God's Blessing on this Wonderful Dungeon

By Icura and Special FX

~o~

Chapter 4: Heroes

~o~

Orario Times

Issue 45678

"New Heroes for a New Age? A Light in the Darkness?"

By Elena Ibis of Thoth Familia

In a city still reeling from the loss of its heroes, a new hope has emerged, rejuvenating the spirits of many of the city's inhabitants.

Just yesterday, in the late afternoon, before the sun fell behind the distant mountains, there was a massive incident in the dungeon. An earthquake of unknown origins shook the 4th floor, echoing to even the floors above and below. It was later found out in the initial investigation from the Astraea and Ganesha Familias that the northern pantry of the floor had collapsed, causing the seismic quakes. Rumors have circulated around that this was the work of Evilus, though the group has not officially claimed responsibility.

With the collapse of the pantry, a monster stampede of unparalleled proportions was unleashed. At the time, many adventurers were exhausted at the end of a hard day's dungeon diving, lacking the stamina and mental fortitude that they would normally have in the morning. As such, the timing of the stampede could not have been worse. By the time that help would have arrived, countless casualties would have occurred, and it would have no doubt become another tragic day to be forever remembered like so many others.

Thankfully, salvation came from an unexpected place.

Eris Familia–newcomers who had just arrived a day prior to yesterday's events–had registered their Familia in the morning and happened to be on that exact floor at the time of the incident.

The courageous knight in shining armor, Darkness, stood her ground valiantly to block the impending tide. Through her heroic and brave efforts, she held back the flood, providing valuable time for her fellow adventurers to orient themselves and join the fight. No matter how much the monsters pounded on her armor, she never took one step back, showing both courage and chivalry not seen since the Knight of Knights!

The diminutive mage of might and magic, Megumin, poured all her mind and soul into her spells, casting large explosions that wiped out numerous sections of monsters, lightening the load that needed to be borne by all. Despite the pain and mental burden on her, she continued casting through even Mind Down by sheer willpower, cackling in the face of adversity and impossibility. After every spell, she wobbled, but there was a hand supporting her–keeping her upright and steady until she could manage on her own once again–and that hand belonged to none other than…

The captain of Eris Familia and an archer of unfathomable precision, Kazuma. Each call of his skill, "Snipe," unleashed arrows that unwaveringly opened a fresh hole in each of the monsters' skulls. Even impossible shots that should have missed somehow curved around to hit their target with unwavering accuracy. Limited in his arrows, he did not deign to reduce the numbers. No, instead, he focused on the bigger picture and put an end to those monsters that had gotten too close or would have ended the life of a poor adventurer. It is not a small few who owe their very lives to his masterful archery.

And speaking of saving lives, that brings one particular member of Eris Familia to mind.

The saintess of both beauty and mercy, Aqua, rove endlessly across the battlefield, casting healing spells that saved countless lives. Piercing wounds made by crude swords and rusty knives disappeared through the use of her magic, as if the injury had never occurred in the first place! Even arms chopped off in the vicious fighting were regenerated by her spells, saving those brave fighters from being forever crippled and forced into early retirement. She has no small number of admirers now, for almost like an angel, her magic had given them life when death and despair were looming close by.

These four individuals who could have easily ran away did not do so. Instead, they fought at the forefront, stopping the plot of Evilus from causing irreparable harm. Despite all odds, their efforts had turned the tides in our favor. When all was said and done, what was left of the stampede was monster corpses and magic stones that littered the grounds for as far as the eye could see. By universal agreement of the adventurers present, Eris Familia was given the greater majority of the drops for their valiance in the face of despair.

Under the banner of Eris, the goddess of fortune, these four adventurers might become the lucky charm that Orario desperately needs. I, for one, look forward to their future exploits and will keep a close eye on their progress.

~o~

Inside one of the rooms in the manor of Loki Familia, the goddess of trickery slowly lowered the newspaper with a quirked eyebrow.

"Sounds like any other puff piece. Don't they do this at least once a month?"

"I know you saw the most important part." The only other occupant in the room was the captain of Loki Familia, Finn Deimne, who had a small smirk on his face.

"You mean this Aqua girl?"

"Even at level one, she can supposedly regenerate lost limbs."

"These articles exaggerate all the time," Loki replied, relaxing back into the sofa. "It's probably just her reattaching their limbs instead."

