Kazuma had been reduced to little more than a human shaped ball of bruises by the time Aqua's rage had been fully vented. He was now tied up on the floor of their bedroom, the irate goddess sitting on the bed and looking down at him, having taken the edge off her anger. "Now, explain why you made a deal with a devil, again? I couldn't understand you last time through all the screams of pain and begging for mercy."
"That wouldn't have been a problem if you'd have just stopped hitting me for five seconds."
"What was that? Please continue teaching me the meaning of 'wrath of god'? Well if you insist-!"
Kazuma paled as Aqua cracked her knuckles and hung his head in shame. Truthfully, he didn't have a good excuse for what he did, other than being a hormonal, horny teenager and sheer impulsiveness when presented with something seemingly too good to be true. So, he went with what men for generations did: He groveled and flattered shamelessly.
"I don't have a good excuse Aqua, other than that I was weak. Think of it from my point of view - I've been 'cursed' to sleep every night with a literal goddess with no release in sight! Combine that with the stress of my job and paying off Megumin's debt and when Dust thrust a chance to relax into my lap, I just rolled with it."
Aqua's eyebrow twitching was the only sign she'd even heard him. Mentaly at least, she conceded the point that sleeping next to her likely wasn't easy on a loveless virgin like him. If she was being honest, Kazuma taking steps to handle his 'needs' in a discreet manner bothered her a lot less than the fact he went to demons to do it, or the fact one of the filthy creatures had been looming over her while she was asleep and helpless!
"Besides, I think you're judging them a bit harshly." And there went the little bit of sympathy she'd had. Was it still murder if she ressurrected him afterwards? "They barely hurt anyone with what they're doing and they're pretty up-front about the cost. In fact honestly, it's more of a service they offer to people that need a safe way to destress without worrying about hurting people's feelings. The fact that it also lets them feed without hurting their 'prey' is only another point in their favor." An idea was starting to form in his head, not just to get him out of another beating, but to potentially turn this whole misadventure into something that benefited everyone. "Before you pass your final judgment, maybe you should at least talk to them?"
The only thing stopping Aqua from throttling him right then and there was being frozen by the sheer audacity of the suggestion. The idea of cavorting with demons was anathema to her on more levels than his pathetic mortal mind could possibly comprehend! "Are you completely insane?" she gaped, making sure she'd heard him right. "They are unholy abominations! I'd sooner purify them out of existence than talk to them!"
"And has it occurred to you that attitude has kept them from doing better?" he simply asked, quirking an eyebrow and trying to keep her off-balance, well aware that it was probably the only thing keeping him alive right now.
"I- Ah- Uh- What? They're unholy, Kazuma. How could they possibly 'do better?'" she asked slowly, forgetting Kazuma didn't have a solid grounding in what holy and unholy really meant.
"Yeah, and? You're holy, but that doesn't mean every act you do is good and altruistic, does it? You just beat the snot out of me for making a mistake, right?" he challenged, fully aware that he had started playing a very dangerous game and the only way to live was to convince Aqua to shelve her astonishing levels of racism for the time being.
"Righteous fury doesn't count! You had that beating coming" she sniffed, her eyes narrowing. Overreaction or not, like hell she was going to let him off that easy!.
Kazuma rolled his eyes, meeting her gaze through his swollen black eye. "Right, sure, I had it coming. Back on the succubi, look at what they are doing, Aqua! They're not stealing souls and sucking people dry - hell, they've got enough blackmail to run the city, but they're just trying to live and co-exist with people. They don't want to hurt people because it would mean no sustenance for them. You heard what she said, does a girl describing love as a sweet pastry really sound like a hideous monster to you?" Kazuma paused for a moment, before delivering this coup de grace - the argument that would either save his life, or just have Aqua kill him there and then. "Besides, I had a thought when I was writing that dream out… The succubi could be exactly what you need."
Aqua went stiff, her lip thinning in confusion as she tried to think out how exactly this whole situation could have been for her benefit. His response left her speechless.
