Chapter 2

A 'Goddess,' a NEET, and a Crimson 'Genius' walk into a bar and meet a Diablo Dragon; what could go wrong?

Let's see. XD

A Week Later.

It had been a week since their shared goblin quest, and it suffices to say that the duo Ruler and Caster were very compatible with each other since Issei and YunYun were able to help each other become stronger in different areas.

Issei was the fighter and helped YunYun learn how to be more assertive and confident in herself after hearing how the other members of the Crimson Demon Clan treated her just because she didn't act like a delusional Chunnibiyo but also didn't even bother befriending her made Issei disgusted at how a village turns its back on the village chieftains own daughter and even her father didn't help all that much with her social life.

Also, having to spend your birthdays alone reminded Issei of when he was alone when Irina moved away. That caused him to be a social outcast since others never bothered to approach him, so Issei decided to help YunYun conquer her loneliness and prove to her that they were truly friends, such as taking her to a nice cafe to enjoy some sweets and tea.

Going on a few quests has been excellent for their bonding since YunYun was also enjoying Issei's company. He didn't care about her being an outcast from her village and actually enjoyed her company, granted other parties wanted her to join. Still, her actions made her a bit of a mess, thinking they'd dump her after they had finished their quest.

YunYun was also surprised to see that Issei was not only a Ruler but from another world with Ddraig in the Boosted Gear, which amazed YunYun so much that she asked Issei if she would be willing to make her his student, which Issei denied and suggested they help each other since both of them needed help in different areas.

Issei promised to help YunYun with her social skills and combat training. In contrast, YunYun would help Issei with magic training since he's never actually used magic before and mostly relies on combat with the Boosted Gear.

Which leads to now. Issei was in the backyard of his home as he practiced one of the spells that he asked YunYun to teach him. The spells that YunYun had on her skill card truly amazed but given the fact that he only had his Saber and Caster forms unlocked, it was difficult for him since he couldn't use YunYun's spells in those forms except the ones blessed to him by the Gods who gave his forms those powers.

YunYun's list of spells amazed Issei since he had many ideas on how he could combine the spells with the Dragons Flames technique that he used, which was one of his two magic-based attacks.

Issei decided to use his experience points to learn Beginner and Intermediate Magic from YunYun.

Issei learned to Create Fire and Water since they would be useful when traveling, and they needed magic to either light a campfire or clean water.

As for Intermediate Magic, Issei decided to learn Fireball, which he modified as Burst, which basically fired the Fireball. However, it also took the Explosions effect and created a wider range.

Freeze Gust and Lightning were excellent options for Issei, but he modified Freeze Gust into a new type known as Heat Wave, which allowed Issei to not only create a wave of warm air but also make it easier to burn his enemies.

Lightning was fun for him since he had an idea from a game that he played back home and modified the spell to a chain effect, so instead of just shooting a single lightning bolt, it goes through multiple enemies and targets.

Sleep, Unlock, Paralyze, and Flash were sent to Issei's Assassin form since the spells were perfect for that class since Assassins were stalkers in the night that needed to be fast, efficient, and deadly.

However, the more advanced spells were odd since Issei's caster form accepted the Light of Saber spell as well as Energy Ignition since the two were powerful against demons. With Issei's Caster form being blessed by the God of Light, their power was maximized for full power.

Cursed Lightning and Cursed Crystal Prison were strange ones since they didn't seem to suit Issei, so he skipped those two as well as Lightning Strike, which took a little too long for his liking, as well as Bottomless Swamp since it also didn't suit Issei's fighting style.

Now, the results for the spells Inferno, Tornado, Teleport, Silent, Light of Reflection, and Control of Weather were mixed.

Apparently, Issei's partner enjoyed the Inferno spell since they were able to make it much more powerful that they recreated it into a new attack known as Meteor Strike, which was basically making the Inferno spell into a massive attack that would be sent at the enemy from the sky and explode.

Tornado was actually very useful since Issei had a fun idea from anime back home and decided to use it to allow him to get higher if he couldn't use his wings, which also led to him unlocking his Archer form that allowed him to use a special ability called Tornado Shot, basically is an arrow that flies with the speed of the wind and the destructive power of a tornado.

Teleport, Silent, and Light of Reflection were excellent spells Issei learned for his Assassin form. Still, his Teleport was also kept in his base set of skills, which worked well for him, but YunYun also warned him that it would only work if he placed a marker on a specific target, so Issei only used two—one at his home and the other in town.

Control of Weather wasn't exactly useful to him, so he skipped that one, but on the plus side, YunYun explained how it would be very useful for her more than Issei since she had a feeling of Issei's fighting style.

Issei was also amazed he was able to unlock his Archer and Assassin form, which meant he now had four of the seven classes that he needed before he could use Ruler Class.

YunYun was amazed by this and helped Issei fine-tune his classes since the Gods of the world blessed two and two, which were normal.

Issei also seemed to notice that when he unlocked his Assassin class, his skills from both the Assault Ants and Goblins, except for Low Poison Resistance, were gone. Ddraig then explained it was because when he unlocked the class with the spell, his Assassin form got rid of any that would be useless.

YunYun explained that it was also why she was an Arch Wizard. She could use some warrior spells like Lights of Saber as a sword, but she couldn't use warrior skills such as one- or two-handed swordsmanship or decoy.

This made sense to Issei since some mixed classes would allow you to have skills that are perfect for the user in battle, which impressed Issei before the duo decided to head to town and see if there were any interesting quests that they could take that would be a challenge.

Issei, in just one week, rose from Rank E to B almost immediately due to the many higher-ranking missions that the guild master allowed. Yunyun was also able to rank C, which makes sense since Yunyun was ranked D but was denied a promotion because she always left any group after the quest was done, which was due to her low self-esteem and social skills.

