Konosuba: Junior Goddess in Training

by Beta Orionis

Aqua's forced to take in a new Junior Goddess because of Eris' impending promotion to Senior Goddess. An unfortunate businessman on vacation ends up meeting Truck-kun and then Aqua. The businessman thought he got what he wished for but didn't see the strings attached. Unfortunately, Aqua scammed herself too. The first chapter starts shortly before Kazuma enters Axel.

2. Chapter 2

Konosuba Junior Goddess in Training

Chapter 2: When extremes are together

KO
NO

SU
BA

Day 3, Belzerg Timezone

Aqua's office, Goddess Division, Divine Realm

So I screwed up with Orion, but I can't be the one who tells him that. What would he think of me? I made him a quick excuse after he wanted to now what was going on. I wasn't lying about the chaos in my Holy City.

I'll send a message to Cecily to explain the situation. Zesta is busy dealing with the aftermath of the Alcanretia investigators.

"Priestess Cecily, your loyalty has been rewarded. You are assigned a top-secret mission from your Goddess Aqua."

She had the ambition to try and replace Zesta as the head of the Axis church and the right amount of loyalty to get the job done. In fact, I might be able to do something else too.

"Lady Aqua? Is that you? Yes! I'm ready!" Cecily had just woken up, I forgot the day had just started, and she crawled out of her bed in nothing but panties.

I appeared in my usual Godly form and greeted her with a warm hug.

"I have an important message for you to deliver to the new Archpriestess of Axel, Orion Revilla." I passed her an envelope with more instructions about the Aqua's essence, minus the part I couldn't disclose about the acceptance requirement.

"Really? Let me know, and I'll do it!" Cecily was a very enthusiastic priestess, and I think I can even make her my second assistant; she can deal with the paperwork for me.

"One of the new otherworlders has a very important role, one that I can only disclose to you and Zesta for now. But you see, I put this person in a situation similar to how we recruit members for the church. I signed him up for the next Junior Goddess position. You should see how Orion is when she uses my essence as her cheat skill. She's definitely your type." I winked shamelessly at Cecily. She's cried out my name too many times, doing naughty things to herself when she sees Lolis; the current level of my essence on Orion would make a loli goddess form appear, at least for another bunch of levels.

"Plus, I'm giving you a very special reward to make sure you can convince Orion to stay in that form forever. After all, Axis recruiters always get a 30% referral bonus, and you'll be getting a Goddess on the team; imagine the rewards for that. I'll make you the Junior Goddess of Loli under me." Cecily was my second choice for Junior Goddess if I wasn't able to scam Orion in the first place.

"But you have to make sure that this goal isn't explicitly said to Orion, or else the contract will be void. It's like how we get new people into the cult; they have to willingly sign it, even if they don't know what it means."

Cecily was so happy she could've wet herself; of course, the ambitious loli lover would do anything to get this done.

I brought out the Junior goddess application form, and Cecily signed it without hesitation. She'd be the one to get this job done for me.

I was counting on it, or else I'm screwed.

"So please, go to Axel and help Orion realize their destiny as your fellow junior goddess. May the two of you be fruitful and multiply our followers in Axel. Of course, that means you become an arch priestess since you have a portion of my power. Get more devoted followers, too, since I'm sharing my power with the two of you!". It was a big risk splitting my power three ways, but desperate times call for desperate measures.

"I will do as commanded, Lady Aqua!" Cecily stood up and saluted me; she almost ran out of her room, nearly naked, in her rush to go to Axel.

"Wait, let me explain how the essence works. There are twelve levels of the essence, each with corresponding lengths and appearances. At the first level, you can only use it once a day for ten minutes long; you'd also have an appearance of a ten-year-old. The second level allows you to use it twice a day for twenty minutes long each and adds another six months to your external age. After that, it increases until it reaches its twelfth level, where you'll have the essence permanently, at 12 times a day, with 120 minutes per use. You'd also have the appearance of someone between 16-18 years old. You're level 13, so you're already at the second level of essence." I let her absorb the information before explaining one more bit.

"Of course, your essence can level up once every ten levels on your card. So you'd need to hit level 120 or defeat the demon king in order to achieve full transcendence. I was too busy to explain it to Orion last time, but I know you can. Now prepare for your trip and go to Axel immediately."

I left her room and went back to the Divine Realm.

I laughed as I stepped back to my office. Eris was waiting for me, sitting at my desk. What was that chest-padding girl doing now?

Eris was glaring at me.

"Why am I cleaning up your mess?" Eris placed her hands on her hips and continued her rant. She always assumes I don't have a plan ready. How arrogant of her.

"You couldn't even do this yourself? Don't you know how frustrated Orion was after the transformation? That person looked betrayed inside and couldn't even get your answers about it. Did you leave me to do this?" Eris was pinching my cheeks.

"Don't you see, I have a solution; I can't meddle directly, so I'm sending someone to help." Seriously, I was going the extra mile by adding yet another Goddess to help us.

"That's not how it's done, and if I heard the last few minutes right, you want to make a Goddess of Loli too?! What chaos are you bringing into my world."

"How do you expect someone like Cecily to convince the polite and friendly Orion to accept the full terms of the contract?"

"I'll deal with Orion myself." Eris beamed out of the office.

Eris has to learn how to delegate her tasks; a Senior Goddess has more than one world to watch over. She'd go crazy if she micromanaged everything.

She thinks I have the attention span of a Goldfish but forgets I have too many worlds to track.

She's going to bite off more than she can chew unless she gets an assistant.

KO.
NO.
SU.
BA.

Flashback

Night 1 Axel City, Belzerg

Orion POV

Food and drinks were expensive in the guild compared to the standard I was used to. The cheapest meals on the house cost 500 Eris, and that was a measly broth soup and a cup of water. Something with meat started at 1,500, and something with vegetables started at 2,500. Kate told me it had something to do with the vegetables being alive and wartime reducing food supplies. I guess it also had to do with the fact that these were prepared in the restaurant rather than bought off the market and home cooked. The cheapest non-water drinks were either wheat juice or beer at 200 Eris a cup; prices jumped higher beyond that point.

I wonder how people survived with the prices around the guild. Staying at the stables was 2,500 a night, and the guild inn ran 10,000 a night. Anyone without sufficient money would be forced to sleep in the open, outside the city walls, where they were prone to monsters eating them alive. Baths cost another 2,500 and were available for the adventurers; otherwise, you'd have to be content to go to the nearby river and risk whatever monsters were outside once more. They also had strict warnings for those caught trying to sneak into the wrong baths, with the first fine at 50,000 Eris or a week of manual labor.

My lazy self wouldn't enjoy that at all.

Despite my achievements on paper, I hated doing more work than necessary. However, things just kept happening in my old life that gave me opportunity after opportunity, which required minimal effort for high rewards.

I needed to do that in this life.

Quests in the guild gave anywhere from 10,000 Eris up, while manual labor outside was at 250 Eris/hour. So in order for someone to feed themselves barely, you would need 16 hours of manual labor daily unless you had a decent job or did a steady series of quests.

According to the girls at the guild, Adventurers were supposed to be subsidized by the local city lord and also receive funds from the capital. The guild received a large amount of money for every high-level adventurer sent to the capital. But the girls at the guild didn't disclose the amount to me. Luna told me that she didn't want to send all the high-level adventurers to the capital because it depleted the guild in Axel, but a huge signup bonus and the promise of the lowest level of nobility awaits those who reach level 50 and contract themselves to fight at the frontlines for a decade.

Many Japanese teenagers have fought and died over the years, it was close to Luna's tenth year working her way up at the guild, and she told me that I was an exception to the rule; nine out of ten Japanese accept the fast track contract immediately while almost every other Japanese eventually moves to more prosperous cities after tiring of the mediocrity in Axel.

Frankly, I'd rather have a peaceful life in a beginner city than deal with the chaos at the frontlines. Besides, I can probably recruit followers in a place with more peace than war.

The girls at the guild had free time to talk to me between their shifts, amused and curious at the latest adventurer. I discovered that the waitresses sometimes worked behind the counter and vice-versa to keep their skills sharp. They also earned the same amount as a manual worker at 250 Eris an hour, but tips from the adventurers kept them afloat; it also explained why not a single man worked in the guild, except for those paying off guild debts.

"No wonder you act and dress up that way," I commented to Luna.

"It's not that bad; besides, the guys at the guild know better than the accidentally touch us where we don't want to. Not everyone is cut out for an adventurer life or has the connections to rise beyond the commoner jobs. While I haven't fulfilled my dreams yet, I might have the chance sooner than later." She sighed as she finished her story.

She had a short break before the dinner shift started, but it would last long enough to introduce me to the two adventurers looking for a party.

"Do you want to be an adventurer if given a chance?" People with a lot of ambition and looks in an Anime tend to have some OP stats; maybe she's one of them.

"Do I? Sure, even just for a few years before settling down. I'm about to turn twenty-five, and the best years to adventure started a few years ago. Could I adventure? Unless someone duplicates me, the people around here will run this place like a headless chicken, and I would come back by the end of the day with a barrelful of misplaced documents, adventurers complaining the whole day, and other disasters at the guild. The girls working under me may be sweet and honest, but anyone competent in administration or documents usually gets taken by the local nobles; instead, they get paid a lot more. I just couldn't leave the people behind at the guild." Luna gave me the impression Aqua gave me in heaven, overworked but a talented person.

"Do you get to level up with your job and all? If only there were an opportunity for you to go out sometimes." I wanted to see her adventurer card.

"Hehehe, at this point, I have the stats to shift to any class I want to. But I started out with average stats and higher-than-average luck. So I chose the merchant class, and since I handled all the accounting, transactions, and almost anything in the guild that was a step beyond manual labor and basic inputting, I'm the highest-level person in the guild at Axel. Keep it a secret, though; many of the newer hotshots think that they can look down on me when they reach a certain level, only to get a rude awakening when they get reminded of their place. You should see how many foolish kids try to take a quest too risky for their party and try to insist otherwise. A single flick of the finger usually does the job." Blonde, freakishly strong, and stuck behind the desk, Granny Hokage, is that you?

"Have the Japanese ever told you about Tsunade?" I wonder how much Japanese pop culture is filtered in this world or even those from other countries. Did anyone dump Filipino teens here too?

"Nope, as I said, the Japanese tend to leave town quickly, and those that remain usually stay aloof and distant, frequently talking to the few Japanese in the city in their own language. Although parts of their culture supposedly influence the nation."

Oh, too bad.

"Well, you're lucky I'm not Japanese, then. I barely know a single word in their language. I wonder if there's anyone else from where I come from, but it seems like only Japanese teens come into this world." I scratched behind my head awkwardly

"Well, the nobles are rumored to come from ancient hero candidates themselves. So if you see someone with Blonde hair and blue eyes, they're most likely someone from a noble family. Or anyone else with coloring close to that." I looked at her again and winked.

