Third Time's the Charm

by SugarcaneSoldier

Dying again was much more painful the second time for Tanya von Degurechaff, but what came after was intriguing, to say the least, and she was nothing if not opportunistic. Taking the opportunity presented by Aqua would expand her opportunities by much more than she could have dreamed possible… but why did the good have to come with so much insanity!

33. Dealing with a (Greater) Devil

Tanya was trying hard not to glare at the walls. Technically, she only had herself to blame.

She had neglected her hygiene routine for days, and she hadn't taken proper care of her self image in her rush to fix their Type 97s.

That said nothing of what her face and hands looked like after she rushed to construct a few dozen rounds of ammunition and, after pouring a few more skill points into Smith, a pair of actual grenades – the potato mashers, not the pineapple ones so ubiquitously understood to be grenades; she was still working on those. Honestly, she was somewhat thankful that Lorelei was doing this for her, but…

She felt her cheeks light up again as Lorelei readjusted her grip on her hair. "Hold still! I can't untangle all of this if you won't stop squirming!"

Lorelei, after seeing and comprehending just how filthy they had let themselves become in their week of work and during Tanya's usage of Smith, had insisted on taking a bath together.

Seeing Lorelei's… changes in person, as opposed to just hearing them described by Viktoriya and Lorelei, had been odd, and Lorelei's earlier description of her oddly shaped legs and fur hadn't done the real deal justice.

However, Tanya had managed not to stare enough – at either her additions or at either Viktoriya's or Lorelei's breasts – that anyone said anything, and Viktoriya's poker face was better than even Tanya's was. Lorelei didn't realize that Tanya found the situation just slightly embarrassing, and that Viktoriya found it even more so, Tanya assumed.

Lorelei had forced Viktoriya to leave so she could deal with Tanya's hair herself, and Tanya was now seated in the lap of the older woman.

"Hey," she began to ask as a question came into her mind, "how old are you? I should be… 17, I think, and Viktoriya is turning 25."

Lorelei hummed as she continued to untangle Tanya's hair. "I think that I'll be turning 21 pretty soon."

Tanya spun around, only to get a face full of tits. Her gaze flicked up to her eyes, and she fought to keep the blush off of her face by doing a bit of math as she continued the conversation. "What!? But you're taller than Viktoriya! Just how tall were you?"

Lorelei's thoughtful face quickly shifted into a sorrowful one, and Tanya winced. "That is, only if you're up for it. I shouldn't pry-"

Tanya turned back around with a sigh, and Lorelei continued to straighten her hair. "No, it's fine. I was… shorter than Viktoriya, and around a head taller than you are."

Tanya nodded, only to growl as Lorelei yanked her hair again. That was-

Then, Tanya stopped. No, this was supposed to be a favor. Lorelei was helping Tanya with something she didn't like doing.

Even if the beastman did have some ulterior motive in mind, she was still helping her.

Tanya sighed. She should probably apologize, but Lorelei had already said it was fine. Then…

"Lorelei?"

"Yeah?" she responded. The words almost got caught in Tanya's throat – what if Being X tried to target her? – but she ignored the impulse and said them anyway.

"You're a really good friend." Lorelei would be targeted by Being X whether Tanya said the words out loud or not, so this really didn't change anything on this front. Lorelei obviously already knew that she was a good friend, but-

Lorelei winced, and she was happy Tanya couldn't see her face. "I don't know about that."

She'd wanted to straighten Tanya's hair to figure out what piece of equipment Tanya was using to shield her mind – not that her hair didn't need to be thoroughly combed anyway. Lorelei thought it would be harder, but she was wearing a ring she had picked up in the capital.

The same one that had been on 'Iris' when they had swapped bodies, and Lorelei was fairly sure that that had to be the thing the Succubi had talked about.

She didn't have many other pieces of equipment that would count in that category, besides maybe one of those… magical pendant-thingies they both wore, but the Succubi hadn't mentioned Viktoriya having anything. Since they both had the pendants, the ring was the item.

Tanya, unaware of Lorelei's thoughts, felt her eyebrows crease. Maybe she didn't know she'd been a good friend, then.

She fought the urge to shake her head. "Nonsense. You know where our boundaries are, you're willing to take our advice when we think you need it, you're not a complete drag, and we've all helped each other do better in this chaotic world."

Lorelei was still quiet, and Tanya sighed tiredly. She really wasn't cut out for emotional affirmation – that was something closer to but not really Viktoriya's territory – but she would, as always, strive to do her best.

"Listen, I don't exactly give out the label of 'friend' lightly. I have met plenty of people that were good assets and acquaintances, but there are very few I would trust to defend me. Only two… of my superiors have ever made me regret trusting them," she said, knowing full well she was giving her a lot of information and hinting at her past.

She was going to tell her about their past, though. If they ever met an enemy that knew of her history – perhaps by being told by Eris or Aqua or Being X – they could try and trick Lorelei if she didn't already know.

Meanwhile, Lorelei was trying not to feel too giddy. Her old adventuring team hadn't dared to call her their friend, and their abandonment of her proved they weren't even good people.

Then she sighed and hoped that neither Tanya nor Viktoriya would think that Lorelei's attempts to see if they liked each other counted as betrayal.

Lorelei had gotten quiet for a bit, but before Tanya could spare another glance at the woman, she heard her… giggling, like she had that morning when she was looking at their pictures.

Tanya scowled at the memory. She would be putting Lorelei through training for that. "Hey, don't get all arrogant. Only Viktoriya's gotten enough friendship points for me to trust her with my life."

Lorelei's ministrations in her hair stopped, and Tanya fought the urge to facepalm herself. She just had to slip up about her first life when alone with Lorelei.

"What are 'friendship points'? I can guess, but who would actually categorize… anything in such a… simplified way?" she asked. She had a feeling this had to do with her life before she came to Axel, as did every other odd comment from Tanya and Viktoriya that seemed completely bizarre.

Tanya shrugged unconcernedly as she tried to figure out a way to convey her thoughts. "Ah… it was… you know board games, like chess?"

Lorelei rolled her eyes and began to work through the last of Tanya's hair. "No Tanya, I've never heard of such a thing. I am but an idiotic peasant, after all. Please, I beg of thee to lower yourself to bestow upon me-"

Tanya groaned even as Lorelei began to snicker. "Alright, alright, see if I ever try to clarify things for you again. Anyway, there were games, like chess, where your goal was to build up your interpersonal relationships with fictitious characters."

Lorelei was still confused. "But… wouldn't you have to play against someone else?"

Tanya tried to continue, sure that this analogy to video games would fall apart if pushed by the faintest breeze. "It was like… a choose your own adventure story, except with pictures."

Lorelei blinked, and then she shook her head while sighing. "Why didn't you just say that?"

Tanya shrugged. She hadn't exactly tried to equate her past memories to things in either of her last lives often, mostly because she didn't have to talk about such things. It was an… oddly new experience.

Hopefully, she wouldn't have to get used to it.

Lorelei rolled her eyes. "Well, whatever. You both can tell me about your lives before Belzerg whenever, but for now, we're done here."

Tanya blinked, and then she rose from being seated in Lorelei's lap. She felt the top of her head – that damn ahoge was still there. She moved her hands down to the rest of her hair to-

She spun around, only to realize that, based on what she was staring closely at, Lorelei had also decided to stand up. Tanya spun around to stare at the walls, which really weren't much better.

Tanya was fairly sure that Alderp, if he wasn't already confined to a dungeon and helping her, would have been imprisoned for the… images in the stained glass windows and positions of some of the statues.

They weren't, in any way, modest.

She cleared her throat as she made a mental note to have this room redecorated as soon as she had the money for it. "Where did all this extra hair come from?"

Her hair was now down past her shoulders. That was inexcusable, and she be cutting it as-

Wait. Her hair…

Tanya began to grin to herself. She could cut her hair as short as she wanted to, now! She didn't have any stupid Imperial regulations to control how short she could cut it!

She turned away and marched to the changing room. She definitely would!

Lorelei was staring between the statues and Tanya's retreating back. They were statues. How could she be embarrassed by statues?

A lot of statues, not just the ones in here, were naked, and even if these ones were a bit more… open about it more than most others, the fact that they were statues still stood.

As she dried off and changed, she wondered if Tanya's desires had always been this obvious, or if Tanya's Luck was just catching up with her. She shook her head and dismissed the idea.

