It was snowing in Monte de Dieux, or most people called it, the last city. For it was the last human city adventurers arrived before they set off to the demon lord's realm. The entire city was built on a giant fortified mountain. Crusaders after crusaders stood on the walls of this fortified city and kept a watchful eye out for anything suspicious. They were brave and had no fear in their hearts. As they had vowed on their first day as a holy knight of the church, they would face the darkness and entrust their backs to the ever benevolent god. And in sense, they DID had god on their backs. As the knights in their watch position, they faced outwards and always kept their backs toward the center of the town; Where the twin-tower church, the holy house of the goddesses Aqua and Eris stood in their ever pure and holy glory.

The church itself was a giant gothic building that resembled a mountain. A mountain on top of a mountain. The normally visible blue and silver roof tiles that usually showed which area was dedicated to which goddess was now gone, covered up by the white snow. Only the mess halls were known by the giant twin towers which stood and marked the place where the prayers of the people climbed up to the heavens to be heard by their lords. The clear flowing azure glow of the Axis belfry and the soft firm silver glow of the Eris belfry stood like two powerful beacons of unbreakable will that filled the coming adventurers filled with courage and those who went in hope. And to the ever-devout crusaders with both as they held halberd in one hand and held the holy talisman in the other.

Thy do not fear old age! Even the god does not know if the future thy shall be laughing! Then laugh now! conquer the demon! And slay the Devil!

The holiest passage in the Axis cult. The bell-ringer of the Axis belfry felt the rites carved into the pale crystal bell before softly kissing the bell. He looked up to the snow falling skies. 'May this praise reach thy, my goddess.' And with all his might, pulled the rope of the bell. Eleven o' clock on the Sabbath day. The clear pristine sounds of the Axis bells rang throughout the town, and as if to make pursuit, the slow, yet graceful sounds of the Eris bell began to ring along with its brother. Both bells sounding very different, yet making a harmonic melody rang through the gray-white winter skies. The Crusaders held their heads high and chanted out their cult's holy passages, as they tried to hear faint sounds of the hymns being sung out at the mess halls.

"「In the afterlife realm」, page 453 of the hymn book. At lead conductor sister Lucinda." All the people stood up as the choir stood up and cleared their throats. A young nun was standing on her feet, her eyes were glassy and fogged over as if she was daydreaming. Or looking into another world. "Sister? If you are ready anytime soon…" The slightly confused voice of the head priest seemed to call the distracted priestess back to reality. Though being slightly embarrassed, she showed no signs of it as she quickly turned back and held up her hand. Many people held their breaths before choir sang the first notes: Those who face the light, hold up your sword against the blight…

The high notes seemed to echo through the high ceiling and reach the afterlife realm, where the goddess resided. As if that were true, the statue of Eris, with her eyes half closed and her mouth ever gently smiling seemed to give off an aura that she was listening and enjoying her favorite hymn. In the second floor balcony, a young woman in her early twenties gave the almost glowing statue a wistful look. The woman had long brown hair that came down to her hips, The hair covered one of the beautiful purple eyes. The eyes, which were colors amethyst of finest quality, had a glint of pale sky blue spark to it. Almost like ice that hid behind those intense fiery orbs. Of its consequence, men who were taken in for her beauty couldn't ask her out because they were too scared to look her in the eyes. But even that demon like aura couldn't stop the men standing next to her constantly glancing at her breasts looking like it was going to burst a button at any moment. Her name was Wiz. Also known as 'The ice witch', one of the highest ranking adventurers known throughout the Adventurer Guild.

