Chapter 18 A Trip to Relax... Or almost.
Disclaimer: I do not own Kamen Rider or Konosuba. They belong to their respective owners.
Note: Without much ado, I don't have much to say here. So let's get on with the chapter.
Sorry for the long chapter.
Chapter 18 A trip to relax... Or almost.
(Dusk.)
"You could have told me that sword was going to come out of my arm!" Kazuma shouts indignantly at Haruka.
The group was walking down Axel's street to the guild to collect their reward.
"Sorry, I just forgot." Haruka scratches the back of her head in embarrassment.
"Leave that aside." Megumin says, joining the conversation. "You looked really cool while you were fighting, and that sword coming out of your arm was really cool!" Megumin says excitedly, moving her right arm like Kazuma as she makes slashing sounds with her mouth.
"Still, it really hurt to have a literal sword come out of my arm!" Kazuma snorts as he continues walking.
"You've gotten strong anyway!" Aqua says as he raises his index finger. "Now you're not just a bumbling NEET, you're a neet rider."
"I'll take that wine you hid under your bed and sell it." Kazuma speaks coldly while Aqua feels a chill run down his spine.
"Okay, guys. Let's stop fighting!" Yunyun says, trying to calm their emotions.
"She's right, and besides..." Darkness said, indicating that they were getting close to the guild. "We still need to get the reward."
"Oh, that's right." Kazuma remembers what they wanted to do by coming here.
"Let's leave that discussion for later, now let's get our reward!" Haruka says excitedly as he runs into the guild.
"Is he always this animated?" Yunyun asks as he observes his friend's animation.
"Only sometimes." Kazuma, Aqua, Megumin and Darkness speak at the same time.
[...]
(Night.)
Kazuma is at the service desk waiting for Luna to return, he taps his foot on the floor as he waits "Patiently." To say the least.
"Sorry it took so long!" Luna says, sitting down in her chair at the counter and placing a bag full of coins on the table. "It's been confirmed that your mission has been completed, here's your reward of 600,000 eris!"
"Thank you very much!" Kazuma takes the money excitedly as he walks over to a table where his group was sitting.
Kazuma walks through the guild and over to a table where his group was sitting. Kazuma sits down at the table and puts the bag of coins on the table.
"Here it is! The 600,000 eris." Kazuma sighs as he sits down.
"Even though we have a lot of money, it's really nice to see all this money in front of me." Megumin says as she looks at the money.
"Well, now it's time to split the profit." Haruka says, picking up the bag and opening it.
"Well, since I'm an all-powerful Goddess, most of it is mine!" Aqua boasts.
"Goddess?" Yunyun asks confused.
"I'll explain it to you later." Haruka says, not taking much notice of what Aqua is saying.
"Well, since there are six of us, it'll be 100,000 each." Kazuma says as he stretches.
"Fine with me." Darkness said, not taking much notice.
"That's it?! I should get at least 200.00!" Aqua says indignantly.
"Considering I did most of the work..." Kazuma says, glaring at the Goddess. "Then I guess I'm the one who's been wronged here!"
"Just because you have new powers you think you're better than us?!" Aqua says, mocking Kazuma.
The two look at each other and stare into each other's eyes.
"Calm down, guys, honestly. We've been pretty stressed after all these events, we should relax a bit." Haruka says, trying to calm the two who are staring at each other.
"We could take a vacation, how about that?" Megumin suggests to the group.
"Vacation?" Kazuma takes his focus off Aqua and thinks for a moment. "That's not a bad idea, but where can the agent go?" Kazuma wonders, trying to think of somewhere, but he's never been very far from Axel.
"How about Arcanretia, the city of hot springs?" Aqua suggests to the group.
"HOT SPRINGS?!" Kazuma and Haruka shout excitedly to the Priestess.
"Where is that?!" Haruka asks extremely excitedly.
"Ahh finally, something nice to relax in this world!" Kazuma says, relaxing his body.
"I think it's a good idea too!" Megumin says excitedly.
"So, what are we waiting for? Let's make the preparations!" Aqua says excitedly.
The group starts discussing the trip and what they can do when they get there. Yunyun observes the situation and decides to leave the guild so as not to disturb them.
Yunyun gets up from the table and starts walking towards the exit of the guild, Haruka notices that Yunyun is leaving. The boy decides to follow her to find out what's wrong.
"Ahh..." Yunyun sighs and leaves the guild, she walks outside but hears someone calling her.
"Yunyun?" Haruka says, approaching the girl. "Is something wrong? You left so suddenly."
"It's just..." Yunyun hesitates for a moment. "Nothing, it's nothing at all." Yunyun turns around and tries to leave again.
"Yunyun..." Haruka speaks in a frank voice. "You're bothered by something, aren't you? You can talk to me, after all, we're friends."
Yunyun shudders and her eyes widen when she hears these words. She feels a little melancholy as she remembers that Haruka is her first friend.
