CH 80

──A few days later, in the mountain range in Reisenga’s territory──

The unit led by General Reisenga was searching for a magic circle in the mountain range where Gargarossa was found.

Agnis was also participating in the investigation, walking behind her father, Reisenga, with a nervous expression on her face.

For Agnis, this was her first mission.

“I’ll work hard for Her Majesty the Demon Lord and Thor-sama.”

Agnis muttered with her sword in her hands.

She had never been able to remove her armor due to her powerful fire magic.

She could hardly leave the mansion and never participated in military activities.

This mission was essentially her first battle.

“Agnis. Still no response from the magic circle?”

“Yes, fa- General!”

Agnis almost referred to him as “father” reflexively.

(Even if my father is showing a dejected expression right now, I have to make a distinction between work and private life.)

“There is still no response from Thor Canaan-sama’s [Magic Power Detector ]. I don’t think there are any magic circles in the area.”

Agnis reported to her father, the soldiers, and the civilian officials accompanying him.

“One of Gargarossa’s legs is in this [Magic Power Detector]. If it detects something, the wings should move, but it’s currently not reacting to anything.”

“Yup. Then we will have to check further west on the rocky mountain.”

There were more mountains ahead, but it was an undeveloped area untouched by demons or demi-humans.

Monsters also inhabited the area and the road was steep.

They had a map, but it was still a dangerous place to venture into.

“The search for the magic circle is an important mission. If a new species of monster appears again, it could cause severe damage. Let’s continue our investigation.”

“But, General, is the [Magic Power Detector] really worth trusting?”

Suddenly, a voice sounded.

It was from a girl accompanying the investigation team.

“I think it is dangerous to place too much faith in items made by alchemists, General.”

‘…… Erté-sama. Please mind your words.”

Agnis stared at the owner of the voice.

In front of her stood a tall girl with ashen hair. She wore a robe and held a bundle of parchment in her hand. On her back was a large pack filled with documents regarding the mountainous region.

She was Erté, a civil officer dispatched from the Demon Castle to accompany the team investigating the magic circle.

“I apologize if Agnis-sama was offended.”

Erté sincerely bowed her head.

“But this is my honest opinion. The alchemist surnamed Canaan only recently arrived in the Demon Territory. I think it is dangerous to rely on him too much.”

“Is that why Thor Canaan-sama couldn’t accompany us on this investigation? Is that why Chancellor Kelve prevented Thor Canaan-sama and the pixies, who are loyal to him, from coming here?”

Agnis asked

“My uncle stated, “If the magic circle has remained intact, there is a danger that Thor-dono will use it as a reference to create an absurd item”.”

“…… Chancellor Kelve-sama would say such a thing?”

“Demon Lord-sama seems to have accepted Uncle Kelve’s opinion.”

Chancellor Kelve was the leader of all the civil officers.

Even the Demon Lord could not ignore his words.

Perhaps Demon Lord Rukie hoped to surprise Thor with the complete magic circle, but Agnis had no means to confirm that.

“I greatly respect Uncle Kelve.”

Erté shook her ashen hair before turning her gaze to the north, where the Demon Castle sat.

“My uncle also said, “Every time Thor-dono makes an item, I have a headache.” That must be because the items he creates are dysfunctional!”

“But that’s not the case!”

Agnis exclaimed.

“Thor Canaan-sama is someone who brings people happiness! Thanks to him, Mabel, Agnis, and the pixies can do many new things and our world has expanded.”

“With all due respect, Agnis-sama’s opinion could be biased because of the benefits received from the alchemist.”

“…… Erté-sama.”

“I believe in my uncle, Chancellor Kelve-sama. I want to be an official like him, who cares for and loves the Demon Territory. Therefore, I dislike the alchemist who causes him headaches.”

Erté stated clearly.

Agnis spoke up while staring straight at her.

“I am certain that the time will come when you will understand Thor Canaan-sama as well, Erté-sama.”

Agnis sighed quietly.

(If I become angry and ruin the investigation, I would be ruining the efforts of Thor-sama, who created this [Magic Power Detector]……)

Agnis took a deep breath as she organized her thoughts.

Then she looked at her father and nodded.

He sighed in relief, as he was about to intervene.

“It looks like you two have finished talking. If that’s the case, let’s proceed to the next location.”

Reisenga pointed across the rocks.

“Chancellor Kelve’s instructions were, “If nothing is discovered in the area where Gargarossa appeared, investigate the undeveloped area, and return immediately if nothing is found after three days.”

“Yes, General. I also prepared information on the undeveloped area.”

Erté removed a piece of parchment from her baggage.

“The map of the area was stored in the Demon Castle’s Civil Service building. Please use it freely.”

“Thank you very much.”

“Please have a look at this as well.”

Erté took out a few pieces of hide from her baggage.

“A few weeks ago, a Mountain Lizard was killed at the foot of a rocky mountain. It came down from the mountains around here and was discovered by the soldiers of the fort. This is the monster’s skin. Please use this as a reference for the toughness of the monster.”

“Hmmm. You are quite well prepared. Similar to Thor-dono…… oops.”

The moment he mentioned Thor’s name, Erté’s expression stiffened.

Reisenga coughed as he saw that.

“A-anyway, thank you for your consideration.”

“It’s my pleasure.”

