Man, I'm just horrible at updating. Like, the worst. Oh well.
Enjoy!
Chapter: 12
The Adventurers Guild was known for many things in the beginner's town: a place for young and eager citizens to get evaluated to determine if they had what it takes to become an adventurer, somewhere to go after a rather difficult job to enjoy good food and drink, and most recently – as well as most notoriously – as a place that could easily descend into complete chaos at any moment.
Right now, being one of those moments.
Kyouya screamed as he broke through one of the guilds windows, scattering shards of glass and bits of wood across the ground while the Sword Master in question landed on his back with his feet resting behind his head.
Another window, the one next to Kyouya's, broke in a similar fashion as Kazuma experienced the same fate as his friend, landing on his stomach with his ass in the air with a very frustrated look on his face. "Damn it!" the Adventurer yelled, turning to Kyouya. "What the hell did you say to them?!"
"Why do you think I said something?!" the teen demanded as he moved to sit up, matching Kazuma's glare with one of his own. "That bastard bumped into me and I even apologized for getting in his way!"
"Is that all?" Kazuma's anger was slowing being redirected towards the group that had tossed them through the windows, speaking of whom…
The entire wall of the guild broke apart as one of the larger tables broke through, clearly intending to crush the two teens while they were down, but a quick ice spell from Kazuma allowed Kyouya to easily shatter the piece of furniture into tiny shards with a strong punch. It hurt like hell, but the Sword Master ignored the pain in favor of focusing on the group of three men glaring at them.
"We're not paying for that!" Kazuma called out, glancing at Luna to make it clear his group would not take responsibility for the damages happening right now.
The receptionist ran both hands down her face in exasperation, but nodded regardless, she would just charge the other group for it since it was their fault in the first place.
"I really hope you have a plan." Kyouya whispered as he got into a basic fighter's stance, being mirrored by the men in-front of him. "Otherwise this will be an incredibly short, and painful, fight."
Kazuma had a devilish smirk on his face, one that made his friend shudder in response. "Oh, I've got a plan alright, just follow my lead!" with that, the Adventurer dashed forward towards the men, surprising everyone there in the process.
Damn it! Kyouya inwardly screamed as he took off after his friend.
Once Kazuma was within striking distance of the first guy, he ducked another the man's sloppy punch, sliding between his feet while using Freeze to cover the ground in a slick layer of ice. Kyouya, seeing this, smirked as he jumped to avoid slipping before delivering a flying punch to the man's face, knocking him to the ground.
The Adventurer was already on the second man by the time his buddy had hit the ground, hopping over the hastily through right hook and using the extended arm as a springboard – silently using Drain Touch in the process – to get the necessary height he needed to attack the third person with a double kick to the head that left him staggering.
Kyouya used the distraction to shoulder bash the second guy into the third, the force being strong enough to send them both far enough back to crash into one of the tables, effectively knocking them out.
It was silent for a moment as Kazuma caught his breath from the minor exertion while Kyouya appeared to be completely fine. That silence vanished as the guild erupted with loud cheers, having just watched the spectacle that just happened. Some of the guild members came forward to thank the duo for entertaining them, before returning to what they were doing previously as if nothing had happened.
The staff members sighed as they began the annoying process of cleaning up their guild's mess… again.
"'Just follow my lead?'" Kyouya gave a short laugh once he finally calmed down, a smile making itself known even as he raised an eyebrow at his friend.
Kazuma shrugged. "It worked, didn't it?"
Snorting at that, but not arguing against it, the Sword master glanced around at the damage caused by the short fight and frowned. "Fio isn't going to be happy about the mess we caused."
As sweet as that girl was, there wasn't anyone she couldn't scold if enough trouble was caused, Kyouya was pretty sure even a raging bear would cower beneath her powerful gaze.
"Not unless we don't tell her." Kazuma suddenly suggested, bringing his friends attention back to current situation. "I doubt anyone here would tell her anyway."
A loud cough caught their attention where they saw Sena, her usual work clothes forgone in place of an ankle length skirt with a blouse and matching jacket, making her stand out greatly in a hall filled with warriors and mages alike, staring them down with Verdia snickering beside her.