Soon enough, they left. Tanya was going to go through her designs and do a bit of translating. Those books she'd gotten from the Royal Treasury were still waiting, and she wanted the money she would earn from selling them.

She ran into Viktoriya, who gasped upon seeing her. "Tanya! Where did you hide so much hair?"

Tanya shrugged. "I don't know, honestly. I haven't gotten a haircut or anything in a while, so I guess a lot of it was just… me forgetting to cut it and its natural tendency to knot up."

Viktoriya blinked and then shot her a radiant smile. "I think it looks good this long." She then turned back to one of the books Tanya was thinking about translating.

Tanya's open mouth – about to declare her intention to cut her hair – was stopped from speaking. Well…

How much did Tanya care about her hair, really? She'd had it longer for a long while, thanks to the military's restrictions, and while keeping it down to her shoulders was a bit much, she could let it be a bit longer than it had been, especially if it would keep Viktoriya's morale up.

"You know, you'll catch flies if you keep your mouth open like that," Lorelei said as she walked past her. She was going to try and buff out a few of the stains on Tanya's clothing before she retired.

Tanya shut her mouth with a snap and stiffly walked towards Viktoriya.

As Tanya sat down next to the woman, she remembered her promise to talk about her past. She scowled.

She really, really didn't want to, but if she didn't, she could get blindsided by someone reminding her of her past… like with that Axis Cultist, Cecily. She might actually fall into her memories and die if she wasn't careful. Or Viktoriya could, if she was around and she thought that jumping in front of Tanya might save her.

She spared a glance for her faithful adjutant and then sighed mentally. She would do it. Within the week, she would… talk, no matter how pathetic it made her feel.

She grimaced at the thought and then buried her discomfort under the translation work in front of her. She was doing this.

Eventually.

-OxOxO-

Tanya was currently in the room she had designated as her study. Alderp had used it for much the same purpose, because even he couldn't avoid all of his paperwork, although he seemed to have tried, with all the bribing, threatening, and forceful memory removal he did.

It had plenty of books on the walls that covered a surprising array of subjects for a noble.

For a Reincarnate, however, it seemed like just the right amount of information to help you blend in.

Tanya wanted a bit more room, mostly for filing cabinets for all the paperwork she would have to do. She'd give away some books – Darkness and the orphanage that doubled as a school would surely accept them – and sell off some others.

Of course, she also needed more room so Viktoriya could work next to her, instead of having to work on the same table as Tanya.

Still, Tanya got to sit nice and close to Viktoriya for now, so it wasn't all bad.

A knock on her door interrupted her thoughts. "Come in!"

Lorelei walked in, and Tanya scoffed. "Lorelei, you don't need to knock. Just come in, unless I've asked you not to specifically."

Lorelei scowled, but she did say what she had come here to say. "The guards say that a girl is at the front gate, asking for your help in 'vanquishing the horrible Demon.' She's accompanied by someone named Rex."

Tanya paused, and then sighed. Really? Now?

She had spent most of her early, predawn hours working to make more ammunition and other weapons. She was now attending to the paperwork she had hoped to get through today.

Or she had been. She sighed unhappily and then stood. "Fine. I guess we have no choice. Go out and talk to them for a bit, get a basic rundown on the situation. We'll change."

Lorelei nodded and sped off through the mansion while Tanya and Viktoriya hurriedly made their way to the changing room.

When Tanya had first come to inhabit the place, she had made sure, after getting the official tour, to ask Alderp if he had any secret passages or rooms.

Besides the one he was being kept in – now furnished with a bed, a dresser, and even a tiny magic refrigerator filled with beer and 'neroid' – he only had a few. His treasury had an escape route built in, there was a bunker underneath the dining room table if he thought the secret passageway had been compromised, and he had no less than three ways to peep on his servants.

She had not been amused, but she had diligently removed the magic mirror made to monitor the various rooms in the mansion, as well as the secret rooms behind a false wall of two innocuous closets that could let him watch a few guest rooms and the changing rooms.

Tanya shook her head as she slipped on her mantle. Honestly, why anyone would spend so much time and money on such things was beyond her, but-

"Colonel?" Viktoriya asked. Tanya blinked, but she slipped into Germanian easily enough. "Yes?"

"I thought we weren't going to fight Hoost? We still need to find the Aqua lookalike, after all…"

Viktoriya sounded unsure, and Tanya couldn't blame her. She thought the same thing. Unfortunately…

"I would very much prefer to wait, but I fixed up Rex. He obviously wants to try and take Hoost on again. They probably don't have much of a chance alone, and he's both useful and willing to work with us." She pulled on her boots and discarded the comfortable loafers that had been salvaged from Alderp's 'atrocious' taste in clothing.

Three guesses were allowed to guess who had wanted to burn half the things in his closest and sell the rest, and they didn't count if they weren't Lorelei.

"But…" Viktoriya trailed off. Tanya shrugged again.

"We haven't seen Hoost's capabilities yet. I want to get a gauge on his power, to see if we could take him if needed, and I want to figure out why the Demon King sent him without informing me."

Viktoriya nodded at the information, and both were dressed. Tanya gave her an appraising look and then smirked. "Well, are you ready?"

She nodded back. "Yes Colonel!" She snapped off a perfect salute, and they both stood there for a moment.

Then they broke down giggling. It was fun to remember some of the less horrible parts of their service.

After making their way to the room that had once been a ballroom and getting their main equipment ready – both carried around a pistol and a few knives, just in case – they were speeding through the halls of his mansion. They reached the large wooden doors that served as the entrance to the mansion proper and pushed past them.

Tanya was smiling for all of five seconds as she came to see the guards standing around. She glared.

Unlike Viktoriya, she was currently their superior. Unlike everyone she had ever been the commander of in the Empire or anyone she had fired in her first life, she also paid these people out of her own pockets.

Was it really so much to ask for a little bit of professionalism, especially in front of guests?

She sighed. It seemed she'd been putting off training the guards of Axel for too long. It also seemed that she'd be training her own guards next to the ones employed by the city and Lorelei.

She quickly brushed past them, and though they fell in line, they were trailing along as if they were out for a walk and not there to, nominally, protect her.

She came to the front gate and saw four familiar faces. Three were a bit more familiar – Rex and his teammates, Terry and Sophie – and the fourth she didn't know the name of.

"Can I help you?" she asked. She was going to have to help – she had a plan if she thought that the Demon King would prefer his subordinate alive – but she wanted to hear their explanation first.

It would be entertaining, if nothing else.

Rex and his friends seemed to be nervous, but they had nothing on the timid girl in front of her.

She had on an… array of clothing. The black cloak did little to hide the rest of her body, like her pink miniskirt, her leggings, her pink tie, and… well, her shirt might technically be classed as a 'low-cut' blouse, but Tanya thought that no sane business would let that fly in the workplace, unless they wanted to be embroiled in sexual harassment accusations.

Tanya shook her head and studied the rest of her. Black hair, red eyes, and the nervous look on her face and the way she cast her gaze towards the ground told her that she was probably the friend of the Crimson Demon she'd fined.

None of them responded, and Tanya merely raised an eyebrow. It seemed as if that was too much for the girl leading the other three, as she stepped forward. "I am Yunyun, a member of the Crimson Demon Village. We… were wondering if you would accompany us on a mission of grave importance."

Tanya nodded, waiting for more. The Crimson Demon seemed to freeze, for a moment, until the people behind her ushered her on. "The… the Greater Demon Hoost is threatening the city of Axel, and we want to be sure that we can destroy him before he causes any more problems, like his presence cancelling the Monster Rush. With that said, when I went to the Adventurers Guild to recruit Rex and his team, the receptionist there said that you would be helpful in taking him down."

Tanya sighed. While she had once told Rudersdorf and Zettour that wars couldn't be pinned on the shoulders of a handful of powerful individuals, this world seemed intent on doing just that.

And it wasn't like this world couldn't do that, with the frankly ridiculous magic and anime-obsessed teenagers that got regularly thrown into the world. She shook her head and stared into the eyes of the girl.

"And what makes you think you can win? I heard he beat back over a hundred adventurers at once. What could three more adventurers do to help fight something like that, especially when it's just four people that have been beaten by him previously?" she asked. She hoped that she wasn't just praying to a god or goddess that didn't exist, or-

Three of the people opposite of her winced and turned to Rex. They were clearly expecting something other than what they saw, though Tanya wondered what that was. She was just as confused as they looked as they all stared at Rex's defeated expression.

