KonoSuba: A Tale of this Beautiful World Vol2

by Dknightodin

The second volume of the series.

7. Chapter 6: The Outing

Chapter 6: The Outing

Part 1

Yunyun started her chant and the world quickly spun around us; a moment later, the feeling ceased. We were in the capital, standing in front of the Royal Palace.

"Hmm, where are the others?" Yunyun queried as she looked around.

"Wiz likely doesn't have this area marked for Teleportation, which means they're probably near the main gates," I replied. "No worries, we can catch up with them later; let's drop this stuff off before we have Aqua in the group."

"Ah, yeah, good thinking, Megumin."

And so, after some more walking, we made it to the Devilishly Good Magic Shop.

"Here we are," I said, approaching the door. "Now let's hurry and—"

"SACRED HIGH EXCORCISM!"

"GYAHHHH!"

"Ah, I missed; sit still, will you?!" Aqua yelled, angrily trying to track the poor devil who was now running for cover.

"Wiz-san, L-Lady Dustiness, please, help me! HELP ME!"

"Zereschrute-san," Wiz said worriedly; she was obviously torn between helping the devil and not getting involved.

Darkness showed a similar expression.

"Aqua-sama!" Cecily yelled, "Me and this Eris-cultist will hold down the devil; please, use that chance to send it back to—"

"Hey!" I yelled. "All of you stop!"

"Ah, Megumin-chan!" Cecily quickly turned to me. "Are you here to help us slay this devil as well?"

"While I'm not one to defend devils and their kind, this one is necessary."

"Necessary?" Chris and Cecily said in unison.

"Hey, Megumin," Chris continued, "you're joking, right? Undead, devils, and demons must all be exterminated—no exceptions."

Glancing at Wiz, I could see she was visibly nervous. "It's not a joke; Besides other reasons, Kazuma needs him alive."

Darkness placed a hand on Chris' shoulder. "It's true. Ahem, I know you have your reasons for wanting to eliminate him, but let's not forget that Lord Zereschrute is still a noble of the kingdom."

"Nobles go missing from time to time," Chris retorted.

I flinched as she said something so uncharacteristic.

"No one will shed a tear for this one who's a devil in disguise," She continued.

"Chris!" Darkness yelled angrily.

She frowned sharply, and with a deep breath, relaxed. "Fine. Seems like me and Kazuma-kun are gonna have a talk next time we meet."

"Yunyun, what are you doing standing there?" I said. "Hurry up and give him what we came for."

"Uh, oh, right."

Yunyun quickly walked over to the counter Zereschrute was hiding behind and placed the box down. "Umm, this is the manatite shipment Vanir-san asked me to bring you."

The devil slowly looked out from behind the counter, his eyes darting nervously between the box at his feet and his would-be executioners.

"Ahem." He cleared his throat, and then proudly stepped out. "Ah, you must be Yunyun-san. I remember you; the sensible one. It seems you still help out at the shop."

"Ah, yes," Wiz said, "Yunyun-san is incredibly helpful; I'm glad you decided to help us, Yunyun-san."

Again, Yunyun showed a timid smile as she basked in praise.

I spoke up. "Well then, it seems our task here is complete; let's go pick up our mark."

"TURN UNDEAD!"

"GYAAAA!"

The tormented devil lay writhing on the floor; the suit it wore smoking from Aqua's holy power.

"Aqua, was that really necessary?" I said with a knit brow.

"What, I didn't kill it; it should be thankful that I showed mercy on it's disgusting existence."

I sighed. Well, she was right; at least Zereschrute was still alive…barely.

Leaving the shop behind us, our now, seven-strong group headed to the Royal Smith's shop to pick up the target of this morning's business. As we arrived, the two sentries at the door gave us a curious glance but otherwise did nothing. We entered.

"Welcome to the Royal Smith's, are you all in a group? How may I help you?"

This was a different person; a man, older, seemingly more proficient at his job. He gave the presence of an old male butler, sort of like the one who was Kazuma's beck and call back when he stayed at the palace; Heidel, I believe his name was.

I cleared my throat. "My name is Megumin; we're here because Belladeux-san has promised to take me out for a meal."

"Oh. Belladeux-san…I see." The man gave a faint smile. "Very well, Megumin-san, let me go and fetch him; he's in the back room."

"Umu."

The attendant oji-san headed toward the back of the shop and disappeared. When I turned around, the others were already scattered throughout the shop looking at the multiple wares.

"Look, Darkness, this weapon is amazing," I overheard Chris say. "I've never really seen anything like this; even my own dagger seems cheap by comparison."

Darkness chuckled. "Well, if the price tag is anything to go by, I'm sure it would be."

"Umu, still the level of craftsmanship is obvious; even someone with an untrained eye could see it. Amazing."

I looked over at the stave section; the loner girl, Yunyun was staring at the selections. I wandered over.

"Still looking at things like this?"

"Oh, Megumin."

"Can you even afford any of these, Yunyun?"

"Not currently, no."

"Oh, so you plan on getting one in the future?"

"Perhaps. Look, that wand in the back; it's quite cute isn't it?"

"Cute; a weapon must look cool, intimidating, or be powerful, not cute, Yunyun. Preferably also be black or red, or a combination of these factors; having all of them would be the best. Take my staff for instance, it's perfect; it's the complete embodiment of a Crimson Demon's aesthetic."

"Your staff; where is it, actually?"

Suddenly, I just noticed the absence of my staff. "Oh, right, I actually left it here; it's being upgraded by the Royal Smith."

"Megumin-sama!" It was the voice of the boy whom offered me a free meal.

"Ah, Belladeux-san."

"Umm, are you…wait, are all these people with you?"

I nodded. "They will accompany us today."

"Uhh, I-I thought this was to be a private meal between us."

"Huh, why would you think that?"

"Uh, well…umm…n-nevermind, it's fine. Megumin-sama, you seem to surround yourself with quite the selection of friends."

"Hmm, sure. Let me start by introducing this one; introduce yourself girl who should introduce herself if she really calls herself a Crimson Demon."

"W-What are you saying, Megumin?!" Yunyun frowned before turning her focus on our quarry. "N-Nice to meet you, Belladeux-san. My name is Yunyun."

"Yunyun; quite the peculiar name, but I suppose it's normal since you're a Crimson Demon."

Even as her name was ridiculed, Yunyun fidgeted nervously.

"Please don't touch the wares," the older attendant said.

I looked over and saw him speaking with Aqua's group, namely Cecily.

"How am I supposed to tell if this weapon is actually good or not if I can't touch it? Maybe you're selling fake weapons."

"Madam, I assure you, this is the Royal Smith's, nothing in here is fake. Now would you please stop touching the products?"

"I agree with Cecily's complaint. Wiz, you have an eye for items; why don't you tell this man what you think about such a dumb policy."

"A-Aqua-sama, I really think we shouldn't—"

"Cecily onee-san," I said as I walked over with the other two, "would you please stop causing trouble? Sorry," I said, turning to the oji-san, "she's an Axis Cultist."

"Megumin!" Aqua shouted.

"Megumin-chan, why would you say that, it hurts my feelings when you say such things in contempt."

I sighed, and then turned to Belladeux-san. "You've already met Aqua yesterday. This is Wiz; she owns a magic shop in Axel, and this is"—I sighed once again—"this is Cecily-san."

"Ohhh, and who's this, Megumin-chan? I thought you were already had a man. Are you trying to build a stable of men to choose—"

"W-What exactly do you take me for?! No, this is Belladeux-san; he invited me to lunch, so I've taken him up on his offer."

"Oh, so is that all it takes to spend the day with Megumin-chan; next time I'll be sure to employ such methods; use the promise of food to get Megumin-chan to do what you want, right, right."

"No, not right! I'm not bribed by the promise of food; stop saying ridiculous things!"

I could just catch Yunyun look away as I proclaimed this.

"Oh, Megumin, is this the guy?" I heard Chris say from behind me.

"Umu. Belladeux-san, this is Chris." She gave a smile and wave. "And this is Darkness, but you probably know her as Lady Dustiness."

Suddenly, he shirked back. "Ah, oh, Lady Dustiness, forgive me; you look so different in armor."

"Belladeux," Darkness mumbled, rubbing her chin. "I feel I've heard of this name before."

"Ah, well, I'd be most humbled if you did; the Belladeux family are not as affluent as the prestigious Dustiness family."

"Ah, right, I remember; Orrinthal Belladeux is your father and the current head, right?"

"U-Uh, yes."

"Hmm, I seem to recall he and my own father had a minor dispute some time ago; didn't it result in your house being demoted?"

The boy looked away; there was a mixture of embarrassment and anger expressed in his face and eyes. "Um, yes—b-but that's all water under the bridge!" He cleared his throat loudly. "Megumin-sama, shall we go?"

"Umu."

We left the store and, with no destination decided upon, began walking towards the city square.

"Megumin-sama, where would you like to go?"

"I'm fine with anywhere, really."

Aqua quickly interjected. "Ah since Megumin's not choosing, how about going to The Grandstar Restaurant?"

"The Grandstar?" Darkness said mildly shocked. "Aqua, isn't that a bit much?"

"It's the most expensive restaurant in the capital, isn't it?" Chris queried.

Darkness nodded.

"Ohh?" Cecily said with a mischievous smile on her face. "Surely, someone who promised Megumin-chan a nice meal would be willing to take her to the best place, right?" Her eyes fixed themselves upon the young Belladeux.

He smiled nervously. "Of-Of course; Megumin-sama is more than worth it." His nervousness disappeared as he announced this, being replaced by a prouder look.

"Ohhh, seems like you really like Megumin-chan."

He cleared his throat loudly. "Megumin-sama has shown me the error of my ways; I'm indebted to her." He said this, still wearing a proud smirk.

Cecily walked over to my side and smiled. "Megumin-chan, what will you do; this boy has proclaimed his love for you."

I shrugged. "I love only one person."

"Kyyyyuu, Megumin-chan!" Cecily grappled me and began rubbing herself on my body once more.

"Ugh, s-stop this, Cecily onee-san; t-this is sexual harassment."

"I can't help myself, Megumin-chan; you're much too cute! To think you would say you love me; it's almost too much to handle!"

Using all of my strength, I managed to break away. "No, not you, Cecily-san; I'm married!"

"It's ok, Megumin-chan; I'm fine being your mistress."

"Would you stop saying such weird things?"

"Wait, married?" our mark said.

I turned to him and showed him the ring. "Of course I'm married; I even announced this in my introduction; Satou Megumin. Why? Do you suddenly feel less indebted to me now that you know I am?"

"N-No, Megumin-sama"—He tugged at his collar, and then coughed—"I-I'm just a little…disa…n-nevermind. The Grandstar, is that where you'd like to go?"

"Like I said, I'm fine with anywhere."

With our setting chosen, we headed to the most expensive restaurant in the capital. Though Belladeux-san tried to speak with me as we made our way to our destination, Aqua and Cecily onee-san kept him preoccupied, assaulting him with Axis Cult propaganda. Had it not been for Wiz providing emotional support, I believe the poor boy's will would've been broken.

"Hey, Megumin," Yunyun said as she walked beside me, "Belladeux-san seems to like you quite a bit."

"And?"

"And—well, I mean—"

"Yunyun, are you suggesting that I give up on Kazuma for a boy who I don't even know?"

"N-No, of course not! I think you and Kazuma-kun share a special connection—"

"Yes, Yunyun, it's called marriage."

"No, I mean, yes, but that's not what I'm meaning."

"Then what are you meaning?"

"I mean that you and Kazuma-kun understand each other well; despite your…ummm…"

I glanced at Yunyun, my brows slowly closing together. "Despite what?"

"D-Despite your, your uniqueness!"

"Humph. I agree, Yunyun; I think me and Kazuma understand each other quite well. To tell you the truth though, I don't believe there's anyone capable of stealing me away from him. I really do love Kazuma for all he's worth…even if that value is drawn into question sometimes."

Yunyun smiled. "I'm actually quite happy that you were able to find someone like that, Megumin; I used to think that you'd always be alone…like me." Her smile shrunk, eventually disappearing all together.

"You're not alone, Yunyun. Well, I mean you are, but you do have people who care about you. So saying things like that isn't fair to all the true loners out there in the world; the ones who have nothing, truly nothing."

I could see a faint smile crop up. "I, I guess you're right, Megumin."

"Of course. Tell me, Yunyun, when have I ever given bad or false advice?"

She frowned. "Are you really sure you want to ask that question?"

"I have nothing to fear by asking you—"

"How about all the times you smuggled Iris-sama out of the castle; all the times you've involved me in highly dangerous and idiotic plots of yours?"

"…ahem. T-That aside, have I ever—"

"Or the time during the trials when you told me to trust you, and you ended getting me disqualified, TWICE!"

