Chapter 113
“Don’t come here! Don’t come here! Don’t touch Zolomonia-sama with your filthy hands!”
The man was half-crazed, screaming, and even crying .
It seems that he was really obsessed with Zolomonia-sama .
So that would be it .
The reason this man had come to town was probably because he wanted to use the power of the staff .
Seeing that he suddenly went on a rampage and turned from one side to the other into stone, I don’t think he had any particularly important purpose beyond that .
If someone this dangerous was around, they would have been in a big mess long ago .
I can guess that he must have obtained Zolomonia’s staff only recently .
Because he suddenly became stronger so he might be a bit misunderstood .
I’ve been fortunate enough to have adults around me, and I know that there are higher-ups (mainly illnesses) and the importance of helping each other (mainly the importance of those who take care of you), so I try my best not to get upset about it, but maybe this man didn’t have it in him .
Maybe, if I made a mistake, I would have become like this man……
“Ahhhh! Master Zolomonia! Uwaaaaaaa!”
I guess that’s not it . Yes .
Mea looked worried, and I fluttered my hand lightly to tell her out of turn that it was okay .
There would be nothing more I could do to this man .
Chanting magic would be twice as bad if I couldn’t use my wand .
When I touched the large staff with my fingertips, the man’s eyes widened to the point where they turned red .
I traced it with my finger to try it out and he began to hit his head on the ground . His forehead was cracked and blood was seeping out of it .
It was getting a little scary .
If it was the real Zolomonia’s staff, it should be quite dated . But there was no particular stain or scratch on this large staff .
I roll it over and noticed that I can’t find a single scorch mark on it .
When I fired the ball of fire at the man, he should have been properly engulfed in it .
Does the fact that there is not a single scratch on it mean that the wand itself is protected by powerful magic?
Mea slowly follows from behind .
“…… Isn’t that something bad? It’s okay, right? If you touch it poorly, won’t you be cursed like that guy over there?”
“It’s okay . The man is probably a bit of a character to begin with . ”
I grabbed the wand and was about to lift it when a child-woman appeared before me .
Suddenly she emerged from nothing . That’s what it looked like to me .
Her skin was blue, and I could tell at first glance that she wasn’t just any human being .
The child girl’s eyes were dyed jet-black, and her golden eyes were staring at me with interest .
“Ohhhhh! I never thought that a mere mortal could possess such magical powers! It was worth the years of sleep and waiting for a change!”
The child-woman said with a burst of voice .
Her pale cheeks were flushed with elation .
“I’m sorry for the late introduction . I’m the great demon of wisdom, Zolomonia . However, since she was sealed in this staff, I’m merely an incarnation of her magic . ”
It seems to be the altered body of Zolomonia, as shown by the large staff .
Zolomonia swims in the air and approaches my face .
“Ahhh, I don’t like this ostentatious name, Monia, or whatever you want to call it . ”
“Ye-, yeah……”
She is unexpectedly feeling familiar .
For now, it seems safe to assume that there is no hostile intent .
They seem to be saying that the attack on the city was solely the will of a man using a staff .
Then I suddenly noticed that the man who had been on a rampage a while ago suddenly became quiet, and I looked back .
The man was crawling on the ground with his completely petrified limbs in a crawling position on the ground, looking at Zolomonia with a stunned expression on his face .
“Zo, Zolomonia-sama……? Oh, um, I’ve got a lot to say, but…… well, you know, you’re acting differently when with me……”
“Oh, Margus, your work is done . You have done your job . ”
The moment Zolomonia made the restructuring recommendation so simply, Margus’ grief-stricken face changed to that of an ogre .
“M-, me! I have saved you! From that remote monastery, I am!”
Margus exclaims, baring his gums .
