Frilian: This Demon Isn't So Cold

Two days later, the city lord sent someone to the inn's entrance. Carlos, Sylvia, and the other four, except for Celia, boarded the carriage used for their arrival.

"I'm going to see Carlos vanquishing monsters again," Sylvia thought, recalling past events. "The last time I saw this was... less than two years ago?"

She clearly felt that a lot of time had passed.

"Two years is a lot of time."

"Really?" Frilian didn't quite understand what Vlamé had just said.

"Indeed, how many two-year periods does one have in a lifetime?" Carlos understood Vlamé's words.

Frilian gave him a strange look, thinking to herself that he was indeed a guy who didn't consider himself a demon, and that he could even agree with humans on the concept of time.

Wait a minute... is that really the case?

Frillie thought about it seriously for a while, feeling like she was starting to develop a brain.

Arriving outside the city in a carriage, they disembarked at the city gate and saw a dense array of soldiers standing there. The leader looked very familiar; it was Alden.

"You've arrived." He nodded.

"We're here." Carlos nodded as well.

"Let me ask you first, to what extent can your magic achieve?" Alden asked.

Beside him stood a figure he had never seen before, who did not appear to be a guard. Carlos glanced at him, then quickly looked away and turned to Alden.

"If you're referring to those monsters roaming outside the city, I can handle them all by myself."

"That powerful?" Alden was surprised, but not entirely convinced. "Don't be reckless. Do you see the soldiers standing around us now? They are warriors who will fight the monsters later. You don't need to face them alone."

He paused, then continued, "And what I'm even more interested in is how much the combined fighting power of warriors and mages has improved compared to fighting one-on-one."

This has been confirmed by the monsters and demons, as they never hesitate to use magic.

But the enemy is the enemy, and Alden wanted to understand how the efficiency of killing the enemy and the number of casualties would change.

"Mages are better at dealing with groups." Carlos didn't know how to explain to Alden, "If that's what you want to know, then I don't think I should be here."

Arrogance? Or genuine ability?

Alden decided to give the other party a chance.

"Then let me see the limits of what a mage can do. After all, what I told you before was to test the power of magic."

"As you wish."

Following Vlame's words, Carlos walked in the direction detected by the magic.

Alden rode his horse, accompanied by several elite guards, ready to conduct an on-site investigation.

As for Sylvie and the others, they naturally followed Carlos.

"Are you sure everything's okay?" Alden asked again on the way.

If it were just empty talk, he could easily run away with the other party, but now that the other mages have followed for some reason, it will be more difficult for them to escape.

The mounted guards around him were his; their sole purpose was to protect him. In case of any accident, he would be the only one receiving their protection, and no one else would.

"It's alright. I even think that with my junior sister's current skill level, she might be able to wipe them all out."

"Magic, is it really that powerful?" Alden had never seen magic like this before.

"You'll find out later."

"Keep it up!" Sylvia patted Carlos on the back.

"I will do my best," Carlos replied.

Unfortunately, due to the large number of people accompanying him, he could only engage in direct combat with the monsters.

Ice Magic

The monsters surrounding them were suddenly frozen. When they passed by, the ice cracked and shattered into dozens of pieces, along with the monsters inside.

[Lightning of Annihilation]

Before the monster could dodge, it was struck by a flash of deep purple lightning.

【Judgment Light Magic】

The pale golden beams of light, unstoppable in their relentless assault, pierced through the demons blocking their path.

[Hellfire Magic]...

This is useless; the surrounding area is all forest, so we can't set the mountain on fire.

Carlos walked slowly, performing various spells without repeating one another, mainly for Alden's enjoyment.

"It feels like a picnic," Sylvia said, then suddenly realized, "No wonder you didn't want to fight on the way here, and instead sent us to participate in the battle..."

Otherwise, they wouldn't have a chance to show themselves.

"The magic can be activated very quickly, but what's even more impressive is its incredibly accurate detection of magical energy."

Vlame had been observing Carlos's movements. "If you hadn't detected the monster's hiding place beforehand, it would have been impossible to launch such a precise attack. Sylvia, Frilian, this is completely different from the battles we fought on the way here."

Monsters don't just stand there and let themselves be slaughtered; they cunningly hide their magic and wait for their chance in the shadows.

However, none of this mattered to Carlos. The monsters' waiting in the shadows gave him the opportunity to strike first. What was supposed to be a battle where the enemy was in the dark while he was in the light was turned into a battle where the enemy thought he was in the shadows. This allowed him to wipe out all the monsters along the way with overwhelming force.

Carlos didn't comment on Vlame's words; he simply remained silent as he cast spell after spell.

"it's over."

After a boar-shaped monster was pierced by the ice sword, Carlos glanced at the sky and then spoke in a completely calm voice.

In mid-air, a dragon was flying north, its silhouette appearing somewhat hurried.

Since it had already run away, and Carlos couldn't use [flight magic] now, he had no intention of chasing after it.

"..."

"Good, very good!"

Alden snapped out of his daze, leaped off his horse, and, unconcerned about the dragon's escape, laughed and patted Carlos on the shoulder.

"Truly, heroes emerge from among the young! After witnessing that exhilarating magical performance, I believe that the era of human magic is about to arrive, and that will be the beginning of our counterattack against the demons!"

Unfortunately, the person who just performed magic in front of you was a demon.

Carlos didn't say it aloud, since Celia could do the same thing, but he could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Just now, in order to find the monster's hiding place, Carlos focused most of his energy on magic detection and physical perception, so much so that using magic to eliminate the monster became a secondary matter.

Therefore, the touch of Sylvia's hand occasionally stroking his back became exceptionally clear.

The soft touch, the warmth of her body, and the unique fragrance of a young girl rushed into his mind, disturbing his thoughts.

Carlos didn't try to stop it; he found the experience quite novel, even though it might disturb his senses to some extent.

...Maybe we can do something in this state later?

Carlos started letting his mind wander again.

"As long as you're satisfied," Vlame replied with a smile on Carlos's behalf.

She knew that their deal had just been successfully completed.