Tanya's awakening wasn't a rude one, relatively speaking. Considering all the many other ways she had been rudely awoken in her life – Being X, gunfire, and explosions were among the most rude, though the night she'd tried out the Circlet of Greatness was certainly up there.

So, her last name being whispered was fairly nice.

The fact that it was not the face of her (hopefully soon-to-be) lover that met her vision, but the face of an aging man with bright red eyes prompted her to grab for the weapon under her pillow-

"Quit messing around. We have things to do!" he whispered loudly, ignoring the gun pointed in his general direction as he quickly jumped out of their wagon.

With a sigh and a few muttered words to a groggy Viktoriya – and wasn't it weird and amazing and so very very wonderful that she was sleeping right next to her without the excuse of extreme weather? – she rose from their shared bunk and shooed him away from the entrance to their wagon to get dressed.

Getting dressed and ready for whatever shenanigans Megumin's father had concocted took much longer than asking why they were up so early.

"Ah, well, I was having a drink with my friends, and they all thought my idea to prove you could handle the inner workings of the Crimson Demon's abilities was good, so we all went to Hiropon – ah, he's the mayor and the father of one of Megumin's other friends-"

She asked a question to get him to slow down. Without a fight or a cup of coffee to jolt her awake even she needed some time to shake off the last of her sleep. "You wouldn't be talking about Yunyun, would you?" she asked.

He nodded rapidly. "Yes! You know her?"

Tanya nodded and explained how she'd met Megumin and Yunyun. He simply laughed. "Ha, I thought that the two of them had been rivals, but then she starts to talk about you in her letters. What does she see in you?" he asked, part jovial and part curious.

Tanya smiled. "Oh, we ran into each other a few times, and I wasn't as impressed by her magic as she wanted," she began. It wasn't even a lie, she just wasn't mentioning that Megumin had learned Explosion magic. "She ended up badmouthing my magical abilities because I'm not actually an Archmage-"

Tanya blinked as Hyoizaburo stopped in his tracks. She fought the urge to sigh or curse herself out – was she really going to have to work even harder just because she hadn't taken that job?

She looked over her shoulder to find that Hyoizaburo was giving her a curious look… until he shook his head. "I suppose you'll just have to work even harder to prove yourself, then!"

She nodded, affirming his idea while wishing she had just bit the bullet and asked Revi or Iris to help her out. If she explained her situation, would they have really broken off their friendships with her…?

Some more idle conversation – a promise to see the sights of the village herself when she had the time and a suggestion to check out the village's pub – carried them to a meeting spot atop one of the forested hills around the village.

They all introduced themselves flamboyantly – one owned that pub, another was the best potion maker in the village, and yet another was one of the most powerful Crimson Demons… who worked as a farmer.

She had almost let a skeptical look escape onto her face when she'd remembered the ridiculous nature of food in this world and acknowledged that even if he was boasting, it probably wasn't as far from the truth as she first assumed.

They all marched to the next hill over – and they could all keep up with her, despite her usage of her Reinforcement spells to increase her speed – and things seemed like they would go fine – Hyoizaburo and his friends treated the affair as their morning walk.

When Hyoizaburo mentioned that she wasn't a proper Archmage, however…

"Pah! I thought you said we'd be seeing something interesting! If she's not even an Archmage-"

"Actually, I know equivalent spells to Detonation and to Blast."

That got their attention. "Really? An Adventurer can learn those?"

She nodded. She wasn't about to lecture them on the finer points of how the job worked. "They are some of my most useful spells, though not the only ones I know. I could give you a demonstration."

There was a debate, for a bit, on whether they should. Tanya's concern that it might wake people this early in the morning was not shared by Hyoizaburo or his friends – the mysterious 'BMM' apparently used similar spells whenever the town was in danger.

No, they were more concerned that she didn't have a proper target. Watching them debate what exactly she should fight was, in all honesty, amusing – quite how she imagined tourists felt going to another country and seeing people quibble over things they found inconsequential.

But she really would like to get things moving – she wanted to have everything wrapped up in time for Viktoriya's birthday party in around a week – so she made a suggestion of her own.

"Why don't I go attack the Orcs?"

Her words did accomplish one of her goals – all of them had stopped bickering lightheartedly to stare at her incomprehensibly. She merely raised an eyebrow at their looks – didn't these people throw spells at the Demon King's castle for fun?

