The legend of the Crimson Demon clan started from Suqing

#173 - Being misunderstood is the fate of those who express themselves.

To be misunderstood is the fate of the expresser.

This statement is absolutely correct.

Kazuma Satou had indeed infiltrated Kiel's dungeon before, even encountering Kiel, the master of the dungeon, and ultimately, at Kiel's request, purified him and sent him to the heavens.

But Kazuma Satou could swear that he absolutely didn't do anything messy, nor did he create a large number of monsters.

"If every time something goes wrong, it's all blamed on us, who can stand that?"

"While that may be true, I heard that you were the last group to enter that dungeon. According to precedent, the possibility of someone other than you breaking through is extremely low..."

"What kind of twisted logic is that!"

Seeing Sena still doubtful, Kazuma Satou immediately felt insulted. After confirming again and again that it wasn't anyone from his own party who had caused the trouble, he straightened his bent back.

Sena, seeing this, looked surprised but tentatively believed him.

She wanted to commission them to investigate, after all, those who had been to that dungeon were the best candidates.

Kazuma Satou initially wanted to refuse.

But after experiencing two days in the snowfield and realizing that money is hard to earn and shit is hard to swallow, and after Sena stated that she would pay him a generous salary, he readily agreed.

"Okay, so anyway..."

"Kazuma, I won't participate this time."

"Yunyun?"

The others were slightly stunned.

Yunyun raised the cage in her hand and said, "I'll stay behind and make high-level magic tools, HeatRing. If I make them sooner, Kazuma can also repay his debts and won't be threatened by that evil lord."

"Yunyun, you're so kind...!"

Kazuma Satou was so moved that he was about to cry.

Are there really such considerate companions?

Thinking of him after joining the party, helping him argue when he was arrested, and even putting in a lot of effort when Darkness was having an arranged marriage...

Ah, wait?

Yunyun is a good partner, putting in a lot of effort...?

"Hey, wait a minute."

He grabbed Yunyun's arm as she was about to leave quickly.

"I-Is there anything else?"

"I suddenly feel like something's not quite right. Yunyun, you're not usually this kind of person. You were thinking of kicking us out of the party after joining, you were reluctant to help argue, and you didn't agree to the arranged marriage no matter how much I begged, and only did it when you were threatened. But now you're so enthusiastic... Are you hiding something?"

"Oh, Kazuma, you're so mean! I sincerely want to help you, because we're a party, a whole. If I didn't help you, wouldn't that be very unkind?"

"You were just complaining about me, and in the blink of an eye, you're saying it's for me. Do you think I'll believe that!? Are you treating me like an idiot!? And how could an unpopular man like me be cared for!"

"...Tch."

"You clicked your tongue, you clicked your tongue, didn't you!?"

Kazuma Satou saw Yunyun's awkward smile and shifty eyes, and finally confirmed that Yunyun was doing it on purpose. Yunyun didn't expect Kazuma Satou to be so perceptive.

I really hope her cleverness is used for good!

Kazuma Satou also said with some unease, "Yunyun, you didn't foresee something bad, did you?"

"...No."

"Then why don't you dare to look at me?... Why are you turning your head away! Don't think you can save yourself, you have to come with us!"

"Let go, let go!"

Yunyun wanted to tear off the sleeve that was being grabbed, and shouted, "I'm doing this for your own good! Kazuma, do you know how much high-level magic tools can sell for? Selling these can help you repay most of your debts! I advise you not to be ungrateful!"

"Who understands what you're saying! Yunyun, you're the strongest in the party. If we don't bring you along, I'll be very uneasy! Didn't you say it was for my own good? Then come with us!"

Kazuma Satou was determined to bring Yunyun along.

However, although he was willing, he was also powerless. Even though Yunyun's class was the weak Arch-Wizard, it still depended on who she was compared to. At least Kazuma Satou, with his ordinary adventurer class, couldn't suppress her at all.

He quickly shouted at the physically strong and powerful female knight in the party.

"Darkness, you come and help too! Yunyun is actually planning to abandon us, just like when she didn't save you during the arranged marriage. Aren't you angry and want to do something!?"

"O-Oh!"

Darkness didn't know why the two of them were suddenly wrestling together, but under Kazuma Satou's command, her body moved faster than her brain.

"That's right! Yunyun, you always think about sneaking away like that, and then watching us make fools of ourselves. For some reason, I also want to see you being bullied. That scene must be great!"

With exaggerated strength, she hugged Yunyun in her arms.

Being held by a voluptuous older sister like this should be an enjoyable thing, but Yunyun only felt the hard touch of the armor.

"It hurts, it hurts, it hurts!!!!"

She couldn't help but scream.

She was a person with cheats, but her strength was still not as great as Darkness's. She couldn't break free at all. Her brain quickly turned, and she immediately threatened her.

