"Aurelian's Demons: ......?

　Lara repeated the reasoning I had given her.

Yes.
You mean it was triggered by Culture Day?　Why ......?
"Well, I don't know why. But "Culture Day" was also the anniversary of the overthrow of the Fool King, wasn't it?　I guess he doesn't feel good about that.

　Still, it must have been 500 years ago that the Fool King Aurelian was defeated.
　It seems to be a very strong grudge ...... that the demon remains for 500 years.
　The king of a country was killed. The fact that it has remained for 500 years is ...... quite a powerful and troublesome thing.

　But.

You don't have to worry about it. I can't wait to add more trouble to the fun day of the festival, but I'll take care of the demons.

　I'll take care of the demons," I said to Lara so as not to alarm her.

"I see. ...... Yeah. But I'll help you too. I want to help Kurt.
Thanks.
So what do we do first?　If the demons get out of control, we'll be in big trouble. Have the school festival canceled right now. ......
No, the festival itself doesn't need to be canceled.

　I'm sure you'll be happy to know that I'm not the only one.

I'm sure you'll be happy to hear that.
I'm not sure what to make of that. It's a great way to make sure you're getting the most out of your vacation.

　If, as I suspect, this is the Fool King's demonic thought.
　If this is the Fool King's demonic thought, then he must not think well of the Culture Day, since he is planning to hold it on the Culture Day.

　So why don't we just cancel the festival?
　That might reinforce the Fool King's evil thoughts. Some grudges grow stronger the closer you get to achieving your goal.
　Perhaps the King Fool's ultimate goal is not only to stop the Culture Day.
　Otherwise, there was no reason for the demon to remain for 500 years.

So the festival will go on. Well, should I tell Marise and Cynthia? We need your help. And it looks like Avril will be at the festival too. I'll call out to her if I see her.
"Uh-huh!

　Lara clenched her fists and put energy into her eyes.
　That's it.

In the meantime, a new demon is about to emerge.
You have to go quickly!

　It's not fully awakened yet, but it's about to be born inside the school building.
　Every second counts.

Aah!

　I'll use transference magic.

I'll use transference magic.

　I'll use transfer magic.

　As I did so, I saw Lara staring at the invitation to Geoharwa, the prize for the magic sword tournament.
　The tournament had ended in a hazy state, but I was the winner, I guess you could say.
　I'll come back for it when it's all over.

　The transference spell worked.

　The transference magic was successful and we arrived in front of the Third class.

"This is .......
Oh, so this is Cynthia's class.

　It's not unreasonable to say that the people in the school don't know anything about magic, so they are all enjoying the cultural festival.

"Oh, Kurt, .......

　Cynthia popped up from inside the classroom.

Cynthia. What is that you're wearing?
"A ghost.

　Cynthia spins around on the spot.
　Cynthia was wearing a large white cloth. She had painted her face to look like a ghost ......, which was very cute.

Cynthia's class is going to be ...... haunted house?
Yes, .......

　Haunted ...... is an entity that surprises people by materializing dead souls and behaving like the living.
　Unlike undead demons, they are said to be immune to weapons and magic. On the contrary, when you stand in front of a ghost, you cannot use magic.
　Because of such stories, some cultures are afraid of ghosts. ...... It seems that this has not changed much in the past 1000 years.

Cynthia, I want you to listen to something.
"What ......?

　Cynthia twists her head.

　I told her about the demons.

　And then.

"Oh my God, ......!

　Her eyes widened.



"Apparently, a demonic spirit is about to emerge from this haunted house. So can we go inside?

　I asked, and Cynthia moved her head.

There's no one inside ...... right now. So if you want to defeat the demon, you can do so now at .......
That's convenient.

　"That's convenient," he said, "because if there are people inside, we have to be careful not to hurt them.

So let's go. ...... Lara, what's going on?

　When I tried to lead Cynthia into the haunted house, Lara shyly refused to move an inch.

I'm not a big fan of ...... ghosts.
What are you talking about? "What are you talking about?" "Even if it's a ghost, what's inside is a fake. You've fought more horrible monsters than ghosts in your life.
That's true, but ......, I!　I'll let Marise know.　Let's split up!
Wait!

　I'm not sure what to make of this.

　...... Oh well.
　I'll let Lara take the message to Marlies.

So let's get back on track and go in.
"Yes.

　I ducked through the black curtain at the entrance to the haunted house and slowly stepped inside.
　The inside of the house was dimly lit, with creepy dolls placed here and there, creating a very atmospheric atmosphere.

　It was about the middle of the room.


"Kekeke!　The humans are here!


　A voice suddenly shouted from ahead.

"......!

　Cynthia gulped and pulled me into her arms.
　Cynthia gasped and hugged my arm. A small doll was floating by itself in front of me.

"Well, it looks like ...... is possessed by that doll.

　When I asked, the doll just laughed and didn't answer.

"Move. If you disobey me, I will deal with you.
"Don't get carried away, you human!

　The doll emits magical power.
　The puppet was emitting magic power, and since it was a mass of magic power, it could also perform magic like this.

　I'm not sure what to make of it, but I'm sure it's a good idea.

"Hmph.

　Boring.
　I blocked it with warding magic and immediately counterattacked with magic.
　But the fire spear I was about to unleash was stopped before it could be activated by their backfire magic.

"M
"Kekeke!　You know what?　You can't even cast a spell if you're facing a ghost!

　The doll spoke in a tone of voice that sounded like it was mocking me.
　I see. I'm sure you're not the only one who can't get rid of it.

Cynthia. Can you attack with magic too?
...... No. I've been trying to cover you with magic for a while now, but you're using ...... backfire magic and I can't activate it. ......
"Even when you're serious?

　Cynthia nodded in frustration .
　I'm sure you'll be pleased to know that even Cynthia's magical opponents can successfully use backfire magic.
　With the green magic she possesses, unlocking traps is better suited for installation. It uses a complex magic formula.
　To analyze Cynthia's magic formula, at least she's not some random piece of trash.

　More like.

"It's foolish to get carried away just because you can do that much. At best, it's a piece of trash.

　When I provoked him, I could see the demonic spirit in the doll getting stronger.

I can see that.　I know, you're in a hurry. You can't even attack it with magic. ...... Die ......!

　Another pale spear was about to be launched from the doll, but I immediately countered it with a backfire spell.

　And just like that, I unleashed my fire spear and skewered him.

"Aaahhhh!　Why, why can you use magic in front of me?
I just tried to make it a little more complicated so that it couldn't be defeated by backfire magic. The last one took a hundredth of the power to create, but this one took a tenth of the effort to create.

　He mistook a power he didn't really have for my full power.
　It's not too difficult for me to change the magic formula so that it won't be erased by ...... backfire magic, although making it too complicated will cause a 0.01-second delay in formulating the magic formula, which is of little benefit.

Good for you. You've succeeded in getting me to take you seriously ten times more than I did at first.
"I'm not happy about it. ......

　The demonic thoughts inside the doll are gradually fading.
　In the end, the doll remained intact and only the demonic thoughts inside it disappeared without a trace.