YunYun was a bit embarrassed by her old self, but Issei reassured her that she was rather adorable when she blushed, making YunYun smile and thank Issei for being so patient with her despite her quirks.

"So what kind of quest should we go for now? That last one we had was fun facing those groups with One Punch Bears and White Wolves." Issei asked, which made YunYun giggle since the mission was basically an extermination mission to clear out a group of bears and wolves that were causing trouble for villages near them but when Issei and YunYun got there, the two groups were shocked by two legendary adventurers since the names Issei and YunYun earned among monsters were the Crimson Duo.

A deadly crimson-eyed beauty followed a warrior with the eyes of a demon and a crimson aura that petrified anyone to think they were facing a dragon.

The bears and wolves begged for their lives to be spared, which shocked the duo until they learned that the bears were forced to flee their home due to a Troll and his army taking over their home, which led to Issei and YunYun helping them out and defeating the War Troll.

The One Punch Bears and White Wolves were so thankful that they offered the two a chance to join their clans, but the two denied the offer, saying that they just wanted to help the people and that if they could help the monsters, then what was wrong with that?

This made the clans cry tears of joy and amazement as Issei and YunYun were known among the monsters as merciful creatures. Also, Issei and YunYun didn't want to kill them since they never actually harmed or killed anyone. They just wanted to be safe in their homes and not draw unwanted attention.

The duo continued heading to the guild to see that it was not so busy as usual before they looked at the Guild board to see that there were some odd ones for the Adventurers Board.

1. Looking for a party member: the current party consists of a Crusader and Thief at the moment, preferably looking for a brute and violent new member; any class is fine.

2. Looking for a party member, the current party consists of a Magician and a Priest. There are three members at the moment, including a top-tier class. I sincerely want to save the world by having a crusade against the demon lord; even novices are welcome. How about it? Shall we save the world together?

3. Recruiting: the team consists of a super beautiful and outstanding Arch Priest and impolite weakest class hikiNEET, who wants to carry on a journey of Heroes and take an exciting and happy, risky adventure with the super beautiful and outstanding Arch Priest guided by the Goddess of Water herself? Hurry and join us! The condition to enter the team is only limited to a top-tier class (And agrees that the Eris Cult is a Cult of the heathen).

This made Issei and YunYun tilt their heads a bit since they all seemed to be...How do I say this without being rude?

Issei groaned at the three since the first one. The first part is very normal, but at the end, what's up with the brute and violent part?

The second one was very normal, but was it a crusade against the demon lord? It seems a nice objective, right? But this is Beginner City, so why would a beginner want to crusade against a demon lord this early on?

As for the third one, there were words needed to point out the weirdness.

Issei realized that this world is pretty weird for some obvious reason, first YunYun's case, and now this...

One thing Issei found out about this world was that there were a bunch of cults that existed there. The most famous ones were the Eris cult and the Axis cult.

The Eris cult is the national religion of the Belzerg Kingdom; people believe in Goddess Eris as the one who controls the fortune of this world or goes by the name Goddess of Fortune Eris.

It also controls some of the life and death that happens in this world; that's also why the Eris cult is the most famous; even the currency named after her is Eris currency.

Now, as for the Axis cult, that was infamous for the opposite reason, which meant they were known for their notoriety, and their followers were known to be having some screw loose or just plain weird in the head.

Their followers will stop at nothing for their missionary job, from fraud to appeal, etc. What's worse is that they always slander the Eris cult, such as the evil cult, heathen cult, crazy cult, etc. They will even smash the windows of the Eris church and beat up the believers of the Eris cult. This is also why some people thought the Axis cult belonged to the Demon Lord because of their notoriety.

It's also why no one is willing to get involved with the Axis cult; now Issei knows what he almost got himself into back then when he just arrived in this world.

When one of the citizens of said cult told him that the Axis cult should bring him salvation, that little girl with the pamphlet, if he recalls correctly, also had an Axis cult symbol on it. It made Issei believe that a member of the said cult is the one who posted the third request is one of the Axis cult members.

Then, while Issei was still thinking about this post, he heard the rowdy voices of a man and a woman. Since the guild is mostly empty at the moment, that voice clearly stands out.

At a wooden table located at the corner of the guild hall, a man and woman are sitting together. The man is about 16-17 years old, average, looking young. He has short and slightly spiky chestnut-brown hair and green eyes. He wears one set of sportswear unexpectedly because Issei knows that in this world, there's no sportswear like what the man is wearing now. In Issei's world, that's a common outfit, but in this world, he never saw one.

The young girl thought it was quite beautiful. She has a slim figure with ample breasts, long legs, and blue waist-long hair that is partially tied into a loop with a water-molecule-shaped clip. Her clothes carry a blue color scheme, and her ordinary attire consists of a vest, detached sleeves, thigh-high boots, an extremely short miniskirt, and a transparent underskirt.

The man was talking to the girl at the moment and didn't seem pleased at all.

"You unexpectedly really post that kind of request on the bulletin board?" The guy said, having an incredulous look on his face while looking at the girl.

"What's wrong? Admires my outstanding style very much? If an envious man such as yourself wants me to teach you, then of course. So long as Kazuma kneels here while loudly shouting, "Please teach me, Aqua-sama" I will teach you!" Said the girl, who was quite a beauty, but it was ruined by the rampant domineering expression she has right now.

The response of that Kazuma guy to the girl is a slap in her head with a loud PAK! Sound.

"It hurts! What are you doing!?"