'But even my strength as the strongest mage couldn't save my comrades from being cursed.' Wiz thought. She and her party members had gone out and tried to hunt Verdia the dullahan, one of the demon lord's commanders. And it had ended badly. With all of them being cursed with 'the sentence of death'. Wiz, being desperate for finding a cure for her comrades, spent all her remaining money, and her contacts to find a cure. After spending all her money on sacred water, fees to curse-breakers, donations to archpriests went out and made a contract with Vanir, her old enemy, and duke of hell. He, being acknowledging her powers, had agreed to help her gain the power to defeat Verdia and break the spell. However, it would come with a price. She would have to become a Lich and help him earn lots of money for a long time to build his dream dungeon. Lich. The no life king. The highest class of undead. And the one of the high class of the beings of dark magic. When an ordinary magician becomes a Lich, his magic abilities advances tenfold. If she, an archmage becomes a Lich, her power would be more then enough to beat dullahan knight. Heck, she would be able to become one of the commanders of the demon lord's army. A Lich is a high-class monster after all. Yes, that was the major problem becoming a Lich: Becoming a monster. Not an ordinary monster either. An undead monster. The being of unholy power. The being considered outside of the holy order. That was the undead. they were dispised equally as the demons. If the undead were an opposition of the holy power wielded by the goddesses, the demons were very oppositions of the goddesses themselves. Every religious cult damned the undead and demons. If she decided to become a Lich, she would face dire consequences in the afterlife realm. She would be erased out of existence, soul and all. But she was willing to take it. Rosalie and Brad. They were the two persons who mattered most in her life. She could face more than death and won't regret it if it were for them. But…

She looked up at the Eriss' Statue again. Wiz flinched. The song was almost reaching the climax, and the statue, looking regal more than ever was no longer smiling. Wiz was sure the statue was snidely smirking with a cold gaze stinging her skin. Wiz gulped. Cold sweats forming on her brows. "All be seated. We shall read Fortuna chapter five verse nine to twenty-one. Thou are blessed children of Eris…"

Wiz couldn't take it anymore. She got off her seat and quietly left the hall and out the church building. Four guards wearing colorful orange, blue and green based uniforms didn't say anything as a young woman ran out of the church during the mass time. Only their gazes followed her. They didn't lower the sharp halberds and inquiring where she was going. With her dire and desperate look so sincere that they felt no inquiries were needed. Instead, they silently worried about her didn't fall for running so fast.

Wiz stopped running in an ally and gasped for air while leaning against a wall. "Hey, you. Pretty miss." Wiz turned her head and saw a shady looking street vendor with various trinkets set on his stall. He waving Wiz to come over. "Eh? Me?" "Yes, you. Pretty lady." Slightly blushing from being called 'pretty lady' Wiz walked over to the vendor. "Yes. You look like you have a lot of woes on your mind. No?" "Yes. H, how did you know?" Wiz was startled and was off her feet for a moment. The crafty vendor put on his 'honest old man face' on his face as he schemed with a silent chuckle on his mind.

'She looks like easy prey. She has that look on her face of a dumb customer. I mean a potential Jackpot. I can rip off a few thousand Eris off her judging on her gears.'

"I've been selling charms on these holy streets for almost five years, miss. I can tell how people, especially adventurers like you feel or think with one look on the face." "Really?"

'Yes, she's taken the bait. Now. For the next phase.'

"Of course. Let me guess. Troubles? With comrades?" Wiz let out a dry laugh and her innocent glinting eyes turned back into those of a Vatern adventurer. "Well, you can say that."

'Oh no! I've said the wrong thing!'

"Well, I give you my condolence." "What? Oh. They're not dead. It's more like- bad luck I guess." Wiz's face looked she was going through a lot of emotions.

'Now or never!'

"Bad luck? Hmm, I think I have something that you'll have interest in." He took out a silver necklace inlaid with turquoise. Gleaming in the center a solid iron Eris crest was set. "A good luck talisman of the highest quality. Blessed by a Monte de Dieux Bishop centuries ago. I think it will also look good on you." 'I got her now. No doubt.' Wiz's eyes were shining brightness to match the turquoise inlay.

"Here, try it." The vendor handed her the necklace. Wiz took the necklace and put it on. It looked good on her. "You look good in it." Wiz blushed and handed him the necklace back. "How much is it?" "Considering its quality, I SHOULD charge you about three hundred and forty thousand Eris. But for you, thirty-four hundred Eris. How does it sound?" It didn't sound good to Wiz. She just had enough money to cost her enough to get to the demon lords palace. The only money she could afford to spend was…

