God's Blessing on this Wonderful Dungeon

By Icura and Special FX

~o~

Chapter 16: Titles

~o~

Inside the main hall of the Eris Familia's cathedral, on the raised platform where a pastor would normally lecture from, there were four individuals sitting close together on the polished wooden flooring just behind the podium. In between them, there was a square-shaped board, and each of them was stationed on one of the four sides. There were stacks of coins on each side, but none had more than the piles on Kazuma's side. Not only that, but they were all holding up a hand of playing cards while he was rolling a dice.

"Wah! Kazuma rolled a six again!"

"Isn't that the seventh time in a row?" Darkness glanced down at the board game. "He's already way ahead of us."

"Why are we even playing this?" Megumin threw down the seven cards that were in her hand. "He probably has a full house too!"

Aqua reached out and slapped the cards out of Kazuma's hand.

"Hey!" Kazuma glared at Aqua, but everyone's eyes were focused on the knocked-down cards. It wasn't a full house like Megumin had thought.

It was a royal flush.

"I quit! I quit!" Aqua threw down her cards in frustration.

"This game has too many luck-based factors," Megumin commented, eyeing Kazuma suspiciously. "Are you sure this is a game from your native homeland?"

"Positive."

"I-I don't mind if we keep playing one-on-one, Kazuma," Darkness murmured with a blush on her cheeks. "You can keep on humiliating me by being so far ahead. A-and when the game nears the end, you'll say, 'Darkness, let's make a bet. If you lose, you have to be my slave in my underground dungeon for a week,' with a perverted look on your face. Yes, like the one you have on your face right now!"

"Huh?" Aqua looked confused. "How did you know I built a dungeon?"

"Kazutrash." Megumin stared at Kazuma with a disgusted expression.

"Hey! This is my normal face." Feeling unjustly accused, Kazuma patted his cheeks to emphasize his point, just before he realized something. "Wait, why do we have a dungeon?"

"There was a room down there, but we already have enough bedrooms," Aqua explained before shrugging. "I figured that we might need one of those someday."

"As a safe room?" Kazuma asked. "Or do you mean a prison?"

"No, like a dungeon," Aqua reiterated. "We just need to find a dungeon core, and then we can have a fully functioning one!"

"Just how far did you dig downward?!"

"I only made it as deep as the sixth floor," Aqua said sheepishly. "It's still a work in progress."

"Stop. Stop that right now." Kazuma rubbed the side of his head. "And dungeon cores don't even exist here!"

"Eh? Why not?!"

"Because only one dungeon exists here!"

"Oh, right," Aqua said, as if enlightened. "I forgot."

Before Kazuma could begin his tirade, the door at the front of the church creaked open. That brought everyone's attention toward the front, especially since it was the main reason why they were all playing here in the first place instead of in the more comfortable living room. Walking timidly through the doorway, under the intense gaze of four eager people, Eris closed the door behind her. She trudged slowly along the path in between the pews as if she was arriving at a funeral.

If nothing else, the expression on her face alone seemed to imply it anyway.

Of course, this was much too slow for the liking of a certain four adventurers. After waiting this long, they were already springing to their feet and jumping off the raised platform. Rushing down the path between the pews, they met the nervous Eris halfway and began assaulting her with questions.

"What name did I get?" Megumin held onto Eris' sleeve and shook it. "What name?!"

"Even…" Darkness began, an exciting look alighting her face. "Even if the name is humiliating, degrading, and equates me to swine, I'll wear it proudly since it's god-given!"

"Pffft." Aqua scoffed. "God-given? You have a goddess right here! I'll gladly bestow a name on you!"

"It's just a title," Kazuma commented with a shrug. "Who cares unless it comes with a stat boost."

"Hah, you hiki-NEET! Can't you tell the difference between 2D and 3D?" Aqua had a superior look on her face. "Achievement titles don't exist in real life."

"How would I know?! There's plenty of game-like elements in these kinds of worlds!"

"Like what?"

"Leveling up!"

"That's not game-like," Aqua replied matter-of-factly. "That's just reality."

Before Kazuma could explode, Eris quickly intervened. Without a plan other than to stop the growing argument, she blurted out the first thing that came to her mind.

"Aqua-senpai, your title is 'Lady of Miracles'!"

The room suddenly fell silent. All of their eyes turned to Aqua who looked stunned. However, that didn't last long before an arrogant smirk came to her face.

