Chapter 2

Just a random idea while doing my work.

I made this on phone, so I may mistyped or missed something.

WARNING. NEXT CHAPTER WILL HAVE A BIT OF LEMON FEATURING OUR LOVELY SHOP OWNER!


I know I was the one who offered to escort Luna back to her house, but I didn't expect to find myself lost in the middle of nowhere.

I turned right and left to see whether there was anyone I could ask for a direction toward the guild, but to no avail, I was all alone here.

What was worse was that there was a cemetery and I could feel something was there. It didn't feel like a human, but something more like undead or those kinds of things.

I've never been good with vampires, ghosts, or apostle things, especially with Shiki-san's girlfriend who's a vampire.

I swallowed before I began to walk toward the cemetery.

I traced 6 black keys, 3 on each hand, preparing myself for some demons, devils, or vampires.

As soon as I entered the cemetery, the feeling was getting stronger than before. I almost threw out everything I ate this morning because of it.

Then, I noticed something bright not far from my location, I saw something similar to a magic circle and some white things flying in the sky.

Those white things let out some moanings and groaned as they kept flying to the sky.

Are those souls of the dead?

I hastened my steps toward whatever that thing that was sending those souls to the sky.

"Oi! What are you doing there!?"

I threw three black keys at the robed figure's shadow to seal its movement.

"A-areh!? I-I can't move! What is this!?"

A woman?

"What are you? You're clearly not human…not from the feeling you gave out to me."

"U-uh…um… I-I'm not human, but I promise that I wasn't doing something to endanger Axel! I was helping these poor spirits to ascend since the priests from the local church don't want to do it unless they're paid…"

I fell into contemplation from what she had just said.

Well, judging by the souls' gleeful reaction, I guess she was telling me the truth.

Then I erased the Black Keys stuck in her shadow while keeping the other 3 readied in my left hand for assurance.

"T-thank you for believing in me…"

The woman then turned at me and my eyeballs almost fell from their sockets. Even if they were covered by the robe, those two mountains were showing themselves proudly.

'B-big! Holy! Those might be the biggest that I've ever seen!'

The robed figure then proceeded to take off her hood, and her brown hair then begin to fall over as her right eye was covered with her bangs.

"Beautiful…"

Oops. I must have said that out loud since now the woman's face turned quite red. Although she was caught off guard by my compliment, she didn't take off her eye from the Black Keys in my left hand.

"Um…my name is Wiz, and I run a magic tool shop in Axel…and as for your question, I am indeed not a human…not anymore… I am what you call a Lich…"

I jumped backward to gain some distance and this time I traced Hrunting in my right grip.

Lich huh, she might be dangerous if she can use Holy magic despite her race.

"P-please wait! As I told you before! I have no plan to endanger Axel or anyone! In fact, I have lived here for 2 years and everyone can vouch for me! And please don't point those weapons at me! Th-those 3 in your left hand alone are enough to kill me! A-and the one in your right hand felt like it would eat me alive, although I'm considered dead!"

I sighed before dismissing Hrunting to motes of blue lights.

"Sorry about that…" I scratched my cheek with my free hand. "My name is Emiya Shirou, I arrived—"

"Emiya Shirou? The one who defeated the Demon King's General?"

I could feel her demeanor shift a bit as she repeated my name. I quirked a brow at that.

"It was only by coincidence, there's no way that I'll meet another General as soon as I defeated one…"

Hm? She's acting strangely ever since she knew me as the one who defeated Beldia.

Don't tell me…

"Miss, are you related to the Demon King?"

She flinched at my question before she averted her gaze.

Wow.

Should I say that I'm lucky or unlucky?

To meet two Generals in one day, well technically I didn't meet the other one named Beldia.

"I see, so you are one then…"

She took a step back at my muttering.

"You said that you don't have any plan to hurt the innocent right?"

"Y-yes! I only become a General to preserve the barrier around the Demon King's castle! And there is no bounty for my head since no one knew I existed as his General since I was known as the Ice Witch before I turned to a Lich!"

I looked at her brown eye and we locked eyes for a few seconds until I nodded at her which seemed to relieve the woman by a lot.

Then I dismissed the Black Keys from my left hand and let myself relax.

"Um…do you mind if I watch you guide the souls to the afterlife?"

"Oh…umm… sure! It was a bit lonely for me since I needed to stay here for a few hours until I meet my quota every night."

"Thanks."

I said before sitting on a small rock across Wiz.

"Um…Shirou-san—"

"Shirou is fine, Wiz-san."

"Oh, alright… I want to tell you, that…it's not a rock you're sitting on."

Huh? I took a peek at the object I was sitting on.

"WHOA!"

It was a skeleton, a real skeleton! I just sat on a fucking human's head skeleton!

Then I heard a giggle from Wiz who sled a little from her seat that she brought.

"Please, sit over here Shirou."

It was a portable bench enough for two people. There should be no problem for me to sit there, but…

I scratched my cheek while averting my gaze from the shop owner who tilted her head to the side cutesy.

"O-oh…sorry, you must dislike being close—"

"No, no, you're wrong!"

I raised my voice accidentally while I tried to reassure her.

Damn, why am I this nervous?

"It's just… you know, you're a pretty woman… and I feel a bit nervous to sit to someone as pretty as you…"

Wiz then stared at me with a wide eye before she looked down in embarrassment from my compliment. I…didn't know that a Lich could have their face turned red like a human. I wonder if her face was also hot like a human's.

"T-thank you for your words…" Wiz giggled again before patting the seat beside her.

Feeling that my nervousness was gone, I sat on her right. She jumped a little when our shoulders touched and her face was bright red.

"Wiz…as Lich, do you have body temperature?"

The shop owner then looked down, a bit dejected from my question.

"Um…no, sorry, is my body making you feel cold? I can leave the seat—"

"No, no, I was just curious about it since your face was so red before and I thought you caught a cold…"

"O-oh… I see…then to answer your question, as a Lich, I won't catch any disease anymore and I'm technically immortal now…"

"I see…"

Wiz nodded again and the two of us turned to see the souls ascending to the afterlife.


-Wiz's POV-

This feels good. I don't know why, but this young man is really fascinating. He was scary when he is serious, but underneath it, I can see an easygoing young man.

I wonder what he is doing here.

"By the way, Shirou…what are you doing at the cemetery at this time?"