"So shall I call you 'milady'?" I stuck my tongue out too

"No-no, none of that; not everyone is a legitimate child either." Luna frowned,

"I'm sorry I joked about it."

"Oh, it's nothing, you aren't the first adventurer to assume the same thing, and I've been resigned to my fate anyway. It's also the same reason why I don't share my adventurer's card around. You aren't the only one hiding a big secret, my dear Archpriestess." She had an emotional 180 and stuck her tongue out too.

"Ugh, for the fifth time today, I'm not a girl. I'm pretty sure I know which parts I have." I told Luna. The other permanent employees who were made of the waitresses and counter girls also knew my situation with the card, they swore to keep it secret, but their knowing winks or assumptions that I was some kind of woman running away from a marriage or some undesirable female role was frustrating.

"The baths will never lie, too; I look forward to gloating to you about it when the time comes." Luna looked at the door.

It was frustrating because I'm sure a medieval society would treat sexual or gender deviants badly; I wasn't looking forward to an inquisition because people assumed I was hiding my gender. It'd be a very awkward trial if I had to strip naked in front of the judges just to prove I wasn't lying.

"Oh look, there they are. Just wait for me at the table." She walked off to the two women at the entrance, a tall blonde knight in fine armor and a slender, androgynous silver-haired girl. She told them a few things I couldn't hear, but the blonde knight jumped for joy while the silver-haired woman eyed me up suspiciously. Come to think of it, most people around the guild were pretty short; I only saw two guys taller than me, while everyone else was at least a few inches shorter than me.

I blame poor medieval/renaissance diets or the ridiculously high cost of food for this.

"Chris, Darkness, meet Orion, our newest Archpriest- oomph" I knew Luna was about to say more.

"Hey, I thought we agreed not to talk about some things." I glared at Luna while saying that. Chris was suspicious, while Darkness looked confused.

"Chris would figure it out immediately, although if you insist." Luna rolled her eyes back at me.

"Orion, meet Darkness, a crusader." She screamed secret nobility. She also waved and smiled at me. I wonder why she'd be desperate for a party; impressions alone should get many people interested in her. She is taller than any woman around here and could look straight in the eye with many of the guys in the guild; she literally stands out.

"And Chris, a thief." Sometime during the introduction, she had a weird look on her face as if she was inspired. She smiled and waved at me too.

"Oh, look at the time; I have to work again. I hope the three of you have fun, and remember, the truth shall set you free!" It seemed like the three of us had a common cause for glaring at her.

"Thanks, Luna!" We still smiled and waved at her; she did us a big favor after all.

"I don't recognize any new Eris Church Archpriests." Chris had a strange emphasis on the word Archpriest; Luna's warnings rang true in my head. Does she have some sort of high-level "Observe skill"? "I also know that the Axis Church Archpriest is in Alcanretia facing some kind of inquiry about hot spring poisoning. Did you somehow become the head of the church and move to Axel?"

Wait, so is that what Aqua is dealing with? It sounds like a lot of work to deal with, no wonder why she's too busy to meet me.

"Are you a thief or a spy? You know a lot. I love and worship Aqua, although I was taught to respect Eris too." I couldn't just tell those two off the bat how close I was to the Goddess Aqua, or how I'm basically Eris's adopted sibling due to this apprenticeship process. "I don't remember signing up to head the Axis Church all of a sudden; I just entered the world today."

"Oh, you're one of those cheat users from Japan?" Darkness asked enthusiastically. "It's not exactly common knowledge but don't you normally go straight to the capital? What's keeping you here?"

Looks like a good cop-bad cop interrogation duo. I also need to get information out of them.

"If it isn't common knowledge, then I guess we can keep the information among ourselves. I technically came from Japan, but I'm not Japanese; I died in the middle of my vacation there."

I moved on to ask them too.

"Both of you seem really intelligent, well-informed, and different from the usual people here. So why do you still need to recruit members to your party?" While Darkness was obviously a noble working under a pseudonym, with the way her armor looked too nice, her skin felt too smooth (when we shook hands), and her general bearing, the fact that she was the height of an adult male around the guild was a hint of better nutrition too.

Chris also looked too perfect for the expected stereotype of a successful thief; I mean, even the waitresses and counter ladies who make money off their looks with the tips have rougher hands and more stressed-looking bodies than these two. "Also, why are the two of your hiding your rank and station? You give me the impression that you're secretly nobles. Are the other adventurers this dense?"

Darkness was visibly nervous, while Chris covered her reaction quickly. I owe Luna one for that hint. At least I didn't expose her as a source in the process too.

"Most of them wouldn't see us that way." "I hope you wouldn't treat us differently." Chris and Darkness said at the same time; Darkness isn't that good at keeping secrets.

"I'm sure we all have our reasons, but would you be fine with me at the party? I have really awesome intelligence stats and a lot of skills, although my mana is still a limitation. I couldn't do heavy-hitting skills often at my current level." I suspected that Aqua's essence would let me use these skills continuously during the short time it is activated, but I wouldn't want to use it as a crutch.

"Sure, could we see your adventurer card? I just want to verify your skillsets" Chris held her hand out. This would be awkward.

"Could I see your cards too? It'll let me know how I can buff the two of you with support spells." I knew they were hiding something too.

We stared at each other for a good half minute until Darkness brought her card out, blocking her name. Chris did the same thing too. I blocked out my class.

"Are we just going to read each other's cards upside down? It's rather disappointing that you two are hiding your names from me." I tried to guilt-trip them.

"Why are you holding your card like that? The Archpriest doesn't fit in perfectly in the square too. Does that mean you're…" Chris was about to say something I couldn't let her, so I used the chance to grab their cards and look at their names.

"Eris" "Lalatina Ford Dustiness" Whaaat!

"Luna, bring us to a private room; we need to talk," Chris shouted; Darkness grabbed my arm with overwhelming strength.

We got sent to the room where Luna also brought some meals and drinks. I was running on empty by this point, so I appreciated the food. I was about to ask for the price, but Luna said.

"Chris asked for the room; it comes with complimentary food and drinks. She's paying for it."

"Well, thanks… Chris." I awkwardly thanked Chris as I looked at my two kidnappers.

"Don't mention it; besides, it seems like we all have secrets, we'd like to keep, Archpriestess." Chris smiled at me.

"Ugh, the machine was glitchy when it printed out my card; why is everyone insisting that I'm an Archpriestess? I have all the goodies a man has." I glared at Chris.

Darkness was staring at me and grabbed me again. She was extremely strong, and since she was only a few inches shorter than me, she could easily get within reach.

"How did you fake it? I wanted to hide my identity even further by binding my chest and faking my parts below, but it was futile." She pointed at her large chest with one hand while molesting me.

Poking my chest isn't going to get you anything, you perverted blonde!

"Are you running away from a marriage or something?" I looked at Darkness, who wouldn't let go of me. She was about to grab my body below then I told her.

"Get your hands off me; those aren't fake." I pushed her away as Chris spoke up.

"I think Orion is cursed; I heard that there's an artifact that swaps people's bodies around; however, their real name and gender still appear on the adventurer's card, despite whatever outward appearance they have."

"Again, no. I was born this way in this body, and it's really weird to hear that some people are swapping bodies around. Isn't that illegal?" Darkness was blushing in a corner; she must have realized that she felt the real thing underneath the clothes.

"If you insist, honestly, you're better off in your optimal body. You won't be locked out of the baths and certain other places too." Chris mentioned. "I'm pretty sure that as an arch priestess, praying to Aqua would get that curse of yours resolved anyway." Maybe I should, although I can ask her the next time we talk.

"Away from that topic, just who are you both? I saw your names, and I'd rather ask you directly."

"If you insist, I'm Lalatina Ford Dustiness, Daughter of Ignis Ford Dustiness, an influential noble in the Kingdom. But please, call me Darkness; I don't want to be married off to a nobleman or live the boring life of a noblewoman, so I'm out here adventuring with my best friend, Chris!" Darkness explained her story to me.

"I'll respect your privacy, but please respect mine too." Darkness brightened at my answer.

"I'm Chris, a thief without a family. While my card says Eris, I would rather not draw unwanted attention from people who would accuse me of using her name in vain. I guess my parents didn't consider that before leaving me behind." I couldn't sense a lie, but I still don't think an orphaned thief would look that fine anyway.

"As for my upbringing, I guess you can say I'm extremely lucky." Chris gave a thumbs-up and a wink.

She reminds me of someone, particularly in the way she winks. It's at the tip of my mind. My last coin, the 500 Eris coin I promised not to spend, was oddly warm in my pocket. This reminds me I need to work, or I'll starve.

"Alright, I'm a new adventurer; please take care of me. I'll follow your orders and help out as needed; people say I'm a fast learner, so I'd probably contribute a lot more as soon as I get used to this."

Maybe I can coast off their skills while I just support them from the back; support characters like me can live off a relaxed and lazy life while farming Exp points from the assist, right?

I frequently got MVPs in multiplayer matches just from sheer support ability, even if it made the other players pissed off with my hit-and-run assist farm strat.

Darkness replied.

"Great! Chris is the leader of our party, and we have a quest to eliminate goblins tomorrow morning."

"I'll protect you and Chris with my body and take hits for you. As a knight, I cannot overlook such horrors befalling two girls." I glared at her again. "Uhm, I mean in private, of course." She tried to correct herself. I just facepalmed. At least I knew that she was a tank type and was willing to soak up the damage; I didn't want to feel pain if I could avoid it. I'll tolerate her mistaken assumption for now.

"I'm extremely fast, stealthy, and can deal serious damage. Most monsters would die from a single strike when facing me. Darkness usually draws in more difficult opponents while I kill them. We'd appreciate your buffs and skills that deal with the undead. Zombie quests would give a lot of money, although we can save that once you level up." Chris sounded like a powerful thief. I think I got really lucky despite my abysmal luck stat.

"Alright, I'll do my best. See you tomorrow, and thanks again for the food."

The dinner was nice and filling; Chris and Darkness left the room first. Luna came in to clean up the table and smiled.

"See, I told you the three of you would get along well. I hope you stay together as a party of people hiding secrets."

"How come they struggled to complete a party? Those two appear to be perfect party mates?" I asked Luna.

"That's not my story to tell, but please, be a little bit understanding to their party. They're nice girls and perform very well." Luna told me

I nodded. I'll try to work with them.

"Thanks for everything, Luna! I'll see you tomorrow."

I left the private room and saw a bunch of adventurers getting drunk; a blonde guy with red eyes approached me and asked.

"Hey, what were you doing alone with those hot girls? You look new around here, and I just want to say that it's best you don't stir up too much drama immediately." He slurred at me. I waved him off.

"Got it, thanks." I walked away from the guild towards the shrine.

Aqua's room in the Axis Shrine was decently furnished, although it was in a garishly blue theme everywhere and one fit for a teenaged girl rather than myself. Still, I wouldn't want to meddle with the room too much until I get her permission. After all, the priestess Aqua told me that should be here in a week or two.

