Chapter 42: Gifting this town with a Goddess Beauty Pageant!

Proofreader: LordVTP

Part 1

I left the police station in a hurry, not sure how to deal with the crying Maouko.

I didn't think I'd be able to sympathize with Maouko, of all people. She wasn't blameless, but she got her twisted personality from a problematic childhood.

If anyone was to blame, it would be Aqua's followers and Megumin's clansmen.

If anything, I felt a bit guilty by association.

After leaving the police station, I was greeted with the sounds and sights of the continued Eris festival.

However, this time around, the Eris faithful didn't make up the majority of the crowd. There was an influx of Axis-cultists who had come from Alcarentia once they were summoned by Aqua.

I guess they also learned of her true identity.

I was sure that Maouko would have another breakdown if she saw these guys wandering around the streets. It was a good thing she was locked up… for her own good.

As usual, Aqua's goons were harassing people who were minding their own business.

"Ne, what beautiful skin you have, young lady! If you wash yourself with this soap blessed by the goddess of water, Aqua-sama, your skin will be truly flawless! I'll even give you a month's supply of this soap if you write your signature on this form!"

"Uwaa! Thank you, onii-chan! That Eris follower was really bothering me! I want to thank you, so let's go to that coffee shop over there, my treat! While we're there, maybe we can talk about my religion…?"

"Ara… What a cute couple! Are you two going to the beauty pageant later? Did you hear that goddess Aqua will appear, in the flesh? It's true! She will compete in a popularity contest with that despicable, phony goddess, Eris! I'll give you these fresh tomatoes I bought from a produce store. Please feel free to throw them at Eris when she walks onto the stage…!"

At this rate, this pageant will surely end in a disaster.

Not to mention, if what Serena told me is true, Regina will also make an appearance of her own.

She will likely try to sabotage the event and intrude even when she wasn't invited.

If she really did become reformed, I hope she won't add fuel to the fire in her attempts to expand her following.

I was worried about this showdown between goddesses, but I also had my own personal problems to deal with.

I had a big date with Megumin tonight.

Fortunately, most of my date plans have already been determined for me. Of course, Megumin would want me to take her to the fireworks show tonight.

All of the couples in town will attend and huddle up in blankets as they watch the spectacle.

Back when I lived in Japan, I loathed the normies who showed off their enviable love lives to others. Yet, here I am right now, looking forward to this typical couple event.

"Pssst! Pssst!"

As I was aimlessly wandering and thinking about my date plans, a suspicious person hiding themselves in an alleyway called out to me.

"..."

I did what any sensible person would do and walked away.

"Geez… Now is not the time to have common sense, assistant-kun!"

"Oh, isn't that Chris?"

I recognized the voice of my Big Boss.

Chris erased the effects of the Lurk skill and emerged from the shadows.

She looked troubled and exhausted. There were bags under her eyes.

"Hmm… You have a pageant tonight, but you don't look so good."

"T-That's the least of my worries! I didn't sign up for this!"

Indeed, it was Darkness who selfishly announced that Eris will take on Aqua in a contest of charms.

Eris may look and act like the orthodox main heroine, but I think her real personality is closer to the panicking tomboy before me right now.

"What's the deal with Darkness, anyway? She saw you naked?"

I was only able to pick out some clues based on Darkness's incoherent ranting. Plus, she was wearing this black armor and summoned some dark priests from her shadow.

The normal Darkness I knew didn't have those abilities. The only ability she had was charging at enemies and missing all of her attacks.

"Err, well… The thing is…"

Chris went ahead and explained what happened between her and Darkness.

After Darkness did her usual clumsy routine, she got herself cursed after seeing Eris in a compromised state.

It also looks like Darkness found out that her best friend was secretly the goddess she revered all along.

In order to clear Darkness's name after she got cursed, Eris rushed to heaven and negotiated with her higher ups.

"...That's why I couldn't come back down and answer assistant-kun's cries for help. But it looks like you didn't need to use that wish after all."

"Well, I still would have liked to use it…"

What's the point of having a reality breaking wish if I didn't even get a chance to use it when it really counts?

"The good news is, it looks like Darkness will eventually be cured. My superiors noted her achievements in battle and her track record of worship so far. Of course, it also helps that she defeated the upstart Devil King…"

Hmm… Now that she mentions it….

"Do we get another wish for defeating Maouko?"

"Eh?"

Eris looked at me, blank-faced.

"The hero who beats the Devil King gets a wish from the gods… that's the deal, wasn't it? Maouko was technically the new Devil King of this country. So doesn't Darkness get a wish now?"

"E-Er, well, technically, that deal was only proposed to the heroes from Japan who chose to come to this world, so…!"

