Chapter 69: Assassins Investigate

　A demon has appeared. It will be my first job as a paladin.

　Tarte and Dia head to the site with them.

　...... After all, the carriage is slow.

　Let's make a primitive car next time. It's not impossible to make that much.

　However, the problem is how to run on rough roads.

　Let's think about it.

"This is my first job. I definitely want to succeed."

"I feel the same. But remember that if the demon-killing barrier fails, you lose at that point. If you fail, you'll run away."

　Only heroes can kill demons.

　That is such a creature.

　It created the magic that twists that providence. That is the only chance, and if that chance is overturned, it's over.

　At that time, withdraw.

　Of course, it doesn't just run away. I'm going to bring back some material to find out why it didn't work.

"Oh, that's right. That's right. I've been able to make that barrier in just thirty seconds."

"Really?"

"Oh, it's terrible to doubt. I'll show you later."

　Even if it's thirty seconds, it's great that anyone other than me can use the technique of killing demons.

　After all, while using the demon killing barrier, the magical power consumption is too intense and the fighting power is drastically reduced.

　If you leave it to Dia, you can concentrate on the attack.

　Besides, if you can take on the role of the field, you can assassinate instead of fighting.

"It's amazing. Oh, I didn't do it at all."

"Tarte is in charge of bullet fighting, and I'm in charge of magic. I'm in a different field. Usually, I can't do everything like Lugh. No matter how much I push up, I'm such an arm."

　Dia says so and makes a bicep, but his arms are too thin. Besides, the upper arm seems to be soft with Punipuni.

　Although he is well trained, he has a constitution that makes it difficult for him to gain strength.

"Then, I read the demon killing technique, but I think I can kill this demon and fly it."

"Do you want to fly?"

　Dia puts her hand in the shape of a gun and says bang. cute.

"Yeah, now you're expanding the field around the surgeon, but it's like shooting a bullet, skipping the compressed field and expanding the field in response to landing. You can do that. However, in that case, the effect time will be shorter. Maybe it's about 2 seconds for me. I feel that 10 seconds is the limit even in Lugh. "

　I can't imagine how to modify the technique.

　But if you can make a Dia, you can.

　The reason why thirty seconds became two seconds is that unlike continuing to release from oneself as a starting point, as long as it is released as a bullet, it depends on the amount of instantaneous release.

"If so, ask. There seems to be many uses. Please complete it by the time you arrive."

"I'll just do it, but don't expect it."

　With that said, Dia spread the papers and started some calculations.

　Even if you are told not to expect it, you will expect it.

　In the meantime, I'll think of a way to kill the demons in two seconds.

　...... Assassination has a much higher success rate.

　However, if there is a problem, there is too little information about the demons that appeared this time. The materials given by the country are delicate.

　I can't make a plan with this. The lack of information will have to be supplemented locally.

　◇

　The carriage went on for a few days and arrived at its destination.

　It is located on the border with a neighboring country and is a relatively large town among local cities.

　From that land, it is prospering as a trading base.

　It is also a famous place for stone materials, and the beautiful stone cityscape is famous as a tourist attraction.

　Such a city ...

"This is like a jungle."

"There is no one"

　It was covered in green.

　Ivy is entwined with the stone houses, and trees are scattered in the middle of the road.

　However, there is no sign of life.

　Not even animals, let alone insects.

　We were staring at the strangeness from the entrance of the city.

　Let's review the material.

　At first, it seemed to be only one tree, and it spread with tremendous momentum and swallowed everything.

　Those who fled before being completely green eroded were saved.

　However, after the green erosion, no one came out of here, and the army went to rescue, but no one even returned.

　Then, I tried to burn all the plants that parasitized the city, but I heard that it also failed.

　The trees do not burn with ordinary firepower, and even if they catch fire, they have a strong ability to regenerate, and it seems that there was almost no effect.

　The operation failed, and all the soldiers engaged in the operation were said to have been "eaten by the green."

　Then, when the incinerator failed, I was asked that it was probably the work of the demons.

"Hey, Lugh. Are you going to enter here? If it's true that you've been eaten by green, you're full of enemies in all directions."

"There's something to do before entering the city. Tarte and Dia are behind me."

　…… I confirmed one thing when I received this request.

　Need to help people trapped in green erosion?

　The answer is that the survivors are desperate and can take any measures. So it can be a little rough.

　Of course, I want to help what I can help as much as possible.

　However, even though it is said that no one will come back without even knowing the characteristics of this forest, I don't feel like rushing into it.

　Therefore, it is necessary to conduct an experiment from the outside before stepping in here.

"You can see Dia. These plants are one."

"Yeah, they have magical powers, and they're all unpleasantly together. It's impossible unless they're all one."

"I have the same opinion, so I'll peck it. Look at their magical flow."

　Experiment, one of them.

　First, throw warm meat into the city.

　However, there is no reaction.

　Next, I will release the livestock pigs I bought on my way to the city.

　It was when the pig entered the city and approached a tree.

"Pigi good good good good good good!"