"Darkness, let go quickly! If you don't let go, I'm going to shock you!"

"Sh-Shock me!? To be shocked... Shocked, huh... I've never had that kind of novel feeling before! Come on, shock me with all your might!"

She puffed and panted as she came closer.

Her fair face was flushed red, and her constantly straining arms seemed to want to knead Yunyun into her body.

Being so close to an older sister should have made her happy, but Yunyun, pressed down by the cold armor, only felt endless horror.

"I was here first..."

"Yunyun is about to die, let go, Miss Darkness...!"

Megumin and Yuuyu also joined the battle, and the five people were in a chaotic mess.

"That... what is this...?"

"Don't worry, they're just showing the party's love for each other!"

Aqua smiled very brightly, but to outsiders, it looked quite foolish.

Sena twitched the corner of her mouth.

Is this party really okay?

Under Kazuma Satou's shout of 'We're a party, we're a whole' and the coercion of everyone, even the tough Yunyun had to yield, temporarily storing the fire lizard at the guild and heading to Kiel's dungeon with the others.

Sena didn't come along.

Seeing the scene just now, the kingdom's prosecutor, deeply feeling that they were unreliable, was gathering powerful adventurers at the guild in the name of the kingdom, hoping to increase the number of personnel sufficiently.

Yunyun and the others then rushed over here first.

Treading on the snow-covered road.

The group headed to that dungeon.

"I said, Yunyun, I'm sorry for forcibly binding you here, but you should tell us what's going to happen next, right? Aren't we a party? At least share the information."

"—— Hmph!"

Kazuma Satou apologized in a low voice, but what he got in return was Yunyun's disgruntled snort, walking at the very back and turning her head away, not looking at him.

How long is she going to sulk?

Although it was his fault for forcibly bringing her here, putting aside the facts, wasn't Yunyun, who wanted to save herself, also a little bit wrong!?

Of course, this also indirectly reminded Kazuma Satou, and he issued a soul question to Aqua beside him.

"I said, you really didn't do anything wrong?"

"Of course not. Seriously, Kazuma, you're too suspicious of me, aren't you."

Hearing her say that with a frown, Kazuma Satou breathed a sigh of relief.

"Y-Yeah, that's right. You wouldn't cause so much trouble all day long, would you! Sorry, it's my fault. It's all because of the previous class trial that I've been so paranoid lately. That's right! We're a party, we're a whole, we shouldn't randomly suspect our companions, right, someone over there?"

He looked at Yunyun pointedly, but what he got was an even louder snort.

Aqua also said indignantly, "Seriously, you should at least believe me a little bit, it's more like it's all because of me that the magic circle was left in that dungeon, so that evil things can't walk in."

"...Hey, what did you just say?"

"S-So, I spent a super amount of effort, super seriously made it, made for the purpose of purifying the lich, that magic circle still definitely remains there to exert its power, so that monsters can't approach..."

"You idiot ah ah ah——!"

Before Aqua could finish speaking.

Kazuma Satou howled in misery, clutching his head.

Then he began to loudly rebuke Aqua with grievances, saying things like he shouldn't have believed her, she was just like that by nature, he really misjudged her, return his trust... and so on.

This guy was just saying not to be prejudiced, but now he's back to this appearance.

Heh, scum.

"Why are you always like this? Once you've done something meritorious, you must cause some trouble to offset it. Is it only when the merits and demerits cancel each other out that you can stop! ?"

"Wait a minute, this time it definitely has nothing to do with me! I really just set up a purification magic!"

To be misunderstood is the fate of the expresser.

Aqua is the same as Kazuma Satou.

But the problem is not whether she did it or not, but that the magic circle she set up in the depths of the dungeon, if seen by Sena, would be like mud sticking to her crotch, not shit but still shit.

So they must find a way to destroy the evidence.

Otherwise, Sena, who likes to take things out of context, will definitely slap him with another charge of national subversion.

Kazuma Satou left the party midway and went back to bring cleaning tools that could remove the magic circle, but if possible, he still wanted to solve the problem in a way that didn't require going inside.

They didn't encounter any monsters along the way.

The group successfully arrived at the dungeon, and then observed the monsters constantly emerging from the entrance in the distance.

They were clay dolls wearing masks.

About the size of a fire lizard, the dolls, which were knee-high, walked on two feet and looked quite cute.

"What is that? It looks really strange. I've neither seen nor heard of such a thing."

"It should be said that at first glance, it doesn't seem to have much combat power."

Megumin and Yuuyu said this.

Darkness was uninterested.

On the contrary, Aqua frowned and said, "How should I say this, I have a kind of physiological aversion to that doll. Looking at that thing, an inexplicable anger rises in my stomach."

Yunyun smelled the air.

Indeed.

It was the smell of demons.