"That's still potent enough that it would be worth it to assign a protection detail, if she ever comes to assist us on expeditions in the future."

"Is it really?" Loki didn't look as convinced. "A stray shot would probably kill her."

"Even then," he replied. "Healers of that caliber are rare."

"Well, what are you asking me for then?" The goddess picked up a wine bottle from the table in front of her and pulled off the wooden cork. "I already gave you free rein to do what you want. That was our deal, right?"

"Do you know anything about their goddess?"

"Nah, never heard about any goddess of fortune named Eris." Loki then smirked. "Why? Interested?"

"More knowledge doesn't hurt when making deals with them…" Finn subtly glanced down at his thumb for a moment, though the goddess didn't miss that action. "So, can you ask around about her? The other gods might know more of how she was back in the heavens."

Loki poured herself a cup of wine and absentmindedly shook the liquid around in its container like a mini-whirlpool, gazing into its contents all the while.

"Hmm…" she hummed to herself, "Alright, why not? It could be interesting."

~o~

The cozy tavern of the Hostess of Fertility was bustling with adventurers and townsfolk. It was only midday, but the air was already filled with the aroma of roasted meat and ale, along with the sound of laughter and clinking mugs. At a central table, a group of patrons raised their mugs, ready to celebrate.

"Three cheers to our heroes!"

"Aye!"

The room erupted with cheers and applause, drinks sloshing around their containers as people raised their mugs up high.

"To the brave knight Darkness, who stood her ground with her sword held high against the monsters!"

"Aye!"

Darkness had a face filled with mixed emotions.

"To the beautiful healer Aqua, whose touch mended our wounds and brought solace to the broken!"

"Aye!"

"Thank you, everyone!" Aqua shouted as she raised her mug in the air as well. "I'm just glad that everyone was alright in the end!"

While Aqua was busy basking in all the admiration and cheers, Kazuma had his head down, simply looking at the contents of his mug of liquor the entire time. Did that useless goddess have no shame? Or was she just so dumb that she forgot that they were the ones who caused the entire incident in the first place?

Everyone, please stop singing praises. He didn't think his heart could take any more of the second-hand shame and embarrassment.

"To the mighty Megumin, whose incredible magic vanquished the horde!"

"Aye!"

Megumin–who was sitting next to Kazuma–also had her face down, staring straight into the contents of her mug before she suddenly pulled her wizard hat even deeper over her eyes. At least someone had some decency around here. Though, considering she was the one who had wanted to blow up the stupid crystal in the first place, this much was to be expected.

"And to the admirable Familia captain Kazuma, for leading us through the trying time!"

"Aye!"

Kazuma couldn't help but wince at that; it had been the loudest cheer of them all.

Everyone, please stop. Didn't you know that they were the ones who caused the problem in the first place? That, if it weren't for them, none of this would have happened? Of course, everyone didn't know that. After all, who in their right mind would claim that their party had been the ones to bring down the pantry, creating the whole mess to begin with?

Especially when everyone was cheering them on so much like heroes?

It was impossible. At this point, he was in far too deep to back out now so he just had to roll with it. After all, he didn't even want to imagine what would happen if he were to say that they were the ones who had blown up the pantry room in the first place…

Eris, who had been sitting next to him, gave him a pitying smile.

"Kazuma!" An adventurer who he had saved suddenly threw an arm over his shoulder. "Let me treat you to a drink!"

"Ah… N-no, it's fine." He weakly attempted to decline.

"Nonsense, don't be so humble!" the adventurer replied with an easygoing grin. "Hey, waitress! Can we get a bottle of some of your best wine here!"

"Coming right up, meow!"

Please, just spare him.

"Eh…? I want some too, Kazuma." Aqua leaned over the table, having overheard the conversation.

"Say no more Aqua," that same adventurer replied. "Waitress! Make it two of your best bottles!"

"Got it, meow!"

"...it would be nice if we could have some to bring home to–mpgh!" Kazuma quickly covered his hand over Aqua's mouth before she could extract any more money out of the poor fellow.

"T-there's no need to thank us, sir!" Kazuma hastily replied with a forced grin. "Please just ignore the ramblings of my party member. I think she's had a bit too much to drink."

"Nonsense! You all saved my life!" The man shook his head. "This is the least I can do."

Oi! Please, just stop already!