"And by the way, no one told me that there were other Devil Kings in this world. I guess the one in this country is the most dangerous, so that's why Aqua kept sending heroes over here, but what about the others? Is there a reward for beating them? Do we get more wishes? How many wishes can we have in total?"

"P-Please stop trying to abuse the system! I'll bring up the matter with the higher-ups later if assistant-kun promises to help me with this darn beauty pageant!"

Chris didn't know how to answer my questions and switched the topic back to her plight.

"I don't know how you expect me to help you… Darkness is the one who got you into this mess, so why don't you talk to her?"

"Err… Well, I kind of want to avoid her for now. It's a bit awkward, you know? I liked being with her because she treated me like a normal girl, but now that she knows I'm Eris…"

Chris poked her fingers together and looked down at her feet shyly.

...If she showed such a cute sight to the audience tonight, I'm sure that would be enough to win them over.

"Alright, I get it. Then, that leaves me, right?"

"If assistant-kun understands, please help me!"

"I don't know what we can do in this short amount of time, and I have plans tonight…"

"Just help me figure out what to do! I beg of you!"

She bowed to me, even though she's a goddess and supposedly my boss.

"E-Er, I get it. Please raise your head…"

If she goes as far as to bow to me, there's no way I can refuse her.

Part 2

"Alright. Let's start over from the top..."

"N-No more. How am I supposed to remember all these steps?!"

At first, Chris was eager to learn, but her resolve faltered once I showed her the dance routine I wanted her to learn.

There was a talent show segment of the pageant, and it was worth the most points should the contestant win. There was also a fashion show, a swimsuit contest and, finally, an interview segment. I was sure that Eris would win the interview segment, which is based on personality and appeal. Aqua had none of those things.

I didn't know who would win in the fashion show and the swimsuit event, since both girls were beautiful beyond human standards. The only difference was that one of them didn't have any other redeemable quality beyond her looks. It will most likely end in a tie.

However, Aqua had a significant advantage in the talent show. She can just show off one of her party tricks, or maybe even create a work of art using nothing but rice and scrap paper.

Since the talent show was worth the most points, Aqua would win if Eris couldn't match up to her.

And that's how we ended up in this situation, with Chris trying to imitate the dance moves I was showing her.

At this point, I was like Aqua in the sense that I knew a bunch of useless skills that I will likely never use in combat. I had so many skill points that I went ahead and learned these skills just in case I'd ever have a use for them.

It turns out my skill hoarding proved useful in Chris's time of need.

If Chris learns the technique behind them, she can use her own skill points to learn these performance skills. They'd be a waste of resources for her, since she didn't have unlimited skill points like I did, but this was a special circumstance.

That being said...

"I-I can't do it!"

Chris exclaimed as she somehow tripped over herself and fell. She was able to catch herself by using the natural agility of the thief class, which begs the question. How can someone with a high agility stat like Chris display such clumsiness when it comes to dancing?

Even though her footwork during combat lets her keep her balance no matter the terrain she's fighting in, as soon as she tries to dance, those same feet get tangled up as if an invisible rope was tying them together.

"...Is it possible that Chris has a mental block when it comes to dancing?"

"C-Could that be it?"

That was the only reason I could think of.

A mental block caused by performance anxiety. In athletic slang, this would be called 'the yips'.

"If that's the case, I don't see what more I can do…"

"Please don't give up on me so easily!"

It's not like Chris had to do a dance routine. She could display any kind of talent.

But out of all the skills and talents she knows, or any of the ones I could teach her, there's none that would translate to the stage.

She could show off some thief skills, but I didn't think such parlor tricks would win against Aqua, who is the goddess who rules over party tricks.

The easiest way to capture the heart of the judges and the audience was an idol-like performance, one that could show off Eris's charm and grace, her main selling points, in my opinion.

"Got it. If Chris can't do any complicated dances, we'll keep the steps simple."

I showed her a simple and repetitive routine that doesn't rely on any fancy footwork. Most of the steps involved hand gestures.

It's a dance routine you'd see in an elementary school stage performance.

"There's no way I can win with such a simple dance routine..."

"That's why we'll pair it with something else. Chris should sing and dance."

"S-Sing, you say…"

If we're aiming for an idol-like routine, then might as well go all the way.

Since Chris didn't seem to have any hang ups with her own voice, I was able to teach her the skills without any problems.

One can learn any non combat skills as long as they have at least some natural talent to begin with. The only exception is the adventurers class, which can learn any non-combat skill.

Thankfully, it seems she had at least some natural talent when it comes to singing.

While the overall performance wasn't transcendant by any means, she could hit her notes, and the simple dance moves complemented the moderate pace of the song I taught her.

As for the song I chose, I picked a random song that was popular back when I was in Japan. I merely translated the lyrics to the language of this world.

"Good, good. We might have a chance with this. Big boss should keep practicing while I work on your outfit."

