KonoSuba: A Tale of this Beautiful World Vol3

by Dknightodin

The third volume of the series.

8. Chapter 7: The Final Preparations

Chapter 7: The Final Preparations

Part 1

Morning came and although I'd normally still be sleeping, the sudden noise I was treated to made that all but possible.

SLAM! The door flew open.

"Oh no, we're too late, Darkness! This nonconsenting NEET has already defiled our dear Megumin!"

Aqua stormed the room with the pretense that Megumin and I had crossed-the-line.

"Oi, could you not be so noisy first thing in the morning? And what the hell are you talking about?"

"Don't make a goddess like myself say such things; you know exactly what I'm talking about," Aqua said looking at me with a disgusted expression on her face.

"A-Are we really too late?" Darkness said, appearing at the door, clothes barely on.

"Ughhhh, what's with all the noise?" Megumin said, wearily rubbing her eyes. Opening them, she winced and grasped her head. "Ughhhh."

"Megumin, are you alright? Kazuma didn't force himself on you, did he?" Aqua queried.

"Oi!"

This bitch really said it!

"Huh? What are you talking about, of course not," Megumin said, sitting up and revealing the robes she slept in.

Aqua let out a sigh of relief. "It's a good thing you defended yourself this time."

I knit my brows angrily. "Oi, why are you making sound like I'm an untamed beast?"

Even I'm not that scummy.

She smirked proudly. "So, you finally acknowledged how much of a degenerate you actually are, huh, Kazuma?"

Meanwhile, Darkness quietly stood at the door with a contemplative look on her face.

"Oi, Darkness, what's up? Why are you just standing there?" I asked in curiosity.

Suddenly, her face went red and she began fidgeting slightly. "N-No reason."

"..."

Why'd I even ask?

After going through our morning motions, we gathered at the usual spot, the living room.

"So, what do we do, now?" Darkness queried.

Still suffering from a hangover, Megumin laid on my shoulder, her hat covering most of her face. "Can we just stay here?"

"You always get like this when you drink," I remarked. "But I agree with Megumin, we could sit in for today."

Aqua and Darkness exchanged glances.

"I suppose that's fine," Darkness replied. "A bit of relaxation is not bad from time to time."

Then Aqua spoke. "And if no one else is going, then I guess I'll stay too. Besides, we can't leave you alone with Megumin."

"Oi, seriously? I thought we already went through this."

"Humph." Aqua pointed her nose up at me. "Listen, Kazuma, you may fool everyone else, but you can't fool me, alright? I don't even need my godly eyes to see the pent-up lust boys your age get."

I frowned. "As if I'd do something like that in public; what do you take me for, an exhibitionist?"

"Worse. You're an unrestrained pervert."

"Alright, that's it, time to shut that big mouth of yours," I said, getting to my feet.

"W-Wait, Kazu-wah!" Megumin fell over. She sat up and grumbled at me. "Did you forget I was laying on your shoulder?!"

"Ah, well… You're kind of light, so…."

She sighed and then fell back on the couch. "Oh whatever. I'll forgive you if you carry me to bed."

My initial instinct was to refuse, but I quickly stopped myself. "Ugh…fine."

I went to pick her up when Aqua jumped in front of me. "I'll take her."

"Huh?"

"Huh?!" Megumin said in similar surprise.

"That's right. I can't have this boy be alone with you, Megumin."

"W-, What?! Aqua, wait! Put me down!"

However, the goddess who was infamous for getting in the way made off with Megumin.

"Uhhh, alright then."

"Well, Kazuma, you can't blame her," Darkness suddenly said. "That said, did you and Megumin…?"

"If it wasn't for you two, then maybe."

Darkness stared at me in utter shock. "T-That close?"

I continued. "Why'd you guys even come to Megumin's room that night?"

"Ah-, W-We." Darkness stopped and calmed herself. "We wanted to keep her company. I thought with the way things were going between you two, Megumin was going to end up sleeping by herself. So, I made the suggestion to Aqua."

"So, this was your fault. And here I was blaming that idiot for this."

"Fault? You two… To have such an indecent relationship…."

"Indecent? Says the one who tried to assault me twice." Darkness whimpered at the slight. "Anyway, shouldn't something like this be normal?"

"Normal? In what way?"

"I mean the budding relationship between companions of a party. Something like this isn't rare, right?"

"I-, I suppose not. Still…."

I smirked. "Ho? Is it because you wanted to be the one by my side instead of Megumin?"

Darkness looked away, the increasing blush on her face spreading to her ears. "Per-, Perhaps."

"Hmmm." I stared at her, rubbing my chin in thought.

"W-What are you staring at me for?"

"Hm, just thinking how much of a waste it is that you have such an ideal body, yet can be such a huge turn off."

Darkness staggered backwards, letting out her iconic cry of glee. "Such...such savagery. Your words, Kazuma, hit harder than a drunken brute."

I sighed. Honestly, I had to wonder what type of guy would willingly accept such a defective woman.

"Hey, Darkness," I said, interrupting her annoying moment.

"Hm?"

"If we're heading north, who's gonna take care of the things in Axel, your dad?"

She nodded. "Father still takes care of the majority of issues, I only help lighten the load. Not to mention, Walther has been steadily increasing the burden of responsibilities allotted to him. Matter of fact," Darkness said, pondering on the topic, "he started doing so when I told father I was going north with you all."

"Seems like he really wants to help you out."

Looks like Walther was still being the epitome of chivalry and overall good guy.

"How detestable. I really wish he would refuse, perhaps forge some of the important documents to his own benefit, and then push the blame onto me. He'd then approach me with blackmail and force me to commit rather lascivious acts for his enjoyment. Hah!"

Darkness let out a lusty sigh as she closed herself off in imagination.

I knew Darkness for a while now, but these fever dreams of hers were still disturbing, to say the least.

-That afternoon…

"Hmm, I should probably take a nap; I'm pretty tired," I thought.

I spent some time in the garden practicing magic. I was thinking of using Aqua's weed as a target for my practice, but quiet meditation proved to be the better alternative, though barely. Unsurprisingly, the constant mental strain of remembering chants and "feeling" out the magic worked my brain over; for this reason, I found myself getting somewhat exhausted.

When I headed back inside and to Megumin's room, I found Aqua, Komekko, and Darkness sitting in the hallway.

"Oi, what's going on here?"

"Huh?" Aqua said, looking up from the board game they were playing. "Oh, you're back." She returned her attention to the game. "We're playing, what does it look like? Your turn, Komekko-chan."

"No, I see that, but why are you guys all out here? Isn't Megumin still sleeping?"

"She is; and that's the reason I've decided to sit out here."

"Hmm, you'd still be a nuisance even if you're out here. Why don't you guys take the game to the living room?"

"Humph! That's not what I mean. I mean that I'm out here in order to stop you from harassing Megumin, again."

"Hey, who's harassing anyone?! I'll have you know that's straight up defamation. All of the parties involved have gotten proper consent for such things! Anyways, that's not why I'm here; I'm going to bed," I said, preparing to walk in.

Aqua jumped in front. "There's another room if you wanna do that. A NEET like you would even be satisfied with the couch, so off you go. Shoo!"

"Tch."

As I was about to turn around, the door behind Aqua opened.

"What's with all the noise?" Megumin said, rubbing her eyes.

"Ask this idiot," I said, pointing at Aqua.

Darkness interjected. "Is your head alright now, Megumin?"

"Hmmm...seems so," Megumin replied. She rubbed her head slightly and then took a long glance at the situation before her. "What are you guys doing?"

"Komekko and the other onee-chans are playing. Onee-chan's eyes haven't gone bad from wearing that eyepatch too long, hm?"

"Of-Of course not," Megumin stammered. "I'm asking why are you all playing in the hallway."

"It's to prevent this lecherous NEET from doing any illicit acts to you," Aqua answered. She cast a disparaging glance at me, her arms crossed in tandem.

Megumin looked at me briefly, her face going a light shade of red in the instance. "N-No need to worry," she stuttered in embarrassment, "I'm up already."

"Well, I'm tired," I remarked. "I'm gonna take a nap." With that said, I attempted to head into the room but was quickly pulled along by Megumin.

"Oi, what—"

"Shhh."

"Hey, Megumin?!" Aqua yelled after us.

"Your turn, Aqua onee-chan," I heard Komekko say as we left the area.

Suddenly, Megumin stopped.

"Hey, what's—"

"I wanna spend time with you," She said, standing in front of me.

"Spend time…" I gulped. "What do you mean? Like that? In that way?!"

Just the thought was enough to brush away the drowsiness I felt.

"N-Not like that," Megumin quickly replied. She stared at the ground, fidgeting slightly. "Gosh, is that all you think about?"

Ah, so it wasn't.

"Oh, what do you have in mind, then?"

"Anything," Megumin replied, staring at me. "We haven't really done much since the fight, so..."

I smirked. "And who's fault was that?"

Megumin glared at me. "You hold some of the blame too. Although...I suppose I'm mostly responsible for our lack of interaction."

"Hmmm."

I began to think about what we could do, but my mind was filled with thoughts of doing things to Megumin and vice-versa. Who could blame me? I had neither the services of the succubi nor the ease of doing things that would help relieve such anxieties; couple that with the way Megumin was giving off moe vibes and it should be clear that I couldn't prevent such fantasies from cropping up.

"We-, We can cook something...together," Megumin proposed.

"Oh, not a bad idea."

Come to think of it, we haven't really eaten anything today. Megumin's mom would normally cook something, as she has the last few days, but both her and Hyoizaburo were gone this morning and it seems they still haven't returned.

"So, what do you wanna cook?" I asked as we entered the kitchen.

Megumin began to think about it, and a moment later, she gasped in realization. "Actually," She said, "is it alright if you just help me with one thing?"

"Huh, uh, sure. What is it?"

"I need you to wait for me outside."

"Out… Huh? I don't get it, what do you mean? You want me to go outside? Oh, like the garden; you want me to go over there and get something?"

"N—Actually… Mhm. Can you go out and get me some red peppers?"

"Peppers?" I took an uneasy breath. "Erm...well…"

Megumin smiled. "Be careful, they'll spit in your eyes if you let them."

Spit? Doesn't she mean spray? How could a—nevermind; I really have to stop questioning how things work in this world. Needless to say, I didn't feel ecstatic about having to pick a handful of peppers. My experience with them was less than ideal, so much so, I really tried my best not to include them in any recipes; however, in those cases that I really had to, I simply made Darkness or Aqua pick 'em.

"Alright. You sure you don't want me doing something here, instead?"

"No, I got everything here, so go on."

Heading back out into the garden, I looked around for the aforementioned peppers. After a few minutes of searching I came across an individual I had no pleasure in seeing.

"Ah, it's you!" Taking a quick glance in that direction, I saw it was Aqua's Tranquility Girl. "What are you doing here?"

"You have some nerve questioning me, monster; your owner isn't here right now, so why don't we finish what we started earlier, huh?"

Mary stepped back fearfully. "N-No need to be so rash, human."

"Wait a minute, you're walking."

There was a momentary look of innocent surprise on her face, then it was replaced by a pompous smile reminiscent of a certain blue-haired goddess.

"Of course," She replied, placing her hands on her hips. "Wherever my roots extend, I can move to."

"Really. This is the edge of the garden; if it's all the way out here then… How far do your roots actually extend?"

The narcissistic plant frowned. "As if I'd tell you; you'd just find some way to uproot me, you disgusting human."

"Setting aside that it's my responsibility as an adventurer, I just don't like you or your kind."

"Typical. Not only are you a bully, but you're also a racist. As low as humans can be, you're an even worse example; what a sad excuse for a smooth-brain monkey."

This bitch! She was every bit as bad as her stupid owner and worse, she was a monster.

"Oi, you think just cause Aqua and the others don't mind having you around that I won't turn you into valuable xp?" I opened my palm and a fireball appeared.

"SORRY!" She said, prostrating herself immediately.

What a shameless monster.

"And what's up with that child-like figure? Weren't you a little more busty?"

"Of course an impish degenerate like yourself would notice."

"What was that?!" I said, the fireball flaring up like my anger.

Mary retreated into prostration once more. "B-Being away from the core of my roots takes a lot of energy, so maintaining a form like this is easier."

"Hmm, I see."

"Though, being with the Young Master's elder sister, I can see why you'd take notice. Heh. What a disgusting lolicon."

