I don't want to be a heroic spirit

There are also many masked dolls in the dungeon.

The task of dealing with these puppets was entirely given to Nero and Darkness, and since Kazuma had nothing else to do, he was responsible for holding the oil lamp at the back to light the way.

"Hey! Darkness! Don't rush so fast!"

“Oh hahahaha! Kazuma, did you see that? I hit it! So hitting a monster feels so good? Even my sword can hit these monsters!”

Although Darkness has strong physical fitness, she can't hit anyone.

However, these masked puppets not only did not dodge but also actively crashed into her, causing Darkness to be able to hit them even if she could not hit them.

Seriously, if you really mind that you can't hit the enemy, then just go learn the [Great Sword] skill.

Darkness might have been obsessed with attacking people, so she swung her sword faster and faster, and rushed further and further forward, making it difficult for Nero and Kazuma to keep up.

Staring at Darkness who was getting farther and farther away with dead fish eyes, Kazuma turned his head to look at Nero beside him.

As if taking a stroll, Nero walked leisurely in front of Kazuma, and masked puppets kept rushing towards her.

However, there was an invisible wind wall beside Nero, and the self-explosion of these masked puppets could not hurt Nero and Kazuma behind the wind wall.

Although the masked doll's self-destruction could not break Nero's [Anti-Magic], she did not want to be blown up inexplicably and covered in dust.

"Nero, you can do magic?"

"Of course, as the emperor, I am omnipotent. If you feel scared, just stand behind me. As long as you stay behind me, you will be absolutely safe."

Nero's back suddenly became tall and majestic in Kazuma's eyes.

This damn sense of security... compared to that, his teammates are just some kind of beasts.

A masochist who can't hit anyone, an explosive man who becomes paralyzed after one shot, and a mentally retarded person who loves to cause trouble.

If they're not watched over for a while, they'll do a bunch of stupid things and he'll have to clean up the mess. He's not their babysitter...

“Hey! Kazuma! There’s a fork in the road. Which way should we go?”

"Why are you rushing so fast if you don't even know the way, you idiot!"

Kazuma wanted to erase the magic circle drawn by Aqua, but since only Kazuma and Aqua knew the location of the magic circle, and Aqua didn't come, Kazuma was the only one who knew the way.

Nero didn't care about the magic circle. She only cared about Vanir who was making masked dolls in the dungeon. However, since it was her first time in this dungeon, she thought it would be better to follow Kazuma and the others. She also believed very much in Kazuma's luck. As long as she followed him, she should be able to meet Vanir.

Kazuma said that the lich Kir's room was in front, at the end of this passage.

then……

"...So what's that? So it looks like he's the master of these monsters, right?"

In front of them, there was a figure sitting cross-legged on the ground, kneading the soil and diligently making a doll.

He was wearing a tuxedo that was completely out of place in the dungeon, white gloves on his hands, and a mask on his face that was the same style as those masked dolls.

If there was still a little uncertainty before, then when Nero saw his figure, he had no doubts at all.

The person in front of him was none other than the chief demon duke from hell—Banir.

Chapter 304 The Great Devil Who Sees Through People’s Hearts

While Nero was still thinking, Darkness stood up and questioned Vanir.

"Hey! What are you doing here, you suspicious fellow? If you're making a doll like that, that means you're the culprit behind this monster riot, right?"

Darkness took out her greatsword and took a stance against Vanir.

Nero thought Darkness was a bit reckless...but it shouldn't matter.

According to Nero's understanding, although Barnil is the chief of the demon dukes, he is the most harmless demon to humans, because humans can continuously produce negative emotions that are very delicious to Barnil, so Barnil also has the principle of "not killing humans".

Nero still remembered... Vanir was called the "Clairvoyant Demon". His eyes could see everything he wanted to see, and his ability was a bit like Merlin's... Perhaps for this reason, his personality was also a bit similar to Merlin. He liked to stand from the perspective of an observer and watch the various choices made by the people he cared about in the face of various situations. In simple terms, he liked to voyeur.

However, unlike Merlin, who was a half-nightmare, Vanir, as a demon, liked the negative emotions of humans, especially negative emotions such as disgust, disappointment and shame, so he often created some embarrassing situations.

Darkness's shout also attracted the attention of Vanir, who was concentrating on making a doll.

"Oh my... I never thought anyone could reach this place, adventurer! Welcome to my dungeon! You are right, I am the root of all evil! A leader of the Demon King's army! The Duke of Hell, who leads the demons! Vanir, the great demon who sees through everything in the world!"

