The Devil Does Not Need to Be Defeated
chapter-98

"Kachakacha…"

Among the sound of wheels turning on the road, a number of carriages were traveling down a small path, kicking up dust in their wake.

This easy-going caravan seemed like it's just a normal merchant caravan. Not only were there a number of people dressed like merchants, there were also a great deal of merchandise carried on those carriages. Most likely, even if someone managed to spot this group on the out of the way path they were traveling on, they would definitely think that this was just some merchants who are traveling to a nearby town to sell their wears. Either that or they were some major merchant company transporting some important goods.

Unfortunately, all of those were only fakes.

Those people dressed like merchants were actually knights.

Those merchandise were also all either food or wilderness camping supplies.

The Lamdrion prisoner transport group continued onward while disguising themselves as merchants. Even Balon, who was riding on a handsome white horse had put on a cloak covering him up, thus disguised as a guard for the caravan. There was only a group of adventurers who kept the same appearance as always and made no changes to their looks.

That was because quests for escorting and guarding merchant caravans are very common in any town. Therefore, a bunch of adventurers traveling with a merchant caravan was fairly normal.

That was why only the adventurers didn't need to disguise themselves at all.

Beyond that, be it Leon, Markray, or Eudrice, each of them were at this moment holding a worn looking piece of parchment. They followed alongside Shien with a confused and suspicious expression.

"Is this really a magic item capable of defeating a level 77 criminal of the demon race?"

Leon held that worn piece of parchment in his hands with a very suspicious expression.

Never mind Leon, even Markray was flipping his piece of parchment over and over. After several turns, he still couldn't figure out a thing. There was no need to even mention Eudrice, who was born in the magic item business, who also didn't understand at all.

"Isn't it just a useless piece of paper?" Eudrice spoke in a very uncertain tone, "I couldn't feel any hint of magic power from this thing, nor could I see any signs of any valuable materials used in this."

Obviously, Eudrice was very suspicious of the so called powerful magic item in her hand.

Never mind Eudrice, even Lumia and Melika were the same.

"It smells just like normal paper…"

That was Lumia's final conclusion.

"I couldn't detect any magic power whatsoever either."

Melika had a completely serious expression on her face, but it couldn't disguise the suspicion in her eyes.

Only Vivian and Diere had no words when it came to the so called powerful magic item in their hand. Alrith, who was next to them, was also turning his own parchment over repeatedly as if he was trying to observe something from it. If not for his worry that it might end up causing problems, he probably would have already started trying to tear it up to see just what's so different about this piece of worthless paper.

Naturally, Balon was also here, silently looking at Shien.

However, Shien not only did not feel a hint of guild, he instead spoke completely seriously.

"Even if you ask me that, it's not like I can answer your questions you know." Shien spoke with an open face, "I also only got it from someone else. If even you guys couldn't figure out anything special about it, then never mind me."

No one actually objected to that explanation.

Rather, several people even nodded at it.

"Perhaps, there really is something about it that we can't actually understand."

"After all, it's that one's creations."

Balon and Leon said so.

"Indeed." Although Eudrice didn't want to admit it, she still spoke up, "At the very least, I don't recognize the magical runes on it at all, but it does look most mysterious and unusual. Perhaps the secret is in those magic runes."

The only unusual part to those worthless paper like magic items were the mysterious characters that no one recognized printed on them.

That was the only unusual part that anyone could see regarding those so called magic items.

Only…

"… Why do I feel like the ink on it still haven't dried?"

"… Vivian, let's not say anything here."

Vivian and Diere stayed at the side, uncertain if they should speak up. In the end though, they decided to stay silent.

Everyone had once again gathered by Shien's side to confirm the use conditions for this magic item.

"So long as one could accurately chant out the magic runes printed on the magic too, then one could activate its powers. Are you sure that's right?"

Balon turned to Shien and asked.

"That's right." Shien gave a big nod at that, "It has to be completely accurate, without even the smallest mistake. Otherwise, it won't actually activate. That was the use conditions that one had told me. I also had to practice for a long while before I managed to succeed in using it those couple of times. Otherwise, I wouldn't have needed to test it outside the town."

As he said that, Shien showed a thousand yard stare like he had gone through a very tough training. It was as if he was remembering those unbelievably difficult yet rewarding days.

When they saw that, everyone believed it a little more.

"Then, can I try it out?"

Balon was silent for a while, but in the end, he decided to first try it out.

"Of course." Shien still didn't fell a hint of guilt. Instead, he acted as if he had been waiting for this moment and once again showed a serious expression and spoke authoritatively, "Remember, you have to follow the exact intonation that I taught you and speak out the entire complete chant. Also, you need to shout it out loudly, understood?"

"U-understood." Balon seemed to have been slightly intimidated by Shien's seriousness and schooled his own face as his own mood became serious too, "Well then, I'll be starting."

Everyone's eyes were instantly gathered onto Balon.

In that situation, Balon took a deep breath and raise "magic item" in his hands high up.

"[I'm a pig! A pig with a dream! Come kill me if you dare! Come on!]"

Balon had bellowed out that so called magic chant.

No one knew just what those words meant.

That's because they weren't characters or words of this world. Rather, they came from the world of a certain Hero's previous life.

"Pff!"

Shien couldn't hold himself back from letting out a sound.

The expressions on the other people there sank.

The reason for that was that even though Balon clearly had used that "powerful magic item", but nothing had happened at all.

"… Did I mess up somewhere?"

Balon bunched up his brow and looked toward Shien again.

Shien immediately wiped the smile off his face.

"Hmm, perhaps it's because it wasn't loud enough." Shien instantly schooled his features and returned to his previous seriousness, "It has to be chanted out very loudly, and there also can't be any variation at all. Come on, Sir Balon, try it again."

When he heard that, Balon gave a big nod in return, took a deep breath, and once more raised up that "magic item".

"[I'm a pig! A pig with a dream! Come kill me if you dare! Come on!]"

This time, Balon used every ounce of strength he had. His voice was loud and clear, blastint out like a flood, echoing across the wilderness.

Thus, including Balon himself, no one there heard a whispered chant also being made at the same time.

"[Tinder]…"

Thus, at that moment, an amazing amount of magic power exploded outward.

"Boom!"

Following the sound of a huge explosion, waves of flame swept out at a location some distance from the carriages. The flames roared out, blasting out an enormous shockwave into the surroundings.

"S-Success!"

Balon was overjoyed.

The rest of the group also gasped in amazement. Even Vivian and Diere were surprised at it.

"What terrifying power."

"Even high class magic magic may not have such power, right?"

"No wonder even a level 77 demon was defeated by it."

"T-That's amazing!"

Everyone continued to shout in surprise and excitement.

Especially Eudrice, who was the daughter of a magic item merchant, and Melika, who was a mage. Both of their eyes lit up and they stared at the parchment in their hands like it was some kind of treasure.