Chapter 893: The Crazy Crimson Demons
"Let the great cadre killer return by herself. Going back together would only burden you. Oh my, could it be that the great cadre killer doesn't even know basic teleportation magic?"
Green Cauliflower's gaze was profound as she taunted Megumin with sarcastic remarks, making her tremble with rage.
"Alright, I'll help you teleport."
Locked In couldn't stand it anymore and smilingly placed his hand on Megumin's shoulder.
With a flash of dazzling white light, the entire group vanished from the chaotic forest.
...
Crimson Demon Village, also known as the Crimson Demon Homeland, is a settlement formed by the Crimson Demon clan.
From the outside, it appears to be an ordinary village situated on a plain surrounded by forests, hills, and rivers. Precisely because of the complex terrain, it nurtures many powerful monsters.
Several crooked red brick paths wind through the village, with villagers' houses and a few shops lining the roads. Around noon, numerous elderly residents could be seen walking about, creating a peaceful scene no different from any typical village.
"Wah!"
Kazuma screamed in terror the moment they teleported in.
"What's wrong?"
Green Cauliflower looked at him puzzled.
"What do you mean what's wrong... That's a griffin, isn't it!"
Kazuma pointed at the monster at the village entrance, shouting with the relief of someone who narrowly escaped death.
"Ah, don't worry, that's just a statue!"
Locked In chuckled at his reaction.
Standing at the Crimson Demon Homeland's entrance facing visitors was a ten-meter-tall griffin statue - fierce-eyed, with steel-like wings and claws capable of tearing anything apart, looking incredibly lifelike.
"So it's fake! You scared me!"
Kazuma patted his chest, finally relieved.
"No, that's a real griffin."
But Green Cauliflower's next sentence successfully made his heart leap into his throat again.
"That griffin accidentally wandered into the village before and was petrified by a villager's magic. The village chief thought it looked cool, so they kept it there. If someone casts a status-effect removal spell on it someday, it might come back to life!"
"I-I see..."
Kazuma gulped.
What kind of village is this!
They actually put such a realistic griffin at the entrance! Is this how you welcome visitors?
Aqua looked at the stone griffin with eager excitement in her eyes.
Noticing this, Darkness quickly stopped Aqua, absolutely preventing her from getting anywhere near the stone griffin!
"Isn't this dangerous? If it revives someday, couldn't it hurt people?"
"Hahaha, our guest sure loves joking. A mere griffin - who could it possibly hurt!"
Green Cauliflower thought he was joking and burst into laughter.
Kazuma's eyes filled with confusion.
A griffin!
Isn't that a super powerful high-level monster?
Normally, you'd need at least level 40 adventurers to confront one, right?
Could it be that my worldview is flawed?
"Kazuma, didn't you learn about the Crimson Demons before coming here?"
Megumin gave Kazuma a surprised look, as if exasperated, and began explaining to him.
"The Crimson Demons are born as the most elite mages. Even the most useless shut-ins among them are high-level magicians capable of casting advanced spells. The average villager's level exceeds 40."
"Why are you looking at me?"
Green Broccoli glared irritably at Megumin.
"As this useless shut-in—Green Broccoli—just mentioned, the griffin was defeated by villagers using petrification magic. That means they didn't even need to alert the village chief."
"By the way, the prerequisite for graduating from Crimson Demon elementary school is mastering advanced magic."
"What's wrong with being a shut-in?"
Green Broccoli fumed with indignation.
In other words, even 12-year-old brats among the Crimson Demons were highly sought-after archmages in the outside world!
If not for the impenetrable defensive barrier surrounding the Demon King's Castle that even gods couldn't break, the Crimson Demons would have turned it into a tourist attraction long ago!
Kazuma deflated.
"...Why does such an absurd race exist?"
"Regarding the Demon Lord Army, you can ask the village chief. The most luxurious house in the village center is his residence."
Stock Lock seemed like an amiable person, far more normal than Green Broccoli, which made the group feel much more at ease.
"Well, I have matters to attend to at my shop, so I'll take my leave—Teleport!"
After giving them instructions, Stock Lock teleported away.
"Truly worthy of being a Crimson Demon archmage! He actually used teleportation twice in succession!"
Darkness gazed admiringly in the direction where Stock Lock had vanished.
"And to extravagantly use it for such a short distance between the village entrance and his home! The Crimson Demons must possess enormous magical power!"
The mana consumption for teleportation magic was astonishingly high.
For example, even Eiji would expend nearly half his mana casting teleportation just once!
But the effects were outstanding—no matter where you were on the continent, as long as you had recorded coordinates, you could instantly travel thousands of kilometers. It could even bypass the Demon King's Castle barrier—provided you had coordinates from inside the castle.
The Crimson Demons' ability to use teleportation twice consecutively already proved their mana reserves were comparable to Eiji's.
"No, even the Crimson Demons couldn't possibly use teleportation twice in a row."
Megumin suddenly jumped in, smiling kindly.
"That light just now wasn't from teleportation—it was a light refraction spell."
The group fell silent for a moment.
Then their expressions simultaneously turned subtle.
Clap clap clap!
Aqua took several quick steps and ran in Stock Lock's direction.
The air shimmered with distorted light.
Not just Eiji—even Kazuma heard very distinct, hurried footsteps rapidly retreating.
Green Broccoli wore an expression of awkward embarrassment at having his disguise exposed.
How amusing—Aqua had barely started chasing after him when Darkness pulled her back.
"...Why go through such convoluted methods?"
"Because it's cool!"
Megumin declared with absolute certainty.
Using teleportation consecutively gives off that "coming and going like the wind" feeling, doesn't it?
Isn't that super cool?
Psychos!
The group internally screamed their complaints.
Kazuma suddenly felt balanced again.
Although the Crimson Demons appeared powerful, their bizarre behavior made it difficult for Kazuma to mentally construct an image of them as reclusive masters. It seemed that while the heavens had granted them extraordinary talent, they must have taken away their intelligence in return!
As for the prerequisite that mages needed high intelligence, Kazuma had conveniently chosen to forget about that.
"Well then, I'll be taking my leave first."
Green Broccoli rubbed his head and obediently began walking away.
"Wait, Green Broccoli! I have a question for you!"
Megumin signaled for the others to wait for her while she ran toward Green Broccoli, her expression full of suspicion.
"You haven't laid a hand on my little sister, have you?"
"Of course not! I'm not a lolicon!"
Green Broccoli retorted loudly to Megumin, then coughed lightly upon noticing the strange looks from those nearby.
"You know who I like is Collateral—she's the number one beauty in our village! That face and figure are absolutely perfect! Especially those long legs...!"