"Ha!? You're asking what I am doing. Naturally, try to fix that head of yours. Who knows, maybe after you hit your head, it might be fixed! Admires? Admires your head! What envies? Envies that you said, "The team consists of a super beautiful and outstanding Arch Priest and impolite weakest class hikiNEET"? Such words want me to admire and envy? You useless Goddess!"

"I'm not a useless Goddess! I am a super beautiful and outstanding Goddess of Water! You are impolite and the weakest class, hikiNEET! Who died because of shock caused by a slow-moving tractor!"

" ...Very good, it seems like it should be time to discard you, this useless Goddess; I will change the requested content into "Arch-Priest for sale, does not need to provide any food, only needs to sprinkle water for her, regards as raising a grass than it's alright" you just wait here for me."

"Aaaaahhhh! Was I making a mistake? Was I making a mistake? Kazuma-sama! Kazuma-sama! Please forgive me!" Saying that the super beautiful and outstanding Arch Priest lay on the ground, cried while holding onto the legs of the youth, and got dragged along with the youth who want to head towards the bulletin board.

Issei and Ddraig had the urge to get out of there quickly because he felt that if he got involved with this duo, then both he and YunYun would have to deal with this odd duo.

When Issei wanted to walk out of the guild, he saw a girl suddenly show up at the entrance and then drop down in front of him. The small girl on the floor looks like a 12-13-year-old young girl. She had shoulder-length dark brown hair. She wore classical witch attire such as a black cloak with a gold border, choker, wizard's hat, fingerless gloves, and carried a black staff.

When Issei wanted to walk past the girl, she suddenly grabbed onto Issei's ankle with a "...Hey" sound. She proceeded to say. "You see a beautiful young girl fall to the ground. Generally speaking, you should check and see if she's okay and offer some help... Right?"

This made Issei's face twitch a lot, and he tried to calmly answer with a forced smile due to many annoying people trying to rip off either him or YunYun, which pissed him to no end, making Ddraig so proud of his partner.

"Excuse me. But think of me as a passerby. I'm quite tired today, so I'm sorry if I can't help you. What's more, you give me a very troublesome feeling for some reason. Now, can you let go of my ankle, please?" Issei said as he tried to leave, but the young girl suddenly grabbed onto Issei's legs, just like that blue-haired girl had done to Kazuma, and she started crying out loud while saying,

"We just met each other! Even if you don't want to help me, it is fine. But what's up with that definition of 'I give a very troublesome feeling?' Can't you see that I'm a very beautiful young girl!? she has quite a beautiful face." The girl shouted, and Issei admitted that she seemed a bit cute since she had fair skin and a light complexion with a touch of naivety on her beautiful face.

She wears an eye patch on her right eye for some reason, though.

[Ohhhh! Interesting. I'm quite surprised by her eye color. It's-!]

"Almost the same as YunYun's," Issei said at the same time. The blue-haired girl also recognized the color of her eyes, and both Issei and she asked at the same time while looking at her crimson eyes.

"Eh? Are you a Crimson Demon Clan member?" The girl suddenly stood up straight and introduced herself while making some silly poses, kind of like what Yunyun did when Issei met her.

"Indeed I am! My name is Megumin! My calling is that of an Arch-wizard, one who commands explosion magic, the strongest of all offensive magic!" The group became speechless after she did her introduction until the blue-haired girl broke the silence by saying

"I had not thought that I would unexpectedly run into the Crimson Demon Clan person here; this child also has a top-tier class Arch-wizard; it's a good opportunity! We must get her on our team. Kazuma!" Aqua said before Megumin suddenly dropped down once more.

"Hau~ In brief... Please give me something to eat. I haven't eaten for a very long time." Megumin said before her stomach made a huge growling sound. After saying that, it was a hungry beast growling, which made all of them speechless once more. There's another voice coming from the entrance.

"Ise-san~! I've done my preparation. Sorry for the wait!" YunYun said as she came from Luna's desk. She had a happy face and waved toward Issei.

"Ohhhhh! Beautiful... and BIG!" Kazuma said while drooling after seeing Yunyun 'assets' bouncing up and down until he suddenly felt a chill coming from the glare of Issei, and he started sweating buckets. Hurriedly looked down because he felt if he kept staring at this new girl, then he might lose his life once more and for good this time.

Yunyun saw Megumin, who was on the floor. "Me-Megumin!? Is that you?" YunYun was surprised to see her 'rival' here. "Wh-what happened to you? Megumin!?"

YunYun starts panicking after seeing Megumin on the floor and tries to shake her around.

"U-ugh! That annoying voice... Yu-Yunyun?"

"That's right, Megumin, it's Yunyun! What happened to you!?"

"I-I haven't eaten for a long time," Megumin said as her stomach growled once more.

"Ah..." Yunyun looked towards Issei. "Ise-san! Please help Megumin!"

[It seems we have no other choice but to help this Megumin because your friend is looking at you with teary puppy eyes.] Ddraig said before chuckling at his partner.

"Fine..." Issei sighed before nodding.

One of the tables in the guild had a bunch of food served, and Megumin was eating all the food with gusto as if she were eating like a starving ghost. She took a whole piece of meat inside her mouth like it was nothing.

At her opposite, Aqua can also be found chugging down food and alcohol at the same speed as Megumin, and when both of their mouths are full, they keep chugging food after food and drink after drink, like they are afraid the food and drinks will disappear if they don't eat it fast enough.

Issei and Ddraig found out the blue-haired girl's name after she introduced herself in her own...special way. "I accept your offering, mortal! This Goddess of Water Aqua-sama shall give you her blessing!"

Aqua proceeded to eat the food he bought like nobody's business, which left the others at a loss for words after seeing them both like this. Yunyun, who sat beside Issei, also became speechless seeing her 'rival' eating like this.