"…"

"And how about—"

"Ah, ok, ok, I get it; s-sometimes I may give you some…ahem, questionable advice; however, all of those times have been with good intentions."

Yunyun sighed. "You know how the saying goes, Megumin; the road to Hell is paved with good intentions."

"That's a stupid saying; Hell has no paved roads."

"Huh, wait, really?"

"How should I know? Anyways, Yunyun the true question is…have you finally found someone you're interested in?"

"Ehh?!"

"Don't 'ehh' me; is there a guy—or girl; I won't judge—"

"S-Stop, shut up! I don't like anyone!"

I sighed. "At this point can you even call yourself my rival?"

Yunyun twiddled anxiously. "Y-You and Kazuma-kun haven't…" Her face and eyes grew a vibrant red.

Seeing Yunyun so flustered, a part of me just couldn't resist teasing her; I smirked. "I mean, didn't you walk in on us during?"

Yunyun grew so red in embarrassment that her nose started to bleed. She quickly wiped it off with her sleeve and frowned. "T-That time is still unconfirmed; I-I didn't really see anything!"

"Oh, you didn't?"

"T-That's right, I didn't."

"So, you didn't see me naked; or how quickly Kazuma threw the sheets over our bare bodies?"

Once again, blood slowly trickled out from her nose. Embarrassment permeated every one of her pores so completely that Yunyun's actions stemmed from an utterly overwhelmed mind; she covered her eyes instead of her ears. "I-I can't hear you!" She yelled.

"Are you ok, Yunyun?" Darkness asked as she and Chris caught up to us.

"O-O-Of Course, w-w-why, wouldn't I be, D-Darkness-san?!"

"Uhh, are you sure; you seem a little…"

"Flustered," Chris finished. "And is that blood; did you hit your nose on something, Yunyun?"

"N-No, I'm fine; I'm absolutely ok!"

Chris and Darkness looked at each other and then shrugged.

"We're here!" Belladeux-san yelled. "We're finally here!" He quickly broke away from Aqua and Cecily who were still assailing him with more Axis dogma; in spite of Wiz's efforts, it looked like he was on the verge of a meltdown.

As we walked up to the door, a pair of guards barred our entry.

One of them spoke. "Only those of special privilege are served in The Grandstar; if you have credentials or have been invited by a distinguished person please provide the associated documentation."

Belladeux-san quickly withdrew a necklace similar to Darkness' family crest and showed it to the sentry.

"Hmm, the Belladeux family…" The guard gave a slight look of disapproval, but quickly continued. "Are they all in your company?"

Our patron looked back, eyeing everyone but me; finally, he coughed and nodded. "Indeed, they are."

"Are they commoners; there'll be a fee for it."

"Well—"

I stepped forward. "Does it matter?"

"Huh?" The guard frowned at me. "And who—"

His partner quickly grabbed his shoulder. "Are you serious; don't you know who these people are?"

"Huh, who—"

"They're party who defeated the Demon King, and that's Lady Dustiness, you fool!"

"Ah, forgive me; I'm just following—"

I flicked my mantle. "It's fine; I'll let it go this time. You're simply doing your job, but this better not happen in the future."

"Of-Of course, s-sorry…"

"Megumin."

"Megumin-sama. Sorry, Megumin-sama." The guard bowed apologetically.

They opened the door and we entered.

Truly, this place was worthy of the title it garnered; the walls, floors, decorations—everything, everything appeared to be worth hundreds of thousands of eris in the very least. If one were to tally up the amount given all the items in this restaurant, it would easily amount to sums comparable to the royal treasury, if not, more.

"This…is insane," I whispered in awe.

"Welcome to the Grandstar!" the host said. "Are you all together?"

"Yes," Belladeux-san answered.

The host looked at us curiously, and then at Belladeux-san. He leaned in close and whispered something in his ear. After a moment, the host pulled away with a raised brow.

"I, I assure you, all of them are qualified."

"Is there a problem?" I posed; my eyes narrowed in frustration.

"My Lady," the host began; he didn't seem the least bit intimidated by my look, "I was simply wondering why you all are dressed so shabbily? Surely, you didn't plan to come to the capital's premier restaurant with such attires."

"Are you making fun of clothes?" I could feel true anger start to boil within me. "Perhaps, I should give a presentation of magic worthy of the 'best' restaurant in the capital."

Yunyun quickly restrained me.

Darkness stepped forward. "We actually made the decision on short notice; this is the first time most of us have visited this restaurant so we're unfamiliar with the rules."

"Umm, excuse me," Aqua said, raising her hand.

The host looked her way. "Yes?"

"Surely, I don't apply; my clothes were made in Heaven, so—"

"No, madam, you're clothing looks like it's…the only one you wear."

Aqua stumbled back with a wounded expression.

"A-Aqua-sama!" Cecily said, trying to bring her back to her senses.

The host turned back to Darkness. "Hmm, you're Lady Dustiness, correct?"

She gave a slight nod.

"Well, I suppose it's fine if a veritable person like you is vouching for them. For the next time, please be sure to come wearing proper attire."

I wanted to say something, no, do something about this slight; however, Yunyun was doing a rather impressive job of completely restricting me.

"What would you like?" the host said. "Standard seating, a booth, a private room, a table on the veranda, or the premier suite?"

Belladeux-san was about to answer, however, Aqua quickly cut him off. "The very best of course!" She retorted angrily.

"So, the premier suite; one moment while I check on its availability."

The man walked away, leaving us to wait for his return.

"You can let go now, Yunyun," I said.

She did. "Please control yourself, Megumin."

"Umm, sorry, Megumin-sama," Belladeux-san said. "These issues…this isn't what I expected."

"Well, it isn't your fault, Belladeux-san; that's just how things are. However, I don't see anything wrong with what I'm wearing, do you?" I spread my arms apart to show him.

"Uhh, well…"

I raised my brow.

"No, no, I don't see anything wrong with your attire, Megumin-sama."

I smiled. "Seems like you have an eye for aesthetics, Belladeux-san."

"Um, Megumin-sama, can you please call me, Orrin?"

"Hmm, sure, I don't see why not."

The host returned. "My apologies, the suite is currently occupied; I suggest a private room. It'll provide a more…personal experience and you'll have a private waiter to tend to your requests."

"Personal experience?" I said in curiosity.

"Yes, all our rooms come with silencing magic applied to the walls and door so the noise from the outside won't be a bother."

"Ohhh?" Cecily-san said, wearing a mischievous smile once more. "So, anything could happen in there and—"

Chris covered her mouth. "It-It isn't completely silent, right?"

The man answered. "Well, not entirely; there is still a little bit of sound that bleeds through."

She let out a sigh of relief, as did I.

"So, is a private room fine then?"

We all exchanged looks, and then nodded.

"Very well then, right this way."

As we followed through the restaurant, I looked around. Despite having the title of the most expensive, there were hardly any vacant seats. The patrons appeared to be affluent individuals, all of them dressed in expensive jewelry and gaudy clothing. Yes, this is likely what life at the top was, a constant battle to show off in every way possible; the mere fact of dining here being a statement itself.

"Your room," the host said. "Your waiter will be in a few; in the meantime, please look through our menu. Should you need anything please let us know via the magic orb at the end."

After saying this, the man left.

Part 2

The private room which we now stood in was basically a dining room. It was equipped with a large dining table reminiscent of those in noble houses, long enough to easily accommodate our party of eight. Even having seen similar things in the royal palace, it was still shocking to me to see such a thing in a restaurant; even more shocking was the fact this place had several other rooms like this one, and presumably an even larger and more extravagantly furnished one that was the premier suite.

"Well, we should take our seats," Darkness said, finding her own; Chris followed, then Aqua, Cecily, Wiz, Orrin-san, and then, finally, me and Yunyun.

"Is this your first time here?" Orrin-san asked me; he'd taken the seat beside me. Yunyun was on my other side.

"Umu. I'm actually surprised at how ridiculous this all is."

The boy smirked. "Me and my family used to dine here quite often."

"Used to?" I said nonchalantly; I continued to stare at the various decorations around the room.

"Ah well…certain…things, happened; because of it, now our station isn't as prestigious as before."

"Is it the thing with Darkness' father?"

He frowned deeply, then averted his face from my sight. "Yeah…I suppose it is."

There was a knock at the door and a few moments later, our waiter entered. He gave a deep bow. "Greetings, my name is Allister; I'll be your waiter this morning. Have you had enough time to look through the menu?"

"Um, excuse me," Aqua said. "I don't really see your wine selection on here."

"Ah, our wine's and alcoholic beverages are in the smaller pamphlet in the back." Aqua quickly looked through the pamphlet as the waiter continued to explain. "We offer a limited selection, however, all of it is of the highest quality, rest assured. In the event, you're unsatisfied with what we offer, we can also acquire whatever beverage you desire, for a small fee of course."

"We'd like a few more minutes to make our selection, if you don't mind," Orrin replied.

The waiter bowed and left the room without another word.

"Megumin-sama, you should take a look at your menu; don't worry about the price, I'll handle your meal personally."

I picked up the menu which was only two pages; one page had the breakfast selection on the front, lunch on the back. The other page had the dinner selection, desserts, specials, and non-alcoholic beverages.

As I looked through the options, I noticed something peculiar. "Umm, where are the prices?"

Orrin, who I assume already made selection, looked at me, and then chuckled. "I forget this is your first time here; there's no need to show prices. The assumption is, if you're here, then you're wealthy enough to afford it."

It made sense, but I felt quite anxious not knowing what the cost of everything was…even if I wasn't the one paying for it.

"Uhhh, here," I said, handing my menu to Orrin. "Please get whatever you recommend; I don't really mind."

He stared at me wide-eyed. "Are, are you sure, Megumin-sama? M-My house may not be as wealthy as it once was, but I can afford to pay for whatever you'd like."

I shook my head. "No, it's fine; just get me whatever is most convenient. I'm not a picky eater, but I'd prefer if it had meat in it."

He continued to stare at me in astonishment, and then laughed. "Megumin-sama, you sure are a peculiar girl. Ok, I'll get you something good. How about drinks?

"Drinks."

"No alcohol," Yunyun said, quickly interrupting.

"Yunyun, it's fine; everyone's here, a little bit won't hurt."

"You always say that, and I end up having to look after you."

"This time I promise, I won't have too much."

Yunyun frowned at me, and then sighed. "Please don't go overboard, Megumin; I know it's a difficult ask given your personality, but—"

"Oi, what about my personality?"

"Oh, Megumin-sama likes to drink?" Orrin asked.

"Hm, well not particularly; I mean, I don't mind it much, but it's not like I crave it or anything. Anyways, I leave it to you."

There was another knock at the door and once again, the waiter entered.

"Everyone ready?" He questioned.

Shortly after, everyone gave their choices and our waiter left once more.

As we waited, each of us began chatting amongst ourselves.

"Megumin-sama."

"Hm?"

"Um, y-you said you're married, right?"

"Umu, what of it?"

"…are you happy?"

"Absolutely."

"…ahem…your husband, who is he, if you don't mind me asking."

"Huh, you already met him; it's Kazuma."

Orrin quickly sat up, his face showing astonishment yet again. "Him?! He"—He swallowed deeply—"He's your party leader, right?"

"Umu."

"…why him though; is it simply because of the time you guys spent together?"

I closed my eyes briefly. This question, so many people have asked me; was it really that surprising to fall for Kazuma…no, it definitely was…at least from an outsider's perspective…well…ok…maybe in general.

"Orrin-san, he's one of the few people who understand me and accept me for who I am; he was amongst the first. He's also the only one, who, having many opportunities to get rid of me, never has. More than that, he's reliable when it counts and always comes through for his friends no matter the cost." I could feel myself smiling at the thought. "I love him more than anything in this world…even explosions."

"I, I see."

I sighed. "I know that's probably not what you wanna hear, but it's the truth."

He looked down dejectedly; his saddened expression morphed into a frown.

"Orrin-san, you did this because you like me?"

"…"

"Well, do you?"

"I…I-I think that Megumin-sama is…an amazing person; I've never met a girl with such a strong will. Honestly, when you spoke back to me, it was refreshing. I…"

I smirked. "Don't you think it's a little odd to fall for someone like that?"

"Megumin-sama," he said, turning to me with a serious look, "I'm gonna make you fall for me; I promise."

What little joy I had presently quickly left; I felt my face grow stoic. "No, you won't; if that's your aim, then you'd best give up on it, Orrin-san; I made my choice and it won't change. I've no interest in having a relationship with someone else."

"B-But maybe—"

"There's no chance; if there's one thing I can tell you about me, once I make a choice, there's no changing my mind."

He looked away. "I, I understand."