　The pig is entwined by vines that grow from somewhere, the branches pierce, deflate like a joke, and eventually only the skin and bones.

"It's awesome. Did the people in the city disappear like this?"

"Trees eat creatures ... If there are such dangerous trees in the city, everyone has already eaten them."

　Tarte holds his mouth down.

　It is eaten by trees.

　And, as the Tarte says, if they were so widespread in the city, no one would be alive anymore.

　With this, you can do the next experiment without worrying about it.

"Dear, how about seeing it with your eyes?"

　Dia was watching closely, as I said. With the eyes of Touahade that I got from the procedure.

"When I ate meat, my magical power swelled. The pace of swelling was slow, and maybe I was converting nutrition into magical power."

　In other words, it should be considered that these trees were released by someone to accumulate magical power.

"Okay, the first experiment was fine. I found two things. Next."

　Throw a tar with plenty of oil prepared in advance into the city.

　It rolls around and hits a tree that stood blocking the road.

　There is no reaction at that point.

　A fire arrow was fired at the Tal.

　The barrel cracked, oil was sprinkled on it, and it ignited.

　A special oil formulated for burning. A huge pillar of fire is created.

"I heard that it has a strong regeneration ability, but this is what it is."

"But it's a normal rebirth. I think it's different from the unreasonable restoration peculiar to the demons that Lugh said. I'm using a lot of magical power, so I'm not immortal at all."

　It will be restored from the burning end.

　However, it is an extension of the strengthening of the regenerative power of trees.

　After a while, the flames went out and the trees were standing as if nothing had happened.

"If you know that, it's fine. Next time, I'll do it more flashy and burn it out."

　Take out the foul stone from the pouch.

　This foul stone is also prepared for today.

　Normally, the magical power of fire attribute, the magical power of wind attribute, and the magical power of earth attribute are put in a certain ratio.

　As a result, a large amount of wind was blown into the flame to increase the explosive power, and it was operated as an extremely powerful bomb that scattered iron pieces.

　However, this time only flame and wind. It emphasizes detonation rather than explosion, and specializes only in burning.

　With this, you can create a purgatory that spreads an ultra-high temperature that is incomparable to a glass of oil.

　After all, it contains the magical power of 300 ordinary people with magical power.

　Put magical power into the foul stone, reach criticality, and begin to crack.

　Throw it.

　Explosion in the city.

　The flames of Guren spread all at once, swallowing a corner of the city, and purgatory appears.

"Scary but beautiful"

　Tarte was staring at the flame with a dull face.

　After the flames were extinguished, the trees in the center of the flames were burned down with no ash left, and the surrounding houses were barely intact, with black shadows clinging to them, thanks to the stones.

　The shadow is a remnant of the entwined trees.

"These are not the demons themselves."

"Yeah, maybe something was created by that ability."

　What I suspected was that all of these trees were part of the demons.

　But that's not the case.

　It's just a very regenerative tree monster.Perhaps it has an ever-growing nature in a grafted manner. Therefore, all the same magical power was flowing.

　This fact has both a thankful side and a troublesome side.

　If it is a part of the demons, it will be regenerated infinitely when it is burned using super firepower, so the number cannot be reduced by any means, but if it is a monster with powerful regeneration ability, it can be reduced.

　The trouble is that if you are connected to the demons, you can find them by following them, but if not, you have to find the demons who will be in this large city.

"Both of us will enter the city. We are looking for demons."

"Huh! But isn't it dangerous?"

"That's right. I burned a fairly large area, but it's still full of dangerous trees."

"It's okay, as long as you're near me."

　I'm not afraid to move forward, and the Tarte and Dia with anxious faces stick together.

　Even if you enter the city, you will not be attacked.

　It didn't change past the parcel I burned down.

　The trees do not move at all even if they pass a close distance.

"What exactly does this mean?"

"Since a while ago, Lugh has been using magic, is that because of that?"

"Yes. You would have experimented before you entered the city. First, just throwing meat didn't react to the trees, but the next pig did. The trees have no eyes, relying on vision. I'm not finding prey. What I should doubt is vibration, heat, sound, and breath. I excluded vibration and sound because I didn't notice when the meat fell nearby. I excluded it because it warmed my skin. When that happens, I have no choice but to breathe. More specifically, the carbon dioxide emitted, that is their sensor. "

　What I tried in the first experiment was how to find the prey.

　The result is carbon dioxide exhaled by living things.

"That's why Lugh winds up the surrounding wind and blows it up."

"Oh, then the trees won't notice, even if they're so close."

　Take a short breath and fly to heaven.

　With this level of magic, the automatic recovery of magical power will not be a pain to catch up with.

　If you search for a demon while being attacked by countless trees in a large city, you will be exhausted before you fight the demon.

　It is also possible that the trees share a sense with the demons.

　To take the initiative, you can't play with the trees.

　First, find the enemy. It's best to do it before you even notice it.

　Then you can take the initiative.

　Let's move on.

　Fortunately, the trump cards I have prepared seem to be very effective for the main players here.