I was exhausted and fell asleep quickly.

KO.
NO.
SU.
BA.

Day 2 Axel City, Belzerg

Darkness POV

Poor Orion; Chris told me that she was likely under the influence of multiple long-term curses, making Orion think that she's a man rather than a woman. Chris told me that perhaps the Axis Cult had something to deal with this, but she'd need to carefully ask their higher-ups, as meddling with an Archpriestess of theirs is bound to cause trouble. Besides, if Lady Aqua truly loves all sorts of sexual deviants, she probably has a solution to this one too.

This was already on top of what Chris told me yesterday about adventurers who come from other worlds. I heard about these rumors among nobility, especially regarding my cousin's ancestry, but my Father told me I would learn about that particular thing when I was mature enough.

But Chris seems to know everything, so.

I'll let Chris sort it out.

We would meet Orion at the west gate and proceed to our goblin-slaying quest.

"I think I can find a way to start fighting the curse, but we'd need to get Orion stronger in the process. I'll deal with the other parts of the curse breaking myself," Chris told me

"Alright, you're really helping us. Please use me as a shield later! After all, it is the expectation and duty of a female knight." I can't keep myself in Chris' debt all the time; I'll be a bad adventurer if I keep relying on her. At least I'm doing my part and helping Orion instead.

We saw Orion leaning on the side of the gate, wearing an Axis Church priestess attire with a headpiece. The passerby blatantly avoided him/her; damnit, this gender curse is confusing.

"Heyya! I hope you don't mind that I dressed up for the mission. It feels odd, but it was the only thing left in the shrine." Orion looked a bit stiff in the attire; it probably had something to do with the curse.

"You're wearing Axis Priestess attire, after all," Chris mentioned after looking closely; Orion jerked back and started to take off his clothes.

"Oh, I'm gonna take it off then. I wouldn't want to get mistaken from afar." Orion got stopped by Chris. "Why did Aqua say this was appropriate for me? Maybe the person she delegated it too was irresponsible." I heard Orion mutter. That's a casual way to call one's God.

"We don't have time for that; let's go goblin hunting." Chris pulled Orion toward the direction of the camp.

It was a thirty-minute walk, and we saw a lot more goblins than expected—forty in a large setup. But wait, were those hostages in the middle? I saw three kids tied up at the center of the camp, surrounded by goblins throwing stones at them. I was furious at the sight.

"We've got to do something; we can't let those kids suffer any longer," I told Chris and Orion as I prepared my sword.

"Darkness, take point and draw their attention. I'll lurk and start killing the goblins closest to the children. Orion, do you have enough mana to give us support magic and heal the kids afterward?" Orion paused for a moment and said.

"Yes, I do; which one in particular?" Orion brought out a staff

"Improve speed for me and Increase strength for Darkness. Darkness, you have to charge at the goblins through the main wall in order to keep them away from the kids. Think about the pain later." Chris read my mind; I had to stop those urges from showing. Orion would probably freak out and leave us if I spoiled our chances too early.

"Improve speed" "Lurk," Chris disappeared

"Improve strength" It was time for me to run through the main entrance.

I ran as fast as I could and slammed past the poorly constructed wall.

*Crash*

I think I crushed several goblins before I stopped; the impact gave me shudders.

I heard a lot of gurgling sounds; Chris was absolutely relentless at her monster extermination job.

Some distant thwacks could be heard.

Oh no, Orion!

"I'll handle this! Get away while you can!" I ran into the three goblins surrounding Orion; there was one on the ground while Orion jumped away from my charge.

The goblins were too weak to deal any damage to me; what a bummer.

"Nice save, thanks, Darkness!" I felt a weird flutter; someone actually thanked me? Orion smacked the goblins I knocked down.

"Double tap," Orion muttered. Was that some weird outworlder speak?

"Becoming a wall to protect someone is all I'm good for." I proudly proclaimed.

"I see; full tank build? Do you have any offensive moves, or are you this world's Bofuri or Shield Hero?" Orion asked while looking around the camp; Chris had already secured the kids.

"I don't know who you're talking about, but none of my attacks ever hit their mark. Could you tell me about those two people you talked about? Shield hero sounds interesting." Orion looked at me; I got worried that I had said something stupid again.

"Please give me a chance. I won't let you down." I started pleading with Orion.

"Huh? I see a huge min-max opportunity at the party. Do you have a decoy skill? Or one that draws monsters and enemies at you? With Chris doing absurd amounts of damage, you tanking everything, and I buffing and healing the party, all we need is a long-range mage and perhaps a secondary melee character." Orion smiled at me; this person actually wanted me to draw all the monsters and enemies at me. What a scoundrel, this is exactly the kind of guy I want.

Except Chris said, Orion is a girl, which is a turnoff. What a shame; maybe I should keep the curse on Orion longer.

"Uh, Darkness, you're turning awfully red. Are you injured? I can heal you."

"Heal" 4x; I felt a little relieved while Orion cast the heal spells on the three kids captured in the camp.

"I'm okay now, don't worry about me." That was a very powerful healing; even my muscle pains from my usual workout disappeared. That won't do; I need to train even harder tonight to feel the pain again.

"Orion, please enter the tent with the kids; I detected something bad outside. A rookie killer, Darkness, please cause some noise." I got jolted into action.

A rookie killer, the thought of being chewed and scratched by such a thing gave me shudders, the good kind.

"I'm almost out of mana, but I'll bless the two of you once more."

"Enhance Defense," "Improve Speed," Orion sat beside the kids after.

I ran to the center of the camp and shouted.

"Come here, you vile beast! Fight me!"

I checked my adventurer's card and saw I leveled up in the process, level 7, neat.

I could improve my defensive skills or take a shot at Decoy, which was a taunt skill.

I chose the latter because I want to be useful.

"Decoy."

The Rookie Killer lunged; its charge wasn't enough to knock me out, but I was bitten for my efforts.

Oooh, that hurt moderately.

I was tingly and warm all over—a bad time for lewd thoughts.

Blood spilled all over me, and Chris stabbed the Rookie killer several times.

"You did great! That Decoy move of yours distracted the rookie killer away from the tent." Chris slung her arm under me; I forgot I was bitten on my left thigh. I could walk through it, but perhaps the blood loss will be inconvenient."

We went towards the tent, where a worried Orion cast heal again, nearly collapsing after that last spell.

"I couldn't just leave you to die, right?" Orion drowsily said.

"Are all missions supposed to be like this? I thought we only needed to kill ten goblins, not mount a rescue of kids, forty goblins, and a rookie-killer." I asked Chris.

"No, we just had a case of phenomenally bad luck. I thought my good luck was more than enough to keep this from happening, but I have a sinking suspicion that it has something to do with our resident Axis cultist over here." Chris looked at Orion, who sheepishly stared back.

"But Luna told me my abysmal luck wouldn't matter as an adventurer," Orion said.

"Not when your luck is so low that it averages mine out. We were lucky I was around to deal with the threat and that we rescued the kids, but unlucky that we were in this situation in the first place." Chris explained.

"I remember seeing how bad that was in your adventurer's card; you definitely need to level up to bring those stats up." She continued to look around the camp; the kids were sleeping off their recovery.

"I'm level 5 now, I see a small improvement all around, but I guess that isn't enough yet."

I turned level 9 after Chris killed the rookie killer; we all shared points due to our class roles being fulfilled.

"We need to escape now! There's a sleuth of Rookie killers approaching us; 10 of them are enough to defeat us in this state." Chris' cry alarmed us; one was enough to hurt me, and ten would overwhelm me despite my increased level and stats.

Although that would be a thrilling death.

"Orion, if you have any cheat skill from your transfer to this world, please use it now," Chris commanded Orion as he appeared to meditate out of his weakness.

KO.

NO.

SU.

BA.

Day 2 Axel City, Belzerg

Orion POV

Ten rookie killers, monsters that got even Chris alarmed, I have no choice but to use Aqua's aspect.

"Great Goddess Aqua, of water and purification, please grant me use of a portion of your power to defeat these vile beasts." I hope that was sufficient.

Blue light surrounded me, I felt really odd, and the whole world seemed bigger. Chris and Darkness had cries of surprise, too, but I was too busy dealing with the crisis to pay attention to what happened during those crucial seconds.

I felt so much energy and power, my senses were overloaded, and everything was on fire. Was this the feeling of Godhood?

I felt some odd hollowness, but I focused on casting all the support spells I could think of at myself, Darkness, and Chris.

"Improve Strength," "Improve Speed," "Enhance Defense," "Blessing"

I instinctively made a magic barrier around the kids behind us.

Darkness had the rookie killers swarming her; I hoped my buffs would be enough to keep her alive.

Chris was killing those animals one by one, avoiding damage with the strategic use of lurk and high speed, while Darkness seemed mostly unscathed by the monster bites. It seems that my Enhance Defense spell really helps a tank like her.

"Come at me, you disgusting creatures! I will take all your blows while my party kills you!" Darkness was convulsing and flushing while saying that; I hope the Rookie Killers didn't have some sort of venom causing that. I'll heal Darkness as soon as they die.

Darkness was screaming, although it sounded really odd. Don't make it sound like a harem damsel in distress, dude.

As Chris was killing the last Rookie Killer, I saw something rush her from behind. No time for me to criticize Darkness and odd sounds.

I need to help Chris too. I'll try something I saw on my adventurer's card.

"God Blow!" I shouted as I charged at the rookie killer behind Chris.

It was thrown back ten feet, it's flank burned by the attack I made. Chris quickly blurred to its location and killed the creature right after.

Wait, I just noticed that my arm and fist were much smaller than I expected.

I looked down and saw that I looked very different.

Wait! This isn't my body!

I was in some sort of dress similar to Aqua's, and I was a lot shorter.

I had distinctly unmasculine features, and when I patted myself, I realized.

"What happened!?"

I pulled at my hair; it was a lot longer than my original cut and a light shade of green. Was this lime?

"Chris was right; you do have a curse. Did your prayers to Lady Aqua save you from the curse?" Darkness went in front of me; her limping form made her question sound like a poorly timed thing.

"Heal"

I healed her before I continued; I probably had two minutes remaining in this form today.

"You have a time limit on this form, don't you?" Chris asked me from behind.

"I didn't expect you to look like this; why do you look so shocked?" She gently pulled my arms as if she were inspecting a doll.

"I only have ten minutes in this form once a day, and I still have no idea why I'm like this. This cheat skill doesn't make sense. I'll have to pray later at the shrine to figure out why." I could panic, but I'd rather not; I'm not amused with this twist, but at the same time, I'd probably get into more trouble if I complained blatantly about the Gods.

"You don't look happy at all. Aren't you happy you unlocked the curse for a short while?" Darkness asked me after she looked over her armor and her body.

"This isn't a cursed form or a reverse of that. I have no idea why my cheat skill turns me into this."

I decided to cast a few more buffs and spells on myself, Darkness and Chris before the time limit ended.