Following this, I began speaking with Yunyun and the others until the meal came. Orrin-san spoke little and struggled to show anything other than a defeated expression. The food was served in tiny portions with an emphasis on presentation rather than quantity. I was slightly frustrated at this, but Cecily and Aqua seemed to be the ones most perturbed by it.

"This is ridiculous!" Aqua yelled. "How are these tiny portions supposed to fill me up?! I want my money back!"

"I agree, Aqua-sama; although, I've never had the pleasure of eating such delicious food, I'm unreasonably angry at the inadequate amounts! I want my money back too!"

"Could you two stop?" I said. "No one's paid anything yet."

"Megumin-chan, aren't you angry; a beautiful girl like you needs plenty of food. Although you're already perfect in the eyes of your onee-chan, everyone agrees that oppai lolis are an echelon higher than regular lolis."

"Oh I'm getting angry, but it's not because of the food."

"The wine better be good," Aqua said, angrily pouring some into her cup; she poured some into Cecily's as well.

As I stared at Aqua and Cecily savor the wine, I noticed that Wiz wasn't drinking. "Something wrong, Wiz?"

"Hmm, what do you mean, Megumin-san?"

"Aren't you gonna drink anything?"

She smiled. "No, I don't drink."

"That's no excuse," Aqua remarked, setting her cup down. "Get a drink and just give it to me then; otherwise you'll ruin the festive atmosphere."

Darkness frowned. "Aqua, Wiz is being responsible; at least one of us needs to keep a steady head."

"Hey, Aqua-sama," Chris called out, "is the wine any good?"

"It is," Aqua replied with a satisfied smile. "Want some?"

"If you don't mind."

"Of course, all you have to do is join the Axis Cult and I could give you a sample of this marvelous wine; see Cecily's already gotten some."

"Uhhh, I think I'll pass."

"What?! Don't be like that, Chris; what's so good about worshipping Eris anyways, she's such a boring girl!"

Chris looked away; for some reason she was showing a demoralized expression.

Darkness replied. "Hey, Aqua, you shouldn't speak about a goddess like that, ok?"

"Darkness, you know Eris is my junior; it's fine if I say a couple things about her as long as they're true."

Chris hunched over and covered her face. I couldn't imagine her being such a devout follower of Eris; even insults towards her goddess wounded her as if they were her own.

Orrin spoke. "I agree with Aqua-san; what's so good about the goddess Eris?"

Aqua raised her brow as she sipped her wine.

"Belladeux-san, have you finally seen the light of truth?!" Cecily said excitedly. "It seems the Axis Order's words have penetrated you deeply, planting its mighty seed within you."

"Uh, n-no, not quite. I don't think I believe in any of the gods; why should I, I've received nothing but hardships from them."

Aqua narrowed her eyes but said nothing; she continued drinking.

"That's…unfortunate, Orrin-san," Chris said.

She looked sad; perhaps all the insults towards her goddess has made her feel so.

"I, I believe the gods are kind and sympathetic to our plights," Wiz said timidly. "Maybe sometimes things don't work out for us, but it doesn't mean it's their fault; I'm sure they love their worshippers very much…and even those who aren't so deserving of it."

Aqua stared out the corner of her eyes at Wiz, and then put her glass down. "Humph, would be sad to see you outdone by this girl given her circumstances, but it seems like a person like you is even less deserving of a god's attention than her."

"E-Excuse me?" Orrin replied in surprise.

"Belladeux-san," Darkness began, "I'm sure your reasons for thinking as such are your own, however, I'm certain the Goddess Eris isn't someone who'd give up on one of her faithful."

"Ah, of course, Lady Dustiness is one to think such things; after all, she and her house have been blessed immeasurably by the goddess, haven't you, Lady Dustiness?"

"Indeed, we have; but it hasn't been without struggle either."

I interjected. "I'm of no denomination, but it seems to me that you're placing blame on the gods simply because things aren't going favorably for you, Orrin-san; perhaps if you actually tried to solve the problems you're having instead of pushing the blame onto something else, maybe you and your family wouldn't be in the predicament they're in today."

He stared at me with a mixture of disappointment and shock, then looked away. "May, maybe it's true."

"Or you can join the Axis Order, Belladeux-san," Cecily said happily. "If you beg Aqua-sama for forgiveness I'm sure she'll forgive you for the defamation. As an added bonus, you can blame the dark goddess Eris for all the misfortune happ—"

Chris interrupted angrily. "I'd appreciate it if you'd stop your defamation of the goddess Eris, Cecily-san!"

"Oh my, I forget we have quite a stout believer in the dark goddess of deceit and misfortune."

"D-Deceit and misfortune?!"

"Of course, after all, she pretends to have things she clearly doesn't." Cecily pushed her chest out proudly.

"Ahhhh, I won't stand for this, you Axis Cultist!" Chris said, shooting up out of her chair.

"Wait a moment," Aqua said, sitting up. "I won't let you harm one of my most devout followers."

"Both of you just relax," I said as Wiz tried her best to calm Aqua, and Darkness, Chris.

"W-Why don't we all just calm down and enjoy ourselves?" Yunyun said nervously.

Chris stared angrily at Cecily; she took a deep breath and sat down. Aqua did too, shortly after.

"Drinks!" Aqua shouted. "More drinks! This all needs to be more festive!"

I honestly agreed with what Kazuma often said about Aqua; I don't really think she was the goddess of water…

Following Aqua's decree, our waiter was summoned. She, along with Cecily onee-san, ordered various drinks, some of which weren't in the menu. Several minutes later, our waiter returned with two others, all accompanied by a cart stacked with beverages, some non-alcoholic but most were.

As we stared at the ludicrous amounts, Darkness spoke up. "Is, Isn't this a bit much?"

"What are you talking about, Darkness; if anything, this isn't enough," Aqua retorted. "I'm sure me and Cecily could go through all this by ourselves."

And so, the drinking began. Needless to say, Aqua and Cecily were the ones drinking the most, followed by, surprisingly, Chris, Darkness, and then myself. Wiz and Yunyun were having non-alcoholic beverages. Orrin-san on the other hand, was drinking, but very little. He seemed to be keeping a close eye on the situation; there were more than a few times, I caught him glancing at me.

After nearly an hour, the majority of the cocktails ordered were gone, mostly due to the two aforementioned primary imbibers. Though I stopped early, I was still feeling quite light-headed; the same, however, couldn't be said for either Aqua, Cecily, or Chris.

"I, I think we're done," Darkness said as she looked at the three who were clearly inebriated.

Aqua was lying back on her chair, drooling and barely clutching onto the bottle in her hand. Cecily had her head down, sleeping; she was giving off a lewd smile as she did, presumably from whatever dreams she was having. And Chris, Chris was leaning groggily on Darkness.

"Belladeux-san," Darkness said, getting his attention.

"Uh, um, yes, Lady Dustiness?"

"If you'd call the waiter now, please."

"Umm, right."

After placing his hand on the orb at the center of the table, it lit up, and a few seconds later, our waiter knocked on the door, and then entered.

"We'll have the check," Orrin remarked.

"Of course, is it all on one tab?"

He promptly looked at us, and then coughed lightly. "Umm—"

"I'll cover my own costs if that's ok with you, Belladeux-san," Yunyun said quickly.

"I'll cover my own and Chris'," Darkness said thereafter.

He then looked towards Aqua and Cecily. "Umm, how about them?"

"Aqua's the one who suggested this restaurant in the first place," I replied. "You can break their tab up."

Though I didn't really mind having Orrin-san pay for Aqua's meal at first, making him pay for the amount of drinks she and Cecily both ordered didn't sit right with me.

He let out a sigh of relief, then shifted his attention to Wiz.

"Oh, I-I'll pay for my own," She responded with a smile.

I was curious as to how Wiz was going to pay; I don't believe she was so well off that she'd be able to dine in the most expensive restaurant. Then again, she barely ordered anything.

"Right then," he said, "I'll pay for this lady's meal and my own."

"Very well, I'll be back shortly."

The waiter left once more and after a few minutes returned with a device that looked similar to the one that makes adventurer's cards.

Darkness dug into her shirt and pulled out her necklace, handing it over to the waiter. He promptly pressed her crest into the machine causing it to come to life. After a couple of seconds, a receipt was printed with an image of the Dustiness family insignia. Orrin-san did the same and his own receipt was printed. However, there was a bigger issue, the rest of us didn't have crests, so how was payment handled in such cases.

"Um," I said, "my other companions don't have any insignia."

"Ah, it's fine," the waiter explained, "we take standard payment as well."

Yunyun pulled out a sizeable bag of money and handed it over to the waiter. Wiz did the same, though her coinage was considerably less.

"And the two ladies?"

"Hmm, is there anyway you can forward the costs to the Axis Cult?" I asked.

"Uhhh, the Axis Cult; we…really don't—"

"Would you prefer to have two Axis Cult heads cleaning dishes instead?"

He cleared his throat. "Actually, I seem to have just remembered doing something like that not too long ago; yes, we'll send the cost to the Axis Cult."

"Thank you."

Our waiter bowed, and then exited the room.

After waking Aqua, Cecily, and Chris, we left the restaurant. Although I expected them to be hungover, they acted as if they didn't just drink their weight in alcohol; it was something I came to anticipate from Aqua, but I was thoroughly surprised by both Chris and Cecily's tolerances.

"Well then, Megumin-sama, I hope you enjoyed yourself," Orrin said. "I'll be—"

"Accompanying us," Aqua interjected. "We're not done yet; the food was just the beginning."

"Huh? What are you—"

"We'll be going clothes shopping next," Cecily said.

"Clothes shopping?! I never said anything about—"

"Oh come on, Belladeux-san; don't you wanna see what underwear Megumin-chan likes?" She started salivating. "I-I know I'd like to."

I honestly thought Kazuma was the biggest pervert for a long time; spending time with Cecily-san reaffirmed me in my original belief that there were, in fact, bigger perverts.

I gave him a curious stare, but he quickly looked away, ears burning red.

"Cecily onee-san, please stop trying to entice others with the promise of getting a look at my underwear. Besides, I won't be buying anything; I have enough."

Cecily quickly pounced on me, once again entrapping me in a lewd embrace. "Oh, Megumin-chan, you don't have to be so modest! Come, I'll use the funds our patrons donate to get you something nice."

"Eh, that's embezzlement! I don't want anything with that type of money!" I quickly looked at Aqua. "Hey, Aqua, are you ok with this?"

"As long as there's enough for me, I don't mind; after all, Cecily is part of the Axis Order, so it only stands to reason that a portion of the money is also hers."

Of course, such twisted way of thinking could only belong to an Axis Cultist; I didn't have to look at everyone else to know we all shared the same thought.

"N-No," Orrin-san began to say, "thank you for inviting me, however, I think I'll—"

"What a shame," Cecily remarked. "I actually thought you and I shared our love for Megumin-chan; I see now that you're perfectly fine with letting her carry all the heavy bags we'll be getting."

Orrin-san stared at me with desperation. Finally, I broke free from Cecily's hold and fixed my disheveled robe.

"You're free to go if you don't feel like coming along, Orrin-san; you promised me a meal and have delivered on your word, so…there's no need for you to stay."

"Ah…w-well, if, if Megumin-sama would like me to come along…I suppose…"

"I don't really mind; I'll be tagging along for the most part."

He looked at me, and then the others. "…I'll…go."

Aqua clapped her hands together and smiled. "Perfect. Now let's go."

-Later that day; just past noon…

"Is, is this the last store; please, let this be the last one," Orrin said tiredly; he held onto a mountain of bags, while several more dangled off his arms.

"Something wrong, Darkness?" I asked. She'd been staring sternly at Orrin for the past couple of minutes.

"Just look at him; the poor boy is struggling with the weight of all the things we've bought."

"Umu. To be honest, I feel a little bad about it."

Darkness closed her eyes tightly, her face showing a pain looked.

"Does it bother you that much, Darkness?"

"Of course it does!" She retorted.

I was surprised by her sudden outburst.

"That should be me, Megumin!"

"…" I was wondering where the Darkness we've known for so long has gone. "Darkness, it isn't like he's carrying everything; I mean he's only carrying Aqua's and Cecily-san's things."

I said Cecily's, but in reality, she just bought more things for Aqua and had, on several occasions, tried to buy me questionable-looking clothing…mostly underwear…or what I assumed to be underwear.

"Hey, Megumin." Yunyun walked over to my side.

"Hmm, what is it, Yunyun?"

"Are you really not gonna buy anything?"

"What for; I have enough clothing, Yunyun."

"So, there's nothing you want?"

I raised my brow and stared at Yunyun, then slowly smirked. "Yunyun, are you trying to get me something; it's a little early for my birthday."

