The legend of the Crimson Demon clan started from Suqing

#319 - Beautiful girl out of the bath

The next day, in the morning.

Zun Zun stretched lazily and slowly came down from the inn, discovering that Tojima Yosuke was already sitting downstairs eating breakfast.

The innkeeper, however, hid behind the counter, shivering as he stared at him, as if wary of an orc.

In some ways, Tojima Yosuke did resemble an orc.

He casually greeted him.

"Yo, Wolf Ganburade."

"Eh, where!? ...Ah, ah... It's me, sorry."

"Hey!"

A bit annoyed, Zun Zun quickly walked over to him and began to complain.

"I'm saying, since we're going to be companions traveling together, shouldn't you at least tell me your real name?"

"Eh------"

Tojima Yosuke seemed reluctant.

Zun Zun rolled his eyes, annoyed, and said, "Speaking of which, have you forgotten that I also know who Wolf Ganburade is?"

"Y-yes... I forgot, hahaha."

He laughed awkwardly, then reluctantly spoke.

"But Zun Zun, you're also using a fake name, right?"

"Hmm?"

"You're Japanese like me, but your name is Zun Zun. At least, I've never heard of such a surname or name in Japan."

"No, you misunderstand."

Then, Zun Zun told him about his two instances of time travel.

An average person probably wouldn't understand, but Tojima Yosuke, a hardcore gamer, said he was quite familiar with this setting and often encountered it in games, so he didn't find it strange at all.

"So, your previous name..."

"I've abandoned it. Of course, I'll never forget my family and friends from that life, but in this life, I have my own family, fiancée, childhood friend, and friends, so I want to use the name from this life. Besides, having too many names isn't necessarily a good thing, right?"

"Oh, how cool!"

Not understanding what Tojima Yosuke meant by 'cool,' Zun Zun just wanted to subtly remind him not to lie about his name every time he introduced himself to strangers.

It wouldn't matter if he could remember it, but he always forgot, which easily led to jokes.

"I am Zun Zun! The foremost Archmage of the Crimson Demon Clan, aspiring to become the most benevolent, virtuous, supreme, and powerful Demon King, the one and only Zun Zun under the heavens! Pleased to meet you!"

"...What are you doing?"

"Self-introduction."

Zun Zun's strange actions and chant-like self-introduction startled Tojima Yosuke, while the innkeeper behind the counter thought he was performing some kind of exorcism, eagerly hoping he would drive away the orc, Tojima Yosuke.

"The Crimson Demon Clan's customs are a bit like chuunibyou (middle-school syndrome)."

"...I wish you could be more tactful."

"I'm Tojima Yosuke, pleased to meet you."

"Ah, pleased to meet you."

The two shook hands in mid-air, appearing friendly, which caused the innkeeper hiding behind the counter to roll his eyes and faint.

He was being a bit dramatic.

Zun Zun didn't want to bother with him and continued chatting with Tojima Yosuke.

Also skilled in crafting magic tools, Zun Zun had the idea of competing with Tojima Yosuke.

"Oh, you mean the water pitcher? That's actually just me asking a fairy to inscribe a rune and sticking it on a regular pitcher. It's not really anything too difficult."

How was he supposed to compete with that?

Zun Zun could do the same, but that rune required constant control by his contracted fairy. It couldn't be used beyond a certain distance, and it consumed his own magic power while producing water.

On the other hand, Tojima Yosuke inscribed… no, he asked a fairy to condense the magic of unlimited water production onto a rune and then used the pitcher as a medium to release the water. The two were simply combined to make it less intimidating.

A bit of research, but not much.

Because their understanding diverged greatly, Zun Zun quickly realized that he couldn't continue to have an in-depth conversation with Tojima Yosuke.

Time passed, and the sun was already high in the sky. The innkeeper, supported by his employee, left from behind the counter, but the elven beauty still hadn't appeared before everyone.

"Tch, that damn elf, she's sleeping in too much, isn't she?"

Tojima Yosuke clicked his tongue in displeasure.

If they hadn't agreed to form a three-person team, he would have turned around and left without saying a word, letting the elven beauty catch up on her own.

He was just that straightforward.

"Girls need a little time to dress up... Although I'd like to say that, isn't it a bit too late?"

Zun Zun also felt strange.

They did go to the dungeon yesterday, but they didn't push themselves too hard. She shouldn't be so tired that she couldn't move... He was a little worried.

"Could she be injured?"

"Eh, really!?"

Tojima Yosuke also became a little flustered.

Although he was harsh with his words and often did strange things that left people speechless, he was still kind and cared about his companions.

"Could it be that she was injured yesterday but didn't say anything, enduring it until she finally collapsed?"

"...How do you know so much?"

"Of course! The most famous thing in Sega games is..."

Yeah, here he goes again.