"Eh? Shouldn't I just wear my usual clothes as Eris?"

"We should use any kind of advantage we can get. Don't worry, I'll design the outfit in a way that will truly emphasize your other self's charms…"

"I have a bad feeling about this…"

"Oh, I should work on the swimsuit, too. I have a lot of tailoring to do."

"P-Please don't make any weird outfits!"

I left her alone in the living room. We were practicing in the mansion. Since no one else was home, I felt it was safe enough to practice our routine without being disturbed.

Chris said that Darkness was cleansing herself with the method her higher ups prescribed. She didn't mention any exact details, but the steps seemed quite complicated. Darkness started the ritual early in the morning and hadn't come home yet. I didn't even know where she was conducting this mysterious ritual. Aqua was also out of the house, no doubt preparing for her own routine.

As for Megumin, she told me this morning that she wanted to spend the day with Wolbach. I'm glad those two are getting along, but I was getting worried about what mischief they were up to.

I took out the sewing equipment I bought. Then, using my Craft skill, I set to work on the clothes Eris would wear for the pageant.

Part 3

The publicized appearance of real goddesses attracted attention from guests all over the country.

By the time of the pageant, important guests arrived, including nobility and even…

"Onii-sama!"

I caught a flying Iris who leapt into my arms.

Even members of the royal family showed up.

"H-How come you never jump into my arms like that anymore, Iris-chan…"

Prince Jatis looked in envy and despair as Iris lovingly nuzzled her face against my chest.

"Maybe if you weren't such a worthless brother and son, your little sister will pay more attention to you, Jatis."

The hulking figure of King Joethaneal approached us while openly insulting his own son and heir to the throne.

"Axel is only a small town that's supposed to house and train new adventurers, but it seems like all of the important events are happening here. A war with the new Devil King, and now the appearance of two goddesses… Not to mention the heroes of this country have made a home here. Perhaps it's time to invest more resources into the prosperity of this town?"

"Father, we didn't come here for official matters. You promised that we'd have fun as a family!"

"Yes, yes, of course, my little Iris~!"

His calculative look melted immediately after Iris pouted at him.

I've said this before, but Iris is becoming more willful by the day.

Iris and her family came unannounced, riding into town in the royal family's exclusive carriage, the same one we rode to Elroad.

The crowd, already hyped up from the goddess event, got even more excited with the appearance of the noble family.

With practised grace, the royal family waved to the crowd while guards, including Claire, made a path for them to come through.

"So, where will this special event, the appearance of goddesses, be held?"

"I'm sorry to say that we're holding the event in a simple stage at the town square, your majesty…"

We were ill equipped for an event of this magnitude. The streets of Axel were crammed with visitors who made the trip all the way here. Even pilgrims, seeking the appearance of Eris, showed up.

Of course, the Axis-cultists were also here.

"Down with the royal family!"

"Your bloodline ruined this country by making the worship of Eris the official religion!"

"What have you got against our adorable Aqua-sama, huh?! You biased tyrants!"

They held up signs in protests while voicing their unpopular opinions about the main religion of this country.

"...Your majesty, shall I silence them?"

I didn't even notice that the green haired assassin, Lucie, was following behind the king.

"For now, just leave it to Claire, but if they start getting too rowdy…"

"Understood. If that happens, I will execute Order X."

W-What's this 'Order X'...? I don't want to know.

"Alright people, make way, make way."

Donning her signature white suit as usual, Claire and her team acted like security guards at a concert, as they made sure the royal family had room to walk.

I noticed that Claire was growing her hair out. It was almost shoulder length.

"Hm? Is Claire starting to seriously look for a marriage candidate now? If you ditch that manly white suit, I bet you won't have any problems looking for men."

"Pardon me?! Saying those fighting words when you know I can't retaliate while I'm on guard duty… you coward!"

"Haha. Yosh, yosh. Let's go drinking again with Lucie and have a wild night like last time, OK?"

I gave Claire a sarcastic head pat as her face turned red.

"If a scandal like that happens again, shall I send Kazuma-kun off to another diplomatic mission… to a far away country this time?"

"I'm sorry, your majesty!"

I ignored Claire's satisfied smirk as I backed off on teasing her.

"Ah, onii-sama, that stall over there is selling something that looks yummy! Can we buy some?!"

Iris tugged on my shirt and pointed to a dorayaki stand.

"Ne, nii-san can get you as many treats as you want, Iris-chan…!"

"Die."

"Ugh…"

Never learning when to give up, Jatis hung his head in defeat as he got shot down by his own little sister again.

With the efforts of Claire and the guards, we were able to make it to the stage area.

They were still setting up. I saw Darkness on the stage, looking like her normal self, at least in terms of appearance. The ritual with the mysterious procedures seemed to have worked.

