Kōichi looked at Wiz's slightly pale face, worn out from using too much magic, and felt a pang of sympathy.
"Wiz, you look exhausted. How about this? Once we get back from Crimson Demon Village, I'll help you figure out a way to sell off all those dishwashers that break bowls by themselves, those shoes that bark like dogs, and the rest of the stuff in your shop." Kōichi patted his chest in assurance. "It might be a little difficult, but at least it'll help clear out your inventory."
The moment Wiz heard that, the troubled look on her face blossomed into a delighted smile, and a faint blush spread across her cheeks.
"Really?! Kōichi-san! Thank you so much! I'll… I'll be waiting for you to come back!"
As she spoke, her eyes shone with anticipation, as if she could already see all those unsold Magic Items being snatched up in a frenzy.
"Ahem, Wiz, we're still here. Don't just stand there making eyes at Kōichi," Kazuma muttered unhappily from the side. He felt like his dowry fantasy had been completely overshadowed by Kōichi and Wiz's little exchange.
"All right, Wiz. We're counting on you."
Kōichi ignored Kazuma's complaints and gestured for Wiz to begin.
Wiz took a deep breath, closed her eyes, pressed her hands together, and began chanting a long, complicated incantation.
A tremendous amount of magic power gathered around her petite body, and the Magic Items in the shop gave off faint glows, as if responding to her call.
A powerful spatial fluctuation spread outward with her at its center.
"Spatial Teleportation: Crimson Demon Village!"
Wiz's eyes snapped open, and blue magical light instantly enveloped Kōichi, Kazuma, Megumin, Darkness, Aqua, Yunyun, and Komekko in Megumin's arms, along with the mountain of sweet potatoes and dried meat.
An intense wave of dizziness hit them. The scenery around them twisted and blurred, as if they had been thrown into a kaleidoscope.
Aqua's startled cry rang in Kōichi's ears. Kazuma let out a scream like a pig being slaughtered, Darkness gave a soft moan with a blissful look on her face, and Megumin held Komekko tightly while doing her best to stay calm.
The next second, every sensation cut off at once.
When Kōichi opened his eyes again, they were standing in a completely unfamiliar land.
A vast plain stretched out before them, with rolling mountains in the distance tinted a strange shade of red.
Not far away, a village built from red brick and odd-looking Magic Towers appeared in their line of sight. This was Crimson Demon Village.
The dizziness had only just faded. Kōichi was still rubbing his temples and had not yet steadied himself when two blinding red beams shot out from the crooked guard post at the village entrance.
"Halt! You who step upon this land blessed by Forbidden Fire, have you prepared yourselves for your souls to be scorched?"
Two Crimson Demon Clan guards in pitch-black cloaks, dressed so theatrically that they looked like they had just wandered off a tokusatsu set, marched out in perfectly synchronized mechanical steps.
At the same time, they raised their hands to cover their left eyes, even though neither of them was wearing an eyepatch, and struck JOJO-style poses that looked like they were trying to twist their own spines apart.
"My name is Pucchin! I am he who commands the thunder of nothingness and hunts nightmares within the eternal dark!"
The taller guard swept his cloak with a flourish, kicking up a completely unnecessary cloud of dust.
"My name is Chekera! I am the shadow dancer who walks the edge of the abyss and weaves despair into lullabies!"
The shorter guard shouted in turn, somehow producing a handful of glittering sequins from nowhere and scattering them into the air.
Then the two roared in unison.
"Who goes there? State your names! Otherwise, your lowly lives shall become nourishment for this red earth!"
Kōichi and Kazuma exchanged a look, and both of them put on dead-fish eyes at the same time.
Just then, Yunyun, who had always longed to be acknowledged, seemed to see her chance. She jumped to the front and waved her staff.
"Pucchin! Chekera! It's me! I'm Yunyun! Yunyun, the village chief's daughter! I brought my companions back to save the village!"
The two guards looked at each other, then showed expressions of total confusion.
"Yunyun? Whose name is that? It sounds like some soft, fluffy dessert."
"No idea. Maybe some traveling merchant passing through? Hey, outsider, we don't take junk here."
"Ugh… uwaah! But I even said goodbye to you before I left!"
Yunyun instantly retreated into herself, crouching on the ground and drawing circles.
Megumin gave a cold snort, adjusted her Great Magic Hat, and strode forward with an arrogant gait.
She skillfully pushed Yunyun out of the way. Red light flared brilliantly in her left eye, and her cloak began whipping around wildly despite the lack of wind. Kōichi suspected she had secretly used Wind Magic.
"My name is Megumin! I am the greatest genius of the Crimson Demon Clan, she who commands the ultimate destructive magic, Explosion Magic! I am also the Lord of the Abyss, who strikes terror into Axel's Monsters and makes the world tremble!"
The two guards froze for half a second before realization dawned on their faces.
"Ohhh! So it's that messed-up in the head… ahem, so it's the genius Megumin!"
"Long time no see. You haven't changed at all. The moment you come back, you start saying things no one understands, but with plenty of impact."
Seeing this, Komekko eagerly wriggled out from beneath her little cape and puffed out her chest, copying her sister.
"My name is Komekko! I am the Child of the End, destined to surpass my sister and scatter the light of destruction across the earth! I am currently training in the forbidden secret art of eating every sweet potato!"
"Ohhh! As expected of Megumin's little sister. The next generation is fearsome indeed!" the guards exclaimed in admiration.
But in the next instant, the air suddenly froze.
The two guards, Megumin, and even Komekko all turned their heads in perfect unison, fixing Yunyun, who was still drawing circles on the ground, with the judgment-filled red gaze unique to the Crimson Demon Clan.
Yunyun felt the mountain-like pressure bearing down on her. She raised her head and found Kōichi and Kazuma also looking at her with expressions that said, Just give in already.
"Um… do I really have to say it?" Yunyun's face was as red as a ripe tomato, and her voice trembled badly.
"It's the rule, Yunyun." Megumin crossed her arms with a serious expression. "If you can't display the dignity of the Crimson Demon Clan, we won't be allowed into the village."
Yunyun took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and swung her staff as if she were marching to her execution. Then she let out a cry so mortified she sounded like she was about to burst into tears.
"M-My name is Yunyun! I am the daughter of the Crimson Demon Clan Chief, she who shall one day inherit the Clan Chief's seat and rule the stars! I am also… I am also… a Lightning Archwizard who commands lightning that pierces loneliness and dances across the desolate wasteland!"
When she finished, Yunyun collapsed to the ground as if all her strength had left her, burying her face tightly in her cloak.
"Uuu… don't look at me! Kōichi-san, please, please forget what I just said!"
The two guards nodded in satisfaction.
"Hmm, very spirited!"