"Hah! They know my worth!" While looking specifically at Kazuma, Aqua held out her hand daintily like a royal princess would to a lowly knight. "Praise me, worship me! I'll even accept a temple built in my honor."

Kazuma took out a folded piece of paper from one of his waist pouches and placed it in her hand instead.

"What's this…?" Aqua unfolded the paper. Once she read a familiar number with a long string of zeros behind it, she began to sweat copiously. Quickly folding the paper back up, she placed it in her mouth and swallowed it. "Ah? Was something in my hand? I didn't see anything."

"Don't worry. I made copies."

"Wah! Kazuma, please don't abandon me!"

Aqua was quickly on her knees, weeping while grasping at Kazuma's clothes as the man himself was trying desperately to keep the former goddess from pulling down his pants. In the midst of this familiar scene, Megumin quickly strode up into Eris' personal space, looking up at her with starry eyes.

"What's my title? What's my title?!"

"Oh. Um, it's the…" Eris lowered her voice to a murmur. Now that she was saying it herself, it was a little embarrassing. "...the 'witch of blazing annihilation'…"

"What was that? I couldn't hear it."

"It's…it's…"

"Hurry up already!"

"The…" Eris shut her eyes and shouted, "The 'Witch of Blazing Annihilation'!"

The room became silent once again. Even Aqua and Kazuma paused in their antics to turn their gazes to Megumin who was now vibrating in place. At least, that was what she was doing, moments before she suddenly burst out into ecstatic laughter.

"Hahaha! Today, the legend of the Witch of Blazing Annihilation is born!"

In the midst of Megumin's crazed laughter, Darkness came up to Eris with an excited and expectant look on her face.

"Lady Eris, please bestow my title upon me!"

"The 'Last Crusader'," Eris said plainly.

The excited expression on Darkness' face froze. It took a couple more moments before her expression melted into a somber look.

"I see," Darkness regally replied, looking like the very image of a stoic knight. "It's an appropriate title. I shall wear it with pride."

Eris blinked. "I'm…I'm glad you like it?"

"It's my solemn duty."

Eris wanted to say that wasn't an answer, but she hadn't exactly asked a question in the first place. It was a bit too late to do so now, even if she wanted to. Maybe, she should talk with her later in private.

Amidst the crying of Aqua, the crazed laughter of Megumin, and the strangely stoic Darkness, Kazuma finally made his way over after ditching Aqua to one of the pews.

"So, what's my title?"

Upon hearing that question, Eris's face suddenly turned a deep shade of red before she looked away.

"..."

Oi. What the hell was with that reaction? Was his title really that embarrassing? Didn't Alise say that her goddess was going to help him get a good title? What the hell kind of title did those stupid gods end up giving him!?

"...is it really that bad?" Kazuma finally dared to ask after a few seconds.

"No, it's just…never mind, forget it," Eris mumbled, her cheeks still red. "They gave you the title, 'Hero of Justice'."

"...can I return it?" Kazuma asked with an expression like he had sucked on a really sour lemon.

Eris silently shook her head.

Those damn gods!

Some people might think that the title wasn't so bad, but as someone who had been stuck with the title of 'Hero of Belzerg' before, he knew exactly how bad it could get. This was even worse than just getting a normal chuuni title. At least, those didn't have any strings attached. This one probably had implicit responsibilities and expectations connected to it, most of which he was never going to fulfill, but they would still be sticking points that people would constantly complain to his face about.

Even worse was the fact that they added 'justice' to it. Didn't they realize what that meant? He was going to have random people come up to him, asking him to settle disputes as if he was judge, jury, and executioner. He could already imagine the crowds of complainers already. Even worse was that they would expect him to do it for free.

And that wasn't even mentioning how Alise was going to react…

"Bwahahaha!" Megumin cackled as she flipped her cloak into the air. "As expected of my Explosion partner in crime! The 'Witch of Blazing Annihilation' and the 'Hero of Justice'! Truly, the shadowy path of Explosion can only be embarked on by the—"

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhh! Stoooooop!" Kazuma interrupted as he covered his ears with his hands. "I don't want to hear it!"

"Pfft, hahaha!" Aqua rolled on her back in laughter as she kicked her feet into the air. "Kazuma? 'Hero of Justice'? Hahaha!"