"Oi, you! Where the hell does a plant get off telling me I'm a lolicon?! And how the hell did you even learn the meaning of that, you bitch!"

"Kekeke, seems it's the truth."

"That's it, I had it with you running that stupid mouth of yours! Why does a plant even have a mouth?! Just go back to being the silent blight you should be!"

Mary stood up and spread her arms in a welcoming stance. "Go on then, do it. When the others find out about your treachery, you're sure to have an ordeal on your hands."

I calmed myself and put out the fireball.

"Kekeke, realizing there's nothing you can do, huh, you pitiful human?"

Suddenly, I leapt onto her and wrapped my hands around her throat.

"Gah?! What are you—"

"No one ever said I had to burn you to get rid of you."

Mary sneered. "Kekeke, foolish human, this body is mere mimicry; I don't need air to survive."

"No, but you do need mana, right?" I activated Drain Touch.

"GAHHHHH! What is this?! What are you doing?! Someone help! This lolicon is trying to molest me!"

"Shut up! Shut up!" I yelled, futility squeezing its throat.

This stupid plant, I wish all of them would just die.

After a few moments, the tiny body underneath me dried up and turned to a pile of leaves; it was dead.

I stood up and wiped the sweat off my brow.

"Stupid plant. *sigh* I don't have to feel bad, it was just a monster in human form, nothing else. If anything, I did Megumin's family a favor by getting rid of it."

BLAP! A thick handful of dirt hit me in the face.

When I wiped it off, Mary was standing some feet away ready to sling another handful.

"Wait, how are you—"

BLAP!

"You idiot, you really think taking out that body was the same as killing me? You're dumber than a bunch of rocks."

I stood up and slowly wiped myself off.

"Umu. I should've known that taking out that body wasn't enough. I have to get rid of your core, huh? I got some nice pesticide sitting in my bag. I haven't used it in a long time and I'm sure it's just dying to be used on aggravating pests like you!"

Mary looked at me with a tinge of worry, but her proud expression was still mostly visible. "I'll be willing to overlook this incident, human, if you just drop the hostility. I'll even stay quiet about you trying to molest me in this form."

"Don't get cocky, bitch! Like I'd be that desperate!"

She waved me off. "As if I'd believe such a lie. I can smell the disgusting amount of pheromones coming off you from here."

"T-That's not for you!"

I'm not a lolicon...and I'm definitely not into monsters.

"Fine. Whatever you say. Since someone can't be the bigger person, I guess I'll have to."

I glared at her. "And why should I show any mercy to a monster. Especially for one who seems to get off on lying to others and making them feel bad."

"Kekeke, did you just describe yourself?"

Bitch!

"Whatever," She said, shrugging. "As if humans are any different."

"Don't compare humans to the like of monsters like you."

Once again, she shrugged. "How about I do you a favor? In exchange, you'll drop this and cease your hostility."

"Why should I? And I don't recall asking you for any favors."

"This is why humans should just remain food for more elegant creatures like myself. Try to reason with them and all you get is angry grunts. I'm saying, I'll help you out. The Young Master's sister, your mate, she wants a particular plant, correct? I'll find it for you and you can go and please her. Perhaps it'll raise the chances of you reproducing...as regrettable as that'll be."

"I really wish you wouldn't put such things so crudely. You and your ilk have the problem of being ineloquent with such matters."

"As if I have to feign eloquence with a bunch of repugnant creatures. Anyhow, what do you say? Do you agree?"

"..." It wasn't like finding peppers would be very difficult, though catching them would be another thing altogether. As much I regretted making any type of deal with this monster, it'd probably be for the best if it just got the peppers for me. "Fine," I said in agreement. "Let's shake on it."

Mary looked at my outstretched hand and then crossed her arms. "Do you think me that stupid, human?"

"Tch."

This plant was too smart for her own good.

And so, I sat waiting for Aqua's Tranquility Girl to return; after some time, she did, and with a bunch of peppers no less.

"Here you go, human," She said with outstretched hands.

"Oi, you didn't poison these, right?"

"Pfft, as if I'd stoop to such levels."

Said the monster whose M.O. was preying on people's good conscience.

"Your fruits are basically poisonous."

"T-They're not, you imbecile! Anyway, do you want these or not?"

I stared at her and then at the peppers in her hands.

"Alright, what's the catch? There has to be one."

"There is none! What's with you?! Have you been so traumatized by past incidents that you're unable to accept a proper deal or something?! I'm not giving you these out of good intentions or a favor; we made a deal, human, I'm just keeping up my end of the bargain."

"Damn weed talks too much. Fine." I took the bounty of red peppers and after I did, I immediately noticed something wrong. "You bitch, these are crushed! And they're leaking all over my hands!"

"Of course they're crushed, you idiot! How do you think I managed to get them?! Whatever. I've completed my part."

I felt something wriggling in my hand. When I looked down, I saw one of the peppers was still alive and had broken free from my grasp. We started at each other in that brief moment, and then before I could react, it "spat" in my eyes.

"GAHHHH! My eyes!"

"Puahhahaha! Serves you right, you dirty human!"

Even though I couldn't see anything, I lashed out in an attempt to grab her. "You little, you knew there was one alive, didn't you?!"

"I have no idea what you mean," She replied, breaking into a laugh shortly after.

Damn it! Even if I grabbed her, getting rid of that body wasn't gonna do anything permanent.

After casting Create Water on my eyes and face, the heat died down and I was finally able to see, albeit quite fuzzily. By the time I did though, Aqua's "pet" was gone. Luckily, most of the other peppers fell nearby, so I simply picked them back up.

I headed back inside the house and to the kitchen where a pleasant aroma filled the air.

"You're back," Megumin said as I came in.

"I am. Here are the peppers."

"It took you awhile. And I see you ran into some difficulties as well."

"Yeah. I had to deal with a pest. Ended up getting sprayed in the eyes in the process."

"Are you ok?"

"I'm fine, but my eyes sting a bit and my nose is somewhat runny."

"I see. Sorry about making you go out there and get these. It's a lot by the way."

"That a problem?"

"Mostly because of Komekko; she'll eat all of them if I'm not careful."

"Seriously?"

"Umu. It wouldn't be the first time either. Last time she ended up getting a terrible stomach ache."

Was there nothing that girl didn't eat?

Megumin continued. "It's fine, I'll just boil these to kill most of the heat."

As she tossed the peppers into a nearby pot, I stared at her.

"Something wrong?" She queried.

"Ah, no. It's just when you cook, you really do look like a wife."

Megumin stared back in shock. Then she averted her gaze slightly, her eyes glowing mildly. "I-, I am a wife; I'm yours, so…" She quickly turned back to cooking, her head drooping a bit in embarrassment.

For some reason, seeing her react like that made me feel somewhat embarrassed as well. "Ah, well, I-I get that, but...I just… W-What is it you're cooking?" I said, trying to steer the conversation.

Megumin looked up at me and smiled. "It's a surprise."

"A surprise?"

"Umu. That being said, you told me you were tired earlier, right? You must be even more so after getting the peppers. Why don't you go out to the living room and take a nap. I'll call you when the food's ready."

"You sure? What ever happened to doing things together?"

"Don't worry, we can do that later," Megumin replied, a smile still present. "I don't want to burden Kazuma with too much, right now."

I sighed. "Alright then."

Part 2

When I woke up, Megumin was standing over me.

"Food's ready," She said.

"Ugh." I rubbed my eyes and yawned. "How long did I sleep?"

"Nearly two hours?"

I sat up and looked around. "Where are the others?"

"I haven't called them yet. I wanted you to taste the food first."

I raised my brow. "You're not sure if it came out good?"

"I want to know if it came out like I wanted it to."

"And I'm supposed to be able to tell you that?"

She nodded. "You're the only one who can in this case."

This made me even more curious. "Ok, sure."

Following Megumin, she led me into the dining room where a single plate of food was placed upon the table.

"Rice Curry?" I said, looking at the plate.

Megumin smiled. "Won't you try it already?"

I looked at the curry, and then I stared at the one who created it. "This better not be some experiment you decided to do. If you want a test subject, ask Aqua or Darkness for such things, they'll make better dummies."

"T-That's not what I'm doing!" Megumin retorted with a pout. "A-Anyways"—she cleared her throat—"please take a bite."

I took another glance at the curry and then sighed. "Megumin's a pretty good cook, so technically I shouldn't be worried about it tasting bad. That being said, I can't help but feel like she did something odd to this."

"Are you not gonna eat any?" Megumin said, her expression saddening.

"I am." I took the spoon and scooped some of the food into my mouth. "Umai!"

"Well, what do you think?"

"It's good," I replied, shoveling more into my mouth. "It's really good."

Megumin smiled brightly. "Really? Is it...how you like it normally?"

"Normally?"

"Umm"—Megumin fidgetted timidly—"how Kazuma's mother used to make it."

"Ah, I see. ...No." Megumin looked appalled by my answer. "It's different."

"...Oh...is-, is that so?"

"Umu, but it's not bad. In some ways it's better I gotta say."

Megumin looked at me with a beaming smile. "What do you like about it?"

"Hmmm… I don't really know, but it has a good amount of spiciness and a mild sweetness. The rice absorbs all of it nicely and there doesn't seem to be too much sauce. Honestly, Megumin, I'm impressed; I know your cooking is really good, but I'm pretty surprised at how good you've gotten."

Megumin looked down, her beaming smile now faint.

"Oh no, did I say something I shouldn't have? H-Hey, I'm sorry, did I say something wrong?"

She shook her head. "I'm just glad I could make something that makes you happy."

"...Ah, so that's it. Well...I like everything you've made for me so far; I mean, it's the effort that counts."

Megumin looked at me in surprise.

"I mean it-it also helps if it comes out good. Ahem. In any case, it's really good. Just have to ask, you didn't put anything odd in this, did you?"

"Huh? No."

I raised my brow and stared at her more intensely.

"I-, I didn't! It's just normal food."

"Hmmm."

"Geez." She pouted. "Just when I was starting to look up to you you have to go and make me reconsider."

I chuckled. "Well, if you didn't act so weird sometimes I'd probably be more willing to take your efforts at face value."

"W-Weird?!" Megumin groaned. "I'll go get the others."

When she left, I looked at the plate before me. For reasons I couldn't understand, the food tasted much better than I could explain, I don't know why. What I did know, was that eating it gave me an odd feeling of happiness and warmth; perhaps it was the spices?

I took another bite and couldn't stop myself from smiling. Umai. It really was good.

An hour or so passed and all of us finished eating; Komekko, of course, ate the vast majority and put herself into a food coma, and then, while we were getting ready to wind down for the evening, Megumin's parents returned.

"My, my, I see you've already cooked, Kazuma-kun," Yuiyui said as she came in.

"Actually, Megumin did."

"Oh? Did you, now?" She said, looking at Megumin with a sly grin.

"I-, I did," Megumin replied, looking away slightly. "There's some left if you and Oto-san want."

Yuiyui smiled. "Oh my, but of course we'd love some. After all, I'm sure a lot of love went into making it."

Hyoizaburo nodded in agreement.

Megumin's parents took their seats.

At this point, I was ready to leave to let them speak with Megumin, but Yuiyui's question corralled me into staying.

"So, when's the honeymoon?" She asked.

"H-Honeymoon?" Megumin stuttered.

"That's right; it's been a few months since the marriage, so now would be a good time to go and affirm the love you have for one another."

"A h-honeymoon isn't necessary."

"I see," Yuiyui replied, "but it isn't good to keep a man waiting so long; isn't that right, Kazuma-kun?"

"Oka-san…" Megumin averted her gaze. The angry expression she made could fool others into believing the flush on her face was due to this fact; however, everyone here could tell it was due to the obvious embarrassment she felt.

"Ahem." Hyoizaburo coughed lightly. "I'm sure Kazuma-kun wouldn't mind waiting a bit," He said. "After all, any man worth his weight in manatitie would be willing to endure Hell for his soul mate."

Well, I didn't dare give an answer; any would just end up backfiring, but as far as waiting went, as long as I had the services of the succubi I could wait an eternity.

I nodded in agreement, but I could feel Megumin's judgmental gaze pierce my sides.

"In any case," Megumin announced, face full of fluster, "we can't really have a honeymoon since we're leaving for the north."

"Ah, that's right," Yuiyui replied. "It seems I forgot."