"It's just..." Yunyun gathers her courage and turns to Haruka. "It's just that you seem so happy about this trip... and I... I didn't want to get in the way." Yunyun says, keeping his gaze on the ground.
"Yunyun, you're no trouble at all. Your company is very pleasant for the group." Haruka said, reassuring the girl.
"But... I don't know if I should..." Yunyun hesitates to speak.
"You want to go with us, don't you?" Haruka laughs lightly. Yunyun's face flushes slightly, she looks away and nods in agreement. "So here's what we're going to do..."
Haruka approaches the girl and grabs her shoulder.
"How about you come as my guest?" Haruka gives a slight wink with her right eye to look cool.
"Brr..." Yunyun laughs lightly at the attitude. "You're funny." The girl says, sounding calmer.
"Yeah, I know. But anyway, will you accept my invitation?" Haruka says, letting go of the girl's shoulder.
"All right..." Yunyun shrugs. "If you insist, I'll go!"
"That's how you say it!" Haruka said excitedly, congratulating the girl. "We haven't set a time yet, but just show up at the mansion and everything will be fine." Haruka says and Yunyun agrees.
PAUSE
(Dawn.)
Haruka and Kazuma are sitting on the stairs (four steps) at the entrance to the mansion, with some suitcases and bags next to them, waiting for Darkness and Megumin to get up.
"They're still asleep...*Yaw*" Haruka yawns, still looking sleepy.
"I swear if they take any longer I'll go and wake them up myself!" Kazuma says, sounding irritated.
"I'll even help you if necessary." Haruka agrees, resting her head on her knees.
"Gee, what's all the fuss about?" Aqua says, approaching the two of them.
"We've been preparing everything and we've hardly slept at all." Haruka says, picking up a suitcase and placing it on her thighs to support her body and rest a little.
"So... why don't you guys sleep now?" Aqua asks, sitting down next to Kazuma.
"It's because we're in such a hurry to finish soon, and besides. You were the one who insisted that we go soon and you didn't do anything to help. All you did was sleep like a lazy animal in hibernation!" Kazuma speaks rudely, leaving Aqua crestfallen.
"I'm sorry, I just wanted to enjoy the hot springs..." Aqua pouts as she speaks in a cute tone to try to persuade Kazuma.
"That doesn't change the fact that you're a useless Goddess." Kazuma says and Aqua jumps on him.
"I'm not a useless Goddess!" Aqua pulls Kazuma's cheeks, but he easily manages to overpower her
"You're already fighting at this hour...*Yaw*." Megumin speaks as she walks out the door behind the three of them while carrying Chomusuke in her arms.
"Can you guys stop this so we can get going?" Darkness said, walking out with Megumin while carrying their suitcase.
"You took your time!" Kazuma lets go of Aqua and stands up.
"Finally!" Haruka thanks the entity that made the two of them get up. "Let's go!" Haruka picks up her suitcase and puts it on her back.
"Where's Yunyun, anyway? Isn't she coming with us?" Megumin asks, trying to find Yunyun.
"She said it would take her a while to get ready, so she asked us to go ahead and then she'd get to the carriage." Haruka explains. "But anyway, shall we go?"
"Actually, I have to sort something out first. Can you go ahead and wait for me?" Kazuma says to the group as he picks up his suitcase.
"And what are you going to do?" Haruka asks, picking up his bag and Aqua's.
"I have to sort things out with Vanir, so I'll see you later!" Kazuma says and says goodbye to the four of them, heading for Axel City.
"Well... let's get going!" Megumin says excitedly as she walks with Chomusuke meowing excitedly too.
"Some days she really does act like a child." Haruka says with a giggle, while Aqua and Megumin agree.
[...]
Kazuma walks down the street to Wiz's store. He reaches the door and steps inside.
"Come on!" Kazuma enters the store. "Hi Wiz! I was wondering if-"
Kazuma is shocked and surprised by the scene in front of him.
"What... what's going on here?..." Kazuma looks down and sees Wiz lying on the floor with some bruises and small burn marks.
"Ah, about that..." Vanir speaks, explaining the previous events.
[...]
"Did she really spend all the money on those things?" Kazuma picks up one of the items that looked like a pepper squeezer.
"Yes, they're portable toilets that make a relaxing sound as you relieve yourself." Vanir explains, picking up one of the items.
"AH, so it's a very useful item." Kazuma speaks, but Vanir cuts him off.
"The problem is that the flow of water is so strong that it floods all around you and the relaxing sound is so loud that it attracts the monsters nearby." Vanir speaks and Kazuma quickly leaves the item on the table, losing interest at the same time.
"Alia, Vanir. I was wondering if that item I asked you for was ready yet?" Kazuma says as he sits down at a table.
"That item to wear in your ear? Not yet, I'm calculating a few things so it's not ready yet." Vanir says, leaning on a table and letting out a sigh. "There, can I make you an order?"
"Hmm?" Kazuma mutters, listening to what Vanir is about to say.