As if the heavens had heard his prayers, the wooden doors of the tavern swung open as a pair of adventurers stepped inside. The entire room got quiet as all eyes were now focused on the pair of newcomers. A girl with scarlet-colored hair alongside another girl with a hood and mask covering the bottom half of her face.

"...it's Astraea Familia," one of the adventurers whispered. "Scarlet Harnel and Gale…"

"I wonder why they're here?" another adventurer whispered back.

Kazuma watched as they looked around the room, just before his eyes met with the scarlet-haired girl's eyes. She gave him a wave before she began making her way over to his table. The adventurer who had his arm over his shoulder quickly pulled away and sat up straight. Kazama removed his hand from Aqua's mouth as well, copying the other adventurer by straightening out his back.

"Excuse me, but are you Satou Kazuma?" she asked with a curious tilt of her head.

"Yes, I'm Kazuma," he replied with a raised hand.

"I'm Alise, and this is my partner, Lion." She pointed to her silent companion with her thumb. "I heard you were new in town so you probably haven't heard about us yet. We're from Astraea Familia, and you could say we're kind of like the peacekeepers in this city."

Wait, didn't that sound familiar?

"...like Ardee?" he asked with a quirked eyebrow.

"Oh, you met Ardee before?" Alise replied with a question of her own. "But yeah, our Familias are pretty similar. We both try to keep law and order within the city"

"Ah, I see," he answered with a nod.

Great, more cops. Just what he needed right now.

"Yeah, so do you think my partner and I could ask you some questions about the incident on the fourth floor?" Alise spoke with an innocent-looking smile on her face. "We'd like to get to the bottom of who was responsible for destroying the pantry."

Kazuma started to sweat.

"Uhm… Kazuma isn't in any trouble, is he?" Eris interjected with a worried expression on her face.

"Oh, no, nothing like that, goddess!" Alise brought her hands up and waved the concern off. "We believe that it was Evilus' doing, but we just wondered if Kazuma might be able to give us some idea on which of their members were responsible for it."

Kazuma let out a sigh of relief.

Bless you, Eris. He did not want to get into another incident with the law again like he had back in Axel.

Thank god for Evilus!

~o~

Alise Lovell wasn't quite sure what to make of Satou Kazuma as they stepped outside the tavern together with Ryuu.

She had heard the report from the Guild and read the newspaper article about the incident, but the person in front of her did not strike her as the type to readily risk his life to be a hero. As the captain of Astraea Familia, she'd like to think that she was a pretty good judge of character, but at first glance, Kazuma reminded her more of the type to quietly sneak away from conflicts rather than readily volunteer to help people in need.

Though, she could be wrong, since she had only known him for a few minutes and appearances could be deceiving.

"So Kazuma, can you give us your recollection of what happened yesterday on the fourth floor?" She asked with a smile. "You don't have to include everything. Just the important details."

"A-ah… sure," he replied as he scratched the side of his face and averted his gaze. "My party and I were exploring around on the fourth floor when we heard a loud explosion. That was when we saw the monster stampede and went to help."

Hmm, was he not very confident in himself? Or perhaps he was hiding something? It was hard to tell.

"...did you notice anything strange prior to the explosion?" Ryuu questioned in her usual stoic tone of voice.

"Err… y-yeah!" Kazuma eagerly nodded. "I saw some real shady-looking guys lurking around in the tunnels!"

"Oh?" Alise quirked an eyebrow. "Can you describe what they looked like?"

"Ah… no, not really. They were covered all over in robes… and hoods."

Alise shared a brief look with Ryuu.

"...Evilus," Ryuu spat out the word.

She nodded her head as well. Kazuma's description matched the clothing that Evilus members typically tended to wear.

"I see. Thank you, Kazuma," Alise replied with a slight bow of her head. "You've helped us confirm our suspicions."

"O-oh, yeah?"

"Mhm," Alise hummed in response. "It's just like Evilus to do something so terrible. Destroying a pantry in order to release a horde of monsters into a low-level area. If it weren't for you and your Familia members, there's no telling how many people would have died."

"They're true scum…" Ryuu spat out.

She noticed Kazuma's face started to turn pale.

"Are you alright, Kazuma? You look a bit pale."

"W-what? Y-yeah, I'm fine!" He hastily replied before he clenched his fist in front of him. "I was just disgusted! Those Evilus bastards! How dare they do something like that!"

Oh? Perhaps she had been wrong about him.

"I'll never forgive them for this! They need to be brought to justice!"