"Can his depravity really be justice?" Darkness asked as a blush came to her cheeks. "We cannot allow him to be unleashed upon the innocent without verifying first. So, let me be the first to submit myself to his punishment and justice! Even if I am to be chained to his bed for a week, I'll never break!"

This hopeless woman… Kazuma subtly took a few steps away from her.

"Darkness, the title isn't a good thing." Eris looked exasperated. "I'll explain, but I'm not actually supposed to tell you what happened at the Denatus or they could ban me from ever attending again."

"But you'll tell us anyway, right?" Kazuma asked.

"Of course," Eris replied. "Just don't tell anyone."

~o~

Sparks flew in the air as a pair of swords clashed against one another. The early morning sun shone brightly overhead as two adventurers engaged in a waltz of blades, their clashes producing sounds that could be found on the battlefield.

Alise darted in and out, her rapier striking with precision while always searching and prodding for any openings in his guard. She was fast, much faster than him, but unlike before, he wasn't completely at the mercy of his [Auto-Evade] skill for survival anymore.

While Kazuma was still on the back foot, he was able to keep up, even if just barely. It was still far better than before.

The power difference from leveling up was far greater than what he had expected. A level up back with his old status system couldn't even begin to compare, but that was also because it was much harder to level up. Then again, in Belzerg, even with easier leveling, he had reached his max stat potential very early on. With the falna, there didn't seem to be a limit, if what everyone said was true. Probably because there was also divine intervention at play here rather than just relying on his own innate potential.

Still, the differences were stark.

Alise, whose movements had at one time been nothing but a blur to him, was now actually visible to his naked eye. It was just a spar so she wasn't going all out, but still, to even be able to keep up with only his swordsmanship…

It was a strange feeling. A good one, but also strange.

Kazuma jolted his head out of the way of Alise's rapier, the blade grazing his cheek, drawing a thin line of blood. Twisting his body out of the way, he swung his sword horizontally, forcing Alise to backpedal to avoid being hit. She danced away, her lithe form flowing like water, before countering with a series of quick jabs.

After his rank up, Alise had suggested using their naked blades without their sheaths on in order to simulate a real fight and, in turn, earn more Excelia—the word for experience points in this world. It seemed like a good idea to him at the time, and it wasn't like they were actually trying to kill each other anyway. Any injury they could give each other wasn't really a big deal either since they had a bunch of potions lying around. Not to mention that he could use [Heal] to gain more Execlia for his magic stat.

It was killing two birds with one stone.

Yeah, it might be painful, but that was a small price to pay for gaining some more EXP points. It wasn't like he hadn't dealt with far more grievous injuries, even if he never quite got used to the pain.

"Heal," Kazuma mumbled as the wound on his cheek stitched itself back together. While it wasn't a huge difference, all of his spells had grown stronger along with his ever-increasing magic stat. His [Heal] spell still wasn't anywhere near what Aqua was capable of, but it was still nice to see some improvement compared to how it was before.

"Phew!" Alise wiped some sweat off her forehead with a happy-go-lucky grin. "That was a great spar, Kazuma! I'd expect nothing less from the 'Hero of Justice'!"

Kazuma couldn't help but inwardly cringe.

Ever since she had found out that his title was 'Hero of Justice', Alise had taken to referring to him as that whenever possible. He was just glad that they were the only ones here; he didn't think that he'd be able to survive the cringe if she started calling him that out in public. Though, knowing Alise and how everyone in this world seemed to be a chuunibyou, it was just a matter of time.

"...any chance you could stop calling me that?" Kazuma dryly asked.

Alise just laughed in response.

"Hahaha! Stop being so humble, Kazuma!" She slapped him on the back with a cheery laugh. "It's a title bestowed upon you by the gods! Wear it with pride!"

Kazuma just sighed. Humble? He was anything but humble.

Nonetheless, he would just have to deal with it since it didn't seem like Alise was going to stop calling him that anytime soon. It wasn't worth making a big fuss about. After all, Alise had done a lot for him; he honestly doubted that he would have been able to survive Evilus' ambush without her training.

"...hey, Kazuma? Can I ask you something?" Alise nervously looked down at her feet.

He raised an eyebrow in response. Nervousness and Alise weren't a combination that he thought he would ever see.

"Sure…?"

"There was something I heard recently from Lyra…" Alise trailed off before she slowly lifted her head up, though still not quite meeting his eyes. "She said that you…stole Lady Eris' panties before… It's not true, is it?"