She was cured, but her troubles didn't stop there. The sudden influx of visitors meant that there was an increasing number of tasks and event logistics to take care of.

"I should probably help our event planner."

I sighed as I stood up from my seat next to Iris. She frowned and pouted as I stood from my seat.

"I wanted to talk to onii-sama some more…"

"I'll come back. And I'll get Iris that treat she was eyeing earlier when I return."

"You're the best, onii-sama!"

"I-I'll get you some drinks to go with that drink, Iris-chan!"

Jatis rushed out of his seat and ran to the stalls.

"W-Wait, your highness! Please don't go off on your own!"

Claire and some of the guards chased after Jatis, who was plowing his way through the crowd.

Darkness returned backstage after inspecting the lighting equipment. I followed her, making my way through the frantic stage hands. I felt sorry for them since they were just volunteers, and yet, now they had to deal with the expectations of the large crowd. I found Darkness in the dressing rooms.

We prepared several dressing rooms since there were initially many contestants, but all of them quit after the goddesses got involved. There wasn't any need to compete when you had no chance of winning, after all.

With the withdrawal of the other contestants, only one dressing room was occupied. Aqua had a dressing room to herself. She reclined in her chair while Cecily applied powder on her face.

"Um, Aqua, would you happen to know where Eris-sama is? I-I don't know if you goddesses can communicate, but…"

It seems like Darkness still couldn't get used to the idea that Aqua was a goddess. Her tone with her wasn't relaxed and casual as usual.

"I bet she's holed up in her realm, with her tail tucked between her legs. She knows she can't beat me on the stage! I was born for this!"

"B-But, if she doesn't show up, then the Eris Order will be humiliated forever!"

And whose fault is that?

Aqua only giggled at Darkness's horrified cries.

"You're talking to the wrong people, Darkness. That's just what we want!"

"A-Are you really sure that you're a goddess?!"

"Ohohohoho!"

Darkness expressed her disbelief as Aqua started laughing in a sinister way.

"Hey, Darkness, there's no point in talking to the competition."

"K-Kazuma! You're here!"

Darkness looked at me with tears of relief in her eyes. I guess she was desperate for help all along.

"Um… Our mutual friend is coming. She just has some last minute preparations to do."

Or more like, she was mentally preparing herself to wear the outfits I made for her.

I didn't know what the big deal was. I just made the outfits you'd see idols wear on TV.

Aqua wore similar clothing all the time.

Although, I must admit that it takes a certain kind of arrogance to wear that kind of showy outfit as casual wear.

"S-So Kazuma knows about that secret. Aqua told me that you knew she was a goddess all along as well…"

"I'm sorry for keeping secrets from you and Megumin. It's not like I've been trying to keep you guys in the dark. I just couldn't find the right time to tell you. I have another secret, actually. I'll tell you guys after all this chaos is over."

"Sniff… Thanks for helping. I don't know why I did this! I was just desperate to clear Eris-sama's name at the time!"

"Err… I appreciate the sentiment, Darkness, but next time, can you please ask me for my permission? Actually, please make sure that there isn't a next time…"

As I was rebuking Darkness, I saw a figure with silver hair peeking into the open door of the changing room. Chris showed up just as Darkness was looking for her.

She beckoned for Darkness to come over. I was about to follow along. but Chris held out her hand.

"I want this to be a girls talk for now, assistant-kun."

"H-Hi, Chris…"

"Hi… Darkness."

On second thought, I wouldn't want to be stuck in the middle of whatever awkward heart-to-heart they were going to have.

As those two left the room, Aqua chuckled to herself.

"Heh. So she actually showed up. Not like it matters. Ah… This really is such a great feeling, Kazuma. The whole world will finally know that I am the real deal. I've been waiting for this! No longer will people tease me or call me names. When I go to the bar and say 'I want more', I bet the owner of the establishment himself will pour me a refill, free of charge, of course. If I happen to say 'Ow… My shoulders are kinda sore', I bet the men near me will line up and offer to give me a shoulder rub. Life will be easy from now on!"

"Indeed, Aqua-sama. You have the full backing of the Axis-cult. We will make sure you live like the true goddess you are."

"Well said, my cute follower! Please spoil me lots from now on! Pamper me! Ne, Kazuma, if you worship me now, I'll make sure to give you a top spot in my ranks. I'll even forgive Darkness for worshipping the wrong goddess and give her a high ranking, too. What do you say, hm? Why don't you tell me what Eris is planning to do for this competition…"

Aqua stood from her seat and began pestering me.

I only grinned in response.

"You shouldn't be so arrogant, Aqua. I personally produced Eris's routine myself. It doesn't matter if Aqua does her usual party tricks. We will win, for sure! I can't wait to see you cry! You've been too spoiled these days, so I'll make sure to bring you down a notch!"