"Can you take that idiot Litch with you?" Vanir giggles as he looks at Wiz who is still lying on the floor. "I may have overdone it with my attack, so take her to relax in the hot springs."
"Ah... all right, I can take her." Kazuma hesitates a little, but accepts Vanir's request. "Fine..." Kazuma crouches down and takes Wiz in his arms, placing her on his back.
"Even, Kazuma." Vanir says, catching Kazuma's eye. "What's that blue glow on your arm?" Vanir points to Kazuma's left arm, as you can see a small blue glow through his shirt.
"Oh, that... I'm half Amazon now." Kazuma speaks bluntly and then leaves the store.
"Half..." Vanir mutters, as he's very curious about this. "Interesting..." Vanir smiles happily at Kazuma's statement.
(Yunyun POV.)
Yunyun is in her room, the room of an inn she's renting to spend the night in Axel. She has a suitcase on her bed and several clothes in her hands.
"Okay, now I put this... and this, and this, and... this!" Yunyun puts several outfits into a single suitcase. "So I can spend a lot of time with them..."
Yunyun laughs, but then his expression changes to concern.
"Ahhh but what if they think I'm strange for taking so many clothes?! It's only a trip for a few days, there's no reason for me to worry so much... right?" Yunyun mutters, getting more and more nervous.
Yunyun paced back and forth in her room, imagining and fantasizing about situations... situations that have probably never happened.
"What if they think I'm weird, what if I ruin everything, what if I end up talking too much and cut the fun out of the trip?!" Yunyun raves about the many questions she asks herself.
"Calm down... Calm down, Yunyun!" Yunyun stops walking and takes a breath, releasing the air in her lungs to calm down. "Just be yourself... I won't be there alone. There'll be Kazuma, Aqua, Darkness, Megumin and..." Yunyun remembers Haruka calling her to go on the trip. "Ahhh I... I'm going..."
Yunyun's face turns red with embarrassment as she remembers Haruka calling her on a trip to the hot springs.
"I'm going on a trip with Haruka!" Yunyun throws herself on the bed and picks up her pillow, placing it on her face to hide her redness.
"Calm down... Calm down Yunyun!" Yunyun pats her cheeks lightly. "He's your friend, and friends call friends on trips... I guess..."
[...]
Yunyun runs through the streets of the carriage port with her suitcase on her back, which is now much smaller and lighter. She sees Haruka and the girls sitting on a bench waiting for the time to come.
"Guys!" Yunyun shouts, waving to the four of them.
"You've finally arrived." Megumin says, getting up from the bench while caressing Chomusuke.
"Did I take too long?" Yunyun asks, breathing a little because of the rush.
"No, you came quickly. And actually, we're waiting for Kazuma." Haruka reassures the archmage.
"Kazuma? And where did he go?" Yunyun asks.
"I'm here!" Kazuma shouts and the group turns their attention to the boy.
"Kazuma, what is it?" Darkness asks, seeing Kazuma carrying Wiz on his back.
"Oh, it's just that Vanir asked me to bring her with us." Kazuma explains to the group.
"But she's disappearing." Aqua points at Litch.
"What?" Kazuma looks at Wiz and sees that she's starting to turn transparent.
"Try using Drain on Tap." Haruka suggests to Kazuma.
"Well, if that's what it takes then AHhh!" Darkness screams almost as Kazuma grabs her neck and starts using Drain on Touch on her.
[...]
Darkness is pulling Kazuma's cheeks for his attitude a few seconds ago.
"How dare you do that kind of thing to a Crusader like me!" Darkness fights with Kazuma.
"Calm down, it was an emergency situation!" Kazuma tries to explain while having his cheeks pulled.
After a few minutes of cheek-pulling, Wiz manages to calm them down.
"Look, people." The owner of the carriage speaks in a bumpkin voice, drawing the attention of the group. "I only have room for four in the carriage, so the other three will have to sit outside."
The group nods at the owner and huddles together to decide what to do.
"Okay, so three of us are left out." Aqua says in a serious tone.
"So how about we compete by elimination?" Yunyun suggests.
"I was going to say we fight for places, but that'll do!" Aqua says in an innocent voice.
"And what competition can we have?" Megumin asks.
"How about Zero or One?" Haruka suggests.
"Zero or One?" The Group asks confused by the suggestion
"Let me explain." Haruka prepares to speak. "The game works like this, we all put our hands together and make the following signs. Zero." Haruka clenches her fist. "Or One." Haruka raises her index finger. "We'll choose one of these signs and show it at the same time, whoever makes the sign different from the rest is eliminated from the round."
"Wow, I've never heard of this game before." Darkness says with interest.
"That's right, let's get started!" Megumin says excitedly.
"Okay." Everyone gathers in a circle. "The three left in the circle will be the ones who don't get the seats in the carriage."
"Okay..." Kazume shakes his head, cracking his neck. "Let's see if you have any chance against me..." Kazuma speaks in a tone of voice that an emperor who has conquered dozens of kingdoms would use.