"We are so busted." Kyouya muttered dejectedly, his despair matched only by Arakuremono's amusement as the brute sat on the Prosecutor's other side with a large mug in hand.
"But it wasn't our fault!" Kazuma comically called out in some vain attempt to convince the woman to give them a break.
She was having none of it. "That does not excuse you to take matters into your own hands. What if this skirmish had continued out in the middle of the street where regular civilians were walking by? Even a simple Tinder – a spell I know you frequently use – could set the town ablaze in minutes."
"We have. An entire guild. Full of people who could put out a fire!"
"The child has a point." Verdia chimed in, much to Sena's displeasure. "However, there is no denying the wisdom behind her words," the undead continued as he changed conversation partners, "there was no need to make such a display as simply freezing their feet would have ended the fight just as quickly."
"Or they could have just asked one of the staff members, considering everyone who works here knows at least one restraining spell." Arakuremono added.
Kyouya scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "I didn't know that…" his defense trailed off lamely as it became clear to the Sword Master a fact like that should have been obvious to him.
But Kazuma saw a problem with that new bit of information. "Then why haven't they done anything in the last few months?"
Arakuremono gestured to himself. "Because I told them not too, this place is a lot more entertaining with you kids around to make a scene." His explanation earned a look of disproval from Sena.
"Why would they oblige such a request though?" Verdia asked, far more interested in that piece of information than the previous ones.
It was at this point that Arakuremono lost his grin as he looked around the group with a stunned look. "You mean, you don't know?"
"Know what?" Sena asked.
The brute smirked. "That I'm the Guild Master!"
"WHAT?!" the entire group erupted with surprise, their collective confusion causing Arakuremono to laugh.
"It's true." Luna confirmed, gathering every one's attention. "He has been in charge of this guild for over a decade now, and I must say, it's never been this prosperous before."
"Oh, come on, Luna, give yourself some credit, we both know this place wouldn't have lasted another week if you hadn't shown up!"
His praise brought a blush to the receptionist's face even as she shared a laugh with her boss while everyone struggled to accept the newest fact. Especially since none of the other guild members never mentioned there was a Guild Master for this one in the first place.
Kazuma, being one of the first to recover from the shock, walked over to the bar to get himself a drink.
On the other side of town sat a relatively small dojo, its interior lined with training mats and equipment to prevent any form of injury while practice was being held. It was on one of these mats that Megumin fell on with a pained groan, having just been thrown over Clemea's shoulder rather easily – both of them wearing a simple Gi to train in for the time being. The green-haired warrior wiped the sweat off her brow and held out a hand to help Megumin back up.
"Think you've got the technique down now?"
Megumin rubbed her sore back while nodding her head.
"Good," Clemea got into a ready stance, patiently waiting for her partner to do the same. "Now," she started once the girl was in position, "you need to remember it's not about your own physical strength but using your opponents against them."
"I know that already!" Megumin composed herself before continuing. "It's just a lot harder to do it is all."
Clemea agreed with that as she dashed forward, purposefully missing a punch to allow the Arch-Wizard to grab her arm. The little girl braced herself, intending on throwing the warrior over her shoulder, only to miscalculate horribly by pulling Clemea towards her, an action that sent both of them falling to the ground.
Growling in frustration, Megumin pushed the laughing warrior off her, making her way towards the changing area, intent on leaving.
"Megumin… Megumin come on…" Clemea called out between bouts of laughter, reaching out to grab hold of the girl's hand. "I'm sorry I laughed at you, but that doesn't mean you should quit, we just have to practice a little more is all."
Megumin yanked her arm away. "I don't even know why we're doing this in the first place! You just dragged me out here, told me to put on this ridiculous outfit, and then forced me to do all these weird exercises with you."
How is this anymore ridiculous than your regular outfit? Clemea shook the question away, knowing it would anger her friend even more, and focused on the topic at hand. "Because, like I said when we got here, I need to know you can defend yourself both magically and physically." She bent down a little, so they were eye to eye. "Your potential as a mage is nearly limitless, but if an enemy were to get in your personal space, what would you do?"
