TL/Editor: raei
Schedule: 5/week
Illustrations: None
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The poor Jubal rcenary band was scamd by Walter, the demon wizard.
Wizard Ian imdiately understood Walter's thod of deception.
After all, Ian was a fellow practitioner in this industry.
Well, it was inevitable.
How could uneducated rcenaries who had never set foot in a school escape the deliberate illusions of a determined wizard?
Especially since Walter was a genuine demon wizard who communed with demons.
From the rcenaries' perspective, it was impossible to distinguish where the deception ended.
Fortunately, this logic applied equally to Ian.
Just as the rcenaries failed to notice Walter's scam...
They would be equally oblivious to Ian's deception!
After the rain stopped.
Evening.
Ian had boxes gathered to form a platform, then climbed atop it and shouted:
"rcenaries, listen up!"
Every single mber of the Jubal rcenary band assembled before Ian.
They had heard he would restore their lost souls.
"After surveying this area today, I've detected evil energies lurking everywhere!"
"Ooooh...!"
"As expected of the wizard!"
"No wonder my sleep was so restless!"
The rcenaries were instantly captivated by Ian's speech.
Ian Eredith Raven.
Now a professional agitator, this wizard had beco adept at srizing the masses with his speeches.
Enthralling these naive rcenaries was now as easy as eating cold porridge.
"He certainly has a way with words."
Belenka and Kira watched Ian's speech from behind the platform.
Belenka praised Ian's ever-improving oratory skills.
A wizard needs precise pronunciation and a powerful voice, as the language of magic forms the basis of communication with the mystical.
And with good pronunciation and impressive volu, one naturally becos persuasive even when addressing ordinary people.
"He looks really cool like that."
The problem is when he spouts nonsense in everyday life.
Even to Belenka, Ian delivering a speech... no, performing wizard-actions on the platform was quite charming.
"... Ian does look good."
Belenka glanced at Kira's reddened ears.
"Kira. Did sothing happen in the tent earlier..."
"N-No!? Nothing happened! We just did so investigating and ca out?!"
"...?"
Belenka tilted her head.
Though she typically went around slicing people with her longsword, Belenka possessed the delicate sensibilities of a high school girl.
Sothing seems... a bit suspicious?
Belenka thought so but didn't press the issue.
Ian and Kira were wizards, often dealing with realms beyond her understanding.
There must be so reason she's unaware of.
As the two chatted, Ian shouted with an even more impassioned voice.
"I have discovered the evil demon that was roaming this area! And now! I shall vanquish that demon!"
"Ooooooh!"
The rcenaries gazed at Ian with eyes about to burst from anticipation.
To them, Ian was truly an extraordinary wizard.
A wizard who incinerated a demon wizard with a spear of fla on a rainy day!
A wizard who could casually burn people alive now declared he would strike down a demon!
'Perhaps...!'
'He'll restore our souls!'
For the rcenaries who had (supposedly) lost their souls to the wicked demon wizard, Ian was now their only hope.
"This task is extrely dangerous. However..."
"However?"
"If you sincerely wish for it, we can reclaim your souls from the evil demon!"
At Ian's gesture, Jubal brought over a box.
Inside were Walter the demon wizard's personal effects.
Items Ian had pre-sorted, all suspected of demonic contamination.
Leaving such things around risked enthralling magically sensitive individuals like Kira.
"Light the fire!"
"Yes sir!"
Jubal grasped a torch. Burning a demon wizard's possessions was a terrifying act for dieval people.
Even in modern tis, if you asked, "Who wants to burn a shaman's belongings?", so would slink away.
Let alone burning the possessions of a wizard who dealt with real demons!
But Jubal bravely took up the torch.
Because Ian had reassured him beforehand that it would be fine.
Jubal trusted the young wizard's words like a fool.
Whoosh!
The demon wizard's belongings burst into flas.
As black smoke billowed up, the rcenaries stepped back with terrified expressions.
As the fire caught, Ian shouted in the arcane tongue.
"[Darkness!]"
"...?"
At Ian's arcane utterance...
Bewildered Kira, who was watching from the side.
Wait, didn't he say he was going to vanquish a demon? Ian?
So why suddenly darkness...?
Indeed.
In this gathering, only Kira could understand the Maronius language.
Kira had been taught the basics of Maronius by Ian, and 'darkness' was a word she knew.
So Kira knew well that the black mass was the mystery of darkness Ian had summoned.
[Hello! Ian!]
[Good evening!]
The darkness greeted Ian cheerfully as usual, smiling innocently.
However, the appearance of the pitch-black darkness...
To the rcenaries, it looked like a demon approaching to devour Ian...!
"Ah, a demon! A demon has appeared!"
"Wizard, you're in danger!!!"
"???"
Kira's pupils shook as if in an earthquake.
Summoning darkness and staging it as a demon...
Isn't this just a scam?!
Kira, who had been expecting a real confrontation with a demon, felt doubly confused!
"You've shown yourself, demon!"
"Ooooh!"
Ian bellowed at the darkness (...) he had summoned with a terrifying voice.
Watching this, Kira felt dizzy...
