6-year-old Wise Man Wants to Walk in the Shade

 Chapter 25 - The Demon King's Castle is smashed to pieces

The members of the elite force were detained and were to be escorted to a prison in the dragon-man village.

The execution would take place after the dispute with the werewolves had been resolved.

The dragon-man soldiers were quite shaken by the fact that one of their own had turned traitor.

Everyone looked depressed and anxious.

To be honest, it was an uncomfortable atmosphere.

But it was only natural that the atmosphere would be like this.

It wasn't just about the fact that someone had turned traitor.

The issue with the werewolves over the gunpowder had still not been resolved at all, so the atmosphere was bound to be oppressive.

On top of that, twenty of the best soldiers from the elite force had been captured.

The werewolves were still preparing their camp, intending to fight.

What on earth should they do now?

A confused silence hung in the air among the dragon-man soldiers.

'How pathetic. "It's all because I'm such a failure..."

Looking at the soldiers, the chief muttered.

"Well, it can't be helped. We just need to regain the trust we lost."

"Don't say that so easily."

A bitter smile returned.

The chief himself must be well aware that there was no other way.

Come to think of it, the chief's wounds had been treated by a healer as soon as we'd joined the main camp.

Before the treatment, he asked me, "If my wounds heal, he might challenge you again, so are you sure you want me to heal him?", which made me laugh a little.

The probability that someone who asks such a polite question will attack you as soon as you heal them is quite low.

Of course, it's not zero, but I'll deal with it again when it happens, so it's no problem if he betrays me.

Although I hardly suspected the chief, I replied, "Even if he attacks me again, I'll just defeat him."

"I wish we could at least do something about the gunpowder... If the werewolves were to get their hands on it, it would be a disaster."

"Do you still want to get your hands on the gunpowder, chief?"

When I asked, the chief shook his head in silence.

"If either of us got the gunpowder, the balance that had been so well-preserved would be destroyed. If only there was no gunpowder at all..."

A deep sigh escaped the chief's mouth.

Watching his profile, I felt a strange urge to be a busybody.

It wouldn't be bad to lend this pleasant man a hand again.

"Sorry for making you hear such a weak complaint. No matter how much I complain here, the fact that the gunpowder exists won't be changed."

"Really? Why don't we just get rid of the gunpowder?"

"Really?"

"It would be better if there was no gunpowder. You're right, chief. If it were me, I would choose that path.'

'Even if you say that, what can I do...'

'I have an idea.'

'Right?!'

The chief looked at me as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

I wish he'd stop treating me like a rare animal.

In other words, we just need to get rid of the gunpowder and not fight.

That's easy.

◇◇◇

--A few hours later.

Right now, I'm with the chief near the camp set up on the right side of the Demon Castle.

This is the front line.

The werewolf camp can be seen on the left side of the Demon Castle.

By the way, Princess Clarice and her friends are waiting at the main camp.

'Well...'

This is as far as we can get.

Meanwhile, the werewolf tribe has placed scouts on the other side of the castle, in a similar, borderline position.

『Kid, what are you planning to do now?』

『I'm going to use long-distance magic from here to blow up the gunpowder. The whole Demon Castle.』

The chief was dumbfounded, then said in a panic.

『That's too far away! And how are we going to hit a gunpowder storehouse when we don't even know where it is!? It's impossible to aim accurately!』

『That's not true.』

I took out the floor plan of the Demon Castle I had received at the main camp.

『The gunpowder storehouse is probably located here.』

『How do you know?』

『Because it needs to be a place with low humidity so that the castle can be protected in the event of an explosion. It has to be here.』

『I see... But even if we know where it is, it's impossible to aim with magic from here. There's no way it can reach it.』

『Why?』

When I tilted my head, the chief's face twitched.

『Why... Are you sure you can do that? "

I nodded and then asked the chief.

"So? Is it okay to blow up the gunpowder?"

"If it's okay. It would be better to have no new power than to invite unnecessary conflict."

"Okay. Leave it to me then."

Just to be sure, I used a search spell to check the state of the castle.

Thank goodness, there's no sign of any living creature.

"Hey, chief. Can the werewolves see us properly?"

"Yes. We're setting up our camp on top of a hill. From there, we can get a full view of the Demon Castle."

Finally, it was time to put my plan into action.

I asked the chief to shout as I told him.

"Come on, chief! Scream loud enough for the werewolf camp to hear!"

"Ah, ah..."

"Ready!"

"Werewolf tribe! Look at the Demon Castle! I, the leader of the Dragon-Man tribe, will blow away the seed of disaster!!" 」

The chief's voice echoed through the surrounding mountains.

Even from afar, I could sense the unrest spreading through the werewolf camp.

It was my turn next.

I waited for the right timing and unleashed a fire spell.

Sparks like lightning streaked through the air and flew towards the Demon Castle.

Just like a shooting star.

Since my previous life, I had been confident in my control of magic.

Yep, just as I aimed.

The fire spell I unleashed hit the spot I had predicted, the powder storehouse.

A moment later, multiple explosions rang out.

Just a fire spell hitting the castle wouldn't make such a roar.

Good. I managed to ignite the gunpowder properly.

I watched in relief as the flames that rose from the explosion engulfed the Demon Castle.

With this, the seeds of disaster were annihilated.

It was easier than I thought.

"Hey kid! You're so insane! Even though there was such a long distance between us, and you hit the target with just one shot!?"

"Wouldn't it have been more fun if we'd made them more nervous? Maybe you'd have missed on purpose at first and then said, 'I only have two shots left...!'"

"You showed me a miraculous skill, and then you made such a joke..."

Now, it all depended on how the werewolves responded.

The chief and I waited for a while.

Quiet time passed.

After a while, the smell of sulfur from the gunpowder explosion began to drift around the area.

It must be about time.

I activated my detection magic to check.

Ah, I thought so.

Just as I'd predicted, I could see the werewolves retreating from their base.

"They seem to have given up now."

"...! Do you understand?"

"Yeah. The werewolves have begun their descent.'

'...I see...'

The chief breathed a deep sigh of relief.

Seeing the calm expression on the chief's face, which I hadn't seen since coming here, I thought to myself.

I'm glad we didn't have to fight, Chief.

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