"I…"
"…would use explosion magic?" it was less of a question and more a statement, one that made the Arch-Wizard blush in embarrassment. "As powerful as that spell is, it wouldn't do you any good in that kind of situation. So, knowing you would never bother to learn another spell, I decided it would be in your best interest to learn some self-defense."
"Doesn't that defeat the purpose of having a party in the first place?"
Clemea sighed, knowing that was a good point. With Darkness switching roles to be an archer with the defensive perks of a crusader, Megumin wouldn't need to worry about anyone getting close to her with that wall of a woman acting as a deterrent. But still…
"Look… I'm just worried about you is all."
Megumin's face scrunched up with confusion. "Why?"
She smiled, placing her hand atop the Arch-Wizard's head. "Because you're like a little sister to me, and as your older – not to mention more experienced – sibling, it's my job to make sure you can handle yourself out there."
"You know I have a little sister myself, right?" Megumin questioned, realizing after she asked that there wasn't any way Clemea could have. "I guess I'm just trying to say I understand how you feel – even though it's a little embarrassing to be on the receiving end of that attention."
"But teasing is part of an older sibling's job." Clemea's smile turned mischievous. "Like how I know how you really feel about your party lea-mmph!" The sentence was forcibly ended by Megumin covering her friends mouth with a single hand. Her entire body was now matching the color of her eyes.
With her head lowered so Clemea couldn't see the mortified expression on her face, Megumin struggled to maintain a pseudo-calm tone as she asked her question. "How many of you know?"
"All of us except the one that really matters." The Warrior replied after prying the hand off her face. "Which is probably the most surprising part of this situation, especially since it's pretty obvious to all of us that he feels something for you too…" Her sentence trailed off as she watched a multitude of expressions appear on the Arch-Wizards face, ranging from shocked-horror to tentative-hope.
It was cute to watch.
"Is it really that obvious?"
Not exactly the question she was expecting, but Clemea rolled with it easily. "To everyone besides you two? Yes. Some people at the guild are making bets on how long it will take before you two start dating."
Oh, how Megumin wished she were wearing her hat right now, it would have allowed the girl to pull it over her face to hide away and ignore the teasing. Unfortunately, that piece of clothing was on the other side of the room, far out of her reach. "This is so humiliating."
KO-NO-SU-BA!
"Is this the place?" Darkness asked, giving the rather plain looking shop a onceover.
"Sure is!" Fio moved to enter the shop, hesitating once she placed a hand on the handle. "Word of warning, the owner is a little… weird."
The Crusader arched an eyebrow at that. "Weird?"
"Yeah, she's very professional, but her methods are very unusual – especially to first time customers."
"Is it really any stranger than what we deal with on a daily basis?" Darkness stepped through the door first, ignoring her friend's protests in the process. She walked up towards the front desk, taking a look around during the short walk to admire the many bows and accessories around, and tapped the bell once she was there.
"Coming." A drowsy voice called out from somewhere in the back. Stepping through the doorway, a middle-aged woman with waist length hair yawned as she approached the desk, adjusting a metal headpiece back into place. "Welcome to Yumi's bow shop emporium – home of Yumi's one of a kind, hand crafted bows. My name is Yumi, how can I help you?"
Darkness glanced over to Fio, who was giving her a look that screamed 'I told you so,' and decided to ask the question on her mind later, focusing instead on what she came her for. "Hello, I was told you're one of the best crafters in the town, so I was wondering-"
"I am." Yumi forcefully, yet somehow lazily at the same time, interjected, cutting off the Crusader in the process.
Expecting her to continue, Darkness patiently waited for the shop owner to say something else. After a full minute of complete silence, with the Crusader feeling ever more uncomfortable by the second as the woman before her stared back without so much as a blink to break eye contact, Darkness decided to finish her sentence.
"…I was wondering if you would be willing to make a bow for me?"
Half-lidded eyes slowly turned from her to the pinkette next to her. "Fio, you probably know her since you're here together, so, can you tell me if she's worth the effort?"
Now slightly offended, Darkness opened her mouth to protest, only to stop when Fio's gentle, but surprisingly firm, grip forced her to look over and see the woman shake her head in warning.
"She is," the Hunter answered honestly, getting a tired nod in response.