Kazuma was lamenting the unfairness of this world. "Obviously, these are two bishops! Obviously, they are two bishoujos! Why! Why!" Kazuma lamented to himself since he didn't dare to look at Yunyun openly because of Issei, so he tried to ignore Yunyun as best as he could because he didn't want to die once again. He can only lament his fate after seeing the only two girls who are 'free' in front of him.

Issei and Ddraig had to agree on his lamentation. Obviously, these two can be considered a beautiful girl, but all that is ruined by their attitude and demeanor. Thankfully, Issei got Yunyun here, who's pretty 'normal' compared to the two of them. Issei started to appreciate Yunyun even more after comparing her with these two...women.

"U-um Megumin... Eat slowly..." YunYun said to advise her 'rival,' but Megumin just ignored her advice and still ate with gusto, and after a while, they finally finished eating their food.

"Finished? If you're done, then we'll excuse ourselves." Issei said that since he wanted to get out of there as fast as possible, Yunyun started saying things in her unique ways.

"My name is Yunyun! What a coincidence! What a quirk of fate! We would have an encounter here! You are truly my lifelong rival, Megumin!" Issei and Ddraig had nothing to say after this since he knew that the two of them knew each other given what YunYun told him, but to think they were lifelong rivals was an understatement since Megumin didn't seem to think of her as a rival.

This was proven when Megumin started speaking.

"Anyway, this girl is Yunyun. The daughter of the Crimson Demon's leader, my self-proclaimed rival."

"Wh-What do you mean self-proclaimed! We are truly a lifelong rival in every sense!"

"Hai, hai... Says the girl who has no friend like always..."

"H-Heh! That's where you're wrong, Megumin! I have a real friend and a party member now! This is Ise-san, my lifelong friend and party member!"

"Wh- Impossible!" The trio looked towards Issei. Kazuma still has goosebumps while looking at him, while Aqua and Megumin check out Issei fully.

"Hoo~ not bad~. Compared to this hikiNEET Trashzuma here." Aqua said before her cheeks began to be pulled.

"Why youuuuuu! Is it this mouth? This mouth who says all that!"

"Uwaaaaa! It hurts! I'm sowwy Kazuma-Shama! I'm sowwyyyy!" Aqua said as Kazuma continued to pinch Aqua's face, and they became rowdy on their own.

Megumin narrowed her eyes at Issei and asked. "What are you aiming for? There's no way anybody will become friends with this meat for no reason!"

"D-Dont call me meat! Just because your chest won't grow, don't call me meat!" YunYun said, causing Megumin to have a tick mark on her head. And she started slapping Yunyun's breast while saying.

"If this is not useless meat, then what is this!?"

"Ow! Don't slap my breast just because yours won't grow!" YunYun shouted until Issei stopped their antics by picking up Megumin by the back of her shirt as if she were a disobedient cat and spoke to her, causing Megumin to freeze up under his stare.

"There's no particular reason. At first, it was due to a quest YunYun put on the board, but we bonded after taking on so many quests. During that time, we truly became friends. And I found her interesting and fun as a friend."

Megumin had this incredulous look on her face, as if the world was over, while YunYun was touched after hearing Issei's words, which made her blush a bit.

"Ise-san..."

"To think that Yunyun can get a friend on her own... And she got a party first before me on top of that... Is tomorrow going to be the end of the world?" Megumin said while reminded of how she got her party member in the first place; she looked at Issei sneakily.

"You! You said you let her join your party if she taught you her magic skills, right? Then let me join yours, too! I can teach you the best offensive magic skill there. It is named Explo!"

"No," Issei said, cutting her off and blatantly refusing her offer without a pause.

"Wh-WHY!?"

"Because you seem troublesome," Issei said with a blank look on his face like that's a fact.

"Gununununu! What kind of reasoning is that!? Can't you see I'm a beautiful girl and an Arch-wizard at that!?" Megumin said before Issei stopped her by putting her back on the ground and tapping a book on her head.

"Yunyun is also an Arch-wizard, and I'm totally content just having her as my party member, so no, thank you," Issei said while Megumin became at a loss for words. At the same time, Yunyun is still lost in her delusion after hearing his words.

"Kuh! In that case, I challenge you for a duel! If I win, you will let me join your party and replace her with me!" Megumin declared, which finally snapped YunYun out of her delusion after hearing her words.

Ehhhhhh! What-!"

"Very well," Issei said before looking down at Megumin.

"Well, have a contest in Explosion magic since that's what you specialize in, which means we'll be going on an extermination mission," Issei said before ripping a paper off the board and showing it to Megumin.

Familiar Gathering. The Familiar Guild is in need of slimes and small creatures. Gather a good amount, and you'll receive 500,000 Eris—extra Eris for any special creatures added to the haul.

Rank C-

"What's a C- Mission?" Megumin asked before Luna walked over to them and replied.

"Oh, that means it's a C-ranked mission, but the reward and challenge isn't that great. Normally, a C-ranked mission is something like dealing with monsters like the Giant Toad at Toad Swamp, collecting slimes for the Research Guild, or doing other jobs like that. Now, a C mission is when there's more to the mission, such as a hidden dungeon to explore. A C- means there's not much to do on those missions."

The moment Issei heard the mention of slimes, he got chills when he remembered how angry Rias and Akeno got with them, to the point where they obliterated almost half of Familiar Forest.

Luna, YunYun, and Megumin noticed Issei's nervousness before the short Crimson Mage spoke up. "Did you have a bad experience with Giant Toads, Issei?"