"Speaking of," Hyoizaburo interjected, "will you be alright? I hear the northern kingdoms are exceptionally cold—and with winter coming up, it'll be even more unforgiving."

"The enchants on my winter gear should suffice," Megumin answered. "It shouldn't be that cold."

"Hmm, I suppose you're right; Crimson Demon arts are the best around, but how about Kazuma-kun and the others?"

I raised a brow. "Is it really that cold up north?"

I had to ask. Winters here could already be unforgiving, so thinking of a place having colder temperatures than that was...worrisome, to say the least.

Megumin's parents exchanged glances.

"Hmm, well," Hyoizaburo went on, "I can't say I know for sure, but I hear that only dwarves and ice trolls are the only ones able to survive such harsh climates without proper equipment."

"Really?"

If that was the case, it would probably be smart of me to buy something from the village before we left.

"Of course," Yuiyui interjected, "if that isn't enough, you could always resort to sharing body warmth."

"..."

"..."

"..."

-That night…

"Move over!" Aqua said, shoving her foot into my side.

"Kick me again and I'll dump mud into your nightwear, make it look like you had an accident."

"Humph! As if that'll work; everyone knows goddesses don't need to use the bathroom. Now enough of your empty threats and move over. Otherwise I'll make good on that threat I made this morning."

"Guh."

Begrudgingly, I did as she demanded.

As anyone could've guessed, Aqua and Darkness ended up sleeping with me and Megumin; what I couldn't have expected is that this cockblocking goddess ended up bringing Komekko along as well.

"Alright, Komekko, you sleep next to me," Aqua said, making room between her and Darkness.

For some reason, perhaps out of leniency—or more likely—thoughtlessness, Aqua allowed me and Megumin to sleep beside one another, not that that was any consolation; after all, what could we do with so many people nearby?

This being the case, I attempted to fall asleep. After what seemed like an hour or so, I opened my eyes. I wasn't getting any sleep. Besides the constant elbow in my side from Aqua's fidgeting and the constant snoring, it was much too early for me to sleep.

Suddenly, I heard a whisper and felt a slight tug on my sleeve.

"Kazuma." It was Megumin. "Are you awake?"

I let out a low sigh. "Yeah, what is it; you having nightmares?"

"N-, No!" She answered with a harsh whisper. "I can't sleep."

"So, you decided to wake me up too?"

"Eh, erm… It-It's not too much of an issue, is it?"

"Oi, don't you know sleep is an important part of a healthy life?"

"Hearing it come from you…"

I groaned. "Well then, what is it? Did you just feel like waking me up?"

"Umm…"

With her giving such a reply, I knew there had to be more of a purpose to her waking me. "Is there something bothering you?"

"No… I'm just really sorry."

"About?"

"Hurting you."

"Still going on about that? Well, I hurt you too, so… And anyways, didn't you say you felt like you had to do it? Well, it's done so, no need to keep bringing it up, ok?"

" I know, but—"

I rolled over to face her. "But what?"

Though she probably couldn't see me well, I felt her move back slightly. "...but it actually hurt to do that, and yet, I kept feeling this anger. At first, it was just a tiny seed, but eventually, it grew into something I couldn't keep a lid on. I felt bad...but at the same time...I wanted Kazuma…I wanted you to feel bad. ...I'm sorry. ...I'm so sorry."

"...Well, you apologized...and you actually feel remorse, so I guess there's nothing else to be done about it. If you're asking for my forgiveness, I'll give it to you." I could feel Megumin's eyes fixed on my face. "...I-I'll give it to you for a small favor."

"A favor?"

"Umu. Ahem, you know what type—Of-Of course when we have...more priva...cy?"

Her eyes began to glow. And yet, her tone gave no impression of anger, rather, the opposite; it was more like relief. "Is that it? I kind of wish it was something a bit more innocent, but I guess it's a bit expected coming from you."

Her eyes grew larger; she was coming closer. I instinctively closed my eyes and upon feeling her breath, puckered my lips.

Then, I felt her hand press against my forehead and sweep back my hair. "Mwah. There."

First, a kiss on the cheek, now a kiss on the forehead...was that all?

As she pulled away, I could see a faint smile on her face. "I'll return the full favor on our honeymoon."

Perhaps I should just postpone the trip north.

-Morning

"Hmm, you've been awfully quiet, Kazuma, what's wrong?" Darkness asked.

As we sat eating breakfast, I pondered quietly. "Ah, I was wondering how I could cancel the trip north."

"Cancel the trip? Why?"

"I wanna go on my honeymoon."

PFFFT! Megumin spat out her juice. "Don't cancel such an important responsibility for something like that!"

"We're going on one?" Aqua interposed, taking a sip of her tea after.

"Of course," I replied. "There can be no marriage without a honeymoon."

"It should be fun. Where would we go, I wonder?"

"Hmmm, not sure—oi, wait, what's with this 'we'?"

"Huh, what are you talking about? A honeymoon is a celebration to be shared with all your friends and family...right?"

"...Are you stupid? Do you even know what a honeymoon is?!"

Aqua gave me a curious look and then looked to the others for explanation, to which Darkness apprehensively answered.

"Um...a honeymoon...is supposed to be a trip shared between a bride and groom after their marriage."

"Yeah," I went on, "alone. Do you need me to explain what that means too?"

"Wait, that can't be right! I knew it was something that came after the wedding, but is it really not a celebration where you get to eat a bunch of sweets!"

"Where'd you even get that idea from?"

"C-Could we not talk about this right now?!" Megumin stammered in embarrassment.

Aqua crossed her arms. "You two? Alone? Humph. There's only one thing you'd try to do if you got any alone time."

"Could we really drop this, please!" Megumin said, blushing deeply. "L-Let's focus on more current issues."

"Like?" I remarked.

She cleared her throat and smiled. "Like who's going with me on my Explosion trip."

The rest of us looked away uninterestedly.

"You've been fine without it, right? I'm sure you can handle a few more days without doing it."

Megumin slammed her palm down in refusal. "Do you know how many days I've skipped?! I can hardly call it a daily thing now!"

"Isn't that a good thing? It just means you're getting over this phase in your life."

"Phase?! Why you!" Suddenly, Megumin calmed down and in a much lower tone said, "Perhaps I should just forget about that favor, then."

"Let's go do your Explosion!" I said, jumping to my feet.

-On the way to an "optimal" spot…

As Megumin gleefully hummed, I turned towards the other two. "I get why I'm here, but you two didn't need to come along as well."

"If I didn't, I'd be bored; Komekko-chan isn't around, so who would I be able to perform for? And besides, there's the matter of keeping an eye on you."

"Quit being a nuisance; you're not my mom. It's none of your business what I get up to. And how about you?" I said, looking at Darkness.

"Huh? Well...it isn't like I have much to do either. The farmers I went to help said they didn't need any more assistance."

"Your fetish turned them off, didn't it?"

"N-, No," She said with a light blush.

It would seem even the Crimson Demons have their limits.

Eventually, we came to a good spot away from the village; a large clearing on the outskirts. The pock-marked ground seemed to tell the story of this being a popular spot for other Crimson Demons to cast spells.

"How unfortunate," Megumin said as she scanned the terrain.

"What, the landscape?"

"No, the fact that there's nothing worthy enough to cast Explosion on; there are no hard targets."

"Stop messing around and just cast it already."

Megumin glared at me. "If I don't feel satisfied then what's the point in casting Explosion? I believed Kazuma would be the one to know this far better than anyone else."

"Hey, are you really making jokes like that right now?"

"I'm-I'm not!" Megumin retorted, ears and face dyed a vibrant red. "I mean Explosion is all about the feeling of satisfaction you get after casting it. The target is really important too; if it's not something sturdy or resistant, then the satisfaction of vaporizing it is lost. So, you see, I require an adequate object to take the entirety of Explosion head on."

"Mhm." I nodded in agreement.

Even though I had no idea what casting Explosion felt like, I thought I could find something analogous to it—and if it were anything like that, I could fully comprehend the need to let loose on something adequate.

Megumin let out a gasp. "Look!" She said, pointing at something in the distance.

I used Farsight to get a closer look. "A bunch of boulders. Way out here?"

"Perhaps it's a quarry," Darkness remarked.

Megumin grinned happily. "Doesn't matter, it's my target now." She pointed her staff at it. "Behold my unbridled fury, the metamorphosis of my ebon heart! EXPLOSION!"

It's been a while since I felt these feelings: the shockwave of Explosion, the reverberations, the echo of the blast, the sweltering heat. All detestable feelings in their own right, but for some reason, quite calming when combined into a spell that could only be described as indiscriminate annihilation.

As routine, Megumin face-planted into the dirt. She breathed a heavy sigh of relief.

"Satisfied?" I said.

"Hah. How many points?"

"Huh? Uh, well...hmmm, maybe...85."

"85?! Ugh...I knew it; foregoing my daily Explosion has weakened my performance. Umu, that's it. Kazuma."

"Hm?"

"We'll start my daily practice tomorrow."

"What are you—"

CRRRRRACCK! The grounds around the crater split open.

ROARRRR! And out came a giant golem. The numerous "boulders" around the site sprung to life revealing themselves to also be a bunch of golems.

"G-Golems?!" I said in shock.

Darkness ran in front of us. "I'll-I'll fend them off, don't worry! You two take Megumin and leave me!"

"Don't be stupid, you don't even have your armor!"

"I-I know! Isn't it exhilarating?!"

With each thunderous stomp, the golems closed the distance.

"Dammit! I might actually have to leave Darkness behind. If she's with Aqua though, she'll be fine...I think."

"REAPING WIND!"

A blast of wind cut past us and shredded the oncoming golems to piles of rocky slabs and dust. Turning around, we saw a familiar figure.

"Oh, it's Yunyun."

"Ah, Toad Slayer Yunyun," Aqua said happily.

"Yunyun?" Megumin quipped with an annoyed look on her face.

"I christen thee the 'Rock Pacifier'," Aqua remarked.

"N-No more names, please," Yunyun replied with slight embarrassment.

"What are you doing here, Yunyun?" Megumin queried as I placed her on my back.

"Huh?!" Yunyun let her eyes wander as she shyly played with her fingers. "I-I was just in the area."

"Ugh." Megumin groaned. "How annoying. If you wanted to tag along for my daily, why didn't you just say so instead of sneaking around like a wayward thief?"

"I-I wasn't sneaking around! And it's just a coincidence!"

"Golems," Darkness said, looking back at the remains.

"Ah, those must be from the village!" Yunyun yelled, ruffling her hair in distress.

Her shock came as something of a surprise to us.

"Wait, hold on," I replied. "What do you mean they're from the village? These aren't wild golems?"

"No. Those idiots!" Tears began beading up in the corner of her eyes, though not from sadness, but from frustration. "After we finished reconstructing the village, everyone left their golems in a large pile. I told them to get rid of it, but I didn't think they would just send them out here!"

I didn't get it. Wouldn't it just be easier to cancel the spell?

And so, I asked her this.

"I have, but they won't listen!" Yunyun looked down despondently and I heard her mumble, "Why are my kinsmen so stupid?"

"Hmm, the golems are gone now, thanks to you, Yunyun," Megumin remarked. "The problem is solved, so why are you still going on about it?"

Yunyun frowned. "Megumin wouldn't understand what it is to take care of a group of unruly people, so there's no point in explaining this to her."

I felt Megumin's arms wrap themselves a bit tighter around my neck.

"Seems you forget who's the head of our group. You're only having issues leading because you lack the intuition of a Crimson Demon and friends."

Megumin's vicious retort stunned Yunyun who had nothing to say afterward. Perhaps sensing this, Megumin went on.

"It's alright, Yunyun; you can tag along with us whenever you'd like. We can show you—firsthand—how to deal with a difficult group."

I couldn't help but peer over my shoulder at the brazen girl clinging to my back.

Aqua spoke. "Now that the golems are gone, why don't we have a nice picnic?"

"A picnic?" I queried in reply.

Having a picnic anywhere in Crimson Village wasn't exactly ideal, nevermind the areas surrounding it. Even if the golems were gone, new monsters would probably take their place in due time.

Megumin suddenly interjected. "Yunyun, why don't we all have a feast at your house?"

"A feast?"

"Umu. Since you came out here and dealt with the golems I think it's only fair that we reward you with a bit of companionship."