She frowned. "I-I'm just curious; for someone who grew up with very little you sure don't buy much."

"Hmm, most of my needs have already been taken care of, but that's not to say there isn't anything I'd want to get; just nothing in particular. There are occasions where I find something cool or cute that I'd like to buy."

"I see; Megumin is quite the saver."

"That's right; I even have an impressive collection of coupons I can use for special dates for even bigger savings."

Yunyun giggled. "Megumin's wealthy and she's still doing such things."

"Yeah, and what of it?" I said with a frown.

"I don't think it's a bad thing; it's the one responsible thing I know you do, perhaps the only one."

"Hey, are you looking for a fight, Yunyun?"

She giggled once more. "Unfortunately, I have my hands full, so I can't take you up on that challenge."

"Humph. I'll have you know, I'm plenty responsible, Yunyun; Kazuma even entrusts me with decisions concerning the house."

"Oh? By the way, Megumin, have you gone back to the village yet? Last time I returned your mother was asking for you."

"Uh, well, no; I've been busy as of late."

"I see. I'm sure your parents and Komekko will probably just stop by the mansion then."

"Umu, perhaps."

As we stood around waiting for the others to finish their shopping spree, I spoke once more.

"Hey, Yunyun."

"?"

"I haven't bought anything, but you have; what is it you've purchased?"

"Ah, well…" Yunyun began twiddling her fingers.

Her reaction piqued my interest. "Let me see your bags, Yunyun."

She quickly turned away, closing the bags tightly.

"Hey!" I lunged at her and began trying to wrench open the bags.

"No, no, stop it, Megumin, they'll rip!"

"Then let go!"

"No, you let go!"

I grabbed her chest and squeezed tightly; as per my expectations, Yunyun let go of the bags. I swiftly grabbed them and took a look inside.

"No, Megumin, please don't look." She covered her face in embarrassment as I withdrew an assortment of…well…clothing Cecily onee-san would probably approve of.

"W-W-Wha-What is this stuff, Yunyun?! I can't believe you actually got stuff like this; who is it—tell me! Now I know you have an interest!"

"N-No, it's no one, I promise! All of that is just…"

"Just?"

"I-It's just for me!"

I was stunned; my childhood friend and quintessential loner was buying such provocative clothing. "No, there's no way you'd buy stuff like this, Yunyun; who told you to buy this, was it that thing?!"

She flailed her arms about, her face growing redder by the second. "D-Dust-san has nothing to do with this."

"You're a terrible liar, Yunyun; didn't I tell you if you wanna lie to someone you have to look them in the eyes until they feel uncomfortable?!"

"S-Shut up! Why do I have to listen about such stuff from you of all people; Megumin's done worse stuff than I have!"

"You stupid girl, I-I'm not trying to tell you what to wear; if you wanna wear this stuff, fine, that's your decision, but it should be yours not someone else's…unless of course…that person's opinion matters to you."

Yunyun covered her face once more.

"Did he tell you to buy stuff like this?"

"D-Dust-san…Dust-san just told me guys think things like this are…appealing."

Once again, I couldn't stop myself from being surprised. Guys, not friends? Has Yunyun finally decided to get a boyfriend?

"Since…since when did you care what guys like?"

Yunyun looked away.

"Hey, Yunyun…if there is someone, I just wanna make sure they're good for you; you're way too trusting for your own good."

"…there…isn't anyone; I just…I just wanted to..."

I put the clothing back in the bags and sighed. "Yunyun, you're my rival, right?"

She looked up at me. "I—"

"Of course you are; there's no one better to contend with me other than the next in line for Chief of the Crimson Demons. Things like this, you got them because you're doubting yourself, aren't you?"

"…"

"I'm sure somewhere in that odd mind of yours you're probably thinking, 'I mustn't be pretty; Megumin's got someone, so how come I don't?' Right?"

"…"

"Yunyun, you're my rival, that means you're a challenge to me on all fronts, looks included, ok? Just because you haven't gotten something you've been aiming for doesn't mean you'll never obtain it. You have something I've wanted to for a long time, but still eludes me; it doesn't mean I'm giving up on it, are you?"

"A-Are you talking about my-my chest?"

"H-Height, you dummy! I was talking about height!"

"I-I suppose not. There's no way I'll give up on something before Megumin does."

I smiled. "Good. Now here." I handed her back her bags. "Save those for someone you like."

She snatched them away, blushing violently.

Part 3

"Please, Aqua-san, Cecily-san, I don't think I can go on," Orrin cried as he fell to his knees.

"Oh fine," Aqua said in a mildly exasperated tone.

He breathed a sigh of relief, however, Aqua continued.

"All you have to do is help us carry it back home."

"H-Home?"

"Yup, back to Axel."

"T-To Axel?!"

"We'll be teleporting back so don't worry."

Orrin-san looked slightly relieved to hear so, however, he still appeared exhausted.

"O, ok…"

"Aqua," I called out, "I'll go see if Kazuma's done; I'll teleport with Yunyun, see you later."

"Hm, ok."

Wiz began to cast Teleport.

"I'll head back with you guys," Chris said, walking into the magic circle. "I can't really stay in the capital for too long. See you later, Darkness."

"Bye, Megumin-chan! Bye, Yunyun-chan; Cecily onee-chan will see you two later."

Me and Yunyun looked away worriedly as Darkness waved. The next second they were gone.

"So, should we go?" She said, turning to me.

"Umu."

As we made our way to the Royal Smith's, we caught Kazuma on his way out.

"Kazuma!" I yelled, running over to him; Yunyun and Darkness trailed after me.

"Hey, Kazuma, how did it go?" Darkness asked.

"Tough stuff, but it was really cool and interesting; I saw him working on our gear."

"Ohhh, how's my staff?"

"Hmm, from what I saw, it's looking great; after a while he stopped working on them and we started practicing on some other weapons."

" I see," Darkness with a smile. "Seems like you enjoyed yourself."

"Umu. How about you guys? How'd your day out with that guy go?"

I shrugged. "It wasn't bad; although, I'm glad everyone else tagged along."

"Oh, was he that boring?"

"Hmm, I don't know; although I have a feeling if it was just us two, it probably would be."

"Hmm, that so? Well, I'm pretty hungry; how about we get something to eat?"

I grabbed his hand. "Let's head back home; I'll make something for all of us."

Darkness spoke. "Knowing Irene, I'm pretty sure she's made something already."

"Hm, probably, but I wanna make something for us; if she has, we'll just eat it for dinner or tomorrow."

"Fair enough."

"I don't really care," Kazuma said with a shrug. "I'm hungry."

"Right then," I replied. "Take us back to Axel, Yunyun."

Once we arrived, Yunyun said her goodbyes and we continued to the mansion.

Kazuma sighed as the front yard came into view. "Feels like I've been gone for a long time. Ugh, I'm tired and hungry."

"Don't worry, I'll make us some of my vaunted crawfish soup."

"Crawfish soup, don't you mean lobster?"

"Lobster, crawfish, same thing."

"Hardly." I frowned.

"Ah, Megumin-sama." It was Orrin-san.

"Oh, it's you," Kazuma said.

"Orrin Belladeux is my name," He retorted. "And you must be, Satou Kazuma."

"Umu."

"You're lucky…"

"Yeah, that's what everyone keeps saying, but…"

"Megumin-sama," He said, turning to me with a stern look on his face. "I haven't given up; I won't! I know you may not approve of my persistence, but—"

"I can't tell you how to feel, Orrin-san; however, I already told you how I do. It won't change; you're wasting your time. I suggest you focus those feelings towards someone else; someone who isn't married."

He swiftly looked away. After a few moments, he cleared his throat. "Have a good day, Satou-san, Lady Dustiness…Megumin-sama." Then he walked off.

"Welcome home, Lalatina-sama, Megumin-sama, Satou-sama," Irene said with an iconic bow. "I've prepared food for—"

"Thank you, Irene," I interrupted, "but I'd like to make something today."

"Of course, as the Lady wishes."

"Whatever Megumin makes you're welcome to have," Darkness added. "Right, Megumin?"

"Of course. I'm making it for everyone; that also includes you, Irene."

"Thank you."

Kazuma fell onto the couch and sighed. "I'm gonna take a nap; wake me up when food's ready."

"Umu. Irene."

"Yes, Megumin-sama?"

"Would you like to help me?"

"If you wish, Megumin-sama."

"I do."

"I'll set the table," Darkness said.

"Megumin-cha~nn!"

"Ah, Cecily onee-san, what are you still doing here?"

"I was helping Aqua-sama, of course. Annnd also waiting for my cute loli to come home."

I knit my brow in disapproval. "I'm gonna be busy, so—"

"Oh, is Megumin-chan gonna cook? Ohhh, Megumin-chan is also good in the kitchen; you're making my heart melt!" She fidgeted wildly as she closed her eyes in imagination.

"Cecily-san," Irene said, "do you mind? The sooner we start on the meal, the quicker everyone will be fed."

"Oh, Irene-chan, are you also waiting eagerly for Megumin's cooking?"

"Megumin-sama's culinary skills are…quite good."

Cecily quickly grabbed my hands, cupping them in her own. "Megumin-chan, let me help, pwease. Your onee-chan is a pretty good cook herself."

"Oh?" I said in surprise.

She smirked. "Hehe, of course, who do you think cooks for all the lovely patrons of our church?"

I frowned. "I'm fairly sure you steal those meals from the Eris Church."

"Huh? What flagrant slandering; it wounds me that you'd say such a thing, Megumin-chan."

I sighed, pulling my hands away Cecily's grasp. "You can help out, but only get me stuff I ask for; please don't mess with the cooking, I'm doing this for all us."

Cecily stood up straight, hands on her hips. "Your onee-chan would never do such a thing; I also want to savor whatever liquids and solids Megumin-chan creates."

I shook my head quietly; why were Axis Cultists such oddballs?

-Several minutes into cooking later…

I peeked over my shoulder. "Cecily onee-san has been behaving, but that humming…"

While Irene stood quietly to the side, Cecily stood behind me humming happily; it wasn't that the tune was odd or anything (in fact, it reminded me of Aqua's humming) it was just the fact that it was fairly distracting.

Cecily stopped and smiled widely at me. "What's wrong, did Megumin-chan want to steal a glance of her beautiful onee-chan?"

I casually looked back at the broth that was now boiling. "Cecily onee-san's being distracting."

"Ah, well, your onee-chan is sorry, Megumin-chan." Suddenly I felt her arms wrap around my stomach and lift me. As usual, she smothered me with unrequited affection.

"Ugh, stop it, Cecily onee-san." I struggled to break away.

"I can't help myself. Kyyuuuu! Who knew Megumin-chan would look so cute in an apron? This simply must become part of your regular attire."

"Stop it; I wouldn't do something so stupid!"

"I agree," She said, letting go of me. "The less clothing, the better."

My brow was twitching and despite the annoyance I felt, I simply sighed.

"Is it almost ready?" She asked.

"Almost," I replied. "Just a few more minutes."

DING!

"The bread is ready, Megumin-sama," Irene informed. "I'll take it to the table."

"Umu, thanks, Irene."

She left. A few seconds later, Cecily began humming once more.

"So," she said, "have you been applying the love techniques Cecily onee-chan gave you?"

I twitched in surprise. "I-I never asked you for techniques; just a little bit of information concerning relationships."

In hindsight, it was a terrible idea to ask an Axis Cultist about anything, much less, advice on relationships.

"Hmmm, it's alright; your onee-chan knows you have an inquisitive mind. Besides, Megumin-chan's already at the age where she'd be curious of such things. Sooo…have you?"

"W-Why is Cecily onee-san asking me such questions? You're being very distracting, you know."

"If Megumin-chan is still very curious about certain things Cecily onee-chan is more than happy to help clear them up; I can even give you a one-on-one dem—"

"I'll pass."

A couple minutes later, the food was done. Cecily helped carry the pot into the dining room while I went to wake Kazuma. Eventually, we all convened at the table.

"Ah, what a dream come true," Cecily said. "This is the second time today I get to eat with Aqua-sama and Megumin-chan; I'm so happy. Truly, I've been blessed."

"Hmm, Megumin, did you really spend the morning with her and Aqua?" Kazuma said as he scooped some soup into his bowl.

"I have a name, you know; what a rude boy. Say, Megumin-chan, why don't you break up with him and get married with me? That way we can always have fun together, like today."

I sighed. "Cecily onee-san, your food is gonna get cold."

Despite Cecily's weird remarks, the meal was enjoyable. Afterwards, she left, but not before harassing me some more, and getting into another senseless argument with Kazuma.

"So, where'd you guys end up going?" Kazuma asked as we all sat in the living room.

"The Grandstar," Aqua replied proudly.

