Legend of the Crimson Demon

After finally shaking off Cecily's entanglement, Zunzun and Yunyun shared a room for the night.

Nothing happened.

In fact, they slept back-to-back with at least two futons' worth of distance. After all, there was still a hungry, thirsty priestess lurking in the next room—what if she sensed the mood and decided to join in?

The next morning.

Zunzun and company were enjoying proper suite-level service: breakfast.

The meal was far richer than expected—milk, fried eggs, sausages, the whole spread. Apparently, the waiter assumed Cecily was with them and brought three portions.

And of course, Cecily sat at the table like she belonged there.

In front of her sat a familiar wobbly mass: a serving of agar slime.

"…How much do you like that stuff?"

"Three meals a day," she said with a blink, as if proud of it.

Then, with a sparkle in her eyes, she scooped up a piece of jelly with a wooden spoon—the same one she'd bitten into earlier—and held it up to Zunzun.

"Here, say 'ahh—'"

"No."

"Come on! Say 'ahh'! It's yummy~"

The translucent blob wiggled enticingly on the spoon. Zunzun's eyes accidentally drifted toward Cecily's—excessively prominent—pectoral muscles stretching her priest robes.

He still hadn't recovered from last night's trauma.

Still… he'd never actually tasted agar slime before. Was it different from the jelly of his previous life?

Grabbing the uneaten portion from her tray, he poured it into his mouth with an aggressive glare.

"Ah! My dessert!"

Cecily shrieked. Zunzun chewed triumphantly, savoring his petty revenge. The taste was... meh. But watching her flail made it worth it.

"No, chew slowly! You'll choke!"

"What, are you my mom now?"

Predictably, he choked.

His face turned red, and he flailed, unable to breathe.

"Mmmfff—!"

"I told you," Cecily sighed, patting his back.

"Zunzun! Are you okay?" Yunyun cried, trying to help.

Eventually, he spat out the jelly with a wet cough. Cecily immediately tried to retrieve the ejected dessert, but Zunzun crushed it under his palm like a bug.

This woman was a menace in every sense.

Zunzun scowled. He was a proud, high-IQ Crimson Demon—yet somehow, whenever he was around this woman, his mental processing speed dropped to her level, and she beat him with sheer nonsense experience.

After breakfast, the three of them left the hotel.

As they reached the main street, Zunzun warned, "Listen. You're from the Axis Cult. That's useful here. You can help us find Megumin and also keep other Axis freaks away. But if you do anything weird…"

"I know! I'll hug you!"

And she immediately hugged his arm like a nympho koala.

"Didn't I just say not to do weird things?!"

He pushed her face away with one hand.

In Arcanletia, city of water and lunacy, Cecily's cult status came in handy. She could pull favors from fellow Axis members—and hopefully stop them from bothering Yunyun and Zunzun while they searched for Megumin.

The three walked along the bustling main road.

"…That's why, in order to help more poor people," Cecily said with a sigh, "I was forced to go on blind dates."

"No way… Miss Cecily, you're so noble…" Yunyun looked genuinely sympathetic.

Cecily, sensing the easier target, had shifted her attention from Zunzun to his kind-hearted fiancée.

"So… what do you think?" she purred, suddenly looking back at Zunzun.

"…Think of what?"

"I mean, the blind date partner might be a greasy middle-aged noble! What if his hands stain my beautiful young body? My cherry lips could be stretched into an O-shape from all the kissing!"

She pouted like a gasping fish.

"…Who would even want someone like you?" Zunzun muttered.

"Y-You're so cruel! I'm a high priestess of the Axis Church, you know!"

"A priestess who constantly breaks her vows."

Zunzun rolled his eyes.

Suddenly, a panicked scream echoed from down the riverbank.

"MY CHILD! SOMEONE, PLEASE! MY DAUGHTER FELL INTO THE WATER!"

A woman in simple clothes stood at the edge of the river, pointing frantically. In the canal below, a little girl was splashing, struggling to stay afloat.

Zunzun froze for a beat, then prepared to run over—

—but Cecily was faster.

With a splash, she dove in.

Zunzun blinked. Say what you will about her… when someone was in trouble, she didn't hesitate.

Impressed, he stepped forward—only to hear:

"HELP! I CAN'T SWIM!"

"Then why did you jump in!?"

Zunzun sighed and ran across the water's surface, rescuing both Cecily and the little girl. His magic let him walk across water like it was solid ground.

The woman sobbed with gratitude. Cecily, drenched and trembling, clung to Zunzun's pants.

"LET GO! Don't touch me! Your hands are in my pants! AHHHH!"

Her groping disrupted his chakra, and all three of them fell in again.

Eventually, Yunyun froze the river's surface and fished everyone out, earning tearful thanks from the mother.

"Uuugh… this is awful… every hole in my body is full of water…"

"Whose fault do you think that is?! And can you not say things that sound so indecent?"

Zunzun and Cecily sat on a bench by the roadside, arms outstretched like drying laundry.

When they were halfway dry, they flipped over in sync like sunbathing sardines.

The midday sun burned overhead. Zunzun shielded his eyes and glanced sideways.

Cecily's golden hair sparkled in the sunlight.

Just for a moment, she actually looked… majestic.

"…Cecily, why did you—"

"I saw it! I didn't think you'd leap to save someone without hesitation! You truly have the soul of an Axis believer! You're one of us, Zunzun!"

"—No, I'm not."

Before he could argue further, a shadow slid across the ground.

Zunzun blinked and turned. Someone was sliding straight at him—arms outstretched, aiming directly for his right leg.

Zunzun reacted instinctively.

He raised his leg and STOMPED.

The figure collapsed face-first into the ground.

But weirdly… looked happy about it?

Wait… someone more unhinged than Cecily?!

Zunzun looked down and saw a gray-haired old man wearing the priest robes of the Axis Church.

Cecily gasped and blinked rapidly.

"…Lord Zesta?!"

Oh no.

So this was Lord Zesta.

The man who could do anything.

The one person more cracked than Cecily.

Zunzun's suffering had only just begun.

-End Chapter-

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