The legend of the Crimson Demon clan started from Suqing

#171 - Salamander

"I want money!"

In the guild, Kazuma Satou roared hysterically, causing the people in the guild to look at him in surprise.

Baluta was indeed an upright knight. When the matchmaking ended, the charges against Kazuma Satou for state subversion disappeared, and he regained his freedom.

However, the money to compensate for the mansion still had to be paid.

No matter what.

He was the one who blew up the mansion.

Not only him, but also Aqua, Darkness, Megumin, and Yunyun were all indirectly accomplices in blowing up the mansion, so the responsibility for repaying the debt was not only on Kazuma Satou alone, but everyone in the party became debtors.

Yunyun pursed her lips and said, "If the skill point potion I put in Wiz's shop had been sold, we could have paid off the debt in an instant."

"Who can afford something so expensive!"

Kazuma Satou didn't understand why a bottle of skill point potion would be worth 20 million Eris.

But he also knew that in Axel, a town full of newbie adventurers, no one could afford this potion.

It was even more impossible to use the potion to offset the debt.

The lord said that because he couldn't use it, he would only value it at 5 million Eris, and if they didn't agree, forget it.

Only a fool would agree to that!

"Then let's go on a quest! Recently, my Explosion magic hasn't had a chance to shine, and my hands are itching! This time, let's go and take care of super S-class monsters like griffins or chimeras! With our strength, there's absolutely no problem!"

Megumin was a little excited.

After experiencing battles with the Demon King's generals and intercepting the mobile fortress Destroyer, she no longer looked at ordinary small fries.

Even though she can't even handle two giant toads.

"No, Megumin, we can't deal with such powerful monsters."

Yunyun still had self-awareness.

"Winter… speaking of winter, there's only that one, the one we talk about every year…"

"W-Wait! Yunyun, you're not talking about the Winter Shogun, are you?"

Kazuma Satou's face changed drastically.

When Yunyun crossed over, and Megumin and Yunyun returned to the Crimson Demon Clan, and Darkness returned to her hometown, he and Aqua went to subjugate snow sprites for a living.

Because they were weak and gave high rewards.

He thought it was an easy task, but who would have thought that he would encounter the Winter Shogun and be beheaded with one blow to meet the goddess Eris, completing his virgin death in this world.

Seeing him like this, Yunyun was stunned.

"Oh, you've seen the Winter Shogun before? It seems that was not a pleasant experience. But this time it's not that, it's something else that is very popular in winter, almost a household staple."

"Yunyun, are you talking about that?"

Darkness seemed to have thought of something.

Kazuma Satou hated riddles the most, so he quickly asked what exactly it was. Yunyun didn't beat around the bush and slowly explained:

"Kazuma, do you know salamanders?"

"Salamanders?"

"Although it sounds like a fire spirit like snow sprites, it is actually neither a spirit nor a ferocious monster, but a very ordinary reptile similar to a lizard.

However, its characteristic is that it can release heat, making it a very good cold-proof 'equipment'. Many nobles keep such creatures in their rooms in winter. In fact, Darkness's family also keeps them."

"Is that so?"

Kazuma Satou didn't know much about this, after all, he was preoccupied with Darkness's matchmaking and didn't have time to pay attention to these trivial matters.

"Harmless and useful, so they are very popular among nobles. A fire lizard costs about 100,000 Eris, and this year's temperature is a bit too low, so the price will probably increase a lot."

"Really!?"

"Moreover, in addition to being a favorite hand warmer for nobles, fire lizards are also the main material for high-level magic tools — HeatRings. Coincidentally, I know how to make them."

"Okay! Let's set off now!"

Hearing these words, Kazuma Satou slammed the table and stood up, making a gesture to walk out of the town.

Because Yunyun said that fire lizards are harmless.

Winter in this world is still very scary. Weak monsters hibernate, and only powerful monsters are active, but they are all super difficult to deal with.

For example, subduing wolf packs that attack ranches, subduing or driving away one-hit bears, or killing griffins or chimeras that are still fighting, etc.

The quest rewards are a long string of zeros that make people jealous, but he can't do any of these quests because he is too weak, so an existence like a fire lizard that is weak and harmless…

"Let me ask in advance, capturing too many won't summon something as strong as the Winter Shogun like snow sprites, will it?"

"No."

"It won't summon strange things, will it?"

"…No! If it was like the snow sprites, would Darkness's family still keep them?"

Yunyun rolled her eyes in annoyance.

After confirming again and again, Kazuma Satou nodded reassuringly. He was really scared of being tricked.

So the group headed out of the city.

Megumin wasn't very interested in capturing fire lizards. Compared to that, she wanted to subdue powerful monsters more, but after deciding to capture a few more to make the mansion warmer, she reluctantly agreed.

Away from the town, in the plains.

What met the eye was a vast expanse of white, covered in silver.