Kazuma's face remained stoic, even though he was panicking on the inside.

"...it was an accident," he eventually settled on.

"An accident…?"

"Yeah, an accident." Kazuma nodded his head as if to reaffirm himself along with Alise. "I was just testing out a new skill, and it just happened to fall into my hands."

And that was the honest truth, even if he was wording it very carefully. Now, whether he enjoyed the result… Well, that was another question entirely.

"I knew it." Alise smiled and nodded to herself knowingly. "A fellow seeker of justice wouldn't do something like that."

"Yeah…" Kazuma mumbled. "Seeker of justice. Yep, that's me alright…"

Honestly, at this point, with how deep the hole he had dug for himself was, he was of the mind that he might as well just keep doubling down on it. Well, actually, at this point wasn't it more like tripling down? Or even quadrupling down?

It wasn't like it could get any worse, right?

"...although," Alise said as she put a finger on her chin in thought. "I wonder…just what kind of skill ends up accidentally getting someone's panties?"

"Err… It's called Steal. An adventurer named Chris taught it to me. It takes a random item from the target."

It'd probably be weird if he said Eris was the one that taught him the skill, so he just used her alias instead. It wasn't like he was lying anyway; Chris did teach him the skill after all.

Alise blinked at that.

"Wait, wait, wait just a moment here!" Alise suddenly shouted as she ran up into his personal space. "What do you mean by 'taught' you a skill?"

"H-huh…? Oh." Kazuma stammered, a bit flustered at Alise's sudden proximity before he suddenly remembered that adventurers like him weren't a thing in this world. "One of my skills lets me learn skills from other people."

For a brief moment, Alise just stared at him.

"That's… That's incredible!" There were stars in her eyes. "You really are like a 'Hero of Justice'!"

Kazuma felt his left eye twitch at the mention of his title. "...it's really not that great. The skills that I learn are always weaker than the original."

"That's still amazing," Alise refuted with a shake of her head. "It's like you're bringing a piece of everyone along with you on your journey. Like a hero from a storybook who's able to win through the powers of his comrades!"

Honestly, this woman… How was she always able to take everything he says and twist it into these ridiculous conclusions?

Kazuma just sighed before he remembered something important.

"...oh, speaking of skills, I forgot to thank you. I don't think I would have survived that Evilus attack if it weren't for your Lubrude Bequia skill, so thanks."

Alise's eyes seemed to light up in response. "I knew it! You really are a 'Hero of Justice'!"

Kazuma's eye twitched again.

He was definitely going to get Hermes back one day for suggesting that ridiculous title. Every single time she mentioned it, it was like looking back at some of his cursed memories from his middle school days!

"That's just strength, not justice," Kazuma said. "It's not like I'm trying to mete out justice or anything. I'm just doing what I want so I don't regret it later."

"...funny you should say that. You know, ever since I was a kid, I've always wanted to find the true meaning of 'justice'." Alise suddenly brought up as she looked up at the clouds in the sky. Her eyes seemed distant, almost as if lost in a labyrinth of her own thoughts. "People even used to make fun of me for it."

Kazuma wasn't quite sure what he was supposed to say so he just kept silent instead.

"...even now, I think that I'm still searching for that meaning," Alise continued before she turned his way again and smiled. "So I'm glad I met you, Kazuma. I really want to see what your version of 'justice' manages to achieve."

"Haaaaah…" Kazuma just let out an exasperated sigh. "You're expecting too much from me."

The red-head just laughed in response. "I don't think so."

"And why's that?" He wryly asked.

"Just a hunch," she cheerily replied. "Hey, Kazuma, that skill of yours. Is that how you have all those magic spells as well?"

"Yeah." He nodded. "I learned them all from others. Why?"

"I see. How about I teach you one more then?" Alise asked with a smile. "Agaris Alvesynth."

There was a sudden shift in the energy in the air as the temperature seemed to rise. Alise's eyes seemed to light up like a blaze. A soft glow emanated from her, flickering like a spark before growing into a roaring flame. Magical energy coursed through her body as bright red flames enveloped around her limbs like armor and their fiery hues seemed to almost cast a warm radiance across the stone walls.

"Kazuma, the gods gave you that title for a reason, and I know that you'll live up to it one day," Alise said with absolute confidence. "So let me play a part in the Hero of Justice's story too, okay?"