Yunyun shook her head and stared into Tanya's eyes, but Tanya's intense gaze forced her eyes downwards. "Uhm… well, we were going to have the aid of a silver-haired Thief as well… but we have a bunch of plans we can use in order to take him down!" She finished her statement by staring into Tanya's eyes.

She tried not to let too much anger flash through her eyes at the thought of Sioux's continued existence in this life, even if she was emasculated by not being anywhere nearly as powerful magically. She began to think.

Tanya sighed and stepped past the gates. Both Lorelei and Viktoriya followed, and she shot a glare at the guards. "If anyone, intruder or not, touches my stuff, it'll be your heads. Understood?"

Both snapped off the first proper salute she'd seen in three days and then turned back to her audience. She wasn't entirely focused on them, however, and she interrupted whatever they were about to say. "Did you say that the Thief had silver hair?"

At their collective nod, Tanya made a mental reminder to put a warrant out for her arrest. What Mary was still doing in the city when she had nearly killed Tanya, she didn't know, but she wouldn't hesitate to take care of yet another enemy.

Tanya walked towards the Crimson Demon. "Alright. Explain your plans. If you convince me before we get to the front gates, I'll help." She set off, and Yunyun blinked and strode forward to catch up with her.

"Ah… to be treated as an equal, as a comrade in arms, as a… friend… this is quite nice," Yunyun muttered under her breath. It was familiar to hang around Megumin, but this proved that she wasn't a loner who needed nobody!

Tanya turned to her. "Did you say something?" Yunyun, blushing madly, shook her head and began to explain. She quickly reached into a bag that Tanya assumed had been hidden by her cloak.

She pulled out a stuffed animal, and Tanya wondered if they really did have a plan, or if she would have to come up with something on the fly.

It wasn't like she hadn't had to do that far too much already, but she really wished she could have a bit more time for these things.

Apparently, her dissatisfaction was displayed clearly enough on her face, as Yunyun shook her head and tried not to blush by rubbing at her cheeks with her free hand. "No, this is important! Please-"

"I said until the gate. You might want to start talking," she advised the girl. She looked down at the ground again, tried to clear her throat, and then began to speak.

"Uh… Hoost has shown a lot of interest in my friend's… cat," she began. Tanya raised an eyebrow at her, and while she colored, she didn't back down. In fact, she continued.

"He… asked us to meet him and give him the cat in return for not harming the city. However, my friend-"

Tanya rolled her eyes. "Just say Megumin. I know who she is." Yunyun made a small sound of confusion, and Tanya snorted.

"I met her yesterday. Why are you acting like I've got some sort of grudge against her?" she asked. True, she didn't exactly like the girl for how much damage she had caused, but as long as she paid up, Tanya wouldn't have a problem, considering she had looked legitimately sorry for causing her trouble.

Yunyun seemed paralyzed by something, and Tanya sighed. "Please, continue. I assume you believe that that doll can trick him?"

She nodded and continued to explain the rest of the plan. They'd stand in the middle of a field near the area they had recently encountered Hoost and wait for him to come. If any monsters approached them, they'd call out to him that he had to leave them.

They'd then reveal the fake and proceed to use a variety of tricks and strategies to defeat him. He had a wing cut off by Mitsurugi, and Yunyun had spent over ten million Eris gathering materials and items to fight him.

"Why won't he just take it the moment he sees you? He had enough speed to blindside you all yesterday, and yet you think you'll be able to keep up with him today? Also, you're 'Plan F' sounds nice, but Demons as strong as he is usually have their real bodies in hell, right?"

With her every question, the nervous but courageous…

…Was she a woman or a girl or even of age, with breasts that large?

Tanya shook her head as she continued to break down. The Crimson Demon had lost all of that courage, and the other three were attempting to console her with platitudes about how she had taken down a bunch of slimes or something.

Tanya sighed, and reached out a hand to pat her on the back. "There, there. You have a good foundation, but there are a few things we should change, now that we're here."

The girl looked up, and Tanya winced. The girl was ugly-crying, with tears streaming down her face and snot leaking out of her nose. Still, Tanya kept trying to reassure her.

"Y- You mean it?" she asked. Tanya smiled at her, trying to hide her pronounced dislike of her current situation. "Yes. Just tell me about all the magic items that you got and where you got them, and I'll help you come up with ideas."

Rex, Yunyun, and the others all made sounds of triumph and declared that they'd beat this minion of the Demon King into the ground. Tanya was not unfamiliar with false bravado – her own troops had needed to use it many times to face the unending hordes of the Federation – and she joined in.

Meanwhile, Lorelei was staring at Viktoriya, who was staring at Tanya with a smile on her face. "Is something…"

She wasn't sure how to phrase the question, because she looked quite happy with Tanya's actions. There wasn't exactly a reason to be worried, but…

She seemed to come back to herself and looked to Lorelei before rubbing the back of her head. "Ah… it's just… she doesn't often show… obvious concern for the people she's commanding." She looked back at the others.

Lorelei blinked and then looked at them. Tanya hadn't exactly said she would be leading the other four, and considering they had come to her to ask for support, not leadership, she wondered how Viktoriya had come to that conclusion.

She was about to open her mouth and ask her why she thought that, but then she saw the puppy dog look on Rex's and Yunyun's faces. She looked back at Viktoriya, who was giving her a smug grin before looking back at them.

She scoffed. "Honestly… how did you know that would happen?"

Viktoriya shrugged. "Tanya's got a knack for it, she's… wise beyond her years, and everyone in Belzerg seems drawn to follow whichever adventurer happens to have the most power at any given moment."

Lorelei shrugged at her. "Hey, that's my country you're talking about. You-"

"The same country whose people despise you because of something you had little control over?" she asked her, still not looking away from the group in front of them.

Lorelei blinked. "Hey, are you okay? You're not usually so…"

She spun and stared at Lorelei. Her gaze didn't seem to contain any malice, but there was still something in the way she was leaning forward slightly as her hand drifted towards her oddly shaped staff. "Truthful? Overt?"

She was staring towards her expectantly, but Lorelei said nothing. She was thinking, and she wanted to see who Viktoriya was staring at. Eventually, she rolled her eyes and went back to staring.

While she was staring, Lorelei studied the trajectory of her vision, and eventually found her to be staring at…

Lorelei smirked, and she could only just bear not to laugh out loud. She was staring at both Rex and Yunyun, who were practically hanging off of Tanya in a manner Lorelei thought would be uncomfortable for the small girl.

She had a poker face that Lorelei doubted Eris herself could see through, but even her ability to hide her feelings on her face couldn't hide her intent gaze. Then Lorelei felt her eyebrows crease.

How had she missed this, and how couldn't they see that they loved each other? Did they think that friends or even family members were this protective of each other?

She shook her head. Well, people were surprisingly able to focus on or ignore anything they didn't want to think about. Neither Claire nor Rain had looked at her during Tanya's 'promotion' to Governor, and while that didn't feel good, it proved her right, in this instance.

She realized she was falling behind and made sure to quicken her pace. Now that she was almost entirely sure of their mutual attraction, she just needed the Succubi to confirm it for her. Getting Tanya to take off that ring would be hard, but maybe she could just ask the Succubi to do that?

She sighed. They had a battle coming up, she really should focus on that, though she did wonder what those two would start doing once they realized they liked each other. Or if the town would survive.

-OxOxO-

Well, this was it. She was going to get convicted of murder.

It wouldn't even be her fault, and she doubted she'd have to use her power as the Governor to get herself out of any trouble. It was just that understandable.

Yunyun had not stopped talking, and the verbal flood had picked up speed the moment Tanya had finished suggesting alterations to her plans and uttered the word 'friend.' She hadn't even called Yunyun her friend, but…

They got to the middle of the field Yunyun claimed they'd been fighting him in. She cast yet another glance back at Lorelei and Viktoriya. The beastman had been holding Viktoriya back from… doing something. She was about to order her adjutant to save her, but Yunyun finally stopped.

Tanya cleared her throat. "Alright, you guys know about the changes, right?"

As one, Rex's team nodded assuredly. She looked to Lorelei and Viktoriya, and while the former nodded with an amused smile that Tanya would wipe off sooner or later, Viktroiya seemed more hesitant.

Before Tanya could ask her anything, however, she got a hit on her Observation spell. She looked towards the distant tree line and saw the bushes begin to rustle.

"Shit! Yunyun, give me that cat. I've got one last addition." Yunyun, hesitantly, handed it over, while Tanya nodded and held it at chest height, slowly working to accomplish her task.