And transformed back into my usual form.

"Now I have an idea why the card registers me as an Archpriestess; I have a feeling I didn't read the fine print," I spoke to myself quietly as Chris pulled me over to the side.

I didn't want to deal with the hassle of something like this; I'm surprised Darkness and Chris aren't judging me for this, but then again, they assumed I was a girl from the start.

"I think I have an idea about what you're talking about, but this isn't the time and place to bring it up; besides, despite what little Darkness knows about your situation, it is still mostly kept secret. Be careful with whom you share your origin stories; the Japanese tend to stick among themselves for that reason. Perhaps you should take the time to pray and ask for advice; even Eris might want to talk to you." Chris whispered to me

That sounds like good advice, Eris gave that subtle advice on the coin flip, and Aqua gave me a good impression of her too. So I'll spare some time to talk to her after I ask Aqua what on earth is going on with my cheat skill.

"Is everything alright?" Darkness asked us from the side; she gathered our supplies and picked up two kids. "Could we go back to the guild already?"

"Yes, Chris just gave me some advice about the adventure; it was my first time, after all. Both of you gave me a great time on this quest. Thank you for taking care of me." I think Chris knows far more about this than meets the eye, but I'll give it a shot and ask the ones on top first. Darkness was really happy to hear me say that.

Chris just smiled while taking the last kid. I had the worst physical attributes by far and just carried our remaining supplies back to the city.

"Well, that's Chris for you, the best adventure buddy you can have."

KO.

NO.

SU.

BA.

I hit level 8 just from all the assists I made with the rookie killers; Darkness hit level 12. Chris wouldn't disclose her level, but we knew it was high enough to dispatch that many with us merely as support.

We entered the guild with curious eyes following us; the rumor mill spread quickly, and after dropping off the kids at the nearby police station, some adventurers found out what happened to our quest before we got to the guild.

We went to Luna at the counter.

After handing over our adventure cards, she cast a worried look over our party.

"This mission wasn't supposed to be anything like this; why didn't you go back after seeing a large goblin camp?"

"How could any crusader in good conscience leave behind children in a goblin camp!" Darkness immediately countered

"And unfortunately, the sleuth of Rookie Killers surrounded the camp after we killed one of them. This seldom happens around Axel." Chris explained with her arms crossed on her chest.

"I had to use the special ability granted to me, which brings on another host of problems," I added after Luna wanted my answer.

"I guess fate has a way of responding to two different extremes of Luck, although I hope you don't get into too much danger anytime soon," Luna commented after telling the story

"Well, you get 60,000 Eris for your party after killing ten goblins and an additional 3,000 per dead goblin beyond that; 40 dead goblins make 150,000 Eris for the three of you. In addition, a rookie killer gets 150,000 Eris each, making your overall bounty from them 1,600,000 Eris. Another 150,000 Eris for rescuing those three kids, which struck off another mission, making your total 1,740,000 Eris, after taking in the cost of parts retrieval. Not a bad haul for the three of you." Luna gave us 580,000 Eris each, but Chris told us to chip in 10,000 Eris each to celebrate at the bar.

"Couple of rounds of drinks on the house from us tonight!" Chris shouted to the cheers of the adventurers around us. We bought the house around 150 drinks, which should be good for the three dozen adventurers in the room.

"In a town full of beginner adventurers, those who achieve a lot often celebrate with the others to keep everyone happy. Plus, it's more fun this way to share your good fortune," Chris told me as she slung her arm behind me.

We went to the private room again and had a great meal set for us. We had fried frog and hunter-killer soup; the latter was unusual but a rare and expensive delicacy. It gave a lot of experience points and supposedly made base perception and speed even faster. The guild policy of taking the spoils of killed monsters when possible gave a 10% commission to those who killed the monsters if they chose to leave them on the battlefield for pickup. That was preferable over actually carrying and processing these creatures ourselves. The guild often sent pickup and disposal crews closely behind monster elimination crews to deal with disposal and processing.

"This is the best mission ever! We saved kids, fought those rookie killers, and I even had such an exhilarating experience!" Darkness reddened as she celebrated.

"Are you a thrill-seeking junkie?" I asked her

"What's a junkie? But uh, Uhm, yes, it's the thrill I'm looking for." Darkness shyly expressed; I think she was more of a masochist, judging by the look on her face.

I didn't want to ask Darkness since it might offend her.

"You look like you have a lot of questions, Orion." Chris looked at me.

"I do, but I have this feeling that you wouldn't answer them if I asked," Chris smirked at me when I said that. I'm a bit suspicious about her origin.

"Speaking of which, is that your true form, Orion? A girl with lime-colored hair and golden eyes?" Darkness asked while drinking some wine.

"Nope, no, definitely not. That was the first time I even ended up like that; please keep that a secret. I don't want any further misinterpretation around." I told her

Lime-colored hair and golden eyes? Sounds familiar, although I couldn't remember why.

"I have a sinking suspicion why I got labeled as 'Archpriestess' on the adventurer's card, although I'd have to clarify it first before I explain it. Until that time comes, I'm worried about using the cheat skill." Maybe Aqua gave me the wrong skill, or perhaps I didn't follow instructions. Using a skill with unknown side effects and instructions is pretty hard.

"No-no, you looked perfectly fine, in fact, much more than fine when you used the skill. It's bound to help you out in your adventures." Chris insisted.

"But it makes me feel really weird and uncomfy; who knows what side effects this will have if I keep using it. Wouldn't people think I'm freaky if I keep alternating between boy and girl?" Would it be like the Geass, where I end up subconsciously using it all the time if I overdo it? Randomly turning into this superpowered magical girl would be more trouble than it's worth, even in a world like this. I wanted to just have a simple life here before getting promoted under Aqua.

"You look good in the priestess attire, even in your male form, if that helps. Since you wore the headpiece and didn't speak up around the guild, I bet they wouldn't know you're a guy." Darkness told me, not helping. It's not my fault my younger self looked androgynous despite my athleticism in the past.

In order for me to have a lazy, peaceful life before becoming a God, I needed to prevent more controversies.

Making a spectacle with a weird power might not help the Axis church.

"And besides, I have to look like a respectable representative of the Axis church," I told them.

Darkness covered her mouth while Chris was barely suppressing her laughter.

"Hey! What's the big deal?" Regardless of the strange side effects of Aqua's skill, I still respect her.

"You're really new to this world, aren't you? Orion?" Chris told me.

"In Axel, almost everyone is either an Erisite or unaffiliated, the Axis church is based in Alcanretia, and they have a bit of a reputation." Chris continued

"In fact, randomly turning into a girl wouldn't be the strangest thing to hear from them."

I facepalmed. Was Aqua a trickster goddess too?

"I guess you two are Erisites? I hope I didn't make any offense by working with you two today. You made a great party, after all." They looked like people who would be extremely powerful in the near future if they had the right party composition.

"Yes, we are, but you didn't cause any problems with us. In fact, you're one of the most reasonable Axis members I've ever seen. I was worried that you'd be uhmm. Enthusiastically recruiting us to the Axis cult halfway through the trip." Darkness explained to me she also showed a necklace she wore with the Eris church

It looked like the Axis church, except it was Purple instead of Gold.

"Oh, I guess you met some religious zealots. I'm not one of them; besides, why would I disrespect Eris or her church too? I was given a favorable impression of her, and there are many other people I can focus my conversion efforts." Chris looked really happy for some reason; I guess she's a strong devotee to Eris.

I'd have to stamp out those radicals in the Axis church. Maybe the priestess can give me some information about them when she arrives. I'll try talking to Aqua later, anyway.

"That's nice of you." Darkness awkwardly told me. "Anyway, I have some duties I need to fulfill around a month or so from now, but I would like to continue working together with you before that happens."

I guess she really wanted to work with me despite her questionable experiences with the Axis radicals

"Unfortunately, I usually split my work among different parties; a thief of my skills is in high demand, so I had to find some friends to party with Darkness. I'll help out once in a while, but I couldn't hang around all the time." Chris gave a sad smile; I guess one OP teammate is out of the equation for now.

"Aw, but you're also a great teammate. I hope I can work with you again soon. Do you have any recommendations for us?" I asked in return.

"Sadly, not many people want to party with Darkness. You were the first to put her unique talents to good use." Chris went closer to Darkness

Oh, bummer, people here don't realize the value of specialization. I guess we'd need to find some open-minded adventurers, or else we're stuck with low-ranking quests. My damage-dealing capabilities suck at my base form, and Darkness never managed to land a blow with her sword.

"Well, they're missing out on using the best defense ever. Let's try to find some open-minded members to do some quests before you get too busy. I'm sure our level-up would help us too. We can change the sign on the guild tomorrow." I tried to reassure Darkness her talent would be wasted otherwise

Darkness lifted me up and gave me a painful hug. Her strength and her armor don't help. I'll discreetly heal myself when she looks away.

"Can't breathe, you're too strong, and your armor is crushing me, Darkness." She let go of me after I told her that.

"For now, thanks for the dinner and everything. I'll be shopping tomorrow to stockpile clothes and goods. Do you have any recommendations?" Darkness perked up

" Sure do! Do you wanna go shopping together?" Darkness was excited. Does she have any friends around?

"I have some errands to do in another town, so I can't join, but I suggest you pay a visit to the Eris church too; I'm sure she'd be happy to hear the Axis Archpriestess respect her members." I glared at Chris when she mentioned my title. It's not funny I got stuck in a situation like this.

"Hey, cheer up; if you weren't a girl in the first place, at least your female form is pretty cute."

I groaned.

"Anyway, I'll see you tomorrow, Darkness; wanna meet up at the guild after breakfast?" I pretended to ignore Chris, who was smirking again.

"Sure, see you!" She waved at me.

"Bye!" I waved at both of them.

It was a cool night and a good walk to the Shrine. I think I can set up a bath at church with my water magic.

I used create water skill and managed to clean off my clothes; the soap left over at the church was useful for what I needed.

I left those to hang as I enjoyed the bath myself; while I don't have much in the way of modern bath soaps and shampoos, this minty Axis brand soap is excellent all around. It doesn't make my hair, face, or body feel bad when I use it. A great all-around soap.

After all that, I went to the statue of Aqua and asked.

"Hi, Aqua. Would you be up for a talk? I have some questions to ask about my ability and if there was a mistake in my skill set. It's weighing me down emotionally; I'm afraid I'll give a bad impression of your church if I don't give the right image."

A very fine letter came out of nowhere, written in beautiful cursive ink.

"Unfortunately, I can only have limited interactions in this world, and there's an upheaval in Alcanretia I still need to deal with. Don't worry about your skill; it will help you. Feel free to talk to the other Archpriestess once she comes, I'll send her instructions, and she'll help you with your very important mission.

Good luck,

Your coolest Goddess Aqua."

Oh, no wonder why she hasn't tweaked things; she must be too busy at the moment. I guess the Gods in this multiverse have a limited scope of powers, no wonder why there's a hierarchy.