"Ahaha, this might be a bit stupid, but I got lost when trying to get back to the guild after escorting one of the receptionists to her home."

Hm?

"Is she your lover by any chance?"

"Oh, no, I owed her since she agreed to put my feat for defeating Beldia on my party leader's leadership. Therefore, it was the effort of my party, not solely mine."

Huh, it's unbelievable there's someone this selfless.

"What about the prize money then? I'm sure you pocketed them, right? I mean, you're the one who defeated Beldia, not your party."

Greed is something that humans have, I'm sure that he keeps it for himself.

"Nope. I asked Luna to put them all in my party leader's bank account, the same for what I got from hunting cabbages."

My ears perked up at what he had just said. Just now, he summoned a sword out of nowhere and he also dismissed it into nothing.

"Are you…the Sword Prince that every adventurer have been talking about?"

I asked as my heartbeat began to quicken. The look he gave me however was not something I had expected. I thought he would be honored to have that title since every man and boy his age would love to have that title. After all, the princess of this kingdom is very skilled with a sword that she is called the Sword Princess of the Kingdom of Belzerg.

"You too huh…"

He sighed at me before giving me a wry smile.

Eh? Did I say something wrong?

"Um… is there something wrong, Shirou?"

I looked at him worriedly.

"It's just…" he turned his head to the other side in order for me not to see the red on his cheeks. "it's kind of embarrassing to be called with that title."

This is the first.

The first that I felt something squeezed inside me.

"Please don't call me with that title again, alright Wiz-san?"

I smiled at the young man before giggling at him.

"If you call me without honorific, then I'll consider it, Shirou."

"You're a mean one, Wiz."

Both of us chuckled at each other before it was time for us to head back to the town.

Not too long after our walk, we arrived at the guild, but it was already closed.

"Um, Shirou, where are you staying?"

The redhead looked a bit confused after I said that.

"Ah. I forgot to ask for the inn's name from my party…"

"That's…unfortunate…"

"Don't worry, I'll try to get through the night while looking for somewhere to settle for a few hours, thanks for bringing me here, Wiz."

Before Shirou could go away, I grabbed the sleeve of his shirt.

"I-if you'd like to, my store serves as my home and it has an empty bedroom that you can use…"

W-w-what am I doing!? Why are you being so bold tonight, Wiz!? What happened to the Ice Witch you!?

"Um… is that okay though?"

I quickly nodded before he could change his mind. Then before I knew it, I had already pulled him by his sleeve toward my shop.

True enough, the streets are empty, devoid of life at this time. There was no way for Shirou to find a place to settle this late.

After around a 5 minutes walk, we arrived at the front of my store. I unlocked the door and pulled the redhead inside before he managed to reconsider my offer.

"A magic tool shop…" he muttered after I turned on the light.

"You can look at them tomorrow, Shirou, for now, let's go to sleep."

"Eh?!"

"N-no! I-I mean, let me show you to your room! Yes, that's what I mean!"

I rephrase my words hastily. How did I make such a mistake!?

Uuuhhh…I bet my face looks very red right now…

Then all of a sudden, I felt a hand placed on my cheek. I looked at the culprit, his face was quite close and he looked so serious.

His golden eyes felt like drawing me towards them.

N-n-n-no, Wiz! This is too early! We met each other around two hours ago! Do you really want your first time to be a one-night stand!?

"Just as I thought…"

I opened my eyes and looked at Shirou.

"You still give out body heat even though you're a Lich…"

Eh? Really? I never checked it.

Then Shirou removed his hand from my cheek. It was a bit disappointing since he was really warm and his hand was big for a young man, his palm was rough and I didn't expect it from someone with a cute face like his.

"Sorry for touching you suddenly, Wiz. I've always wanted to know whether another living being like vampire or Lich has body heat or not since someone I know has a vampire as his girlfriend."

Huh? A Vampire and a human?

Then, is there a chance for a Lich and a human to be a couple too?

Wait, wait! WIZ, WHY ARE YOU BEING SO HORNY TONIGHT!? You've never acted like this, so why now!?

"I-it's okay, Shirou-san, but I hope one day you'll tell me about your friend who dates a vampire…"

"Sure, I'll be sure to tell you what I know. As for how they met, they almost killed each other, like us just now."

It was not really surprising to hear that, but I was glad that in the end, they became a couple.

We smiled at each other before I showed him his room and the toilet in case he needed to go.

Then we bid good night to each other before I entered my Sancto Sanctorum.

I removed my cloak, and the robe I used before I hung them.

Then, I unhook the bra that I used and throw them into the small basket before I put on my nightwear and lay down on the bed while hugging the pillow.

"Emiya Shirou…Sword Prince…"

I giggled as I remembered how he look like when I called him Sword Prince.

"This is the first time…that I feel such warmth from someone of my opposite sex…"


A Goddess was furious. She didn't show it on her face, but every other deity knew that Eris was in bad mood.

She had seen the young man with a Lich! LICH!

And the Lich herself started to open herself up to Shirou.

She even gave him a place to rest for the night. Shirou even put a hand on the Lich's cheek while he hadn't done that to her.

She was filled with jealousy, but she didn't say it out loud.

She looked at the young man who was now sleeping peacefully inside the Lich's home

"muuuu…unfair… I should purify this wench later…"


"It's…morning...?"

I made a loud yawn before I stretched my body and stood up from the bed.

"Something…smells good…"

I rubbed my eyes and opened my bedroom door, heading toward the smell's source. My kitchen.

"Oh, Good Morning, Wiz."

I jumped from the voice greeting me. I had always been living alone, then who…

The young man in the kitchen quickly turned his head away after he noticed something about me.

"Sorry…but you're still in your sleepwear…"

I looked down at what he said, true to what he said, I'm still wearing my nightwear.

"S-sorry, Shirou! It just smelled good that I went out of my room without changing!"

I quickly used my hands to cover my chest before running back to my room and getting something proper to wear.

That's right! How can I forget! I offered him to stay at my house since it was already really late last night!

Uuuhhh…. What a blunder that I just made… he must have thought that I am an easy woman…

After choosing much simpler clothing to wear, I went back to the kitchen and was greeted with a breakfast that I'd never heard of before.

There is a golden fluffy thing on top of rice cooked with vegetables and meat.

"Shirou, what is this?" I asked before he took a knife and split open the golden yellow fluffy thing, then he poured some kind of sauce on top of it, not too much and not too little.