"No, that would be me. I think it's the mention of slimes." Aqua said before Issei nodded. "Aqua is right, and let's just say I've seen a woman reach the limits of their anger because of slimes..."

YunYun and Aqua nodded at this as the tall Crimson Mage replied. "Makes sense. Slimes are actually very strong here, and even Giant Toads fear them."

"Wait, really? How?" Issei and Kazuma asked since Giant Toads are pretty tough, while slimes didn't seem so dangerous due to the games they used to play back home.

"Oh, that's because there are different kinds of slimes. I might've accidentally made a Cleaner Slime that basically cleans anything until it's shiny and clean. Which led to more slimes being born, such as Poison Slimes, Compost Slimes, Sticky Slimes, Steel Slimes, and even Fire Slimes." Aqua was listed as Issei, and Kazuma was amazed by the number of them.

"Wow. Well, the only slimes I had back in my world burned clothes." Issei said, causing Aqua to laugh.

"Hah! Classic Slime. Most Slimes do that. Fortunately, they're not bright, but they're not stupid since they can be a threat, especially if a King or Queen Slime is formed. It's when slimes at a certain level come together and become one giant slime. Trust me. They're friendly, but don't make them mad unless you know you can beat them." Aqua said as if she had a tangle with some of them back when she was a Goddess before she lost 99% of her Godhood.

Issei's eyes glowed for a moment, startling Kazuma and Aqua until he spoke. "I'm just saying this now: I'd rather obliterate slimes than collect them; those things made me fear a few folks at him." Issei then turned to Luna.

"So about that Giant Toad mission." Luna couldn't help but giggle.

"Still focused on getting stronger, I see." Issei shrugged in response with a smile.

"I'm a Ruler that needs to improve as fast as possible. Can you blame me?" Issei asked before Luna shook her head as she handed him the quest.

"Try this one. This quest asks you to kill 10 Toads, Green and Pink, before collecting a few slimes if you find any. The Research Guild has been wanting some new ones. Oh, and Slimes actually make great families, so you shouldn't let one experience with your friends, not try to meet them. I met a slime, and it was a nice little one. I still have its core when it passed on." Luna said as she pulled out a small light blue marble with three holes in it. "This was my only Familiar—a Cleaner Slime. Nice little girl but passed away a few years ago. Ah! Memories."

Issei went into thought before he nodded. "Alright then, Luna. We'll find any slimes if we come across one."

[HAH! Rias is going to kill you when she finds out you gained a slime as a Familiar!]

'Speak a word of this to Rias, and I'll play the theme to Boku no Pico in my head... on LOOP.'

[Fine. Calm down, but Luna makes a point. Don't let any past experiences you had with them affect you from enjoying this world. You shouldn't focus on just getting stronger. This world is nice, and I think that perhaps we can enjoy this little vacation and see the sights after we deal with the war.] Ddraig said as Issei pondered this while he wanted her back home. He smiled at the idea since he actually liked the idea of not having to deal with another battle after another and actually just being normal.

Well, normal in human terms, that is, since Issei started to feel less and less human after each battle, and with schoolwork, training, his responsibilities in the Underworld, and less time to relax, Ddraig was worried Issei would lose his human side, so the Dragon wasn't rushing his partner to deal with the Demon King immediately.

'Heh. That actually sounds nice.' "Thanks, Luna. By the way, what's with the big crowd outside?" Issei asked as he pointed to the large group. Luna sighed and rubbed her forehead.

"It's….One of the Scouts of the kingdom reported that an army was coming. In about either a few weeks or a month. We don't know if it's a Demon Army or not since most Demons don't come around here due to Beginners Town being the weakest city in Belzerg."

Issei's eyes flashed for a moment before he leaned in closer to Luna's left ear. "I want you to get me as much information about this army coming when you can. If possible, I would like to speak to the one responsible for Belzerg so we can pass this information on to them."

Luna could see that Issei was serious about this. She nodded as she handed Issei the mission paper. "I'll do what I can, Issei." Luna then smiled. "Good luck on your Quest as always Ise-Kun." Issei nodded with a small smile before he headed out with YunYun and Megumin.

Until Kazuma and Aqua grabbed his legs.

"Please let us join you! I can't take it anymore since my class is an Adventurer/Novice, and this useless Goddess can't even do her job as an Arch Priest! Please, as a fellow Japanese person, help me!" Kazuma cried until Issei sighed and knew this would happen.

"Fine."

The duo looked happy until Issei continued.

"HOWEVER!" Issei said before looking at them. "You two follow my orders and my word alone. I'm not going to be held responsible for any trouble or damage you two cause, so if you do what I say, then I'll let you join."

"We promise not to let you down, Issei-sama!" Kazuma said before Issei stopped him.

"Zip it with the sama. Just Issei is fine." Issei said before the group of five headed out on their quest.

Toad Swamp.

Issei was amazed by the lakes, both big and small, that were the home for the massive toads who were munching on the giant bugs that either crawled or flew by, only to get caught in their massive mouth due to their long tongue.

"Wow. I've seen some big things back home, but this takes the cake. How do they even get that big?" Issei asked the girls as he observed two of them until Aqua pointed to the mushrooms.

"Those mushrooms are actually magic shrooms from Viridi's Forest, and they can spray spores that either shrink or grow anything they spray. Most of the time, they're passive, but it can be a hassle when there's a large number of them. Many adventurers come to kill a certain number of them to keep their species low so they don't try to branch out. They love bugs, but sometimes they will hunger for….meat." Aqua said before Issei nodded at this. He then summoned his Boosted Gear, just in case a massive Mantis or Spider tried to attack them.

After walking for a while, Aqua and Kazuma immediately hid behind Issei after seeing the Giant Toads, which made him look at them with a blank look.