"Oh, did that guy actually pay for all of you?"

"Wait…did he pay for me?"

"H-He did!" I interjected.

"Damn, he's pretty stacked if he did; is he some noble's kid?"

"Umu," Darkness answered. "He's apparently the son of Orrinthal Belladeux; a noble my father had a falling out with some years ago."

"Oh, what happened?"

"Well, from what I remember, the Belladeuxs were a high-ranking noble family; they've served the crown for a long time. However, it was fairly common knowledge amongst the noble houses that they used…unscrupulous means to get to where they were. Orrinthal Belladeux served as advisor to the royal family just as my father has. Naturally, in an effort to garner more influence, he tried to smear my father's reputation; it didn't go as planned and he was kicked from the council and his family demoted to a minor noble house."

"Hmm, that much history with you guys? And a smear campaign? I'm surprised all he got was a demotion with the laws here being as backwards as they are."

"Normally such an affront would result in imprisonment or the revocation of titles, however, being a noble house with a lot of history they got away with just a demotion."

"Hmm, not unlike some things in Japan, really."

"Oh, is Japan rife with corruption?" I queried.

"Eh, well, not really, but there've been cases like that; a politician or some affluent businessman gets caught in some far-reaching scheme and all they end up getting is a slap on the wrist."

Aqua spoke up. "Really, it's like no matter where I go, there's always things like this happening." She was lounging lazily on the armchair, her legs kicked over the armrests. "Zell, honey, come to mommy; she misses you dearly."

Aqua called out to it, but the creature seemingly ignored her, continuing to sit on the small bedding that was made for it.

"Emperor Zell Kingsford come here right now! Don't make mommy get up…she's awfully tired."

"Ah, now you know how I feel," Kazuma remarked. "Even if it's only a fraction of it."

"Shut up, Kazumori! I'm a goddess; by default, I carry way more responsibilities than you do."

"Ah, one would think, huh? This must be conclusive evidence of you being one in name only."

Aqua pouted. "Maybe I should curse you, and then we'll see how much of a goddess I'm in name only."

"Alright, alright, I get it, you're actually a goddess."

"Hey, Kazuma," I said as I laid down, "have you been to the Grandstar before?"

"Hmm, oh yeah; I've gone once. Back when I had Claire's and Darkness' family crests."

"Excuse me?" Darkness said, sitting up from her seat.

"I tried getting in with my clout, but apparently they said I wasn't dressed appropriately. So, you see, I had to use your crest; thank you, Darkness, you allowed me to savor some fine food that day."

"You imbecile, why would you use my house's authority for such a stupid reason?!"

"Huh, I was bored and had nothing better to do."

"Ah!" Darkness frowned, angrily making a fist.

"Relax, once I get my own, you'll no longer have to worry about it."

Realizing this, Darkness calmed down, and sat back once more.

"Hey, Kazuma, when are we gonna go do some quests?" I asked.

"I don't know; probably not for a while. Besides, we don't exactly have weapons to do so, remember; Holt's working on them at the moment."

"Umu, that's right." I made a gripping motion with my hand; it's only been a day, but how I missed my staff already.

"Anyways, I'm tired and I have to go back tomorrow. Imma take a bath and head to bed."

"Alright," Darkness said. "I'll go after you. In the meantime, Megumin, can you help me out with endurance training?"

"Endurance training?" I replied in slight confusion. "I thought that was held during the festival?"

"Oh, it's not heat training; it's pain training."

"First of all, why would anyone willingly challenge you to something like that? And more importantly, why is there even a contest for it?"

"It's meant to come up with good candidates for the royal knights; having a high pain threshold is one of the requirements."

"Oh?" Kazuma said as he sat up. "Are you planning to join the royal guard, Darkness?"

"Of course not."

"No, of course you aren't, why did I even ask; this is because you simply can't pass up a chance to subject yourself to some pain, isn't it?"

Darkness tried hard to suppress the growing smile on her face with futile results.

Kazuma sighed. "Really, you're just…alright, I'm going."

Kazuma walked off, and then Darkness turned to me. "I'll be back, Megumin; let me get a couple of things."

"Umm, sure."

As she headed up to her room, I looked around. Aqua was already sleeping deeply on her chair. Apparently, Emperor Zell eventually roosted himself upon her bosom and was also fast asleep.

I smiled. I enjoyed our days like this; I didn't know how long they would last, but if I had any desire above all, it was to see them continue like this forever.

"Alright, Megumin, here we are." Darkness came down the stairs with several instruments in hand.

"Dark, Darkness, what is all this stuff?"

"Uh, t-they're just belts and rods; it-it isn't that odd, is it?"

"Alone maybe, but…" I looked away. "Darkness, what do you actually—nevermind, I don't think I wanna—"

"I-I just use them for occasions like these; for training purposes. That's right, I-I need to keep my body trained for my role, Megumin!"

I looked at the items. "Some of these look like they've seen a lot of use."

"W-Would you stop inspecting them so closely?! I've used them for previous training events."

"…right. Ok, so what do you want me to do with these things?"

"Well, I want you to hit me as hard as you can."

"…right."

"And there's another thing, come."

I followed Darkness to the backyard.

"We'll also be using this," She said, pointing to a large rock.

"Using this to do what exactly?!"

"I'll lay down"—She did—"and you roll it over my chest."

"In what world do you think I can move something like this, Darkness?!"

"Ah, well, I mean, if you can't push it all the way it's fine; the feeling of having something this rigid and heavy failing to completely go over your body would make for even better training, now that I think about it."

"Darkness, I—"

"Please, Megumin, not only will this help me win the contest, I'm sure it'll help us in future quests."

"I'm sure you'll win that contest even if you don't do any of this!"

"You underestimate the royal knights. Do you know they use boulders that require two people to push?"

"Wait, are you serious?"

"Absolutely."

"There's no way; something like that would squash anyone who isn't you."

"That's why I'm saying you underestimate them and overestimate my abilities; at best, I'm a mid-tier contestant."

"Wow, are the royal knights really that strong? Amazing! O-Ok, Darkness, I'll help you."

"Thank you, Megumin, I knew I could count on you."

-Several minutes later

"Ugh, my hand is starting to hurt, Darkness."

"Ah, just a little longer, Megumin; try rolling the rock again."

"I've already tried; my back started to hurt."

"Just roll it over my arm—my hand, even my hand is fine!"

"Darkness, I think this is good enough; I know I said, I'd help you, but I really don't like hurting you like this."

"This is nothing!"

"Yeah, I know you say that, but you have to look at it from my perspective."

"B-But I'm not even bleeding yet."

I looked away. "Look, Darkness, I'm confident in your abilities; I think you'll do fine."

Darkness gave a dejected sigh. "Fine, guess this'll have to do; thank you anyways, Megumin."

As we entered the house, we came across Kazuma who was in a bathrobe.

He looked at Darkness who was covered in light bruises, and then at me. "Oi, just to let you know, I'm not into that type of play."

I threw one of the rods in his face.

After fighting Kazuma for a bit, me and Darkness went to bathe. While scrubbing ourselves, I looked over. Darkness had a pretty remarkable healing ability; while she wasn't completely healed, the slight swelling from the bruises had already all but disappeared. During the "training" I tried my best to avoid hitting her in the face, but she kept on insisting, so she had some light scratches that healed over as well.

"Ahhh, this feels nice, right Megumin?"

"Umu." I nodded; my eyes closed as I sunk ever slowly into the bath.

"Hey, Megumin."

"Hmm?"

"Your hair's longer, right?"

"Ah, you noticed?"

"Umu. Are you planning on letting it grow as long as possible?"

"Hm, I don't know; maybe a bit longer."

"I still don't get why you suddenly decided on growing it out."

I opened one eye. "Is it really that odd a decision? I just decided one day that I wanted to try and grow out my hair. My mother has long hair."

"Oh, that's right. So, you wanted to look a little more like your mother?"

I sighed. "Not really; I don't know if I want to grow my hair that long, but who knows, maybe I will."

"Even if you want to grow your hair out, you should still try to actively maintain it. See? Like right here." Darkness grabbed my bangs and parted them off to the sides. "It's a bit too much. Long hair can be dangerous; it can get in the way during a fight."

I touched my forehead, passing my fingers through my bangs. "I'm thinking of cutting it a little bit, maybe to how they were before."

"Wouldn't be a bad idea. If you do decide to, let me know; I know I may not look it, but I can fix hair up a bit."

I didn't want to say it, but Darkness was quite clumsy and having her wield scissors anywhere near my hair was something I didn't want to test.

After bathing, me, Darkness, and Aqua had some desserts; following that, we each went to our room. It was evening, so a little early for bed. Since this was the case, I decided to study; it had been several days since I last went to learn some more Japanese from Kazuma and I didn't want what I memorized to fade.

As I laid in bed reading, I sighed and rolled onto my back. I was bored. I wasn't able to let off an Explosion today due to not having my staff, and I wasn't able to go visit Kazuma since he had to be up tomorrow. Playing games wasn't an option since both Aqua and Darkness had gone to bed. The thought had made me restless. I grabbed Chomusuke who was curled up by my side and lifted her above me.

"I'm so bored, Chomusuke."

She cocked her head to the side and meowed.

"What do you do to cure your boredom, Chomusuke; tell me, your master demands an answer."

She promptly purred softly, and then closed her eyes, falling asleep. Of course, Chomusuke liked to sleep; when she's bored this is what she'll do. Unfortunately, I was having trouble doing that very thing. Defeated, I put my familiar down and allowed her to rest.

I reached over and grabbed my favorite plushie. I squeezed it tightly as I rolled onto my side. Staring at it reminded me of Kazuma. I smiled and closed my eyes, my empty mind was now filled with thoughts of him; I wanted to sleep with him, be in his embrace, but I also didn't want to burden him with my presence.

"Kazuma," I whispered.

I squeezed my doll once more. It wasn't him, but I tried my best to imagine it being so. Why was it at times like this he dominated my thoughts; I wondered to myself, when did this start to happen. It used to be that I looked forward to waking to my morning routine, that my mind would be filled with the thought of simply fulfilling this.

Now, when my mind idled, it would fill itself with memories and emotions of him. Was I really such an easily strung along girl? I wondered was Kazuma feeling the same? Eventually, as I continued to think about such things, I began to tire until I finally drifted to sleep.

Part 4

The next few days went by with more of the same routine; Kazuma continued his lessons, Darkness went out to teach at the school, Aqua presumably did whatever Axis Cultists did, and I, I tried to keep from going insane with boredom. If I had my staff I would've gone out and formed a temporary party to finish a quest or two, but obviously this wasn't possible.

At wit's end, I tried to sneak Iris out of the castle to play a bit but was caught by Rain and Claire; they gave me a harsh lecture. I then tried to convene our thieving group but noticed that we'd just be missing the majority of our key players. Finally feeling defeated, I headed to Wiz's shop in hopes of running into Yunyun.

"Oh? Why the long face girl whose joy revolves around completely useless things? Are thou upset that thy chest will never grow?"

"Wha-Wha—they'll never grow?!"

The devil who constantly embarrassed everyone laughed loudly. "Moi can procure a potion to help solve thee's worry; it is, however, temporary."

"I-I don't want something like that! I just wanted to see if Yunyun was around."

"Hmm, thy friend is not present; she and the new assistant girl have gone out to run a few errands for moi."

"Hey, if you keep using Yunyun to do stuff for you you should pay her."

"Thy friend isn't employed by the shop; she simply runs tasks as favors."

"You're taking advantage of her kindness."

"Silly girl, thou art one to talk; when hasn't thee taken advantage of thy friend's innocence?"

"I-I don't do that!"

Vanir laughed once more. "Thou dare lie to moi, a devil, a Duke of Hell?"

I looked away and frowned. "Whatever, if Yunyun's not here I'll be going."

I stumbled back to the mansion; all my options were exhausted.

"Maybe I can take up a job?" I thought, but if my past experience was anything to go by, I wasn't very good at anything other than being an Explosion mage.

"Well then," I mumbled to myself, "seems like I'll just have to study some more."

Reading was always an alternative for me. I had to keep my intelligence up. Luckily, I didn't find this troublesome; I liked learning about new things. Fresh ideas and different perspectives could make my Explosion magic more flexible; indeed, while the birth of elemental explosions wasn't a direct result from this, it wasn't an unusual thing for prolific mages or craftsmen to come up with new spells or items as a result of reading. Unfortunately for me, I had already gone through the backlog of books Aqua had lent me; this is why studying was my only option at the moment.

Suddenly, I stopped in place. "Wait," I said to myself. "Tomorrow is Aqua's birthday; I should go and buy her something."

I smiled knowing that I now had something to preoccupy myself with.

"Now…what does Aqua like?"