"It's omurice, a simple dish from my hometown, hope you enjoy it."

And I did.

It was a spectacular breakfast.

Hmhmhm~ I wonder if this is what a married couple does every morning.

Being greeted with a good morning and a good night every day.

It doesn't sound bad…

I peeked at the young man who was now washing the dishes while enjoying his tea.

Shirou being the husband…makes it even better… he's strong, kind, has a cute face, and good with house chores…

Wait, wait, Wiz, are you really that desperate to get married!?

I waved the thought off.

"Wiz."

I turned to the redhead. "Yes, Shirou?"

"I'll be going to the guild now, they should've opened around this time. Again, I thank you for letting me stay the night, Wiz."

Yeah, that's right…

He was only staying for the night since he didn't have any place to go last night. Well, technically he did, but he didn't ask for the inn's name from his party members.

I looked down, a bit dejected.

"Is it okay if I come to see you again soon?"

I looked up at Shirou.

"I like to hang out with you and I learned a lot of things too. if it's okay though?"

I beamed a smile at him.

"Of course, please come here again, Shirou!"

Then I walked to the front door to see him leave.

"I'll be going then Wiz!"

"See you then, Shirou."

I waved at the young man with a smile as he headed toward the guild with a small jog.

After that, the neighbors who saw our interaction began to tease me, probably mistaking me and Shirou are married or in a relationship.

I tried to deny it, but it was to no avail.

Sorry, Shirou! Now another rumor about you is increasing because of me!

Not that I mind. I giggled before heading back inside the store and began to prepare for the day.


-3rd Person POV-

"There you are, mister!"

A certain Crimson Demon girl gruffly called out when the redhead approached the guild.

"I tried to wake you up and knocked several times only to find your room was empty! No, it had not been used at all! Where did you go last night!?"

"Sorry! I forget to ask where we were staying before I stayed for some unfinished business with Luna."

Megumin quirked a brow at what Shirou had just said.

"You were with the receptionist last night? What business did you have?"

Before Shirou could answer the question, the waitresses spotted him and asked the redhead to hurry and make breakfast for them.

"Uh, I'll tell you later, you still good for breakfast?"

"Fine, I'll make sure you tell me everything that happened last night, and make my portion the same amount as yesterday!"

Shirou chuckled at that.

"Yes, my lady."

Megumin stood rooted in her spot with a light pink hue on her cheeks from the redhead's teasing as she saw Shirou heading toward the guild's kitchen.

"T-that guy…"


It was quite a busy morning for Shirou in the kitchen since the guild's workers all came for breakfast, unlike yesterday when there were only some workers. Still, he did it happily since cooking was one of his pride and a certain Archer wouldn't be able to tell him to feed this pride to the dogs since he also held his pride in cooking highly.

"What's for today's breakfast?"

"Sir Shirou wants to call it Katsudon, but since we're using Frog meat not pork, he called it Kaerudon."

"He said that it's a bowl of rice topped with deep-fried breaded frog meat, egg, vegetables, and special condiments."

"Anyway! I can't wait to try it! I mean, yesterday's was so good! Today must be better right!"

"Agree! Agree!"

The waitresses cheered before Shirou called for them to give some of the first servings to Megumin which they did. They had no problem with giving the Arch-Wizard the first servings since that meant it would be their turn after that.

It took Shirou a full hour to make it for them all. He face-planted himself onto the table as Megumin scrutinized him in between eating.

"So, what did you do last night?"

Shirou then told her everything about what happened last night while excluding the fact Wiz was a lich and one of the Demon King's General.

Megumin was a bit ticked off when she heard Shirou stay in a woman's house, only the two of them alone, but she didn't say it out loud.

After all, they are just friends.

That was what Megumin wanted to believe, but she knew that she wanted to be more than just friends with the redhead in front of him.

It was a weird feeling. She had only met the man for a few days but she loved it while he stayed with her and felt antsy when he was not near her.

"By the way, don't tell Kazuma and Aqua about what happened alright? Let that be our little secret."

"Hmph, fine then."

A secret only between her and the boy. Somehow that made her bubbly on the inside.

After a moment, one of their party members came into the guild. Today, she wasn't wearing her usual knight attire, but a black business-woman suit that tightly wrapped around her ample chest and waist.

"Why are you leering at Darkness, Shirou? are you starting to turn into a pervert too?"

"Oi, I can't help it alright...It's a man's romance, but still, Wiz won by a large margin..."

"...so you prefer huge ones?"

"Flat is justice, medium is premium, while huge ones are the truth..."

Megumin took her staff and whacked Shirou on the head.

Darkness then noticed the two making a ruckus and walked toward them.

"Oh, morning, Darkness." The two greeted.

"Morning, Shirou, Megumin…" she looked around the hall. "Are Kazuma and Aqua still asleep?" she asked before taking a seat beside Megumin, the two of her companions then nodded at him.

"You're not wearing your armor today?" Megumin asked as she chewed her food.

"No, they're under repair from the damages it took from the cabbages."

"So…" Shirou looked at the Crusader. "You're a big masochist pervert, huh?"

Darkness paused, before processing what the gentleman in front of him had just said. He had never thought that someone so in contrast to her party leader could say something like that. At the party last night, Kazuma had insulted the Crusader with some words that she enjoyed, therefore she knew how scummy her party's leader was.

Then she squirmed with bated breath, finding Shirou's question which was to be normal to be something to enjoy. A sudden switch between his gentlemanly attitude was something that she could get used to.

"Holy…" Shirou gulped.

"Shirou… you better not say anything anymore…let's just have Scumzuma handle this pervert…"

"I agree, I doubt even I'll stay sane if I have to take care of someone as pervert as Darkness…"

Darkness then turned from Shirou then to Megumin and back to Shirou.

"Y-Y-you too Megumin!? T-T-T-to think that the two of you would let scum like Kazuma defile my body later…Aaaaahh!... I can't wait for him to come!"

Shirou and Megumin sweatdropped at the Crusader. A few seconds later, Darkness regained her composure and apologized to her new companions for what she had just done.

"Say, have you eaten breakfast yet?" Megumin asked before she offered one of the 4 bowls that Shirou made for her.

"I was planning to order some of what you two were eating since it looks delicious…what are they?"

"Kaerudon." Megumin asked before she returned to eating.

"Thank you Megumin, for sharing it with me."

After the first bite, Darkness was frozen stuck in her place and dropped her spoon.