This girl had no shame; under the guise of such sweet words and gratefulness, she intended to extort her friend of food.

"Oh-Oh Ok!" Yunyun yelled with nervous excitement, the corner of her lip turning up in slight happiness.

"Alright, lead the way."

-At the Chief's House…

Upon arriving, Yunyun's father, Hiropon, greeted us.

"Oh, Kazuma-san. Nice to see you all again. What brings you to the village this time, come to see the wonders we've got on display?"

Yunyun interrupted. "They've already seen them! And we haven't had anything new for a long time now!"

"Ah, that's true," Hiropan said, rubbing his chin. "Perhaps it's time to go out for a treasure hunt."

"No treasure hunt!" Yunyun retorted. "They're here to enjoy a feast."

"Oh, a feast? It's been quite a while since we had anyone over for something like that."

"Really?" Darkness said in curiosity. "When was the last?"

Hiropon looked up in recollection. "Ah, I believe it was when Yunyun was born."

"T-That's enough!" Yunyun said, waving her arms in embarrassment.

"Is it that bad?" I whispered to Megumin.

"Kind of; usually we hold a feast at our house whenever there's a suitable occasion. For me and Yunyun, it would've been after our graduations."

"Oh? Did you have a feast?"

"..." Megumin looked away. "Ye-, Yes."

She didn't. Of course, she didn't.

"I see," Yunyun's dad continued. "If we're having a feast, it's best to have the appropriate levels of hospitality. Yunyun, your old man will help you."

"You… You will?"

"Of course. We'll have to put on a good presentation since you're Chief now."

"N-Not yet!"

"Come now, Yunyun, you've passed the trials and the others accept you as their chief; it's time you showed yourself to be one."

She looked down with a mildly sad expression, but her father gave her a wide smile. "Ah, don't worry. I'll still be around to give you council just as I've always had." He let out a hearty laugh. "Everyone knows you've been around to keep my head straight, it's only fair I repay you in kind."

"It's different, you're my father."

"Umu. And you're my daughter; daughter of the Crimson Demon's previous head. And now, you're Chief. Be proud, my girl!"

Hiropon's comment, urged a faint smile on his daughter's face. "Umu." And her reply was just as faint.

Part 3

"Well, if we're gonna have a feast, we'd better have some food," Megumin said. "I'll go with Yunyun to get it."

"Huh?!" Yunyun exclaimed. "T-There's no need for Megumin to go with me; I can do it myself."

"Oh hush. If I let you go by yourself we'll be eating tomorrow."

"We should set up decorations too!" Aqua said excitedly.

"Oh, decorations, huh?" Yunyun's dad said with a smirk. "There's no need to buy any; I think Yunyun had a bunch of them hidden—"

"No, shut up!" Yunyun wailed, throwing her hands over Hiropon's mouth. "I-I'll handle decorations," Yunyun insisted.

Megumin stared at her and then let out a sigh. "Well hurry up and go get them, then. Kazuma, Aqua, and Darkness will set them up while we buy the food."

Yunyun stared back, the traces of her previous embarrassment still present. "I don't like that Megumin is bossing me around, but I can't argue with that plan; ok, I'll do it."

When Yunyun ran off, I looked at Megumin.

"What's wrong?" She said, noticing.

"Ah, nothing. Just kinda surprised you're up and running already; it hasn't even been that long since you've casted Explosion."

"Oh… You're right; that is odd, isn't it?" Then she smirked proudly. "Could be the sign of a hidden power awakening within me, hmm?"

"Or maybe your body is just getting used to being drained of all its energy. Maybe if I Drain Touch you everyday, you might gain another ability."

"Eh, t-there's no need."

Soon enough, Yunyun returned with her arms full of decorative papers and ornaments. Did she really have all these things hidden away for such occasions…?

"Alright, we'll leave you all to take care of putting these up; Me and Yunyun will head out," I said.

"Right, right, you already said this, so go," Kazuma retorted.

"Umu."

With a nod, Yunyun and I went on our way.

"We should get a balanced diet with a lot of sweets," Yunyun said on our way to the market.

"How is that balanced? I say we get a lot of meat, things high in protein and fat."

"That's worse!"

"Oh? Look, it's Yunyun and Megumin; what are you two doing here?" The one asking this question was none other than our old classmate, Dodonko.

"We're on our way to buy some food for the feast Yunyun's hosting."

"A feast? What for?" The other, more obnoxious individual interposed, the girl named Funifura.

"Hm, yes, what for, Yunyun?" I said, turning to her.

"Wha?! You're the one who came up with the idea!"

Funifura rubbed her chin. "Huuuuh, I see, so that's how it is; maybe Nerimaki is actually on to something."

"Oi."

"I'm a bit surprised to see you guys here though," Dodonko said, shifting the topic. "You and Yunyun are usually out in that town, Axel."

"Well, my group and I decided to return to fulfill some important tasks, you know, tasks befitting notable adventurers like myself," I said, puffing my chest out.

Funifura frowned. "It's understandable that a girl like you would seek out attention that bad; after all, you barely have any features that would stand out." She sneered.

"Oi, I think I've let you run your mouth for long enough, why don't we settle this right now?" I said, taking up a combat stance.

Funifura stepped back some. "Heh, like I'd waste my time; I'm not into bullying, you know." She glanced between me and Yunyun and then asked, "Hey, where's that guy friend of yours?"

"Husband. And he's busy helping with the feast."

"Is-Is he now?" Funifura looked away, her cheeks slightly red.

"Hmm, would you like to come?"

"Huh?!" Funifura said, shocked by my asking her. "I-I already had other plans...but I suppose if you really want me to come you could really put a bit more effort into asking." She crossed her arms, giving me a smug smile at the same time.

"Ah, nevermind then. Come on, Yunyun."

"W-Wait! I-I guess I could come since you're asking so desperately."

"You really don't have to."

"Sh-Shut up!" Funifura yelled. She crossed her arms once more. "Whatever. If I'm coming, I'll bring my brother along; that's not an issue, right, Yunyun?"

"No, it's fine," Yunyun replied. "Dodonko can come along as well."

"Oh? Why thanks; guess I'll have to show up, then."

I cut in. "While you're at it, why don't you go ahead and tell the others about the feast; the more the merrier as they say."

Yunyun gave me a sideways glance, Funifura and Dodonko leaving shortly after.

"Megumin, what are you talking about?! How are we supposed to buy enough food now?!"

"Oh, it's fine. You'll have lots of people to talk to. This'll be a good opportunity for you to break out of that shell of yours and actually make some proper relationships. Since I won't be around, you'll need someone else's shoulder to cry on."

"M-Megumin is the one who's always crying!"

"Mhm, now let's go get the stuff, time is short."

-A couple hours later…

Upon returning, we found the others putting the finishing touches on the decorations.

"Hmm, a little bit more to the left, Darkness. Kazuma, take that one down, it's a sore to my eyes," Aqua said.

"Oi, why don't you come up here and do something instead of sitting down?! Me and Darkness have been putting up all the decorations!"

"That's untrue, you ingrate! I put up that one over there!" She said, pointing to a small hanging charm of the Axis Cult.

"Take that down, you idiot! That wasn't even part of the decorations!"

"Humph!" Aqua turned her nose up. "If I'm up there with you guys, who's gonna tell you where to put everything? Who's gonna tell you how crooked or lackluster it looks?"

"We're back," I said, purposefully interrupting.

"Ah, Megumin, good. Tell this bug-eyed NEET there's things called aesthetics one has to look after."

"Actually, we bought a lot of food so we need a bit of help bringing it all in."

Kazuma stared at me with a bit of tentative nervousness. "How much food did you guys buy? Aren't we the only ones eating?"

"Yunyun invited more people," I said, pointing at her.

"?!"

"Oh, more people?" Yunyun's father said, coming into the living room. "Ah, that's my daughter. It's been a long time since we've had to use a lot of this space; sure would be nice to have some use for it besides the mock gatherings Yunyun usually uses it for."

"Oto-san!" Yunyun wailed.

-Later that evening…

"Another round of drinks for the new chief!" One of my kin yelled.

To which Yunyun's dad promptly said, "Haha, a toast to that!"

The feast, which was supposed to be limited to a few handful of people, turned into a full blown gathering reminiscent of the end of the Crimson Demon Trials. To this end, many of the adults gathered here were indulging in heavy doses of food and drink—mostly drink; and though I'd enjoy a few myself, I decided to hold off.

Looking around, I saw that everyone was preoccupied with the happenings of the event. Kazuma was talking it up with Bukurrori and his crew of NEETs, Aqua was showing off her many tricks—much to the attendee's amazement, and Darkness...Darkness was surprisingly sharing some conversations with some of the farmers.

"Hahh." I found myself sighing, both in disappointment and happiness. Yes, they were conflicting feelings, but I was mostly happy to leave the village in a festive mood. Tomorrow would be our last day here—or so it was planned, and then, we'd be heading back to Axel for our final preparations.

Indeed, this would be the last couple days I'd see the village—and by extension, everyone; my mother, my father, Komekko, Bukurrori, that NEET. Last time I'd be seeing those I once called classmates and teachers. Last time I'd see all those I called friends and family.

I walked out into the backyard, away from the bustling hall and into the relative silence of the encroaching night. The sun had already sat on the edge of the horizon and the earliest stars were beginning to appear in the sky.

"Hahhhh." I sighed again, this time longer.

"Ah, Megumin."

I turned to see the one who this voice belonged to. "Arue. What are you doing out here, shouldn't you be inside?"

"Hmmm, one could ask the same of you. But to answer your question, I'm out here looking for inspiration; it's difficult to do so with such a rowdy crowd."

I smirked, throwing a pose. "The chaos of the Crimson Demons can only be tamed the darkness that flows within our blood."

She smirked back and said, "Of course. Such a ritual calls out to the wild desires of our kinsmen. It's probably best if a rogue idol like myself escapes the clutches of such an event. But you, you'd probably be at home with such things."

"Hm, what makes you say that? You know I never really liked crowds, Arue."

"Hmmm...that's true… But it's also true that you've changed a lot, Megumin. I don't even have to spend much time with you to know; I can feel it."

Had I really? I had to wonder.

"I never would've thought you'd become one of the finest our village has to offer. Honestly, I'm a little jealous." She smiled. "Same goes for Yunyun. Guess you really can't discount the quiet ones."

I stared at her. "...Are you really fine with that, Arue? You know, you're not bad yourself. If you really tried, I'm sure you could give me or Yunyun a run for our money."

Arue laughed. "I'm fine with my post. I'm doing what I love. I'm a writer, Megumin. Listening to and seeing what others lives has to offer and then extrapolating that on paper brings me joy. If I was the star of this show how could I possibly write anything interesting? I'm much more interested in seeing what you and the others will do." She chuckled. "You've already exceeded my expectations."

"Hmm...that so?"

"Umu... I hear you're leaving north," She said suddenly.

"I am."

"It's gonna be cold."

"So everyone tells me."

"...Hey, Megumin, try not to get yourself killed, alright?"

I looked at her with a bit of surprise. Me and Arue have never really been amazingly close, but compared to the others, she was probably the one I could say I looked up to...in some measure, anyway. Hearing her say such heavy words with a serious expression kind of threw me off.

"Of course," I replied.

She smirked. "Good. Do remember I have to write your story. Not to mention if you went and kicked the bucket I'd lose my precious ward." She said, pointing at my eyepatch.

"Heh, right. Thanks. I'm gonna head inside now, why don't you join us?"

"Hm, maybe later, right now I'd like to enjoy this scene."

I put on a quiet smile.

"By the way," she said, before I headed inside, "tell that man of yours not to be a jerk, otherwise I'll kill him off good and early in the story."

I chuckled. "I'll let him know what fate Arue, the Master Novelist has in store for him."

And with that, I headed back inside.

As I wandered in, I caught sight of Yunyun surrounded by our former classmates; they seemed to be having a proper conversation, so I stood at a distance and listened.

"You're really gonna become the chief then, huh, Yunyun?" Dodonko said.

"I thought Yunyun was already Chief since the trials," Nerimaki queried.

"I-I'll try my best." Yunyun stammered out a reply. "There's some things I have to do outside the village, but I'll take my responsibility as Chief seriously," She said, concluding with a brief nod.

"Wooow, seems Yunyun really has grown up."

"Umu," the other two said, nodding in agreement.

