Episode 142: The Pitiful Juabille Mercenary Corps, Duped by Demon Sorcerer Walter

The poor Juabille Mercenary Corps had been thoroughly scammed by the demon sorcerer Walter. Ian, being a mage himself, saw through Walter's con in an instant. After all, he was practically a colleague in the business(...).

Well, it couldn't be helped. How could illiterate mercenaries, who had never even crossed the threshold of a school, escape a deliberate deception woven by a mage? And Walter had been a genuine demon summoner, in contact with actual demons. From the mercenaries' perspective, there was no way to tell where the scam ended and reality began.

Fortunately, the same logic applied to Ian. Just as the mercenaries hadn't spotted Walter's scam... they wouldn't spot Ian’s scam either!

After the rain stopped. Evening. Ian had the men gather crates into a makeshift platform, then climbed atop it and bellowed,

"Mercenaries! Hear me!"

Every single member of the Juabille Mercenary Corps assembled before him without exception. They had heard that Ian would restore their stolen souls(?).

"In surveying this ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠place today, I have sensed malevolent energies lurking everywhere!"

"Ooooh...!"

"A true mage after all!"

"No wonder my sleep's been so restless!"

The mercenaries were instantly hooked on Ian's speech. Ian Eredis Raven. The mage had become so adept at captivating crowds with his(...) rousing oratory that calling him a pro agitator was no exaggeration. Draining the simple minds of these mercenaries was now easier than eating cold porridge.

"He sure knows how to talk, that's for sure."

Belenca and Kira watched Ian's speech from behind the platform. Belenca didn't hold back her praise for Ian's ever-improving oratory skills. Mages needed precise pronunciation and a powerful voice. After all, the Maronius Language formed the foundation for communicating with the mysteries. So, with good diction and strong projection, they naturally developed a persuasive tone even when speaking to ordinary folk.

"He looks so cool up there."

The problem was all the weird nonsense he spouted otherwise. But Ian giving a speech—no, acting the part of a mage—from the platform? Even in Belenca's eyes, he was pretty damn attractive.

"...Ian is cool, yeah."

Belenca glanced at Kira's reddened ears.

"Kira. What happened in the tent earlier...?"

"Wh-what!? Nothing! We just investigated and came out!"

"...?"

Belenca tilted her head. Sure, she went around slicing people with her longsword on the regular, but Belenca had the delicate sensibilities of a high school girl deep down. Something felt... a bit suspicious? She thought so, but didn't press the issue. Ian and Kira were mages, dealing in realms she didn't understand. There was probably some reason she couldn't fathom.

While the two chatted idly, Ian cried out in an even more fervent voice.

"I have discovered the wicked demon haunting these lands! And now! I shall exorcise it!"

"Oooooh!"

The mercenaries gazed at Ian with eyes brimming with anticipation, ready to burst. In their eyes, Ian was a truly remarkable mage. The mage who had incinerated a demon sorcerer with a flaming spear amid a downpour! A mage who could casually burn people alive was now declaring he'd take down a demon!

Maybe...!

He'll restore our souls!

The mercenaries, whose souls had been(?) stolen by the evil demon sorcerer, now pinned their last hope on Ian.

"This ritual is extremely dangerous. But..."

"But?"

"If you all earnestly pray for it, we can reclaim your souls from that wicked demon!"

At Ian's gesture, Juabille brought over a crate. Inside were the personal effects of the demon sorcerer Walter, items Ian had pre-sorted—all suspected of demonic contamination. Leaving them lying around risked sensitive mages like Kira getting influenced.

"Set them ablaze!"

"Yes, sir!"

Juabille gripped a torch. Burning a demon sorcerer's belongings was terrifying for medieval folk. Even modern people might back away if asked, "Gonna burn a shaman's relics—who's lighting it?" Let alone items from a mage who actually dealt with demons!

But Juabille bravely took the torch. Ian had assured him beforehand it would be fine. The young mercenary trusted the young mage's words like a fool.

Whoosh! The demon ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠sorcerer's effects burst into flames. As black smoke billowed up, the mercenaries recoiled in fear.

As the fire caught, Ian shouted in the Maronius Language.

"...?"

The Maronius Language spilling from Ian's lips filled the onlooker Kira with unfamiliar bewilderment. Wait, didn't he say he was exorcising a demon, Ian? So why suddenly darkness...?

Indeed, in this gathering, only Kira could understand the Maronius Language. She had been taught the basics by Ian, and "darkness" was a word she knew. So Kira clearly recognized that the pitch-black mass was the mystery of darkness Ian had summoned.

The darkness greeted Ian with its usual innocent cheer. But to the mercenaries, that inky blackness looked just like a demon lunging to devour Ian...!

"A-a demon! The demon's hereaaa!"

"Mage! It's dangerous!!!"