I began to ponder on the question. It really didn't require much thought, Aqua liked her drinks, but aside from that, she had a collection of uniquely shaped or colored rocks; perhaps I could buy her something of the sort.

I continued on. "Books," I thought. Aqua lent me books. Most of them were romance novels, dramas, comedies and the like; however, I don't think I've ever seen her reading something outside these categories.

Clothes. This was an odd one; Aqua loved to go shopping for clothing, but I rarely seen her wear anything other her usual blue robes and her pajamas. Plus, she went on a shopping spree a few days ago; I doubt she would be in need of new clothing.

"Hey, you, little girl!"

I sharply turned my head in the direction of the yelling and looked around.

"Yes, hey, I'm talking to you!"

I stopped and settled my eyes on an ojii-san sitting on a rug; on it were several items laid out. Setting aside the matter of being called a little girl, I said to him, "Ojii-san, are you a salesman?"

The elderly man smiled as he nodded. "That's right, I'm a traveling salesman; please take a look at my wares, I'm sure you'll find there's something even for a little girl like you."

I frowned but chose to ignore this offense once more. Instead, I focused on the wares.

"Oh, is this a focusing orb?!" I grabbed the item in question and stared in awe.

"Umu, that's right; say, are you aiming to become a mage, little one?"

"I, I am a mage; I'm an Archmage." I placed the orb back on the rug and smirked.

Standing up straight, I swept my arms to the side and quickly crossed them in a cool stance. "My name is Megumin! I'm the number one Archmage of Axel."

"Ho? Ah, red eyes and dark hair; you must be a Crimson Demon. A little odd seeing one of you out here."

"Umu." Taking a look at the products once more, another caught my eye. "Ah, ojii-san, how'd you get one of these?!"

"Ha, ha, I see you've an eye for rare items. I got it the last time I came to this town; it was on sale for a limited time."

I stared at the mask in my hands; it was the same mask that Kazuma used for his thieving activities. "H-How much for this?"

"Hmmm, for a cute little girl like you…how about two-hundred fifty thousand eris?"

"T-Two…o-ojii-san, how about a trade?"

"Trade? Listen here, little girl, I'm a salesman; this is my livelihood, if I'm constantly trading for valuable products how would I survive?"

"B-But I really want this mask."

"Then hurry home and tell your parents to allow you some allowance ahead of time."

I bit my lip in mixed emotions; this ojii-san hadn't stopped insulting me since the moment we met, but aside from the that, I really wanted this cool-looking mask. Thinking about it, I believe the original price for the mask was around half a million eris; having the ojii-san sell it at his suggested price was an enormous discount.

I clutched the mask tightly. "I-I can give you"—I withdrew my coin purse—"a hundred thousand eris and…this coupon to a hot bath!"

The elderly salesman looked as if he was about to yell at me, but then stroked his chin. "Hot bath?" He said.

"Umu." I nodded eagerly.

"Hmmm…well alright, you got yourself a deal."

I quickly handed over the agreed payment and tucked the mask into the small pouch on my belt.

"Hey, wait a minute; this is a coupon for the baths in Alcanretia!"

I looked away.

"Give me back my item!"

I quickly backed away. "Y-You agreed to this!"

"You little swindler! If I knew this was for hot baths in that city of lunatics, I would've never agreed to it!"

"A-Alright, I'll buy something else."

Still seemingly on edge, the ojii-san crossed his arms and waited, his eyes tracing my every move.

I took another look. Taking my time to examine what he had, I was impressed; there were a lot of good things here.

"Hey, ojii-san, what's this?" I said, pointing at an odd-looking stone.

"Huh, oh, that's not for sale; that's just a rock I use to keep the rug from lifting."

"Hmm, is there any way I could acquire it; I have a friend who's into rocks like this."

The ojii-san smirked. "Of course, it'll be three-hundred thousand eris."

"What?! You're obviously overinflating it's value!"

"Hey, you asked, and I told you what it's worth! Honestly, do children nowadays have no manners?!"

"Guh—I'm not a child! I'm actually married, see?!" I showed him the ring on my finger.

He raised a brow. "Ah, so you're not a child"—I nodded—"you're just obnoxious."

"Gah!" This old man… "I'll give you fifty-thousand eris for the rock!"

"Aren't you supposed to be an Archmage; why are you so stupid then?!"

I angrily grabbed the man's collar. "Oi, just because you're elderly doesn't mean I'll let those insults go! You'll give me the damn rock, or I'll tell the Axis Cult you're trying to sell their holy water at a low price."

"W-Wha, I'm not even selling holy water!"

"Try telling them that."

"Gah, not only are you a swindler, but you're also a harasser. Have you no shame shaking down an old peddler?"

"You didn't seem to have any shame in trying to oversell your merchandise."

"I-It's the cost of doing business; I have to stay competitive."

I let go of him and tossed another hundred thousand eris on the floor. "There's the original asking price for the mask; I'll take this rock for what it's worth."

I grabbed the rock and walked off.

"Hey, what's this? Are these complimentary tokens?"

I quickly ran away.

After getting away successfully, I began to look at the rock in detail; it was oddly shaped, taking the form of a tall diamond, but surrounded by a thick, white, gravely crust.

"Hmm, it certainly fits the bill of being odd; I wonder if Aqua will like it. I mean, it's larger than most of the other stones in her collection."

I picked at the surface causing pieces of the crust to chip away but even underneath this was more of the same. I didn't know too much about rocks, so I couldn't tell if this was just a characteristic of a common one or something unusual.

"Oh, wait, Master Holt…"

Being the Royal Smith, Holt was practically an expert geologist; I could bring this to him and at the same time see Kazuma. I grinned at my brilliance; I could knock out two problems at once. So, once again, I headed to the Teleport Station and made my way back to the capital.

When I arrived at the shop, I stopped; Orrin-san was probably inside…and I'd probably have to talk to him. The thought was a little uncomfortable but ultimately, I didn't really care much. He was the one with feelings for me, not the other way around; it would be more awkward for him than it would be for me.

I pushed open the door but to my surprise the one manning the front was the older attendant from before.

"Ah, hello again, you're Megumin-san, aren't you?"

I nodded.

"Are you here for Belladeux-san again?"

"No, I'm actually here to see Master Holt; can you please tell him that Satou Megumin requires his expertise on something."

The attendant gave a short bow, and then headed into the tunnels below.

As I waited, I looked around. Having recently been here, I was already familiar with the stave collection in stock, so I didn't go over this time. Instead, I stuck near the door and merely glanced at the various items in view. A few minutes later, the man returned.

"You're free to go, Megumin-san; do you know your way?"

I nodded, and then proceeded into the undershop. Taking the familiar routes, I eventually arrived at the private forge where I saw the two men, I made the trip for.

"Alright, Kazuma-dono, I believe we're done for now. Megumin-dono should be coming down in a few so—"

"Master Holt," I called out.

"And there she is."

"Megumin, what are you doing here?" Kazuma asked, turning towards me.

"I-I came to ask Master Holt something."

The man in question stepped forward. "Yes, Megumin-dono, what is it you needed?"

I held out the rock. "I wanted to see if you knew what type of rock this is."

Kazuma interrupted. "Really, Megumin? Did you just pick that off the street to use as a pretext to see me?"

Knowing that he was half-right, I glanced in the other direction.

"Hmm, Megumin-dono"—Holt was curiously eyeing the rock in his hand—"I…don't really know what this is; it isn't any type of ore or metal I've ever seen."

Both, me and Kazuma stared in surprise.

Master Holt continued. "This flaky crust on the surface is also some unknown material to me, but…it seems…very close to…bone dust."

"Bone dust?" Me and Kazuma queried in unison.

"May I ask where you acquired this?"

"I bought it from a vendor."

"Oh, hmmm…did they give you any background on it?"

"He said he used it as a weight for his rug, so it wouldn't lift."

"…"

"Oi, Holt-sensei," Kazuma said, getting his attention, "do you think it might be one of those legendary ores?"

Holt shook his head. "While it's not wrong to think that it could be, I'm fairly familiar with how the ores should look and feel, especially feel—even if I've never laid eyes on it personally."

"So, there's no chance this could be one?"

"It's highly unlikely. Say, Megumin-dono, do you mind if crack this open?"

"Well, I got it as a gift for a friend, but…go ahead; I'll get her something else."

Holt placed the rock on his anvil and grabbed a hammer; lining the head up, he brought it down swiftly. The hammer and rock made contact, but the stone remained unchanged; not a sliver of crust flaked off, nor did it deform under the strike.

All of us stared in astonishment.

Master Holt quickly handed me back the "rock". "Megumin-dono, I don't know what you have there, but I know for a fact, it isn't a rock; not an ore, nor mineral."

Kazuma spoke. "Hey, how much did you buy it for?"

Once again, I looked away. "Uhhh, fifty-thousand eris."

"Fifty-thousand eris? Why would you of all people spend that much on a rock, well, supposed rock?"

"It's supposed to be a gift for Aqua's birthday."

"Ahh, I see; hmm, maybe she'll like it. I've seen some weird ones in that collections of hers."

Master Holt coughed lightly. "Well, putting aside the matter of that curious item, the upgrades on your weapons are complete. The armor you requested is almost done; I had to halt my progress on it due to something quite special." He walked over to a small closet and pulled out a few boxes; two rather long ones and a medium-sized one.

Once he returned, Master Holt handed each of us one of the longer boxes.

"These are our weapons?" Kazuma asked.

He nodded with a smile.

"So, what's in that other box?" I questioned.

"This," he began to say, "is your"—he slowly opened it—"signature."

Inside, were three masterfully crafted necklaces bearing the insignia Kazuma designed.

Master Holt went on. "Took me a little bit; had to acquire some mithril to keep it lightweight, but here they are." He handed Kazuma the box. "Well then, Kazuma-dono, this concludes our lessons for now. Also, let me know how the weapons perform; if you're unhappy for any reason, don't hesitate to come back. Finally, the obligatory ring question; everything fine?"

Both of us nodded.

"Good. Anything else?"

"Nope," Kazuma replied. "Thanks for teaching me; I learned a lot these past few days."

"A pleasure, Kazuma-dono; I look forward to teaching you again."

We said our goodbyes, returned to the top floor, and then exited the shop.

As we walked to the Teleport Station, Kazuma broke the silence. "So, what was the real reason for you coming; it wasn't to ask about that rock."

"It was."

He glanced at me. "Ah, you're becoming quite the spender; back then you wouldn't have thought to—"

"I came to see you too…"

Kazuma smiled, and then chuckled. "Were you that bored? Wasn't Yunyun around? How about finding some playmates—"

"S-Stop it, I don't need playmates! This man, treating me like a kid still."

"Alright. Friends, how about finding some friends to help you get through those boring days."

"…I, I don't need any friends—any more friends…I have enough. Besides, the whole reason I was bored was because I didn't have my staff; if I did, I would've just gone on a quest."

"Hm, that's true."

"Anyways, I won't have to worry about it anymore; I have everything I require to stave off boredom."

"Yeah, yeah, just make sure you get one of us to help you with your Explosion trips; we don't need you bothering anyone else."

I smiled faintly; Kazuma could be quite dense sometimes. I grabbed his hand and rested my head on his arm. "Don't worry," I said in reply, "I can only do my explosions with someone close to me."

"Oh? When did you become so picky?"

I gripped his arm tighter. "Hmm, maybe when I started doing them with you."

"Ah, makes sense. Tell ya what, how about we go test out your upgraded staff? You haven't been able let one off the past few days, right, so, how about it?"

"Umu."

Some time later, after arriving back in Axel, me and Kazuma headed out to my usual explosion spot. I stared excitedly at the box in my arms.

"Alright, we should be far enough," Kazuma said.

"Ok," I replied. I hurriedly attempted to open my weapon box.

"Wait, wait, wait!" Kazuma held the lid closed.

"What?"

"Me first."

"You first?"

"Right, I wanna see mine first."

I sighed. "Fine, let's see how your partner has changed."

Kazuma smiled in anticipation. He placed the box on the floor, and then removed the lid; the smile on his face slowly faded.

"Eh, that's odd," I remarked. "Doesn't appear to have changed at all."

Kazuma grabbed Chunchunmaru out of the box and began inspecting it; its features were entirely the same.

"Kazuma, why don't you try taking it out of its sheath?"

He appeared to be slightly disappointed but listened to my suggestion. As the blade made contact with the open air, it changed from its characteristic black, to a glowing orange reminiscent of the fiery coronatite core.

Almost instantly, Kazuma's face lit up like a little boy receiving the gift he wanted for his birthday. "Woah, this is amazing!" He said, swinging the sword enthusiastically. "Hmm, I assume it turns off when I put it back in its sheath?" Testing his theory, the molten color slowly faded as it was put back in its protective vessel. Kazuma smiled once more, and then gave a relieved sigh. "At least with Holt-sensei I don't have to worry about stupid things being added to it."