Yunyun frowned, but otherwise said nothing.

Funifura suddenly spoke. "Hey, Yunyun, you and Megumin are really close, right? Is she really with that guy or is it some elaborate ruse?"

"Hey, Funifura," Dodonko said before Yunyun could answer, "we did go to her wedding."

Funifura frowned, and turning away slightly, crossed her arms with a pout. "Doesn't mean anything, it could all be a trick. Like come on, Megumin of all people?! She's the last one of us who should have a romantic partner."

Still out-of-sight, I couldn't help but smirk at this girl's envy.

Nerimaki then replied. "Gotta say I'm sort of surprised myself. Honestly believed that you and Megumin would end up together, Yunyun. Have to ask, was it something you two discussed beforehand?"

"M-Me and Megumin aren't like that!" Yunyun retorted nervously. "M-Megumin is my rival."

Really, why was she getting nervous, that strange girl.

"Rival, huh? I don't know too many rivals that do as much together as you two, though."

"Guh." Yunyun looked down despondently.

This girl...was definitely gonna breed some unsavory rumors about our relationship if she kept on reacting like this; perhaps it was time for me to intervene.

"Yunyun," I said, approaching the group.

"Megumin?"

"I see you're actually interacting with people, good."

Yunyun pouted. "What is Megumin saying? I interact with others regularly."

"Ah, should we give you two some time alone?" Nerimaki remarked.

"Please," I said, "there's nothing Yunyun and I have to discuss alone. I'm quite interested in what you all have been talking about, though." I raised a brow, waiting for their reply.

"Ah, I just asked Yunyun what was going on between you two. Funifura here was curious to know if you were actually together with Kazuma-san. I was actually a bit curious too, seeing that you seemed to be having issues the last time I saw you two together."

"Gah…"

To think this girl would be so forward with her response.

"Hah!" Funifura laughed. "So it is a lie, you really don't have a romance going on. I knew it."

"Wait, was that a secret?!" Nerimaki said in surprise. "Ah, I'm sorry, Megumin, I didn't know."

"There is no secret!" I retorted. "Kazuma and I are married. We were just going through a rough patch," I murmured, looking away slightly. "The bigger question is when are you all gonna get boyfriends? For all your talk about relationships, why haven't you your own?"

All of them suddenly fell silent, then Funifura shot out a response.

"D-Don't get cocky just because you were the first, Megu-MIN! I happen to be saving myself for the perfect guy is all," She said, pompously pressing a hand to her chest.

"A-As am I," Dodonko chimed in.

"Eh, well, I'm in no hurry for a boyfriend," Nerimaki said, nervously averting her gaze.

I looked at Yunyun.

"Eh? EHHHH?! Why is Megumin staring at me?! I already told you I have no interest in such relationships! A-At least not now!" She quickly tacked on.

"Is that so? Then it would be nice if you all reserved such judgements about my relationships after you've all experienced your own."

They all looked away with a slight sense of shame.

Eventually the party began to die down; some went home, others passed out on the floor, and yet others still stuck around talking and drinking. Yunyun fell asleep amongst all of it; though I teased her, I'm sure she was tired from all the attention she was getting. Certainly, it was everything a loner like her could do to put so much effort into fraternizing.

"Ah, Megumin." Kazuma wandered over. "Yunyun?"

"Let her sleep," I said.

Yes, this girl, the Chief of the Crimson Demons was sleeping soundly, resting against the shoulder of her sworn rival; how absolutely foolish of her.

I patted the empty space beside me. "Sit."

Kazuma raised a brow and then smiled. He took a seat. "Always surprises me how lively these parties can be."

I smirked. "The Crimson Demons always know how to celebrate."

"Umu, seems so; it's the one thing I can't fault you guys for."

"Haaaahh." Now Aqua had wandered over, in her hands two large mugs. "What are you two doing?" She said, sitting on the tea table in front of us.

"Relaxing," Kazuma replied. "What does it look like?" He reached over for one of the mugs in her hand, but Aqua quickly pulled away.

"Who said any of these were for you?"

"Oi, quit being greedy; I'm sure you drank the stores dry with your unearthly appetite. Give me some."

"Humph! You should've gotten some yourself. I'd be willing to share a little if you promise to come to the Baker's store when we return to Axel."

"The Baker's store? Which one? I'm pretty sure you're banned from almost all of them."

"That's untrue! I have an amicable relationship with most of the store owners; it's just that one Baker who refuses to sell things to Axis Cultists. That's blatant discrimination and I won't stand for it!"

"Yeah? Well keep me out of it. No doubt he has plenty of reasons to barr you and your band of crazy followers from entering his shop."

"Haaah." Darkness sighed as she sat down beside Aqua.

"What's wrong?" Kazuma asked.

"Oh nothing. Just a little sad about having to leave tomorrow."

"Really? Sure it isn't because you won't be able to get beat up by a bunch of vegetables?"

Darkness looked away. "N-, No."

…

She then smiled brightly. "But tomorrow I also get my new armor; it's pretty exciting."

"I wonder how it'll look," I said, trying to imagine such a thing.

"Hmmm." Kazuma crossed his arms in thought. "I wonder too; I didn't really get a chance to see the design when I was working with Holt."

"It shouldn't be that different, should it?" Aqua said, taking a gulp of her drink shortly after.

Darkness looked down, a serious look of worry and contemplation on her face. "I do hope it isn't too sturdy."

"Hopefully it is," Kazuma interjected.

"B-But then I won't get to feel the rush of things aggressively smashing into me, pounding every inch of my body!"

"Q-Quit it, you idiot! I think it's a good thing for you to distance yourself from that strange fetish you have; it'll allow you to play your role better."

Darkness drooped her head and moped quietly.

I smiled, giggling there after and causing the others to stare at me curiously.

"I'm glad we'll finally be on the road again," I said. "It'll be just like old times, huh?"

Kazuma smirked. "Yeah, I guess. Kinda excited to go off and see new places, not that staying in Axel is anything bad."

"Umu," Darkness said with a smile. "All the stories I used to hear about those far flung places, we'll finally be venturing out to them; I can't say I'm not excited for such things."

Finishing the contents of her mug, Aqua let out a satisfied sigh. "New places means new drinks and new people to invite to the Axis Order; I say this is a good opportunity for the world to know about the beauty and grace of the Goddess of Water."

"Please don't cause me any trouble out there," Kazuma replied. "Belzerg's one thing, but we're going to a whole new place. Last thing I need is to be burdened by another unpayable debt."

"Ah!" I said, startling everyone.

"Oh, what is it, Megumin?"

"The debt," I said. "The one we had to pay."

"Ah!" Aqua gasped. "Why'd you have to say something?! I almost forgot about it."

"Ah, that." Kazuma relaxed. "I already paid it off."

"Huh?" The rest of us said. "HUUUUUUUHHH?!"

"When'd you do that?" I queried.

Kazuma rubbed his chin. "Erm, probably a few weeks after the incident. Since I saw you girls working hard, I figured I'd just pay it off."

…

"Eh, why are you guys staring at me like that? Quit it."

Aqua grinned. "A toast to Kazuma-san, for helping out the beautiful girls in his life."

"A toast? The others need drinks too for that!" Kazuma remarked as Aqua downed the other mug cleanly.

"Maybe if you acted like this more often, you'd probably have more friends."

"Oi, shut up."

I giggled. "It's fine. Kazuma's fine like this." I gently took his hand in my own. "Thank you, Kazuma."

"Umu, thanks," Darkness chimed in with a smile.

Kazuma looked away shyly, a small grin appearing on his face shortly after.

-The following morning…

We decided to spend the night over at Yunyun's. Simply put, it was easier to do so and coincided greatly with our plans; after we got Darkness' armor and packed our things, we'd have her Teleport us back to Axel.

RING! The doorbell to the smith's shop rang as we entered.

"Oi, Oji-san, the armor ready?" Kazuma asked.

"Ah, Kazuma-san."

The elder smith appeared from the back room and frowned as he saw us. "Didn't I say three days, boy?"

"It has been three days, hasn't it?" Kazuma remarked.

"I meant three full days." He crossed his arms. "Whatever, it's done."

"Yosha! I knew you guys had it in you," Kazuma said excitedly. "Let's see it."

The elder smith gave a small nod to his nephew.

Carbonimaru disappeared into the storage room. After a few minutes, he returned with a large box. "It was no easy task, this thing. That Royal Smith is insane to be able to make things like this in such a short time."

"But he's no match for the Crimson Village's master smiths," Carbonimaru's uncle added. "Now go on and open 'er up."

Kazuma went to remove the lid on the box but then stopped. "You should open it," He said, looking at Darkness.

"Ah, really? Well...allow me, then."

Darkness stepped up and unboxed the crate.

As she peered inside, her mouth opened in disbelief. She reached in and lifted the armor out. It was amazing, lined with magical runes, shiny...and black.

"Oi. Why is it black?" Kazuma asked flatly.

"Huh, whaddaya mean?"

"I mean why the hell is the armor black?!"

"Eh, well...you didn't really specify a color and neither did the Royal Smith, so…."

Kazuma facepalmed. "Ugh...you guys…."

"It's perfect!" Darkness suddenly said. "I love it."

"Huh?" The rest said in surprise.

"I said I love it. The color really goes with my name...although I can't help but feel like it might give a wrong impression."

I placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Megumin?"

"It looks really cool, Darkness," I said with a smile.

I heard Kazuma sigh once more.

"We should stop by the tailor's," I said after we left the smith's shop.

"Hm? Are you thinking of buying something, Megumin?" Aqua asked me.

I shook my head. "For you guys. You're probably going to need magically enchanted clothes to withstand the cold up north—especially since it's nearing winter."

"Hmm, you're right," Kazuma said, rubbing his chin.

Aqua jumped with joy. "Yay! New clothes; I'll finally be able to get something nice."

"What are you even talking about," Kazuma interjected. "You have a bunch of clothes you bought that are just sitting in your wardrobe."

"I never said anything about wearing them," Aqua replied, waving off Kazuma's retort. "Besides, what mortal would be able to top the comfort and reliability of my divine robes, huh?"

"Well those divine robes do squat against freezing temperatures, so if you're gonna get something at least make sure it's functional."

Aqua groaned. "Don't you think I know that?!"

Part 4

"Ho? What do we have here?" Chekera said as we entered the shop.

"How's it going, Chekera-san?" Kazuma remarked.

"It's been quite the while, Kazuma my boy. What brings you all here?"

"We're going north."

"North?"

"Umu, beyond Elroad."

"Chekera-san," I began, "we'll need some cold resistance enchantments for our clothing."

"I see." He stroked his chin and then smiled. "If that's all, I can provide some basic cold resistance."

"That's fine," Kazuma replied. "I don't think we'll be needing anything beyond that, anyways."

"Heh, winter isn't here yet, but lucky for you, I was starting to set up the inventory. The selection won't be as large, but that shouldn't be a problem; after all, I don't sell junk in my shop," He said with a grin.

-A little while later…

"There, this should be it," I said, grabbing my final selection of clothing. "Aqua, Darkness, are you two done?"

"I don't know," Aqua said, staring at the dress she was holding up. "What do you think, Darkness?"

"Eh, is that suitable for cold weather?"

"Aqua, what are you doing?" I asked as I wandered over. "Aren't you supposed to be getting some winter wear?"

"I am. The dress is a light blue, see?"

"Hey, you guys done?" Kazuma said, appearing behind me. "Oi, what are you doing?"

"What does it look like?" Aqua replied. "I'm looking for something suitable."

"What part of what you're holding is suitable for cold weather?!"

"You said we needed to get some for winter, and I am! Look, it's light blue, perfect color for something winter-themed."

"I meant for the weather, the climate, not the theme! And is light blue even thematic for such a season?!"

"Ah, that? I already got some, Darkness is holding it."

In Darkness' arms was a fairly large pile of clothing.

"You idiot, quit buying so much stuff. It's not like we're going pleasure seeking. If what's being said about the north is true, we won't have time to really slack off. I'd like to get this quest done as soon as possible and return home."

"We're going somewhere new, so what would you know? And all you really wanna do is come back here so you could see the princess, right?"

"Eh—" Kazuma took a quick glance at me and then averted his gaze. "That's not—I-I'm not… I just wanna come back and relax, that's it."