Shirou and Megumin turned at the Crusader who began to flush and rubbed her thighs altogether while she squirmed with bated breath and crossed her arms under her chest covered with her black business-woman suit pushing the two jiggly chests up.

"…what the actual fuck?"

Shirou asked as she observed the Crusader. Megumin then moved to sit beside Shirou.

"Did you put any aphrodisiac in your food!?"

"Oi, I don't want to say this, but if you insult my cooking one more time, I'll make sure to use you as my shooting target, loli."

"Aaaah! You just called me loli! I thought you were a better man than that scumzuma!"

"Listen here carefully, alright, Megumin? My small cute loli Megumin! My cooking is my pride, therefore I won't ever put anything weird into them or purposely make them taste bad! You hear me, Loli!?"

Unbeknownst to Shirou, Megumin didn't hear the rest of his argument since she had frozen still when she heard Shirou call her his small cute loli Megumin. Then, she fidgeted and played with her fingers while looking at her food.

"I-if you say so…then I trust you…" she muttered with her face as red as her eyes.

"Good." He nodded before turning to Darkness.

"Mind telling us what's wrong with you, woman?"

"T-The angelsssssshhhh…d-dhey rubbbeedd meeeh in m-maah sensitive sphooots…."

The two then deadpanned at the masochistic Crusader. They decided to ignore her and continued with their breakfast.

"It would seem you better not let Darkness eat your cooking anymore, Shirou…"

"I second that…"

"Nooo! Please! Please let me eat them! D-d-d-do you want me to crawl around the floor and barked like a dog for you to feed me?! If you want me to, I'll be glad to do it!"

Shirou and Megumin gave Darkness their Excalibur face at her request which somehow excites the blonde crusader even more. That was the first time they learned that Shirou's food had a dangerous effect on Darkness and decided to eat while she wasn't there to join them.

A few moments later, Kazuma and Aqua finally joined the three at their table, regretting they weren't able to wake up earlier to have Shirou's breakfast. They noticed that their Crusader was squirming on her seat, with drool dropping onto the table.

"So what's wrong with the pervert?"

Kazuma asked his fellow gentleman. The answer however came from the Explosion lover beside him.

"She...ate Shirou's food and had o...or..."

"Orgasm." Shirou supplied while Megumin just turned bright red as she covered her face with her hat.

Kazuma then couldn't help but look at the blonde woman in pure disgust before he pushed Aqua to sit beside her and himself next to the blue-haired Arch Priestess.

"Oi, Aqua, I have something to ask you..."

"Hm? What is it, Kazuma?" the Goddess tilted her head to the side.

"I found this on my floor when I was about to get out of my room. Do you have any idea?"

Aqua looked at the piece of paper before she began to sweat profusely.

"..."

"..."

Seeing the two being quiet, Shirou opened his mouth.

"Something wrong?"

"Oh, there's nothing wrong here, Shirou, you don't have to worry about it." Kazuma smiled at the redhead.

However, Shirou and Megumin weren't easy to fool. They knew something had happened and it had something to do with the piece of paper that Kazuma was holding.

"You sure?" Shirou asked again.

"Yup, everything's good!"

"... Okay then..."

After that, Kazuma ordered their breakfast and finished it quickly before they went to the Quests Board to look for a mission they can take to raise their level.

"So, any idea of what quests do you want to take?" Shirou asked as they looked at the quest board.

"Anything low-level and safe for us since we're still beginners here…"

"We can have Shirou here to help us level up if you agreed to it, Kazuma." Megumin supplied as he pulled a quest saying "One Shot Bear".

"Oh…OOOHH! That's a nice idea, Megumin! why didn't I think about it before!"

"Pfft, for someone with high intelligence like you, you're still an idiot, you hikiNEET!" Aqua snickered.

A tick then appeared on Kazuma's forehead.

"Even I was about to ask Shirou to help us grind our level. To think that someone with only 1 INT point can think about that faster than someone with a high INT."

Aqua burst out a laugh as more ticks appeared on Kazuma's forehead.

"T-T-to think that we'll cheat our levels by having Shirou to help us…I know this party is the scummiest of all…" Darkness added with bated breath and flushed face.

"You're making us looks bad here, Lalatina…"

Darkness then immediately turned at Shirou with a warned look. Megumin and the others too looked at the redhead.

"Lalatina? Whom are you calling by that name, Shirou?"

"Oh, sorry, you see, I can read every history of a weapon that I see, including Darkness' which is an heirloom of the Dustiness Family…oh shit…a daughter of a noble is a masochist pervert…what kind of a world did I come to…"

Kazuma then turned at Darkness with a smirk.

"Lalatina eh?"

Darkness aka Lalatina turned red and fumed at Shirou before she playfully choked him with her strength.

"Why!? Why do you have to say it out loud!? This is not the play that I like!"

"Sorry, sorry, sorry, Lalatina! I'll make you breakfast tomorrow! Forgive me, Lalatina!"

"Stop calling me with that name!"


"Kazuma, Kazuma!"

"Yes, Kazuma here, what is it Aqua?"

"What is the cage for?"

The group of five were moving toward the forest outside of Axel with a carriage pulled by two horses carrying a cage on the wagon.

"For a bait." Kazuma smiled at Aqua who didn't know what he was planning.

Behind the two, Megumin whispered to Darkness and Shirou.

"Somehow…I'm having a feeling he's gonna use Aqua as bait to lure out the One Shot Bear…"

"Truly…huff…huff… As a Crusader, I can't let a pure maiden be treated like that! I have to replace her as bait!"

"…I won't trust whatever's coming out of your mouth at this kind of time, Lalatina…"

*SMACK*

"I-I told you not to call m-me that, Shirou!"


After around an hour, the group finally reached the clearing in the middle of the woods.

"So, this is where the One Shot Bear was last seen?" Aqua asked as she looked around the surroundings.

"Yup, now Aqua, I left your favorite wines over there!" Kazuma said as he pointed inside the cage after he put them there.

"Oh wow, Kazuma! I know you're finally starting to see me in a good way, right!?" Aqua walked happily inside the cage, not realizing what Kazuma did.

*CLICK*

"Eh?"

"He did it…He actually did it…" Shirou turned to look at Kazuma who turned around to leave.

"Don't worry Aqua, the cage is strong enough to withstand a one-shot bear's jaw strength!"