Vanir put down the work in his hands, stood up, and bowed slightly to the few people as if he was performing.

Paired with the evening gown he was wearing, it really looked like a performance.

"Kazuma...that person is very dangerous. Stand behind me for a while."

As he said this, Nero took out his greatsword called Primordial Fire, grasped the hilt with his left hand, and walked step by step towards Darkness.

Even if Nero hadn't said that, Kazuma had already considered backing out.

“Demon… A Demon King’s Army officer?!” Kazuma said to Darkness from behind Nero, “Hey, hey, Darkness, this isn’t something we can handle… If it’s a Demon King’s Army officer, let Nero handle it.”

“Kazuma! What nonsense are you talking about?! I serve the goddess Eris, so how can I retreat when facing a leader of the Demon King’s army, and a demon at that?! Even if it means we both perish! I will defeat this guy!”

"You woman are always stubborn when you don't have to!"

Obviously, the identity of "Duke of Hell who commands demons" is much more dangerous than "cadre of the Demon King's Army", but these two people care more about each other's identity as "cadre of the Demon King's Army".

After all, hell is opposite to heaven, and the demons of hell and the gods of heaven have been fighting for unimaginable years with both sides winning and losing. As the Duke of Hell who commands the demons, Vanir is at least a terrifying existence of the same level as Aqua.

...Suddenly I felt that Vanir was just like that, for some reason.

Hearing Darkness's words, Vanir raised the corner of his mouth in excitement.

"Oh? You said you wanted to defeat me? Defeat me, who some say might be even stronger than the Demon King? But... you're worried that guy might see me naked in the shower, revealing that I'm a girl with perfectly muscular abs. I don't know what you're angry about, but I heard eating small bones can help when you're angry. My mask is partly made of a dragon skull, so I'd be fine if you could just take a bite."

After Vanir said this, Darkness's face turned as red as a monkey's butt. She shouted "You're talking nonsense" and was about to rush forward with her sword to chop the other person, but was held tightly by Kazuma.

Vanir didn't care about the ashamed and angry Darkness at all. He stated his purpose with a smile on his face.

Although Vanir is a cadre of the Demon King's Army, the Demon King of this world has no power to command him due to his identity, so he just holds the title of "Cadre of the Demon King's Army" and helps the Demon King maintain the barrier of the Demon King's Castle.

The purpose of Vanir's coming here was, on the one hand, to investigate the death of the Headless Knight Beldia at the request of the Demon King, and on the other hand, to meet an old friend of his, the lich Wiz who opened a magic tool shop in Axel.

After learning the purpose of Vanir's visit, Kazuma and Darkness subconsciously glanced at Nero.

Because Beldia was defeated by Nero.

"Hmm? I see, I see..." The eyes behind the mask flashed an ominous red, and Vanir looked at Nero. "Was Beldia defeated by you? And even in a one-on-one situation, he was defeated with a crushing situation... Thank you for answering my doubts in my heart! The shy girl who expects the man next to her to play all kinds of unimaginable punishment games on her, and the cowardly man who is obviously very concerned about the opposite sex of the other person but dares not do anything because he is in a team."

"I...I didn't expect it!"

"I...I didn't care!"

So, is this the Clairvoyant Demon? The ability to see through people's minds is truly terrifying.

It is said that the reason why Hell was able to maintain a stalemate with the Heaven with many gods for so long was because of the existence of Vanir. His clairvoyance could see through the decisions made by the Heaven and allow Hell to seize the initiative. This is why although Vanir is not the strongest demon, he can become the head of the Dukes of Hell.

These two have been ruined.

Nero frowned slightly and looked at Vanir with fear in his eyes.

If the other party sees through my affairs...

Thinking of this, Nero quickly appeared behind Vanir and aimed his flaming sword straight at his opponent's head.

"Oh my! How dangerous..."

Vanir narrowly dodged Nero's slash by bending down, and the smile on his face looked like a mockery.

"You actually attacked me so impulsively, making that man over there think more than once about kicking out the three burdens around him and joining your team. Your anxiety is written all over your face. What is the secret you hide deep in your heart that you don't want others to know? Let me take a look... Hmm? Why can't I see it?"

The relaxed smile that had always been on Vanir's face, as if he could handle everything with ease, disappeared, and was replaced by Nong Nong's surprise.

It was obvious that he could see through even angels and weaker gods, and only the upper gods of extremely high status could block his sight, but he could not see through the woman in the red dress in front of him.

The key point is that he didn't sense any divinity from the other party... He couldn't even sense the sacred aura of the high priest. He looked like an ordinary person with relatively high martial arts skills.

