A bottom-tier monster, [Flame Ball].
Nickname: Baby Flame.
Its temperature isn’t high and it can’t burn people.
However, if it stays near a heat source for a long time, it can gradually raise its body temperature and become the riskier entity, [Fire Mass], which can cause burns or set things ablaze.
It wasn’t hard to identify.
It’s a well-known monster that even a non-adventurer would know about.
With the continent’s temperature rising sharply, Baby Flames can be found in many areas, startling the tourists near Isaac.
“Stop this crazy show right now!”
A nearby tourist shouted urgently.
“Who on earth uses monsters in a show!”
“Oh my, what is that? Was there a monster in the lantern we’re holding?”
“That’s Baby Flame!”
“Ah, those are the guys we saw on the way up the volcano, right?”
“We had no idea there was a monster inside the lantern because we couldn’t gauge the heat!”
A tumult that could potentially stop the fire show!
However, Rosgini, despite being a wizard from the Red Magic Tower, maintained a calm tone while continuing the show rather than impulsively reacting or hitting the audience.
“Indeed, this time the challengers have clearly grasped the secret more quickly than other contenders.”
“Stop the show right now!”
“Before that, let me ask you one thing. You must have encountered people consumed by desire in your lives.”
Those who gamble for a windfall.
Those who undertake reckless training, describing it as asceticism, in pursuit of promotion.
Those who take loans from banks to expand their shops.
“The end of gambling leads to ruin, excessive training harms the body and produces only negative results, and unmanageable loans make it hard to even pay back interest.”
“But what about engaging in bets with clear answers and winning pocket money? What if you diligently train and succeed in your promotion? What if you concretely outline your business plan and take manageable risks with small loans—can that be considered excessive desire?”
“No. Desire grants the joy of achievement to those who can control it properly. Just like the lantern you are holding now.”
Rosgini is asking.
Are you a gambler, an ascetic, a big borrower?
Are you a risk-taker, a diligent trainer, a businessman?
“Those afraid of desire, you may put down your lantern at any time. Those who believe they can control their desire, please keep your lantern and take a seat. The distinction between clever challenges and foolish recklessness is up to you.”
The tourists understood.
After all, Baby Flame is ultimately a bottom-tier monster.
Even though it’s a monster, it’s not immediately dangerous.
In fact, a Baby Flame that isn’t hot can be easily repelled by a child.
How dangerous can a monster that can be extinguished with just a cup of water really be?
Nonetheless, most ordinary people forfeited out of fear that the monster might grow and become a threat.
There was no guarantee that the Flame Ball would remain a baby and not evolve into a Fire Mass.
The ones left were either competent individuals with some assurance or elite-class professionals protected by magical artifacts.
“Desire can be a driving force for growth, but it’s also an uncontrollable beast. You will need to prove that you can control your desire from this moment on.”
The frantic melody of a blood-red violin changed sharply, and the flames dwindled painfully.
“Ah, no!”
“We need to infuse it with mana!”
“This is bad; I don’t know how to handle mana.”
“The mana stone, yes, there’s the mana stone!”
“Oh.”
This is why a friend said a mana stone was necessary—never let the flame go out.
Still, Isaac was confident.
He is a noble mage.
A high-level wizard of Tier 5.
Even without a mana stone, he could maintain the flame with just his mana.
[Mana Control Technique]
[Fire Manipulation]
If the flame is too small, it could extinguish under the devilish performance, but on the contrary, the lanterns of the tourists who had enlarged the flame recklessly blazed brightly.
“Ah! Fire!”
As an uncontrollable fire broke out, water and fire extinguishing sand poured from the magic circle installed in the designated booth.
Drenched tourists staggered out with wet faces and rushed to receive cleansing magic before using the teleportation magic circle, while the number of challengers kept decreasing.
“To have this level of achievement without training amidst the blazing flames, impressive.”
An adventurer of the Silver Tier, also a flame warrior, who had come to find a training location at the volcano said.
“Fire play is unexpectedly fun.”
A cat beastfolk casually licked their furry arm, exuding confidence.
“If there are only three of us left, the victory will be mine.”
Isaac, the noble mage of Tier 5.
No matter how much the warrior and beastfolk struggled, they couldn’t surpass a noble mage’s mana reserves and mana control techniques.