"Kazuma…don't you think you're being a bit cruel here?" Megumin asked worriedly.

"P-P-Please let me switch with Aqua, Kazuma! I'll make sure to not scream for help even if I got eaten by the bear!"

Shirou and Megumin looked at Darkness with exasperated sighs before Kazuma pulled out a chain and a lock from his supply bag and dragged Darkness to a tree on the other side of Aqua's cage.

*CLICK*

"Pheeew, now, Shirou, Lolimin, let's look for a place to hide after we keep the horses and the carriage a bit far from here!"

"K-K-Kazuma! You're really leaving those two here as baits!?" Shirou asked in disbelief.

"Even I can't help it this time, Shirou… First! Aqua needs some punishment since I got billed for a collection of wines this morning in front of my door with a total sum of a 28million Eris! And second! Darkness won't stop talking if I don't do this!"

Megumin then turned to Aqua with a baffled look. "28 million Eris in just one night!? I should have asked money from Kazuma to buy a manatite staff then!"

"Okay, I can understand your reasoning for Aqua… but for Lalatina…"

"I told you to stop calling me that name Shirou!" the noble yelled out.

"She's a masochist, a huge one to boot." replied Kazuma with a deadpan look.

Shirou then turned to Megumin who nodded at him.

"Well, if you say so…"

The two then began to leave the location while ignoring Aqua's plea and Darkness' somewhat excited scream.

After around an hour of waiting, the One Shot Bear from the quest showed up. It stood tall and had yellow fur instead of brown. It was looking at one bait who was locked up in a cage, and the other one who was chained to a tree.

"I-I-It's here! Shirou! It's here!" Aqua cried out as she hugged the wines. "Do your thing! Shirou! AAAAHHH! IT'S TRYING TO TEAR UP THE CAGEEEEEEE! WHY MEEEEE!"

"Aaaaaahh! Please, please! Pick meee! Over here you muscly bear! You have someone much easier to eat!" Darkness yelled out in jealousy as she watch the bear trying to tear up Aqua's cage.

The bear then managed to bend the cage's steel and tried to reach for Aqua who was still yelling out for help.

All of a sudden, the bear's movement froze in its place. Aqua and Darkness noticed that there were 2 weird-looking swords stabbed into its shadow.

Another sword flew toward Darkness' chain, freeing her from it which led to her disappointment before Shirou and Kazuma came out from their hiding.

"Shirou! How long does your binding last!?" Kazuma asked urgently, afraid that it will be undone soon.

"Uh...they last as long as I want to or when I removed the swords."

"O-oh… then we better take our time?"

"If you want to." The redhead shrugged before Kazuma came toward the bear and sliced it with a sword which resulted in the sword breaking into two. "Aw shit, I just got this sword too… Oi Aqua, Darkness! Come and hit this stupid bear once before Megumin blows it up!"

The latter came forward and tried to swing her sword at it, but she missed perfectly even if the bear stood rooted in its place.

"Oi, Darkness, are you playing around right now?" Kazuma asked incredulously.

"N-No?"

"Then what are you waiting for!? Hurry and hit it!"

Darkness then swing her sword again and missed the bear.

"What the hell!?"

"GOD BLOW!"

Darkness, Kazuma, and Shirou turned to Aqua who had landed her fist at the Bear. Instead of flinching because of the pain, its eyes were focused on Aqua full of rage, making her return to the cage.

"Okay, me, Aqua already landed a hit, it's your turn now Darkness! Stop playing around and hit it already!" Kazuma yelled out in frustration.

Darkness, while sweating profusely swung her sword again, yet another miss.

"GODDAMMIT DARKNESS!" Kazuma then proceeded to take her hands holding the sword and made her stab the bear before the group began to move away except for Aqua who was still holed up inside the cage, afraid of getting out of it.

"Dammit! Aqua!" Kazuma called out.

"I'm on it!" Shirou called out as he rushed toward the cage and lifted it with his reinforced limbs before getting out of the vicinity.

"Nice Shirou!" then Kazuma turned at Megumin who had readied her Explosion magic. "Fire it up, Megumin!"

"EXPLOOOOSIIOOONN!"

*BOOOOMMMM!*

It was a direct hit at the One Shot Bear, however as the dust began to clear up, it was revealed that the bear was still alive and now slowly moving toward them.

"I can't believe it survived my Explosion…" Megumin muttered, face down on the ground.

"Shirou! Your turn!"

"Got it!"

As soon as the redhead put the cage down on the ground. He traced a red barbed spear belonging to the dog that fell from the rocket. He jumped high into the air before shouting.

"GAE BOLG!"

Then he threw the red spear at the One Shot Bear, resulting in an explosion bigger than Megumin's. The group had to hold on to a tree or Aqua's cage in order to not get blown off. Megumin however couldn't manage to grab at anything since she was immobilized after using her explosion magic. Luckily Shirou had arrived to grab ahold of her before she got blown away by the wind pressure.

"T-Thanks…"

"No problem." The redhead replied as soon as they got behind a tree.

Several seconds after Gae Bolg's explosion, the group peeked to see what happened to the One Shot Bear.

"Holy shit, there is nothing left behind…" Kazuma muttered before taking out his adventurer's card. "I level up to 17!"

"Oi! what about you…guys…"

He turned only to see Aqua look dead inside her cage while hugging her knees, Megumin in Shirou's arms as he walked toward the cage while Darkness was hanging on her legs on top of the tree, her black skirt upturned, and revealing a white laced panty.

"White eh? I expected you to wear black." Kazuma said with a nasty look on his face, trying to engrave what he saw into his brain while Darkness just flailed around to cover her bottom.


On the way back to Axel, Aqua had insisted to stay inside the cage reasoning 'the outer world is scary, I don't want to get out anymore.'

Kazuma first tried to force her out, but she bit his hand which was holding hers even hissing like a scared cat.

Megumin was on the redhead's back as she mumbled how inferior her explosion was to Shirou's.

Darkness… was still herself, imagining the fear the bear inflicted on Aqua and the tension when the bear tried to tear up the cage. She too engrossed herself in a fantasy where Kazuma was leering at her as if stripping her naked with his eyes when he saw her underwear.

Shirou just walked quietly beside Kazuma who was leading the horses.

Not long after that, they arrived at Axel, walking along the street with Aqua still in the cage. They drew attention from everyone they passed by until a voice called out for the Goddess' name.

"Goddess Aqua!?"

