Legend of the Crimson Demon

When Zunzun opened his eyes again, he found himself lying in the school infirmary.

Next to him, in the bed beside his, was Yunyun.

According to Sister Soketto, Yunyun had also encountered danger in the wild—just a little earlier than him. So Bukkororii and Sister Soketto must've been delayed by saving her first?

Still… how did Yunyun get injured?

Well, knowing her, she probably couldn't bring herself to attack a horned rabbit pretending to be weak and pitiful. That would explain it.

Zunzun only truly relaxed after the medical teacher assured him that Yunyun wasn't seriously hurt and would recover by tomorrow.

As for the culprits behind his own incident—the cherries—Zunzun asked about them as soon as he could. The teacher confirmed what he'd already suspected:

They were King Kong Cherries.

A high-grade, rare ingredient. Born in pairs. They condensed magical power and detonated themselves like bombs.

And apparently, they were full-blown battle maniacs. Once mature, they would seek out strong opponents—be they human, dragon, or demon—and challenge them. If defeated, they willingly let themselves be eaten.

And if you ate one?

Five whole levels of experience.

Zunzun nearly fainted from shock.

The Onion Duck was already considered a high-level rare ingredient, but even that only gave two levels. And this wasn't just any five levels—it was five Arch Wizard levels. The higher your class, the harder it was to gain experience.

Even so… Zunzun wouldn't eat them.

Not after everything they'd been through. Friends don't eat friends.

Because both he and Yunyun were injured and running on empty, they had no choice but to return home. The rest of the potion materials could wait—or be bought from a pharmacy.

When Zunzun reached his doorstep, he saw a familiar figure crouched outside.

Komekko.

Her eyes lit up the moment she saw him.

"Welcome back, Brother Zunzun!"

Ah. From the title alone, he knew—she was here to beg for food.

Komekko had two reliable targets when it came to mooching meals: her neighbor, Bukkororii, and her other neighbor, Zunzun.

No one could resist Komekko's charm. Naturally, Zunzun brought her inside and treated her to a hearty meal.

After dinner, the two played together.

Komekko was swinging around a tool designed to seal evil gods, and every time Zunzun saw it, he felt a complicated mix of emotions.

Megumin had once confided in him that Komekko was the one who accidentally unsealed an evil god.

…Which was terrifying. Who lets kids do that much!?

Zunzun casually asked about Host. Komekko was surprised he knew the name, but still answered obediently: she hadn't seen Host recently, and didn't know where it had gone.

Come to think of it, if Host had been around, Komekko probably wouldn't be bumming meals off him.

Later that night, Megumin burst into Zunzun's house, flustered.

"Zunzun! Is Komekko here? I checked everywhere at home and didn't see—Komekko!?"

Her panic instantly melted when she saw her sister.

"Komekko, why didn't you tell me where you were? You promised to stay home and wait for me!"

"I forgot~!"

Komekko replied with complete confidence.

Megumin groaned.

But before she could scold her further, Komekko dropped the bomb:

"Because Sister NEET didn't cook!"

"D-Don't call me NEET, Komekko! And where did you learn that word!?"

Megumin turned and glared suspiciously at Zunzun.

Wait—why was he getting blamed!?

Taking a deep breath, Megumin switched gears and began calmly explaining to Komekko what a NEET was.

"It's not that I don't work, it's just… no one understands my vision. Unemployment isn't a choice, it's a tragedy of society…!"

As she ranted, the room filled with that peculiar brand of Crimson Demon warmth.

When she finally left with Komekko, Megumin turned at the door and said quietly, "Tomorrow, can you come to the forbidden land? I have something important to tell you."

"…Sure," Zunzun replied, startled.

Hold on. Did she just—

Is this a confession?!

Zunzun's heart fluttered.

The next day.

Zunzun arrived at the forbidden land… only to be greeted by the sight of jumping potatoes and angry scallions trying to stab each other with tiny swords.

"Megumin… what the hell is this?"

"I can't help it!" Megumin cried. "It costs 300,000 Eris to go to Alcanretia! Regular veggies won't sell for enough! I have to grow rare ingredients!"

After graduating and learning advanced magic from her sister, Megumin had been training all day in the back mountains. Since she could hunt her own meals, Zunzun had generously given her the field to farm in.

He never expected her to turn it into a monster crop farm.

"You didn't call me here to help harvest… did you?"

"…Please." Megumin dropped to her knees.

Rare ingredients were no joke.

Zunzun had just learned that the hard way.

As potatoes rammed into his shins and scallions whipped the backs of his hands, he snapped.

With a single punch, he shattered a defiant potato into chunks. His scarlet eyes glared across the field.

"Mess around again, and you'll end up mashed."

The potatoes trembled in silence.

Next, he picked up the herbicide and sprayed the rowdy scallions. The moment the mist touched them, they bowed obediently, some even hugging each other in fear.

With the field subdued, they were finally able to harvest the crops.

It still took hours.

And 90% of the work was done by Zunzun.

Later, covered in dirt and dragging a cart full of rebellious produce, they sold the crops to a village farmer.

"50,000 Eris!" Megumin gasped, staring at the single thin banknote in disbelief. "That's all!? Three months of work, and I only get this!?"

The farmer scowled.

"That price's fair. Been the same for years. And your harvesting technique was rough—ruined half the batch. If you weren't Hyoizaburoo's daughter, I wouldn't have taken it at all."

…Yeah, fair point.

Even Megumin had to admit the crops looked half-dead. Her lack of farming experience showed.

But at this rate, saving up 300,000 Eris would take forever.

Staring down at the meager earnings in her hand, Megumin sighed heavily.

"Looks like I have no choice… I'll have to resort to selling my body."

"HUH!?"

"That said, my body's kind of small and underdeveloped, so I'm not sure I'm qualified…"

Qualified for what, exactly!?

"The pharmacist said if I cooperate well and perform properly, he'll pay a lot, so I…"

"Zunzun!? Where are you going with that hatchet!?"

"To. Pick. Mushrooms."

His scarlet eyes gleamed with silent menace.

That night, eerie screams echoed through Red Demon Village.

The adults mistakenly thought… the ghosts had returned.

-End Chapter-

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