He was sure of his victory.
Thud.
Until, without realizing it, he leaned against the booth and felt dizzy.
“Why is my body suddenly like this… No, it wasn’t sudden, was it?!”
[Lullaby of Nightmares]
Weakness, exhaustion, lethargy.
The last three, forcibly exposed to the debilitating performance.
As the warrior and beastfolk finally realized the disturbance and panicked, Rosgini spoke.
“Those blinded by desire often neglect their own bodies. For those seeking to reap rewards, do not crumble before the day of harvest arrives. How much have you cherished your body until now? How long can that body endure?”
As the challengers affected by the status ailments hurriedly deployed their Mana Flow Techniques to recover their physical form, the locks of the lanterns were sequentially undone.
The Flame Balls affected by [Taming] opened their lanterns and gathered under the blood-red violin.
“Your challenge ends here. You could handle your body, neglected by being blinded by desire, but that negligence has ultimately led to the failure of your desires.”
“I hope to see you achieve better results in your next challenge as I conclude this one.”
This was Rosgini’s fire show, testing the flames of your desires.
As he made his way to the teleportation magic circle, only one thought occupied Isaac’s mind.
Next time, I will definitely not fall for the same trick!
*
“Is it really going to be okay like this?”
During the lunch break that followed the fire show.
During the proceedings, everything went smoothly, but now that he’s resting, worries started creeping in.
“Don’t worry. Rosgini was amazing until just now!”
“That’s right. It was truly admirable how you handled it!”
“I thought we’d be in big trouble when the audience started complaining en masse.”
“Weren’t you scared? We thought we were doomed then, yet you remained so calm and collected!”
Rosgini blushed at the young disciples of the off-mainstream faction who followed their elders.
“Compared to the academy’s weekly events, such disturbances are nothing.”
Enduring the bizarre weekly events allows one to easily brush off the tourists’ protests!
As she was eating her lunch, the Masugaki Princess, curious about different parts from Rosgini, subtly asked.
“What happens to the tourists who go down?”
“They have to pay the entrance fee to come back up. Just collecting all the entrance fees would easily cover the costs!”
“Impressive! A malicious commercial strategy that stimulates the adventurer’s spirit, getting multiple fees from a single tourist… very clever~♡”
Rosgini’s fire show has mechanisms that provoke desire.
The participants can prepare for the known elements and have countermeasures ready for re-challenges!
“Hehe. I can totally picture those pathetic challengers getting flustered with a different sequence in the same event♡”
The Masugaki Princess suggested mixing up the planned sequences, as she didn’t want to lose her easily obtainable pocket money.
Furthermore, due to the nature of the show, they can freely utilize any kind of interference under the guise of a trial to protect the flame of desire.
If necessary, one could even roll a road roller over the venue, and if one speaks well, it can all be smoothed over!
– If the prize is 10,000 gold coins, then overcoming that should be expected.
– If the prize is 10,000 gold coins, it’s reasonable to roll out a road roller.
– Isn’t it bizarre to try to obtain 10,000 gold coins with a frail mind that couldn’t even handle a road roller?
Even in a mental simulation, the audience would surely react and create supporting opinions.
Hmm.
With this plan, it’s guaranteed.
Even if a hundred tourists come, they can all be kept at bay!
No other tourist attraction could be more entertaining than the fire show, so tourists would gather near the show venue with teleportation magic circles ready to send them off if needed.
A truly meticulous composition!
“How~~~pathetic♡”
However, neither Rosgini nor anyone expected the Masugaki Princess alone would lead to such delightful consequences.
“So popular♡ There’s a line of tourists that extends to the foot of the mountain♡ Even the residents of Volcano Four are flocking over to see it in a time they could be evacuating!”
A fantastical fire show.
Thanks to the booming popularity, tourist numbers skyrocketed.
If the demon shows up, it’s an event doubling the casualties beyond expectations!
*
An excellent opportunity to sacrifice double the number of people.
Orde Taco, who had been waiting for the Box Cat’s signal, began to doubt his ears.
“What’s the reason you didn’t send the signal?”
“I was having too much fun watching the fire show and ended up watching it three more times.”
“…”
The demon who came to assist with the attack abandoned his original profession to become a tourist.