“Master Zolomonia is glad it’s me, too! Ye, yeah! All right! So you’re going to slaughter that little boy at the drop of a hat! No, Zolomonia-sama! For me, such as to be so deferential to the little brat, and to flirt with him, even to the point of making a cat-stroking noise! You don’t deserve to be doing this……”
“You’re so persistent, Margus . It’s not like you don’t know that you and this man are not on the same league as a sorcerer . ”
Zolomonia quickly cut off the man…… Margus or whatever, cast away again .
Then there was a moment of silence .
When I was wondering if I should say something, Margus opened his mouth .
“You, you whore! When you see me as a sorcerer, you’re flirting to anyone! You have betrayed me, me!”
“When did this mistress turn on you? If you help this mistress’s movement, I’ll lend you power . That’s all you have to do . It’s unpleasant, Margus, you can choose your words . I’m in a good mood now, so I’ll overlook it, but……”
“Wh-,whawha-, wha-!? Scr-, screw you!”
It’s starting to feel like a breakup entanglement .
Do your lover’s quarrel in a place that I cannot see .
“I-, I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you all! I’ll beat you to death!”
The man opened his mouth so wide it looked like it was going to split open, and then he began to chant an incantation .
“Light, draw”
Margus is unable to wave his wand because his arms are petrified .
So he can’t skip the chanting for the transcription of the magic circle and has to start there .
I don’t really think he can make it in time in this situation . He’s just burned out .
I took my hand off the large staff, sat up, and held the small wand up to the man .
“Carry”
Above the man’s head, the World Tree Ortem appears .
Ortem obeyed gravity and hit the man on the head .
A dull thumping sound was heard and the man finally lost consciousness .
“U-, um, Abel, is there something in there?”
Mea didn’t seem to be able to see Zolomonia, perhaps because she hadn’t touched her staff .
“Seems like once you touch the staff you can see it . Do you want to see it too Mea?”
“Hmm…… well then, just for a moment……”
Mea reaches for the large staff as she does so, opening her eyes thinly .
The moment her hand touches it, she quickly pulls it back and slowly opens her eyes .
“…… Oh, surprisingly cute . ”
Mea was reaching out to touch the cheek of Zolomonia’s incarnation, but it was skimming past .
Apparently, she wouldn’t touch it .
Zolomonia watched curiously as Mea reached out to her, but when she looked at Mea’s forehead, her expression became slightly cloudy .
“Mm, you…… well, that’s good for now . ”
Then she immediately turns to me as if nothing had happened .
I glanced sideways at Mea’s face, but she didn’t seem to understand what I was talking about at all and tilted her head anxiously .
“Well then, young sorcerer Abel of Marren, how is it? Wouldn’t you use this mistress?”
“Use it…… is it okay while it’s still sealed in the staff?”
“Serve a powerful sorcerer and bring change to the world, that’s this mistress pleasure! If that can be achieved, then the sealing of this mistress is nothing to worry about . ”
…… If you ask me if I want it, I want it .
It’s definitely a top-of-the-line staff, and I’m sure she’s lived long enough to know a lot of things I don’t .
But no matter how much effort you put into carrying it, it will be conspicuous, and if you are questioned about it, you will be thrown in jail and become Ebelheid’s neighbor .
Besides, Zolomonia was a terrible demon in the lore .
She taught people ancient magic to destroy their countries, she created a large number of demons and brought down castles, and there are countless evil things that have been handed down, whether it be exaggeration or creation .
“What are you hesitating about . You would know the value of this mistress if you were as good as her . Do you, like Margus, not want to give up anything to get what you want?”
“No, but……”
“Are you afraid of this mistress? But, as a matter of fact, she has always been the type to go to the limit with the people she chooses . I don’t know what is being said, but it is all at the behest of her master . Don’t you think it’s not the work of the demon that is sinful, but the depths of human greed?”
In short, she seems to be saying that it’s up to the user .
If I don’t want her to do something she can’t see, then I, the owner, should pull myself together .
On the other hand, it could be said, “My ex-boyfriend told me to do it, so it’s none of my business, and I’ll just go with it . ”
I gulp down my spit and make up my mind .
