I Have been Reincarnated As a Lazy, Arrogant Noble, but When I Destroyed The Scenario Through Effort, I Became The Most Powerful With Extraordinary Magical Power - Chapter 254.2

Interlude: The Creeping Group

A city full of villains—Trava.

A man was buying fruit at a small shop.

He had short black hair, black eyes, and a sturdy build, though he wasn’t very tall. He wore a black coat and had the distinct features of an East Asian.

“Thanks, ‘Roz’! You always buy a lot, and it really helps me out.”

“No, no, the fruit here is just amazing. Umm…”

He pulled out some coins from a small cloth wallet and placed them carelessly in his palm.

As he struggled to check them one by one, the shopkeeper quickly snatched them up.

“This is the one.”

“Oh, thank you for that.”

“No problem. But in this city, that’s not a good idea. If you’re lucky, you’ll only get ripped off. If not, they’ll strip you of everything.”

“I just came from the countryside, so I don’t really know my way around yet.”

“Well, it’s good for me since you’re buying, though.”

“About that, I’ve actually decided to leave soon.”

“Oh, really? I should’ve given you a discount, then.”

“Not at all. I’ll see you around.”

“Alright, take care.”

As Roz walked away, the shopkeeper flicked one of the coins into the air.

“Damn, there goes an easy target… Well, whatever, I’ve already made plenty off him. But if he can afford to spend that much on fruit… Hmm. Should I squeeze him for all he’s worth?”

With a creepy grin, he let out a chuckle.

Roz walked at a relaxed pace and entered an inconspicuous inn.

After greeting the receptionist politely and giving them a piece of fruit, he headed up the stairs to the second floor.

He stopped in front of the biggest room at the very end and knocked three times.

The door opened with a clack, revealing a young man with blond hair, also dressed in a black coat.

He was quite young, probably in his late teens.

“Roz, did you find anything good?”

“Yeah, Sham, I got plenty of things you’d like.”

Inside, Sham casually grabbed a fruit and took a big bite.

Juice dripped from the fruit, landing on his chest, but he didn’t care.

“Man, apples here are seriously amazing—ouch!”

“Would you stop that already!? It’s ‘Roz-sama,’ not just ‘Roz.’ And you of all people shouldn’t be eating first!”

“Shut up, Peach! I’ve been stuck in this room forever. This much should be fine!”

The one who smacked Sham on the head was a short-haired girl with pink hair—Peach.

She was the same age as Sham. She politely thanked Roz and picked up a fruit for herself.

The moment she took a bite, her face lit up.

“Ahh, this is so good… Why is fruit here so delicious, Roz-sama?”

“It’s because of the land. This place has four seasons, and the merchants are clever. If you pretend not to understand money, they’ll overcharge you over and over. But that just means they’re smart enough to sell good products. …Kuro, wake up.”

A boy, smaller than anyone else, was still in bed.

With black hair and slightly droopy eyes, he rubbed his sleepy face as he woke up.

“Welcome back, Roz.”

“It’s ‘Roz-sama,’ Kuro.”

“Don’t worry about it. Here—”

“Thank you.”

Kuro took the fruit and started eating it drowsily.

But before long, his eyes started closing again.

Peach sighed while Sham snickered.

“—That’s the last meal we’ll have here.”

Roz suddenly spoke.

Hearing this, Kuro snapped awake, and Sham grinned excitedly.

“Wait, does that mean we finally have a mission!?”

“We’ve located an ancient magic artifact. It seems a noble on the frontier has been keeping it. If we steal it and return, the job is done.”

After Roz explained, Peach raised her hand.

“What is it?”

“So, it’s just the four of us? No demons? No reinforcements?”

“They won’t get involved directly. The Demon King said, ‘That’s just how it is.’”

Sham raised his voice in frustration.

“Again with this crap!? Those guys act all high and mighty! They think of us as some eternal loser nation… They just throw us into the human world and then take the credit at the end.”

“Calm down. But actually, this is a good deal. If we succeed, they’ll return all of our land.”

Peach, Sham, and Kuro’s expressions changed.

“Wait… Are you serious?”

“Kuro-sama, do you really think the demons would do that?”

“Yeah. They don’t lie. But… someone will probably try to interfere with this mission.”

Kuro quietly asked,

“What do you mean?”

“You know the demons’ invasion plan failed, right? The same humans from then will likely try to stop us.”

“That makes no sense. How would they even know we’re going after the artifact?”

“I don’t know. Maybe they have future-sight magic, maybe they can read minds, maybe they’ve been spying on the Demon Realm. There are many possibilities.”

Peach frowned.

“I doubt such magic exists. And humans barely even acknowledge the Demon Realm, let alone spy on it.”

“Probably. But for the demons to promise to return our land, they must think this mission is incredibly difficult. Or maybe…”

“They expect us to fail from the start?”

Kuro interrupted.

“That’s highly possible. But this is the Demon King’s order. Unlike demons, he doesn’t act just for pleasure. If we succeed, great. If we fail, they’ll still gain intel on the humans. If we all die, that’s just a bonus for them.”

“Roz-sama, you’re a general, so that makes sense. But what about Sham? If he dies, won’t it be pointless?”

“Hey, dumbass! Who do you think I am? I can handle demons no problem!”

“Yeah, right. Maybe Kuro could, but not you.”

“What was that!?”

“Stop fighting. You’re all capable. You’re just as good as any demon. If we succeed, rebuilding our country, Ataolas, will no longer be a dream. So we’ll retrieve the ancient magic artifact and return—all of us alive.”

“Understood!”

As he got dressed, Sham asked casually,

“I remember we’re supposed to avoid casualties, but what if they attack us?”

“Then we’ll deal with them. The goal is to minimize damage, that’s all. Luckily, the target is an estate outside town. If no one interferes, there won’t be many enemies.”

Kuro, who had just finished his apple, answered quietly,

“If it comes to it, we can just kill them all.”

At that moment, Peach spoke up quickly.

“Fifteen humans. Armed, with magic flowing through them. They just entered the inn.”

“Oh! Is it a fight? A fight!?”

“What should we do, Roz-sama?”

Sham stood up excitedly while Peach asked calmly.

“I told them not to stand out.”

Roz sighed. Sham shrugged—

“But let’s make them regret underestimating Ataolas. Peach, send them flying the moment they open this door.”

Roz grinned.

“W-what the hell!? Where are we!?”

“H-huh!? A forest!? Weren’t we just in the inn!?”

“Calm down! It’s obviously magic!”

The fifteen armed men had kicked open Roz’s door—only to be transported to a nearby forest.

They all had magic flowing through them, and some wore B-rank adventurer plates.

“Damn it! I didn’t know they had this kind of magic! H-hey, stay alert—”

“Huh!? AHHH! W-why did he just drop!?”

One by one, they collapsed.

Their attackers remained unseen—until the last man fell.

Then, Roz, Sham, Peach, and Kuro appeared.

“They were all weak.”

“Aren’t B-rank adventurers supposed to be strong?”

“Their magic levels were high, but that’s about it.”

Roz pulled his hood up and led the way.

“The ones who stopped the demons will be much tougher. Stay sharp. Now, let’s go—our target is the outskirts, the Antwerp estate.”