From the treeline came a hulking beast.

It was taller than Viktoriya would be if she stood on Lorelei's shoulders, and was wider than Lorelei was tall. It's arms were built like trains, and the horns on the side of its head, while pointed in odd directions, seemed stained a dark red that contrasted with the rest of its deeply black body.

Tanya blinked as it quickly came to rest twenty meters away from them. As Yunyun had predicted – mostly hoped, if Tanya was honest, because the Crimson Demon had approximately ten minutes of knowing the Greater Demon to base her assumption off of – he had no other helpers with him. He was staring intently at the cat in Tanya's hands.

Yunyun stepped forward. "Greater Demon Hoost! As you can see, we have brought your 'Lady Wolbach' before you. Please, leave this town in-"

Tanya sidestepped around Yunyun, ruining her admittedly fine speech. She had told her that she would hand the doll to the Demon and use his elation at getting Chomusuke – the cat's name – back to attack him with their opening attack.

Tanya, however, had different plans. Oh, she was working with the worst case scenario in mind – that was why she was slowly cutting the back of the plush open – but she would really rather end this peacefully, especially if this might get back to the Demon King.

Besides, Yunyun had been completely unreasonable when declaring that they wouldn't sacrifice a cat for the city.

Tanya would do that with a clear conscience, although…

She bowed at the waist. After that name Yunyun had called 'Chomusuke,' she wasn't sure if it was just a cat. "Greater Demon Hoost, my name is Tanya von Degurechaff. In case you are unaware, I am currently the Governor of Axel. I must ask you what your purpose here is. My friend over there explained it, but I would like to hear it from the… Demon himself."

Being so obsequious was a bit grating, but she was well aware of how long-lived beings with a holy alignment operated. She was guessing that a certain observance of politeness would work wonders on a similar being.

Besides, she wasn't getting thrown into another fucking isekai if she couldn't help it.

She looked up to see that the Demon looked troubled, though it was hard to tell with the horns and the lack of facial muscles.

She wasn't far off.

Hoost was currently staring at the girl that had claimed to be the Governor. She might have looked even younger than that other Crimson Demon, which would lead many unwise Demons to simply dismiss her as a child playing at her father's position, but…

She was powerful. In fact, she might even be a match for him one-on-one, depending on the powerful energies he could sense emanating from her funny hat and her bag.

That hinted that she was either related to the royal family or in possession of a Divine Relic. He really didn't want to have to fight someone like that, especially since his freedom was so close at hand. He quickly glanced at all the others.

The other Crimson Demon – the busty sprout with a tie – was standing in front of the people he'd attacked when he had mistaken that Rookie Killer for Lady Wolbach. All of them might be able to take him on if he had had a bad week beforehand, but he wasn't all that worried about them.

Their limited power reflected in the nervousness he could sense coming from them, although they all felt a level of protectiveness for the girl standing in the front. Interesting.

He turned his attention to the other two women. One was very easy on the eyes, possessing the nicest rack of those assembled. The other was… a beastman.

He fought the urge to chuckle. How amusing to see one on the other side of the war.

He drew himself up to his full height. This human, at least, understood politeness. Maybe he'd actually be able to make a deal and walk out of this without a battle?

"Greetings, Degurechaff. I am, as you know, Hoost. My desire is simple: I want possession of Lady Wolbach, the cat held in your arms." He leveled a finger at the cat that was definitely Lady Wolbach.

He could smell her and it had the symbols of her religion – a cross, oddly colored eyes, Demon wings – on its body. It must have been Lady Wolbach.

Tanya looked up at the Demon, disregarding the need to bow any longer. "Ah… are you speaking of the 'goddess' of Sloth and Violence, one of the fallen gods working for the Demon King and one of his best assets, when she isn't being plagued by lethargy?"

She had to ask, because the information Verdia gave her did not, in fact, contain any information about Wolbach being a cat. It said something quite contrary to that.

At Hoost's cautioned and curious nod, Tanya continued. "Mr. Hoost, I believe you are mistaken. My sources of information believe that Wolbach is working directly for the Demon King to find her 'other half.' She's participated in a number of offenses, but her first priority is, apparently, to 'reclaim her lost power.'"

Although Hoost's lack of facial features and generally intimidating appearance made it hard to identify what he had been feeling earlier, Tanya could say, with certainty, that she knew exactly what he was feeling over the next five seconds.

"Huh?" was the first thing he said. The tilt of his head and the way his entire body seemed to collapse, just a little bit, told her enough, but his tone hinted at just how confused he was. Utterly blindsided would be the best way to describe it succinctly.

"HUH?!" was the next thing he said, and she knew that emotion well as well. He was, in a word, apoplectic, and Tanya greatly sympathized with him, for no other reason than she too knew what it was like to not know the workings of something that claimed to be a higher power.

He closed the 20 meter gap between them in an instant. She could hear Yunyun and her friends cry out in shock, but Viktoriya didn't flinch. She'd have to-

His next word interrupted her thoughts. "Explain."

Tanya shrugged. "I don't know everything, but my source was highly placed. He claimed that Wolbach showed up at the Demon King's castle several years ago, willing to work for a being that technically ranked lower than her. She's been fighting against Belzerg for years, now, trying to figure out a way to reclaim her other half."

Hoost was frozen, and his mind was working overtime. He didn't even care that they were all retreating away from him a bit. He needed to think.

His orders from the Demon King were sparse.

The Demon King provided him a list of people to watch for and attack or kill if possible. The Demon King gave him promises that Wolbach was 'somewhere' out there, and the Demon King sent him money and magic items from time to time.

That was all.

He had been following the Demon King's orders so far because his first contact with the Demon had been in the wake of a failed incursion into Belzerg, and Hoost's presence had turned the rout into a manageable loss.

He had provided Hoost with a scant whiff of his master's scent, and he had been sent off to the Crimson Demon Village to release Wolbach. What-

He did not dare breathe as he realized the truth. He didn't need to do that anyway, but it was a reminder of his long forgotten past.

"He… he tricked me!" he cried out. He couldn't hold it in any longer, and he was already conjuring images of his revenge on that aging sack of bones.

"He wanted fucking free work from me! He wanted me to do what Wolbach obviously hasn't been able to do, and he wanted me to take down a couple of fucking Hero Candidates along the way, all without costing him a bloody Eris!"

He sank to his knees, muttering angrily. "Wolbach might even be in on it! She knows the rules of my contract, and it's possible she's trying to extend it by making me do this without her explicit order…!"

Oh, when he got back to that fucking castle, he was going to tear that decrepit fleabag a new asshole-

"Uhh… Mr. Hoost? I assume you aren't alright, so… is there anything else you'll want before you 'tear him a new asshole?'" Tanya asked, making sure to quote him.

The stricken look on his face confirmed that he had not meant to say that aloud, but he did eventually rise and sigh tiredly. "Whatever… I still want that cat. Even if she was trying to manipulate me, I am still her loyal servant."

Tanya scowled, acting as if she were thinking. She would like to get a bit more time, and an argument with Yunyun about actually giving the cat up might serve nicely.

However, if she publicly tried to argue that giving a fallen 'goddess' her other half back was a good idea, she doubted even her friendship with Iris would save her from the police.

Gerrard was nothing if not good at his job, and treason was probably very high on the list of things a noble's privileges couldn't save them from.

If she gave up the real deal, he would give it back to Wolbach. She was another self-proclaimed goddess as well as a potential ally, for someone in her situation. The Demon King would look on it favorably, but the death toll would surely mount with whatever power she would gain.

Yunyun stepped forward, and Tanya fought the urge to goran. "Never! We'll never give up Megumin's pet!"

The Demon's face grew severe. "Alright, then. If I must, then… I will take it by force!" He rushed forward, attempting to grab at the doll.

Tanya pushed Yunyun out of the way and allowed him to grab the doll, keeping a firm grip on a loop coming out of its back. He held it up to his face. "Oh, Lady Wolbach's other half! Don't tell her I said this, but you're kind of…"

He trailed off as he quickly realized it was fake. "How dare you attemp-"

His next word was, however, cut off by Tanya's grenade going off. It had been hard to stuff it in the back of the doll so quickly, but she smirked victoriously as she leveled her rifle at her next target.

"Reinforcement spell: Strength. Reinforcement spell: Speed. Reinforcement spell: Pain-Reduction."

Rex and Lorelei both gasped, and as Viktoriya applied the same spells to Terry and Sophie, Tanya smirked widely.

