"Who are you, and why are you here? This area is only accessible to hot spring management staff, please leave immediately!"
His tone was hostile, as if Adam and the others were trespassing on his territory.
If they hadn’t known he was actually a member of the Devil King’s army, Adam and the others might have been deceived by his act.
"What are you pretending to be? You bastard, how dare you pollute this town? I’m going to purify you!" Aqua instantly transformed into an aggressive little sister.
Holy light gathered in her freshly healed right hand as she eagerly awaited driving her powerful fist into his disgusting face.
"Hmm... I feel like I’ve seen this face somewhere before... Ah! You’re Mr. Hans!" Standing at the back, Wiz studied the middle-aged man for a moment, then directly exposed the lie he was trying to maintain.
"Y-y-you... what are you talking about?" Hans turned his head away, not daring to look directly at the Lich standing in front of him.
He appeared visibly shaken — the most obvious sign of a guilty conscience.
"Mr. Hans, it’s me!" Wiz stepped forward and said, "It’s Wiz, your colleague from the Devil King’s army!"
"What are you talking about, Devil King’s army... I know nothing about that!" His final defense sounded even more flustered.
"Mr. Hans! It’s me, Wiz the Lich!"
"Lich... isn’t that the highest level of undead? Such a dangerous existence... Anyway, I’m not poisonous, and I didn’t pollute the hot spring!"
That statement was basically a confession. ᴛhis chapter is ᴜpdated by NoveI~Fire.net
No one had specified the hot spring was contaminated with poison, yet Hans, under Wiz’s questioning, nervously revealed the true cause himself.
This immediately alerted Wiz, who suddenly remembered his identity.
"Speaking of poison... Mr. Hans, I remember you’re a slime variant, a Deadly Poison Slime, right?"
"W-what! I have no idea what you’re talking about!"
Like an impatient performer falling back on the standard "I can’t tell you yet" response, he brushed off Wiz who was trying to reconnect with him.
Then Hans began looking for excuses, "You people are always making a fuss and talking nonsense. I don’t understand what you’re saying anymore. Forget it, I’m leaving!... By the way, would you mind letting me through?"
He was desperately searching for a way to escape!
Unfortunately, no one intended to let him leave.
"Save your explanations, Hans!"
"You’re not going anywhere, Hans!"
"No one would believe you anyway, Hans!"
"This is where it ends, Hans!"
"...Don’t you dare speak my name, you insignificant pest—!"
Thanks to Wiz’s revelation, Hans’s cover was completely blown, and his pride as a member of the Devil King’s army wouldn’t allow him to keep up the charade any longer.
His face contorted with anger. He glared at Wiz and shouted, "Wiz, what are you doing here?! Didn’t you say you were leaving the castle to open a shop in some backwater town? Why are you idly wandering around here? Get back to your business!"
"That’s so unfair—! I’ve been working incredibly hard! But somehow, the more effort I put in, the more money I lose." Wiz protested indignantly.
Hans ignored her complaints — she had just ruined everything by exposing his identity and destroying his plan.
"Then work until you drop dead! Don’t rest until you’re in the grave!"
He resembled a merciless employer demanding his staff work around the clock without compensation.
"Sigh... how did it come to this..." Hans exhaled wearily, "I invested significant time researching this town, making preparations, and finally executing the plan... Wiz, as someone whose only responsibility is maintaining the Devil King’s castle barrier and who has no involvement in this operation, why did you show up specifically to interfere with me?"
"...Huh?!... Um, did I somehow inconvenience Mr. Hans? I just wanted to greet you!"
"That IS the inconvenience—!" Hans bellowed, scolding the timid Lich mercilessly, "Look! Now my identity is exposed!"
"Eek—, I-I’m so sorry—!" Wiz quickly apologized.
But apologies meant nothing now — his carefully crafted plan lay in ruins.
"You people... You’re Heroes, aren’t you?"
To Adam’s surprise, Hans seemed to know exactly who they were.
"Don’t take me lightly... I’ve been aware of your identities since the moment you arrived in town." Hans pointed accusingly at everyone, his expression contemptuous and voice suspicious, "How did weaklings like you manage to defeat Beldia and Vanir?"
"With our powerful strength and unwavering determination!... I’ve always wanted to say that, and today I finally did."
Before Adam could speak, Kazuma had already coolly delivered this line.
It was a good line, reminiscent of a standard catchphrase for a hot-blooded protagonist. Of course, it would have been better without that mood-killing addendum at the end.
"Oho~ You dare to be so arrogant... But since you were able to defeat Beldia and Vanir, and you don’t back down even upon seeing me, you must have some skills..."
It seemed Hans was also preparing for battle.
"Um... if possible, I really don’t want you to fight. Can’t we just sit down and talk this out?"
"That’s impossible, you stupid lich!" Hans continued to shout at Wiz, "I’m from the Devil King’s army, they’re humans — how could we possibly sit down and talk?"
"But, aren’t I an example?"
The air suddenly froze.
"You’re a special case! You look completely non-threatening, you’re actually just a pushover, and you were originally human anyway, so of course they wouldn’t fight you!" Hans shouted as his body began to unnaturally expand.
First, his arms liquefied, then his legs, and finally his head. Hans transformed into the Deadly Poison Slime.
Or rather, he returned to his original form. The middle-aged man had merely been a disguise created by his mimicry ability.
"But I’m different... I’m a slime, a natural special variant monster. It’s absolutely impossible for me to sit down and talk with you! Die, you small fry, I’ll—"
◈ Al Huma ⫸ Algid Cophinus ◈
Just as Hans was about to unleash his poison attack, a blast of frigid air erupted from the ground. The cold, capable of instantly freezing everything solid, enveloped his mountain-like body.
This was Adam’s super Ice Magic.
The ice covered Hans completely, immobilizing him before he could react. Transformed into an exquisite ice sculpture, he stood motionless before everyone.
"Oh dear... I did say it would be better if we could talk properly. Why wouldn’t he listen?" Wiz held her forehead with a look of helplessness.
Unfortunately, Hans couldn’t hear those words anymore.
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