Zun Zun really didn't want to be lectured like a Tang Sanzang, constantly being educated on Sega's game background and introductions, so he left a sentence, "I'll go check on her," and quickly ran to the second floor.

He arrived at a room on the left side of the hallway.

Directly opposite it was Zun Zun's room. Honestly, he did hear some strange noises last night, but he thought it might be the sound of the old inn falling into disrepair, so he didn't pay attention to it.

Now it seemed like the elven beauty might really be in trouble.

He knocked on the door.

"Miss Elga? Are you awake? Miss Elga?"

After waiting for a while, no one responded.

"Miss Elga, Miss Elga!"

Hey, hey, hey, could something really have happened?

Originally, Zun Zun wasn't worried, but after hearing Tojima Yosuke's game background explanation, he became a little nervous. Plus, the elven beauty's character was tsundere (harsh on the outside, soft on the inside), so she might be hiding her injuries or something—

"Miss Elga!?"

He knocked on the door loudly, but no one responded. Zun Zun's knocking became more and more urgent, and even the adventurer in the next room scolded him sleepily, saying that he had returned late last night and told him to be quiet.

But Zun Zun couldn't care less about apologies and politeness. After excusing himself, he raised his foot and kicked. The fragile door was instantly kicked open, followed by a girl's scream.

"Kya------"

Accompanying it was the loud sound of an object falling.

"Elga... Miss?"

Zun Zun, who had violently barged in, saw a special scene.

The elven beauty didn't look injured as he had imagined. Instead, she was scrambling on the inn's floor, her clothes disheveled.

But it was precisely because of this—

Glistening water droplets hung on her long golden hair, shimmering in the sunlight like a sparkling stream.

A hint of subtle shyness and anger flashed through her clear, bright green eyes. Her slender eyelashes trembled slightly, like a butterfly gently fluttering across the water's surface, or like protesting the sudden intrusion.

When she realized that her privacy had been violated, a faint fire of anger instantly ignited in those green eyes, as if to burn the voyeur to ashes.

But soon, she shyly turned her head away.

As she moved, her slightly pursed red lips and two faint blushes on her cheeks were the best proof of her inner turmoil at this moment.

It was like...

"Like someone suddenly barging in when you're rushing to change after just finishing a bath."

"That's right! I just finished taking a bath!"

"Then, Miss Elga, you should have responded earlier. I thought something had happened to you!"

"How could I respond in this situation!?"

The elven beauty had a strange sense of shame. It was like someone knocking on the door when you're in the toilet. You should politely say that someone is inside, but she had remained silent, waiting for someone to barge in and see her naked.

No, not quite.

Fortunately, Zun Zun's timing was good. Although the elven beauty's clothes were a bit disheveled, she hadn't revealed anything she shouldn't have, barely managing to stay safe.

Watching her squirm like a maggot, Zun Zun couldn't help but feel sorry for her. He stepped forward to help her up, while complaining, "Miss Elga, please respond to me earlier next time."

"I know... Ah!"

The elven beauty, who was being helped up and facing him, accidentally revealed her southern hemisphere because of her clothes being turned up.

Even though it wasn't that big, the large expanse of exposed whiteness and her slender waist, combined with her golden hair shining through in the sunlight, made her even more charming than before, giving her a strange sense of holiness.

It had to be said, this was something Zun Zun had never experienced with any other woman he had met.

"Eek------"

The elven beauty exclaimed, then slapped Zun Zun out the door, slamming it shut the next second.

"How could this be...!"

She covered her cheeks, her expression hidden, but her blushing ears proved that she was very ashamed.

Then, she opened her palm.

A necklace appeared in front of her.

The necklace was only woven from ordinary thin string. What was different was the ornament on the necklace, a rare treasure worth a town, carved from mermaid tears and coral.

"If it wasn't for hiding this thing that was on the bed, how could I have stumbled and fallen in a hurry?"

She wanted to throw it away in anger, but soon paused. After thinking for a while, she put it on her neck, revealing a happy smile.

On the other side.

Zun Zun, who had been slapped out the door, slowly got up, rubbed his swollen cheek, went downstairs, and dejectedly sat down next to Tojima Yosuke.

"Hiss------"

Seeing Zun Zun's swollen cheek, he gasped, somewhat fearfully saying, "Is the elf's morning grumpiness that bad?"

"No, it should be said that it was my fault. I accidentally saw Miss Elga's body."

"Oh, is that so? Indeed, in that case, even seppuku (ritual suicide) would be justified."

"...Eh?"

"Hmm?"

Zun Zun didn't expect Tojima Yosuke to actually take the elven beauty's side, and it seemed like there was a slight misunderstanding between the two.

He later learned that in that era, the idea of samurai duels hadn't yet taken hold in Japan, and there were basically no ways to prove one's innocence. Some people would even commit seppuku on the subway.

What an extreme method.