For once, Tanya wouldn't be shot at on the battlefield. She'd be able to stay safely away from the danger and let her allies take the beating, like what she'd done with the 203rd as much as she could.

Then she leveled her rifle at Hoost, who was shaking off his shock at the small cat in his hands exploding. She wouldn't be fighting him directly, of course, but she would enjoy three meat shields and a friend between her and the demon, which was quite a nice bit of insurance from behind which she could snipe him.

"Wh- Where is Lady Wolbach!?" he cried out, glaring at them. Tanya shrugged.

"I assume the cat's still in the town somewhere being guarded by the Crimson Demon that didn't come with us." He glared at her, and Tanya turned to Yunyun.

"Have you got your items ready?" she asked as she readied up an Explosive Detonation spell. The girl gave her a nod, and then Tanya turned back to Hoost. "Remember your roles, everyone. He's extremely dangerous, but most wounds can be fixed eventually, so preserving your lives is most important."

With that, the battle began. Lorelei, Rex, Terry, and Sophie all charged towards Hoost, shouting. He simply shook his head and raised up his arms, preparing to catch their blades on his tough skin.

Tanya and Viktoriya began to fire their rifles, muttering "Enchant bullet: Explosive Detonation" under their breaths. The rifles weren't automatic, but both of them had got a hell of a lot better at firing quickly, especially against the unending hordes of the Russy Federation.

BOOM!

The explosions tore into him and sent him backwards, and the four front line fighters continued forward, taking stabs at the demon's unguarded body. He quickly shook away his shock and sent them all flying with a swipe of each of his arms. "Why you-"

Yunyun raised up one of her scrolls. "Control Weather: Downpour!"

The once sunny sky was concealed by storming rain clouds, and Hoost rushed towards the three of them. Tanya and Viktoriya's guns kept him at bay, however. Yunyun began to mutter a string of words under her breath, until…

"Lightning!"

Her spell rushed from her silver staff and into the body of Hoost. The weather, according to the girl, amplified its effects. He cried out, and the other four ran up behind him and targeted his wounded wing.

"GRAAHH!" He threw them off of his back, and they retreated back to their original position. The squall of rain was dissipating, and Hoost raised an arm towards them.

"Take this! Light of Saber!" A great slash of blinding light flew towards them. The other four hit the ground, and while Yunyun seemed to be panicking, Tanya and Viktoriya stepped forward.

"Active Barrier!" Tanya had decided that voicing their spells would be necessary. It conserved mana, and Tanya wasn't arrogant enough to think that they could win a battle against an opponent like this without using a few tricks.

The light came into contact with her shield, and Tanya winced. That was as strong as any single spell Sioux had ever been able to dish out. Both dropped their barriers in an instant.

Hoost looked shocked, while Yunyun seemed to be making various noises of protest from behind them. Tanya sent a glare over her shoulder. "What are you all doing? We're not done yet!"

They jumped into action again. The front line fighters were slowed by the now wet terrain, but Tanya and Viktoriya's Reinforcement spells ensured they could continue to fight effectively.

And fight they did. The four of them danced around Hoost, picking at his joints – which were always weaker than other areas to allow for more movement, as far as armor went – as well as his weakened wing. Unfortunately, they were getting in the way of Tanya's firing.

He threw them off again, and Tanya took another shot at him, shouting "Explosive Detonation!" as she did. Unfortunately, he dodged her in time, rounding on Sophie and delivering a devastating blow to her shield that sent her and her defensive item's splintered remains flying.

Terry cried out. "Sophie!" He tried to go after her, but Hoost moved to intercept him.

Yunyun held up another scroll. "Arboreal Bind!"

Hoost's speed worked against him as he was sent flying as he was tripped up by the grass that covered the plains they were fighting in. He missed both Terry and Rex, who was currently berating his teammate.

"You'll have time for that afterwards! Focus, you idiots!" She shouted at them. Both nodded to each other and faced Hoost once more. He raised his hands as if to cast another spell.

Tanya and Viktoriya took another two shots at him, but he weaved between them both. "Fine, how about this, then? Inferno!"

Yunyun paused her chanting to hold up another scroll. "Magic Canceler!"

The scroll began to curl and smoke, but Hoost's spell didn't appear in the air. He shouted angrily, but he did end up charging both Rex and Terry. Lorelei dodged out of the way, but they were forced to take his attacks head on.

Tanya pointed her rifle towards Sophie. "Heal. Viktoriya, try some of this world's more… conventional magic. We need something that has a wider area of effect."

The woman nodded, and, when both Rex and Terry were blown back, she aimed her rifle. "Create Water! Freeze Gust!"

Both spells formed and flew towards him. He was doused with water, and while he seemed more annoyed than hurt, he was quickly covered in a layer of ice as the water from the squall and Viktoriya's Create Water allowed the spell to take hold even faster.

Tanya quickly sped over to Sophie as Yunyun charged up another Lightning spell. She was breathing steadily, and her wounds seemed shallower now. Tanya reached into one of her many pockets and wrapped a bandage around the wound on her abdomen.

She turned back to the fight and grimaced. Terry had been sent flying, and Lorelei was now favoring one of her legs. She sped back over, quickly running through the chant Lynn had told her to say. "Lightning!"

He was shocked again, and Lorelei and Rex both charged in. But-

"Ha!" he recovered from the pain – he had been faking it, then – and sent a double handed blow into Lorelei.

She was also sent flying, and Tanya quickly shouted "HEAL!"

She focused on Hoost. Lorelei had good armor, and she would survive, especially after Tanya's spell. Still…

She glared at him as he began studying the last four of them. Rex stood between them and Hoost. Yunyun was chanting under her breath. He stood up to his full height, glaring at them.

"If that wasn't Lady Wolbach, then I have no reason to continue. Teleport!"

Yunyun raised another scroll. "Magic Canceler!"

He glared at her, and his gaze seemed to be looking at something far, far in the distance. Tanya took the moment to cast another Heal. He sighed and shouted, "Fine then."

Yunyun finished her chant as Hoost charged again. "Lightning!"

It hit him, but he shrugged it off. "No! Let's see how you deal with a less direct attack! Earthshaker!"

Tanya fought to keep her balance, for a moment, before she rose off the ground by a centimeter. She looked around and saw that both Yunyun and Rex were rolling on the ground, trying to protect their heads, while Viktoriya had managed to stay standing.

"How? You can't dodge that, it's an earthquake!" He complained. Tanya shrugged and fired another round at him, hitting him in the neck.

He cried out and covered it with a hand and backed away while Yunyun and Rex recovered. Yunyun thrust a hand into her bag again, offering both Tanya and Viktoriya opaque rocks. Tanya recognized them.

She shook her head. "We'll be fine." She gawked at them both, but Tanya just shrugged. "We've fought battles that have lasted days. This is nothing."

True, this world's spells were horribly inefficient compared to the formula from her second world, but that was what happened when you forced magic to work instead of doing the proper math.

She did make a mental note to start carrying around those 'Magic Canceler' scrolls as well as some Manatite. There was no telling when those could be useful.

Hoost seemed ready to keep fighting. "I'm not done yet! Fireball! Fireball! Fireball!"

He tossed a few Intermediate spells at them, forcing them all to dodge.

Tanya frowned. He could tire them out a lot faster if he limited himself to weaker but easier to cast spells, especially with how he didn't seem to need to chant to activate them.

"Active Barrier!" Her shield went up without a second to spare as more Fireball's impacted the barrier. Viktroiya's went up a moment later, and they waited.

She turned to Yunyun. "We'll take some of that Manatite, actually." Relieved, she passed both Tanya and Viktoriya a chunk of the crystal. Tanya drained the mana from it and then looked off towards the side. Sophie and Terry were both getting back up.

He kept up the onslaught for a moment, but then the other two jumped on his back again, slashing at his already wounded wing. He cried out and tried to shake them off. Even as they were sent away, Tanya began to fire again. Yunyun finished another chant, and a bolt of electricity arced towards him again.

He was panting now. "You… those buffing spells were very effective. They hardly did any damage that time… perhaps I should move to take you out…? No, they'd get too many good hits in, and victory wouldn't be assured…"

He stopped speaking out loud as Tanya continued to fire at him. "Would you stop that? Those hardly do any-"

Tanya ignored him. "Enchant bullet: Piercing spell. Enchant bullet…" she was about to say 'Artillery spell,' but she had another idea. Perhaps…

"...Lightning!"