"How come I get the sense that you're making fun of my kin; the oji-san blacksmith would be saddened to hear you say things like that."

"Hey, Megumin, speaking of the oji-san, I seem to recall the blacksmith of your village being an old man; what happened?"

"Hmm, I don't really know; why don't you ask when we go back to the village."

"Back to the village?"

"Umu. I have to see my parents again; I'm sure they're somewhat worried about how everything's going."

"Your parents?" Kazuma smirked. "I know you really wanna see Komekko-chan."

"A-Ah, w-well, I mean, as her older sister, I'm sort of worried about her; she's always lonely and getting into trouble s-so I'd like to make sure she's doing alright as well."

"Right. I guess we can go to the village at some point in the future. Anyways, let's see your staff."

"Umu."

I placed my box on the floor and slowly removed the lid; like Chunchunmaru, my staff's outer appearance remained the same. To be honest, I was pleased to see this be the case; I liked my staff just the way it was.

"Hmm, looks the same," Kazuma said.

"Umu, but if your weapon's anything to go by, my staff's power should've changed as well."

I picked it up and immediately felt a resonating feeling in my body; the mana flowing through me was hot, but comfortable, like a warming flame in the dead of winter.

"Kazuma…"

"Hm?"

"Ah, I feel…" I sighed comfortably. "Umu…I can feel it, this heat. Kazuma, it's calling out to me."

"What is?"

"The manaflow." I grinned, and then snatched my eye patch clear. "It's here, Kazuma; the birth of my next flame!"

I swept my cape aside and thrust my staff into the air.

"Oh element of my burning desires come and join with me. Let thy scorching presence light my path and shy away the darkness. From the depths of the primordial, I summon thee! Combine with my deep crimson and set alight my burning blood. From the bosom of the fire god, Ignis, let thy fickle nature become the hallmark of destruction that burns my enemies to ashes. Your embers become cinder, thy cinders, flame. Flames a blazing sea that enraptures all! BLAZING EXPLOOOOOSSION!"

The crystal of my staff glowed white as conjured flames wrapped and twisted upon themselves. The fire grew exponentially until the vortex of heat distorted the air around us. Our breaths were becoming shallow, our skin moistening with sweat, our mouths and eyes, dry. Even our hearing was being assaulted by the roaring sounds of the intense heat wrestling amongst itself; the intense crackling and warping overwhelming our sense of sound.

Eventually, the massive fireball, launched itself towards the sky. Seconds later, the horizon turned a bright orange as my spell displayed its primary nature; the following explosion didn't release a windy shockwave, but a sweltering heatwave that threatened to set fire to any flammable material. Indeed, anything that lacked moisture was instantly set ablaze by the sheer concentration of searing heat in the air.

I covered myself with my cloak as I stared in awe and pride; I was beginning to feel my body grow weak from mana exhaustion and as I began to fall, Kazuma grabbed me and hauled me off. When we were a fair distance from the blistering explosion, he put me down.

"Geez." He said, breathing heavily.

"How much was that one?" I asked eagerly.

"Ugh." He stood straight up and stared at the dissipating fireball in the distance. "Hmm, this one is…a 75."

"A 75?! W-Why?!"

"It looks nice, but as far as explosions go, it barely counts as one. It didn't feel good; just felt really hot and uncomfortable."

Sighing in disappointment, I threw my arms aside and relaxed on the cool grass. "Your assessment is pretty spot on…as much as I'd hate to agree."

Kazuma nodded. "Still, I have to praise you; the whole reason you began working on this is so you can fill in for Explosion's lack of versatility, right?"

I flinched upon hearing such words; why'd he have to call Explosion magic unadaptable? "I, I suppose so...b-but that'll change once I expand the school of Explosion magic; I hope to make it so that there's always a situation where Explosion magic can be useful."

Kazuma crossed his arms. "That's honestly a scary thought."

I frowned.

"Then again, if anyone is gonna do something so ridiculous, it could only be you; the crazy explosion girl with some screws loose."

"Oi, are you saying things like that because I can't fight back; wait till I get my energy back, then we'll see who's the one missing a few things!"

"Yeah, yeah. Can you move a bit?"

"Yeah, I think I can actually." I stumbled to my feet; though I felt exhausted, I was still able to move.

Kazuma stared at me in surprise. "You're getting better at being able to withstand the draining effects of using Explosion magic?"

"I don't think so," I replied, throwing my arm around him as support. "It probably has to do with my affinity to fire."

"Affinity to fire?"

We began walking back.

"Yeah, don't you remember? I know you must've heard how everyone has some type of affinity to certain elements."

Kazuma closed his eyes in thought, a moment later, he replied. "Ah, yeah; I also remember your mom saying I had none."

"Well, yeah, you have none…but as far as my elemental affinity goes, it's fire and wind."

"Fire and wind?"

"Umu. It's common for Crimson Demons to have two alignments; quite rare outside of the village though. And it's not like I have a strong affinity to both, we Crimson Demons split our alignments into two types, major and minor; fire is my major and wind is my minor. In contrast, I have a major deficiency to water magic and a minor one to ice."

"So…"

"It just basically means casting magic of your alignment is easier and more powerful."

"And I assume weaker and more difficult if it's the ones you're deficient in?"

"Umu. Mana costs are different as well. I got particularly lucky; Explosion magic happens to be magic consisting of both fire and wind elements."

Kazuma looked at me as if he had an epiphany. "It would explain why you're able to cast Explosion when most people can't."

"Hmm, I suppose so."

We stumbled on in silence until Kazuma spoke once more.

"Hey, Megumin."

"Hmm?"

"Is making new spells difficult?"

"Very; there hasn't been any new spells for hundreds of years."

"But you're making new ones, aren't you?"

"I'm not making new spells," I answered mildly agitated. "They're just variations of the Explosion spell; not something entirely new."

"Hmm, I see."

"Why would I anyways? Explosion magic is the best there is; there'd be no point."

Kazuma sighed. "Yeah, yeah…"

Part 5

We arrived at the gates of Axel and as we headed towards the mansion, I tugged on Kazuma's arm.

"Hmm, what is it, Megumin?"

"I feel exhausted; can you carry me?"

"Huh, we're almost home; you'll make it."

"Well, I was wondering if instead of going back home, we could go pick up Darkness; should be around the time she's leaving the school."

Kazuma rubbed his chin as he considered my suggestion. "I'm actually kinda tired myself, Megumin. Not to mention, thanks to that new explosion of yours, I'm all sweaty; I'd like a warm bath and some food. Besides," he said, crossing his arms, "why do you suddenly want to pick Darkness up; we never do."

"Well, that's why; it's something different. Plus, don't you want to show her our new stuff?"

"Sure, but can't it just wait till she gets back? Anyways, didn't you say you were tired; are you really expecting me to carry you all the way to the other side of town?"

Kazuma made some fine points and I shared his sentiments on our current condition; we were both sweaty and tired.

I sighed in disappointment. "Ok."

"We're home," Kazuma announced tiredly as we stepped in.

Aqua stepped out from the kitchen. "Kazuma, Megumin…where were you two?" She said with a pout.

"Huh? We went to do Megumin's explosion; why, what's wrong?"

"Irene isn't here."

"Ok, so?"

"Kazuma, you idiot, who's gonna help me with the gardening, attending to my faithful, and the food?!"

"You do know you had people helping you do all those things before she came along, right?"

I nudged Kazuma lightly. "Don't be mean. Aqua," I said, turning to her, "did you find anything; maybe she's just out buying groceries or something."

Aqua pressed a finger to her chin. "Hmm, maybe…but don't you find it a bit weird; she hasn't left without letting anyone know before."

"Hmm, that is a bit odd."

Kazuma shrugged. "Hopefully she's gone for good."

"Kazuma, I know you and her aren't on good terms, but—"

"But what?" Kazuma replied, his brow knit.

I shook my head. "Nevermind. I'm going for a bath."

"Oi, I distinctly remember saying I wanted to take a bath; you never said anything."

"If you wanna take a bath, go ahead, no one's stopping you." I smirked faintly as I walked off.

"Oi—"

"I'll go with you, Megumin," Aqua interrupted. "I worked up a sweat while I was carrying out my deeds for today."

-Some minutes later…

"Hey, Megumin," Aqua began as she scrubbed my head, "did your hair grow?"

"Hm, ah, you noticed too? Yeah, it has."

"Are you gonna cut it?"

"I don't intend to, no."

"So you're gonna keep it like this then? Seems a little boyish to me; you need to do something with it if you're gonna have it grow long."

"Well…I don't think I'm gonna grow it much longer than it already is, but…I'm not sure."

"Well, Megumin, you don't really do much to your hair, so, it looks really messy; as a girl, you need to look cute."

"For who exactly?"

"For yourself, of course! I know you take me as an example of beauty, but even someone as remarkable as myself has to do something with their hair."

"…I'm fine with the way my hair is; I don't really like having it be complicated."

"Really? But I heard you had it quite nice during your wedding."

"T-That's different; it was a special occasion, so I had to look the part too. Besides, it was Claire who basically made the decision."

"Really? So, it should be fine to cut your hair as long as I tell you to?"

"No, of course not!" I shielded my head.

Aqua giggled, and then poured some water to rinse away the soap.

I relaxed. "I might decide to get a bit of it cut though."

"Oh?" She began scrubbing my back.

"Umu. When that happens, I'll let you know."

After finishing our bath, me and Aqua played some games while Kazuma took his own. Several minutes and a couple of continues into our game, Aqua spoke.

"Hey, Megumin, I'm getting kinda hungry; wanna go get something to eat?"

I put the controller down. "Shouldn't we just cook something instead?"

"There's barely any food in the fridge though."

"Are you sure; Irene went out to buy some groceries just yesterday. How are we out of food already?"

Aqua shrugged. "If that's the case, don't you find it a bit weird that she went out to do some more food shopping?"

"Eh, well…I mean we don't even know if she really did go out to buy some groceries. I'm pretty sure she just went out to do something else."

"Maybe…but that still doesn't change the fact that there's nothing to eat here; we should go to one of the restaurants nearby."

"Alright, just give me a moment; let me check what we're missing, maybe we can buy some groceries on the way back."

I headed to the kitchen and checked the fridge and cupboards for missing items; Aqua was right, there was barely anything left. In spite of this, there was enough meat for maybe one more night of homemade food. Vegetables could be acquired from our garden for the most part, but it was tough and dirty work meaning we'd need to bathe if we did. Since this was the case, I settled on Aqua's suggestion on going out to eat.

"So?" She said as I stepped back into the living room.

"Yeah, there's almost nothing left. We can go out, but let's wait for Kazuma and Darkness."

Aqua displayed a mixture of dejection and frustration. "We don't even know when Darkness is getting back; what if she doesn't come back tonight?"

"Do you hear what you're saying, Aqua? I'm pretty sure nothing's happened to Darkness; she's probably just busy with other things. She'll be back in a few, I'm sure of it."

Aqua pouted. "Fine. We'll wait, but if she doesn't come back in a little while, I'll leave her a note telling her where to find us."

I didn't really like the idea that Aqua was proposing, but I also didn't like the idea of going hungry.

After waiting for nearly half an hour, Aqua went to get to Kazuma who was still in the bath. I sat on the couch playing with Chomusuke when suddenly the front door opened slowly.

"?"

Darkness poked her head through the small crack and looked around cautiously.

"Darkness!" I yelled happily. I ran over to her.

"Shhh!"

"Huh?"

"Is Aqua around?" She whispered.

"Yeah, she just went to get Kazuma; we were going out to—"

The door sprung open. "Ok, hurry," Darkness said, waving someone in.

Irene quickly walked in holding a small crate; as soon as she passed the threshold Darkness helped her.

"What, what's going on?" I asked in bewilderment.

"We went to get Aqua's gift. Alright, Irene, thank you; I'll hide it in my room."

"Wait, but—"

Darkness swiftly ran by me, dashed up the steps and into her room.

"Uhhh." I sighed, and then looked at Irene. "What'd you guys end up getting?"

Going by the box, I assumed it was probably alcohol, however, Irene said, "A little something from the children of the school and orphanage."

I smiled. I forgot how popular Aqua was with children; it should've been no surprise to me that they'd get her something if they knew her birthday was coming up.

"Ah, Irene."

"Yes, Megumin-sama?"

"Didn't you buy groceries yesterday?"

She nodded. "Indeed, I did; is there something wrong?"

"Oh, well, there's barely anything left."

