Extreme Flame Wizard

Iris: “Are we not going into town, Miss Lura?”

Lura: “I understand what you’re saying, Iris. You’re wondering why we’re not stopping at an Inn, right?”

Iris: “Yes.” Lura: “Yeah, it’s definitely safer if you spend your nights at an inn rather than outside. You’ll be able to recover from your fatigue better too. But we have our reasons why we’re not doing that. Can you guess why, Edward?”

Edward: “Because we’re transporting a weapon.”

Lura: “Yes! That’s right! So that’s why an Inn wouldn’t necessarily be safer. What if someone steals the carriage? What if someone finds out what’s inside? With that in mind, that’s why it’ll be better if we can always be next to the carriage to ensure its safety.”

Iris: “I see….!”

With Lura’s clear explanation, Iris nods her head up and down.

Igni: “Then let’s go ahead and determine the guard rotation for tonight.”

Lilly: “I prefer to be with Captain Lura!!”

And immediately, Lilly, who hasn’t spoken a word up until now, raises her hand.

Igni: (………..wow, she must REALLY not like humans.)

Lura: “No Lilly. Like I said before, we have to start getting along better for the sake of our mission. Oh! Then let’s pair you and Igni together!”

Lilly: “Waiー?! Captain Lura?!?!”

Lura: “Is that alright, Igni?”

Igni: “Yes, that’s fine with me.”

Igni smiles.

This man...he’ll smile as long as it’s a girl. He’s being Igni as usual.

Lura: “Then Edward and I will handle the first shift, and Iris, you can have a break from guard duty tonight. Alright, it’s settled!”

Lilly: “Noooooooooo!! I don’t want to!! Why do I have to be with a human?!?!”

Lura: “Igni is a [Ultimate Specialized Spellcaster • Spell One] though.”

Igni: “Yeah, I’m a [Ultimate Specialized Spellcaster • Spell One].”

Igni parrots Lura’s words and a wide smile spreads across his face.

Lilly: “So what if you’re a [Ultimate Specialized Spellcaster • Spell One]?!?! You’re just a good-for-nothing who can only use a single Spell!!”

Igni: “Oof…”

Igni took one straight to the heart and fell.

Lura: “Lilly, it also doesn’t really matter then if you can use a lot of different kinds of Spells then, right?”

Lilly: “.............but Captain………..”

Lura: “This is a direct command from your Captain. Alright! Let’s collect firewood! It’s almost nightfall! Pick up the ones that are dried out on the ground, okay? I won’t forgive you if you break branches off trees!!”

And with an unusually strict glare from Captain Lura, Igni and his group began collecting firewood.

The firewood crackles inside the campfire.

Edward: “Igni, it’s time for the shift-change.”

Igni: “Hm…..? Oh, it’s you, Edward.”

Edward wakes Igni from his sleep, and Igni sits up.

Igni: “Did anything happen, Edward?” Edward: “2 Goblins appeared. That’s all.”

Edward yawns and lays down to sleep. Igni rotates and swings his arm and shoulder around in circles as he wakes up and sits besides the campfire.

Igni: “........good morning, Miss Lilly.”

Lilly: “HMPH!!”

Lilly comes over while Igni is sitting by the fire.

He tries to greet her kindly, but Lilly looks away.

Igni lets out a deep sigh and looks at the campfire.

Igni: (........this brings back some memories…)

<<<<>>>>

[SLAP!!!]

[OW!! WHAT?! I DIDN’T EVEN SAY ANYTHING!!]

[Igni, I bet you just thought, “man, I want to be so popular that I don’t even have to do anything and women would just start swarming around me.”]

[Iーum...yeah, I did think that but…...how did you know?!?!]

[Your face said it all.]

[.....really?]

Igni touches his face.

[Oye, Igni. If you were at my level, then yes, that may be possible, but for you, it’s an impossibility!!]

[Iーimpossible……..?!]

Igni feels his confidence snap in half, but holds the two pieces barely together as he awaits his grandfather’s next words.

[YES…..! AND THAT’S BECAUSE……! <NOBODY KNOWS ABOUT YOU>!!]