She felt a big drain on her mana, but the bullet streaked towards him. The electricity was delayed, for a moment, but she could tell the moment it went off.

He was sent to one knee, and his wing seemed to be twitching violently. Tanya winced – that couldn't have felt good – but she continued to fire bullets, enchanted with Piercing spells or Explosive Detonation, into the wounded Greater Demon.

Viktoriya was right by her side, while Yunyun threw the occasional spell at him. Just as he seemed ready to collapse…

"NO!" He shot up, propelling himself upwards with his wing. Tanya could barely track him, but she saw Terry and Sophie go flying, their arms bent at odd angles. He then sprinted towards Rex, grappling with him.

Tanya used the moment to reload her rifle and look around. Lorelei was still down, Rex was getting beaten, and Sophie and Terry were also down. Yunyun was running out of items, but…

Rex was thrown towards them, and Viktoriya caught him using a Reinforcement spell on herself to catch him and set him on the ground. He was panting.

"Damn it. I would usually have finished off such trash by now, but your stupid buffing spells are too damn effective. I'm only a quarter of the way through my health, but…"

He raised up his hands. "Go to hell! Inferno!"

Yunyun hurriedly grabbed another scroll from her bag. "Magic Canceler!"

Again, the paper shriveled up, and again, Hoost's spell failed to materialize. He cried out angrily, complaining about Crimson Demons. Tanya however, was focusing on the double tap on her right shoulder Viktoriya had given her.

That meant one thing. She had detected something on her Observation spells, still held up on the off chance Aqua took the chance to attack them.

They were being watched, most likely by Aqua. She activated an Observation spell, and she found the source coming from something standing off towards their left. She glanced behind her, staring directly at the spot, but…

Nothing. She couldn't see anything there, but she knew something was standing there. Was it that Priest they thought might be Aqua, or was it someone else?

She shook her head and focused on the fight. Hoost was beginning to get tired, but he still rushed forward. Rex raised his blade, but…

"Ha!" Although he blocked on hand, the other hand had snaked out and delivered a blow to Rex's arm. He cried out as it was broken, but he still managed to hold onto his sword.

Tanya turned towards Yunyun. "Use Plan Flash!" She nodded, and Rex nodded too.

Hoost glared down at them. "What now!? You've been playing tricks right from the start, but to so brazenly announce your intentions…!"

He charged forward, once more aiming for Rex. As everyone closed their eyes, Tanya began to activate another spell. Yunyun shouted "Flash!"

Hoost scoffed. "Ha! We demons don't see with our eyes! This body is just for temporary-"

"Sharpen Blade!" Tanya had explained to Yunyun that their plan to use Flash wouldn't work. However, they had also come up with a way to use it as a distraction anyway.

Tanya's Reinforcement spell sent energy into her legs as she ran behind Hoost and used her rifle to slice into the back of Hoost's right leg. She could hear the arrogance in his voice fade as the pain caught up with him.

She quickly rejoined the other three, staring at Hoost. He was now favoring a single leg, and…

Now! Strike him down! Kill the blemish upon his holy land-

Tanya growled. That voice was still pleading that they justify their every action as being in the service of that jumped up celestial flunky. She closed her eyes, shook her head-

And he looming over her, clutching at the wound she'd inflicted. "What was that spell? I've never heard of anything like it!"

Tanya looked to Yunyun. "You've still got one last item, right? Use it now, while he's weak."

Yunyun nodded and reached into her bag, drawing out a potion. Hoost charged forward again. Tanya readied her shield, preparing to take him on and to continue to ignore that stupid voice in her head.

"The rest is up to you!" Rex threw his sword at Hoost as he charged, and he was momentarily stunned.

Tanya was too. What idiot would toss their weapon away like-

But it was too late. Hoost deflected the sword off his facial horns and then sank his clawed hand into Rex's guts. He turned to Tanya.

"Active Barrier!"

He raised his arm, Tanya stared him down, and-

"Paralyze!"

The expression of pain-fueled anger was washed away. "Ha! You're a Crimson Demon, and you don't know this? To those of us with extra lives and false bodies, Paralysis is…"

He stopped talking, and Tanya smirked. He was completely unable to move. Yunyun began to speak. "Paralysis is useless against demons is something I am well aware of! After all, my study results were Number Two in class!"

Tanya continued to smirk at the demon, whose face seemed unburdened by the magic locking him in place. His eyes shot to Yunyun, glaring. "Perhaps you would like to withdraw? Without your front line fighters, you'll never kill me before I am released, especially if how defensively you have been fighting is representative of your attacking prowess."

Yunyun was silent, and Tanya scoffed. "Come on, Yunyun. I'm sure we can end him quickly. What do you say?" She turned to look at the Crimson Demon, only to find that her eyes were looking as far down as they could, with her head pointing at Hoost and… locked in place…

Ugh…

Tanya's eyebrows creased, while Hoost began to chuckle. "Oh, you Crimson Demons! I'm not good with dealing with you people. How did you even manage to Paralyze yourself?"

Tanya glared at Yunyun and saw her break out into tears again. "I- I don't know! I got that potion from the last shop I visited! A beautiful lady told me 'this potion will enhance the area of effect and the power of Paralysis.' It was even a cheap price!" She shouted the last part, and Tanya sighed.

"Did she have red hair and purple robes?" she asked, not including the 'large breasts' part of Wiz's innate description in her question.

Yunyun nodded slowly, and Tanya sighed. "Well… I suppose, if you had someone that could actually move you away from battle, that wouldn't be a bad potion." Tanya illustrated the point by stepping back from Hoost. Viktoriya followed her, shrugging at Yunyun's surprised face.

Hoost sighed. "Well, I might not be able to deal well with Crimson Demons, but I know humans well enough."

He turned his gaze to Tanya. "How about it? You all can run back to the town and fetch Lady Wolbach, and I won't be forced to hurt your friends."

Tanya, still glaring at Yunyun, turned to meet Hoost's gaze. She shrugged. "Hurt them all you like. I don't really know those four, and my duty is to protect Axel. Adventurers are well aware of the dangers of taking on monsters of all types."

Everyone made sounds of varying confusion, while Viktoriya slapped Tanya on her shoulder. "Tanya!"

Tanya turned to the woman, almost amazed that she had the audacity to… scold her – she wouldn't have dared to do something like that back in the Empire.

She smiled. It was nice to see that she felt Tanya was more of a friend than a superior. "Well… I guess we'll have to dissuade you from the idea that you can enter Axel while threatening to burn it to the ground."

She reloaded her rifle once more, and she turned to Viktoriya. She raised her eyebrows and smirked. "No Visa?"

The woman blinked, but she too smiled. "No Visa!"

They turned to Hoost, who was looking quite a bit more concerned, despite being frozen in a position of attack and malice. "Hey, w-"

"Fire at will!"

Their bullets couldn't be dodged, not at this range, and certainly not while he was paralyzed. They targeted the few weak points in his frontal defense – his neck and waist, mostly, but they also made sure to target his shoulders and elbows. A minute passed, where the only sound was their rifles and the grunts and, eventually, cries of the Demon in front of them.

After a minute, Tanya couldn't do any more. They were running out of bullets, and this reminded her far too much of some of the things she had been forced to do on the Eastern Front.

She sighed and shouted. "Cease fire!"

Viktoriya followed the order, and they both stared at Hoost. The areas they had targeted were looking quite…

Tanya frowned. They were cut and bruised, but hardly any of the wounds were bleeding. "I thought Demons were supposed to be physically weak?"

His face twisted into an ugly glare. "And this hurts like Heaven! It might not look like much to you, but I'm built to take physical damage! Even this much is unprecedented, and-"

Yunyun suddenly shouted out, and Hoost too stood up, glaring at them and no longer paralyzed. Tanya frowned – mostly at herself for letting him monologue – and he sighed. "Look, I really don't want to have to, but I'll start taking hostages if you don't let me go."

He looked into Tanya's eyes, which didn't waver. Viktoriya, however, sent a glance towards Lorelei, and Hoost's attention turned to the beastman.

Tanya gave Viktoriya a skeptical look – she was supposed to have a good poker face – and Hoost turned back to them. "Come on. We can-"

The sound of a flapping piece of cloth interrupted the hulking Demon, and he turned to look behind Tanya. Viktoriya turned to look and Tanya, after watching Hoost's face for a sign that he was playing a trick, did so as well.