"Think about it: You wanted more followers, right? Well there's an entireuntapped population of people that could truly benefit from the guidance of such a kind and understanding goddess, if only she was willing to show the world the most monumental act of divine mercy in history." This was his big Hail-Mary. His merchant's instinct could smell the mother of all payoffs here, but no-one ever won big without risking big, so he plunged on, staking his life as collateral. "That's why I decided to try out their services, to make sure of their intentions before pitching the idea to you."
Aqua could only stare at Kazuma in disbelief and horror. Demons? As her followers? Was he seriously that naive? She'd sooner fade into nothing! "Kazuma, they are literally unholy abominations!" she sputtered. "How could you ever think that I'd accept them? Or that they'd willingly follow me? Their entire existence is the antithesis to mine! I-I don't even know what would happen if a demon worshiped a good goddess! For all I know they could explode the moment they say their first prayer-" Aqua cut herself off, slowly realizing this might just be a win-win for her. If the demonic whores accepted her, then regardless of the quality, she got a bunch of followers that she would then have dominion over, allowing her to better watch them and make sure they didn't do anything she didn't approve of. On top of that, more followers meant less chance at waking up mortal one day, or failing to wake up at all - she'd just have to make sure her fellow deities never found out, or derision and scorn might be the least of her concerns. If they refused her, she'd have the location of the den of evil and would be able to smite the whole lot of them! Heck, she might even get lucky and the succubi swearing themselves to her might reduce them to ash on the spot. That would be the best possible outcome she could hope for! Still, this wasn't something to just rush into. In her weakened state, just walking in there unprepared might as well be serving herself up on a plate to those ravenous creatures. "I need to get a hold of Eris. You stay there and I'll heal you in the morning so we can go visit these new 'friends' of yours, okay?" she asked, her sickeningly sweet voice every bit as scary as Luna when she was mad.
Kazuma could only bow his head and apologize to the nice succubi and what he'd inflicted upon them.
-Ko-No-Su-Ba!-
Aqua had bothered Eris (who had been trying to sleep and slightly annoyed at being woken up) for a simple divine artifact. It wasn't much, but it would project her 'goddliness' like a physical shield against impurity, with the side-benefit of making it much more obvious she was actually a goddess when shown. Her friend was only able to lend it to her for the purpose of the meeting, but it would hopefully be enough for her to test the waters. Eris herself largely agreed with Aqua, feeling her skin crawl at the very idea of 'helping' the hellspawn and vocally hoping that the demons would soon be erased from existence. In private however, as much as she hated to admit it, Kazuma kind of had a point. If it meant her senpai's existence would be more secure, maybe it was worth tolerating the succubi's existence, at least on a temporary basis.
That morning, a slightly healed (just enough to be self-ambulatory, albeit wincing at every step) Kazuma led Aqua towards the cafe. She had a death grip on his forearm, making sure that he wouldn't be able to make a run for it and the whole situation felt to him, like a man being led to the gallows.
Once in front of the alley, Kazuma turned them down towards the cafe, mentally apologizing to Dust for what he was about to do. Aqua's eyes squinted in suspicion as they drew closer, taking in the fliers on the walls. "Odd… How come I don't feel their unholy taint?"
"Maybe the strength of their taint is proportional to their evil intent? I don't understand the whole holy-unholy thing" Kazuma grumbled, trying to stay as on her good side as he could for now.
Aqua huffed in indignation, such ridiculous ideas coming from this mortal. She hadn't been quite as haughty and high on her whole goddess thing as of late, but Kazuma making such a faux pas had forced her to regress slightly. 'Holy' and 'unholy' might be related to the ideas of good and evil, but they weren't quite the same thing, much like how space and time were connected, but separate.
Kazuma gulped, opening the door to the cafe and walking in. The gentle buzz of chattering girls stilled into silence as the collected succubi sensed the presence of their natural enemy and slowly turned with expressions ranging from dread, to panic, to anger. It was still early enough in the day that there weren't any customers (most of the regulars either sleeping off their purchase or hastily cleaning their bedsheets), so they had just been relaxing and lounging about, making conversation or snacking on a surprisingly-normal breakfast. The raw holy presence of Aqua and her divine relic, which she'd properly placed on her chest as they entered, was like a spotlight suddenly being turned on them. The relic in question was a fairly simple pin in the shape of the Axis cult's symbol, but what was truly terrifying for the demons was that it allowed her to fully exert her divine presence.