~o~

Vidar Familia's home—The Moonlit Keep—wasn't as grandiose as some of the other familia homes that Darkness had seen. It wasn't as spacious as the Twilight Manor nor was it as homely as the Stardust Garden, but it did have a certain edge to it. Rather than a home for adventurers, it almost felt like she was venturing into a den for wolves instead. Even though it wasn't her first time here, she never was able to shake off that feeling.

Nonetheless, Darkness had come here for a reason so she pressed on and walked past the open gates. Raising an armored fist, she knocked on the large wooden double doors and waited.

During their last expedition, she had failed in her role as the party's vanguard. That failure made her realize something vital; she had no way of keeping adventurers who were faster than her occupied. In Belzerg, she never had to fight against other adventurers, so even against speedy enemies, her [Decoy] skill would always draw their attention away from her party members. However, [Decoy] only worked against monsters, and in this world, monsters weren't the only threat.

Darkness needed to remedy that problem. Otherwise, keeping her friends alive would be…

Her thoughts were cut off when the large wooden doors slowly opened. A tall long-haired man emerged from within, his chestnut-colored irises radiating divine energy as they looked down at her in appraisal. His divinity was unmistakable, and while she had never directly spoken to him before, she was familiar enough with the Vidar Familia to know what their god looked like.

"Good afternoon, Lord Vidar," Darkness respectfully greeted. "Is Bete here? I'd like to speak with him."

"...mm," the god hummed in response. "He's not here. Try asking Selenia about his whereabouts."

And just like that, the god stepped aside to allow her inside his domain.

Darkness thanked him before she made her way through the hall toward Selenia's room. It wasn't the first time that she had been within the Moonlit Keep—Selenia had shown her around once before—so she was familiar enough with where everything was. It didn't take her long to reach her destination; the Moonlit Keep was not nearly as large as her own home after all.

The door to Selenia's room was open so she stepped inside. When that didn't elicit a response from the sole distracted occupant of the room, she knocked on the door to catch the other girl's attention. Selenia looked up from her desk in surprise before her face slid into a tired smile.

"Oh, hey Darkness," the other girl greeted. "This is a welcome surprise."

They hadn't spoken or seen each other since the funeral, but they had still left on good terms. There weren't any hard feelings between their familias after what happened.

"Hey, Selenia," Darkness replied with a smile of her own. "I hope I'm not bothering you."

"No, no, you're fine. I was just taking care of some paperwork. You know, typical captain stuff," Selenia said as she put down her quill. "What can I help you with?"

"I was just looking for Bete."

"Bete…?" Selenia asked with a slight frown.

"Yes." Darkness nodded. "After our expedition, I've come to realize that I am…not used to fighting other adventurers. Especially when they're faster than me. Bete is probably the fastest adventurer who I know so I was hoping to ask him if he would be interested in being my sparring partner. Do you know where he is?"

"Oh… I see," Selenia softly replied. "If he's not in the Dungeon, he's probably at the Flaming Wasp. You won't find him here."

"What do you mean by that?" Darkness asked as her brow furrowed.

"Just that… He hasn't been home lately." Selenia let out a tired sigh. "I think he's still trying to process what happened in his own way. That stupid wolf probably blames himself for Jiruna and Vani's deaths."

"That's ridiculous." Darkness frowned. "The only ones to blame are Evilus."

"Bete's never been the best at handling his emotions," Selenia replied with a sad smile. "He can become…really self-destructive at times."

"That's no good." Darkness shook her head. "Shall we go look for him together then and bring him back?"

"...unfortunately, after what happened, I've become quite busy as you can see." Selenia gestured toward the pile of papers on her desk. "I'd send someone to drag him back, but I don't think anyone else would be able to rein him in aside from myself…" Selenia paused as a troubled expression appeared on her face. If only Jiruna or Vani were still around… "I know that you aren't a part of our familia, but do you think I can leave Bete to you? Though, that might be a bit much to ask—"

"Nonsense. We're friends, aren't we?" Darkness cut her off. "What kind of friend would I be if I wasn't willing to lend a helping hand? Especially after what happened…"

Selenia just smiled in response. "Thank you, Darkness. Truly."

"It's not a problem. I need to talk with him anyway." Darkness waved it off as she made her way out the door. "I'll be sure to drag him back."

"I'll be waiting," Selenia whispered as she watched her friend exit her office.

