Chapter 22.5: Story Arc Epilogue and Extras

Editing and supervision: LordVTP

Proofreading: Marv

...

...

Epilogue

"For now, just leave it to me."

The king said these irresponsible words as he shrugged.

This was his answer to my question.

I had asked: 'What will happen from now on?'.

"It's mostly due to this wishy-washy attitude of Your Majesty that we found ourselves in this mess, in the first place."

"Kazuma-chan~ For someone so young you're really so uptight! What a tight ass! Young boys shouldn't be such tight asses! Allow me to loosen your ass a little…"

"P… Please get your hands away from me…"

What is this idiot king even thinking?

He started as a serious type of character and eventually devolved into this.

"Aqua, maybe you screwed up some steps with the resurrection. The king seems to be missing quite a few brain cells."

"My resurrection is always perfect! If the king is acting stupid, then that means he was that way from the start!"

Hearing us speak ill of the king, Claire couldn't stand still and confronted Aqua and I.

"Silence! Don't speak ill of the king! Don't do it in his presence!"

So it's OK to do it if he's not listening?

The fighting is over, and it feels like it never even happened.

The Crimson Demons went home to celebrate their 'victory'.

"The pitiful warriors of Belzerg couldn't stand our overwhelming power… But this much is obvious."

"How pitiful. We didn't even need to call on the militia forces. Although we did have to rely on the two aces of the clan, Megumin and Yunyun."

They didn't hesitate to gloat.

"E… Everyone finally acknowledges me as the ace of the clan, huh? It's about time. But why is Yunyun also included?"

"I'm… I'm finally accepted by the members of the clan! I'm so happy! They even consider me as the ace…! But why is Megumin also included?"

"Oi, just what is Yunyun implying?"

"Does… Does Megumin have a problem with what I said? If Megumin has something to say… Let us settle this with a match!"

Those two never miss the opportunity to bicker.

"About what Kazuma-chan told me about Lucie…"

As the others were distracted by Megumin and Yunyun's bickering, the king pulled me aside.

"I hope that Kazuma-chan can understand that Lucie was merely following orders. You see, from a young age, assassins are…"

"Um, I'm not interested in her back story."

"B… But it's very compelling and will shed valuable insight to her character!"

The truth is, I didn't know how to feel about Lucie.

Perhaps I'd feel more passionate if that bolt had gone through and caused actual damage.

But even then, we still have the wish granted to us by Eris-sama for defeating the Devil King.

We didn't use our wish on frivolous things in case of emergency cases.

I even had to deny Megumin's perfectly reasonable request to increase her breast size.

Many sacrifices were made.

"For now, I will wait for the results of the investigation before I jump to conclusions. And since we are the only ones who know about this, let's keep it to ourselves, Your Majesty."

With the [Lip Reading] skill, I learned about the true nature of Lucie's attack.

But there's no sense in worrying Megumin and the others.

"How mature of you, Kazuma-chan. Hm, in the likely event that I have to 'reset' the council of elders with a new batch of nobles…. Perhaps Kazuma-chan and his party will…"

"I'm not interested in troublesome things like that."

"Oh? Is Kazuma-chan forgetting that I have full sovereign right to do what I please? I don't think Kazuma-chan has any option to refuse. Or instead of Kazuma-chan… How does 'Lord Satou' sound?"

'L-Lord', huh?

That… That doesn't sound too bad!

"Say… Your Majesty… With this position, I will outrank that white suit, Claire, right?"

"Yes, you will."

"And as a member of the council, I will have the right to send Lucie on… 'missions'?"

"If you accept my offer, I will even let Kazuma-chan decide Lucie's 'punishment'."

"Uwehehehehehe…!"

"Judging from Kazuma-chan's laugh, I assume we have a deal?"

"Deal! It's a deal!"

We shook on it.

As if sensing they were in peril, Claire and Lucie shivered under my gaze.

This isn't too bad at all!

…

…

The king and his entourage left some time after the troops made their retreat.

The Japanese didn't follow after them and chose to stick around.

"...! Will you really do that for us, Satou-san?!"

I asked them to stay as I had a business proposal for my fellow Japanese.

"About the pay, I can give you this much…"

"This… This is a higher pay than normal 'S' rank missions! At least triple the amount!"

The reincarnated Japanese are out of work since they made most of their income fighting in the front lines against the Devil King army forces.

When the war ended, the Japanese adventurers were restricted in the quests they could accept from Adventurer Guilds.

This is due to the 'Level cap' that prevents high-levelled adventurers from hoarding jobs meant for weaker adventurers.

The only quests available to them are the 'S' rank suicide quests that aren't impossible to do for the OP Japanese, however, the reward money is simply not worth the risk of death.