While his friends laughed her suggestion off, Hyoizaburo looked at her with a troubled expression. She merely raised an eyebrow at the group.

"Although you mock my suggestion, I am not joking," she began. The three of them quieted down as she began to pace. "I can think of a few reasons you might not want to fight them directly. Perhaps they do trade with you all. Perhaps you fear their resistance to your magic and their physical prowess. Perhaps you see them as a good way to distract the forces of the Demon King or the monsters that assail your town. Perhaps you find the idea of attacking them to be ignoble or dishonorable."

She shrugged and stopped pacing, staring intently. "Regardless of your reasoning, you have justified, to yourselves and to those around you, that allowing a group that explicitly seeks to rape and murder innocents to continue their existence is okay."

"Even if you won't fight them, I will before I leave here, because it is the right thing to do." She finished with a flourish.

As they stood there gawking at her, she did admit that she had some ulterior motives. Killing them would give her plenty of experience, for one thing, and taking on an enemy that the Crimson Demons found difficult to deal with would hopefully increase her 'worthiness' in the eyes of Hyoizaburo and the rest of the town.

But mostly, this was about doing the right thing and getting as close a revenge on that worthless communist as she could.

Of course…

"If they promise to change their ways, or if any of them haven't done the horrible things Orcs are known for doing, then of course they can be spared. I'd rather not fight if I can avoid it," he allowed. Absolutely none of the information she had managed to find on the Orcs suggested they would change their ways if given the option, but she would certainly like to be surprised.

She was startled out of her musings by the sound of clapping. "What a good speech! It sounds just like you're a valiant hero getting ready to cast your opponents down!"

The rest complimented her in a similar fashion… and her suggestion on who to attack was ignored. They instead settled on the top of the next hill over being a good enough target…

Though she showed off a few spells before moving on to the main event – not the ones she wasn't sure existed here, like her flight or illusion or chemical conversion spells, of course. She didn't have the slightest clue how the Adventurer Card had 'every' spell an Archmage could learn if hers were not in the list

Her Reinforcement spells were almost completely ignored. Apparently they could infuse their mana into their body to increase its strength, which explained how Megumin was able to outperform Kazuma physically… besides his own lackluster physical abilities.

Regardless, it was a technique that wasn't technically a spell, and something she would work to replicate, if only to deepen her knowledge of this world's magic.

After that, she moved on to other spells. Her Voice Amplification spell was used to spook the wildlife around them and compared to those Voice Amp items the guild had, her Napalm spell reduced a tree to ash and was compared to a weaker Inferno spell, while her Sharpen Blade spell…

"It's so cool! Can you make it another color besides teal, though? Maybe gold-"

"No, red, Crimson, would be the coolest color!"

"Obviously not, you fools! Purple is unique and befitting of-"

Her protestations that she could not, in fact, do that were met with disappointment… until she'd muttered that she didn't have the skill points to spare. Hamihura, the best potioneer in the village, gave her a few Skill Up potions to see it.

Though she had balked – those potions cost tens of millions of Eris! – he had been insistent. She had taken them and watched the group of four practically drool over how 'badass' she looked wielding a glowing purple or red blade.

Finally, however, they moved on to the main attraction.

"Enchant Bullet: Artillery Shot!" she called out as she aimed at the hill Hyoizaburo's friends had designated as her target.

Her spell got some clapping and appreciative whistling… not exactly what she was used to but she'd take it.

"For you to be capable of so much while being completely ignorant of the finer points of Magecraft… it's simply astounding!"

She raised an eyebrow. "What am I lacking?" she asked. She'd already seen that, when you ignored how Chuunibyou they could act, the Crimson Demons had quite a bit of knowledge about being a Mage. If they had any worthwhile advice or-

"Your attire for one."

Her polite façade of curiosity, put up to endure whatever tirade they went on, quickly morphed into genuine interest when they mentioned 'magical fibers' and the 'enhancing properties of a good tree.'

"My assumption was that Megumin's attire was chosen purely for its aesthetic value," she admitted.

Hyoizaburo rolled his eyes. "Well, that's obviously the most important part, but the stuff we just mentioned is a handy bonus, don't you think?"