"Fire lizards, like other weak animals, hibernate in winter, so be sure to move gently. Also, weapons and magic are strictly prohibited, after all, they can't radiate heat when they die. Darkness, you are also not allowed to attack… never mind, it doesn't matter to you."

"W-What do you mean!? Are you trying to say that I am a clumsy sow, and all I can do is take off my clothes in the snow to emit a female stench that makes the fire lizards horny! T-That kind of thing… ugh!"

"I didn't say that."

Yunyun was completely speechless towards Darkness.

Kazuma Satou also moved a little away from her and looked at Aqua, who was holding a bug-catching net and a cage.

"You're wearing that outfit again."

"You're so stupid, Kazuma. I'm going to use this to catch fire lizards and put them in this cage, so I won't be cold at night when I sleep with it."

It sounded like he had heard Aqua say this before!

…Wait a minute.

Kazuma Satou had a flash of inspiration, as if something was about to break through the fog and appear in his mind.

Suddenly—

"That's it, ahhhhh!!!"

"Wah! Kazuma, why are you suddenly going crazy!"

"That's it! A heat source combined with bedding, Aqua, haven't you thought of anything!?"

"That… an electric blanket?"

"It's a kotatsu, you idiot!"

Kazuma Satou sprayed her with saliva, even more than the water goddess could spray water.

Yes, that's it!

A kotatsu is a unique Japanese household item used in winter. It is used to warm the lower body. A heat source such as charcoal or electricity is fixed under the table, and a futon is placed on top of the wooden frame to prevent heat from escaping. In winter, people sit around it, with a few oranges on top…

Forget the oranges, after all, you don't know when they will escape like vibrating eggs.

But if such a product is developed, it will definitely be very popular!

"Okay! Let's catch a lot more!"

"Although I don't know why Kazuma suddenly became so enthusiastic, it's right to catch a few more. After all, a high-level magic tool HeatRing is worth 1 million Eris, and it is very popular among both nobles and adventurers."

"Oh, oh…!"

Suddenly, he felt that the kotatsu was not that important anymore.

"Speaking of catching fire lizards, how should we do it specifically? It's a vast expanse of white here, and we don't know where they are hibernating at all."

"T-That… I saw in the library of the Crimson Demon Clan that fire lizards will look for hollows in tree trunks when they hibernate, because this can preserve the heat they release."

"As expected of a top student, Yunyun is right."

"Hehe heh—"

Yunyun was praised by Yunyun.

Because tree trunks are very easy to find in the wild and provide warmth, and they are also excellent shelters, weak creatures like fire lizards basically hide in such places.

"But be careful. It's not just fire lizards that hide in this kind of place. Creatures like bloodthirsty flying squirrels, juvenile slimes, and striped snakes also hide in tree trunks, and it's easy to get bitten… Darkness, are you excited?"

"N-No… Every exploration allows me to feel different kinds of harm, a novelty like opening Pandora's box… It's great!"

Do you think this is opening blind boxes?

Yunyun didn't want to comment too much on Darkness's special fetish, as long as she was happy.

So the group dispersed.

Honestly, working in winter is very hard. In addition to enduring the unbearable low temperatures, you must also be constantly vigilant about the surrounding monsters to prevent being attacked.

The most unacceptable thing is that every exploration is not necessarily for fire lizards, it may be other monsters.

Moreover, fire lizards are not like snow sprites that can be slaughtered at will. It's fine if they hide very well, but even a slight movement will scare them away, and it's easy to miss.

Anyway, on the first day, they didn't catch anything.

"Haa, I'm so tired… I didn't catch anything all day today. Not to mention fire lizards, I didn't even see the word fire."

"What, do you think it's hard? Why don't we go subdue snow sprites…"

"Never mind!"

Hearing Yunyun say this, Kazuma Satou's face instantly became very ugly, and at the same time he covered the area of his neck, as if he was still immersed in the fear of being beheaded with one blow.

"Speaking of…"

Kazuma Satou looked at Megumin, the strongest firepower in the party, and asked curiously, "If you use Explosion magic on the Winter Shogun…"

"No way, no way. Don't look at the Winter Shogun as a human figure, but it is actually an illusion, a spirit formed by the gathering of magic power. As such, it is an existence similar to the Elf King, and its magic defense is even more astonishing. Although Explosion magic can cause damage, no matter what, it is still difficult to defeat it with one blow."

"I should say, I don't want to cast Explosion magic on such a terrifying opponent."

Megumin added this sentence immediately after Yunyun's explanation.

Kazuma Satou twitched the corner of his mouth.

He didn't expect that Megumin, who had always been rebelling against the heavens, the earth, and the air, would have a day of admitting defeat. Of course, he also clearly understood how powerful the Winter Shogun was from the side.

It seems that we still have to continue to work hard tomorrow.