I couldn't help but get passionate. Aqua glared and stomped her foot.

"Hmph! I thought that Kazuma would help me since we've known each other for the longest. I don't know what you all see in Eris! After tonight, you will all worship me! I'm looking forward to it!"

Aqua announced with a confident smirk.

Part 4

"If it isn't the boya. It looks like we'll be rivals in this event, but I hope we can still get along."

When I left the changing room, I saw a purple haired little girl. It was Regina.

But like Serena said before, she had changed. There was now a holy aura around her, and she seemed to be glowing. Her robes were now pure white and chaste. If I hadn't known that she was previously a dark goddess, I would have assumed that she was an orthodox main heroine-type, like Eris.

"That's right. I almost forgot that Regina-sama was also joining the contest."

"Yes, I tried to register as a contestant, but all of the staff seem to be rather busy during the preparations. I trust that you'll take care of the arrangements?"

Even the manner in which she spoke had changed. Instead of the mischievous loli from before, there was now a refined woman before me.

Her body still looked like a loli's, though.

"This event is chaotic enough as it is, I think Regina-sama would just make it worse if she joins. No offense."

"That's… understandable. I'm sorry. I guess I just got too excited once I retained my original form. Forgive me for being selfish…"

Oh, come on. That's not fair.

"I-I'll tell Darkness to slot you in."

"Really? Thank you very much!"

There was no hint of deceit in her voice, but I still feel like I got conned.

I showed Regina-sama to an unoccupied dressing room. As I was on my way to find Darkness and tell her about the new contestant, Megumin showed up with Wolbach in tow.

I didn't expect to see Megumin until the date tonight. She caught me off guard.

"Kazuma! I overheard your conversation just now! This is perfect! Since you have three goddesses in the contest, why not add a fourth?!"

This situation is now officially beyond any of our control.

"Why is Megumin suddenly taking an interest in this kind of thing? And Wolbach, for that matter?"

Although I asked Megumin what her motives were, it was probably somewhere along the lines of her wanting to cause as much chaos and mayhem as possible.

As for Wolbach, who had expressed her desire for a quiet, undisturbed life on many occasions, I couldn't even begin to guess why she'd agree to this.

"...Megumin-chan insisted, so… I couldn't say no."

I guess it was simple as that.

These two have only spent a day and a half together, but they were already this close?

And just how feeble was Wolbach that she'd go along with Megumin's sudden whims without question?

"Err… I don't know…"

"Remember what happened last night, Kazuma. Or rather, what didn't happen?"

"I'll talk to Darkness about this."

I'm so sorry, Darkness.

After I finished dealing with Regina-sama and Megumin, I looked for Darkness and told her about what had happened.

"Kazuma, you're supposed to be helping, not making things worse!"

She didn't react well to the news.

"By the way, where is Chris right now?"

"Eris… I mean, Chris... She's changing into the outfit you made for her."

I couldn't help but notice the slip up.

"...You know, she'd really appreciate it if you just treated her like normal."

"How exactly am I supposed to do that? I can't even be my normal self around Aqua anymore. I'm more surprised that everyone else in town is seemingly taking this all in stride…"

From what I heard, the Dustiness family has always been devoted to the goddess Eris. Darkness not only inherited this trait, her faith was strong enough that she's even begun to develop certain characteristics of the goddess she worshipped.

Of course, I'm talking about the dark parts of Eris's personality that I witnessed, along with Vanir.

"I guess Darkness, who is very religious, would find it difficult to interact normally with Chris and Aqua after you learned their secrets…"

"That's what I've been saying…"

Darkness leaned against the wall as she massaged her own temples.

I've had one or two 'serious talks' with Darkness before. Most of them revolved around my troubles with Megumin at the time.

I felt like I owed Darkness for helping me sort through my feelings at those times.

"I feel like their status as 'goddesses' makes them seem almost mythical in Darkness's eyes. I didn't even know that gods or goddesses existed until I met Aqua, but I stopped being in awe of such beings when I saw how rotten Aqua's personality was. I thought to myself: 'If this thing is actually considered a goddess, then nothing is sacred in this world'."

"...Again, I really don't see how all this is supposed to help."

I lost track of my point and started insulting Aqua.

"I guess I'm trying to say that goddesses aren't really all that special or unique. I mean, they can't even interfere with mortal affairs most of the time. I guess this event right now is sort of breaking the rules, but you know what I mean."

"Y-Yeah… Chris really gave me a lecture about that."

"It might take some time, but I'm sure Darkness will see that there's really no difference between Chris and Eris. It might be awkward now, but I'll bet you'll go back to being best friends eventually."

"That's actually some good advice, Kazuma."

Darkness smiled in appreciation. I didn't think I said anything aside from the obvious, but sometimes that's just what people need to hear.

She straightened herself, renewed confidence in her eyes.