“I will give this to Agnis. It may prove useful for her.”

“I leave it to your discretion, General.”

Erté bowed and stepped aside.

She had prepared what was necessary, was courteous, and didn’t interfere with Reisenga’s decisions.

She was faultless as a civil official.

“Let’s continue then. If possible, I would like to finish up today.”

At General Reisenga’s signal, the investigation team began to move forward.

“Everyone, please be careful here.”

After continuing for approximately two hours, Erté called out to them.

The General and his soldiers stopped in response.

They were on a mountain road surrounded by cliffs, the slope difficult to walk on.

The General and his men compared the surrounding scenery with the documents.

“According to the data, this area is the habitat of the Mountain Lizards. As you can see from the skin I just gave you, it is a monster characterized by its high defensive strength. Although its body is large, it moves swiftly and is dangerous, attacking people from the shadows. We must remain vigilant of our surroundings…”

“If you’re worried about the Mountain Lizards, there’s one behind that rock.”

Agnis said.

*Twitch, twitch*

The wings of the [Magic Power Detector] on her back pointed to a large rock a few dozen meters away.

‘”…… Eh.”

“”A-Agnis-sama. W-what’s that!?””

Erté and the soldiers shouted in astonishment.

“As soon as Erté-sama stopped us, I placed the monster hide in this [Magic Power Detector].

Agnis pointed over her shoulder at the [Magic Power Detector].

“Therefore, if there are any Mountain Lizards nearby, this will detect them!”

Behind Agnis, a female soldier was holding Gargarossa’s leg.

She must have replaced the contents of the [Magic Power Detector].

Before they set out to investigate, Thor upgraded the [Magic Power Detector].

He added the ability to adjust the precision with which the machine detected magic power.

If the precision was increased, the machine would be able to differentiate between each individual’s magic power, such as the difference between Soleil and René’s magic powers.

If the precision was lowered, it would not distinguish between individuals. It would detect the magic power of different races instead, such as humans and monsters.

(Thor-sama went to such lengths for Agnis…)

The detection range of the [Magic Power Detector] stretched from a few hundred meters to a kilometer.

Right now, there was a Mountain Lizard’s skin inside.

Even if only a scarce amount of magic power remained in the material, the device could still search for those possessing similar magic power.

“Agnis trusts Thor-sama. I will demonstrate that his items are incredible.”

“If that’s the case, then let us prepare!”

Reisenga instructed the soldiers.

“As Civil Officer Erté stated, arrows will not damage the Mountain Lizard. Archers, prepare your [Laser Pointers]. Magic soldiers, begin changing.”

“”Yes, sir!””

At Reisenga’s signal, the archers readied their large, tube-like laser pointers, and the mages began chanting.

A few moments later, something moved from behind the large rock.

A large silhouette slowly emerged, approximately three meters long.

The creature’s body was covered with shiny, black skin, and countless fangs, the size of human fingers, lined its gaping mouth. Their armor wouldn’t last against those.

What was even more frightening was its tail.

It was covered with thick skin adorned with numerous spikes.

The soldiers knew what it was. That was the Mountain Lizard’s ultimate weapon.

It would swing its massive tail around, making its prey falter. Using its hard skin as a shield, it would draw closer and shred its prey with its large fangs before swallowing it.

The soldiers recalled the information that Erté had presented them prior.

In the past, when they fought the Mountain Lizard in this region, ten soldiers were sacrificed.

It was a sudden battle.

Without any means to halt the Mountain Lizard, its large tail claimed the lives of many.

Four such Mountain Lizards were now in front of them.

The monsters had the soldiers in their sight already.

Leveraging their hard skin as a shield, they moved their legs on the rocky terrain and approached the soldiers at an unexpectedly swift speed…

“”──Gueh?””

The monsters exclaimed, perhaps realizing that a red dot was shining on their bodies.

“Now, squad one! Release your magic!”

””Yeahh!””

Fire magic, guided by the light of the [Laser Pointer], rushed towards a Mountain Lizard.

Fireballs, fire arrows, and flame bombs.

The fire magic continued endlessly.

The ones who were casting the magic were part of the Flame Giant, Ifrit’s, clan.

For them, manipulating flames was as simple as breathing.

The flames were concentrated on a single point by the light of the [Laser Pointer].

They burnt and punctured the Mountain Lizard’s tough skin.

‘────Geeaaaaaaaaaah!!!’

The moment the monster screamed, the light of the [Laser Pointer] shifted to its mouth.

Immediately after, fire magic shot into its mouth──the Mountain Lizard was burnt from inside and collapsed.

Seeing its comrade’s demise, the second one turned and fled.

However, the range of the [Laser Pointer] prevented the monster from escaping.

A fierce flame flew out from behind it, charring its body black.

”Goaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

The third and fourth monsters, in a state of panic, ran toward Reisenga’s troop.

The light from the [Laser Pointer] landed on their mouths and eyes, and the flames that followed along roasted them.

“…………guga ……aah!’

The battle lasted only a few minutes.

The Mountain Lizards could not even approach the general’s troops before they were completely wiped out.

To be continued. Anyways longer chap 4000+ added with lazy translator (and editor), you end up with a part 1 and part 2 chapter. Yeah. I think that it’s not a cliff hanger. Maybe?