The legend of the Crimson Demon clan started from Suqing

"Hey, Zun Zun, do you think you're an adventurer?"

"I think I am."

"Hiss---"

Zun Zun gasped and leaned back in a tactical retreat.

Never had he seen such a shameless person!

Winning against Mitsurugi Kyouya with petty tricks, scaring away the girls who spoke up for him, and even selling his magic sword...!

In just one month of being an adventurer, his reputation as a scumbag and a fiend had spread throughout Axel, putting him alongside another scumbag and small-time hoodlum—Dust—as the Crouching Dragon and Hidden Phoenix of the newbie village.

Where did he get his confidence?

Satou Kazuma felt offended by Zun Zun's gaze and said unhappily, "Hey, if you have something to say, just say it."

"It's nothing, I just think you're amazing, Kazuma."

"Really?"

"Yeah, in terms of being a fiendish scumbag."

Zun Zun's venomous tongue was like a sharp sword, piercing his heart without resistance.

This guy...!

Satou Kazuma clenched his fist. If he could actually beat Zun Zun, he would definitely land a gender-equality flying kick. Moreover, Zun Zun was a Vacuum Style practitioner, and his Steal skill would prevent the other party from being embarrassed.

Vacuum Style... Vacuum Style, huh?

He bit his teeth in frustration.

Just then—

[Emergency broadcast! Emergency broadcast! All adventurers, please be advised to prepare your weapons immediately and gather in battle formation at the town's main gate!]

The familiar emergency broadcast echoed throughout the town.

"What happened?"

"I don't know, but..."

Could it be?

Zun Zun twitched his lips.

Megumin and Yunyun also rushed from the corners of the guild, and after joining the two, they headed towards the city gate.

When they arrived, many adventurers were already gathering in front of the town's main gate. On the plain in front of the main gate, there was a monster exuding an astonishing sense of oppression, and all the adventurers were trembling under his terrifying pressure.

It was a knight wearing jet-black armor, holding his head on the left side of his body, and his mount was a headless black horse.

"A Dullahan..."

Someone muttered in the crowd.

The Devil King Army's general occupying the castle was a Dullahan. This was information that Zun Zun brought back, along with the purpose of his visit to this town—to find the true form of the Divine Relic.

I wonder what he's here to do. Could it be to ask if he's found the Divine Relic?

The Dullahan handed over his head and said in a deep voice, "I think you should know, I am the Dullahan, a general of the Devil King Army, and I only recently moved to the nearby castle. I have no interest in the weak, nor do I intend to do anything to you, but..."

Just as everyone was nervous and uneasy, the Dullahan's head began to tremble slightly.

"Every, every, every, every day! They, they, they come running to my castle, running over every day without fail to cast Explosion magic, who is that idiot!"

His shout sounded as if he had been enduring something, enduring it until he couldn't bear it any longer, and finally became enraged.

"Ex, Explosion magic?"

"Speaking of Explosion magic..."

"The person who uses Explosion magic..."

The surrounding gazes naturally gathered on Megumin, who was standing in the crowd, and even Zun Zun was no exception.

Megumin lowered her head, her body trembling.

So it was like that!

Zun Zun also felt helpless about her actions.

"Megumin, Mr. Dullahan kindly welcomed us and even offered us tea. How could you do such a terrible thing?"

"Wh, who told him to be lazy and not leave, and even dare to threaten you so much! I, I couldn't stand it for a moment, so, so..."

Her voice grew softer and softer.

If she didn't know that the Dullahan lived in the castle, casting Explosion magic could be regarded as ignorance, but knowing that he lived there and still using Explosion magic was simply looking for trouble.

Zun Zun didn't expect her to do this.

But being protected like this, even though it was their own fault, why did he feel so touched?

"...Wait a minute."

Zun Zun seemed to have thought of something and turned to look at another childhood friend, saying, "Yunyun, you're always with Megumin when she uses Explosion magic, right? You clearly knew that was Mr. Dullahan's residence, yet you still let her do it?"

"Be, because! If I didn't, Megumin... Megumin said she wouldn't be friends with me anymore!" Yunyun had a look of grievance on her face.

Very good, she did it too.

Yunyun's desire for friends was beyond imagination. He thought that with himself and Megumin around, she would be able to change, but he didn't expect that she would inexplicably become even more extreme, with only him and Megumin.

"What are you afraid of!?"

At this moment, a shout came from the crowd, "We have the great Archmage Zun Zun, who has defeated superior demons. A mere Devil King Army is definitely no match for him!"

"Y-yes! We have Zun Zun!"

"That's right, that's right!"

"Zun Zun, the savior of Axel!"

The adventurers shouted loudly.

Who was it?

Who was trying to frame him?

Zun Zun looked around the crowd with a grim face, and saw a small-time hoodlum with dull blonde hair, quietly trying to hide his figure and escape out of the crowd...

This guy, when they got back, he would let him taste what it meant to be struck by the Thunder King!