"Great Unholy Demon King, it's Aqua the Drowner! FLY FOR YOUR LIVES!" came a desperate shout from somewhere at the back of the room. The succubi exploded into movement, attempting to flee. Most shot for the back exit or a window, while some, gripped by naked panic, simply clung to each other, or tried to hide their nubile figures under chairs and tables.
Unfortunate for them, Aqua didn't want to lose a single target. She stomped her foot, letting out a shout. "Barrier!" Holy walls of ocean-blue light slammed into place over every opening, effectively sealing them all inside the cafe, like rats in a trap. Aqua stepped forward and even Kazuma had to admit he was a little intimidated by the regal presence she was displaying (with a little help from her accessory). To the succubi, it was like staring at Death itself. "Now then, now that I have your attention, which of you leeches is in charge of this seedy den of evil?"
The girls had all made themselves as small as possible, prostrated in some capacity on the floor as they hoped Aqua wouldn't gaze upon them. The one exception was the only succubus Aqua had even heard of that didn't look in the prime of her beauty. She wasn't old or ugly per say, as much as just seeming weathered. There were clear signs that on a mortal woman, would indicate a faded beauty, like a wilted rose, evoking feelings of a mother who had suffered and starved to keep her children fed through many lean winters. Rather than lust, her appearance seemed tailored to provoke sympathy and respect, or would for anyone not currently burning with holy power and barely-restrained bloodlust. "That would be me, your holiness. I am the matron of this fine establishment, Madame Marigold. I take it you have come to exact your 'justice' on us and exterminate us?"
For someone facing death, Marigold remained remarkably dignified and seemingly unsurprised by the aggressive behavior coming from Aqua. Kazuma caught a motion behind the matron and blinked, his eyebrows shooting up as he recognised the cowering form of the loli succubus hiding behind her - the same girl that Aqua had rammed the previous night. He quickly fitted two and two together and realized that the poor thing must have run directly home to cry to her 'mama'. Marigold would have been able to tell that her girl had run into an angry arch-priestess at the very least, but rather than immediately evacuate the shop, she had hidden the information from her girls, preferring to face the coming storm. Gears spun in the young man's mind as he processed this. Could she have set a trap? Unlikely - for all she knew, Aqua might have shown up with a small army of angry ladies. That meant she had some kind of angle to play here.
Aqua scrunched her nose as if she'd just smelled something truly foul. She wanted to do exactly as the dried-up old hooker suggested, but she had to give at least the impression of trying Kazuma's idea. She didn't want him to see her as a liar, even if she was furious with him right now. She forced a smile colder than an abyssal trench onto her face. "No, not necessarily. You see, my friend here" she hefted Kazuma up slightly by his arm to bring attention to him, "Thinks there might just be a chance you aren't inherently evil and in need of a lungful of seawater. He seems to believe you're doing your best to coexist with humans as well as you can and that's why you set up shop here. So because I am such a kind and benevolent goddess, on the strength of his good word, I am willing to offer you all a chance at 'redemption.'" There was a distinctly nervous, collective gulp at how she phrased that last word, but the looks of horror and fear on the succubi's beautiful faces were slowly being replaced with confusion and hope. The fact they weren't already re-enacting some one of the 'snuff dreams' they occasionally got orders for, was just enough of a thin hope to make them think they could possibly get out of this in one piece. "In order to make sure you are all well behaved, I have come to personally invite you all to join me in the Axis Cult. If you accept, I shall gladly look the other way and allow you to continue helping people relieve stress."