PAUSE
"Why, why, why, why, why, why!?" Aqua whimpers as she clings to Kazuma's pants. "Why do I have to go outside!?" Aqua whines some more.
"Dammit, Kazuma. Going out in the first round, and alone to boot!" Haruka says impressed.
"It's just that he's the luckiest of the bunch, so it's nothing unusual." Megumin says to them.
"Well, I think that's enough of this discussion." Wiz says nervously. "We should get up and go soon."
The seven of them calm down and climb into the carriage. Megumin, Darkness, Kazuma and Wiz sit in their seats because they won the competition. Haruka, Yunyun and Aqua climb into the back of the carriage, as they lost the competition. The carriage creaks as the three of them sit down.
"Look it's..." The carriage owner looks back and speaks to the group and gives a nervous, embarrassed laugh. "Looks like the carriage won't be able to hold everyone."
"Really?" Kazuma mutters in frustration.
"Brrr..." Haruka snorts in frustration.
"Look, it's no problem, you can go without me!" Yunyun laughs nervously and gets out of the carriage.
"Hey, Yunyun. You don't have to leave, we can find a way for all of us to go," Aqua says as she gets out of the carriage.
The carriage returns to normal as Aqua gets off, Haruka notices this and thinks for a few seconds until he remembers something.
"Don't worry!" Haruka gets off the carriage. "You can go ahead, Yunyun and I will catch up with you later!"
"Are you sure?" Megumin asks a little worriedly.
"Of course! We'll catch up with you in no time, so you can go without any worries." Haruka reassures the group.
"Sorry, but could you hurry up? We'll miss our departure time." The carriage owner says a little nervously.
"Go on, I'll join you in no time." Haruka reassures the group again.
"Right..." Kazuma sighs. "Aqua, come on. Let's go."
Aqua climbs into the carriage of her own accord and the group sets off for the hot spring town. Haruka and Yunyun watched the carriage leave and drive further and further away.
"Are you sure we can reach them?" Yunyun asks worriedly. "Most of the merchants have already left and I don't know if there are any more trips scheduled for today."
"You don't have to worry about that." Haruka says, surprising Yunyun "I've got something better than a merchant carriage." Haruka speaks with a smile on his face, while Yunyun looks at him in total confusion.
[...]
(After noon.)
(With Kazuma and his group.)
Kazuma looked out of the window, observing what appeared to be some kind of desert.
"Hey Kazumaaa!" Aqua said with frustration in his voice. "Swap places with me, my ass is already getting square." Aqua says, immediately wanting to sit down.
"If you want, I can give up my seat and-" Wiz says, but is interrupted.
"No, Wiz. She lost in the competition, so she must pay the price," Megumin says dramatically.
"But-" Wiz is cut off again.
"Stop being dramatic, Aqua." Kazuma speaks with mild irritation. "I'll swap with you in a bit..."
"Hey, do you really think Haruka can reach us?" Darkness asks a little worriedly.
"Judging by the fact that they don't have any more merchants to go out with today, and we're already a long way from Axel. I don't know if he'll make it here today." Wiz says to the group.
"hmmm..." Kazuma mutters. Chomusuke comes up to him and jumps into his arms. "Oh, hi Chomusuke!" Kazuma starts stroking the cat.
"Hey, what are you guys going to do when you get to Arcarentia?" Aqua asks the group.
"I don't know, but I think I'm going to take a walk around the city." Kazuma says, still looking out of the window.
"There, why don't we..." Megumin says, but stops for a moment.
"Uh? What do you hear, Megumin?" Darkness asks, turning to the explosive mage.
"I heard something... didn't you?" Megumin nods, wanting to hear that sound again.
"What do you mean? I don't hear anything." Darkness said in confusion.
"Hey! What's that?" Aqua says, pointing to a cloud of dust that is rapidly approaching them.
"Oh my God! What is that!?" A shopkeeper asks, startled by the speed at which the dust cloud is approaching.
"Is it some kind of monster?" Wiz asks looking out of the window.
"Hey, Kazuma!" Aqua says, catching the boy's eye. "Use your Detect Enemy!"
Kazuma obeys the suggestion and uses his Detect Enemy spell. Kazuma stops using his ability and lets out a sigh of relief and resentment.
"That's right... I'd forgotten about her." Kazuma says with a slight smile on his face.
"What, what do you mean?" Megumin asks confused, until she hears a roaring sound mixed with an engine. "Wait, is that..."
The girls look outside and see the cloud of dust heading towards a rock that looks like a ramp. The cloud speeds up and leaps over the stone.
The girls' eyes widen as the cloud of dust begins to clear and Haruka and Yunyun (who is desperate.) ride out of the cloud of dust on the Junglaider.
Haruka gets on the ground and speeds up his bike. Yunyun quickly hugs Haruka's belly to hold on so he doesn't fall off the bike. Haruka speeds up her bike and goes near the carriage where Kazuma and the others are. She slows down to match the speed of the carriage.