I wonder who this arch-priestess is; I remember hearing of only one archpriest in the Axis order. Maybe Chris is a bit outdated with her info?

Still, I hope to sort out the gender-bending issue soon enough; I don't want to be a social and emotional freak.

I fell asleep quickly.

KO.
NO.
SU.
BA.

Day 3 Axel City, Belzerg

Orion POV

I need more casual clothes and get a tailor to fix the priestess attire to the appropriate fit. All I had was my formal clothing when I went to the guild.

"Goodmorning Kate! Do you have slices of bacon, scrambled eggs, and potatoes? Maybe two drinks to go along with it, too" I wanted a chill breakfast, and my first quest gave me enough to spend a bit more.

"Sure, that'll be 3,800, Eris." I gave her 4,000 and told her to keep the change, I wasn't sure what their tip policy was, but five percent shouldn't be too bad for a breakfast meal. I'd tip more anyway if it involved more drinks.

"Thanks! I'll whip it up in ten minutes." She went to the kitchen and shouted the orders.

The drunken guy with blond hair and red eyes slid up to my table and slung his arm around me. He reeked of booze, but he seemed more coordinated than I expected. Either he was faking his daze, or maybe he had high stats to counteract the drunkenness.

"Hey, I didn't see you yesterday. Did you get scared off by the two girls? I saw their party up with that strange Axis priestess. Name's Dust, what about you? Could you get me something to eat to remove thing hangover? I promise I'll pay you back." It's probably a sunk cost, but I'll give him a shot; besides, he gives me the vibes of yet another person hiding something. His blonde hair might be another flag since Dust and Luna are hiding something too.

Wait, DUST! Darkness' secret name is Lalatina Ford Dustiness. Are they related? No wonder why he was protective of her that night. Hiding in plain sight with a nickname called DUST? What kind of fools wouldn't get the connection? Maybe I should ask Luna later.

"Sure, just tell Kate what you want, and I'll lend you for today. I actually wanted to ask some questions from a veteran adventurer, after all." Dust smiled and called Kate, ordering some fried frog legs and some side dishes. He took another two mugs of ale, which I guess showed he wasn't as drunk as he appeared.

Kate frowned at me as she took the orders and whispered to me as Dust moved to the other side of the table.

"He has a reputation for racking up debts. Are you sure you want to do this?" I appreciated her concern

"It's fine, I wanted to get some information, and it's well worth the meal. Here's another 4,000 Eris; keep the change as usual." Dust's meal was exactly the same price as mine; I'll give it a shot.

"Thanks, Orion!" Kate told me. "Don't abuse Orion's kindness, Dust, or you'll have me to deal with." She glared at Dust and then went back to the kitchen.

"You sure have a way with girls, don't you? Calling Kate by her name this quickly? Seems like we'd have to induct you in the ranks of Axel's men soon." Dust teased as he set himself on the other side of the table. I saw the hilt of his sword; it looked very fancy under the grime smeared on it.

Yeah, he was definitely hiding something too.

Unfortunately, he caught me looking at him.

"Ooh, interested in something? I'm not sure what an Archpriest would do with a sword. Besides, what happened to you? I thought you'd partner with Chris and Darkness yesterday, not that tall Axis cultist priestess all of a sudden."

Yeah, I need to alter that dress ASAP.

"Uhm, I was that Axis cultist. You see, the previous keeper of the shrine must have left me with the wrong clothes. Since I was out doing business, I had to be in uniform and only noticed something was off by the time I got to the gate. Darkness and Chris insisted I keep it on during the mission, so I just rolled along with it."

Dust stared at me and laughed.

"Oh, that's gold; you Axis cultists really get the funniest mishaps. I have nothing against the Axis members, but your kind rarely shows up in Axel, and having them prepare priestess clothes for someone your size is a funny prank I'd expect someone there to do. So, Archpriest of the Axis cult? How did you get that position so quickly?"

Our food arrived, and we thanked Kate for serving it.

Nice distraction.

"Well, I pledged myself to Lady Aqua after I was given an offer of a lifetime. I couldn't disclose the details, but it's well worth the work, even though I only arrived a few days ago. I'm waiting for someone else from Alcanretia to instruct me on what to do here." I started on the food; it had a strange wildness to the flavor. Lean meat from a wild game? Maybe the bacon is made of boar.

"Ah, well, some people have all the luck with initial stats and skills. Thanks for the meal again, by the way. Are you one of those people who get sent to the front quickly? The last one before you had a magical sword that made him soar past level thirty in a month. He went to the frontlines soon after." Ah, there, something interesting.

"You're welcome; besides, you looked like one of those concerned veteran adventurers helping a rookie out. I'm not going to the frontlines anytime soon; I'm a support that isn't ready for battle yet. How about you? Do you have plans to go to the frontlines?"

Dust scratched his head awkwardly.

"That's nice to hear; well, I'm staying in Axel. My party's not up for the kind of battles the adventurers and soldiers face at the capital. The Demon King's armies make many rookie killers look like a joke. Their generals can destroy towns on their own, and the rest of the country struggles to get enough high-level troops in the area. Of course, not everything's all gloom and doom since the Demon King's armies are quite passive."

That's a lot of information to take, so are Chris and Darkness small fry? I wanted to see how powerful Dust is.

"Oh, well, it's good I didn't take up the offer. Speaking of which, what's your party made of? Darkness and I are still looking for more long-term members because Chris is in demand, but getting tips from you might help us recruit more members for the next two weeks."

We had a brief pause as Dust was finishing up his meal. He pointed at the door and called a group over.

"Look, there's my party. Taylor's the leader, and he's also a crusader" Dust points at a tall man with brown hair; he seems to be my height or a little taller.

"Keith is our archer and my partner in crime." A shorter man with black hair and a fur coat waves at Dust.

Their party was approaching the table.

"And the young girl with the tanuki tail is Rin, our intermediate mage."

They approached us at the table and called over Angela, another waitress.

"Hey Dust, are you scamming a rookie adventurer again? Please don't take it badly, rookie adventurer." Rin spoke up.

"Uhm, he actually gave me some good advice and information. I'm Orion, and I'm new to these parts. I'm the Archpriest who arrived a few days ago. I had a hard time with the quest yesterday and wanted some advice before I work with Darkness again."

Speaking of which, Darkness was entering the guild too. I waved her hi, and she quickly went towards the table.

"Wait, you went with her yesterday? I only saw Chris, Darkness, and a tall Axis Priestess with a headpiece. Don't tell me that was you." She looked up and down at me twice, but Dust spoke up.

"Yeah, it seems like his fellow members pranked him and left him no choice but to wear the wrong attire. Then the two girls with him didn't want him to change during the mission. So I guess he became part of the harem in a different way. HAHAHA." Not helping, Dust.

Rin lightly smacked Dust on the head while lightly laughing at me.

"Hey, Orion! I see you have new friends. Are you ready to go shopping with me?" Maybe Darkness read the room and wanted to change the topic; well, good save.

"Yeah, please help me out. Bye Dust, bye Dust's party, see you next time!" I walked out with Darkness, who didn't wear her armor today.

All she had was her skintight black suit and orange top, which covered her midsection and functioned like a bit of a skirt.

Kinda reminded me of Naruto if his Sexy Jutsu had clothes on.

Come to think of it, is Darkness, the secret Anime protagonist of this world? The secretive story, mysterious companion, OP power build like Bofuri or was it Shield Hero, and a color scheme like Naruto or Goku.

Whatever it is, I should probably be extra nice to her.

"Bye!" Dust and the nearby waitresses, Luna and Angela, said. "Enjoy your date," Dust added; I just laughed, although Darkness blushed beside me. Keith and Taylor were laughing, too, although Rin was glaring at me. Luna knew better and just winked at me.

Is Darkness this inexperienced with friends? Or is my guess that Dust is related to her making this more awkward?

The first stop was a clothes shop.

"What do you think about these?" She pointed at some dresses, even pulling up one in front of me; I slapped her at the back of her head; it felt like slapping a wall. How hard-headed is she?

"Hey, that's not nice!" She complained

"Why would I be looking for that stuff? I need casual men's wear and alterations to my robes." The priestess robes were in my backpack, awaiting adjustment to the proper style and fit.

"Why'd I wear those anyway? A guy has a certain range of clothes to wear, unlike women. And before you think about it, that aspect is nowhere near large enough to fit into the things you recommended." I whispered to Darkness, as I didn't want other guests to know what was going on; the shop wasn't that big, after all.

"Hello! How may I help you?" The store owner popped up.

"I need two sets of casual everyday wear, some sleepwear, and a bunch of underwear and socks. Also, do you do alterations?"

"Yes, we do; let me see what you wish to alter then I'll show you where to find the other clothes." The store owner brought us towards the counter.

I pulled out the Axis robes, and she stopped me before continuing.

"Nope, don't you dare? Everyone knows that only authorized members of the Axis cult are allowed to modify things like these; anyone else would be cursed. Now, don't you go peddling your religion to me; just conduct your business here briefly before you leave." She looked coldly at me but pointed to the places where to pick my clothes.

I must have offended her by almost cursing her. I guess I have to wait for the Archpriestess to come before I can adjust the clothes. I hope she arrives soon, or else my adventuring days with Darkness will be more limited than ever.

Clothes here were varied and strange. I just picked some nice plain blue shirts and dark pants for casual wear and a green pajama set my size for nightwear. The weather here was a lot colder than where I came from, so I figured it'd be useful. Darkness gave a lot of useful advice on the climate here; apparently, things get cold enough for winter, while this was their version of summer. I'll buy thicker clothes when fall comes; Darkness was a nice shopping buddy.

I paid the shopkeeper and left the store quietly.

"Are people really this sensitive over religion?" I asked Darkness

We were off to the armory, where I might find something to use as a weapon and for Darkness to browse the wares.

We avoided the market since Darkness told me that the only fresh fruits and vegetables worth eating were those recently killed; I had no way to keep them alive in the church. The same goes for meat products; I guess I have to eat at the guild and nearby restaurants until I have assistants.

The armory was a nice shop and looked a bit upscale, even if it was small and hot.

"The heat from the forge gets piped around the building; it makes the place comfortable during winters but a bit hot during summer." Darkness noticed my reaction upon entering the place.

"Hello, Smith! How're the repairs?" The Smith in question was covered in sweat and soot; it seemed like he just came from the forge at the back.

"Ah, 'Darkness,' my favorite customer. The Armor is just cooling off, those rookie killers did a number on the frame, but the adamantine metal wouldn't get destroyed from merely that. I just had to heat it up and reshape it with my forge ability, and it's as good as new. It's 150,000 after repairs; I included the discount, of course."

Sounds like Smith knows who Darkness is; wait, is Smith his name or his title?

"And how about you? Looking for a weapon too? You don't seem to have the look of a melee fighter on you." He looked me over.