Alise felt her heart suddenly flutter with excitement.

"That's right! So you're also a seeker of justice too then, Kazuma!?" She excitedly grabbed his outstretched fist. "We can't let them get away with their crimes!"

"Y-yeah, of course!" Kazuma agreed. "I'll help out in any way I can with the investigation."

"Haha, that's wonderful to hear!" Alise laughed as she patted him on the shoulder. "I misjudged you, Kazuma!"

And to think, her initial impression of him had been similar to that of a sneaky coward! Oh, how wrong she had been. He was someone who burned with the very same embers of justice in his heart just like her. She couldn't help but laugh as he tried to brush off her praise. To think that he was so humble as well!

In a city blanketed by darkness, it was always a fantastic day when one was able to meet other fellow heroes of justice!

~o~

Wracked by a small measure of guilt, Kazuma had eventually snuck out after Aqua, Megumin, and Darkness indicated–in their own ways–that they wanted to stay there longer for the free food and such. He had to admit, they were impressive in their own right for being able to so shamelessly enjoy the free meal.

Of course, he could have waited the time out and gone back to the rundown church with them together, but there was only so much that he could take of the praises heaped onto them even though it was actually their fault that it happened in the first place.

However, now that he was outside in the streets of Orario, there was no one left to fawn over him. Without the three eye-catching members of his party, nobody recognized him at all. That was reasonable since he was someone who could easily blend in, unlike the unmistakable and distinctive appearances of Aqua, Darkness, and… maybe Megumin.

Inhaling the fresh air and exhaling the used air, he could feel the small amount of guilt that he had exiting his lungs and releasing back out into the open skies. In fact, for a brief moment, he was tempted to go back into the bar and get some more free food.

Though, that was just a fleeting thought.

Free food or not, he didn't think his heart could take another round of second-hand embarrassment. The tavern was actually located pretty close to the old abandoned church they were staying at so it didn't take him very long to make it back. They had actually made a good chunk of money from that whole debacle on the fourth floor. So, while staying at an inn was a possibility, the rest of his party didn't seem to mind the church anymore and hadn't felt like moving.

Aqua had already 'claimed' the place as the newest headquarters of the Axis church. As for Darkness… Well, she apparently really enjoyed the idea of being forced to sleep on an uncomfortable church pew all night.

Honestly, that woman…

Megumin didn't care either way; she was the type where as long as she was fed and was able to blow stuff up, that was all that she needed. Eris was the same, and she was never the type to complain anyway. Of course, that meant that he got outvoted two to one, being the only one who actually wanted to sleep in an inn while Megumin and Eris had abstained. Well, it wasn't like he hated it all that much, considering he had spent a few weeks living in a horse stable back in Belzerg.

An old abandoned church sure as hell beat sleeping next to horse manure. It was also way less itchy as well.

And while their money situation had finally gotten better, it wasn't like they were filthy rich either. All the Valis they had earned from the fourth floor could probably cover their living expenses for a week or two–considering Aqua's expensive drinking habit–so saving money by not having to pay for an inn wasn't the worst thing. After all, they still needed to pay for food and essentials like visits to the public bathhouses.

As lost in thought as he was, Kazama didn't even notice that there was someone else in the church until he was already halfway inside.

There was a woman with crimson-colored hair leaning against the wall, arms crossed over her chest, and staring at him with a curious glint in her one visible eye. She wore a dark eyepatch over her other eye, though what really caught his attention was the unbuttoned top of her shirt, revealing just the faintest amount of skin, just enough to tease. However, there was no mistaking the aura of divinity that seemed to radiate from her body.

This person was undoubtedly a goddess.

"...imagine my surprise when someone told me that there was a group of people trespassing on one of my old properties," the goddess stoically began. "And then it turns out to be the very same Familia that's been the buzz of the city lately."

"Err… are you here to kick us out?" he cautiously asked.

The goddess stared at him for a moment, her piercing gaze making him want to fidget a bit.

"...nothing like that," she eventually replied. "I might even be able to overlook certain things, depending on the circumstances."

"Such as?"

"Is it true that there's a mage in your group who can regenerate lost limbs?"

The gears within Kazuma's head began turning; he had an idea of where this conversation was headed.

"Yeah, she can do that," he truthfully answered. "Do you have an injury that needs healing…?"

Noticing his gaze, she covered her eyepatch with one of her hands.

