The Absolute Godspeed of Infinite Worlds

Chapter 578 - 578

Axel, commonly known as the Beginner's Town.Wiz's magic item shop was located in a secluded alley behind the main street, where hardly anyone could be seen except for the nearby residents.

Eiji strode in with an unapologetic swagger and pushed open the door of the item shop.

"Welcome!"

As soon as the door opened, a robust voice enthusiastically greeted him.

"Well, well, I didn't expect to see you here, the new Demon King!"

"Barnier? What are you doing here?"

Eiji was taken aback by the sudden appearance of the masked demon and quickly wiped the villainous expression that hadn't even fully formed on his face.

Upon recognizing him, Barnier covered his mask with one hand, arched his back like an iron bridge, extended a delicate finger, and greeted him in an exaggerated, DIO-esque manner.

He was also wearing an oddly out-of-place apron and had just loudly welcomed Eiji, making him seem like an employee of the shop.

"You ask why I am here? That's a long story!"

"Then keep it short."

"Wiz is my dearest friend!"

"I see!"

Eiji nodded in understanding.

When Barnier left the Demon King's Castle, he did mention he was going to find his dearest friend.

Who would have thought it was Wiz?

"You and Wiz actually get along?"

Eiji found this quite strange.

"That involves some youthful past—of course, Wiz's youth, since I'm already thousands of years old!"

In short, they became friends through rivalry.

In her younger days, Wiz would kill anything she deemed evil, and Barnier was no exception. Though she never once defeated him, she couldn't resist charging at him every time they met, eventually forging a bond.

When Wiz's companion was struck by Beldia's Death Proclamation and left with little time to live, it was Barnier who helped her become a lich, allowing her to storm the Demon King's Castle and force Beldia to compromise.

"Achoo!"

A loud sneeze suddenly came from the back of the shop.

"I actually sneezed! Mr. Barnier, you must have been secretly calling me an idiot again!"

Hurried footsteps followed as the beautiful shopkeeper with brown hair and a purple dress rushed out from the back, glaring indignantly at Barnier.

"Though I do call you an idiot a hundred times a day—even treating it like a child's homework—I wasn't doing it just now."

Barnier straightened his collar, exuding the demeanor of an elegant noble.

"How cruel!"

Wiz pouted, looking even more aggrieved.

"He was just talking about your younger days," Eiji interjected, helping Barnier explain.

"That's even worse! I'm still very young, you know!"

Wiz's lips trembled, her expression growing even more pitiful.

"So how old are you now?"

Eiji asked curiously.

"Twenty years old!"

Wiz said this as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"Seriously?"

Eiji was instantly shocked.

Wasn't the Ice Witch active ten years ago?

If she's only twenty now, that would mean she was just ten years old back then!

At ten, she was already undefeated across the nation, beating Beldia to his knees and making him call her "Mom"?

You're not a reincarnated one—you're an isekai protagonist!

"Kehaha! This woman was already twenty years old ten years ago."

Barnier laughed uproariously, his tone dripping with disdain.

"Women in this world always care about their age, always trying to make themselves sound younger. But this woman is truly a rare specimen! She actually believes that because she became a lich, her age no longer increases!"

A murderous aura!

Amid Barnier's laughter, Eiji suddenly shuddered.

"Cursed Crystal Prison!"

Wiz suddenly shouted.

In an instant, the entire shop seemed to plunge into absolute zero, with icy cold air spreading everywhere.

"It's not natural for a lich to age! So I'm forever twenty years old! That will never change!"

"Id-idiot! You're going to destroy the shop!"

Barnier hurriedly intervened to stop the spread of the cold air.

After a while, he managed to protect the precarious little shop, preventing the walls from collapsing.

"Dammit, all the merchandise is frozen!"

Barnier's expression turned extremely grim, his murderous intent palpable.

Looking around, most of the goods on the shelves were covered in white frost, with some even frozen into icy shards.

"T-this isn't my fault, you know!"

Wiz looked at the surrounding devastation and finally calmed down, her expression turning sheepish.

"If Barnier hadn't said such things, I wouldn't have cast an advanced spell! So this is all Barnier's fault, yes, it's all Barnier's fault, so hurry up and pay up!"

Though sudden, Eiji witnessed a rather shameless side of Wiz.

"Do you think I'd obediently apologize? Stop dreaming!"

Barnier flew into a rage upon hearing this, pointing at Wiz's nose and scolding her loudly.

"You incompetent shopkeeper! Always stocking worthless goods is one thing, but now you're trying to pin the blame on me? No wonder you grow poorer the more you run this shop! Hmph, I heard you secretly stole treasures worth over two billion from the Demon King's Castle, yet you're still in this pathetic state. How laughable!"

"You better repent—Barnier-style Killing Beam!"

Barnier struck a pose like Ultraman firing his beam and blasted Wiz down.

Soon, the smell of charred flesh wafted from Wiz's prone form.

"Doesn't look like she'll wake up anytime soon."

Eiji poked Wiz's body with a wooden stick. Her eyes were crossed out like an X, clearly knocked unconscious.

"You two get along really well."

Eiji glanced at Wiz, then at Barnier.

He began to wonder if he should tone things down a bit.

"A cursed bond, that's all."

Barnier waved his hand wearily, his face a picture of painful reminiscence.

"Forgive me for asking, but were you two ever... involved?"

Eiji asked somewhat uncertainly.

These two seemed really close—maybe they were a couple?

Does that make me the homewrecker?

I'll cut down any homewrecker with a single strike!

"Pfft—HAHAHA!"

But Barnier burst into laughter, barely able to contain himself.

"Ah, the new Demon King! I've heard of your exploits—calling all the succubi from the succubus shop to your palace for the night. Quite the lecherous fellow! So now you've set your sights on Wiz?"

He let out a sinister chuckle.

"No problem! Go ahead and make your move! Should I help you tie her up and deliver her to your bed?"

"Sounds too good to be true?"

Eiji was tempted but still skeptical.

"You're not joking, are you?"

"Demons dig traps, but we never lie!"

Barnier thumped his chest emphatically, his tone utterly confident.

"Right now, I'm working as a clerk in this shop, aiming to earn big money to fund my ultimate, magnificent plan. If she stays here, she'll probably squander all my hard-earned cash! You may be a lecher, but as the Demon King, you've got style. Your strength rivals that of a Demon Duke, making you a fine match. Besides, she's not getting any younger—it's about time she found a man!"