"Alright," Yumi sighed, adjusting the headpiece once more so a lens came over one of her eyes, followed by the shop owner leaning forward, very much in Darkness' personal space, and began what could only be described as a bizarre eye exam. "Near perfect eyesight," she muttered, the faintest hint of amazement in her voice.
This examination went on for a little while as Yumi went on to test Darkness' strength, how calluses her fingers were, her stance when using a bow, and on and on the testing went, each one growing more bizarre than the last – seriously, what did smelling cabbages have to do with making a bow?!
Darkness found out the answer almost a full hour later.
"You just wanted to keep me busy?!"
Her shout did little to phase Yumi, who merely ate a grape in response. "Pretty much," the woman answered as she glanced down at her sketch pad, having been secretly working on her new client's bow. Plucking another grape from the bowl beside her, Yumi unapologetically gazed at Darkness as she plopped the small fruit into her mouth. "The only reason I do this…" she paused to swallow, "hmm, that's good. Anyway, I do this because it gives me time to design it, so I can then show it to my newest customer to see if there was anything else they wanted, and second, so I can give them a rough estimate of how much it's going to cost."
As far as reasons go, that one was good enough for Darkness to forgive the shop owner for essentially wasting her time. Although, she probably should have known something was up the second Fio started laughing about halfway through the exam.
"Welp…" Yumi tapped her pencil against the notepad, drawing the Crusader's attention to it. "What do you think?"
Darkness took the item to inspect the design, blinking in surprise once she discovered the level of detail put into it: There were several numbers too the side describing the force behind each arrow, a list of possible enchantments that could be added, there were even open slots incorporated to the design to allow the addition of rune placement should she desire as much. One of the notes in particular caught her attention.
"It's going to be made of metal?" The Crusader questioned, getting a shocked look from Fio.
"Kinda has to be." Yumi replied, taking back the book. "No one as strong as you ever needed a bow – not from me at least. To be honest, if I gave you anything other than specially tempered ironwood, I'm worried it would shatter against your full strength. It makes my job a little harder, but the payoff of using metal for both the bow and the string should be nothing short of spectacular."
It was really starting to unnerve Darkness how unenthusiastic Yumi seemed to be about everything but grapes. Speaking of which…
"Want one?" Yumi asked, offering the fruit just mentioned.
Deciding it would be best just to accept, Darkness took the grape and ate it, pointedly ignoring Yumi's fascinated look.
Fio coughed to draw the shop owner's attention. "So, Yumi, how much is this going to cost?"
The shop owner shrugged in response. "Probably a lot."
"I am so sorry I doubted you." Darkness apologized as she stepped outside with Fio in tow.
The Hunter smiled. "To be fair, I didn't really do a good job of warning you, but at least you're getting a strong weapon once its finished."
That was in fact something Darkness was excited about. The fact she would soon receive an item that would allow her to finally, finally, strike her opponents almost made her squeal with delight.
"Oi, what are you so happy about?"
Having not heard anyone in-front of her, Darkness yelped, taking a full two steps back, ready to apologize to whoever she was about to bump into, only for the owner of the voice to register in her brain. "Kazuma?" the Crusader questioned, wondering why her party leader was wandering around town, especially since he and Kyouya were supposed to be picking out a quest for their group to take either today or tomorrow.
Obviously seeing her confusion, the teen explained himself. "Got in a little trouble with Sena – it wasn't my fault!" Kazuma added seeing the look Fio was giving him. "Anyway, now I need to grab my staff and practice my spells with one of the local instructors. It's supposed to help me control them better, so I don't cause any collateral damage by accident."
"But you only know the basic spells." Fio pointed out with Darkness narrowing her eyes ever so slightly.
"I said the same thing! But that, apparently, wasn't a good enough excuse, so… yeah."
Darkness suddenly stepped forward, literally pushing herself into the conversation. "I'm going with you."
Her statement made Kazuma suspicious. "Why?"
"Because I do not trust that woman." The Crusader answered honestly, startling the other two as Lalatina's personality bubbled to the surface. "Her opinions are swayed far too easily when the barest amount of information presented. I will not deny that she has helped us by acting as an observer for the Imperial Guard instead of assigning someone else to the task, but she did so to benefit herself more than us. You may think I am paranoid, but there many things about subterfuge that neither of you have any idea about."