And if the Japanese combine forces to do an 'S' rank quest, they can beat it easily enough, but the reward money will have to be split between them.

Simply put, it's easier to take on high paying but relatively straight forward mercenary work, such as the job they were given by the council.

"Certainly, if Satou-san pays each of us this amount, we can all group together and finish any 'S' rank quest while not worrying about the paltry pay."

"And Satou-san has that goddess with him that can resurrect the dead, so we won't have to worry about dying!"

"Hooray for Satou-san! Hooray!"

They cheered my name after hearing my ingenious idea.

Heaving this, Darkness who was listening from the side, said,

"How generous of Kazuma. Providing his fellow countrymen with work. I thought that you would abuse your riches once you had it, but I was mistaken."

She looked at me with pride and admiration in her eyes.

"And the only condition is that we have to give Satou-san the final killing blow to the monsters targeted by the 'S' rank quests!"

"Since I'm already high levelled, I don't really mind! The reward money is more than worth it!"

"I spoke too soon, scum."

The look of admiration immediately faded away.

"It's not like I would give away my precious money if I didn't benefit from doing so. Perhaps the Dustiness family who is always in the red because they waste their money towards useless charities should follow my example."

"Say that again?! Calling charities useless is… I'm sure Eris-sama is proud of the Dustiness family who provide aid for the weak and unfortunate!"

After saying such haughty words, Darkness turned her nose up and stormed off.

"Um, Aqua-sama, I will leave soon, but it is nice to see you again…"

Meanwhile, Mitsu-something or other approached Aqua, who was lazily sitting on a rock.

"Being nice to me won't get you anything. I don't really have any money right now. I spent it all buying all sorts of stuff from the festival."

"I… I'm not peddling for cash!"

Aqua, aware of the financial difficulties of the Japanese, began shooing away Mitsu-something, as if he were a beggar.

What does he even see in her?

Don't be deceived by her looks.

That girl is rotten on the inside.

"Ahh! I lost againnnnn! Megumin cheated! Surely you cheated!"

"Fufu. I won't let the cries of a sore loser… Hey, watch it! Don't grab!"

Watching this tireless lot, I suddenly had a thought.

Let's go home, already.

Extra #1: By the pricking of my thumbs

Sometimes, I'm frightened by the capabilities of my young charge.

Her ability to always stay a step ahead of everyone is, quite frankly…

Really scary.

Sending me out before the battle started in case her plans went awry.

Sacrificing Sylvia's magic resistant body to absorb the blow of that inconceivable explosion…

Along with using Sylvia as a shield, Maouko-sama was equipped with the supposedly unbreakable armor of the Devil Kings.

Nonetheless.

When I arrived to where Maouko-sama crash landed after using my divination to track her…

I found her naked in a barren wasteland that was once filled with life, and parts of her body were burnt.

"..."

Looking closely...

Her… Her body is not bad.

I kept those thoughts to myself as I secretly admired Maouko-sama's naked form.

Since her recovery, Maouko-sama has been busy.

Faking her death, she operated behind the scenes.

First, she sent me as a messenger to Wolbach.

As Maouko-sama expected, Wolbach refused to join our cause.

Nonetheless.

I understood why she refused.

It's not like I myself want to serve this egotistical brat.

I'm doing this only to survive.

I want to be in the winning side.

I will not make the mistake of making an enemy of Maouko-sama.

Because.

"Ah, Feydrick, there you are. What is Wolbach doing right now?"

I took a moment to close my eyes and concentrate.

"She's bathing in her favorite bathhouse, Maouko-sama."

"You pervert. Watching her naked body while she's unaware, huh?"

You're the one who asked!

"Feydrick, let me tell you this. Even something as small as a suggestion is very powerful."

Scary.

She sent me to Wolbach not necessarily to have her join our cause.

She wanted to plant a 'suggestion'.

'You have a reason to come after that party'.

Wolbach's other half.

That little hint wormed its way into Wolbach's brain.

Now, let's clarify something.

Wolbach is not so desperate to merge with her other half as to cause any conflict or trouble.

But after I left that suggestion, one day, Maouko-sama gave Wolbach a visit.

She took that worm and made it grow into a serpent.

What was once a suggestion, turned into an inkling.

And that inkling turned into desire.

Desire that might be there.

Desire that might not be there.

Who knows?

She did the same with the council of elders.

Now, we didn't expect the king to die on his own.

Maouko-sama was planning to dirty her hands and do the deed herself.

It was a pleasant surprise, the way things developed.

We had been planting the seeds with that council for a long time.

'Conquer the Crimson Demons and make a profit'

'Kill the explosion brat, she's too big of a threat to this country'

Those thoughts already existed in their heads.

Maouko-sama merely fanned the flames.

So that they would ignore common sense.