"Ah yes, Mr. Smith, I'm an Archpriest and was thinking of a crossbow. Maybe even one where I can imbue my skills if possible. I lack the stats or class type to really make use of weapons."

He pointed at the side and said.

"Ah, a sensible one. Supports sometimes get cut off or abandoned by their party, and giving them weapons helps in those emergency situations. I have a feeling you're an Axis Archpriest since the Eris church hasn't announced anything, but since Darkness is endorsing you, I'll let it slide."

Is there a religious conflict I don't know about? But Aqua told me nice stuff about Eris; maybe Eris's followers have some resentment over her superior.

"There are three crossbows available. The basic one costs 100,000, the second one, which has enchantment for durability, would be 300,000, and the last one, which I assume you would want since it has the durability enchantment and the ability to fire imbued arrows, would be 1,000,000 Eris. Nobody buys it, so I have to make it myself, give me two weeks, and I'd craft one. Arrows cost separate, of course, but I'll explain the prices once you get a bow."

Ah, that's out of my current budget; maybe I can take a few more missions with Darkness.

"I see; that special crossbow is currently out of my budget, but thank you for offering; I'll do a couple more missions with Darkness before I can buy that."

Smith looked at me curiously and said.

"You're the only other person aside from that thief girl who stayed with Darkness after her missions. Be nice to her, okay? I owe her father a lot for what he did for me. Oh, and please call me Smith; hearing Mr. Smith reminds me of my old man." A blacksmith named Smith, how original.

Darkness was blushing in the corner; the poor girl must have had dumb former teammates that couldn't appreciate her skills.

"Uhm - No need to be too nice to me, Orion, just use me as a decoy and let the monsters attack me. You can always heal me up afterward if you like. Just don't leave my party, please?" I pity Darkness; it seems like she has some self-esteem issues.

"Why would I leave you behind? Where I come from, most people hate being the tank, even though every party needs one. If you're willing to draw everyone's attention and soak the damage, I'll be happy to work with you whenever we can. When I level up, I can heal and bless you even more. Although I have some questions to ask you later."

She scooped me up again in a crushing hug. The lack of armor crushing me was a welcome relief, although the rest of her body, minus her chest, was still rock solid.

She was a bit shorter than me, but she treated me like a ragdoll.

"Can't - Breathe"

She let go of me after a few more seconds.

Seriously, when I get busy managing the clergy at Axel, I need to keep her away from people who are bound to take advantage of her. She looked like the type to fall for an unscrupulous user.

"That's the nicest thing I've heard someone tell me ever since I met Chris! I'd love to be at your party whenever we can. That would be even more my pleasure to be the party 'Tank' or whatever you call it. I'll be the awesome Crusader saving damsels in distress, and you'd be the cute Archpriestess saving people while dealing with such a horrible curse." Was Darkness teary-eyed while saying this? What was wrong with her childhood to end up this easily swayed? I think I need to protect her emotional stability more than she has to protect me physically.

But can she stop insisting that I was an Archpriestess more than an Archpriest? It's seriously going to be hard to explain this to everyone who hears it without context.

I looked around and saw Smith come back with Darkness' armor, she paid him, and we left the shop together.

"Since I don't need to buy any food, and the shrine has everything else I need for now. What's a good place for late lunch? I want to try something outside the guild for once." Darkness paused and started looking around.

"Well, I wouldn't recommend the upscale places; they normally need reservations unless you're nobility or have a lot of money upfront. Since you know who I am, you can imagine what kind of scandal it would make if the other nobles see me with an unknown person dressed as a man." That's surprisingly subtle from Darkness, even though she wouldn't stop with her nonsense insistence.

"I don't just dress as a man; I am one. Really, someone in the guild might hear that one day and start gossiping about that. I don't want them to doubt my masculinity or make me think I'm a freak. Although I understand your explanation to avoid the upscale restaurants, I wouldn't want something that stuffy and formal too. Let's get some steak and barbecue!"

"Ah, sorry, I forgot; Chris told me you'd be like this. I'll publicly treat you as a man!" Darkness let go of my arm while I closed my eyes in frustration.

Chris, what on Earth did you teach Darkness?

Darkness led me to a dingy-looking pub, surprisingly near the large Eris church.

"The thieves guild informally uses this pub for their meetings. It's said that the blessings of Eris from the nearby church give them better luck in their affairs. They have a lot of great grilled food too. I'll lead the way."

Darkness walked in front of me and knocked at the door; the guard saw her and chuckled. Inviting her in, Darkness pulled me inside too.

"Oh, you're not with Chris today? That's fine; any friend of Chris is our friend too." The bartender said he was polishing a nice-looking glass.

Despite the dingy appearance outside, the inside looked like a fancy speakeasy.

"Thieves have a lot of treasure, and this bar uses a lot of it in their utensils and design. They don't just let anyone inside, but as long as you keep your mouth shut and pretend this is an awful place to the outsiders, the police wouldn't disturb you."

I came in expecting the Mos Eisley cantina, not an old-fashioned fancy bar.

"Get us two crusader specials, please!" Darkness brought out 30,000 Eris; that's a lot of money for a meal.

I reached out for my wallet, but she stopped me.

"It's my treat; just take care of dessert for us." She insisted.

Alright, I don't know where to go yet, but I'll find ice cream or whatever passes for it.

"Thanks! What's a crusader special anyway?"

Darkness flexed her arms in front of me; it was amusing.

"Crusaders need a lot of meat to keep our muscles growing, and exercise burns off our fats faster than anything. So they made this meal for me once I started ordering a lot of meats from their grill; this way, you get to try all the steaks and grilled meat they have while having a healthy amount of drinks too."

Ah, that makes sense, especially for someone who seems to have absurd stats like her.

"I'm not sure I can eat as much as you do with my stats, but I appreciate the thought." I love meat, but it's been a while since I ate too much.

"Are you saying I'm fat?" It was the first time I saw her annoyed. "I'm just a solidly built woman!"

I'm happy I actually just turned twenty-nine inside than the nineteen I was on the outside; it's a bit harder to annoy me or to get a dumb answer out of me.

"I didn't say that; I just have much worse physical stats than you do, so I couldn't eat as much. But maybe I should start exercising again; thanks for reminding me. If I got anywhere near as strong as you are, I could eat a crusader special just like you."

Darkness looked a lot less flustered after hearing that.

"Ah, sorry about that. A girl's got to look pretty, too, you know?"

I nodded sagely.

The first of our meals and drinks arrived. Lots of mystery meat on skewers with tomatoes and onions in it. Are the vegetables still struggling? I gotta eat it fast.

"Killer Kebabs, that's what they call it. How do you like it?" Darkness explained what it was.

"It's tasty; the meat and veggies are fresh and have a different taste, plus the sauce is spicy enough to wake me up." I only needed a dash of the spicy sauce and the mild white sauce they had for the meats. Even that tiny dash was enough to rival the strongest spices I had in my travels in the past life.

Darkness, on the other hand, soaked her skewers in the spicy sauce. I swear I saw the veggies cry in pain.

"I know, right? The burning spice of the killer kebab makes me shiver in delight." The masochistic crusader was blushing again. Steam was literally going out of her mouth and ears.

Maybe I should ask her about it now.

"Uh, Darkness, could I ask you something? It might be a bit embarrassing, but I don't want to make the wrong assumption. Are you a masochist or have any inclination to BDSM?" I tried my best to show a neutral face, to not discourage or creep her out.

I'm gonna go God mode and run away if Darkness tries to beat me up over that question, although I don't want her to get off randomly while she's with me.

She looked really nervous and sad.

"I'm not going to judge you for that, although I just want to make sure it's properly handled."

She caved in.

"How can I forget? The Axis cult wouldn't have problems with Masochists or those into Binding and get hurt. It's something my father kept forcing out of me at home. Other adventurers keep leaving me after I lose control of myself on the battlefield. Only you and Chris stayed. Other girls get disgusted and tell the guys at their party to leave me, while some guys try to take away my pleasure and shelter me from the things I want to feel. It makes whatever party I join unstable despite my high tier." Darkness cried from her side of the table; I scooted closer to support her.

"Father keeps trying to set me up with nice, kind men who want to treat me like a weak noble girl, protected and sheltered all the time and in soft dresses away from harm. I want a man who's unattractive, rude, perverse, and always in heat. The kind of man who would harm me and abuse me yet is weak-willed enough to find other women at the same time. I left my home to become an adventurer to find these kinds of men, but Axel doesn't have them. The guild here has tough rules on men who cross the line too much. Father will kill me if I leave the city to go somewhere that has men that would fit my desires."

No wonder people flee from her; she's a living red flag that needs a scummy harem anime protagonist to take advantage of her.

Where's Rudeus Greyrat when you need him? She'd fit in well with his harem of closet perverts, and Eris Greyrat would have a fun time beating her up in spars all the time and making her re-enact what happened to the beast women duo.

"This is difficult; I'm not the kind of person who can treat you that way too. But as long as you don't put the party in danger or get me in trouble, who am I to stop you? You wouldn't leave me behind to find a guy like that, right? I still want to be your friend regardless of your weird kink, but please don't get yourself too hurt by this." I couldn't stop her even if I wanted to, but maybe I could control her urges a bit.

"Ugh, no, I'm not into women anyway, and I would never leave my friends behind! I'm not that kind of person!" Darkness replied sincerely.

At least she still wants to be my friend but.

"Do I need to slap you in the head each time you call me a girl or a woman? I told you I'm a guy!" I held up a spoon threateningly.

"But real men don't hit girls, right?" She teased in return. Her sadness disappeared quickly.

I'm not going to win this one until the Goddesses help me.

"Do you need me to shove my cock up your face to prove it to you? Not that I would, but it's a bit depressing when I keep getting misgendered."

Darkness just clammed up and turned red. The waiter serving us steak and more drinks blatantly ignored our conversation; what a professional.

"Do that, and I might actually call you a man for a moment; I'd want to see a man do that with a vulgar grin on his face while striking me hard all over my body, but your true form still burns in my mind, and I wouldn't want to do anything to a cute little sister figure. You're just as adorable as my cousin."

She bit into her steak and enjoyed the wine, red wine, I see. She didn't eat meat like a noble, although I guess that's another reason she wanted to eat here instead.

"Ugh, on both ends. I should be treating you as the dumb little sister, not the other way around."

The steak was great, a little more gamey and lean than expected, but maybe they just don't feed their cattle industrial crap.

"Hey, I said, cute and adorable, not dumb. Although, feel free to insult me whenever you want."

I just ate more steak and tried the sides; it was a fine meal, although I was getting full quickly.

The waiter came in with another set of meats, sausages, and hams, and was that schnitzel?

I just got a small piece of each as Darkness scarfed down food. She also seemed to turn red from all her drinking.

This was a really relaxing lunch, and I savored the experience.

I waited for Darkness to finish her meal and pay the bill, and she then asked me.

"Thanks for waiting. Is there any place you want to go to next?"