"Kazuma," Darkness interrupted, "didn't Ambrosia-sama say defeating this Demon King would weaken the spell holding the Demon God? I doubt there'd be much resting we could do afterwards."

Kazuma looked down and sucked his teeth. "I forgot about that. *sigh*."

"Heh." Aqua smirked. "You see? Wouldn't it be better to have some fun while we're there, then?"

Kazuma frowned, scratching his head shortly after. "I...I guess. It is somewhere new."

"It is. We should enjoy the sights for what they are."

"Aqua's right," I added. "Just because we're going on an important mission doesn't mean we can't enjoy ourselves."

"Alright, alright. Let's pay for this stuff and get going."

After doing so, our next and final stop was my house.

While walking back, I found myself lost in thought. Although the tension between me and Kazuma was resolved—for the most part, I'd be lying if I said Aqua's remark didn't instill within me some doubt and fear.

"Oi."

I looked up. It was Kazuma.

I didn't notice but while we were walking, I slowly began to trail behind the others—and apparently, Kazuma made his way to my side at this time.

"What's wrong?" He asked. "You're worried about what Aqua said?"

"I-I… No...I…" I looked down.

Suddenly, he took my hand. "M-Megumin's the only one for me. S-So don't worry."

I smiled faintly and then tightened my grip on his hand. "I never said you couldn't talk with any other girls...just as long as you know who's your most important."

There was a length of silence that caused me to look up at him in curiosity. For a moment, I saw his face flushed red and his eyes wide with surprise. He quickly turned away.

"Kazuma?"

I felt his own grip tighten. "Oi, Megumin...I'll try my best...to not ever betray your trust. Ok?"

"...Umu."

Eventually, we made it back to the house. My parents, by some miracle, were home. The intention was to gather our things, give our goodbyes, and then leave, but as soon as we were about to go pack our bags, my mother called me and Kazuma over.

"How was it?" She asked as soon as we settled ourselves in the living room.

"How was what?" Kazuma queried.

"The feast. My husband and I weren't able to go due to some responsibilities, but I heard you were the ones to propose it."

"Eh? It was actually your daughter's idea."

"Oh?" Mother gave me a brief smirk before returning her attention to Kazuma. "I hope she didn't drink too much."

"I didn't drink," I replied.

"Oh, so you were sober the entire time? How nice. You all didn't return last night, so I assume you found room and board in the Chief's house. Quite the spacious home with a lot of rooms."

"Yes, and what exactly are you trying to say?"

"Oh nothing, but I suppose no one could blame you if you two found some alone time during such a loud and distracting event."

….

"Where's Oto-san?" I asked, choosing to ignore my mother's usual quip.

"Your father is in his private workshop. He told me he was making something important, so he didn't want any distractions."

"And Komekko?"

"Hmm, she was with your father, but I believe she's in the garden at the moment."

"I see. ...Oka-san, we plan on leaving as soon as we pack our things."

"Really? Won't you all stay the night?"

"We've spent enough time as it is," I replied. "It's time for us to get on our assigned task."

"Hmmm. *sigh*. I guess I should go make some lunch for you all. At least tell your father and sister goodbye before you go."

"Don't worry, I will."

Following this brief exchange, my mother went to make some food. Kazuma and I headed to the room to finish packing our things; eventually, we finished. Bringing our luggage out into the atrium, my parents and sister were waiting for us.

"So, this is it?" My father said, staring at me. "You're finally going."

"Umu."

His face was stern as he stared, but quickly softened as I replied. "...Here," He said, handing me a pouch.

"What is it?" I asked.

"A potion I made. I don't believe you'll need it, but if a situation becomes bleak, throw it to unleash Hell itself, understand?"

I slid the pouch down enough to expose the potion within, a vibrant orange liquid encased in a container of clear crystal.

"Here's something for the road," My mother went on.

She handed Kazuma a large lunch box; surely many different foods were housed within.

"Thanks," Kazuma remarked.

Then I stared at Komekko.

"Komekko," my mother said, "aren't you going to say something to your sister?"

I smiled, eagerly awaiting her response.

"Ah, umu. Onee-chan bring back some more food."

"Eh, Komekko, is that all?! I'm actually leaving, I'm going somewhere far away and I'll likely not be able to see you for a long time. Isn't there something else you want to say to me?"

Komekko stared at me with a blank expression and then placed a finger to her chin. "Since Onee-chan is leaving somewhere faraway, Komekko will claim Onee-chan's belongings as her own."

"W-Wait, Komekko, Onee-chan doesn't have many possessions here—and I'll be back so there's no need for you to take my things."

"Komekko will take Onee-chan's things and sell them."

"What?! Why?! Komekko, don't do that! And didn't I already say I have little stuff here; nothing you take would be of value anyways."

"Komekko will sell off Onee-chan's clothing, Bukurrori Onii-chan said there's people who buy things like that for a lot of money."

⸻!⸻

"Oh my," my mother said, covering the slight smile that was creeping along her face.

"Ka-san, please don't let Komekko do such things! And when I get my hands on that idiot NEET!"

Mother giggled. "Don't worry, you'll find your stuff here when you return."

"Ugh, I'm more concerned with the things Komekko is learning. Since you two have more time to spare, please look after her." I then looked at my sister. "Komekko, please behave and try not to listen to the stupid things Bukurrori says; that boy is a bum and you wouldn't want to get involved with such people, ok?"

My parents and companions exchanged their thanks and goodbyes, afterwards, my parents shifted their attention to me.

"Take care, my daughter," Father said. "Show the Demon King of the North who the Crimson Demons are. And be sure to make him fear the daughter of the number one proudest parents of the Crimson Village."

"Umu."

"Megumin," my mother said as we were about to leave.

"Hm?"

"Be careful."

"Of course."

"Oh, and one last thing."

"Yes? What is it?"

"When you return, I hope to see a new addition to our family, ok?"

I shut the door.

After leaving my house, we went to pick up Yunyun.

I knocked on the door.

It opened, revealing the so-called Chief of the village. "Megumin?"

I stared at her. "Yunyun, didn't I say we were leaving early in the morning? Why are you still in your sleeping clothes?"

Typically this girl would wear a dark-colored nightgown, but for some reason or another she was wearing a pair of cute pajamas similar to what I use.

"I-I forgot...sorry. Also, I had to clean up the mess that was left."

Ah, there was that, wasn't there.

"Didn't your father help you?"

She scrunched her brow angrily. "Father is still asleep!" She yelled over her shoulder.

"I see. Well, we'll wait—"

"We'll help you out, Yunyun," Kazuma said.

"Ah, really?!" Yunyun exclaimed excitedly. Perhaps noticing her reaction, she quickly added, "I-I mean, it isn't necessary, b-but...thank you."

I sighed and pushed past her. "Alright, let's get this over with."

After what seemed like the better part of an hour, we were done.

"That should be it," Yunyun said, taking a look around. "Please don't worry about the trash; I can take those out once I get back."

"Hm, it's alright, we can help take some," Kazuma replied, offering help once more. "After all, we kinda forced this on you, so…."

While taking some of the trash to the incineration plot, I looked over at Kazuma. "Any reason you're being so helpful? Usually you'll find any way to get out of doing tasks like these."

He frowned. "Sure, if it's someone else's responsibility, but I seem to recall a certain mage who proposed her friend have a feast for them." Kazuma quickly stared me down. "You know, it wouldn't kill you to do something nice for her from time to time. I have no doubt the only reason you suggested it was to get a free meal out of her."

"...Ah, alright, alright, I get it, I get it," I said, looking away. "And she's my rival."

"*sigh* Right, your rival."

Following that trivial job, Yunyun teleported us to Axel. After saying our goodbyes we began to head back to the mansion; however, I stopped.

"You guys go on, I'll catch up," I said.

The others stared at me in perplexity, and then glanced at the loner girl still standing where she dropped us off.

"Ah, I see," Kazuma remarked. "Don't take too long, we still have a few things to get done."

"Umu." I nodded.

Once they disappeared from sight, I heard the timid voice of a girl behind me. "M-Megumin."

"What is it, Yunyun?" I said, turning to face her.

Her face was red as she timorously made eye contact. "Th-, Thank you."

"Hm? For what?"

She looked up at me with a pout. "Megumin thinks I didn't notice, but the feast wasn't for her own benefit, was it?"

"..." I sighed, smiling after. "I don't know what you mean, I was simply hungry and wanted my rival to pay the out-of-pocket expense, that's all."

"..." Yunyun shook her head. "No. Megumin wanted to thank me for helping her, didn't she?"

...Honestly...this girl…

I turned away, pulling down the rim of my hat. "I see the village will be fine while I'm gone. Yunyun, take care of everything. See ya."

As I began to walk away, she called out again. "Megumin!"

"Hm?"

"...Please come back."

I don't know why, but for a brief second, hearing those words made my chest feel warm.

"...Of course. I can't let my rival steal the spot of the #1 Genius of the Crimson Village." I looked back, catching the surprised look on her face. "But you can hold on to it till I get back," I added, smiling thereafter.

"...Umu," Yunyun replied dolefully.

"...Oi, Yunyun."

"?"

"Keep your chin up; it'll make me feel bad if I was comforted by someone with such a weak will. After all, if I acknowledge someone as my rival, then surely, they can't be an ordinary person."

I could tell it wasn't easy, but Yunyun managed a smile.

"See you later, Yunyun."

"...Umu. See you later...Megumin."

-Back at the mansion

"Kazuma," Aqua said as she walked over to me, "have you seen my bottle of Sheridan?"

"Sheridan?"

"My wine!"

Of course.

"No, can't say I have," I replied carelessly, continuing to pack my things.

"You probably drank it, didn't you?! You can't fool me, you know; my divine powers have returned in full force."

I turned around and stared at her, brows knit. "Then it should be telling you that you're an idiot for asking me. Anyways, are you sure you haven't drank it?"

"Of course I didn't. I've only drank some Levartés, Alance Blue, Bitary Blanche, Belzerg Royal, Caldera—"

"Alright, alright, I get it," I interrupted. "I don't know who drank it, but it wasn't me; why not ask the maid? ...And you should probably lay off the alcohol...geez."

"Oh, Irene, that's right. Ok, I'll go do that," She replied, happily skipping away.

When I finished, I went downstairs where I found Darkness speaking with the maid.

"Oh, Kazuma."

"Hm? What's up, Darkness, you need something?"

"Um...sort of," Darkness replied, somewhat sheepishly.

"Well, what is it?"

"...T-Thank you!" She said, bowing deeply.

As surprised as I was, the maid was even more so; however, that lasted briefly, with her casting a glare shortly thereafter.

"H-, Hold on, Darkness; what exactly are you thanking me for?"

She looked up. "The armor you got me. Thank you."

"I mean...you were there when I asked Holt for it—and it's a reward, so it's not like I had to fork over any cash for it."

"Still, you could've asked for something else. I guess what I'm saying is...t-, thank you...f-for...t-thinking about me."

The timidness and sincerity she displayed made me blush, and of course, made the follow-up reply filled with obvious fluster. "Ah, well...don't worry about it," I mumbled. "Ahem! A party leader's job is to look after his members, afterall."

Suddenly, the maid bowed as well. "I suppose I should thank Satou-sama for looking after Lalatina-sama."

"Erm...sure." I cleared my throat. "A-Anyways. Darkness, you should probably go tell your dad you're leaving. I'm sure Chris would probably want to see you too."

"Oh, right. But what about packing?"

"Don't worry about it, we can handle most of that tonight. By the way, where's Aqua, it's been kinda quiet."

"Aqua-sama has left," the maid replied. "She said she needed to 'tend to her flock'."

Ah, whatever that meant, it couldn't be good.

"Kazuma, what are you going to do?" Darkness asked.

"Hmm, a few things, actually." I looked at the cascading light coming through the windows; it was still quite early, but that shop should be open. "I'm gonna be busy, so don't worry if I show up late."

The maid spoke. "I suppose you'll be eating out, then, Satou-sama."

"Umu, perhaps."

"Noted."

The front door opened.

"I'm back," Megumin said, coming in.

"Welcome back, Megumin-sama."

"Umu, thank you. Huh, where are you going?" Megumin asked me as I headed out.

"Gonna run a few errands, do some things. I'll probably be back late, so don't wait up."

"Huh?! But we just got back. Don't you need to start packing?"

"Already did. Just handle your stuff. I'll be back later."

Saying that, Kazuma left.