So that they would ignore reason.

Without Maouko-sama's influence, would they have issued the orders?

Who knows?

"Damn! It didn't work at all. That beefcake king should have just stayed dead."

Maouko-sama is quite the sore loser.

"Now, now. I'm sure some benefit arose out of all this…"

"Like what? The civil war didn't even last a day, that explosion user is still alive… None of our plans worked!"

Maouko-sama clutched at her dress as she kicked her feet petulantly.

Acting in such an immature manner while she's sitting on the sacred throne where her mighty ancestors sat…

Maouko-sama is scary, but she's still just a child.

"No matter. I will increase our influence on Wolbach just a bit more. Not enough that anyone would be able to detect it, but just enough… Then you will visit her again… Maybe she won't say 'no', this time…"

Maouko-sama.

She's still just a child.

And a sore-loser, at that.

Extras #2: A bathtime blessing on this chunnibyou!

"Chomusuke sure likes baths."

Darkness said, as we watched my familiar floating on the water in a wooden bucket that was filled with her personal bath water.

"Uwaa, it's good to be home! Kazuma sure had the right idea, recommending we go to the bathhouse and destress from that tiring trip."

"...Do you think he's somehow watching us right now?"

"..." x 3.

"D… Don't be ridiculous, Darkness!"

Aqua laughed nervously as she finished washing her hair.

You're still looking around nervously, though.

After we finished shampooing, we moved to the bath, joining Chomusuke.

As I submerged my legs in the bath, I noticed Aqua was staring at me.

Oh?

Have my breasts grown without my knowledge and Aqua is noticing?

"Megumin, I sense a change in you…"

So they've grown?!

"There's some kind of magic on you right now. [Detect Magic]!"

"W… Whoa, hey…"

Aqua suddenly became face level with my navel and carefully examined it.

Staring at my tummy so intently…

It wasn't my breasts that grew bigger, it was my stomach?!

"I knew it! There is a minor illusion spell on Megumin's tummy for some reason! [Detect Magic] tells me the spell is [Illusory Script], which allows one to hide written words under a minor invisibility spell…"

That spell is normally used by my clan when we write letters.

It is common for letters between clan members to feature complicated encryptions and multiple layers of illusion magic, which hide very cool secret messages underneath...

But, why is such a thing on my…

"!"

Wait a second…

The revenge! Kazuma was talking about…!

That liar…!

What was that about not stooping to my level?!

As for how Kazuma learned the [Illusory Script] spell, he must have found one such encryption in the letter the chief sent to Yunyun.

With [Detect Magic], one can learn a basic spell upon examining its effects.

"Aqua! Use your [Break spell] and let's see what shameful humiliation Kazuma has planned for Megumin! Huff… Huff… Huff…!"

Darkness, don't get turned on!

But, before I could object, Aqua placed her hands on my tummy.

"[Break spell]!"

"Eep!"

Aqua's magic made my stomach all tingly.

"There! The words are starting to appear!"

"...It's probably just a lewd joke about my 'sacred sheath [Avalon]', isn't it?"

"Let's see… E-Eh?! First line is, 'Dear Megumin: I realize that I haven't had a chance to confess, so here I… GO?! Wait, Megumin, why are you diving in the water! It was getting good!"

Unable to handle the shock and embarrassment, I dove under the water.

That… That knucklehead!

I know that you are embarrassed to confess, but…

Such indirect methods are even more embarrassing, you know?!

"Wait, Megumin! You're going to make the ink run!"

…

…

In the end, we didn't get to read the message.

When we came out, Kazuma saw us and suddenly turned red.

"D… Did you read it?"

So that's why he insisted on going to the bathhouse.

He planned to have Aqua notice the spell and read the message to us.

"U-Um, yeah…"

We can't tell him that the water washed away the ink before we could read it.

"T… That's great! So, Megumin and everyone… You all know how I feel now. Megumin confessed in front of everyone, so I thought this was fair. Ah… It's embarrassing, though! But at least I got it off my chest… I'm relieved! Ah. Here. You girls probably want something cold to drink, huh? Here's some ice cold neroid to enjoy after the bath!"

Kazuma gave us a smile, the most honest smile I've ever seen from him.

"..." x 3.

"Huh? Why are you girls so quiet? Did you want some iced tea, instead? They're also serving that…"

"T… Thanks! D… Darling! Ah, this ice cold neroid is really good! Say, why don't we go on a date after this, darling?!"

"Huh? Oh… Sure!"

Gah! Stop smiling like that!

Kazuma… No, darling!

I didn't receive your heartfelt message at all!

Forgive meeeee!

…

…

Chapter 22.5 END

Next chapter: A Broken Power Leveling Scheme for this Lazy HikiNEET!