"Zun Zun! Zun Zun! Zun Zun!" x N

The adventurers shouted on their own, as if they were building momentum for him. The crowd parted a path, revealing the savior inside.

Zun Zun was not intimidated, but raised his head proudly and said, "White horse? Humph, I will definitely make him regret coming!"

"White horse?"

The adventurers looked at the Dullahan's headless black horse mount, and then looked strangely at the Zun Zun who was showing off.

"...Black horse is the same."

"Oh, oh, oh!" x N

The adventurers cheered loudly.

In any case, the atmosphere was heating up.

Under the incomparably admiring gaze of everyone, Zun Zun slowly stepped forward and stopped about ten meters away from the Dullahan.

The Dullahan was stunned for a moment after seeing Zun Zun, and then quickly said, "It's you? What's wrong with you? Didn't I tell you not to come and harass me? Did you even listen? Also, did you tell other people about my affairs?"

He complained to Zun Zun.

It wasn't that he couldn't understand the Dullahan's troubles. Not only was he bombarded by Explosion magic every day, but the newly repaired castle was destroyed again. Even the best temper couldn't hold on.

"I'm sorry, it's all my companion's fault."

"Oh, oh..."

The Dullahan saw Zun Zun bowing and apologizing, and didn't feel too good about getting angry, and instead said, "Forget it, I can't be bothered to argue with you people. As long as you don't come and harass me again..."

"I can't do that!"

"Megumin!?"

At some point, Megumin had come to his side and shouted at the Dullahan, "I'll take responsibility for what I've done. I cast the Explosion magic!"

"Huh, is that you? I even offered you tea and let you use the toilet, why do you still have to harass me?"

"The last sentence is unnecessary!"

She was angry at the Dullahan's harassment.

"The reason is very simple."

Megumin raised her head and said loudly, "That's because you pissed me off!"

Hey, that line is supposed to be said after winning!

Megumin had always been like this. Although she had learned a lot of cool lines, it was only the bragging half, and she would say them randomly without considering the occasion.

"What is this guy even saying?"

Satou Kazuma, who was watching the show, was also completely speechless.

The Dullahan put his head in his right hand, and then deftly made a gesture of spreading his hands and shrugging his shoulders.

He said to Megumin, "In any case, you don't intend to give up Explosion magic, do you? Although I have fallen into the path of evil, I was originally a knight, and I have no interest in slaughtering the weak. However, if you want to continue doing that kind of thing near the castle and disturbing me, I also have my own ideas."

The Dullahan exuded a dangerous aura, causing Megumin to take several steps back, and Zun Zun stood in front of her.

With someone standing in front of her, Megumin also showed a arrogant smile, and retorted unyieldingly, "We're the ones being disturbed, okay! It's all because you're staying in that castle and not leaving, disrupting the ecology of the forest, causing the adventurers to not be able to do their jobs properly! You even threatened us, looking for the true form of the Divine Relic!"

Satou Kazuma in the distance gasped. Why did he feel like the true form of the Divine Relic had something to do with him?

"...What's wrong, Kazuma?"

"It's nothing, let's keep watching the show."

Aqua had a look of idiocy on her face, which made Satou Kazuma decisively choose to remain silent. It was better not to add to the chaos in this situation.

...

Megumin pointed her staff at the Dullahan and shouted with high spirits, "Leave the castle immediately, or I'll go and cast Explosion magic every day!"

How dare she speak to a general of the Devil King Army like that? Who gave her the courage?

"I didn't expect to be looked down upon."

Goodness is met with bullying.

The Dullahan felt that he must have been too polite, making them feel no sense of threat, which was why they dared to jump around like this.

"In any case, I am also one of the generals of the Devil King Army, and this is the first time I have been humiliated like this. Fine, let me torture this Crimson Demon girl properly."

The Dullahan pointed his left index finger at Megumin, and then shouted, "Declare your death! You will die in a week!"

A black light fell into Megumin's... Zun Zun's body in front.

Huh? Me?

Zun Zun was also dumbfounded.

It wasn't that he wanted to express resistance or dissatisfaction, but normally shouldn't the person who caused the trouble be responsible? Why did it fall on him?

"Zun, Zun!?"

"Are you okay, Zun Zun!?"

Amidst the screams of Megumin and Yunyun, Zun Zun, who had fallen to the ground, emitted a faint black light, but after moving around a lot, he didn't feel anything strange.

"Hmph, I did this on purpose!"

The Dullahan said with a smug smile, "I could tell before that you must have a very good relationship, right? Listen carefully, Crimson Demon girl, your most important companion will be tortured by the fear of death, until he dies in a week... That's right, all of this is because of your actions! Hahaha—"

Just as Megumin's face turned pale because of the Dullahan's words, Zun Zun stood up. He looked directly at the Dullahan who was laughing heartily and said:

"Even if I bear a curse, and need to hold Axel up with one hand, I, Zun Zun, will still be invincible in this world!"

"Ah, ah, what—!?"

The Dullahan looked very confused.