If she were being honest, she hadn't been entirely truthful to Darkness. While it was true that she had to handle a lot more paperwork than usual—mostly due to Jiruna and Vani's deaths—it wasn't enough that she couldn't make time to look for Bete. She had even tried it once, to look for him in the Dungeon. But when she stood outside the looming entrance to the dungeon…

It was like a stone claw gripped her heart.

That was when she had first realized that something was wrong with her.

Selenia, an adventurer whose every step had once echoed with the confidence of a seasoned warrior, stood at the Dungeon's entrance, unable to take another step forward. Her hand trembled on the hilt of her sword as the flickering torches lining the passageway seemed to cast long, haunting shadows that mirrored those which were etched deep within her own mind. Memories of that nightmare she just couldn't seem to shake off.

Even now, weeks later, she could still see the dead bodies of her dear friends fresh in her mind. Worse, she could even see her own corpse among them. Ghastly, sunken, and lifeless.

"...maybe, I don't have what it takes to be an adventurer after all," Selenia all but whispered to herself.

~o~

"Mama, it's the 'Lady of Miracles'!"

"Lady Aqua!"

Aqua happily waved at the mother and daughter as she walked by. On the main road toward the dungeon, there were many people who recognized and greeted her. Before, it was because of her friendliness or having been healed by her, but now, it seemed like there were a lot more pointing fingers and awed stares. As if, now that she had the title of Lady of Miracles, they were afraid to even approach her.

It was a bit lonely when she thought about it. Though, it did give her a discount on buying more bubbly.

In fact, she was on her way right now to buy the highest form of bubbly available. She didn't even have to beg Kazuma for cash; she was using the share she received when the Guild paid out the bounty for Olivas Act. Not only that, but Loki had even promised to split the cost as long as she shared the wine with her.

After asking a few people for directions, it wasn't long before she arrived at the Soma Familia mansion. It wasn't as big or glamorous as the church she had built, but it was still bigger than the mansion that they had once lived in before back in Belzerg. There wasn't much else she could say to describe it because it was too far away to see; there was a tall stone fence blocking her way, complete with a locked gate entrance that consisted of iron bars.

Aqua walked up to the gate and knocked on it, rattling the bars.

"Hello, anyone here?"

When no one replied after a few moments, she knocked on it louder.

"Hey! You have a customer out here!"

Getting frustrated, she grabbed the bars and started shaking them loudly.

"I demand service!"

She shook them even more loudly.

"I want to speak to your manager!"

When she started practically throwing herself at the gate, a squeaky voice to the side spoke up.

"Can you stop that already?! Nobody's home!"

Aqua froze for a moment before turning his head.

Sitting against the stonewall of the fence was a very small girl wrapped in a ragged hooded cloak that was stained and patched up. Even then, it still had enough holes and tears that it couldn't possibly keep out the wind. Under her hood, dull eyes stared back at her while parched lips opened and closed to the rhythm of breathing, as if her nose was clogged up.

"Huh," Aqua murmured. "When did you arrive?"

"I was here the whole time…" The young girl shook her head, as if realizing that she was getting off topic. "Never mind that. You should stop making so much noise. Everybody's in the dungeon."

"How do you know that?"

"It's none of your—"

"Hold still for a second."

Aqua speed-walked over to the young girl. However, on her approach, the girl began scrambling to her feet. Despite that, the former goddess was faster. She reached out her hands and pulled the hood off of the girl.

"Stop it! What are you doing?!" The girl's face was blotchy with dark bruises and a black eye. She tried to pull her hood back on, but Aqua brushed the young girl's hands aside. "Hey!"

"Sacred Heal!"

The young girl was frozen in shock as a bright light filled the area. She felt the aches and pains that had been plaguing her for the past week disappear, filling her instead with a lightness that she couldn't ever remember experiencing.

More than that, it was warm. Tenderly warm, like a gentle caress. Just that feeling alone was almost enough to bring her to tears.

"There, all better. Now, what were you saying?"

"...I don't have any money to pay for this."

"Don't want any," Aqua said. "If I did, it would feel like a job. If you really want to repay me, you could tell me your name. You don't have to if you don't feel like it, though."

"...it's Liliruca," the young girl slowly replied, though she wasn't quite sure why she did. "You can call me Lili. I…um…I live here."

"Eh? Then why are you outside like this?"

"I don't have the keys so I'm waiting," Liliruca said. "They won't be back for a few more hours. Lord Soma is in there, but he doesn't pay attention."