"Really, you two?"

"Hey! I was nearly eaten alive by those things!"

"And I had to drag her out of those frogs too!"

YunYun giggled at this until she had the Light of Saber formed in her hand. She charged at one of the green ones and sliced it in half until YunYun dodged a tongue from a Pink one that had its mouth inflated like a balloon until it burped some fog that made YunYun cough until she covered her mouth.

"Don't breathe it in. It makes a disgusting burp to knock anyone unconscious. Blech!" YunYun yelled as she ran out of the cloud before Issei had Ascalon out until he saw a red line form right at the pink frog.

Just as he was about to question YunYun, a loud yell stopped him.

"Oh darkness that plagues this land be afraid you you see your death from high above in a fiery blaze! EXPLOSION!" Megumin shouted as

BOOM!

Issei's eyes widened as he turned to see one of the Giant Toads explode into pieces. Then, he saw that Megumin had collapsed on the ground. Ddraig put two and two together before speaking to the girl, who seemed confident she won the contest.

'Here he comes to praise me. Hehe.' Megumin said in her head until her ears heard nothing that was praise.

"That's incredibly foolish of you to use Explosion Magic as a first attack. What if we hadn't seen you when you cast that spell? Or worse, what if one of the Demon Generals survives that attack and kills you while you're down? Also, since you poured all your stats into that one spell, which granted shortens the casting and makes it stronger, BUT you also leave yourself vulnerable after using that one shot move." Issei said while Megumin didn't reply, and YunYun defended her.

"Issei. Trust me when I say you're not the first one to say it, but Megumin has been obsessed with Explosions ever since she met the Fallen One known as Wolbach. She was sealed away due to her ties with the Demon King after the Adventurers captured her. I've tried to teach her, but Megumin is….stubborn. Let's let Aqua and Kazuma keep an eye on her while we deal with the Giant Toads. Is that okay with you guys?"

Issei growled at this brat before he boosted himself, and Megumin heard something that left her stunned.

[EXPLOSION!]

Issei then summoned a small red sphere before punching it at the remaining Giant Toads, and a massive red explosion vaporized every remaining Giant Toad it sighted.

Issei then turned back to YunYun and Megumin. The busty Mage was in shock, but the Crimson Spellcaster was in awe and had stars in her eyes until Issei spoke to her as if he were her teacher.

"If you want to continue using Explosion Magic, use ones that don't drain you of all your Mana, then you'd be very useful to someone's party."

Megumin didn't say anything as she was in awe of Issei's explosion until she summoned all the strength Megumin could and threw herself at the ground, which wasn't hard since she was already on the ground.

"Please teach me your ways of Explosion Sensei!"

Issei blinked as he looked at Megumin in shock before the Boosted Gear glowed and spoke out loud.

[Partner, we're making this one your student.]

Issei's eyes widened. "S-Seriously Ddraig?!"

[Partner, you don't understand. She's perfect! Her Explosions are flawlessly executed! And just the thought of you taking in a student, an Apprentice to the Holder of Boosted Gear, housed by me, the Red Dragon of Domination! The Crimson Witch of Domination, it's absolutely brilliant!]

Megumin was in awe of the praise from the Dragon from within the Boosted Gear until Issei began to argue with Ddraig while Aqua and Kazuma picked some of the mushrooms and collected the Frogs cores before she collected some stray lone slimes.

YunYun poured some of her magic into Megumin to help her stand back up while Megumin was patiently but struggling to hold in her emotions as Issei walked back to the duo before Aqua and Kazuma joined them.

"Okay. Ddraig and I talked about making you my apprentice. I can see you have skills in magic, but you lack control and extremely limited skills, so if you want to be my student, know you'll have to do what we say—no complaining or questioning. Also, if we say you should get a new Skill, then you'll get it. You have so much potential, and it would be a waste if you just spent it all on a spell that leaves you defenseless after one shot." Issei said before holding a hand out to her.

"Accept the terms, and I'll teach you what I know, but I think Ddraig will be the real teacher. So is it a deal then?" Issei asked before he was then immediately tackled by Megumin, much to the surprise of Kazuma, Aqua, and YunYun, who was pouting in anger that Megumin was currently hugging Issei tightly.

"Yes, Master! I shall follow you to the ends of the earth!"

[YES! Finally! An apprentice to the Red Dragon Emperor, after all these centuries!]

Issei chuckled at this before Aqua smiled at him. "Oh, and speaking of apprentices, I have something for you," Aqua said before handing him a slime of clear fluid. "Tadah! It's a pure slime. There is no element or nothing, just a regular slime. I thought you'd like one since finding a normal slime is rare even today."

The slime then jumped at Issei, and then, much to everyone's surprise, it turned red. Aqua and the others were in shock before she squealed. "NO WAY! This is even better than a regular slime!"

"W-Well, what is it," Kazuma asked before Aqua explained.

"That's a Mimic Slime; they're capable of mimicking the magic of their Master!" Issei then handed the slime to Kazuma, who made the slime turn brown before it showed that it could use Earth Magic now.

"Tell you what, Kazuma. You can have it." Issei said, shocking Kazuma, Aqua, Megumin, and YunYun before he continued explaining. "You are a novice, and you need some protection since you obviously don't have a tank, so why not have a familiar to help you?"

Kazuma felt tears forming in his eyes before hugging Issei with all his might, which wasn't much before Issei patted the guy's head with an awkward expression until Issei pushed him off.

The group then headed back to their guild to give their report, but Issei told them to go ahead and that he would catch up since he saw something interesting in town. Issei went towards a cart that was carrying something. When he approached the cart, he saw that there was a woman covered in some priest-like clothes, although Issei could tell that there was something odd about the woman due to her scent, which was more of a demon than a human.