"As a matter of fact, yes, there is. Can we visit the Eris Shrine? I want to take up Chris' advice and consult Eris about my skill set; maybe she'd have some fine suggestions to deal with it while waiting for Master Aqua's answer."

"Sure, I can lead you to the shrine and even get you at the private prayer booth, they'd recommend a donation of a thousand Eris, but it's private and comfortable enough." Darkness led the way to the church. I saw Dust walking in the same direction from another street.

"Sure. Thanks, Darkness. By the way, Dust, Dustiness. His features would match yours if it weren't for the eye color. Is he a cousin or a half-sibling of yours? The way he checked up on me when I met you and Chris the first time made me assume he's secretly guarding you."

Darkness sputtered and ended up shouting.

"Dust isn't an Illegitimate Dustiness child! What gave you that idea?"

She hid her face in shame after she realized her voice was too loud; some people overheard and commented. Dust and his party disappeared from the scene too.

"Sorry, I guess I was overthinking."

We entered the Shrine where the nearby Eris priest greeted Darkness; he had an odd glare at me, even though I showed no outward signs of my affiliation with the Axis church.

" Could we go to a private booth, please? I need to confess while Orion here wants to pray privately." Darkness went to the nearby donation box and tossed a few thousand Eris; I did the same too.

"Ah, yes, of course. Rooms 9 and 10 are available; a priest will be waiting at room 9 for you, Lady Dustiness." Darkness shushed him, although I guess the higher-ups would know her identity, especially if she's as church-going as she was even before she disguised herself as Darkness.

Room 10 was barely larger than a closet, but it had incense at the side, a nice mat to kneel at, and a statue of Eris.

I decided to try it out by kneeling and praying to her.

"Eris-senpai, please help me out. Master Aqua is too busy to help me, and I don't know what to do anymore. As much as I sincerely want to help her and fulfill my role as an upcoming God, I'm afraid Aqua's aspect flipped my gender and might do more harm than good. I'm afraid I'll ruin the Axis church's reputation by flipping genders like a switch, and it hurts me to keep being in this weird denial. I don't want to be branded as a pervert either, but I also don't know how to deal with the first people in this world treating me as a girl instead of a guy. Just what kind of wards does the church give on the adventurer's guild machine and baths that make them trust it regardless of my words?"

Eris burst forth out of the status, her otherworldly glow reminding me of Aqua. She looked oddly familiar, but her chest was too large for that to work.

"Hello, Orion! It's nice to meet you. What's this about the essence? Of course, the sensors would detect you as a girl; Aqua's essence would overpower any other aspect."

She sat in front of me, doing a seiza. I adjusted and did the same, too; the mats fit us both anyway.

"Wait, does that mean I'm recognized as a girl in all eyes of the law here? What should I do?" I was panicking inside because I wasn't sure what I'd do, especially since I could only turn into one for ten minutes a day. And I had no idea how much longer it would be if I leveled up; even as a level eight, I only had ten minutes. I wonder what the curve was.

"Aqua-senpai forgot to tell you that you signed a Junior Goddess training; in her hurry to recruit the best possible person for the job, she forgot that she can only recruit Goddesses. Unfortunately, that contract is binding. I can't speak about the consequences of a failed contract, but I hope you understand." Eris was serious

"This is going to be a hassle; I have no idea how to live as a woman, let alone a Goddess, aren't people with gender identity problems screwed over in a world like this?"

I looked downcast and stared at the floor; this wasn't gonna be a walk in the park.

"Hey! Don't worry, as an older sister, I'd be helping you out when I can. I gave Chris some instructions to help you out. Don't you see how she helped Darkness understand your situation? The Axis cult tolerates this kind of thing, although sadly, some of my overzealous old Archpriests declared that these things are an abomination. I replaced him already with Rosary, but it's going to take a while before this gets accepted. I'm sorry about that."

Eris tried to reassure me, but I was clammed inside. Her hands on my face were soft and warm, but it was ruined by my tears.

Too many old memories surfaced.

I never really followed the stereotypes when I grew up, but being bullied out of one side and pushed into another got me boxed up.

I would've preferred being an asexual plant at this rate.

I cried and told her stories of my childhood until the last few years before my death in the old world, she told me she knew the technical details after reading the report on my life, but emotions weren't written well there.

It wasn't really acceptance of what would happen to me, but it was a lot better than my depressed state.

"I can't say that I'd thrive with the situation I got roped into, but I'll try my best not to let you or Aqua down. I just don't know if I'll make another social misstep or a huge faux pas in the process. It's embarrassing to ask for tips like these; I very much appreciate the simple life living as a guy requires."

Eris stood up and hugged me.

"I know it won't be easy, but thank you for trying. Even though I had my own struggles turning from my mortal form to a divine one, it was very hard for me to adapt despite Aqua's promises for those I left behind. Aqua's different origin makes her understand people differently, even those mortals who end up with the course we have. Please don't take it out on her."

I nodded and returned the hug. I had a little more resolve over the transformation, but I hope it doesn't regress anytime soon. Those old memories would take a toll on me.

Eris leaped back into the statue while I remained, sobbing less and cleaning myself up.

There was a gentle knock on the door, and Darkness opened it with Chris.

"I hope your little heart-to-heart worked out, Orion." Chris looked at me; the more I stared at her, the more I realized something.

"Shh, don't say it." Chris blurred towards me and whispered.

Oh.

"Eris really cared for me from the start; what a nice Goddess," I said instead.

Darkness smiled and pulled the three of us together.

"All this seriousness is making me hungry. So let's go get dessert; it's Orion's treat!"

I laughed as they led me to a gelato store.

It was perfect and had a great view of the sunset.

We spent the day laughing and telling stories of our past, although Chris was intentionally vague. Was she telling stories of her mortal life?

I told them it was my birthday today, although I didn't specify my age. Eris knew my real age, while Darkness assumed I had turned nineteen. I was just happy to celebrate my birthday with my friends.

We parted ways around thirty minutes after sunset; I paid the bill and greeted them goodbye. Chris would be off to a dungeon-clearing quest, while Darkness told me we could look for quests three days from now.

After returning to the Axis shrine and cleaning up.

I fell asleep with a load of thoughts on my mind.

I was traumatized as a kid for not following those kinds of norms, and now I'll be forced to live a life where I'm forced to bounce back and forth between them.

"Aqua, please give me the strength to overcome the pain."

I fell asleep after a restless night.

KO.

NO.

SU.

BA.

Day 4 Holy City of Alcanretia, Belzerg

Cecily POV

I had a long conversation with Zesta-sama about Goddess Aqua's new tasks and roles with me. After hearing what transpired, he swiftly acknowledged my new rank as Archpriestess and gave me 2,000,000 Eris to assist our efforts at Axel.

I had to spend 250,000 for a teleportation service set for lunchtime, but it was worth the rush. I prepared my clothes and belongings, as well as a lot of valuable Axis merchandise and signup forms. The equipment to print more would follow several weeks from now, but we can start our labor immediately upon arrival.

The upper clergy now knew my future in the Axis Hierarchy but would keep silent about the full details until my official ascension. They're also on the lookout for my junior, Orion Revilla.

I'll accomplish the tasks Lady Aqua asked of me, even if I will use my gorgeous body to do so.

Plus going for a Loli Goddess in training as the future Goddess of Loli is enough to make me tingle til I ruin my Axis brand underwear.

I greeted Megumin and her friend Yunyun and told them I had to leave for urgent business. I had a feeling they'll eventually find their way to Axel, and if they did, I'd surely recruit them to the Axis church when they arrived.

Besides, if Orion is originally a guy, maybe he'd share my interest in hot girls too. So he might be able to entertain me in both his/her forms.

As I approached the teleporter wizard in a happy daze, I had everything I needed on my back.

"Axel! The Goddess of Loli is coming to town!"

UP NEXT: Cecily arrives and finally cracks Orion's impression of the Axis cult and Aqua. Church and religious shenanigans ensue. Dust will also have a "fun time" around the rumor mill.

KO.
NO.
SU.
BA.

Omake: Probably a Oneshot or something I'll only work on sparingly

What if the Cursed Sword Gram became Rosen Garten Gram

Axel, Kingdom of Belzerg

Kazuma POV

"Mitsubishi or what's his name's sword doesn't work, what a waste. Maybe I should sell it off and scam someone for more money."

I see a drunken Dust holding a bag of coins.

"Hey Dust, wanna get the cursed sword, Gram? I won it from Mitsubashi, but it's too big for me to use. I'll sell it to you for a bargain; just give me the bag of coins." Dust grabbed the sword and tossed me the bag of coins.

Sucker

KO.
NO.

SU.
BA.

Dust POV

I brought my new sword to my party mates at our meetup point near Rin's dormitory.

"Hey guys, I got Mitsurugi's cursed sword gram from Kazuma! I only spent a bag of coins to get it; what a bargain!" I proudly told my party. It was only 200,000 Eris, something we earned from an overnight quest. Gram would give me abilities to take missions earning far more pay.

"You idiot! You spent our bounty on Gram? Don't you know those items are useless except when the owner uses them?" Rin grabbed the sword and hefted it; it was heavy for her, especially as a wizard.

A strangled voice came out of the sword, but it abruptly turned silent.

The sword transformed into an odd shape, thinner than Gram, with a circle and an arrow pointing outwards for a hilt.

"That's odd," Rin said,

She bonked me on the head. That hurts!

A strange flash of light and a very weird sensation happened to me.

"Ow, ow, hey, that hurts!" A higher-pitched voice came out; what happened to me? I feel off in many places. Why's my hair longer too?

My clothes felt extremely loose, and I held them up; I frantically looked at myself to see what had happened.

"What happened?" Taylor broke the silence

Rin and Keith were staring at me.

Why do I have boobs? Why is my body this much slimmer?

Oh no, I pulled my much looser pants forward to check something.

"Kyaaaaa, noooo! Dust Junior is gone! Undo this!" I screamed

I don't want to be a girl, damnit!

I grabbed Rin with one hand while pulling my pants up with the other.

She lifted the sword again and bonked my head.

Nothing happened except for a painful bump.

"Oops." She said sheepishly.

Rin looked at my current state, and it seemed like she was pitying me. She also had a strange blush. Taylor and Keith were looking the other way. What happened?

Oh crap, I let go of my pants, and it fell. My underwear was also too loose and was hanging between my knees. Thankfully nobody else was around to see it. I lifted it up, and Rin pulled me to her dorm.

Rin left the sword on the ground and told Taylor to take care of it.

"I'll lend you my clothes, it's a tight fit, but it's better than letting you walk around like this. Let's deal with Kazuma!" Rin told me as she pulled me inside her dorm; the Landlady had a strict "No men" policy, but she wasn't around; for once, I was happy to see no women around as I awkwardly walked to Rin's room.

"Despite turning into a girl, you're still the same height as before. In fact, you remind me of a Red-eyed version of Darkness." Rin told me as she was checking her clothes. Ohhh, her underwear collection looks interesting. Darkness is a pervert, and I'm still a man inside; this is something I never thought I could see.