The girls shared looks of disbelief, whispering and murmuring to one another, mostly asking if she could even do what she was promising. Madame Marigold meanwhile, kept her gaze steadily on the murderous divinity in her lobby, as she examined the thought. Having the backing of a goddess, even one as insane as the head of the Axis Cult, would bring them a level of safety they couldn't hope to attain otherwise. When Missie had burst into her chambers the previous night, wailing about messing up and outing their existence to an arch-priestess, she had mentally prepared herself to bargain for her girls' lives. If she'd given the word right there and then, they might have been able to escape, but that would have put them back where they had been over a decade ago - homeless, hunted and starving, forced to drain mortals to their last drop just to survive, all the while making their situation worse. Standing their ground had been the best of a host of bad options, but this offer was almost too good to be true! She caught the young man's eye, doing her best to appraise him with the experience of a long life exploring the innermost depths of men's desires. 'On the strength of his good word,' was it? The fact that the Drowning Goddess hadn't already reduced them to ash, or treated them to a slower and more horrifying death, spoke volumes for the strength of their bond, but conversely, he was putting a lot on the line for them. She was no fool - there was no such thing as a free lunch and sooner or later, that debt would come due.
Then there was the fact that it was Aqua, offering them a place in the Axis Cult. A reputation like that might just paint an even bigger target on their backs and it would mean giving up the protection provided by their clandestine existence. Seconds ticked by, every one of them potentially straining Aqua's limited patience to breaking point. Marigold felt a cold bead of sweat trace down her neck, the sole sign of her consternation. On balance, the 'choice' was no choice at all - terms offered by a conqueror to the vanquished. Join, or die. She squeezed Missie's trembling hand and stepped forward. "Your offer is generous indeed, your holiness and on behalf of my girls, I'll accept it in the spirit in which it is made." The corner of her mouth quirked, gallows humor forcing its way past her polite facade. "You're half expecting me to combust though, aren't you? To my knowledge, no demon has ever sworn themselves to one of you holy gods before, so the results are dubious at best."
Aqua tutted in annoyance, irritated she'd been called out so easily. She'd been kinda hoping to get them all to sign up at once and watch them all go ka-blam. Doing it one at a time would take a while. "Well then, I suppose we'll find out then, won't we?" Aqua drew the infamous sheet of paper from her pocket and smacked it down on the front counter, challenging the Madame's resolve. "Sign up for the Axis Cult then, my dear Marigold."
Marigold took a deep, calming breath to steel herself for what she was about to do. Taking a pen they'd usually have a client use to fill out their dream form, she noticed her hand was shaking and placed her left hand on her wrist to calm the tremors. It was honestly terrifying, not knowing if she would spontaneously combust, just drop dead, or suddenly find herself unable to breathe, as the weight of a billion tons of water crushed down on her body. Still, for the sake of her girls, she would not let herself show fear, even with Aqua's aura so close that she could swear her wings were starting to crisp. With an outward calm she didn't feel, she signed her name, reflecting with a shiver of mild hysteria, that this must be something like what her new clients felt like, signing away what could be their lives and souls to a demon. Reflecting on the irony, she made her final stroke and she sat the pen down, looking into Aqua's eyes and bracing herself for the inevitable.
Aqua was right there with her, expecting something to happen. Seconds slipped by, as if the universe itself was pausing to process what had just happened, then she blinked. She could distinctly feel the tether of another follower of her religion. The Axis Cult might not have some grand ceremony, but the contract every worshiper signed was as real as anything more grandiose. The feeling was so weak as to be nearly nonexistent, especially compared to her more devoted servants, but she could hardly expect better from someone effectively joining at sword-point. Aqua was somewhat torn between disgust and excitement. Kazuma's plan had actually worked and honestly, she wasn't sure she was comfortable with what that implied. She'd come into this knowing that she won either way and indeed, she had got exactly what she'd wanted, but at what cost?
Marigold, seeing the shocked look on Aqua's face, realized it must have worked, almost as much to her surprise as her new patron's. For the first time since Aqua walked in, she let her emotions show openly and she gasped in relief, letting out the breath she had been holding. Wiping small tears in her eyes, she turned back to her girls and opened her arms, as if to embrace them all. "Well, I'm still here, so I'm guessing it worked! Line up girls and say hello to your new goddess!"