It took all of her energy not to sigh tiredly. She quickly directed her exasperation into moving her visit forward by suggesting they march back to the village in double time.

They didn't know what the word meant, and she quite happily explained the meaning of that phrase and other military terms to an enraptured group of Crimson Demons. Honestly, she would have paid to have troops as interested in learning military jargon as these four back in the Empire.

As it was, their trip back was uneventful, and she counted the entire exercise as one more step towards attaining her goal.

-OxOxO-

Kazuma's dislike for that blonde twerp was starting to fester.

He'd woken up early to try and get some petty revenge on Degurechaff for forcing him to go to that 'Succubus' pub to avoid having to listen to her and her bimbo's attempts at sucking each other's tongues out, only to find that they were gone.

He'd quickly woken Megumin and gotten her help him – he mentioned their rivalry, the girl's refusal to treat Megumin as an equal, and her threats against him to not seduce Megumin. She'd raised an eyebrow at the last one, but when he'd framed it as her thinking Megumin wasn't an adult, that had fired her up and convinced her to trek through the cold morning…

Not that they'd ever managed to catch up to her. Just when they'd begun to hear her discussion with those other Crimson Demons, they'd taken off again, and when they'd finally caught up with them again…

They'd immediately turned around and headed back for the village!

"Maybe getting petty revenge isn't worth the effort," he mused on their walk back.

"No! As my rival, I must continue to try and outdo her! And you, Kazuma, will help me-"

"Sounds like a whole lot of work. Sitting around your parents house seems a lot easier," he said…

And that was true… but it would also be boring. There just wasn't as much for a NEET to do in this world… though, maybe he could exchange some ideas with the other NEETs in town? Perhaps they hadn't even heard of watching a glass of water melt for an aftern-

"Well… I guess you won't be able to sleep in my room until you convince her to…"

She trailed off, seemingly expecting him to speak up. He raised an eyebrow at her. "I'm not going to be baited that easily. Besides, I know that even if I did somehow convince her to keep her nose out of my business, it's not like you'd let anything happen."

"Wh- Wha! But, a virgin NEET like you should be salivating at the chance to-"

"A virgin NEET? Awfully high and mighty coming from the cheap knockoff of Degurechaff-"

"I haven't cast Explosion today yet. Kazuma, would you mind standing incredibly still for just a-"

-OxOxO-

When Tanya spotted Kazuma in the crowd, she couldn't help but shake her head as she walked towards him.

Apparently, Crimson Demons were capable of understatement, because Hyoizaburo had not told her Hiropon was turning her desire to get a few items from him and learn into the prelude for the Crimson Demon's winter festival. He'd assured her that they really didn't have anything better to do, and that keeping people focused on the festivities instead of causing mischief was a great idea.

Of course, it wasn't just Hyoizaburo, apparently. Kazuma had come up with the idea – clearly he was trying to prove that he could make commercially viable merchandise and had proposed this as an opportunity to do so.

She respected his drive to earn money, but she'd wished he'd talked the idea over with her. If he'd framed it as a threat, she might have even promised, for the second time, that he could have the opportunity if he didn't propose the idea so she could get things done faster.

Trying to threaten her would have blown up in his face when she got what she wanted and didn't have any reason to keep her word, of course… though, maybe he had thought of that?

Of course, she would do as he was and try to market her own items. No reason not to make some money, especially with how much the items were going to end up costing.

She slid right next to Kazuma. "I do respect your desire to make some money and prove that your ideas have merit, but making such a fuss of everything wasn't necessary. Still, if you sell some of my stuff at whatever stall you set up-"

"No thanks."

"I…really? If you think you'll do that well on your own-"

"What are you… man, you're stupid."

Tanya blinked in confusion, stopping her walk through the crowd.

She… had been insulted quite a lot throughout her lives, to her face and behind her back, but stupid was certainly a rare insult.

"I suggested the idea because it inconveniences you. Because I'm getting back at you."

"For what?" she asked. If this was about-

"You get isekai'd and end up with a girlfriend and I don't? You get to be governor of a whole city and I have to sleep in the stables? You have it easy compared to me – your teammates aren't trying to sabotage every quest you go on! It's unfair!"

He'd started out talking evenly, but at the end he was shouting at her.

