3 bar menu

Chapter 75

――Deep within the demon realm.

The Polarim Great Sea of Trees.

A forest where compasses don’t work, and the difference between day and night temperature is around 40 degrees.

The most noteworthy about this sea of trees however, is the existence of carnivorous plants that naturally grow here.
While it is well-known that carnivorous plants in this area capture and consume demons, what surprises high-rank adventurer parties visiting this forest for the first time is something very different.

Everywhere in the forest, dried demon meat hangs suspended.
The fact that carnivorous plants use their vines and tendrils to create preserved food brings equally astonished expressions to those who visit this forest.
The question of why plants possess intelligence remains unanswered, becoming a mystery of the Great Sea of Trees.

Amidst such a forest, there is a small wooden hut.

The owner of the place was once a hermit like Moses, a person who is conducting research on artificial evolution from a different approach, and also the one who gave the fruit of wisdom to the plants.

And then, at the door of the hut where the owner with unconventional reasons resides, there came a knock by the hand of a robust man in his mid-thirties.

Shortly afterward, a voice from inside the room said,

「Come in.」

As the man opened the door, he wrinkled his face due to the foul smell that made his nose twist upon entering.

「Uh…」

In the center of the room, a large cauldron boiled with a purple liquid used in alchemy.
Furthermore, shelves were placed in the four corners of the room, displaying a variety of suspicious items such as smoked frogs, bat eyeballs, and the like.

The floor of the room became a shape that seemed unfit for stepping.

And all over the place, there were stacks of grimoires that were at least classified as Class 1 danger, akin to those strictly stored in the deepest part of the magic university’s great library.

No, not just those, there were also unknown grimoires excavated from ruins—books that hadn’t been classified for their danger level.
Among them were grimoires so dangerous that reading a few words would drive one insane… truly a group of demonic tomes.

And at that moment, one of the randomly piled stacks of books moved, causing the books to collapse.

「It’s been a long time since we’ve had a guest.」

Emerging from among the books was a loli baba.

――Around the age of ten to twelve years old. Her height might not even exceed 140 centimeters.

Her long hair, reaching down to her ankles, is like smooth golden silk.
Wearing a purple see-through negligee, she opened her mouth wide, letting out a big yawn.

「The alchemy cauldron… hasn’t changed at all, has it, Merlin-sama?」

Looking at the giant pot in the center of the room, the man nodded deeply with emotion.

「Yeah, alchemy is my life’s work. Well, because I’m a genius.」

「A genius? You can’t even properly boil muddy water and distill water from the collected steam. Even an elementary school student at the magic academy can do that easily.」

At this point, the girl called Merlin looked up at the sky, creating a distant expression.

「Heaven does not bestow everything. I may be the world’s strongest mage and a forbidden spellcaster of the demon realm, but I’m quite rough around the edges.」

「Your explosive magic is truly something else. Though, you can’t use delicate wind magic that requires precise mana control even for daily life, right?」

The girl, Merlin, nodded.

「By the way, what are you making with the alchemy cauldron this time? Trying your hand at another incredible difficulty level alchemy even though you can’t do it… Noble Elixir or something?」

「Hmm…」

Merlin put her hand on her chin and shook her head.

「What I’m making in that big cauldron isn’t alchemy this time. That purple liquid is… White Stew.」

The man in his thirties opened and closed his mouth in surprise.

「It’s called White Stew because it’s white, right? It definitely looks purple to me, though.」

「Yes, indeed. I’m puzzled too. I was certainly supposed to be making White Stew.」

「And what do you mean by that?」

「Strangely, it turned into Ouroboros Extract, one of the world’s three great poisons.」

「That is extremely difficult to synthesize poison! But hey, that’s impressive! What were the ingredients?」

「Flour, butter, salt, macaroni, chicken meat, and…」

The man tilted his head.

「And how did that turn into Ouroboros Extract?」

「That’s right. They were very ordinary ingredients. Just flour, butter, salt, macaroni, chicken meat, and… I made a few other arrangements.」

「I’m very curious about the other arrangements!」

「The other arrangements, you say?」

「Yes! What kind of arrangements?」

Merlin stood up, swaying her hips.

And with a wink, she said,

「That’s my secret ingredient, a trade secret, you know♪」

「You’ve done it again!」

He was a good-natured man.
Well, that’s exactly why the man was favored by Merlin, a forbidden spellcaster in the demon realm, and allowed to have a face-to-face meeting.

「So, what brings you here? Disturbing my sleep is a serious offense, you know? If your reason is weak, even you won’t be spared, you know?」

The man made a serious face and put his hand into his pocket.

「A letter from Lute McClane」

Merlin raised an eyebrow.

「A letter from Lute to me? That’s quite an unusual situation.」

「That’s why I came straight to Merlin-sama. I rushed here as fast as I could.」

「If you don’t, I might just turn you into fish bait, down to the millimeter.」

Hearing these words, the man made a troubled expression.

「I’m still a busy top-ranked S-rank adventurer, you know? I have other troublesome duties as well…」

「Haha, you’ve learned to say that? You’re the lowest-tier lackey among the ‘Dragon King and his Merry Companions,’ right? You don’t have rights there.」

「Actually, I’m surprised to be included in that category…」

「Well, technically, you are also the bottom-tier member of Merlin and her Merry Companions.」

「So, it’s a non-human organization? Well, I feel honored to be included among comrades.」

「In the eyes of the world, you’re also considered non-human, you know?」

Saying so, Merlin glanced over Lute’s letter.

「Wait a moment.」

Merlin immediately turned serious and retreated to the back of the hut.
Then, she returned with a pitch-black sorcerer’s robe, a pointed hat, and her favorite staff made from the skull of a great demon.

「By the way, Grand Guildmaster of the Guild Headquarters…」

「What is it?」

「Have you read the letter?」

「I’m allowed to read it, so I’ve seen it. By the way, Lute McClane thinks of me as just an S-rank old man… I am completely being pushed around by him. Well, it’s my fault for being easily defeated in one punch…」

「Including the power that ranks at the top in the human world, even surpassing a king of a large country, and leading the entire guild… I dare to ask you, the Grand Guildmaster.」

「What is it?」

「The opponent is a small country on the outskirts, right?」

「That’s correct.」

「Do I… really need to get involved in this? Can’t Lute handle it on her own?」

With a perplexed expression, Merlin asked, and the Grand Guildmaster nodded heavily.

「He absolutely can… there is no need for us at all.」