Issei saw the woman was snarling at another guard who was afraid of the demon until Issei looked inside the cage to see that the demon was a beautiful and voluptuous woman in her twenties, with cat-like yellow eyes and free-flowing waist-length red hair with an ahoge.

She had pointed ears similar to an elf and a strange love heart-shaped mark on her chest. She also had some demonic features, such as goat-like horns sprouting from the sides of her head and bat-like wings protruding from her back, which she could use to fly. She wore a very revealing attire similar to the Succubi, consisting of a gold choker, knee-high boots, underwear, a bikini top, and sleeved gloves.

She looked at Issei and spat in his direction until the cart owner introduced her. "Arnes. This Succubus was the most loyal subordinate of the Former Demon General of Sloth Wolbach. We pulled her from the Crimson Demon Village. It looks like she was devastated after losing her Master. Be careful." The cart owner said as Issei was near her before he stopped a few feet from her as the Succubus glared with fire in her eyes.

"I'll take her," Issei said before tossing a bag of a thousand Eris, shocking the owner before giving the demon the Slave Seal and the document that states Arnes is now Issei's slave.

Arnes seemed to be enraged at this while Ddraig spoke to his partner with concern in his tone.

[Tread carefully, partner. She was loyal to her Master, and I respect that, but she's filled with hatred for the humans. Not that I blame her.] Ddraig said, making Issei sigh to himself before he swiftly took Arnes to the Succubus Cafe, where he was greeted since, in a week, Issei became a regular at the cafe due to the tasty food before he asked for a private table.

Issei took Arnes to their private table before he went down to the chair provided for him while Arnes sat across from him. Neither one said a word for what felt like an eternity before Issei sighed.

"You know... not all humans are bad. True, they are the reason your previous Master was sealed away, and even I'll admit, I've sadly met humans who are just like that. A group of magicians known as Nilrem, members of a group called the Khaos Brigade, whose mission is to spread chaos and eliminate anything related to the supernatural."

Arnes was silent as Issei spoke while he continued. "All I'm saying is that not all of us Humans are wrong. I was human until I was killed and resurrected to become a Devil Dragon. I know what it's like to be both human and a part of the Supernatural. Know that I don't see you as a murderer. I saw someone who was trying to save someone they had pledged themselves to with all of their being. I know the feeling, but I know Wolbach wouldn't have wanted you to spend your life like this."

"You didn't know her like I did!" Arnes shouted, slamming her hands on the table, which didn't frighten Issei before he continued.

"True, and I can't understand the anger and sadness you felt, but I know what loyalty looks like, and I believe you can aid us in stopping the Demon King and the Demon Generals."

"Tch. Do you mean to be your servant? I'd rather rot in prison than serve the same kingdom and species that betrayed my Master. I was willing to go through this treaty, but it was you HUMANS who pulled the trigger." Arnes said before pointing at the humans outside.

"THEY killed the Demon King's wife. The Gods didn't give a shit about their older brother since he was the God of Monsters. He actually despised how humans see us as either trophies or a chance at fame or glory. Many of the 'great warriors' that the Gods send are the same. They think they're doing good, but when Lucifer is willing to give peace a chance, they kill his wife, which breaks the camel's back. Humans think they're so strong and tough because they have the Royal Family and the Gods to protect you, but it's bullshit." Arnes said before spitting close to his foot as she looked at him with a smug grin.

"Go ahead. Could you do it? You know you want to. Hit me. That's your first instinct. Smacking the bitch for insulting your people? Do it." Arnes said before Issei just accepted some cake from the Succubus Maid and then handed it to Arnes.

"Here. Have some cake." Issei said, which made Arnes look at him in shock before Issei fed her some cake. Arnes blushed at the taste until she swallowed it and accepted the water given to her as well.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" Arnes asked before Issei replied to her.

"Simple. I can tell that while you have so much hatred towards humans, you'd never kill them since it would go against Wolbach's teachings. Even after all that's happened to you, your loyalty to your Master is what sets you apart from those who don't care about lives and just enjoy killing." Issei said that when his group came back to the town, he felt the presence of a demon and wished to see this demon, so he sent them ahead and saw that Arnes was like him in a way.

Issei and Arnes continued their conversation at the Succubus Cafe, the atmosphere heavy with tension and unspoken words. Arnes took another bite of the cake, savoring the sweetness despite herself. Issei watched her carefully, considering his next words.

"Arnes," Issei began, "I know you're angry, and you have every right to be. But holding onto that anger won't bring Wolbach back. It won't change the past. What it can do, though, is fuel your future actions. You can use that fire to make a real difference, to fight for a cause that matters."

Arnes looked at him, her yellow eyes filled with a mix of suspicion and curiosity. "And what cause would that be? Serving you and your friends? Becoming a tool for the humans who betrayed us?"

Issei shook his head. "No. He is not serving us, fighting alongside us. We all have a common enemy in the Demon King and his generals. We can work together to bring them down and create a better world. One where beings like you and me, and even humans, can coexist."

Arnes scoffed. "You speak of coexistence, but how can I trust you? How can I trust any human or that wannabe Goddess that they won't harm or betray me?"

Issei leaned forward, his expression serious. "Trust isn't given; it's earned. I'm not asking you to trust me right away. I'm asking you to give me a chance to earn that trust. To prove that not all humans are the same."

Arnes was silent for a moment, her gaze locked with Issei's. Finally, she sighed and leaned back in her chair. "Fine. I'll give you a chance. But if you or your friends betray me, I won't hesitate to turn against you."