"Thanks, Kazuma. Now, about my other problem. What are we going to do about the new contestants?"

"Oh. Well, good luck with that, Darkness."

"You're just leaving it to me?!"

I didn't have any helpful advice to give her about that matter.

Part 5

When I returned to my seat, as promised, I brought some of the dorayaki Iris was eyeing earlier.

"Yay~! Thank you, onii-sama!"

She took one out of a paper bag full of steaming hot dorayaki and took a big bite out of it.

"Yum! This is really good! This is even better than cream puff fairies!"

Cream puff fairies were a delicacy, while dorayaki was a common snack you could find anywhere. Iris was too sheltered for her own good.

I was seated between Iris and the king, who leaned over to me and said,

"At first, I almost couldn't believe my informants when they told me that your Arch-Priest companion was actually the goddess of water, Aqua. It seems her boasts from back then were true. I'm ashamed of myself for not believing her. And to think that a goddess would come down to the mortal world and even join the party of a hero…"

She didn't come here willingly, but I spared the king this detail. If he wanted to think highly of Aqua, that was his decision.

But it would trouble me if he let Aqua have even more influence and power because of his mistaken assumptions.

"The king shouldn't trouble himself about failing to see that my companion was a goddess. After all, despite being a goddess, she's still the troublesome Aqua you've known until now. That fact will never change."

I told him the same thing I told Darkness. Just because they were different beings than us, there was no need to put these goddesses on a pedestal. Especially Aqua.

"Those are wise words, Kazuma-kun. I was right to grant the title of 'lord' onto you."

"Un! Onii-sama is very dependable, isn't he, father?"

Iris said with pride as she chirped in on the praise.

I didn't mind the praises, but the king's words implied that he'd only have higher expectations from me from then on.

While we were talking, there was some movement on the stage. Darkness came out from behind the curtain covering the backstage, carrying a voice amplifying magic item with her.

"Um… W-Welcome, everyone! Thanks for coming to this beauty pageant!"

She was obviously nervous while addressing such a large crowd. Regardless, she received applause and cheers from the excited crowd.

"As you are all aware, this beauty pageant will be a contest between goddesses… in fact, it seems other goddesses aside from Eris and Aqua have heard of the event, and expressed their desire to join in."

This was news to everyone in the audience. The excitement only grew as murmurs swept through the crowd.

"Rather than introduce them now… shall we have all of our contestants come out on stage?"

A resounding 'yes!' from the crowd was the answer to Darkness's question.

"Then… Let's bring them out!"

Darkness was slowly getting more comfortable working the crowd. She was acting like the M.C. of a concert.

With Darkness's signal, the curtains parted. The four goddesses stood in a line, side-by-side.

From left to right: Aqua, Eris, Wolbach and Regina.

They were wearing their usual outfits, but the fact that they were on a stage, with lights shining down on them, emphasized their other-wordly beauty more than usual.

I was even captivated by Aqua, as if seeing her for the first time.

Since I always saw her slacking off, sprawled all over the couch in a sloppy way, sometimes I forget that she had beauty befitting a goddess.

Darkness handed Aqua the magic microphone. She took it and stepped forward, raising her other hand to the audience and waving.

"Hehe. I knew this would happen someday. The world will finally know that I am not just an ordinary Arch-Priest, that I am actually the great goddess of water, Aqua! Go ahead, worship me!"

"Uwoooo!"

The Axis-cultists in the crowd expressed their approval.

After finishing her self-introduction, she rudely tossed the magic item over to Eris, who fumbled it before catching it.

"Um… I'm the goddess of luck, Eris. This is my first time making a public appearance. For supporting me all this time, to all my followers… I sincerely thank you!"

She bowed humbly to the audience.

"Uwoooo?!"

Rather than a goddess appearing before the world for the first time, she looked like an upstart idol making her first live debut.

It was Wolbach's turn next.

"...I'm the dark goddess of violence and sloth, Wolbach. I used to be a general of the Devil King army, but I'm a good guy now. I'm trying to get rid of my 'dark' status, so please support me from now on."

The audience didn't know how to react to that sparse and direct speech. There was some uneasy, light applause.

She sounded like a disgraced celebrity who was trying to clear her image.

Speaking of someone who wanted an image change…

"Hello, everyone! I'm Regina, goddess of the home and redemption! I'm sure a lot of you don't know me, but I've been an active goddess for a while now! I'm looking forward to getting to know everyone~!"

After that cheerful self-introduction, Regina winked at the audience.

...Is this still the same Regina I know?

Part 6

The first event was the fashion show, where contestants can show off outfits and costumes that they feel best reflects their personality.

For this event, I created an idol-like costume for Eris, a sleeveless blouse with a neck tie, a short skirt, black arm sleeves and black knee high socks. I also asked her to tie her hair up into twintails. Those twintails were tied up by two Eris-order insignia shaped accessories.