"???"

Kira's pupils shook like an earthquake. Summon darkness and stage it as a demon...? That was just a scam, wasn't it?! Having expected a real showdown with a demon, her shock doubled.

"Show yourself, demon!"

"Ooooh!"

Ian bellowed fearsomely at the darkness he himself had summoned(...). Kira, watching, felt dizzy.

But Kira was the only one not buying it. Everyone else clenched their fists at the sight of the "demon" Ian had called forth.

"Is that the demon we've only heard about?!"

...Even Belenca. Kira shot Belenca a briefly cold look. Yeah... Belenca didn't know the Maronius Language... couldn't be helped...

"Wicked demon! This is no place for you!!!"

"Spit out the souls you stole and crawl back to hell!!!"

The mystery of darkness had no clue what nonsense Ian was up to. So it happily mimicked him, its inky form opening and closing like a mouth to "speak."

Ian timed it perfectly and cast a spell.

Whooooosh! As the dark mass "mouthed" words, a fierce gust blasted forth!

"Eeeek!"

"Th-the demon...! It's angry...!"

The mercenaries shuddered in terror at the horrifying spectacle. The "demon" seemed gigantic and mighty enough to swallow a small mage like Ian in one gulp...!

Yet Ian boldly faced it down. The mercenaries marveled at his astonishing courage, filled with awe.

Wow. There's someone that brave...! So that's a mage!

"Demon!"

Ian's cloak billowed in the wind. He swung his staff decisively and roared in a booming voice.

"Return to the hell you crawled from!!!"

Ian also bellowed vigorously in the Maronius Language!

...The conversation was utterly mundane. But the mercenaries didn't understand the Maronius Language.

"Dia – Ordo – Graha!"

"!!!"

The mercenaries shivered at Ian's incantation. As he chanted the spell, the demon's massive form began melting away!

"Th-the mage...!"

"He vanquished the demon!"

The mercenaries couldn't believe what they'd witnessed.

The mage roared, and the lurking demon burst out!

He rebuked it harshly, and it threw a tantrum!

But the mage stood firm and banished it to the depths of hell!

Some mercenaries dropped to their knees. It was as if a halo shone behind Ian's head.

"Ahh...! Heavens! It's such a pity this is at night!"

"The radiant sun should witness this!"

Ian withdrew his staff with grave solemnity.

"Fortunately, the demon retreated without a fight."

"...!"

The mercenaries prostrated themselves at Ian's feet, vying for position. Full prostration. Or dogeza. No need to smash their heads, but the mood demanded it. Right now, Ian was a saint straight out of scripture...!

"I have reclaimed your souls."

Ian said with a knowing smile.

"You're safe now."

"Ma-mage forever! Hooray!"

The mercenaries were utterly enchanted by Ian's performance. No wonder! A madman who could incinerate people whole, now verbally thrashing even demons into retreat!

"Thank you... truly, thank you...!"

Juabille, soul restored, bowed repeatedly in gratitude. He didn't exactly know what a "soul" was... but getting it back felt great anyway!

The only one uncomfortable with the vibe was Kira.

"...Hey, Ian."

Kira pulled him aside for a quiet question.

"From what I saw... you just summoned darkness and dispelled it, right?"

"Huh?"

"Did you really return their souls?"

"Nah?"

Kira nearly felt a pang of disappointment toward Ian for a split second. Wasn't he just scamming them by claiming he'd exorcised a demon without actually returning souls?

"They never lost their souls in the first place. How could I return 'em?"

"...?"

"The demon sorcerer scammed them first."

Ian explained. The sorcerer had deceived and intimidated the mercenaries, so Ian had done the same(...) to erase their worries. Kira's expression turned profoundly ambivalent upon hearing it. Ian had done a good deed, sure... but

It's no different from what I used to do...?

The former con artist tilted her head. Ian said shamelessly,

"Good results are what matter."

Not wrong, really.

# The next day. As the sun climbed high, the mercenaries' morale soared in tandem. Devout Church of the Thousand Gods believers, they grew needlessly brave under the sun.

"I-I got a soul. Ain't goin' to hell..."

Juabille grinned dopily at Ian first thing. Ian patted his shoulder absently.

Yeah. Seeing you happy makes me happy too.

The Juabille Mercenary Corps was now fully under Ian's thumb—no exaggeration. The old key members had all been purged by demon sorcerer Walter. All that remained were Juabille and the low-rank grunts who'd toiled like dogs under him.

"Heh heh. Mage, sir..."

A few relatively eloquent mercenaries approached Ian that morning.

"About those gems that demon sorcerer was digging up..."

"Yeah. The gems."

They'd come seeking the dead ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠sorcerer's legacy.

"We ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠know the path roughly... Care to join us?"

A win-win proposal for Ian.

"Hm. Tell me the details."