"Does it mean I'm hot?" I said as a half-joke, Darkness is hot, but her personality is just way too extreme even for me.

"Idiot! Don't ask me those things. And don't give Keith and Taylor a free show either!" Rin threw me a dress.

I lifted it up, and it was a green dress that looked perfect for a summer stroll.

"This is the largest dress I have; unfortunately, it'll look a little short for you," Rin told me.

"Don't you have trousers or shorts? I don't want to wear a dress!" I have my own dignity too.

"No, can do, it won't fit you, and I won't risk ruining any of them for you." She tossed me a small bag.

"Have this; here's a three set of underwear that I never used. I was supposed to return it tomorrow since it was too large for me." I looked inside and saw panties.

This was weird.

"Here are two unused bandages, too; you owe me for these. I guess I'll have to teach you how to use them because by no means will I allow you to give the men a free show." Oh no, I have to worry about boobs now. As much as I love them, I do not want to have them on myself.

"Oh, Eris, kill me now," I said aloud.

"No, can do; you brought it on yourself, irresponsible pervert." Rin and I looked around; where did that voice come from?

"Looks like Goddess Eris heard your prayer, Dust. Hahaha." Rin smirked and took off my clothes.

It was the exact opposite of an erotic experience as she dressed me up and gave me instructions.

It was the most awkward fifteen minutes of my life. She wouldn't let me go until I could passably tie the bandages or sit properly and the like.

"We'll have a much longer conversation if Kazuma doesn't fix this. A girl's night out." Rin said.

"No, no, anything but that, please!" I pleaded.

She just laughed

"Okay, now you look like a passable human being again; let's go out and bring our party to the adventurer's guild to hunt Kazuma." Rin pulled me out.

I'm going to die of shame when Keith and Taylor see me like this.

The dress was translucent and showed my skin underneath, at the right angles, and due to my height, it was three inches above the knee. I'd be flashing people if I didn't walk or sit carefully. I wouldn't want men to go hard for me, gross!

KO.
NO.
SU.
BA.

True to my prediction, the two guys were barely holding their laughter when they saw me.

"100 Eris says that Kazuma would blush when he sees Dust-shan enter," Keith told us.

"Shut up, or I'll hit you with the sword too!" I told Keith.

"Sorry, that wouldn't work, Keith tried to hit me with the sword when I wasn't watching, and nothing happened. I did the same to him, and all it caused was his intelligence going down further." Taylor pointed at the growing bump on Keith's head

"I guess Dust is just cursed today," Rin told them. "At least I won't be the only girl at the party now. Right Dust-chan? We're gonna have fun in our sleepovers and hangouts!" She was definitely teasing me as she hooked her arm around mine.

"Hell no! I may look like this on the outside, but I'm 110% man on the inside. I'll become a man again in no time!" I pushed her away.

"Let's go to the guild now."

KO.
NO.
SU.
BA.

We got to the guild, and I felt the glare of a dozen men burning on me. Perverts, maybe they'd shut up if they knew who I am.

"Does Darkness have a hot twin?" I heard someone behind me commenting.

I felt a rough hand on my butt.

I grabbed it and punched the pervert; he flew up to the ceiling and crashed down on the table.

While I usually downplay my attributes as I lie low, that guy pissed me off. He gets a full punch for that.

"Idiots! It's me, Dust! I'm a man, and if any of you think stupid thoughts about me, just remember the good 'ole Dust in a dress with a twelve-inch cock!" The crowd was silenced.

Luna was already approaching the scene, especially after the pervert flew up. There was an unspoken rule about sexual harassment in the Axel guild, and the pervert wasn't the first guy who was beaten up for breaking it. "Look and speak but don't touch" is the bro code around here.

"May I see your adventurer card?" Luna asked; I guess it's not every day someone sees this. Her eyes bulged when she saw it. "Impossible, follow me."

We walked to the counter, and she placed the card on the machine.

"It's not a counterfeit card. Dust is now a woman." She declared to the gossiping crowd.

"I'm a man! Do you know where Kazuma is? I need him to undo this." I told Luna.

"The weirdest things happen around Kazuma and his party; I should've known. He's on the second floor with Aqua, Darkness, and Megumin." Luna led our group up.

I saw Mitsurugi and his harem pair. He looked like he was pleading to Kazuma while the two girls were clinging to each other in fear.

"I just sold it off to Dust," Kazuma said. "Hey, look, his party behind you. Do you know where Dust is?" Everyone looked at us; Mitsurugi had an intense look in his eyes.

"Excuse me; I really need my sword back. Could you call Dust?" Mitsurugi asked Rin, who was beside me. Taylor and Keith were behind us.

"Why you! Your perverted sword did this to me!" I screamed at Mitsurugi.

Mitsurugi had a dumb look; I dragged him with me as I walked to Kazuma.

"Hey, Darkness, do you have a red-eyed twin who likes tight-fitting dresses?" Kazuma nonchalantly asked Darkness. Darkness was staring at me, and shook her head.

"No, I don't; this is the first time I saw her too. She's strong!"

I walked up to Kazuma, lifting him up with my considerable strength.

"Undo this now, or I'll make Rin bonk you too!" Kazuma was sweating nervously.

"Who are you? What do I have to do with this?" Kazuma asked me

"You sold me the Cursed Sword Gram, and the useless sword turned me into a girl!" I pointed at the sword. Kazuma and Mitsurugi were mutually jaw-dropped.

" That's impossible!" Mitsurugi told me. "That sword doesn't look like Gram, and I would know if it turns people to girls."

"It's not supposed to work aside from the wielder too." Kazuma was annoying me.

Rin lifted the sword and then.

**Bonk Bonk**

"Your stupid sword did this, and your stupid scam did this"

Kazuma and Mitsurugi suddenly turned to girls too, and screamed as they noticed what went wrong.

"B-but Gram doesn't do this!" Mitsurugi said

"Aqua ! Please undo this; I'll pay for a week's worth of wine; please undo this curse!" Kazuma screeched.

Megumin, Darkness and Mitsurugi's girls were staring at the spectacle. Finally, Aqua went in between the three of us and raised her hands.

"I shall show you the power of the Great Goddess Aqua, a Dullahan's curse was nothing to me after all." Aqua was grandstanding; she had a point; that curse killed off anyone else who received it before.

"Please make it work; I miss Dust Junior already," I told her; some of the girls around had disgusted looks on their faces; well, screw that.

"Sacred Dispel!" A bright light appeared on Kazuma's body

Only for Kazuma to remain female.

"…" Kazuma deadpanned

"Well, at least I won't worry about a perverted boy sleeping next to me in the stables anymore," Aqua told the crowd.

"You useless goddess!" Kazuma tried strangling Aqua but failed hilariously as her pants fell due to the poor sizing

While that was happening, I gave a look of someone facing their execution.

Mitsurugi was dragged by his two girls out of the bar; he forgot to get his cursed sword back while Rin pulled me closer and said.

" Looks like we're going to have a fun time; I can teach you everything you need to know to live as a girl!"

" I'd rather stab myself and hit myself with flying cabbages than go dress up and learn girl stuff," I told her as I felt dead inside

I heard odd moaning sounds near me. Darkness was panting with a red face.

" You really are my twin sister; let me join you as you do those things!" She was pulling me beside her.

My mind was overloaded with everything at this point.

**Thud**

Author's Note

1. We all know why Eris/Chris is insisting on Orion's identity, and it might be too fast, but with how urgently she needs to fix Aqua's screwup, she manipulated Darkness and Orion's friendship by a lot.

2. It's hard for me to imagine Darkness' dialogues, I think she has the capability to make intelligent conversation but her IQ goes down the drain at the thought of pain and scummy guys. After all, she's pretty smart when she isn't masochistic, thinking of Kazuma or lewd. Perhaps her EQ just goes down the drain when she's with guys. She definitely needs therapy, not an abusive boyfriend.

3. Darkness and Orion would be a lot more casual after some time, it's still early in the story and it doesn't skip weeks into their friendship. For now, it's a golden start. And it's definitely platonic,

4. In this story, there are conventional several ways to level up. Killing Monsters/Enemies, eating Monsters/Enemies and doing class tasks. It makes more sense balancing the level up system in that direction.

5. And just as promised, while Aqua managed to give a different impression to Orion, it runs both ways too. Orion is a lazy MC who just gets pushed into situations that require great results. Their collaboration with Cecily over Axis recruitment matters would lead to the meat of the story.

6. Orion still doesn't know exactly what's up with the Axis, Aqua's true personality and the like, remember, it was Aqua's best side he saw, and the Axis cult hasn't shown up yet. It's also really obvious who the priestess is. Aqua also irresponsibly shifted all the dirty work of explaining the scam to Eris and Cecily, tough luck in making that work the way she wants it to be.

7. Orion has a …. Complicated reaction to the transformation … more will be explained in the future. Orion doesn't know which aspect to become the God(dess) of yet, unlike Cecily, who would most certainly pick the Goddess of Loli among other closely related fields. She'll be able to decide on that once her essense levels up further too.

8. Kate is the unnamed waitress who looks like a genderbent Kazuma.

9. For hardcore LN readers who really know who Dust is, Orion doesn't. That would come up in funny ways later on.

10. I'll be putting my Konosuba related Omake here, and leave the other concepts on my first fanfic. At least until I compile them in another work, when I have enough time.

11. Megumin, Yunyun, Kazuma and Aqua would arrive in Axel around 3 weeks from starting date, I'm making a little leeway on the Cecily schedule but that's because I read the explosions manga only.

12. Spoilerish at this part

13. Aqua, Eris/Chris/ have ulterior motives on their "super niceness", Darkness, Orion and Cecily are manipulated thanks to that. Dust just wanted a free meal and got more than what he bargained for.

14. Aqua doesn't want to be screwed over and passed the job on to Cecily, taking advantage of her devotion to Aqua, her ambition (see how fast she wanted to overthrow Zesta in the explosions prequel or remove the Eris festival in Vol 8) and her love for Loli (which is the current Goddess form for both Orion and Cecily. Making herself a future assistant in the form of the future Goddess of Loli lets the lazy water Goddess enjoy her life more

15. Eris doesn't want to be screwed over too, although her approach is very hands on. Having spun a sympathetic tale to Darkness about how Orion is cursed to live life as a man rather than a woman and having a lot of insecurity issues over that, she uses Darkness' desire for friends and her vulnerability to Chris in order to convince her that Orion needs her help. Plus, Darkness is pretty smart while emotionally dumb, leading to all this. Eris is obviously very nice to Orion because one mishap and everything she worked for will blow up if he stays as a man and turns into a God

16. Orion has some serious issues from the past but is generally very nice, mature, and calm toward everyone facing him. However, circumstances would change once a real problem comes up.

Excerpts From

Konosuba/ God's blessing on this wonderful world! Volume 1 & 8

Natsume Akatsuki