"Not for me," she corrected as she averted her singular eye. "...I have a child who suffered a similar injury recently in the dungeon. If your mage is able to restore her eye, I would be willing to offer you this land as a reward."

That was as good of a deal as when that old man back in Axel had offered them a mansion in exchange for purifying some spirits in it. However, there were some things that needed to be cleared up first.

"Did you talk to my goddess about it?"

"We did have a talk earlier, but she wants to entrust you with the final decision instead," the goddess said, folding her arms in front of her once again. "It's why I have been waiting for you to come back here so we could have a chat in private."

"If you were at the bar, why didn't you just talk to me there?" Kazuma asked as he quirked an eyebrow. "We could have just gone outside if you wanted privacy."

"Would still have too many prying ears. A conversation between gods is safe, but when a mortal is involved, the line blurs." The goddess shrugged her shoulders. "So, what will it be?"

"Still need to ask Aqua, but I don't see why not," Kazuma replied. However, he wanted to hedge his bets just in case. "What happens if it doesn't work though?"

"As long as she tries earnestly, I don't mind giving you the property anyways," she answered. "Even if it doesn't work now, maybe her spell will work in the future when she grows stronger."

"That's fine by me," he said as a bit of excitement entered his voice. "Oh, I'm Satou Kazuma, by the way. Captain of Eris Familia."

"I'm aware," the goddess answered with a small smile. "And thank you. I'm Hephaestus, the goddess of Hephaestus Familia."

"Ah, but one thing. Can we get this down in writing?"

~o~

"Get up, Aqua."

"No, I don't wanna!"

"You agreed last night."

"I was under the influence!"

Without any curtains, there was no way to block the morning light from seeping through the broken and shattered windows. After Hephaestus had left, Kazuma had taken care of a couple of last minute chores while waiting up for the rest. After they had gotten back, he had quickly extracted an agreement from Aqua before the girl could go to sleep, securing their place of shelter.

"What's wrong with the deal?" Kazuma asked in exasperation. "All you gotta do is try. You don't even have to succeed."

"I want to sleep more," Aqua complained. "I have a hangover."

"...do you really?" he questioned with narrowed eyes.

"..."

"I knew it! I've never seen you get a hangover from drinking!" Kazuma grabbed her blanket and pulled, but Aqua was quick to hold onto it, slightly rolling in place to wrap it around her. "Get up, you useless former goddess! They're going to be here soon!"

"Tell them to come back later," Aqua retorted, struggling to keep the blanket on her. "They can wait!"

"Until when?!"

"Later! Like late afternoon later!"

"That's too long!" Kazuma pulled on the blanket with renewed strength. "Get up or I'll take away all the booze you hid under the floorboard."

"Waah! How do you even know about that!? No wait, why did you go straight to punishment?!" Aqua cried out in agitation. "You negotiated with Megumin!"

"That's because she knows the limits! You don't!"

"Fine! I'll get up, I'll get up." Reluctantly, with tears in her eyes, Aqua relinquished her hold on the blanket, letting Kazuma tear it away from her. "A shut-in NEET like you should be nicer to a goddess like me."

"I'll treat you like a goddess when you act like one." Kazuma threw the blanket onto a nearby pew, out of reach from Aqua. "Look at how I treat Eris."

"You're telling me to act like that goddess who pads her chest?" Aqua glanced over to the other pew where Eris was watching them with suddenly wary eyes. "If she loses one, do you think she can get more pads around here? What do you think will happen if all of her pads disappear?"

"Senpai, please don't…"

"See!" Aqua turned her gaze back to Kazuma triumphantly. "She wouldn't even have the demeanor of a goddess if she didn't have her pads!"

Kazuma hesitantly looked over at Eris.

"...please don't believe senpai."

Kazuma glanced back at Aqua questioningly.

"Who do you believe more?" Aqua asked smugly. "The goddess of water or a goddess who lies about her breast size."

"Senpai, that's a ridiculous question…" Eris trailed off when she noticed the look on Kazuma's face. "Please don't tell me that you're seriously considering it."

"...is she wrong though?"

"Of course, she's wrong!" Unable to endure the skeptical look on not only those two, but also Megumin and Darkness who were watching from the side, Eris rushed up to Aqua and grabbed her arm. "Senpai, get up!"

"I don't wanna, I don't wanna, I don't wanna!"

"Are we interrupting something? We can come back later if you're busy."