"And you do?"
His accusation hardly phased the noble. "My family governs this land." Darkness reminded them, her eyes scanning the area around far faster then the average person would be able to. Satisfied with what she saw, the Crusader continued. "When that much territory is under your protection, there are many skills that need to be learned. Observation and organization when dealing with paperwork and the various budgets in that region. Proper communication and the subtle art of body language as you converse with other nobles. Lastly, and probably more important than the others, is deception."
"But what does all of that have to do with me learning a little more magic?" Kazuma asked, frustrated at the seemingly pointless list of skills despite becoming more intrigued the longer Darkness went on.
"Because why would someone so intent on throwing you behind bars just a few short days ago even bother with training you – direct or otherwise? Do you truly believe it has to do with nothing but her job?"
The questions made him hesitate, and the hesitation was all Darkness needed to power on.
"She released you from custody, she assigned herself to observe you, and she was the one to prevent the guards from commandeering our gear."
"For what though?" Fio finally asked, her mind running a mile a minute to try and find the answer.
As that question lingered in the air for a few moments, Darkness sighed, her previous passion fading away as uncertainty took its place. "I do not know, that woman is a complete unknown to me other than what I've seen so far, and even that is not very much."
It took a little bit for anyone to respond after that, taking the time to digest everything just said.
Kazuma gave a snort that surprised the two girls. "Then we won't worry about it." He stated, much to Darkness' shock. "There's no point wasting energy on something we don't know about, even more so since it doesn't seem to be hurting us."
"But-!" the Crusader tried to protest, only to be cut off by Kazuma raising his palm in a halting gesture.
"I'm not saying don't keep an eye on her, just don't worry about it until you know for certain Sena's going to cause us trouble." Kazuma clarified, moving the hand raised towards Darkness to have it run through his hair. "Damn it, when did everything get so complicated?"
Despite it being a rhetorical question, Fio decided to answer. "Probably when you stopped an ancient machine from destroying the town."
He blew a breath of air at that. "Yeah… probably."
The bath house was surprisingly empty during the mid-day, probably due to everyone working at this time, this fact was perfectly fine for Sena as she eased herself into the warm water. While not as luxurious ass the ones back at the capital, the designs here made them feel a little cozier.
Perhaps it is from the different materials used. Sena mused as her eyes roamed the interior. Brickwork always did feel more like home then polished marble.
Regardless of what it was, it did allow the Prosecutor to relax far more easily. Something she desperately needed after having read another threatening letter from Aldarp – it did little to scare her, but it did succeed in angering the woman immensely, the power and status had clearly gone to the man's head. Sena made a mental note to prepare an investigation on the noble immediately after this bath. Her musings were cut short as a pair voices slowly made themselves known to the woman, growing in volume as they approached from the changing area.
"Come on, it wasn't that bad!"
"I was literally thrown against the wall over seven times in less than an hour! We are never going to do that again unless there's a proper instructor there."
Although obscured by the steam, Sena was easily able to recognize the two girls walking into the bath by their voices alone. So, with a slight amount of hesitation, she made herself known to them.
"Must you two be so loud?" She wasn't complaining, in fact, Sena was genuinely curious if Kazuma's group was capable of doing anything quietly. "People come her to relax and wash up, not to argue."
"Oh, I'm so sorry for interrupting your busy schedule, ma'am."
Goodness, the amount of sarcasm and scorn in that one sentence was almost enough to make the Prosecutor wince.
"I'm only joking," Sena explained as Clemea and Megumin came into view, the later getting in the water immediately while the former sat on the edge with a glare.
Well this is off to a great start.
Deciding that humor wasn't the best approach, small talk was attempted next. "If you don't mind me asking, what were you two talking about on the way here?"
"Clemea had the brilliant idea of teaching me some self-defense, having the equally brilliant idea that the best way to teach that subject was to demonstrate each and every technique she knew on me." Megumin's matter-of-fact tone was far more cynical then any amount sarcasm could ever produce.
The mentioned Warrior had the decency to look ashamed. "It seemed like a good idea at the time…"
Sena arched an eyebrow. "Is her strength stat even high enough to learn any proper technique?"