But apart from Kira alone failing to be imrsed,
Everyone else present was completely enthralled by Ian's performance.
"So this is the demon we've only heard about!"
... Even Belenka.
Kira briefly glared at Belenka.
Well... Belenka doesn't know Maronius... so it can't be helped...
[Why did you call today? Ian?]
"Wicked demon! This is no place for you!!!"
[Huh? What did you say?]
"Spit out the souls you've stolen and return to hell at once!!!"
[Wow! Are we playing a shouting ga today?]
The mystery of darkness had no idea what dog-sh*t Ian was up to.
So it just happily mimicked Ian's actions.
The pitch-black darkness opened and closed its mouth as if speaking.
Ian didn't miss the timing and used magic.
"[Wind!]"
Whoosh!
As the mass of darkness opened its mouth, a strong gust of wind blew in!
"Eeeek!"
"Ah, the demon...! It's getting angry...!"
The rcenaries trembled in fear at the terrifyingly dreadful sight.
The demon(?) appeared enormous and powerful.
Enough to swallow a small wizard like Ian in one bite...!
However.
Ian bravely stood his ground against the demon.
The rcenaries were full of admiration and awe at Ian's incredible courage.
Wow. To think such a brave person exists...!
So this is what a wizard is!
"Demon!"
Ian's cloak fluttered in the wind.
Ian swung his staff resolutely and shouted in a booming voice.
"Return to the hell from whence you ca!!!"
Ian also yelled forcefully in the Maronius language!
"[Thanks for coming out today! Let's stop playing here, and see you next ti!]"
[Eh... already?]
"[We can play again when I go to sleep!]"
[Okay! Then I'll co play again when Ian sleeps!]
... The conversation content was ordinarily trivial.
But the rcenaries don't know that.
"Dia - ordo - graha!"
"!!!"
The rcenaries shuddered at Ian's arcane incantation.
As Ian chanted the spell, the demon's massive body began to lt away and disappear!
"The, the wizard...!"
"Defeated the demon!"
The rcenaries couldn't believe what had transpired before their eyes.
'When the wizard shouted, the hidden demon jumped out!'
'When he scolded the demon harshly, it threw a tantrum!'
'But the wizard didn't back down, and chased it back to the depths of hell!'
So rcenaries fell to their knees.
It was as if a halo shone behind Ian's head.
"Aah...! Heavens! How regrettable that it's night!"
"The radiant sun should have witnessed this sight!"
Ian put away his staff and said solemnly.
"Fortunately, the demon retreated obediently."
"...!"
The rcenaries rushed to prostrate themselves at Ian's feet.
Full body kowtow. Or dogeza.
There was no particular need to bang their heads, but the atmosphere seed to demand it.
After all, Ian now embodied a saint straight out of scripture...!
"I have reclaid your souls."
Ian said with a knowing smile.
"You'll be fine now."
"Wi-Wizard, hurrah! Hurrah!"
The rcenaries were completely enthralled by Ian's performance.
No wonder! After demonstrating his insane ability to burn people alive!
He even drove away a demon with re words!
"Thank you... truly thank you...!"
Jubal, having regained his soul, repeatedly expressed his gratitude to Ian.
Of course, he didn't know exactly what a 'soul' was...
But he felt good about getting it back anyway!
The only person uncomfortable with this atmosphere was Kira.
"Um, Ian."
Kira secretly called Ian over to ask a question.
"From what I saw... you just summoned darkness and made it disappear..."
"Hm?"
"Those people. Did you really return their souls?"
"No?"
For a mont, Kira almost felt disappointed in Ian.
She thought he might be scamming them by claiming to have driven out a demon without actually returning their souls.
"They never lost their souls in the first place. How could I return them?"
"...?"
"The demon wizard scamd them first."
Ian explained.
The demon wizard had deceived and threatened the rcenaries, and Ian had similarly deceived (...) them to relieve their anxiety.
After hearing the explanation, Kira's expression beca extrely ambiguous.
What Ian did was good, but...
'Isn't this just like what I used to do...?'
The forr con artist tilted her head.
Ian said shalessly:
"As long as the result is good, it's fine."
It wasn't exactly wrong.
---
---
The next day.
As the sun rose high, the rcenaries' morale rose with it.
Being sowhat followers of Heaven's Faith, they beca unnecessarily brave under the sun.
"I, I have soul. Not going to hell..."
Jubal grinned as soon as he saw Ian and said.
Ian patted Jubal's shoulder without much thought.
Yeah. I'm glad to see you're happy.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say Ian had completely taken over the Jubal rcenary band.
The key figures who previously led the rcenary band had all been eliminated by Walter the demon wizard.
All that remained were Jubal and the low-ranking mbers who worked like dogs under him.
"Hehe. Wizard..."
So of the more influential rcenaries sought out Ian from early morning.
"About those gems the demon wizard was mining..."
"Ah. The gems."
The reason the rcenaries approached Ian was to search for the dead demon wizard's legacy.
"We roughly know the way... would you like to go together?"
It was an offer with absolutely no downsides for Ian.
"Hmm. Soone explain in detail."
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