In the midst of the shouting, none of them had heard the door opening. Standing inside the entrance were two individuals. One of them was the red-haired goddess from last night, Hephaestus. However, the person next to her was someone new who definitely did not have a divine aura.

"Yes." "No." Aqua and Kazuma glared at each other, one standing and the other still lying down.

"They're right there!" Kazuma argued. "Don't make them come back later for no reason."

"They said they don't mind," Aqua retorted. She finally sat up on the pew and turned to look at the newcomers. "Besides, why do I…"

Her words disappeared from her tongue when she finally got a good look at both the goddess and the woman. Though, her eyes lingered on the woman.

"What's your name?"

"Tsubaki Collbrande."

With an eyepatch over her left eye, the brown-skinned woman with black hair had a strong demeanor in her remaining red eye. The sharp edges of muscles were visible on arms that were exposed by her sleeveless shirt, and the size of her chest was enough to rival Darkness.

Although, in spite of the fact that she had come here for treatment, she didn't look very hopeful at all.

"Tsubaki," Aqua said in a serious tone. "Come here."

The brown-skinned glanced over to her goddess. When Hephaestus nodded and began walking, she followed. They made their way over to the pew that Aqua was sitting on. Even Kazuma and Eris had the sense to move away to make space.

Without waiting for Tsubaki to say anything, Aqua grabbed the woman's wrist as a white light began emanating all around the former goddess.

"Sacred High Heal."

The words, intoned reverently, reverberated through the abandoned church. A flash of light that emanated holiness filled the area, illuminating even the darkest corners. When the light faded, almost as if receding back inside the blue-haired girl, it was to a silence that seemed to penetrate through even the very walls of the church.

Tsubaki slowly reached her hand up to her eyepatch, lifting the black fabric from her face. A soft gasp quickly escaped her, and the eyepatch fell from her limp fingers, dropping to the floor. Her eye, which had been damaged enough that it had to be taken out, was sitting there in her eye socket, as if it had never been gone in the first place.

Aqua clapped her hand, nonchalantly breaking the silence.

"Okay, all done. Now, it's your turn." The blue-haired girl suddenly grabbed Hephaestus' wrist.

"No, it's a divine injury. That won't–"

"Sacred High Heal!"

Once again, the church was filled with light, though this time, it seemed like it faded away faster as if repeating the light show from before was too much of a repetition.

"Like I was saying," Hephaestus said in exasperation. "It won't work because…"

The red-haired goddess then froze. As if in complete disbelief, she slowly raised her hand to her eyepatch and slid her fingers underneath the fabric. What she felt underneath was something that she did not expect, and it showed as she kept rubbing the area over and over again.

"Goddess?" Tsubaki was looking at Hephaestus with both of her eyes.

"Tsubaki, can you tell me what you see?" Hephaestus raised the eyepatch.

"...your scar is gone, and your eye is back," Tsubaki said quietly in stunned awe.

"Right…" Hephaestus slowly lowered her eyepatch back over her eye, covering it up again. With that done, she looked over to Aqua who had a smug expression on her face. "How…?"

"Because I'm a goddess."

"She's not," Kazuma quickly countered.

"She doesn't have a divine aura, and using Arcanum would have sent her back to heaven if she did," Hephaestus blankly said, looking at Kazuma. "Yet, she's not lying, but neither are you…?"

"Err… don't worry about that," Kazuma replied, before attempting to change the subject. "So, how about that property deed?"

"Of… Of course." Hephaestus faltered for the first time in a long time. Her thoughts were a swirl of chaos, and that was causing her to have a hard time keeping up with the subject change. "The church and the surrounding lands are yours, but this is not enough for what Aqua has just done for me."

"Eh, you seem a bit out of it right now so let's discuss it later." Kazuma waved it off.

"Then… Then we'll take our leave…?"

"Okay." Aqua waved. "Try not to lose your eye again."

"Thank you…"

It wasn't long before both the red-haired goddess and her Familia member left. Once the doors to the church closed and the footsteps faded away, there was a celebratory shout from all the people still present inside the church.

"Woohoo! Now, we aren't squatters anymore!"

"Let's have a party! Bring me some booze!"

"Renovations! We need to fix this place up!"

"No, party first!"

Suffice it to say, after that, nothing productive was done for the rest of the day.

~o~

Authors' Notes:

Icura: Hah.

Special FX: When in doubt Kazuma, double down.