"I can only spend about two thousand Eris." Wiz put her wallet on the counter. The street vendor face hardened for a split second before making a 'sympathy face'. "…I'm sorry but I can't sell you this necklace for two thousand. I have to make a living. But" The vendor quickly reached and pulled out three small wooden boxes wrapped and sealed with talisman made from white and red papers. "I can sell you these." Wiz glanced curiously at them. "What are these?" "They're fortune boxes made by a famous priest three years ago. He sold them to me before going into hiding." "What makes them so lucky?" "Well, from what I heard, the priest was once a famous adventurer, member of a strong party with strong potentials. That is until they faced one of those damn commanders." Wiz felt her blood go cold. "The result was horrible. Except for the priest, the others had melted into a pile of meat. Heck, even the priest had lost half of his arm. With that outcome, the fear for the demon lord's army grew. And the once famous party's name slowly faded away. The priest settled here, in this town. He got drunk a lot. Gambled a lot. Losing everything, even his faith was that hard I guess." The vendor shrugged as he looked at a bird flying by. So he didn't see Wiz's face of horrors and sympathy as she recalled being seriously drunk for a while then. She felt sympathy for the anonymous priest. "Anyway. He kept on getting drunk and shouting curses at a 'blue haired demon' for lying to him, for telling him life was going to be easy with his abilities, yadda yadda. Until one day he hit the jackpot and disappeared for a while. No one saw him for a while until he came to this stall looking grieved and peaceful at the same time. And he sold me these boxes he said he made himself. 'I couldn't say my goodbyes with my comrades, I tried but I couldn't.' he said to me. 'But, I was able to say my goodbyes to my family. That's something I suppose. Take them. I don't need them anymore. In your hands, they'll make good use somewhere else. I think.' with that, he left me with these boxes and was gone, forever. Good god, why are you crying?"

Wiz was silently crying pitying and feeling he and she had something in common: The desperation and hopelessness. Though in his case, there was no hope. In her case, there WAS hope. Though that chance of hope was a fate worse than death. Was she a coward to hesitate to act when she already decided what to do? What would the priest in the story do? What would her companions do if they were in her situation? Rosalie would refuse the offer on the spot. And Brad? To save Rosalie he would not hesitate to take the offer. She, on the other hand, was right in the middle of those two. Considering and considering and not making a choice. No, she HAD made a choice but she was hesitant to act. It always came back to this: She was afraid to act. Afraid of betraying and turning Goddess Eris against her. She delayed the ritual of the Lichification continuously until she reached the end of the line: Monte de Dieux. It was here or she would have no more chance of becoming a Lich. She was a scardie-cat. She was an idiot. She was hesitant to act. she-

"MISS!" The shout of the vendor brought her back into reality. "Are you alright? You seem to be… worrying? Conflicting about something." Even though the vendor was typical lying merchant, his eye of judging people was sharp as he said it was. Wiz took some deep breathes to calm herself down. "I'm alright. And I would like to take them. the boxes, I mean."

'The sympathy giving plan worked I see. That's two thousand already. And it's not even noon yet.'

"…May these boxes bring you peace as they did to him." The vendor took the money and Wiz took the boxes. "May you be brave today." "So luck herself will find the way." with this Wiz turned to leave and the vendor went to count his days' profits so far. And he realized something he forgot to say. "OH! MISS! I forgot to tell you that, the priest! he warned me that whatever the consequence, do not open the boxes at any cause!" Too late. Wiz, deeply looking at the strange markings on the talisman was surprised by the twin belfry bells marking the end of the sermon. She dropped the boxes and stumbled and accidentally stomped on the boxes, breaking some of them and exposing the insides of the boxes to the open. On that Sabbath day, at noon, A Very strong breeze blew in the small ally near the Twin-towers church.

End of chapter one. to be continued…


Notes. Feels too cheesy. I think I'll revise it later. Anyway. This chapter is probably the longest chapter in the story. I think everyone knows who the 'Blue haired demon' the anonymous priest is talking about. Well, he should've considered every possibility before saying yes. Remember everyone. Consider every option and read everything on the contract sheet before signing a deal.

Moreover, I'm going to divide the chapters as what happens in different worlds.

Chapter one. Konosuba world (past)

Chapter two. Earth, Japan (past)

Chapter three. Konosuba world (past)

chapter four. Konosuba world (present)

There will be more chapters depending on the amount. Thank you for reading and leave reviews on what you think on the story. Every comment helps! Have a nice day!