"Ah…yes, I forgot to inform you. Me, Aqua-sama, and Cecily-san went to give the children some food these past few days. I usually go to buy groceries right after; however, it seems I've forgotten this time, forgive me."

It was starting to make sense; it would seem that the children of Axel wanted to repay Aqua for her kindness and put together some presents for her.

"Stupid, Kazuma, I can't believe he—oh, Irene."

"Aqua-sama," She replied with a slight bow.

"Aqua," Darkness said as she came downstairs.

"Darkness? Where were you? Why is everyone just showing up out of nowhere? I wish you guys would tell me if you were going out at least."

"Oi," Kazuma said; he apparently finished getting ready. "Why are you always…oh, they came back."

"What's with that surprised tone; were you really expecting me not to?!"

"Well, you've been gone for longer periods before so—"

"Where were you anyways?" Aqua interposed.

I looked at Darkness; she was a terrible liar so…

"I-I was…I was…we were, me and Irene, we—"

"I went to pick up a package," Irene answered calmly. "Lalatina-sama assisted me in the effort."

"T-That's right; thank you, Irene."

"Of course, Lalatina-sama."

Kazuma looked between them; he didn't seem to buy it but remained quiet. Aqua, on the other hand, stared at them for a couple of seconds, and then smiled.

"Ok." She said, placing her hands on her hips thereafter. "Now that that's settled, let's go get something to eat; Irene, since there's nothing here, wanna come?"

She shook her head. "No, I'll make a trip to the market to restock our supplies; however, thank you for the invitation, Aqua-sama, I appreciate it greatly."

-A couple of hours later

When we returned from eating, I immediately headed to my room to change into sleepwear. Having gone out right after my Explosion "daily", I was beyond exhausted; even before going to the restaurant I was feeling fatigued, and despite Kazuma sharing a little of his mana via Drain Touch, I felt no better. I wanted to sleep.

"Kazuma," I said, knocking on his door; I opened it and entered.

"Oi, what's the point in knocking if you're just gonna come in anyways?"

I climbed into his bed and threw the sheets over me. "I'm tired."

He sucked his teeth lightly, and then sighed. "You could've just gone to sleep in your own room if that's the case."

I shook my head tiredly, and then shifted back some. "I miss sleeping with you; it feels better, I fall asleep faster."

I heard Kazuma gulp. "Quit it, would you?"

I knew what I said was provocative, but I honestly said it with benign intentions; I did feel that way. I closed my eyes and before I realized it, I had fallen asleep.

-Next morning

Megumin was still in a deep sleep when I woke up; this girl had gotten it in her mind to come sleep in my room almost every day. I know I said I wanted to do things when the time felt right, but a beautiful girl sleeping in the same bed as a young man…who could blame him if things happened? Then again…Megumin didn't really care, no, in fact, quite the opposite, she expected—wanted it to happen already. In this situation, I was the one preventing any forward progress from taking place.

These thoughts would flip from day to day, moment to moment; maybe she did or said something that would excite me, or, as more often was the case, remind me that she was still a young girl. Then there were times when I came back from the café and felt satisfied or days when I came back and was tired; in any case, that vaunted last step between me and her was a bit complicated.

However, today wasn't really the time nor day to be thinking about such things. No, today was Aqua's "birthday" and she was surely expecting a lot from all of us no doubt. Though I honestly wanted to sleep till the following day, so I didn't have to worry about it, she did help celebrate my birthday, so it was only fair that I return the favor…but not before falling asleep a while longer.

I closed my eyes and fell back asleep.

"KAZUMAAA!" BANG! BANG! BANG!

Almost as if she knew, Aqua was at my door banging away.

Shooting out of my bed, I ran over and swung open the door. "Oi, what's wrong with you, don't you know it's hella rude to bang on people's doors like that?!"

Aqua stared at me, and then tilted her head slightly. After a couple of seconds, she looked back at me, and then looked past me once more.

"AHHHHH, d-did you and Megumin actually do the deed?!"

"Stop being stupid; if me and Megumin did do it, you think I'd open the door?"

"Then what's she doing in your room?!"

"She tends to come over to sleep."

Aqua frowned at me, and then stared at Megumin who was still somehow snoozing away. "Well…whatever, that's not really important right now." She crossed her arms and smiled proudly. "I hope you know what today is."

"Friday?"

"It's my birthday!"

"Ah, right, ok, have fu~n," I said, slowly closing my door.

"Huh, what do you—"

The door closed shut. I turned back around and walked towards my bed.

BANG! BANG! BANG! "Kazuma! Kazuma! Hey! Open the door!"

I crawled into bed and threw the pillow over my head.

BANG! BANG! BANG! "KAZUMAAAA!"

I pressed the pillow against me in defiance. Then, there was silence.

"Fine." she said in a low tone. "I guess I'll just go over to the guild…that's right, I'll go over to the guild…and tell the guys and girls how you force Megumin to sleep with you against her will."

"O-Oi!" I pulled open the door at record speed. "Are you trying to tarnish the reputation I worked so hard to build up?!"

Aqua spoke in her mockingly sweet tone. "Now that you're awake, Kazuma-san, why don't you take me out for breakfast?" She smiled innocently.

"This bitch…"

After waking Megumin and meeting Darkness in the living room, we all decided to take Aqua out for breakfast.

"So, where would you like to go, Aqua?" Darkness asked; we were wandering aimlessly in the meantime.

"How about the bakery?"

"Bakery?" we all responded.

It was a surprise to me and apparently the other two as well; I honestly expected her to pick an outrageously expensive place.

"Umu, that's right; I've been wanting some of the tasty looking pastries and bread they constantly have on display."

"So why haven't you've bought any?" I questioned.

"Well, the baker has a thing against Axis faithful and ever since he's learned I'm part of the Axis Order, he's refused to sell me any."

"Seems like a reasonable man."

She frowned at me.

Megumin spoke. "While I'm sure the man has a good reason for thinking that way, I don't think it's fair to deny you service simply because you're a part of the Axis Cult."

"I have to agree," Darkness said.

"I don't buy it," I remarked. "Knowing you, I'm sure you've probably done something to earn the man's ire."

"W-What are you saying?!" Aqua retorted. "Why do you think everything's always my fault?!"

I was about to laugh, but I shook my head and took a deep breath. "Calm yourself, Satou Kazuma, today's a special day for her; give her the benefit of the doubt. Alright, let's go see this baker then; if what you're saying is true, I'll deal with it."

Aqua smiled happily.

After walking for several minutes, we arrived at the bakery in question.

"Oi, Aqua," I said as we approached.

"Hmm?"

"Why this bakery, why not go to another one? It isn't like this is the only one in Axel."

"Because! I can't allow them to get away with withholding something from my devoted faithful simply because they choose me as their goddess; that's as good as declaring war on the Axis Order!"

"Hey! Stop!" a man yelled form inside the shop.

Suddenly, the door burst open and a blonde-haired woman came racing out with arms full of different pastries and loaves of breads, so much so, that many cascaded onto the cobbled stone ground.

"Cecily?" Aqua said in surprise.

"Aqua-sama?"

"Hey, you!" A large and burly man came out of the bakery with clenched fists and a scowling face.

"A-Ah!" Cecily looked between Aqua and the man I assumed was the baker.

"Give me back my products, you thief!"

"I'm a priest not a thief, an-and I paid for these!"

"Paid?! You call this payment?!" The baker revealed a note in his hand; it read: Put it on the Eris Cult's tab. "This is why I can't stand you Axis Cultists!"

"W-What are you talking about? The Eris Cult always preaches about doing good deeds; this is a prime opportunity for doing something good! Today is the day of the Axis Order's conception, Aqua-sama's birthday! As such it's only right that those she watches over give her something back in return!"

"I'm not part of your crazy band of fanatics! Listen, if you don't give me back my things, I'm gonna call the guards!"

"Typical of you Eris cultists, always looking down on us, saying we're everything that's wrong in this world; you won't even help those in need!"

"W-What are you talking about, you cultists have a church with funds of your own!"

"T-This is true; however, we sort of…ran into an issue…you see…we kinda ran out of funds." Cecily stuck out her tongue childishly, and then darted off with Aqua.

"Arrgh!" The baker stamped his foot angrily. "Are you guys with her?!" He snarled.

We quickly shook our heads. Seeing this, the man angrily ran past us, presumably looking for the guards.

"Guess we'll have to find them," Darkness said with a sigh.

"Ugh, if it isn't Aqua causing problems, it's the Axis Cult." I closed my eyes and rubbed my head in frustration. As I opened them a moment later, I glanced over at Megumin who was silently mumbling something to herself. "Oi, what's up with you?"

"Huh—what?!" She said in a startled manner. "N-Nothing!"

"Nothing, huh?" I narrowed my eyes.

Megumin looked away nervously, her body trembling slightly.

"If it's nothing, why are you shaking, and why are looking away from me?"

"It-It's just cold; I'm cold."

"Oi"—I lowered myself to her height and glared—"you have something to do with this, don't you?"

"W-Wha-What are you talking about, I don't—"

"If you don't want me to drain you every day from now on, you'd better start talking!"

Megumin pulled on her hat anxiously, and then whispered in an almost inaudible and regretful tone. "I, I may have…forwarded the bill for the food to…the Axis…Cult."

"Wait, what? You mean the bill for the Grandstar?"

"J-Just Aqua's and Cecily's!"

I rubbed my chin. "Hmm, I can't blame you for trying to destroy the Axis Cult, after all—"

"I wasn't trying to do any such thing!"

"Oh, really?"

Megumin frowned. "I just didn't feel alright with having Orrin-san pay for my food as well as Aqua's and Cecily onee-san's."

I huffed in disappointment. "Well, I should've guessed doing something like this would drive them to do other ridiculous things. I swear, the Axis Cult has got to be some sort of curse on this planet. Anyways, let's go get Aqua before she ends up causing more trouble for me." I quickly turned on Megumin. "Even though this is your fault."

She lowered her head in resignation, pulling her hat low.

"Hold on, Kazuma," Darkness interrupted. "Do you even know where they went; Cecily took off in a hurry."

I sighed deeply; how could Darkness be so clueless? "Come on, Darkness, where do you think Aqua would go when she's in trouble; where do you think any Axis cultist would go when they're in trouble?"

Darkness looked down in thought. "I'm not—"

"They'll band together; people can usually handle one cultist, maybe two, but a group of them…I don't even think a Demon King could."

"So?"

I shook my head in disbelief. "Darkness, maybe instead of training that lewd body of yours, you should train that muscle brain you have; she's at the Axis Church."

"Wha-How, how dare you, Kazuma! I'm plenty smart, you fool! Y-You just didn't give me much time to answer!"

"Hmm, yeah, I'm sure. Alright, let's go before I change my mind."

Even if I didn't know where they went, it wouldn't have been difficult to figure out; a literal trail of breadcrumbs led us precisely to where they were, the Axis Church. A large group of children surrounded Cecily and Aqua as they handed out the remaining pastries and loaves of bread.

"Now remember who made this possible," Cecily said as she finished handing out the final portion, "Aqua-sama."

"Aqua-sama," the kids said in unison.

"That's right, and today is Aqua-sama's special day; so when the bad Eris cultist arrives, all of you have to eat the bread happily in front of him and tell him that you give thanks to the real goddess of this world and not that fake dark goddess, Eris."

Oh God, what was this woman doing? "Aqua," I said as we approached them.

"Is that him?" one of the children asked Cecily.

"No, that's not him; even though he's a questionable man."

"Oi, I don't wanna hear that coming from you," I said, pointing at her. "Aqua," I said once more, "just pay the baker what you owe; one of your followers obviously st—"

Aqua interrupted me. "What are talking about, Kazuma? Cecily's done nothing of the sort; she's behaving like a model Axis faithful that everyone should aspire to."

Cecily beamed with happiness at the praise Aqua was giving her.

"There she is!" The familiar voice shouted from behind us. The baker arrived with a set of guards.

"That's him, children!" Cecily shouted.

At once, the kids began reciting what she told them causing the guards and baker to recoil in horror.

"What, what are you making these children say; are you Axis cultists not content with stealing that you have to corrupt their young minds?!" the baker said in disbelief.

Cecily chuckled proudly as she placed her hands on her hips. "Nothing they've said has been false."

"How, how could you say that with such a straight face?! Arrgh, fine! The next time I see you anywhere near my store, I'll make sure to tie you down and haul you off myself!"

"Ah!" Cecily covered her mouth in timidity. "How could you say such lewd things in front of all these innocents? See children, this is the true face of the Eris Cult; they like to play pure, and then, when they're angry, they show their true colors."

The baker and guards were stunned at the blatant two-faced nature of the cultist before them and began backing away.

"You, you won't get away with this!" the baker yelled as he and the guards ran off.

Cecily giggled in triumph.