The audience didn't recognize where this type of fashion came from. They didn't have a notion of what an idol costume was supposed to look like. Even so, cuteness is a universal force that transcends worlds.

"Eris-chan, you're so cuuute!"

The pilgrims who once carried themselves with an air of solemn stoicism were reduced to a rabid state once they saw Eris in this outfit.

Not to be outdone, the Axis-cultists also raised the volume once Aqua appeared onstage. I had no idea what Aqua planned to wear, so I was surprised when she came out with a blue kimono that paired well with her hagoromo.

She looked like the divine beings one could find in historic Japanese paintings.

I knew that Aqua was taking this seriously, but I was waiting for her to make some kind of blunder. So far, I'd say that she was the frontrunner to win this contest.

As for the other two late entrants…

"Um… contestant Wolbach, please don't come to the stage wearing only a bath towel…"

"...I-I was told that this will get me a lot of support from the audience. Also, my manager told me that this costume best reflects my personality, since I like taking baths…"

Wolbach was still unerringly listening to Megumin's misguided advice. She was even referring to Megumin as 'manager'.

With Wolbach already screwing up, I didn't have high expectations for Regina, but…

"...! What a unique outfit! Contestant Regina, please give an explanation for your outfit!"

Even Darkness, the M.C., was curious about Regina's outfit.

"This is a costume from the long forgotten civilization of Noise, the country I originally governed. We had some immigrants from… far away countries that introduced some of their culture and ways to us. This clothing they introduced became quite popular among the women of our country."

No matter how you look at it, it was a sailor fuku.

I know this is weird coming from me, but those reincarnated Japanese from back then sure did introduce some strange things to this world.

It looked like Regina was starting to stir the audience's interest. Regina wasn't trying to steal Eris or even Aqua's spot as top goddesses. She just wanted to get people's attention and hopefully convert some followers. Despite my role as Eris's producer, I couldn't help but cheer on this reformed goddess.

The next event was the swimsuit contest.

Normally, one would think that having goddesses parade around their bodies in skimpy swimsuits is certainly 'No Good'.

I thought that there would be an outcry from the religious observers in the audience, but there was not a word of complaint as the four goddesses came out in their swimsuits.

As expected, Aqua, being a goddess of water, looked good in a swimsuit.

Her white swimsuit was relatively modest for being a two piece, but she did spin around and made sure to flaunt her body.

Seeing Aqua make seductive movements like that made me feel weird.

I wasn't filled with desire or anything. Quite the opposite, actually. It was like going to the beach with your sister and seeing her make all sorts of flirty movements to the guys who came to hit on her.

I didn't have a sister back in Japan, but I imagine that this awkward feeling is what guys with a sister go through sometimes.

Eris was also wearing a two-piece suit, but this one was more flashy than Aqua's.

Her long silver hair was tied with a flower accessory, and a see-through 'cover-up' beach dress went down along her waist, down to her ankles.

Beach dresses were meant to provide modesty, but the see through fabric didn't do much to hide the shape and tone of Eris's legs. Rather, they only accentuated them and fueled the imagination. Also, with this ensemble, the fact that she was pretty much topless was only made even more apparent. Her legs were covered up, but her top was only hidden by a flimsy bikini.

"P-Please don't stare so much..."

"?!"

There it is, just as we rehearsed.

The line that all men want to hear from their girl when they visit the beach.

There was a collective 'hnnnng?!' from the audience as a blushing Eris said this line so naturally.

Next, it was Wolbach's turn.

"Um… contestant Wolbach, why are you only wearing a towel again?"

"It's a beach towel this time…"

"Are you only going to wear towels for this whole competition?! Please tell me that you're wearing something underneath!"

"...'It wouldn't be a real 'towel only' look if I wore something underneath. That's what my manager told me."

I had a feeling that Wolbach was going to be disqualified.

Also, Megumin was having way too much fun playing around with her. What happened to her nervousness around Wolbach at the start?

Still, Wolbach was getting some interest, in her own way.

"Then, contestant Regina, you're wearing another unusual outfit. Please explain it to us once more."

Darkness was again confused by the outfit Regina was wearing, but I recognized it instantly.

A navy blue one piece with the owner's name and class number displayed in front.

She was even wearing an inflatable ring around her waist.

"Again, this is an outfit from my old country."

Old country my ass!

She just keeps coming out with all these fetishy cosplay outfits out on stage.

Are we sure that she's been 'redeemed'?

But it looked like she wasn't aware of the fetishized nature of her country's outfits. I guess I could only blame the Japanese who introduced them to her culture.

To Regina and the women my fellow Japanese had deceived back then, I apologize.

Part 7

There was an intermission break before the last two events of the contest.