The party except for Aqua then turned toward the voice's direction.

It was a young man with brown hair similar to Kazuma, except he was wearing blue full-plate armor with a sword on his back.

"Goddess Aqua, I knew it was you! But…how in the world did you end up in a cage!?"

"…who…?" Aqua muttered. There was no light in her eyes as she looked up at the young man.

"Kyouya! It's me, Mitsurugi Kyouya! The one you sent to another world after you gave me the magic sword, Gram!"

Kyouya then showed Aqua the sword when the light in her eyes returned to her.

"Oh right, right! I remember now! Yes! I remember that I preside in Heaven and give blessings to every one that passed on!"

Kyouya nodded gleefully at that before he tore up the cage with his brute strength, destroying the cage completely after he led Aqua out of it.

"Oi Kazuma…are we paying for the cage if it got destroyed?" Shirou asked.

"That's what the Guild say…and I think we're having a bigger problem right now since he's glaring at us…oh, look, now he's walking toward us with a pissed-off look…"

Kazuma then walked toward the brown-haired young man with a smirk. I have the strongest DPS here, why would I be afraid of some reincarnator?

"Are you Satou Kazuma who brought Goddess Aqua to this world?!"

"What if I am?"

Kyouya then grabbed the scruff of his neck. "Do you know what you've done!? You used Goddess Aqua as monster bait!"

"Then? I don't think I'm in the mistake here since that useless Goddess billed me 28 million Eris right in the morning!"

Aqua who heard that quietly scurried for cover behind Shirou.

"That doesn't mean you can use her as monster bait! And you!" Kyouya pointed at the redhead.

Shirou looked around before pointing at himself.

"Me?"

"Yes! You! From your look, you're also a reincarnator, aren't you!? Why did you let Satou Kazuma here to do as he pleases with Goddess Aqua!"

Shirou then turned to Aqua before answering Kyouya.

"Aqua-sama, do you regret coming down here with Kazuma?"

"Well, maybe at first, but then it was fun although Kazuma needs to tone down his scolding."

Shirou nodded before turning back at Kyouya

"So you heard her, Aqua-sama herself had fun, and I don't think you have the right to tell who's in the right and who's in the wrong anymore."

"Ugh…"

Before Kyouya could say anything else, two girls called for him.

"Kyouya!/Kyouya-san!"

The group then turned at the 2 newcomers, one with green hair tied up in a ponytail and wearing a black and purple tub top along with a blue scarf around her neck as well as dark brown stockings with light brown boots. The other had a well-developed figure, especially the chest part, and had maroon-colored hair tied in two braids and wore an orange tube top with a brown v-neck cut along with a skirt of the same color with white frills underneath.

"Cremea! Fio! Good timing! Help me with—"

"T-t-the Sword Prince!" Both the girls shouted as soon as they noticed Shirou. Their eyes then had love marks on them and their faces turned red.

The redhead meanwhile only waved at the two and smiled at them while ignoring the title bestowed to him. The girls then swoon at him, trying to get his attention while Kazuma and Kyouya were baffled at the scene.

Megumin who was behind Shirou at the time, pinched his side, showing her jealousy.

The former however quickly returned to his senses.

"Too bad for you Matsuragi, looks like you have no one to back you up~," Kazuma said with a smirk.

"It's Mitsurugi!" Kyouya retorted before calling for his companions. "Girls! Why are you flocking to him!?"

"Eh!? What do you mean Kyouya!? Don't you know he's the new adventurer that killed Beldia?"

"That's true Kyouya-san! Everyone is singing his name, even the waitresses and the guild receptionists are praising him! How can you not know that!?"

Darkness who watched that started to breath harder.

"I-I-I-is this what they call cuckolding…huff…huff…imagine, your party members are taken by another guy from another party…huff…huff….aaaahhhh how I envy these girls…"

Kazuma and his party who heard that sweatdropped at Darkness who squirmed all of the sudden. Kyouya then had a sudden outburst seeing his companions falling for the redhead.

"You! I challenge you to a duel!"

Kyouya pointed at Shirou while taking out Gram.

"Go Shirou! Beat him up! Don't hold back if you can!" Aqua cheered.

"Don't get hurt if you can Shirou…"

"Oh my, look at that, that sword looks so ominous… I wonder how it'll feel if I got slashed by it…"

Kazuma's group deadpanned at the masochistic Crusader.

"Sword Prince-sama, please do not hesitate to use your sword to pin me down too!"

The group then deadpanned at the two girls from Kyouya's party.

"Look at that Mutsukagi! Even your girls want to be pinned down by Shirou's sword too!"

Kazuma cackled at the scene and began to tease Kyouya.

"It's Mitsurugi, dammit! You! Where's your weapon!? I challenge you to a duel!"

Kyouya said again, this time his voice was filled with anger.

"Are you sure about this? I mean…I might break your sword, you know?"

"You won't scare me with that bullshit of yours! Now, pull out you—"

Before Kyouya could finish his sentence, whatever he was about to throw up at Shirou was stuck in his throat after he saw the Sword in Shirou's hand.

"W-What's that sword!?" he asked as his sweats started to fall.

"What do you mean? Shouldn't you know it if you're the wielder?"

"Oi, Shirou, what's that sword? I can feel its power although it looks feeble compared to this Matsuragi's sword…"

Before Shirou answered Kazuma, Aqua opened her mouth first.

"That's the original Gram."

"Eh?"

The group then turned to the blue-haired Goddess.

"The Gram that guy's holding right now is a poor copy of the original Gram and we made it look scary to convince those who asked for it. There's no way that the Gods would give the original demonic weapon to a human right?"

Kazuma and Shirou who understood that then turned to Kyouya and began to pity the man. Not only his accusation was denied, his weapon's existence too was denied of its authenticity.

"T-Then Aqua… what will happen if Shirou's sword clashed with his?" Megumin asked.

"S-S-Shirou's sword…the way you said that is a bit lewd, Megumin…" Aqua deadpanned. "Anyway, the winner would be clear already, that copy is a lot weaker than the original Gram, and Matsukagi over there would lose his only blessing in this world."

They turned to Kyouya again who was now looking pale after he heard what Aqua had said. He had issued a challenge and there was no way for him to take it back with so many people expecting the Swordmaster vs the Sword Prince's duel.

"Mitsurugi-kun right?" Shirou called and Kyouya nodded nervously. "What about we postpone this until a later time then? For both our benefits."