Easily the most surprised person in the room was Kazuma. He hadn't actually expected his half-cocked plan to work, let alone this well and he'd been halfway convinced he was going to be complicit in a minor genocide for several minutes there. If Aqua really had gone full smite-mode, he'd had a vague plan of pinning her down to maybe give the succubi time to run, but could he have really done it? Physically, he had a good chance - he'd pretty much let her beat him black and blue in their room, but from how he felt his knees shake when she put that pin on, he had his doubts he had the courage. Aqua might be a bit useless, but he'd forgotten that ultimately, she was a goddess. Still, no harm, no foul, right? He watched three lines of girls forming to fill out their contracts, smiling as they realized that rather than their death wasn't staring them right in the face, this could very well mean a new lease on life.
Marigold approached the duo, wishing her (comparatively conservative) lingerie had enough space for a cigarette. She didn't like smoking in front of the girls, but after an experience like that, she felt like she needed it.. "So, Lady Aqua, it seems we are now in your debt." Her eyes slid to Kazuma with a suggestive smirk that had the young man sweating. It was nice to confirm she still had it. "And yours too, Mister Satou. I don't like letting debts accrue interest, so would it be too much to ask for your literature on how to best work towards paying it off?
"I will have my servant here deliver you some holy texts once we have it ready," Aqua nodded, folding her arms under her bust in a mostly-unconscious attempt to compete with the succubi's wanton displays of feminine prowess. "I do hope that you won't disappoint me and you and your girls will continue to serve the community with your customary aplomb." The words tasted like ash in her mouth, but they were hers now, filthy demon or otherwise. She'd need to wait for them to screw up before she could delete them all, like she should have in the first place. "Kazuma, come. We're leaving." Aqua all but dragged him away, clearly more than slightly grumpy at having received what she considered the consolation prize. Before they emerged onto the main street, she pocketed the holy pin she had been wearing, not wanting to cause the full-blown panic associated with a divine revelation.
Once outside, she released Kazuma's arm and set a brisk pace back to the guild. It was clear that Aqua's mood was more than slightly sour, but Kazuma was still brave enough to 'poke the bear,' as he massaged some feeling back into his arm, convinced her iron grip had left a mark. "Um, so, did it work? You have more followers now, right?"
Aqua leveled a glare at him, resentment still burning behind her eyes. "We will talk when we're home. And be prepared to sleep in a different room until further notice."
Kazuma now knew he was in deep shit. She enjoyed cuddling far too much to give that up for anything less than pure, unbridled rage.
-Ko-No-Su-Ba!0-
Aqua hadn't said a word since she had warned him about sleeping separately. Luna had known better than to ask questions, after the sounds the night before and had simply arranged for the room next-door to be made available. Kazuma was just grateful that the look Luna had spared him, had been one of sympathy, rather than scorn. All the same, Aqua refused to let him sit on 'her' bed as she healed him, silently soothing away every injury she had inflicted upon him. She'd claimed she was just taking away the pain, but Kazuma wasn't fooled - he'd experienced her fixing enough knocks and blows from Feldart to know when something was fixed, as opposed to simply not hurting anymore. With the last of his aches and pains erased, Aqua eventually let out a sigh, her rage at last drained as she plopped down next to him, resting her head on his shoulder. "Alright, I think I might be over it now. So, yes, good job, I have a bunch of shiny new followers. But thoughtful as that was, you didn't plan this all through, did you?" She chuckled and cuddled up to him, grabbing a handful of his shirt to hold on tighter. The attitude change was an almost complete one-eighty from not even five minutes ago, the goddess now acting like the whole affair had been a silly annoyance, rather than provoking her to a murderous rage.
"Uh, no, I guess I didn't?" Kazuma admitted, the complete shift catching him off-guard, but going some way to relaxing his worries. It was hard to remain petrified of Aqua when she was snuggling up like this. "It didn't seem right to let you just murder any of them though. They hadn't done anything wrong, really. Plus, that girl last night was only there because of me. I couldn't live with that on my conscience." He couldn't help but be reminded of his death, pathetically dying trying to do the right thing. He couldn't help suffering due to a mixture of his good nature and own foolishness, it seemed.