It was quiet in the room for quite some time.
Megumin eventually began to twist her head, having to stretch it a little past the point of being uncomfortable in the process, to get Clemea within view. The Warrior had both hands covering her face, refusing to make eye contact with the Arch-Wizard.
"I didn't even think to check that." Clemea muttered.
Sena placed a hand over her mouth to stifle the giggle threatening to make her the center of attention once again.
"I'm not training anymore, got it?"
A reluctant nod was given instead of a verbal reply. A testament to how embarrassed Clemea was about the entire thing.
It was right at that moment Sena decided to get up and leave, not out of courtesy or anything, but more so because she had to go and check to see if Kazuma was indeed training like he was supposed to. After all, it was only natural for one to keep an eye on an investment.
Was he being watched?
Kazuma looked over his shoulder for the third time in the last half-hour, swearing that he could feel someone's gaze on his back. Glancing around the area and seeing nothing out of the ordinary, the Adventurer decided to continue his walk back home. He was grateful for the momentary solitude the trip provided, Darkness went back to the guild to see if Kyouya had picked up a quest and Sena was, thankfully, nowhere in sight.
Maybe I should try to find my own secret hideout. Just a place where I can go to get away from the crazy I'm surrounded with on a daily basis. Or maybe I just need someplace that my friends don't go every day.
The teen shrugged, figuring he could think about it later.
Something suddenly bit his neck and Kazuma reacted immediately by slapping the area with an open palm. Feeling something underneath his hand, Kazuma pulled it out to get a better look at whatever had attacked him. The Adventurer felt cold sweat run down his neck as he gazed at the tiny dart held between his fingers.
Even as his vision began to blur, Kazuma spun around in place while trying to prepare for the attack that would surely come. Unfortunately, nothing did, and the teen could do nothing to prevent himself from passing out.
KONOSUBA!
Oh… my head…
Kazuma groaned as he sat up, inadvertently removing the blanket that had been covering him, and rubbed his head in pain, trying to rid the headache pounding his head. Both groggy and distracted by the pain, Kazuma took his sweet time remembering how exactly he ended up in this situation, his eyes widened once everything came back. Rushing to his feet, immediately regretting it as the sudden motion made him feel nauseous, Kazuma stumbled forward, passing through the curtain, having to immediately close his eyes as the morning sun was too bright for him to handle.
"Well… that's one way to wake up."
Blinking several times while adjusting to the light, the teen turned towards the voice, recognizing the head of silvery hair immediately. "Chris?" Kazuma questioned as his brain struggled to connect the dots. He was incredibly shocked once a theory came to mind.
"Did you kidnap me?!" the teen's voice screeched as he pointed a shaky finger at the Thief.
"Sure did!" Chris answered with a cheerful smile. "Told you it was going to be exciting."
It took a second for Kazuma to understand what she was talking about, realizing that the two of them were on their way to do that heist Chris had talked about. "No, you said I wouldn't regret it!" He checked around to see where he was, slightly surprised to find that they were on a one-horse wagon – similar to the ones traveling merchants had. Taking a seat next to his mentor, the teen frowned.
"Did I?" Chris asked, placing a finger on her chin while looking up towards the sky, her other hand keeping a firm grip on the reins.
"Yeah, you also never mentioned that you would kidnap me to get it started." Kazuma added, still annoyed, but calming down at the same time.
She shrugged. "Wasn't really planning on that, I just came up with the idea and decided to roll with it. Plus, it was pretty fun to watch." Chris snickered to herself.
"Wait a minute!" Kazuma sat up with a worried look, slightly concerning his mentor.
"What is it?"
"Do my friends know we're doing this now?"
"Oh that…" Chris waved off his worry. "I left them a note."
Miles away, back at the Beginners town, Clemea read and reread the piece of paper that had been left on the kitchen counter. Shrugging with indifference, she walked back to the main room where everyone was waiting.
"Good news, he's not missing, he was just kidnapped."
Once again, I would like to thank everyone for waiting patiently. Also, I feel like something was off with this chapter, nothing major mind you, just... something. If anyone has an idea please let me know.
Anyway, like always, I hope you all have a wonderful day, and I'll see you all next time!