"So you're going to sit out here for that long?"

"I have to. I got some…money from begging earlier." She looked faintly nervous. "If I stayed there with that much on me, people would sometimes steal it, but they won't do that here. Not in front of my familia's home."

"Oh…" Aqua quietly said. "Is that how you got beaten up?"

"No, it's…" Liliruca abruptly closed her mouth.

"Wait, why are you begging? Aren't you part of this familia? This mansion doesn't look that poor."

"It… It doesn't matter. You should leave," Liliruca said, looking nervous. "If they see you with me, they might…" She paused for a few moments, trying to think up the word. "...do something bad."

"If they try, I'll give them a God Blow!" Aqua shouted confidently. "And if that doesn't work, I'll just tell Kazuma on them."

"You can't do that!"

"Why not?"

"Because…because…" Liliruca looked frustrated. "Because I said so!"

"It'll be fine. I want to buy some premium bubbly anyway so I'll talk to them at the same time. That's blowing up two stones with one bird!"

"Is a bird supposed to explode…?"

"I don't know, but if I ask Megumin, she'll do something about it." Aqua blinked. "Now that I think about it, you're half the height of Megumin."

"...I'm seven."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure!" Liliruca shouted, looking annoyed. "I'm a Pallum, okay."

"That's a little young for begging," Aqua commented. "Do you like to do that?"

"No." Liliruca shook her head.

"If you don't like it, why don't you stop?"

"I can't."

"Are they forcing you?"

"Can you just leave already?!"

"Why not come with me?" Aqua asked. "If you can't be free, why stay? I know an orphanage I visit that'll probably take you in."

"It doesn't work like that!" Liliruca stood up and stomped her foot. "I was born into Soma Familia so I can't just leave. They won't let me. If I try, bad things will happen."

"My Axis Church emphasizes freedom!" Aqua rolled up her sleeve. "I'm going to give this Soma a piece of my mind."

"W-what are you doing?"

"I'm going to break down the gate!"

"—I wouldn't do that if I were you."

The unexpected voice, a feminine one with a seductive undertone, was enough to cause Aqua and Liliruca to notice a third person was standing near them. With a long cloak that covered her body and a hood that obscured her face, she was no doubt a suspicious person.

"Who are you?" Aqua stared at the stranger warily, moving slightly so that she was in front of Liliruca.

"Oh, forgive me. Sometimes, I forget." The woman raised her hands and pulled off her hood, revealing a face that was so beautiful and divine that it would have taken everyone's breath away. Except that her sole audience was a child too young to understand and a mortal who didn't seem affected in the slightest since she was still staring suspiciously at her.

Liliruca gasped. "Goddess Freya of Freya Familia!"

"Who?" Aqua looked confused.

"You don't know? How could you not know?!" Liliruca looked incredulously at Aqua. "Freya Familia is one of the two strongest familias in the city!"

"Okay," Aqua said blankly—placatingly—before turning her gaze to Freya. "So why shouldn't I bust down the gate?"

"If you do so, it'll give them a casus belli to challenge you to a war game," Freya explained. "Eris Familia is not ready for something like that. While your familia is strong, Soma Familia has both numbers and desperation on their side."

"So I should do nothing?"

"If you truly care, I could do something for the child."

"Oh, if you can, that'll be great!" Aqua paused as she remembered something. "Wait, I still have to get my bubbly from him. If I'm going to do that anyway, I can talk to him about Lili while I'm at it."

"I have wine at my mansion if you like," Freya off-handedly mentioned. "The highest quality available. Both domestic and imported."

"Even Soma's wine?!"

"The ones that Soma Familia deigns to sell on the market," Freya said, leaving out the fact that she didn't have the ones that Soma wasn't openly selling.

"Then let's go right now!"

"Huh?" Liliruca blinked in confusion. "Oh… Good bye then…?"

"What are you talking about?" Aqua grabbed her hand. "You're coming along too!"

"W-wha?" Lili stammered in surprise.

The pallum could only flail about as she was pulled along to the taller woman's pace. Freya only smiled triumphantly in response as she pulled up her hood. Then, she began moving.

"Follow me. It's this way."

~o~

Authors' Note:

Icura: Like a white van with a free candy sign.

SFX: Just keep digging Kazuma, eventually you'll dig the hole so deep you'll climb out of it by virtue of reaching the other side of the planet.