Aqua could only let out a defeated sigh, lightly poking his chest as she wrapped him in a side-hug. "And that's part of why I like you, you dumb hikiNEET," she murmured. Kazuma blinked, stiffening up at once. He was certain of what he heard, but common sense kept him from pushing the issue. It had to be a trap, surely? After the day they'd had, there was no way Aqua would just confess like that?! Aqua frowned, looking up at him as she felt him freeze. "Hmm? What's up? Kazuma? Hey, Kazuma!" Her gentle poking became more insistent, her fingers jabbing at his ribs painfully. "What's with that kind of attitude, huh?" she growled. "I'm generous enough to forgive you after you cavorted with demons and you give me the cold shoulder?!" Her fingers drove into his kidney like a speartip and he yelped in pain.
"Ow! Aqua, that hurts!"
"That's the idea, you lowlife!" Her fist tightened around his shirt and she shook him, scowling. "Your mind's still back in that whorehouse, isn't it! You know, maybe I've been too generous with you and them! Perhaps I should make you understand just what the consequences of your actions are! It was in my bed, Kazuma! It was kneeling over me while I was defenseless! No-one gets to see me like that! No-one!"
"What are you talking about?!" Kazuma yelped, shielding himself as well as he could, from her onslaught. Admittedly, she seemed to be trying to hurt more than actually harm, but hadn't he suffered enough?! "Wasn't my beating enough? I-isn't being pushed away from sharing your radiant presence tonight enough? And she was just doing her job, you can't punish her for that!"
It was almost like a switch had been flipped, as Aqua abruptly stood and pushed him hard, forcing Kazuma to fall back onto the bed. As he was about to get up, he found a finger pointed at his eye, so close it almost brushed his lashes. "I am a goddess, Kazuma," Aqua told him, her voice cold and hard. "You are a mortal. Don't think you get to tell me what I can and cannot do. Understand?" Kazuma nodded slowly, cross-eyed and staring at the digit that in that moment, felt an awful lot like a dagger. Aqua smiled, the cold glare leaving her eyes like winter snow melting before the sun, as she puffed up her chest and rested her hands on her hips. "Good! Now despite everything, maybe some good can come out of those girls. The face of the Axis Cult is changing for the better! Now, I have a shift to fill at Eris's church and you've got debts to pay off. Don't sit around too long!" She waved over her shoulder and left, leaving the door open behind her as she hummed lightly in time with her steps.
Kazuma's confusion was immeasurable, as he stared at her vanishing back. He got that she hated demons, sure, but that reaction had been nuts even by Aqua's standards. Maybe it was a goddess thing? Had it been a month already? He'd just have to find a way to discreetly ask Eris, next time he had the chance.
-Ko-No-Su-Ba!-
The streets of Arcanlatia, were no place for the misguided. Tempers were short and few slept well, as the revelations granted unto the high priest had proven merely a foretaste of the trials set before the faithful. Visions of darkness, chaos and churning waters had sparked doomsayers who claimed the goddess had forsaken them and many more reformists who grumbled loudly that the clergy had strayed from the true path. Neither had been met with acceptance by the traditionalists. Shouted arguments were the order of the day, as every minor misfortune was blamed upon the sinful ways of the opposite party and even the faithful watchmen of the town were split, leading to heavy-handed responses to the ever-increasing scuffles and brawls. Blood had yet to be shed, but more and more had begun to wear weapons, fearful for their own safety and mistrustful of the intentions of armed strangers who had until recently been neighbors and family. The faithful prayed for guidance, but there was none to be heard and in the halls of the temple itself, whispers planting the seeds of the accusation of open heresy could be heard.
Due to the cult's alienating nature, the news of the growing schism had yet to leave the city, but as windows were broken, market stalls overturned and righteous zeal turned to fanaticism, messengers left on swift horses, summoning those of the faithful yet abroad. Both sides called for aid and drew their battle lines, slowly spreading the taint of chaos and fear further through the kingdom as the ill news spread.