Shirou had offered him a way out to not embarrass himself and Kyouya accepted it immediately.

"Very well, let's postpone this until a later time…"

"Just call me Shirou."

"I understand, Shirou-san. I'm sorry for my accusation earlier, at least you're a better man than the Satou Kazuma over there."

"Oi!"

Shirou chuckled at them but then he quickly had his hand on Kazuma's shoulder.

"Kazuma here is a good party leader, although he might be a pervert, and lazy, he's someone that I can trust with my life if it comes to it… I mean, he even made a solid strategy to defeat a One Shot Bear and we won in the end."

"Huh… I guess I shouldn't judge someone by how he looks…"

Shirou then looked at Kyouya's companions who were still flocking at him.

"Cremea-san and Fio-san right? You should go with Mitsurugi-kun over there, don't make him worry than this."

"I-If you say so, Sword Prince-sama, but please, call me by my name without honorific!"

"M-m-me too, Sword Prince-sama!"

Shirou agreed to their request before Kyouya's group finally leave Kazuma's.

"You could have them stay and have a harem of your own, Shirou, why didn't you?" Kazuma asked.

"Because Shirou's not a pervert like you, Kazuma." Megumin supplied an answer.

"I agree with Megumin here, Shirou is a much better man than you, Kazuma. If one day he wants to have a harem, I'm pretty sure it will go well for him!" Aqua added with a smug.

Kazuma deadpanned at the girls before turning to Shirou who somehow had a look that he couldn't understand.

"Kazuma... do you want a harem?"

Shirou asked with a faraway look in his eyes.

"Eh? If I can then of course I would! it's every man's dream!"

Then, the redhead did what he didn't expect.

He put a hand on Kazuma's shoulder before he rubbed and squeezed it as if he was a soldier that had gone through something painful.

"If you really want to have a harem someday later..." Shirou inhaled. "I'll have to tell you this one thing..."

Kazuma gulped, feeling anxious so as to why the redhead turned like this.

"It's hell you're walking into."

With that said, the group except for Kazuma left for the guild while the Japanese boy stood rooted beside the horse, thinking about what the redhead had said.

"What the hell?"


After the incident with Kyouya, the group had returned to the guild and paid the fee for the broken cage which money came from the Swordmaster himself thankfully. They also made a report of completing the quest to kill the One Shot Bear which surprised literally everyone in the guild since the monster was almost impossible to defeat for adventurers in Axel.

They received a total of 1,2 million Eris which then Kazuma split for 5 person, which meant 240000 Eris each.

"Kazuma, Kazuma! I have an idea!"

"Yes, I'm Kazuma, and I hope your idea doesn't include wine, beer, or parties."

"How rude! I was about to suggest to buy a house instead of renting rooms in inn!"

"A house eh? Sure we got the money, but do you think it's enough?"

"Ehehe! I knew you'd say that! So, I got this flyer when I passed by a realtor this morning!"

Aqua then put a flyer on the table where her friends could see.

"A mansion? That would cost a lot…" Dakness mused.

"No, wait! Look at the price!" Megumin followed up.

"75 million Eris for a mansion that big? I hope there isn't a catch…"

"I agree with Shirou here…I'm glad I had someone whose brain is not dead like you girls."

"OI!" yelled the 3 girls in his party.

"Anyway, we'll check it tomorrow, any complaints?" Kazuma asked and they shook their heads.

"You know, if we do buy the mansion, I'd want to buy the necessities for the kitchen…"

Kazuma whipped his head to Shirou as soon as he said that.

"That's right! I haven't got the chance to eat your cooking yet!"

"Darkness said his food is heavenly, I can't wait to taste it then!"

"Wait, Aqua, what did you just say?"

"Huh? Are your ears rotten or what, Kazuma? I said Darkness said Shirou's food was heavenly."

Kazuma then turned to Darkness who was sitting beside Megumin.

"You ate it!? When!?"

"This morning." Megumin supplied.

"Aaah, I…just can't wait to…feel it again, when the angels began to touch me…in…my sensitive…spots…huff…huff…"

"Holy crap…I don't know whether to be excited to eat it or not since Darkness is acting like this…"

"Trust me, Kazuma. As someone who had eaten them twice in a row, there is nothing that I can say but delicious. However, for Darkness, it seems that she could find an excitement that I can't understand from eating Shirou's food…" Megumin finished before sparing a look at the perverted Crusader.

"This is the first time for me too to see someone act like this from eating my cooking…while Arturia had bottomless stomach and enjoyed my food very much, she never reacted like Darkness…"

"Well, that only means our Darkness is a bit of…special in her own way…"

Kazuma deadpanned at the Crusader who was squirming as she let out a drool.

After a dinner, Darkness had excused herself since she had something to do back at home. Shirou had told them that he wanted to pay a visit to a friend, Aqua and Kazuma who were drinking nodded to him while Megumin had come along with him.

"So is this friend of yours the Wiz from last night?"

"Yup. She owned a magic tool shop and I hadn't had the chance to see her wares. Who knows there are some things useful for our party."

"Magic tool shop huh? I wonder if there's something to improve my explosion magic ."

"Who knows, but since Wiz is an Arch Wizard like you, maybe she does have something."

Megumin hummed as they walked toward Wiz's shop. Strangely, as the two got closer to the shop, some of the neighbors were whispering to each other with a smile as they looked at the two.

"Is it only me or the neighbors are talking about us?"

Megumin asked in a low voice.

"Just…ignore them… it seems they saw me coming out from Wiz's shop in the morning and thought we are in a relationship…"

"That means seeing you with another girl other than Wiz is probably gonna be another rumor huh?"

Megumin smirked before she latched onto Shirou's arm.

"W-wait, Megumin, what are you doing!?"

Shirou asked anxiously.

"Nothing, I'm still a bit tired from using Explosion. Can't I hold to your arm?"

The girl asked with puppy eyes.

"You're using the same look every time my sister wants something from me…not fair…"

"Then it's a yes."

Megumin wrapped her arm tighter to Shirou's as she hummed lightly.

After a while, the two finally arrived at Wiz's magic tool shop and they entered it.

"Welcome— Oh Shirou! Welcome…back…"

Her voice became a bit quiet in the end of it since she noticed a girl in red with a cape beside the redhead.

"Hello Wiz, I hope you don't mind that I bring my friend here."