"Hey guys!" Haruka says excitedly.
"What are you thinking, you imbecile?!" Kazuma shouts at the boy.
"Don't worry, if nobody thought Destroyer was weird, then they won't judge Junglaider!" Haruka says, turning the handlebars to make the Junglaider roar.
"Yunyun, are you all right?" Aqua asks, seeing that the girl looks frightened.
"I... I am..." Yunyun continues to hug Haruka, for fear of falling, but also because she's enjoying hugging him.
"You're crazy!" Darkness laughed.
"And what can I do?!" Haruka smiles as she speeds up the Junglaider. "We have to seize opportunities!"
"Haruka! Then take me too!" Megumin says with an excited smile.
"Of course!" Haruka says and feels her stomach tighten. Yunyun hugs Haruka's belly tighter as she trembles a little from fear. "Don't worry, Megumin. I'll stop us making a stop!"
Haruka says to Junglaider, stepping a little away from the carriage.
"You're crazy, you have to be." Kazuma says, sitting back in his seat.
"Hey, do you know him? And what was that thing he was in?" The carriage owner asks a little nervously.
"Oh, that..." Kazuma says, trying to find an excuse.
"That's a magic item." Darkness says. "It's a magic item that only he can use."
"Oh, if that's it, then fine." The carriage owner shrugged and accepted his wife.
"Judging by how many heroes have single-use magic items, it wouldn't be surprising to see Haruka's Junglaider." Kazuma thought, thanking Darkness for his attitude.
Haruka was walking with the Junglaider, slowing down a little he looked back and saw Yunyun hugging him tightly while keeping his eyes closed.
"Yunyun, there's no need to be afraid. I won't let you fall." Haruka says, trying to reassure her.
"I know... but it's still scary..." Yunyun hugs Haruka's belly tighter.
"It's okay..." Haruka puts his hand on Yunyun's hand, who is hugging him. "No matter what happens, I won't let you fall."
Yunyun opens his eyes and looks at Haruka, with a slight blush on his cheeks as he looks away from the boy.
Haruka realizes that the carriages are starting to stop. Turning in the direction of the Junglaider, he walks over to the carriage the others are in.
Haruka stops near the carriage. Haruka and Yunyun leave the Junglaider and go to the carriage.
"Haruka, we have an emergency!" Kazuma says and jumps out of the carriage and lands on the ground.
"What happened?" Haruka asks before seeing a cloud of dust approaching. "What is..."
Haruka looks confused before Megumin jumps out of the carriage and speaks to him.
"Not that one, running hawks! They're running creatures with exceptional strength. And apparently..." Megumin looks at the group of ostriches that are approaching. "They're in mating season."
"Mating season?" Haruka asks confused.
"I've heard about these animals." Yunyun said, catching Haruka's eye. "When they're in mating season, they go after the toughest thing around and jump on it to impress the females."
"Really?" Haruka looks at Yunyun and then at the ostriches. "And why are they coming here?"
"Apparently Darkness's armor has adamantite in it." Aqua says, jumping out of the carriage and landing on the ground.
"Adamantite, that hard metal that can... ohhh..." Haruka begins to understand the situation.
Some adventurers get out of the carriages, going to the front of the carriages to defend them.
"Listen up, everyone!" An adventurer says. "We can't let them through!"
Haruka hears this and is a little moved by their attitude.
"After all, they're paying customers. So don't let them get close." Another adventurer speaks up. Haruka makes a cold, disappointed expression.
"What are we going to do?!" Yunyun asks a little worriedly.
"If they're coming after Darkness, then we should-" Haruka is interrupted when Darkness gets out of the carriage.
Darkness moves away from the group and takes the front of the line of defense that the adventurers have made.
"Ohhh a Crusader!" A mage in the line of defense speaks up, impressed.
"I've heard that Crusaders have a very high defense and extreme skill with the sword." Another man is also impressed.
"Their defense may be, but their swordsmanship...Hu! You know nothing." Kazuma says, looking away as his face becomes flushed with nervousness while he laughs.
"I don't believe it!" Haruka sighs as she covers her face with her hands. "Darkness again? Again?!..."
Yunyun looks at the two of them confused by their reaction.
"Hurry! We have to help her." An adventurer stepped forward and held out his hands. "Amarar!" A light comes out of the adventurer's hands and ropes are thrown towards the approaching ostriches.
Darkness sees the ropes heading towards the ostriches and throws himself into the ropes. As a result, Darkness gets his arms gagged as he falls to the ground. The Crusader's face turns red as she breathes heavily, looking very excited by the situation she's in.
"Oh my God!" The adventurer covers her mouth with her hand and begins to cry. "She threw herself in front of me to defend me!"
"Yes..." A mage speaks as she wipes away her tears. "She really is an honorable Crusader!"
"That's not it, you idiots!" Kazuma shouts mentally as he starts running towards Darkness.
"Kazuma!" Haruka shouts. Kazuma signals for Haruka to follow him.