The winners of the events haven't been revealed yet, but there will only be two contestants remaining by the time of the last event.

Regardless of who was leading until that point, the talent contest will swing the tides to whoever wins it.

Aqua was still our biggest challenge, but Regina was steadily winning over the audience with her sincerity and natural charms. The fact that she didn't seem all that invested in winning, and was more than happy just to be able to participate, gave her an underdog image in the eyes of the audience.

As for Wolbach, she was also getting some support, but I heard murmurs of people calling her 'the towel goddess'.

I didn't even know what she and Megumin were planning to do at the talent show, but I wasn't expecting Wolbach to only come out in a towel.

Rather than a serious competitor, it was obvious that she had become the gag character in this whole event.

"The contest is getting quite heated, wouldn't you agree, Kazuma-kun?"

The king said, after Darkness announced that there would be a thirty minute break.

"Yeah, it looks like it. Does the king have any favorites?"

"Haha. I feel like there will be a huge controversy, so I won't answer that."

...But that means he did have one, right?

Stall owners made sure to capitalize on this large crowd by wheeling in their goods on portable stalls. I made sure to buy Iris all kinds of snacks before I excused myself to attend to Eris while she was on break.

When I entered her dressing room, I found Eris in the idol outfit she wore during the fashion show. She was practicing her dance routine and warming up her voice.

"You're doing pretty well so far."

I said, as I gave her a bottle of water. She gratefully accepted it and took a sip.

"...I just hope I can beat the others in the talent show."

"I don't know what Aqua is planning, but I'm confident that you can score high with the routine we planned."

"Un… I hope so. I'll just practice a bit more."

I thought that she would ask me to stay for morale support, but it looked like she was fine on her own. Oh, how quickly they grow up.

As I left Eris's dressing room, I encountered Vanir in the hallway.

"...What are you doing here?"

"Thou looketh at me with such suspicion! If thou negative feelings weren't so delicious, moi would be offended to be gazed at in such a way!"

Vanir said, as if the fact that I was suspicious of him after all he's done was unjustified in any way.

"Fear not. Moi doesn't have any stake in whoever wins this contest between goddesses. In fact, just being here is unpleasant for moi, with all this divine aura in one place. Moi has only come to make a delivery to a customer…"

I noticed the black case he had slung over his shoulder. That shape was too distinct for me to mistake for something else.

"Eh…? Did Vanir already finish making that product idea I gave him?"

He chuckled to himself.

"I've only made this one prototype. Unfortunately, that damned goddess who does nothing all day but idle in our store has caught wind of this invention. She threatened to do all kinds of malicious things if moi refused to sell this to her, so moi had no choice."

It looked like Vanir, even with his all-seeing eyes, still couldn't find a counter for Aqua.

"Vanir! There you are! I should have known that the sudden stink I'm smelling came from you! Did you bring what I told you to deliver?!"

"Che! Here, take it! Thou better keep thou promises and leave our store alone!"

A begrudging exchange was made between goddess and devil. With his business over, Vanir walked away after handing Aqua the case.

"Oh, Kazuma, did you come here to spy? It looks like you've seen my secret weapon…"

Aqua said, as she patted the black case in her hand. It was the unmistakable shape of a guitar case.

Vanir got interested in the musical instruments from the other world. Namely, the electric guitar.

One of the most popular and iconic instruments from my world, Vanir obviously saw the profit he could make from mass producing it.

Obviously, there weren't any reliable electric sources in this world, aside from those produced by magic.

The sound amplification was also a bit of a problem since speakers didn't exist in this world.

However, sound magic did exist, and there were ways to manipulate it.

Vanir figured out most of the mechanics and had apparently made it work, seeing as how he gave Aqua the prototype.

Good for him, but for me and Eris, this was bad news.

I thought that Aqua would play it safe and do her party tricks, like usual.

But now, there was too much of an overlap between her and Eris's performance.

And I hate to admit it, but Aqua was simply more talented as a performer.

Furthermore, there was the 'x-factor' the electric guitar brings.

If Aqua can use it properly, she will move the hearts of the audience who have never heard the sound of an electric guitar in their lives.

There wasn't much I could do now. If I told Eris about this, she'd only become discouraged.

"Hehe. I like that defeated look on your face, Kazuma. It's not too late to switch sides, you know? Well, it's not like I need your help anymore to win this thing. This guitar isn't my only secret weapon! Nishishishi!"

Aqua taunted me even more as she headed back to her dressing room.

I was fine losing to anyone, but it would be soul crushing to lose to Aqua in a fair fight, even if this is just a beauty contest.

Big boss… Please do your best!

A/N: I ended up needing to split this pageant mini-arc in two parts. The finale for the pageant and Megumin and Kazuma's date will be in the next chapter. As always, thanks for reading. -BB