"I suppose I should start packing my own things," I said with a sigh. "Darkness, are you all done with yours?"

"More or less; I wasn't planning on bringing too much."

"Hm, you're probably right, having a lighter load to carry would be better."

"Anyhow, I'll return a little later as well; I'd like to give my farewells to a few people."

"Oh, right. Umu, you should go do that." I looked over at Irene. "Irene, you should probably go with her; I'm sure you're pretty tired of staying cooped up in the mansion."

"Nonsense; nevertheless, I appreciate Megumin-sama's concern. Would Megumin-sama need assistance forming her luggage?"

"It's fine, I can handle it myself; there aren't many things I intend to take, anyway."

"I see. Then, if it's alright with you, I'll take my leave with Lalatina-sama."

"Umu. Please."

Irene bowed and then left with Darkness.

Once the door closed, I sighed heavily. "All alone now, maybe I should go somewhere too."

"Meow."

"Oh, Chomusuke." I picked her up. "Hm, I forgot you were around, sorry. Did you miss your master?"

She meowed once more, stretching her paws towards me.

I smiled and pressed her to my cheek. "You can be a little rowdy sometimes, but you're a good familiar, aren't you?"

She purred, affectionately rubbing herself on my cheek.

"Hmm, you're also probably tired of staying home all day." I smiled yet again. "What do you say to going on an adventure with your master? It'll be a whole new place we're going to, so I'm sure there'll probably be a lot of new food you can eat over there."

"Meow."

Chomusuke climbed onto my shoulder.

"I see. Well that settles it, I'll take you along. Now then," I said, looking around, "that just leaves the matter of packing. I hope you'll help your master out a bit."

A lazy meow came from my shoulder, looking over, Chomusuke had already fallen asleep.

I smiled faintly, knowing she reminded me of someone else. "You're just like him, aren't you? No wonder you two get along so well."

-Elsewhere…

"Ahhh, Aqua-sama!" Cecily threw her arms around me in a tight embrace. "It's been so long!" She sobbed. "Please, don't leave me again!"

"There, there, everything will be alright. I brought a bottle of wine from my personal collection to share."

"Oh?" Cecily quickly let go. "Anything's good if it comes from you, Aqua-sama. Please, let your humble servant partake of this gracious gift."

"Here you go, a bottle of Sheridan," I said, passing it over to her; she stared at it curiously. "An ingrate drank some of it so unfortunately this is all I have."

"No worries, Aqua-sama; even if it were a single drop, it'd be enough."

"Now then, Cecily, I have an important announcement to make."

"Yes, Aqua-sama, tell me!"

"...Ahem. I'm leaving."

KSSSHKK! The bottle of Sheridan I handed her broke as it hit the floor.

"WAAAAHHH! AQUA-SAMA!" Cecily wailed as she embraced me once more. "I knew it was too good to be true, I knew I couldn't have you forever! B-But a servant m-must accept the words of her master. Guh, Aqua-sama."

"I'm-, I'm only leaving the kingdom for a while. Ah...my bottle of Sheridan…."

Cecily's crying stopped instantly. "The kingdom? I see, so Aqua-sama will return?"

"Of course," I said, puffing my chest out. "There's no way I can leave the billions of Axis followers to wander aimlessly. In fact, the reason I'm leaving the kingdom is to travel north and defeat the other Demon King."

"Ah, how admirable. So, one Demon King isn't enough for Aqua-sama."

I nodded proudly.

"Very well, I'll spread the word; I'll let the others know what our Aqua-sama is up to—especially those Eris Cultists. I'll rub in their face when I ask them what their 'beloved' goddess is doing for them."

"Now, now, Cecily, don't mock them too hard; it's best to leave some insu—I mean, gospel for other days."

"Ah, right, of course, Aqua-sama! That being said, if you're going, the others will too, right?"

"Of course. I couldn't possibly leave them. You see, unlike you all, those three aren't full-fledged followers; as a result, if I left them behind, they'd undoubtedly grow sad beyond measure and come after me. For a person of my status, to do such a thing would be shameful."

Cecily nodded accordingly. "Of course. There's no way the lovable, beautiful, and magnanimous Aqua-sama would ever do such a thing."

Part 5

-Meanwhile…

"Lalatina-sama, is it really prudent for you to leave the kingdom?" Irene said as we walked to my family's mansion. "Not only will your absence trouble the Lord Ignis, your father, but your absence will also mean that the royal family would have one less loyal subject to watch over them."

"I do this for their sake as well as everyone else's; the Demon Kings can not be left to their own devices, Irene."

"While I've no doubt that's one of the reasons, Lalatina-sama couldn't be looking for other opportunities to fulfill her less-known desires, would she?"

"...N-, No."

Irene sighed. "As little faith as I have in Master Satou's abilities, I have no doubt he would rescue you should such a situation arise; that being said, please think of how that would inconvenience everyone else, Lalatina-sama. I'm sure those who care about you would be terribly worried; I dare say, I would be terribly worried."

I glanced at Irene and then gave her a reassuring smile. "Worry not, Irene. Besides being the strongest shield of the kingdom, I share an unbreakable bond with my companions; should anything averse happen, they'll be by my side." Irene said nothing in return, and suddenly, stopped. "Irene?"

"Lala...tina-sama...you will return, right?"

"Of course, Irene. There's still much to be done. Whether I get kidnapped by the Demon King or his subjects, I will return—"

"Lalatina-sama."

I smiled once more. "I know there are still people who need me; as such, I can not fall yet, Irene—I won't. I say again, I will return, all of us will. So, please, don't worry too much for my sake."

The usual stone-faced expression Irene gave Kazuma was nowhere to be found, replaced by the doting expression she showed me more often.

"If… If that is what Lalatina-sama wishes, then as her most devoted servant, I, Rosenthall Viira Irene, shall comply."

"Thank you, Irene—for all that you've done—and for being a good friend."

"F-, Friend? Lalatina-sama considers me a friend?" Irene looked away with an abashed expression.

"Of course, how could I not? Why, I still remember the first time you came to our house."

"Ah, Lalatina-sama still remembers such embarrassing moments. To think I could've been so insolent back then. Please forgive me."

I chuckled. "One could hardly blame you, Irene; you're of noble stock as well."

"Nonsense, Lalatina-sama, no such nobleness runs in my veins."

"Oh? But I remember how you proudly stated the affluence of the Rosenthall name. In fact, I can still hear traces of that proudness to this day."

"R-, Really? A bad habit I shall correct going forward, then."

I chuckled once more. "There's no need, Irene. You should be proud of your heritage."

"It's a disgraced and fallen house; I'm a fool for stating my lineage so proudly. Just goes to show how useless I am to cling so tightly to an infamous house like my own; truly, such vainglory must run in the veins of all its members."

"I don't recall the Rosenthall house being infamous for anything."

"That none of its deeds have reached your ears, I should pray to the Goddess Eris for such good fortune."

"Good fortune that you found your way to our home, Irene. I truly cherish you as a friend, late as it may be."

"I did no real favors to ingratiate myself to you, Lalatina-sama; I must again, ask for your forgiveness."

"And again, there's nothing for me to forgive."

"...Truly, you are too kind...Lalatina-sama."

Eventually, we reached the gates of the estate. I opened it and began walking inside, when I noticed Irene didn't follow.

"Irene, what's wrong? Aren't you coming in?"

"Would it be right of me to? I did leave the service of your house."

I stared at her for a second and then smiled. "Then enter not as a servant, but as a friend; you're always welcome here, Irene."

"...I see. Very well, then; I shall accompany you, Lalatina-sama."

I knocked upon the door. A few seconds later, it opened, revealing the maid behind it.

"Ojou-sama...Irene? Um, please, come in. Shall I fetch some suitable clothing for you, Ojou-sama?"

"No, I won't be staying long; I'm just here to give my farewells to Father."

"Farewells?"

"Lalatina-sama is going north for an expedition," Irene informed. "She intends to fight the Demon King and his armies there."

The maid gasped, covering her mouth quickly thereafter. "Ojou-sama, must you really do something so dangerous? Lord Ignis would be worried to know of such a thing, please reconsider."

"I didn't come here to receive a lecture on what I should do, Bertha."

"Yes, of course; forgive my impudence. Shall I inform the Lord of your arrival, Ojou-sama?"

"If you'd be so kind."

She bowed and went on her way.

Silence fell as we waited. I looked over my shoulder and found Irene staring at the house in a reminiscent manner.

"Do you miss being here, Irene?"

"...If I may be honest, not particularly."

Her response came somewhat as a surprise. "You don't?"

Irene smiled faintly. "The only time I really felt I wanted to be here was when you were around, Lalatina-sama. It's the sole reason I chose to stay as long as I did, and why I sought the service of the Satou's. Frankly speaking, I will forever be your servant, Lalatina-sama."

"There's no need for you to be my servant, Irene; I care not for others to serve me. I only wish to see others as friends and companions."

"...Hmm, I see. Then, please see me as a friend who will be willing to do anything for you, Lalatina-sama."

I sighed. "What difference is that from a servant, then?"

"A servant may be unwilling, Lalatina-sama, a true friend, would never."

As if on cue, my father entered the room.

"Lalatina."

"Father."

"So, it's true, you're leaving with Kazuma-kun and the others?"

"That's right."

My father let out a tired sigh. "I see. I should've expected it, but accepting it is no easier."

"So, you'll allow it?"

He laughed. "Even if I didn't, you'd still go, wouldn't you? Besides, your friends will need your help. Go with peace of mind, Lalatina. I'll hold things down here while you're out."

"Please try not to stress yourself too much, Father."

"I won't. Walther-kun is a great help...and still single might I add."

I scoffed. "Always trying, aren't you?" I walked over and hugged him. "...I'll return."

"Good. We'll have a celebration once you all do." Suddenly, my father shifted his sight. "Irene. What are you doing here, I thought you were serving Lalatina's friends?"

She bowed deeply. "Yes, Lord Ignis; I merely sought to accompany Lalatina-sama."

"Ah, I see…. Will you be going with her to the north?"

"She—" I went to interject.

But Irene interrupted. "No. If I go, I will only be a burden. I will do my part to give her and the others a relaxing place to return to."

"Hmm, is that so? Well then, I suppose releasing you from servitude was the correct decision."

Irene bowed once again. "My deepest gratitude, Lord Ignis."

With my goodbyes said, Irene and I left.

"Irene," I said as we walked, "you can return home if you'd like; I'm off to see Chris."

"Chris-san, hm? I suppose it will be a personal conversation between her and Lalatina-sama?"

"Not really," I replied with a short chuckle. "I merely wish to tell her I'll be gone; hopefully she hasn't gone somewhere."

"...Lalatina-sama would be saddened if she's unable to tell Chris-san 'goodbye'?"

"Umu, I suppose I would be."

"Worry not, Lalatina-sama, if you're unable to locate her in time, I could relay your message in your place."

"Well, the message isn't so much the important part of it all."

"Oh, Darkness, hey!"

As if by divine intervention, Chris suddenly appeared.

"Chris? Why are you here?"

"Huh? I was just coming from the guild." She cocked her head slightly, and glanced over at Irene. "Oh, Irene-san, how are you?"

"Chris-san." Irene bowed slightly.

"Actually, Chris," I said, getting her attention once more, "it's a good thing I found you."

"Oh, really? What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I just wanted to say goodbye."

"Goodbye? Wait, why—are you going somewhere?"

"North. Me and the others are heading north to defeat the Demon King there."

"Demon King, huh?" She leaned back a bit and stretched. "If that's the case, there's no reason for me to worry or stop you. You all are already bonafide Demon King slayers, so what's someone like me got to say about such an admirable goal?"

"Heh. Thank you, Chris...and sorry for leaving you alone."

"..." She smiled faintly. "You don't have to worry about me, Darkness. If anything, if you gave me this message some years ago, I'd be really concerned. But, I no longer need to feel that way; I know, even if I'm not there to help you, you have others who would do it in my place."

"Chris…."

She smiled brightly. "Now go on, I'll be here when you return."

-At Wiz's Magic Shop…

"So, would you be willing, Gren-san?"

"Of course, Satou-sama."

"Alright, thanks. And I'm sorry for the inconvenience, Wiz," I said, turning to her.

"Oh, don't worry, Kazuma-san. Gren-san made this decision on her own, it wouldn't be right to stop her for our own sake, isn't that right, Vanir-san?"