"What are you going to do?" Yunyun says, approaching the boy.
"I'll go with him. You, Megumin and Aqua stay here to protect the other merchants." Haruka indicates as she runs with her backpack in hand.
"Finally! A fight with two Riders!" Megumin says excitedly as she watches the two boys run.
"Are they going to be okay?..." Yunyun looks worried.
"Don't worry." Aqua said, putting her hand on Yunyun's shoulder. "They'll be fine, even if they are a lot of ostriches."
Haruka and Kazuma run towards Darkness, opening the backpack Haruka throws the Neo Amazon Driver to Kazuma. Kazuma catches it and puts it around his waist. Haruka picks up the Amazon Driver and puts it around his waist.
"Ahhh to see so many of these beasts coming towards me is so... dangerous and... tempting..." Darkness says excitedly while her face is red with excitement.
"Not today!" Haruka jumps up and lands next to Darkness. He pulls her through the ropes and places her on his right shoulder.
"H-Haruka, what are you doing!?" Darkness asks with a slight desperation and excitement at being carried.
"We've come to solve this problem." Kazuma says, standing next to Haruka.
"But are you two going to fight them?" Darkness asks with slight concern.
"Who are they?" A mage asks.
"Isn't that the boy who was in that red two-wheeled carriage?" The other adventurer speaks up.
Haruka and Kazuma position themselves. They look in the direction of the ostriches and see them getting closer and closer.
"Ready?" Haruka turns the Driver's left lever, making it say "OMEGA-"
"Yes!" Kazuma speaks seriously, trying to look stylish, but fails miserably. He puts the syringe into the Driver and turns it, making it curve, he squeezes the top of the syringe and the Driver says in a robotic voice "NE-O"
The two of them burst into green and red flames. The adventurers are startled and impressed by what has happened, while Darkness moans with excitement as he feels the flames burn his skin... although they won't have much effect because of the Crusader's high resistance, but anyway.
Even with the flames coming off both of them, the ostriches approach and almost run them over. But they jump to the side and manage to dodge. With the flames gone and Kazuma and Haruka now in their Rider forms.
The ostriches veer off course and head towards Haruka, as he has Darkness on his shoulder. Haruka jumps sideways as he gets away from the birds.
"Ahh Haruka! It's so embarrassing that you're carrying me like this!" Darkness says with a slight groan.
"Shut up!" Haruka, a little embarrassed. Turning away from the ostriches, he starts to run around the carriages and the birds follow him.
"Apparently they just want to go after Darkness..." Kazuma thinks and advances against the birds.
Kazuma jumps into the crowd of ostriches and lands on the back of one of the birds. Riding on the bird's back, she doesn't seem to care much.
"Kazuma, what's that?" Haruka asks as she continues to run from the birds.
"I have no idea, but they don't seem to care!" Kazuma shouts for Haruka to hear as he grabs onto the birds' feathers.
"These birds want Darkness, don't they?" Haruka thinks for a moment. "Kazuma! Can you see a cave or something?!" Haruka shouts to his friend.
Kazuma nods and stands on the bird he was riding. For some reason, Kazuma's balance is fine and he doesn't fall off even with the bird's movements. Kazuma looks at his surroundings trying to find something.
"Hmmm..." Kazuma looks around until he sees something that looks like a dome made of stones. "Got it!"
Haruka nods and looks at Kazuma as he continues running.
"To the north there's something like a dome, maybe we can trap them there." Kazuma nods in the direction of the dome.
"We're not going to trap him..." Haruka turns her wheel and starts running towards the dome. "Kazuma! Bring Megumin!"
Kazuma looked confused at Haruka's request, but he understood what was being asked of him. Jumping off the ostrich he was on, he starts running towards Megumin.
"Kazuma, what are you..." Megumin asks before Kazuma quickly grabs her by the arm and starts running towards Haruka.
"Kazuma, what are you doing?!" Aqua asks, watching Kazuma walk away quickly.
"K-Kazuma, what are you trying to do?!" Megumin asks, holding on tightly to Kazuma.
"Explanations later, now prepare the explosive magic!" Kazuma continues to run and begins to approach the ostriches.
"Haruka, what are you thinking of doing?" Darkness asks, seeing the ostriches coming towards him, but Haruka manages to match their speed.
"I'm going to do something crazy, and I'm sure you'll love it!" Haruka says as she continues running with Darkness on her shoulder.
"Ahhh something crazy?!" Darkness groans slightly as his cheeks turn red.
Kazuma runs faster, managing to overtake the ostriches and get close to Haruka.
"Haruka!" Kazuma shouts as he chases after the boy.
"Did you bring Megumin?" Haruka asks as she continues to run towards the stone dome.
"Yes, I've got him!" Megumin says as she looks at Haruka who continues running.
"Megumin, here's the plan!" Haruka turns and looks at Megumin as she runs backwards. "I'll lure them into that dome and you blow them up inside!"