Unable to comprehend the current situation, Vanir lost consciousness for a moment.

"Mmm! Now!"

Nero's emerald eyes focused, and he took a step forward, instantly crossing a distance of several meters. Before Vanir could react, the greatsword wrapped in flames had already cut through the opponent's body.

It cut in from the left shoulder and out from the right waist and abdomen, leaving a red cut on Vanir's body.

“Ugh—! I actually… As the Duke of Hell, I actually…! Ugh—Aa ...

Vanir covered the cuts on his body with his hands and roared in unwillingness.

The next moment, blazing flames shot out from the cut, burning Vanir's body to ashes in the blink of an eye, leaving only black ashes all over the ground and a strange black and white mask.

Chapter 305: A moment of silence for the suicidal Vanir

The oil lamp held by Kazuma emitted a faint light that illuminated the surroundings. The narrow underground city was so quiet that one could even hear each other's breathing.

"Have we... killed the Demon King's army leader?"

Kazuma stared at the gray and mask on the ground, his face full of disbelief.

“Kazuma, it seems like we didn’t do anything, right? The defeat of the Demon King’s army leader was all Nero’s work.”

"……I know!"

Kazuma’s cheeks flushed, feeling a bit embarrassed by Darkness’s blunt correction.

"Since Nero has already taken care of the Demon King's army leaders, the situation caused by those masked puppets has also been resolved, right? Now all we need to do is enter that room and erase the magic circle left by that idiot Aqua, and our goal will be achieved."

"Wow, I met a Demon King general, but I didn't show anything... I thought I'd finally be able to show off after miraculously defeating a monster today..."

After entering the room, Kazuma quickly wiped off the magic circle on the floor.

With Nero agreeing to help him conceal the truth, as long as he could erase this sole evidence of his crime, the adventurers who were injured by the monsters that escaped from the dungeon would not come looking for him.

Although he felt sorry for them... Kazuma didn't want to be beaten by those people.

At worst, I can just treat those people to a meal when I get out.

Although it was a magic circle that even great demons feared, Aqua had only used ordinary chalk to draw it, and it could be wiped off with a wet cloth.

While Kazuma was kneeling on the ground wiping the magic circle, Nero picked up the black and white mask from the ashes.

The left half is black and the right half is white. There are two stars, one black and one white, under the eyes, and there is a Roman numeral one on the forehead.

"So ugly..."

Nero couldn't help but speak out what was in his heart.

“Why did Huihui say this mask is so cool? Hmm! I don’t understand…”

"Nero, we've got this taken care of... What's that thing you're holding...?"

Kazuma and Darkness walked out of the room and saw Nero looking at Vanir's mask.

"Loot? I guess... Do you want it? Megumin from your team seems quite interested in it, right?"

"Thank you, but that's not necessary... My intuition tells me that thing isn't a good one. Besides, it belongs to a Demon King general, so it might contain a particularly dangerous curse or something."

A boss of the level of the Demon King's Army Cadre might drop some kind of divine weapon.

“…If there’s a curse, as a believer in Eris, I can’t just ignore it.”

"Just stand there. If anything happens to you, I'll be the one in trouble."

“Ah~~~~! Kazuma is ordering me with such a harsh tone full of disdain. Should I listen or not? If I don’t listen, will Kazuma do something extreme to punish me for my disobedience…”

Kazuma ignored Darkness who was panting beside him...but his disregard seemed to make her even more excited.

"This is really outrageous. There are so many of you, yet not a single one has good taste. This is my favorite and most satisfying mask, my symbol! My soul! How dare you despise it so much?"

Vanir's voice came from the mask in Nero's hand.

It's really weird because this mask only covers the upper half of the face. It has no mouth but can still speak.

"Demon... Demon King Army General! Surely he's not that easy to kill?!"

Kazuma and Darkness's faces were filled with a mixture of shock, tension, and vigilance.

"Hahahahaha! You guys didn't really think you'd succeeded in defeating me, did you? Unfortunately, I wasn't hurt at all! The mask is my true form! Ohhhh! I feel it! Such delicious negativity! Thank you for the treat!"

Then, Vanir's mask shook off Nero's hand and flew directly to Nero's face.

"Well then! Powerful warrior capable of defeating Beldia! Please lend me your body for a while!"

Because he had seen Kazuma's heart before, Vanir knew that his nemesis, the goddess Aqua, was right outside the dungeon.

Although his principle is not to kill humans, gods are his mortal enemies. After learning that Aqua is outside, Vanir immediately wants to go out and kill her.