Yunyun began to talk from behind her, the fact that she was standing next to an unrestrained Greater Demon forgotten. "Ugh!? Where… where did you come from!?"

Hoost also seemed wary of her, if the stiffening of his body was anything to go by. The other Crimson Demon, as if she had practiced it before, tilted her head and uttered, nonchalantly, "That beast can't move anymore? Hi. I'm a passing Archmage. You people stand aside. I'm going to have a good time."

Tanya blinked, even as she began to back away. "We knew you were there the whole time. Your presence due to the 'Invisibility' spell you were using were apparent to anyone with any amount of mana. You even cried out after we used that Flash spell."

She ignored Tanya's words, as did everyone else. Rex, who was grasping a roll of bandages – probably borrowed from Sophie, who had made her way towards Rex and Terry – cried out.

"You are…"

He trailed off for a moment before gasping. "The Mage who couldn't back up any of her boasts! What are you doing here? It's dangerous." He was trying to warn her.

Tanya turned her gaze to the barely-sitting Rex. "Have you been here for the past few weeks? She's been using that stupid Explosion magic, and she's got a million Eris debt to prove it."

Yunyun now spoke. "…Megumin?"

Again, as if she was making a speech to an audience of hundreds and not talking to exactly eight people on an open and deserted plain, she began to shout. "Last night, I forgot my daily use of Explosion magic. When I was about to get out of bed, someone used Sleep magic on me…"

Yunyun yipped unhappily. "You… you… you were awake?! Wait, were you awake the whole time?"

Megumin ignored everything they were saying and pointed her staff at Hoost "Therefore, the magic power from yesterday was entirely wasted… I'm currently looking for a good target to use magic on…"

Tanya turned to Viktoriya, who looked just as concerned for the sanity of everyone involved as Tanya did. She sighed. "Clearly, they haven't yet realized that letting an opponent get time to think is a bad idea. Viktroiya, start casting Create Water and Freezing Gust on Hoost so he can't move at the last second, like he was clearly planning to do."

His gaze turned to her, clearly shouting something about betrayal despite the fact that Tanya wasn't on his side, but Viktoriya was already hard at work, putting the Type 97's dual cores to use in easily using both spells at once. He was quickly covered in a thin layer of ice that Viktoriya continued to build up.

Tanya, meanwhile, was moving Lorelei behind Megumin. She was currently breathing, but she hadn't yet regained consciousness like the other two.

The decision took only a moment to make. "Heal."

Her breathing became a little less labored, and Tanya grinned triumphantly. She went about moving the other three as Hoost begged for his life and Yunyun yelled at Megumin for tricking her and Megumin continued to make a speech to a whole eight people, most of who were too weak to be able to reliably remember any of it.

Rex seemed particularly upset about something, but Tanya just rolled her eyes. "Chin up. If fighting battles is really your thing, I hear that there are going to be a lot of undead on the frontlines and here in Axel as well."

He seemed to stiffen as she carried him like a sack of flour, but she placed him down next to her friends. He began to insult Megumin's lack of ability as Tanya got Yunyun behind the Crimson Demon.

Finally, Megumin seemed almost ready to finish things. "This is it. My finishing move – Explosion magic!"

Just as Tanya was about to order Viktoriya away from the struggling Hoost, Megumin continued to speak. "Yes! It is more powerful than any weak Detonation or Blast magic! Where they can only crack rocks, my magic can do more than anyone wielding those paltry spells."

She was almost… no wait, she was definitely staring directly at Tanya. She just raised an eyebrow, and Megumin glared at her and turned to Hoost. Tanya felt the magic being released and-

She turned to Viktoriya, looking between her and Megumin. She couldn't hear her that well with all the rushing magic and ice and-

"Hey, wait! She's not-"

Hoost seemed to be trying to mutter something through the ice, and Tanya looked at Viktoriya as she looked at Tanya and Megumin. Her eyes widened.

"VISHA!"

Tanya made a decision. She pointed her gun. "Enchant bullet: Explosive Detonation!"

The blast hit the ground between Hoost and Viktoriya, and sent Viktoriya sprawling. Hoost was knocked free of his frozen prison.

Before Tanya could rush forward to get Viktoriya, a hand grabbed onto her ankle. She turned to see that Rex was grabbing her, and before she could shake him off-

"EXPLOSION!"

From her scepter – whose floating-orb thing was glowing – issued a bright beam of light. It rushed to meet the ground where Viktoriya and Hoost had been. Several circles appeared around the ground she stood on and in front of her scepter, and the explosion detonated.

BOOOOOM!

A great column of fire was sent skyward, sending the already sprawling Viktoriya and Hoost farther away. Smoke billowed from the explosion, and the entire plain – as well as the walls of Axel – were brightly lit by the great light. Tanya was distracted from her worry for Viktoriya for a few seconds by the sight…

She shrugged at the explosion and the triumphant look the Crimson Demon was giving her.

"Meh."

She was technically able to cause that much destruction on her own, but she needed either the Type 95, the Circlet of Greatness, or a casting time that was at least double that of Megumin's to gather enough mana into a single spell.

Besides that, she and the 203rd, when they'd finally caught up with those Republican rats, had done that much, in addition to their exploits everywhere else.

Hell, that tiny speck of force had nothing on the weapons of war conceived of by men and then dropped on her first homeland. It just wasn't all that much, compared to everything, especially considering how long it took to charge.

"Wh- What do you mean, 'Meh'? You don't get to dismiss my achievements like-"

Tanya glared at the girl, who was now on the ground, having worn herself out. She was about to give her a lecture on just why she didn't care about this Crimson Demon – the least of which was that Tanya could avoid an attack that telegraphed and then literally wipe the floor with her tired body – but she had more important matters to attend to.

She turned to the six people looking at her and smiled apologetically. Or, she smiled as apologetically as she could when Viktoriya was wounded, which wasn't much above a sneer. "Sorry, everyone, but you are all out of this fight, especially since he survived."

Megumin piped up again. "Of course he's alive. You blew him out of the way."

Tanya looked down at the insignificant speck at her feet and then glared. "If you had killed Visha, I would have taken great pleasure in ensuring the demise of you, your family, and the village of idiots that share your bloodline."

Before she could say something that enraged Tanya enough to deliver on her promise, she waved her rifle. "Sleep."

As one, the tired and weary defenders all dropped into unconsciousness. Tanya took a deep breath and then turned, sprinting towards where she could see Viktoriya's body.

If she was hurt, the speck would face more fines for using her spell without following regulations again. If she was dead, Tanya would parade her corpse around on a pike until the flesh rotted away and exposed her heretic bones to the air.

She shook her head and leaned down, resting Viktoriya's head on her lap. "Heal. Heal. Heal."

Casting it multiple times didn't really help Viktoriya any more than if she said it once, but it was cathartic. Slowly, the woman's eyes wavered open.

"Colonel…"

Tanya smiled down at her. "Hush, Visha. I'll defend you."

She struggled. "N- No. I've got to help you. Please…"

Tanya shook her head. "Stop, or I'll have to cast Sleep on you." She considered her options and then stopped resisting. Tanya looked up to see Hoost staring at them.

"You… I might have survived that spell, even though I was close to half of my health. I am, however, alive, and you are alone. Please, let me retreat."

Tanya stared up into Hoost's eyes, and then took a deep breath. He would be returning to the Demon King with news of this battle.

If she found out and revealed that Aqua was in town, she would have to defend it from the Demon King. That was her job as Governor, and she quite liked this posting far from the frontlines.

If Hoost thought that Tanya was hiding anything from the Demon King, the Demon King would consider ignoring her advice, and… someone in her position would have to fight against a prospective employer. She really would rather not, and so…

She sent a mote of mana spiraling up through her soul. "Fine, Hoost. You can leave, but let's make one thing clear: you only leave because I have chosen to let you."

He tilted his large head, even as the mote of mana traveled towards the artifact on her head. "Really? Because from where I'm standing-"

She cut him off by letting the mana of the Circlet of Greatness flood her with mana. She grinned, placing her bag under Viktoriya's head as she rose.

Take up the weapon the father bestowed upon you and strike down this scum on the heel of his holiness!

Tanya blinked and looked at the bag. She could. It would be so much better if she was at full strength, but…

She smiled softly at the relaxed expression on her adjutant's face. No, she would let her rest and drive him off. This needed to be done quickly.

She stood up, taking her rifle in hand, and floated into the air with nothing but a thought. Hoost's expression, which had been wary, was now downright scared.

