A couple days later, the group sat in the guild hall with just some drinks when Kazuma made a bold statement.
"We're doing a dungeon raid." Kazuma said.
"What? But I'll be completely useless in a…" Megumin said.
"I don't care! When you signed up, you said you'd do anything, even carry our stuff." Kazuma said. "We gotta do a dungeon quest, or we'll never pay off that debt."
"I suppose you already have a certain quest in mind?" Tanya questioned.
"Yeah, I do actually." Kazuma confirmed, pulling out a quest and showing it to the group. "Keele's Dungeon. It's for beginners, so it's pretty safe. Heck, Catarina would be able to walk to the end and be fine."
"Didn't they fully explore that dungeon already?" Nemo pointed out.
"Not quite." Luna said, walking over and joining the conversation. "A new passage was discovered by accident recently. I was about to announce a quest to escort the survey team."
"But Luna said that if we want to, we can have first dibs." Kazuma added. "You know what that means, right? It means that any treasure we find is ours, finders keepers."
"It's a long shot, but I guess we could. Nothing ventured and all that." DJ agreed.
"Then let's do this." Kazuma said.
The group traveled a ways away from town before they came to the foot of a large opening, a detailed opening marking it as Keele's Dungeon.
"Alright, I'll go in first." Kazuma said, holding a bag of essentials. "Since I got Thief skills, Lurk and Foresight, I can see in the dark better than anybody and avoid monsters. If I don't find anything between here and the new passage, I'll come back and get the rest of you, then we'll take on the new passage together. Any objections?"
"I have one!" Aqua spoke up. "That being your Lurk skill doesn't work on Undead. That's why you need the help of a pretty and experienced goddess!"
"Good point…wish I knew one." Kazuma sniggered.
"I'm talking about ME, you dummy!" Aqua yelled. "I'm going with you, no question!"
"Uh… bad idea, Aqua. Won't being a goddess attract all the monsters in the dungeon right to you like a magnet?" Luz asked.
"Ack, that's right! I totally forgot!" Aqua realized.
"You forgot how the monsters always go after you first?" Ethox asked.
"I'm going in." Kazuma said firmly as he walked into the dungeon.
"Well, someone needs to go in there with him that can deal with undead. Someone who doesn't smell like divinity." Subaru said.
"Yeah, but our priestess isn't much for combat." Ultra said.
"I'm really sorry…" Lily apologized.
"No need, you're still cool." Ultra said. "Is anyone else here an undead buster?"
"The only other one who can deal with undead in the Guild is Shuna, but she's back at Tempest busy with her duties." DJ said.
"I guess there's no choice then!" Aqua said. "I'll have to go inside the dungeon and hope my Goddess Aroma doesn't set off any monsters!"
"Best option we got right now… but I'm sending Pheromosa with you to watch your back… and also just in case Kazuma decides to abandon you." Ultra said.
And so, to the behest of Kazuma, Aqua went inside the dungeon and followed Kazuma inside, though he didn't mind since Pheromosa was there to take care of any problems that popped up.
And pop up they did.
Gremlins, Mimics and undead blocked their way, and Kazuma was mostly only able to hide. Aqua and Pheromosa, however, cleaned house against the undead forces within the depths.
"Low-level, huh…" Kazuma said as he got up. "This place is crawling with 'em."
"Silence. The stench of undead is still strong." Aqua said as she began sniffing around. "I don't see anything, but there's definitely still something here. I think-"
Aqua was interrupted by being forced to leap away as Pheromosa kicked the wall she was leaning against, causing it to crumble, revealing a secret room.
"Oh! Thanks, Pheromosa." Kazuma said.
"Why didn't you say anything?! You could've killed me!" Aqua complained.
Pheromosa gave the goddess the flattest look it could, pointing to its face.
"...Oh, right. You can't talk." Aqua remembered.
"At last." a voice spoke out, the trio looking inside the room to see what appeared to be a corpse dressed in wizard robes sitting on a stone throne. "None before have managed to find this place. My name is Keele. I built this dungeon, and kidnapped a nobleman's daughter. I am an evil arch wizard."
The group stood, tense as they steeled themselves for a fight…at least until the man's tone took a complete one eighty, smiling. "Welcome! Please excuse the mess, I never expected anyone to get this far!"
"Uh…that's fine?" Kazuma said. "So you're the one that built this dungeon?"
"Yep! I made it so my wife and I could have a roof over our heads. She was a concubine of the king, but she suffered at the hands of him and his court, you see. So I told him off, grabbed her hand and ran away!" Keele explained.
"That…doesn't sound so bad." Kazuma said, as he held Aqua back. "(Keep your cool, Aqua! Weren't you over your all undead are evil thing?!)"
"(I'm good with Ainz and everyone in Nazarik! It's every other undead that's the problem!)" Aqua whispered back.
"Oh, but I am evil!" Keele assured. "Because afterwards, I laid waste to that kingdom, but my wife stuck with me anyway! Those days on the run were glorious, but we had to settle down. See?" he gestured to a nearby bed, where a skeleton dressed in noble clothes laid. "Ah, isn't she beautiful?"
