The basilisk, which was engulfed by the flames, still continued to rampage in grand fashion for a while.

　As expected of a life force, but even here, we have already seen this coming. That's why I used the Flame Princess' magic to shut down the monster's movements ahead of it.

　No matter how much the Basilisk rampages, it cannot escape its six flaming arms.

　It was originally a high-level magic that combined the two characteristics of binding and attacking, the 'Flame Princess'. It's a good thing that I've strengthened it with my power - my magic power - to the point where it's impossible for me to escape so easily.

　In fact, I used it in the fight against Scylla, which was one of my requests for salting, and it's even more powerful than that time. If I knew how to use this kind of power, the range of ways to fight would be even greater. I couldn't contain my laughter.



　--It's not that I don't know what to do with it, but it's not something that I can do with the advanced magic of fire, needless to say.

　It's a good idea to be able to have a good time with them.

　In order to handle magic, you need many other elements besides magic power. It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for.



　The answer is Miroslav.

　The red-haired wizard had studied, mastered and practiced all the information out of the gate in his life and made every single one of it spit out and made it his own.


　Well, even if you say "made it mine," it's no good at all except for fire magic.

　But on the contrary, as far as fire magic is concerned, I was able to invoke Miroslav's most powerful technique at the moment, the Flame Princess.



　It's hard to imagine that I had a talent for fire magic.

　If it was possible, it was the effect of soul-eating. As a result of eating away Miroslav's soul, he also absorbed her fire magic-related skills. I vaguely thought of it that way.

　This is much more believable than the story that I had a hidden talent lying dormant.


　However, there is no hard evidence.

　So far, the only woman I've eaten a soul from, aside from Miroslav, is Lunamaria -- excluding the brothel's prostitute because she was only once -- but until today, I don't feel that I've absorbed Lunamaria's skills (skills) There is not. So there is no way to prove it.

　If we ate Lunamaria with the force of "I don't care if it kills me" like we did with Miroslav, we might get a different result, but Lunamaria is a valuable provider of souls.

　Since becoming a slave, this one, you've been obedient to me, and the keen eye that noticed the dragon inside me is too good to throw away. I couldn't force myself to use it up.



　As I thought about it, my body suddenly shook with a shudder.

　It was a sensation that was now familiar to me. A massive amount of souls flowed in, comparable to when I defeated the Lord of the Flies. The basilisk must have died out in the flames.

　That in itself was a cause for celebration, but unfortunately, it didn't raise its level.

　The last time I leveled up was when I defeated the Gryphon. Even though it hadn't been very long since then, it was still surprising that he didn't level up even after defeating a king-class demon.

　I was able to raise my level in the Lord of the Flies' Lair like it was fun...



　At that time, I thought the body of the girl who was standing beside me wobbled, and then she fell to the ground.

　Just before the girl was about to kiss the ground, I barely held her body in my arms.

　When I looked at the girl, I saw that she was blue-faced and unconscious. The tension must have worn off.

　For now, I lifted the girl's body again, thinking to let her rest in a nearby house, but I changed my mind when I looked at the rotting sea of flames.




　The smoke spewed by the flames was dark purple rather than black. It was obvious that the smoke was poisonous and contained ingredients that were not good for the human body.

　Depending on the direction of the wind, you could be covered by the smoke.

　Besides, if they were this close, it was quite conceivable that flying sparks could cause a fire.

　It was dangerous to stay in this village.



　........Was it too soon to use fire?　No, if the rotten sea is left intact, both the forest and the village will definitely be swallowed up.

　Simply put, the latter would be less harmful in the 'forest that keeps rotting' and the 'forest that has turned to ashes' - although the girl who lost the place where she was born and raised might come to a different conclusion.


'For now, let's get away from here. Come to think of it, there's a chance that some other demonic beasts other than basilisks will attack us.


　We must not forget that we are still in the middle of danger.

　I left the devil's village with the girl in my arms while being wary of my surroundings.



◆◆◆



　Afterwards I headed to the site of the Lord of the Flies' nest.

　After I left the village, I realized that it was not far from the Jariah Ookus, a huge tree with a poisonous fruit, and I could return to the Lord of the Flies' lair from there.

　If I knew where the Jiriah Ookus was, I could return to the Lord of the Flies' lair from there.

　And there he had left the materials from his previous imprisonment of Miroslav intact. So much for being prepared!


　........Yeah, well, it's very different from the use I had in mind. To be honest, I left it behind with the idea of bringing in Iria and the guild's receptionist per se.

　Well, that's fine, since the preparations were lived out as a result, let's call it that.



　When I used to use this place, it was a pain in the ass to walk up and down the cliff every time I came in and out, so I built a spiral staircase along the wall.

　This staircase was nothing more than a long branch propped up against the wall, and no one in their right mind would ever think of using it.

　However, for me, who can use the power of a jujitsu, it's a good enough substitute for a staircase. I've been walking down the cave with the girl on my back.

　Then I arrived safely at the bottom of the hole.

　I was worried about whether there were any strange monsters living in the cave, but fortunately, that wasn't the case and I was able to put the girl to sleep.

　It was the one Miroslav used before, and it has some funny stains on it, but... well, it's better than the bunk I was using, yeah.



　When I finally caught my breath, I chewed on one of the fruits of Jirai Ookus, which I had picked up along the way, just in case.

　This was because of the possibility of the basilisk's venom remaining in my body.

　Speaking of poison, I was worried about the girl who was in direct contact with the basilisk, but I didn't think I would be able to screw this fist-sized piece of dried plum into the mouth of a sleeping girl. This is more than harassment, it's a light act of combat.

　Even if you listen carefully, the sound of the girl's breathing is not disturbed. Perhaps the demon race is resistant to poisons and other abnormalities of condition.

　Even if you want to feed her, it doesn't matter after she wakes up.



　Still, just to be safe, I lay down beside the girl in case her condition changed suddenly.

　The basilisk has been avenged. I saved the girl. And I myself survived.

　Looking at the results alone, I'm happy and satisfied, but what to do after this?

　It's going to be difficult to live in that village from now on. I also wonder what happened to the demon tribe other than the girl.

　I'd offer you this den, but if I'm wrong, the entire area around here could be turned into ashes from the sea of rot.

　It's not just humans who will lose food. Demonic beasts will also be on the lookout for prey.

　They can't live like this for long.


Well, I'll think about it when she wakes up.


　I muttered to myself and gave a small yawn.

　It seems like a long time ago now, but my original mission was to use the wyvern to carry the Scythe of Death to the forest.

　Even though I still have some energy left in me, my body feels heavy.

　I don't mind taking a little rest here and there.

　I thought about that and closed my eyelids softly.