Tanya didn't let her own confusion show. She wasn't concerned about Hoost, of course – she would be able to deal with him with as much mana as she had now – but she was instead concerned with the rifle in her hands.

Namely, it didn't feel like it weighed several hundred pounds, like Iris's present had the last time she had used the Circlet. It was possible that her strength had grown in the last few weeks, but she was sure that her other stats would have increased as well.

She shook her head. She would look at her Adventurer Card later. For now, she turned her attention to Hoost.

He finished his earlier incomplete statement. "…you clearly have the upper hand in any negotiations, so I'll just leave. Is that alright?"

He was bowing low, and though that wasn't excellent– he should be licking the dirt off your boots and begging for the swift death of the father's divine presence – it was enough.

"Go back to the Demon King. Tell him that the person he's currently working with – that's me, in case you haven't realized why I'm letting you live instead of smiting you in the name of god – has let you continue your existence," she decreed, only slowing her speech slightly at the twinge on that contract she had made.

She continued on. "Also tell him that I am sorry for helping you realize that you were only his pawn, and that the… most recent Hero Candidate is as strong as Wolbach at their full power."

He nodded again and spread one of his wings. She tilted her head. "Heal."

Before her eyes, her mana went to work repairing his damaged wing but ensuring the wounds on his shoulders and hips and neck remained. He seemed mystified, and then turned to look at her with a question on his lips.

As Tanya began to rip away that first mote of mana from her Circlet, her face fell.

Hoost never finished his question, and his face fell too.

That face was, of course, attached to a head, which came to rest in front of Tanya. She cast furious glances between the head and the body that collapsed into the dirt.

Four people that had been previously unseen were revealed. She slapped a grin over her anger as she realized who was there.

Mitsurugi, Darkness, Cecily, and…

She glared. Mary. That silver-haired harlot was showing her face? She must really believe that the stupid luck 'goddess' could protect her, because she wasn't getting away without that much power behind her.

Cecily grinned at her, oblivious of her anger. "Hello, my- I mean, Governor Degurechaff."

She glared at the… woman was all that she could call her without getting the urge to run her through for what she had said and done and reminded her of yesterday.

She shrank back, and Tanya looked to Darkness with a raised eyebrow.

"Ah, to be glared at so fiercely… perhaps you'll let me take the place of-"

Tanya rolled her eyes and then looked to Mitsurugi, who smiled. "Hey! Yesterday, after you left, this Priest healed me and Darkness up. Her faith in Aqua is apparently stronger than any of Eris's Priests."

Tanya smiled, trying not to let her anger become obvious. All of them were opposed to the Demon King, and she couldn't let them figure out that she would actually let him go. "Wonderful! I knew that I could count on you guys."

They seemed confused, and Tanya just raised an eyebrow. "What, you thought I couldn't see you coming? No, I know Darkness's mana signature very well, no matter how weak it is. Thank you all for surprising him like that. I didn't want to put the town at risk," she said, lying shamelessly.

They all nodded, and Tanya glared at 'Chris.' It would be amusing to watch her do acrobatics to weasel out of the crimes Tanya was going to pin on her, the least of which was arming potential terrorists.

They had, after all, attempted to murder someone that had been instrumental in saving Axel from that Undead Mage. If it hadn't been for her, more people would have died.

She smirked. She didn't enjoy killing, and she was, chiefly, a man who preferred peace and stability to war and death. In this instance, however, she would take satisfaction from making sure that she was hanged.

Maybe she'd even reinvent the guillotine for the occasion?

-OxOxO-

A/N 1: And so, The Explosion spin-offs are done and dusted. Hoost has been killed, and it seems we might have another fight coming soon. Tanya continues to misunderstand Chris, and Lorelei continues to trek towards the conclusion that Viktoriya and Tanya are equally unsure and completely blind concerning their mutual love.

Anyway. I hope you all enjoyed. We're coming ever closer towards the end of my stockpile and towards them (finally) realizing that they're better off together and in bed than any amount of emotional distance away from each other.

A/N 2: Apologies to all! Chronicles of an American Woman by Seng2 is located on Archive of our Own. I forgot to add that.

A/N 3: Responses to Reviews:

Harmless Orange:

CH 030 Comment: Not exactly the reaction I was expecting, but I'll take what I can get, I guess.

woodxvii: Exactly what I was going for.

indbrony: I do have a vague idea for the end that involves listening to 'Pure Imagination' as Tanya and Viktoriya reaffirm their love despite the struggle before the song cuts to Kazuma and co. getting up to their usual bullshit.

DNWorks: As Isekai Quartet has shown, if she didn't take so long charging up to be cool, Tanya would probably consider her beyond her without Being X's help.

And, concerning Hoost… yeah, he was fun to write. And if you think you've seen the last of him? Since when has death stopped Demons?

SuperiorFreak:

CH 029 Comment: See, this is why you all should be writing it. I hadn't even thought of that, and now I'm going to work it in somewhere. Thanks!

Navarone2013:

CH 030 Comment: I suppose that I… have been a bit presumptuous. I keep assuming that readers have combed through the KonoSuba LN's with the world's finest comb. It summons a random monster, and Alderp was lucky enough to get a Duke of Hell, even if he doesn't know it.

Oh, and of course I serve the glorious institution of the Soviet Yunyun that would make even Tanya consider communism lol

CH 032 Comment: While Viktoriya calls her Colonel, she technically achieved the rank of Major-General, even if she didn't have much time to use it before getting barbecued.

Enigmatic47:

CH 030 Comment: They will, don't worry. Now, as to whether I, a friendless loser who makes Yunyun look like a highschool gossip, can write a convincing relationship is up for debate, but I hoping to – and researching in order to – avoid that.

ErrorDataExpunged:

CH 030 Comment: If you remember way back to when Tanya and Viktoriya finally looked at their kill counts on their cards, they give an exact number.

wolf girl811: She would need a very big bribe or a good reason. She may or may not get those eventually.

Pyromania101: Chapter 36 is when we get a scene – him meeting her – from his perspective, while Tanya and Viktoriya and Lorelei will scout him out during the Cabbage debacle in the next chapter.

I mean… I don't remember her exact words, but her reason for leaving Axel and Megumin and Rex's party had something to do with wanting to learn advanced magic…

On that note, the idea of a necromancer Yunyun just entered my mind.

Tylermech66:

CH 031 Comment: I have considered the idea before, and it would tie in with the glimpses of Being X and Eris here and in the Omakes. I might do something with it, but I think I'll leave that idea to the No Game, No Life Crossover that I can't seem to find.

Melodias el Dragon: Sure! I'll take a look, but I warn you that I may not quite understand everything. I don't speak any other languages than English. Still, I'll give it a shot!

xbox432: I think that I have had her undergo quite a bit of change between the invasion of the Russy Federation, but she is a bit more… invested in those around her, shall we say, in the manga than she is in the Anime.

And uh, remember: that whole thing about treating beastmen like that is purely conjecture based on the Eris and Axis cult's ideals, and that he is not well-informed about them, as any airheaded isekai protagonist would be concerning the more duplicitous actions of his allies.

TheRangerBoy: Huh. I had assumed as much – it's probably just a general insult that means lazy in Belzerg – and you are right that it would likely mean something different.

However, if it did have its own meaning in the language of Belzerg, wouldn't that be translated by whole language they had put in their heads?

AsTheGlassMelts:

CH 001 Comment: Fuck. Well… yes, the math checks out. Despite using a purely mathematical scale for the power of that thing, I didn't actually do the math. I could have had Tanya think she's outsmarting the gods, and I didn't do it.

Well, all I'll say is that have 10% Luck makes a hell of a difference compared to having 10% strength… but her Luck is already shit, so it…

Ugh… please, don't look at me.

CH 006 Comment: Wait, what do you mean Canonically? What did I miss? I thought those two were about younger siblings and cousins?

Jesus, you're giving me a heart attack… but continue to do so if I'm missing anything else.

Father Chaos: I KNOW! It's amazing to write mutual pining – which I definitely didn't look up the definition of just to be sure.

121698: After I begin posting a side story that I have in the works – which is different from an Omake, trust me – I might make an Omake for that.

Oh, and before I go…

Neogoki, sailormage, setokayba2n, Sprengkamp, woodxvii, Xemnahort, and Ruroni209 have requested it, and so…

IT SHALL BE! Expect a Pokemon Crossover to come eventually, I do not know when! I suppose when my muse strikes my over the head and takes the pen from my hand.