He also sounded like a whiny bitch… but her conversation with him a few nights ago told her he probably already knew that. Telling him that or that he should just suck it up wouldn't defuse the situation… and while shrugging her shoulders and walking away might result in him feeling vindicated, he might also choose to keep doing stuff to inconvenience her.

So she tried something else.

"Okay. Go get a girlfriend then."

He blinked. "Wha-"

She spun him around and they kept walking – she wasn't getting into a screaming match in the middle of a crowd and ruining her reputation. "There are plenty of people who are attractive in this crowd, aren't there? Choose one and try to get some action."

She shrugged and pulled him along from staring at a woman who was bending over to set up her stall. "Or better yet, get one in Axel. Did you know there's some 'secret society' obsessed with protecting women's chances of marriage in Axel? I can introduce you, even."

He stuttered. "You- you had everything handed to-"

A flash of anger. "I've worked hard for what I've gotten, you snot-nosed teen, and the only 'help' I've gotten is shit I don't want from the cosmic entity who stole my first life away from me."

She let out a bark of laughter as she walked past him. "So, you want everything handed to you? Pray to Eris! She's the Goddess of Luck, and if you think you can do better than me with just Luck, then get down on your hands and knees and pray. Hell, pray to Being X! I'm sure you'll love being turned into a mind-addled sycophant like the last person who tried."

"I have more important things to do than debate the paths our lives have taken out how you think yours is unfair when you aren't willing to put in the work to make things fair."

She didn't need to turn around and look at him to know how he felt – the way he'd stopped walking told her that he was angry.

She didn't particularly care if what he'd taken away from what he knew of her life was that she had it easy. As she'd said, she had more important things to do than educate a teenager on his warped worldview…

Though, she wondered how she had misjudged his intentions so badly. She'd have to think that over when she had the time.

-OxOxO-

Yesterday had been… interesting.

The adventurers had wanted to leave to do something called a 'Monster Rush.' She had been curious about what they were talking about, and allowed them to do so in exchange for her being allowed to preach.

The Priests in the crowd of adventurers had been upset in the extreme, but the adventurers had been fine with the agreement – apparently, one of the smarter adventurers knew that Governor Degurechaff had passed laws allowing for anyone to practice whatever religion they wanted, or none at all.

That… lined up with what she knew. The girl was apparently beholden to some kind of berserker god, so passing such a law ensured she was in the clear legally.

After watching them do their Monster Rush – and having to resist the urge to destroy all of them with a single spell due to some potions, apparently – she had given her sermon.

It had felt just like the old days, when her followers were masses of humans instead of the forces of the Demon King. She'd gotten people in the camp riled up and even attracted a few people out of Axel – though that group had been more interested in her preaching about the benefits of slothfulness rather than the necessity of destruction.

The refugees had even been willing to hear out her vitriol aimed at Axel and Belzerg for abandoning them…

And then, earlier today, she had shown up.

Sure, the Mithril Foundation had suddenly gotten a lot better at their jobs, but what was more grating was an Axis Priest showing up in the middle of her second sermon and spouting off lies while she was trying to talk.

A Voice Amp had ensured Wolbach was drowned out by the Axis Cultists propaganda, and most of her potential converts had left – just as much because of what the Axis Cultist was saying as the fact that the Axis Cultist was being painfully loud.

Her decision to handout supplies to the refugees as they left probably helped too… not that those supplies were her's, of course. No, she'd somehow stolen it from her own camp…

And to top it all off, tokoroten slime had begun appearing in Axel at an unbelievable rate, meaning that people probably wouldn't even be close to starving over the winter.

She wasn't an adventurer, so she couldn't be hurt, and she wasn't even trying to leave. Wolbach's paltry attempt to get her prosecuted using a few spies in Axel – provided to her by Ragcraft in exchange for a few favors – had been rejected…

Because the land Wolbach was staying on was, apparently, part of a 'town' that had recently been founded named 'Axisel,' whose sole occupant was… that Priest.

It was, of course, just one more reason to hate that church of hypocrites, but she was wondering if she should have gone with Verdia's method of starving out a town economically…

-OxOxO-

A/N 1: If you'd like to donate to support me monetarily, gain access to the monthly poll, and gain access to my (very long) summary of the KonoSuba Light Novels, search for Sugarcane Soldier on the website of the Patrons.

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