breath.
"You've really pissed me off now."
"If you want to die so badly, I'll be happy to oblige."
Darkness gritted her teeth.
"You think I'll beg for mercy in front of everyone?"
"If you're so confident, why don't you try it right now?!"
The more she yelled, the redder her face got.
Hans was sweating heavily.
"You're absolutely nuts!"
"Why is a lunatic like you even a Paladin?!"
Suddenly—
The sky darkened.
Hans looked up.
Above him, countless red magic circles layered on top of each other in the air.
Hans: "Huh?"
"When did th—"
"Explosion!"
As Chishiya's voice echoed.
A fireball surrounded by vibrant, multicolored light dropped from the heavens.
BOOM!
A red wave of fire burst across the sky.
A thunderous explosion rang out, leaving a massive crater in its wake.
Nearby trees were torn from the ground by the blast.
Everyone's sleeves flapped in the wind.
They all stared, dumbfounded, at the young man who had just stepped out from the crowd.
"???"
"Wha... what just happened?!"
SPLAT!
Hans's massive body was vaporized on the spot.
Chunks of foul-smelling slime splashed everywhere.
Darkness's armor was completely corroded.
Darkness: "Eh???"
She stared at the scorched battlefield.
The light faded from her eyes.
The poison had eaten through her defenses.
She collapsed backward and lost consciousness.
Chishiya strolled over to the blast zone.
After confirming Hans was truly dead, he grabbed Darkness by the legs—
And dragged her back.
After all, even Aqua had felt the sting of Hans's poison in the anime.
If she felt it, then someone like Darkness, even with her high defense, wouldn't hold out.
Which meant it was faster to haul her to Aqua for healing.
The crowd could only watch him in confusion.
"Wh-what just happened?"
"Was that Explosion magic?!"
"He took out a Demon King's general in one hit?!"
"When did such a powerful master come to our town?"
"Wait..."
Someone suddenly recognized him.
"I remember now!"
"He's that newbie adventurer who registered a few days ago!"
"You're joking, right?!"
"A newbie?!"
—
Inside the Guild Association
Aqua examined Darkness, who was still twitching from the venom's corrosion.
"Don't worry, Chishiya-san. I'm a goddess. This is nothing."
"Heal!"
As green light poured from Aqua's hands, Darkness's pained expression began to relax.
Aqua put her hands on her hips.
"Alright! She should wake up by tomorrow."
Chishiya gave her a thumbs-up. "You really are a goddess."
Aqua beamed with pride, giggling foolishly.
Chishiya thought to himself: For a so-called goddess, she's surprisingly easy to handle.
Just then.
Luna jogged over and handed him an adventurer's certificate.
"Chishiya-san! Thank you for defeating a Demon King Army executive!"
"On behalf of the entire town, thank you so much."
"As for the reward, I'll notify the Guild Association. It'll be transferred to your certificate soon."
"Once again, thank you!"
Luna bowed deeply to Chishiya.
If he hadn't been here today, who knows how much destruction Hans could've caused.
—
Thanks to this incident, Chishiya became famous among adventurers overnight.
Rumors even started circulating.
That he might be one of the chosen heroes destined to defeat the Demon King.
After all, someone with that much power... right after registering?
There could be no other explanation but that he was a hero candidate.
Naturally.
As his reputation skyrocketed, the items in his store completely sold out.
"My dear hero! Just one bottle of potion, please!"
"Please, sell me one too!"
"Me three!"
There were even excited female adventurers screaming from the crowd.
"Chishiya-san! Can I get your autograph?!"
"Chishiya-san, do you have a girlfriend?"
"Please let me join your hero party!"
—
Inside his shop, Chishiya sat silently.
He stared at the noisy crowd outside in confusion.
Why the sudden rumor about him being a hero candidate?
He had zero interest in fighting Demon Kings or any of that nonsense.
All he wanted.
Was to make money, expand his business empire.
Then lie around all day while earning passive income.
Wiz peeked out the window, blinking in curiosity.
"Chishiya-san? What's going on?"
"Why are there so many people outside today?"
"Did yesterday's potion work that well?"
Chishiya rubbed his temple.
"No... probably just the star effect."
"Huh?"
Wiz tilted her head, completely lost.
Chishiya looked at her. "Actually... I just killed your coworker. Hans."
Wiz blinked.
"Oh~, I see."
"Then of course everyone thinks of Chishiya-san as a hero!"
Chishiya: "???"
Hold up. That's... not the kind of reaction I expected.
He asked cautiously.
"Wiz, I killed him. Aren't you angry?"
Wiz looked surprised.
"Eh? Why would I be angry?"
Chishiya: "You two were coworkers, weren't you?"
Wiz replied calmly:
"We may have been colleagues, but I didn't really get along with Mr. Hans."
"We actually fought a long time ago."
"And besides, all I did in the Demon King's Army was help maintain the barrier around the castle."
"The only person I considered a real friend there was Mr. Vanir."
"And—"
Wiz suddenly straightened up, her expression turning serious.
"I'm now Chishiya-san's employee!"
"Chishiya-san helped me turn the store around when we were in the red."
"You also taught me a lot about business management."
"I'm really, really grateful."
"How could I possibly be mad?"
She spoke with such sincerity that.
Thanks to her naturally affectionate personality.
She ended up standing very close to Chishiya.
Close enough for him to catch the subtle scent of flowers on her.
(To be continued.)
***
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