Megumin nods in agreement and begins to prepare her chant of explosive magic.
Haruka and Kazuma continue running, getting closer and closer to the dome. Haruka looks back and sees that she is close enough to the dome.
"Ready, Darkness?" Haruka looks at Darkness while holding his waist tightly.
"Ahh something crazy! And what are you going to-" Darkness is interrupted when Haruka starts spinning in circles.
Leaving Kazuma and Megumin confused by his attitude, he continues spinning and with one last spin he throws Darkness towards the dome.
"Fly Darkness!" Haruka says as Darkness begins to fly and fall towards the dome.
"Why did you do that!" Megumin asks worriedly.
"She can handle it, don't worry." Kazuma shrugs his shoulders at his friend's attitude.
"With me!" Haruka signals Kazuma to follow and the two of them leave the bird path.
They move away from the birds and follow the falling Crusader. Darkness falls to the ground, making the sound of breaking bones. She's fine though, as she's very resilient. Darkness falls to the ground motionless in front of the entrance to the dome.
The ostriches follow Darkness and start jumping over her as they enter the dome one by one. Haruka, Megumin and Kazuma look on with indifferent expressions... even though they can't see the boys' faces because of their helmets.
"What a crazy thing..." Megumin says as she watches the ostriches enter the dome.
"Well, now just detonate them all." Haruka puts her hand on Megumin's shoulder. "Go on, blow them all up!"
Megumin smiles, putting on her mage hat and preparing her explosive magic. Making her chant she sees that the last ostrich has entered the dome, finishing her chant she points her staff and shouts with all her will. "EXPLOOOOOSION!" Magic circles appear on top of the dome and a huge beam of light appears, followed by a huge tower of fire causing a huge explosion in the dome.
PAUSE
(Night.)
The carriages are trimmed around the merchants and adventurers, setting up a small camp. With some of the adventurers putting up forums on the ground to lie down and rest. While Haruka and Yunyun help the merchants with the sleeping places, Wiz is helping with the food preparations, Aqua is lying on one of the cloths sleeping while holding a bottle of red wine that seems to have been expensive. Kazuma is a little away from the rest, fixing Darkness' armor.
Megumin and Darkness are standing next to Kazuma, watching him fix Darkness' armor, with the two girls impressed by the boy's skill.
"Wow, Kazuma! You're very skilled with that." Megumin says impressed.
"Where did you learn to do that?" Darkness asks, watching Kazuma polish his armor.
"Oh, I learned from that blacksmith who made my sword!" Kazuma says, slightly embarrassed.
"The Chunchunmaru?" Megumin asks the boy.
"Yes... the Chunchunmaru..." Kazuma says, slightly irritated by the name of the sword.
"Do you still have it?" Darkness asks curiously.
"Yes, I decided to use it when I can't transform into a Rider." Kazuma explains as he finishes packing his armor. "Ready!" Kazuma lifts the armor up and takes pride in his work, then hands the armor to Darkness.
"Even you and Haruka run a lot!" Megumin says, remembering what happened earlier.
"É... really. I felt like I could run for hours and hours," Kazuma said, reflecting a little.
"And Haruka threw me in such a brutal way!" Darkness says as he hugs his own body.
"Honestly, you'll never change." Kazuma shrugs his shoulders as he sighs. Kazuma looks at Haruka and sees him talking to Yunyun as they walk with some cloths.
"You swear she's already done that?" Haruka asks, approaching a mage.
"Yeah, they said I'd have more friends if I dressed up as a chicken and clucked at the top of the school." Yunyun says a little sheepishly.
"Honestly..." Haruka walks over to the magician and hands her the cloths. "These students have gone beyond the level of being assholes."
"Yeah, but... they weren't that bad" Yunyun hands over the cloths and laughs nervously.
"Yunyun, they did it to humiliate you. So yes, they were very bad." Haruka says as she walks over to a nearby carriage.
"Yeah, but..." Yunyun follows Haruka trying to find an answer.
"Yunyun..." Haruka turns and looks into Yunyun's sparkling red eyes. "Yunyun, you're not wrong to have fallen for this prank, but you'll be wrong if you keep persisting in the same mistake."
"You... you know about this?" Yunyun looks at Haruka in surprise.
"Yes, I always hear adventurers speak highly of you and how you saved their lives." Haruka smiles.
"Yeah... I guess so..." Yunyun looks down a little happier.
"Of course!" Haruka feels Yunyun's hands squeeze hers a little harder. "Hey, are you hungry?"
"Hm?" Yunyun raises his head.
"We haven't eaten yet, have we? And I made us some snacks." Haruka winks with her right eye.
"Well... I guess I'm a little hungry myself." Yunyun gives a slight smile and escorts Haruka to the carriage they came in.
"That sounded good to me... Ah, forget it!" Kazuma shrugs his shoulders and goes back to focusing on what matters.
[...]