Snapped from her thoughts, Wiz replied.

"O-oh, no of course not! Please, look around!"

She forced herself to keep smiling as she watched how the girl was latching to the redhead's arm.

Suddenly, a voice rang out from the back.

"W-Wiz-san, is there someone out there?"

Megumin who heard that familiar voice froze in her spot before turning in the voice's direction.

"Megumin? What's wrong?"

Shirou asked at the girl who suddenly stopped anxiously.

"Are you tired? Are you still in mana deficiency?"

"M-M-Megumin!?"

The feminine voice called out as soon as she noticed the girl beside Shirou.

"Huh?/Eh?" Shirou and Wiz let out a small gasp.

"Is she the person you said you've been waiting for, Yunyun-san?"

"Yes! She's my rival from my village! We've been competing against each other ever since we were at school! Now, Megumin! Let's settle our score like I promised!"

The girl said with full confidence, however, the answer she got was.

"Who are you again?"

The room went silent at that moment, even Shirou couldn't help but to pity the girl who was baffled at Megumin's reaction.

Then, while the two started bickering, Shirou sneaked to Wiz's side.

"Hey there, Wiz, have you had dinner yet?"

"Shirou, I was planning to get one while I visit my supplier in the Crimson Demon village."

"Oh? Is it near?"

"No, it's quite far actually. I'm using Teleport spell to go there, would you like to come? It won't take a long for us to return if you're worried about the time."

"Hmm, the Crimson Demon's village huh, are there many people like Megumin there? Well, I mean you know…"

Wiz giggled at him.

"Yes, most Crimson Demon are like her except for Yunyun here who seems rather reserved when introducing herself."

The two watched both the Crimson Demon's interaction and true enough, the girl called Yunyun was more reserved than Megumin.

"Is the girl coming with you too?"

"Oh yes, Yunyun actually came to Axel in the morning and return to the village in the evening everyday while waiting for Megumin here."

"That's…tenacity if I see one…" the redhead gave out a dry laugh. "Anyway, would you like me to cook something for you?"

"A-are you sure, Shirou? I mean… if you don't mind, then I really would like you to cook for me again…"

Wiz played with the flock of her hair while looking down as she said that.

"Got it, let me borrow your kitchen for a bit while okay? And…do you think those two want to partake?"

Both Shirou and Wiz turned to see Megumin and Yunyun who's now pinching each other's cheeks.

"I'm sure they will since the food that you made is really delicious."

Shirou scratched the back of his head, feeling embarrassed by the Lich's praise.

"Gee, thanks for the compliment."

Wiz giggled at the response he gave her. She liked it very much when the boy was flustered.

With that said, the redhead went to the kitchen. Megumin was surprised to see that he was gone while she was busy with her so proclaimed rival, but since Wiz had told her that Shirou was cooking for them, she decided to settle down with Yunyun at the empty table near the corner with Wiz joining them.

The Shop Owner then told Megumin she was heading to the Crimson Demon village with Yunyun to pick up her supplies for the shop.

At first, Megumin refused the offer to go there since she didn't have anything important to do in the village, but after Wiz mentioned Shirou was going to come, the petite Crimson Demon girl agreed to come along.

"Shirou-san…he's that gentleman who you linked arm with before, isn't he, Megumin?"

"A-a-are the two of you…by any chance…"

Yunyun asked anxiously, but then Wiz decided to throw a helping hand for the buxom girl.

"Shirou isn't dating anyone right now, not even Megumin here, Yunyun-san."

Yunyun sighed in relief knowing that her rival hadn't beaten her in getting boyfriend yet. Megumin however was glaring at the Shop Owner, and the latter did the same with an icy smile.

The two did not break their eye contacts until Shirou came out to the front with a tray of foods for the girls.

"Food's ready!...is there something wrong, Wiz, Megumin? You two look really scary right now…"

"Oh, it's just girls' business, Shirou, you don't need to worry about us."

Wiz reassured as the redhead begin to serve the three their dinner, which was another round for Megumin since she already had hers with the redhead at the guild.

Yunyun was surprised that she got one too since she didn't know the young man. When she was about to opened her mouth, Shirou just urged her to eat and told her that a friend of Megumin is also his friend.

The buxom girl was a bit baffled at that, but then Shirou introduced himself to the girl and the latter did the same without the antics like Megumin had.

Yunyun was a bit worried at how Shirou would react to her name, but surprisingly he didn't laugh or anything. It was the first time for her to meet someone that wasn't bothered how funny her name was.

After that, Yunyun started to eat and the reaction from Megumin's friend after she took her first bite was exceptionally cute since she was filling her mouth like a hamster before swallowing it all in one gulp.

"This is delicious, Shirou-san!"

"Glad that you like it, Yunyun." He nodded as he looked around at the wares for sale.

His eyes laid in one portable magic stove that drew his attention. He should ask Wiz about this item later when the shop owner was done with her food.

Shirou didn't realize it, but when he was looking around the wares, Yunyun had been stealing glances at him while pretending to drink her juice or wiping her lips. Neither her friend, and the shop owner too realized that as the two were busy with their food.

"Thank you again for the dinner, Shirou, it was really delicious." Wiz said with a flushed face. She had had the chance to eat Shirou's food to start and end the day, it was truly a blessed day for the Lich.

"T-thank you, Shirou-san! I really appreciate it that you made some for me even though we didn't know each other…"

"It's okay, like I said before, a friend of Megumin is also a friend of mine."

Shirou beamed a smile at the fidgety girl while patting Megumin's head through the hat which embarrassed the latter but she didn't shove him away.

"Then, are we going now, Wiz?"

"Yes! I've locked the door and everything, we can leave now."

Shirou nodded before he and Megumin moved closer to Wiz and Yunyun.

"Then, Teleport!"

With that one word, the four were gone from Wiz's store, leaving with no trace at all.

After the bright light died down, Shirou opened his eyes from the loud voices he heard.

What he found was not the village of the Crimson Demon, but something else unexpected.

It would seem his luck was still bad even though Eris had told him that she had blessed him already.

"What the!?"


Author Notes.

So, which one you want to see next?

I'm sure that you realized Shirou was sent to different place than the village.

Would you like to see Shirou at the Frontline where Belzerg having war against the demon king, or he ended up in the main capital which was under attack by some spawns of the Demon King led by Vanir.

Before you ask anything, yes, this is harem for shirou.

With that said, enjoy!