“All right . I’ll use you from today……”
I try to grab it to lift it up, but it’s unexpectedly heavy .
I grab the large staff with both arms and sit down .
“fuh, kukukukuk! Phew!”
I managed to lift it slightly, but the tip of it was still hanging to the ground .
The center of gravity is quite close to the ground .
“Mm, there, what’s going on? What are you playing at?”
No, it’s heavy .
“Hey, mea, help me with this . ”
“Ah, yes! Wow, this is just plain heavy!”
We manage to lift it up with the two of us .
I look down at the man, Margus or whatever, who is passed out on all fours with his arms and legs turned to stone .
How was this guy able to swing this around so nonchalantly?
“Wha-, What do you want to do about it?”
“…I should probably stop after all . Look, it’s not like that, I just have a feeling that it’s not safe to do so, yes . ”
“What are you talking about! It’s not like you don’t know what this mistress is worth, do you?”
At that moment, there was a rustling sound behind me .
“Uhh…… I’m, I’m alive……?”
The female adventurer, who was apparently affected with the petrification curse, was about to slowly stand up .
This is bad, the victim’s curse is about to be lifted .
The order in which the curse is lifted should be the order in which they are affected, so the number of people who can move around here will increase rapidly .
Or rather, I forgot about the girl that I lifted first to break the petrification .
The girl sat down on the ground and watched us with a look on her face as if she was dreaming .
“Wha-, what am I……”
Gaston’s petrification even began to be lifted .
“Oh, shit……… Meaaaaa! We’re going to throw it!”
“Wha-, What?”
“H-, hey, you’ve got to be kidding me? It’s a joke, right?”
We should still be able to make it now .
I worked with Mea and threw Zolomonia’s staff at Gaston in one, two, three towards him .
Zolomonia’s staff fell quickly to the ground, but it rolled right over and hit Gaston’s feet .
“Hm? What is this?”
As expected of a man of his size, Gaston lifted Zolomonia’s staff with one hand .
As if on cue, the petrification of the surroundings lifted one after another .
——————————————-
–then at the Adventurer’s Support Center .
“Gaston-san, Gaston-san helped me! If it weren’t for Gaston-san, I’d be, I’d be now……”
“What are you talking about, it’s Gaston-‘sama’! “
“Don’t make a fuss about it . Gaston-san is a generous man, and he will forgive your everything . ”
The inside of the facility was all Gaston .
No, not only inside the facility . The outside of the facility was also filled with talk of Gaston .
“That doesn’t mean you can’t have a little bit of human decency……”
“How can’t you see that people like you who push that kind of thing are making the great Gaston-san less valuable? Are you stupid?”
“Huh? Say that one more time again . ”
It’s starting to look like a religion .
I think it’s a no-brainer, but perhaps the adventurer support center or the lord of the land is trying to turn Gaston into a famous adventurer in order to revitalize the town, and they’re making the soil easier to accept .
Every world is desperate when money is involved, isn’t it?
I, Mea, and Maizen were ahead of the adventurer’s support center with the onlookers .
Gaston didn’t show up very often .
As we were wondering where he was eating grass…… the door was opened .
The one who appeared was, of course, Gaston . Gaston was surrounded by women, wondering where they had attached themselves to him .
There were only about five of them close together, but a bodyguard-like group was forming, moving at a distance .
Gaston’s appearance caused the facility to go quiet for a moment .
“It’s me! I’ve got the credit!”
A cheer erupted as Gaston raised the large staff that glowed with a purple-blue glow at the sight of it .
“Whoa!” “As expected of Gaston-san! . ”
“Is it true that the curse bounced back when Gaston-san raised his knuckles!?”
“Wow, that’s too awesome!”
“I’m really proud to be part of the same human race!”
“Abel! Abel! I’ll forgive you now, okay? H-, hey, hey, Abeelllllllllll! !”
I thought I heard something over the cheers, but I quietly covered my ears .