Everyone is lying down and sleeping in front of the starry sky. Kazuma's group were lying next to each other. Wiz, Haruka, Darkness, Kazuma, Megumin, Yunyun and Aqua. Exactly in that order.
Kazuma mumbles a little as he wakes up. Looking around, he senses something strange, a feeling that something is coming. Kazuma looks around, but sees nothing. Kazuma approaches Megumin and shakes her to wake her up.
"Hey, Megumin. Wake up." Kazuma shakes Megumin's body with a little sleep in his voice.
"Hmmm..." Megumin groans in her sleep.
"Megumin, come on..." Kazuma gives a slight smile. "If you don't wake up, I'm going to-"
"What are you going to do?" Darkness asks, approaching Kazuma's ear.
"Ahhj!" Kazuma lets out a silent scream, startled. "What was that!?" Kazuma whispers angrily.
"Oh, I just lost sleep and got up. But, tell me, what were you going to do?" Darkness asks curiously.
"I was just going to..." Kazuma tries to find an excuse. And it came at just the right moment. "What's that?..."
Kazuma looks around and uses his Detect Enemy skill, seeing a huge horde of monsters approaching.
"There are monsters coming!" Kazuma quickly stands up. "Everyone! Wake up!" Kazuma shouts, making most of them lose their sleep.
"Hmmm Kazumaaah..." Aqua groans in frustration as she hugs her bottle of red wine.
"We don't have time, wake up you idiot!" Kazuma shouts at the girl.
"What do you hear?" Haruka stands up while rubbing her eyes.
"Attack! We're under attack!" Kazuma says to his friend.
"What?!" Haruka asks in surprise.
Everyone hears some noises and grunts. Several undead begin to pass by the carriage and enter the camp.
"What's that?" A mage asks frightened.
"Everyone, into position!" An adventurer speaks as he steps forward and strikes a blow with his sword at one of the many undead.
"Haruka!" Kazuma shouts and stands back to back leaning on Haruka. "Where are the Drivers?"
"They're in the carriage!" Haruka says worriedly as he looks at the undead.
"Kazumaa!" Aqua screams in despair as she sees several undead approaching her.
"Aqua!" Kazuma shouts worriedly, before seeing a burst of flames hit the undead.
"Flame Ball!" Yunyun shoots fireballs towards the undead, managing to save Aqua. "Aqua, are you all right?" Yunyun approaches, helping the Goddess to her feet.
"AHHH those damn undead think they can just defy the mighty Goddess Aqua?!" Aqua stands up angrily. "If that's what you think then... Deconjure holy undead!"
A heavenly aura surrounds Aqua as a huge blue magic circle covers the entire camp, and consequently also catches all the undead. The undead groan in pain and disappear because of Aqua's magic.
"Grrr!..." Wiz screams when she feels Aqua's holy magic and, as a result, she faints.
Aqua ceases her sacred magic and everyone there applauds the Goddess with great admiration.
"Or that..." Haruka says, relaxing her body. "That could work too."
"Yeah... I agree." Kazuma says, approaching Aqua. "Hey, Aqua."
"Hm?" Aqua turns to look at Kazuma.
"There's more coming from that side." Kazuma points in a direction indicating more undead.
"Ahh how dare you!" Aqua runs towards them while preparing her holy magic to exorcise them.
"At least... she managed to deal with them all by herself." Darkness says, approaching the group.
"And this was supposed to be a relaxing trip..." Haruka sighs.
"If you don't mind, I'm going back to sleep." Megumin says and lies down on her spot again.
"You can rest. I'll stay up for a while to keep watch." Haruka says, walking over to the adventurers standing guard.
"If he said so, then let's go to sleep." Kazuma shrugs and lies down again.
"Right..." Yunyun thinks for a moment and lies back down in his sleeping place.
Most of the traveling party goes back to sleep, with Haruka and a few adventurers awake to guard the camp. While Aqua continues to run around the camp while exorcising all the undead.
[...]
(Morning)
Haruka, Kazuma, Megumin, Darkness and Yunyun look shocked and impressed at the sight before them. For they have finally arrived in Arcanretia, the city of hot springs. Everyone gets out of the carriage while Haruka stops the Junglaider and they all observe the city, Kazuma is carrying Wiz on his back because Litch is passed out from Aqua's holy magic.
"What a beautiful place..." Haruka sighs with happiness.
"And this is Arcanretia, the city of hot springs!" Aqua says happily as she introduces the city.
"We can really enjoy our time here!" Darkness puts his fists on his waist in excitement.
"What are we waiting for? Let's go!" Megumin runs through the streets excited about the city.
"Wait, Megumin! Shouldn't we go together?" Yunyun says as she follows the explosive magician.
"These days are going to be so much fun!" Haruka mutters excitedly.
(End of chapter.)
Note: In case you're wondering "Wow, why can Haruka and Kazuma run faster than ostriches?" the Amazons are fast. In the first transformation in the series, Amazon Omega crossed the city in just a few minutes, so yes, they are very fast.
That's all for today, see you in the next chapter!