"Humph! What the destitute shop owner decides is not any of Moi's concern. As long as it does not have anything to do with funds, Moi couldn't care less."

"Don't mind him, Gren-san. I'm sure what Vanir-san means is that you're free to follow your heart."

"Don't misconstrue Moi's words, woman-whose-real-age-is-far-over-21." Taking a critical hit from Vanir's quip, Wiz remained stunned. "Shop assistant, thou has been more helpful than the rest of the impromptu staff. As recompense for thy services, Moi believes thee is due for a leave of absence. However, do keep in mind this store offers no benefits to those who do not work; thy income will be seized for the time thee is away."

Gren bowed. "I understand."

Hm, of course, there's no way this devil would do anything out of mere kindness.

I looked at Gren. "In any case, we'll be leaving tomorrow, so there's no need for you to go right now."

"I see. Would it not be better for me to go with you, right now, however? It'd cut down on the time needed for anyone to come get me—or would Satou-sama prefer if I went early in the morning?"

"Ah, well, we can pick you up; it's not a problem."

"...Very well. I shall see you tomorrow," She said with a bow.

"See ya," I said, and then left the shop.

My next stop was the guild, but the purpose wasn't to get a drink or simply hang out—no, it was to find some people to teach me some skills. Since I wasn't able to learn Light of Saber, I had a lot of skill points saved up. It'd be a waste for me to save those where I could instead learn skills closer to what I was used to. Not to mention, after learning all those skills, I would undoubtedly be tired. I already made a stop at the cafe earlier, so with my "order" set, all I had to do was book a room afterwards.

-At the Guild Hall

"So, you'd like me to teach you some skills?" Dust said.

We were sitting at one of the tables.

"If you can," I replied.

"Well, of course. I won't forget all the good you've done for me, Kazuma. Of course...I can't really do it on an empty stomach—or with a parched throat, so—"

"I got it. Hey!" I called out to one of the barmaids.

"Yes?"

"Sorry, can I get a drink and a plate of food?"

"Sure. What would you be having?"

"Go ahead, Dust," I said, handing the conversation off to him.

"A couple mugs of"—he stared at me for a sec—"regular beer. And a plate of...regular food."

"...I'm sorry, what exactly is 'regular' supposed to mean, can you be more specific?"

"Ah, right. Well, nothing fancy. You know, just the regular stuff."

She raised her brow. "Right. I assume you're paying this time, right?"

"Ah, no. He is," Dust replied, pointing at me.

"Ah, Kazuma-san...well, if it's Kazuma-san, then I guess it's fine. I'll be back with your regular order, then." The barmaid left.

"So," Dust said, looking at me, "what exactly do you want me to teach you?"

"Well, anything really; anything that'll improve my odds of surviving, I guess."

"Surviving? You off to do another difficult quest—with those girls?! I pity ya, Kazuma, I really do."

I sighed. "If only. I forgot to tell you, but we're headed north to defeat the Demon King over there."

"YOU'RE WHAT?!" Dust yelled, causing everyone in the guild to look in our direction.

"Shhh."

"Ah, sorry. I'm just surprised. When the heck did this happen? Didn't you say you just wanted to live a peaceful life here? Why're you suddenly raring to go after another Demon King?"

"I'm not; it was on the King's orders."

Dust relaxed, showing a more serious expression. He crossed his arms and sighed. "Right. I should've known. Royalty can be a huge pain in the ass."

Even though I could—in some part—agree with what Dust was saying, he didn't know the full scope of it. Yes, Iris' dad pretty much forced my hand, but his hand was also being forced; it wouldn't be right for me to place the blame entirely on him.

"Well, that sucks," Dust said. "But hey, I got full confidence in ya, bud; I know you can do it."

"Heh, thanks."

"In any case, why not hand me those special 'meal' tickets you have; they won't be much use to you anyway."

"...If it's anything to you, I already placed an order for this evening."

"Oh, good thinking. Unfortunately, I'm fresh out of tickets."

I raised my brow in surprise. I knew Dust was a frequent visitor to the cafe, but did he really go through all the tickets I gave him?

"They also take cash, you know."

"Of course I do. Why do you think I'm here trying to coerce people to hand me some?"

This guy…

"Alright, I'll spot you a ticket if you teach me something valuable."

"Ha, that's my man! Thanks a ton, I won't forget this, Kazuma."

The barmaid returned and placed the food and drinks on the table. "Your regular order...Sirs." She walked off, Dust eyeing her down as she did.

"Hmmm, she's not too bad, now that I got a look at her," He remarked. "Maybe I'll use her for the order tonight—no wait, I'll only have one ticket so—"

"Say, Dust," I interrupted, "where's the rest of the crew?"

"Huh? Who do you mean?"

"Keith, Taylor...Lin?"

"Ah, those three," Dust said, grabbing his plate. "They went off to do some quests."

"And you didn't go with them?"

"Of course not, I have more important things to do."

"..."

"Anyway," he continued, taking a couple bites of food, "the autumn season is here and with it comes that damn tax day. Luckily, I'm several steps ahead of their plans; they can't take any money from you if you have none. Speaking of, you're loaded, aren't you, Kazuma? Better make sure the ojou-sama in your party doesn't force you to pay like last time."

"Oh shit, taxes...I totally forgot. Hmm, shouldn't be a problem though," I replied.

"Ah, that's right, you won't even be here."

Dust chuckled. "Doing the same as the lousy nobles, eh? Don't tell me you planned for that."

"Eh...of-, of course," I remarked, slightly averting my gaze.

After finishing the meal, Dust pat his stomach gleefully.

"Alright, Kazuma, as promised, I'll teach you a skill certain to help you survive. It's especially useful in situations where the cold is unbearable."

"Ah, a skill like that would be useful."

"Alright, listen close. What you do is, lay on your side as opposed to your back, then you make sure to tuck your legs as close—"

"Oi, are you messing with me?"

"What, of course not, I haven't even gotten to the good part. Typically you'll want to find a girl with a good bit of meat on her, so I don't know if that loli of yours will work, but—"

"Quit screwing around! Are you gonna teach me an actual skill or are you just gonna tell me stupid shit?!"

Dust gave me a shocked expression, but quickly became serious. "Sorry, Kazuma, I shouldn't have tried to teach you that. ...Maybe it's a bit too early for you."

"..."

"Alright. I'll teach you a certain skill for sword users. Keep in mind, I'm not that good with swords, but it should still be of some use to you. Let's head out back."

Following Dust's instruction, we headed to an alley behind the guild.

"Alright, Kazuma, I'm gonna teach you a skill called 'Charged Slash'. It requires you to have a bit of magic power and some understanding of channelling mana. Alright, watch me; I'm gonna target that bottle over there."

A couple meters away was the bottle he mentioned, sitting atop of a barrel.

Dust withdrew his short sword and placed it above his shoulder. With a quick stroke, he brought it down, screaming, "Charged Slash!" and a second later, the bottle was hewn in two.

"Wow!"

"Heh." Dust smiled proudly. "Pretty cool, huh?"

Excitedly, I looked for the skill on my adventurer's card. Finding it, I quickly confirmed my learning of it and acquired Charged Slash.

"Oh, already? You're a pretty quick learner, Kazuma; I was expecting to have to do that a few more times."

Under other circumstances Dust's assumption might've been true, but to me, a veteran gamer and adventurer, learning something like this was trivial. ...Of course, it bore several similarities to a certain move I struggled to learn back in the Crimson Demon Village...not that this had anything to do with that….

I withdrew my blade, sparking its black surface to a glowing orange.

"Ho! A-, Amazing…."

I smirked, hearing Dust's comment, but focused my efforts on recreating the skill.

"Concentrate. Feel the mana coursing through you...coat the blade in it and...CHARGED SLASH!"

The wave of mana erupted from my sword and shot towards the cut bottle.

PING!

"It hit!" I yelled. But the bottle was still intact. "Huh?"

"Uhh, seems like you didn't really put too much mana into it," Dust remarked. "See? You only caused it to crack."

No, that wasn't right; I definitely channeled enough mana. In fact, I think I put more into it than I feel I needed to.

"A-, Any reason you think that could happen?" I asked trepidatiously.

"Ah, well, either you put less mana than you needed or your magic is really weak—but that can't really be it—after all, you beat a freakin' Demon King. No way you have weak magic."

"Y-, Yeah...n-, no way. A-Anyways, thanks for teaching me, Dust."

"Eh, no problem, Kazuma. Stay safe up there. Also, I've never been that far north, so be sure to check if there are any places like the cafe up there, alright? If I ever need to run away from those debt collectors, I'd like to go somewhere I can continue having some nice orders."

"R-, Right."

This man was hopeless…

The rest of the day, I spent trying to learn more skills from other people. In the end, I managed to acquire a handful of new abilities—all of them at fairly low cost. And as predicted, by the end of it, I was quite exhausted.

"Haaaah." I sighed as I lied down on the rented bed. "Nothing beats a good, long hot bath and sweet dreams."

There was no clock for me to reference, but from my last look outside, it was around the appointed time. From my previous arrangements, I knew it would take a while for the deliverer of such desired goods to arrive, and so, I did something I was good at, sleep. My eyes shut and before I knew it, my consciousness slipped away and I was whisked away to that dreamworld of mine.

-Next morning

"Oi, I'm home," I said, opening the front door.

"Ah, if it isn't Satou-sama," the maid said as I came in. "Another late night, no doubt in the perusal of nefarious deeds."

"Tch. Where is everyone, are they still asleep?"

"No. They're all having breakfast."

"Oh. I don't suppose you made anything for me."

She stopped cleaning and stared at me blankly. "...Of course."

"You did?"

"Why wouldn't I?"

"...Nevermind. I don't think I want it; you probably did something to it."

"Satou-sama, I am your servant, bound by contract to provide for your needs, however, I don't spend every waking moment thinking about you or how to cause you despair."

"...Ah...you're right, my fault. I'll go ahead and take that breakfast, then."

The maid gave me a brief bow and returned to her duties.

"Hey, I'm back," I said, entering the dining room.

"Ah, Kazuma, welcome back," Darkness replied.

"You're back, huh; that's nice," Megumin said offhandedly.

"Where were you?!" Aqua said irately. "We were busy packing all night. I could've used your help, you know!"

"Oh shut up. If you packed your things nice and early—like I did—you wouldn't have had to go through that. Besides, I was busy doing important things."

"Really?" Aqua crossed her arms in doubt. "Like what? It wouldn't have to do with a certain place, would it?"

"Oi, this damn bitch! N-No!" I retorted, clearing my throat after. "If you must know, I was actually learning some skills for our adventure."

"Skills?" Megumin said, suddenly interested in the conversation.

"Yup."

"What skills did you learn?" Darkness asked.

I smirked. "Don't worry. I'll show you guys when the time is right."

"Oh, good thinking," Megumin remarked, nodding in approval. "New abilities must be displayed in the proper time and place."

"Anyway, if you guys are done with everything, we need to go pick up Gren."

"Oh, that's right, Gren-san is coming with us."

"Yeah. Now, where's my plate?"

"Oh. We ate it," Aqua said nonchalantly. "We didn't think you were gonna show anytime soon, so we divided it up amongst ourselves."

"..."

Darkness spoke. "Well, technically, Aqua, you said that Kazuma was likely to oversleep, so there was no use in—"

"SHHHH!" Aqua let out nervously.

This little…

"Nothing of the sort was said, Kazuma-san," She said, giving me the same subservient tone and look when she knew she was guilty.

-At Wiz's Magic Shop…

"Goodbye, Wiz-san. Goodbye, Vanir-san," Gren said with a bow.

"See you when you get back, Gren-san," Wiz replied with a smile.

"Aren't you forgetting someone?" the evil deity beside me said.

"Ah—G-Goodbye, Aqua-sama."

Aqua smirked in reply.

"Leave now," Vanir remarked. "The longer this harbinger of destruction stays around the shop, the more Moi will have to work to recoup the inevitable losses it will incur."

Aqua stuck her tongue out. "Come on, let's go. I don't wanna get sick before the trip."

"Ha! Evidence of thy false status of divinity!"

"Grrr!"

As the two were about to standoff, I grabbed Aqua. "Alright, see ya. We'll see you guys when we get back."

As we headed off to the Teleport Station, Wiz gave us one last wave.

Goodbye, Axel.