"She's not undead. She passed away in peace." Aqua realized, her aggression against the arch wizard evaporating. "He's actually telling the truth."
"I'm actually glad you managed to find me." Keele said. "If you don't mind, I'd like to ask a favor. Could you be so kind as to purify me? If I'm not mistaken, the young lady is a priest with the power to."
"Wait, you want to be purified? Why?" Kazuma asked.
"Ah, I suppose that's a good question." Kelee said. "You see…my wife is waiting for me in the afterlife. SInce I'm a lich, I'm not able to die on my own, so I had to wait for a priestess to find me so I could move on. That's not a problem, is it?"
"...Of course not. I'll get started right away." Aqua said with a kindness Kazuma found rare from her.
And so, Aqua got to work preparing the purification spell, while Kazuma watched Keele kneel down next to the body of his wife.
"(He must've sacrificed his humanity to protect her.)" Kazuma thought. "(I wonder…would Ainz be like this if he didn't have that emotional suppression thing? Being outwardly kind to people? I mean, the circumstances are different, but…maybe.)"
"Alright, everythings ready!" Aqua announced.
"Sorry for the trouble," Keele said. "I tried suicide, but apparently that's too surreal for the undead. So like I said, I just hung around waiting to decay until I sensed your holy power. Normally, I don't like being jolted awake, but not today!"
Aqua smiled at Keele's joke, before she got to work, purifying Keele's spirit. "Arch Wizard Keele, you abandoned your humanity and became a lich. In the name of Aqua, Goddess of Water, your sins are forgiven. When you ascend, you will meet a goddess named Eris, with unnatural breasts. Ask for her help, and she will allow you to be reunited with your beloved."
"Thank you, m'lady." Keele said in gratitude.
"...Sacred Turn Undead." Aqua declared as the room filled with a soft blue glow, Keele and the body of his wife fading away.
"...I will be with you shortly, my love." was the last thought Keele had before he faded away completely.
"...Good job, Aqua." Kazuma said sincerely.
With that, the trio packed up the treasure Keele had given to them and set off to the exit.
"Hey, Aqua?" Kazuma asked. "I gotta say…I'm actually kinda glad you came along on this one."
"Oh, of course you are. Feel free to praise me more, go on!" Aqua said smugly. "And Luz said me coming was a bad idea!"
"There is something else, though." Kazuma added. "Your godly aura attracts undead, right?"
"Yeah, and?" Aqua asked.
"Wouldn't using that kind of ritual, instead of using the attack form, and sending them the heaven peacefully draw in more?"
Aqua stopped in her tracks as the gravity of that question hit her like a sack of bricks. "Well…uh…"
Their conversation was cut off when they heard a heavy shaking, seeing a horde of undead running towards them.
"...You know your way to the exit, right?" Kazuma asked.
"Why are you asking me that?! I know, but why are you-?!" Aqua demanded, before they heard snarls, Kazuma seeing a bunch of monsters coming their way, and so….
"..Lllllurk." Kazuma said as he grabbed Phereomosa, the two turning into shadow and slipping away.
"Kazuma! Wait for me, Kazuma! Don't leave me alone down here!" Aqua cried as she ran from the horde. "KAZUMA!"
"I see you all had fun." Tanya said dryly as Kazuma was standing there with the treasure, while Aqua cried on the ground.
"Kazuma tried to abandon me in there!" Aqua cried.
"I did not! All I did was go on ahead! You're the one who's an undead magnet!" Kazuma said.
"I can't help it! I was born like this!" Aqua argued.
"So, you weren't reincarnated as a Goddess like Rista?" Luz asked.
"Hey, not all divine beings are created from mortal lives!" Aqua said.
"It's true. Aqua is a natural goddess…albeit a very condescending one." Rista said.
"Couldn't you, I dunno…suppress your aura or something?" Subaru asked.
"Do you know what would happen to my loyal followers if I did that?! I'd end up a shut-in NEET like-!"
Aqua then felt Kazuma grab onto her arm as she felt Drain Touch being used on her, yelling out before she fell to the ground face first, groaning.
"...Alright, let's go home." Kazuma said calmly, hoisting Aqua onto his back.
"Kazuma, don't take it personally." Mirror Match said. "For gods to use their powers on their own, they need faith from their followers. With that in mind, her image actually is important."
"Yeah I know, I just… look, I was a NEET for a reason." Kazuma said, Subaru getting a look of understanding. "Come on, let's get back to the guild."
Though they cleared the Dungeon, Kazuma's debt still wasn't paid off. But it didn't matter to him in the slightest, because when they got back to the guild, Kazuma set off a huge party. He was still in debt after being released from custody and charges by an unknown party… but he didn't care! He was having fun, and in this moment out of so many…he actually felt like an adventurer.. Of course…things were going to take a strange turn come the next quest.
Outside of Keele's dungeon, a certain figure approached.
"Now this place…" the figure said as out of the darkness stepped Vanir. "This is perfect!" he laughed delightedly.