[No one knows about me…..?! But what do you mean by that……..?!]

[A man who’s not well-known……..cannot be popular…….!!]

[Nーno…..! That can’t be!! You said in your Ultimate Secret to Popularity Rules that “Women love mysterious men!!”]

[Think about it from their perspective…….! You’re walking down a street inside a city and pass by a woman……..! Would they immediately fall in love with you……….??]

[Nーno, that won’t happen…..]

[Yes, being “mysterious” is <only to get your foot in the door>......!!]

[.........?! Thーthe door?!]

[And once you catch their attention, you show them your charm and THAT’S when you start becoming popular……..!!]

[......................!!!!!!!!]

[OYE, IGNI!! LISTEN WELL!! Ultimate Secret to Popularity Number 4ーー”Women love mysterious men”!!]

[.......women….love….mysterious men………!]

[But from that point, “men with charm” will be even more popular……….!!!!]

[...................?!?!]

[You cannot fall in love with a man you do not know…….!! But you can still catch their attention even if they do not know you……!!]

[WHーWHAT FLAWLESS LOGIC…….!!]

[YOU ENTICE THEM WITH CURIOSITY AND THEN IF YOU CAN CHARM THEM, YOU’LL BE POPULAR!! THAT IS THE <ULTIMATE SECRET>!!]

[YーYOU’RE AMAZING, GRANDPAAAAAA!!!!]

And all that was left was Lucas with an overly gloating, self-satisfied smile stretched across his face.

<<<<>>>>

Igni: (……..I still have a long way to go……….)

Igni lets out a sigh and a small chuckle to himself.

Yes, Igni has not spoken anything with Lilly!

From Lilly’s perspective, Igni is just another unknown human being!!

This is the opposite of popularity……..!

He is just another face in the crowd……!!

In order to become popular, he must <let himself be better known>.......!! In short, talk about himself!!

But the problem is timing……..!!

It’s now!!

THE TIME IS NOW…….!!

Igni: “Miss Lilly?”

Lillsy: “..............hmph.”

Lilly turns to look the other way.

Igni: “...........?! LILLY!!”

Igni pushes Lilly to the side.

The next moment, a giant monstrous bird swooped by!!

Lilly: “Whーwhat was that for…..!”

In the sky, the Monster Bird starts to turn around.

Igni: “It’s an Abductor Owl!!”

Lilly: “Whー........?!”

An Abductor Owl is a 2 meter (6’ 5”) monster.

They love human children, and they abduct children from towns and feed on them.

Lilly: “Whーwhy is it coming after me?!”

Igni: “They were planning to eat you.”

Lilly: “Aーare you kidding me?!”

Igni: “It’s true! I’ve been kidnapped once before!!”

But in the [Demon King’s Realm], the Abductor Owl’s were actually 3 times this size but…

Igni: “[EQUIP FLAME] {IGNITION} : [SNIPER MODE] {SNIPE}!!”

Igni has several {FIREBALL}’s created around him, and they begin to spin and rotate.

The Abductor Owl finishes turning around and comes down for Lilly once more.

Igni: “[LAUNCH] {FIRE}!!”

DON!! (*sfx impact)

The owl had its head pierced and fell to the ground.

Igni: “You’re okay now.”

Lilly: “.....................”

Lilly looked at Igni, and then the Abductor Owl’s remains, and then Igni once more.

Lilly: “.................thーthank you…”

Igni: “You’re welcome.”

Igni smiles at Lilly.

Igni’s mood is up and up after being able to protect a girl.

Lilly: “........hーhey…”

Igni: “Hm?”

Lilly: “Do you mind if I sit over there?”

Lilly was sitting across from Igni and points at a spot closer to Igni.

Lilly: “DーDon’t get me wrong! It’s not that I thought that you’ll protect me if I’m sitting next to you, but I just thought it’ll be safer, okay?!”

Igni: “..................that’s fine.”

Igni didn’t know how to respond and patted the seat next to him.

Igni: (........yup, she’s a tsundere.)

Igni’s joy peaked at this moment.

<<<<>>>>