Issei nodded, a small smile playing on his lips. "That's all I ask. Now, let's talk about how we can work together." Issei said before Arnes smiled at this. For a moment, Arnes saw her previous Master in Issei's eyes.

Meanwhile, back at the guild, Kazuma, Aqua, Megumin, and YunYun were finishing up their report. They had just collected their rewards when they saw Issei and Arnes enter the guild hall together. The group was surprised but quickly approached them.

"Kazuma, Aqua, Megumin, YunYun, meet Arnes," Issei said, introducing the Succubus. "She'll be joining us in our group."

Aqua raised an eyebrow and readied herself to face Arnes. "A succubus? Really, Issei? She's a demon! I'll purify her immediately!"

"Sacred-!" Aqua shouted before a fist met her face and sent her flying into the wall, which shocked Kazuma, Megumin, and Arnes. Then, Issei sighed and handed a bag to Luna.

"Money for damages," Issei said, which made Luna giggle at the act since this wasn't the first time Issei had to send someone to the wall.

"It's fine, don't worry about it. Oh, and by the way, I have a letter for you from the Princess of Belzerg." Luna said before handing him a letter.

YunYun smiled politely as she introduced herself to her new party member and, hopefully, a new friend. "Welcome, Arnes. We're glad to have you with us."

Arnes nodded, still a bit wary but more at ease than before, thanks to Issei. "Thank you. I'll do my best to help."

Issei accepted the letter before whispering into Luna's ear.

"Thank you for the opportunity to have a familiar," Issei muttered, making Luna blush as she nodded since she had heard that a demon would be transported to the Familiar Guild, so Issei decided to take the chance to not only have a familiar but also a new friend and help the demon.

Issei then read the letter from the Princess of Belzerg.

Dear Mister Adventurer,

Hello! My name is Iris. I'm the Princess of Belzerg. I heard from Luna and the adventurers that you are very strong and kind. Thank you for helping our kingdom!

I wanted to write to you because I have a special request. Because I am the ruler of Belzerg, I wish to learn about the adventures you went on, so please accept this quest, and I'll pay you all.

I also want to meet you and your friends! Luna told me you have a dragon inside you! That's so cool! I hope we can be friends.

Please come soon. Thank you!

With lots of hope,

Princess Iris and the Blessed Princess of Eris.

"Wait? Blessed Princess? What does that mean?" Issei asked before Arnes explained.

"The Gods of this world have blessed Royal Family members with their powers. Eris blessed the Princess of Belzerg and became the ruler of the kingdom at the young age of thirteen. Her father and older brother died when they attempted to attack the Demon Castle, leaving Iris alone to take on the responsibilities of the throne." Arnes said that since she heard of this from Wolbach, she had shocked the boy until Kazuma and Aqua thanked Issei for his help.

"Hey Kazuma. Be careful out there and take care of that slime." Issei said before Kazuma hugged him with tears in his eyes until Issei shoved the NEET off of him.

Issei, YunYun, and Arnes headed to their home for the evening, unaware that a certain thief was following them. She narrowed her eyes at Arnes before making sure they were alone at their home, fast asleep for tomorrow's quest.

"Now I can kill that demon and Issei before he becomes a threat." The woman said before she was pinned to a tree outside the mansion by a hand that looked similar to a certain armor from a Moon Goddess.

"Well, well. So, does a little assassin wish to harm both Arnes and myself? How rude." The person wearing the armor said until they stepped into the moonlight to reveal themselves as Issei Hyoudou in his Saber form.

"So, who do I have the pleasure of meeting?" Issei asked while squeezing the assassin's throat before Issei got a good look at the assassin to see that it was a very flat woman.

The assassin looked like a teenage girl with a light complexion and purple eyes. She had short silver hair and a light purple ombre of a sort. Her hair is longer. She has two strands of hair framing her face, with a piece of hair pointing out from her fringe. She wears earrings, most likely due to her tomboyish and outgoing appearance, along with her flat chest and short hair, which often make her mistaken for a boy.

She also wore a fairly revealing outfit, an attire common among females of the rogue class. Her outfit consisted of a light blue scarf, a short green cape that goes down to her elbows, a pair of black elbow gloves with normal brown gloves layered over them, short blue jean shorts, white knee-high socks with a blue trimming, brown boots, and a bikini-like grey top. She also wears diamond-shaped blue earrings and usually has an enchanted dagger fastened to her waist at the back.

"My apologies about my daughter, but I must ask that you release her, Issei Hyoudou." A voice said, shocking the duo to see the Goddess of Creation herself: Arania.

Issei was so caught off by her appearance that he didn't even sense her taking Chris away from his hand, so he flung the assassin over her left shoulder like a towel.

"It's a pleasure to meet you face to face finally. Would you mind coming with me?" Ariana asked before Issei nodded and followed her, feeling like he didn't have a choice in the matter until they were back in the Heaven version of this world. Arania then led Issei and Chris to a private room where there was a table before Arania gestured for the two to sit down.

"Now, I think it's time my daughter and Champion have a heart-to-heart," Arania said, which led to an hour of interesting discussion.

Scene!

I hope you all enjoyed it since I really enjoyed having the Idiot Trio here and meeting Issei. Issei honestly feels bad for Kazuma, so he'll try to help him as much as he can, and Kazuma will be in for Aqua's punishment tomorrow, for Kazuma and Aqua's interactions from the first episode have Arania declare a different punishment on Aqua and Kazuma that'll occur the next day.

Heheh. Anyway, Arnes is a wonderful demon that I think will thrive in Issei's group and has now revealed the God of Monsters' name: Lucifer. More about the Blessed Royal Families will be revealed in the next chapter.

Ta-Ta!