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 KonoSuba! Volume 3
You’re Being Summoned, Darkness-san
Written by Natsume Akatsuki; Translated by Skythewood, Cannongerbil

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 Table of Contents
Prologue....................................................................................................................... 13
Chapter 1: Requesting Aid Against This Unjust Trial! ..................................... 14
Chapter 1: Part 1 ................................................................................................. 14
Chapter 1: Part 2 ................................................................................................ 22
Chapter 1: Part 3 ................................................................................................ 28
Chapter 1: Part 4 ................................................................................................ 31
Chapter 1: Part 5 ................................................................................................ 39
Chapter 1: Part 6 ................................................................................................ 43
Chapter 1: Part 7................................................................................................. 51
Chapter 1: Part 8 ................................................................................................ 62
Chapter 1: Part 9 ................................................................................................ 66
Chapter 2: Helping the Crimson Magic Girl Make Friends! .......................... 72
Chapter 2: Part 1 ................................................................................................ 72
Chapter 2: Part 2 ................................................................................................ 82
Chapter 2: Part 3 ................................................................................................ 93
Chapter 2: Part 4 .............................................................................................. 102
Chapter 2: Part 5 .............................................................................................. 108
Chapter 2: Part 6 ............................................................................................... 115
Chapter 2: Part 7 .............................................................................................. 123
Chapter 2: Part 8 .............................................................................................. 126
Chapter 3: Gifting the Aristocratic Lady With Marriage!............................. 130
Chapter 3: Part 1 .............................................................................................. 130
Chapter 3: Part 2 .............................................................................................. 140
Chapter 3: Part 3 .............................................................................................. 147
Chapter 3: Part 4 .............................................................................................. 150
Chapter 3: Part 5 .............................................................................................. 160
Chapter 3: Part 6 .............................................................................................. 163
Chapter 3: Part 7 ............................................................................................... 171
Chapter 3: Part 8 .............................................................................................. 179
Chapter 3: Part 9 .............................................................................................. 183
Chapter 3: Part 10 ............................................................................................ 190
Chapter 3: Part 11............................................................................................. 199
Chapter 3: Part 12 ............................................................................................ 205

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Chapter 4: Turning the Masked Knight Into a Slave! ....................................209
Chapter 4: Part 1 ..............................................................................................209
Chapter 4: Part 2 .............................................................................................. 214
Chapter 4: Part 3 .............................................................................................. 226
Chapter 4: Part 4 .............................................................................................. 231
Chapter 4: Part 5 ..............................................................................................240
Chapter 4: Part 6 .............................................................................................. 244
Chapter 4: Part 7 .............................................................................................. 249
Chapter 4: Part 8.............................................................................................. 252
Chapter 4: Part 9 .............................................................................................. 264
Epilogue 1: Aqua ...................................................................................................... 273
Epilogue 2: Megumin ............................................................................................. 275
Epilogue 3: Darkness ............................................................................................. 277
Epilogue 4: Kazuma ................................................................................................ 279
Short Story: Explosion Is Art ............................................................................... 287

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 Prologue
TL: Skythewood
Editor: Adam, Cannongerbil, Veritaum, Boring bone, Xenthur

– Dear Father, Mother.

It should be getting cold in your world. Are you doing well?

“Defendant, Satou Kazuma. In review of your repeated and

inhumane actions…”

Is the snow starting to melt in the world over there?

Is my younger brother doing okay?

“And your actions that obviously disrupt the peace of the town…”

I hope everyone’s doing well.

“The jury concludes that the argument of the prosecutor is

adequate.”

I’m doing well in this world too–

“I find the accused guilty and hereby–”

So, I beg forgiveness from both of you…

“– sentence you to death.”

This unfilial son who’s now a criminal.

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 Requesting Aid Against This Unjust Trial!
Chapter 1: Part 1
There used to be a high bounty target feared by people all over the
world. No one knows who came up with the name, but it’s know
as…

Mobile Fortress Destroyer.

Thanks to my brilliant command, we took down that infamous

bounty target not to long ago.

And right now, to collect the bounty reward for bringing down the
Destroyer, I came to the Adventurer’s Guild, but–

“Adventurer Satou Kazuma! You’re under suspicion of

committing subversion of the nation! Please come along with us!”

The situation took a weird turn.

“Eh… May I ask who you are? Or rather, what does ‘Subversion of
the nation’ mean? I just came here to collect my payout.”

I timidly asked the seriously looking woman before me.

The rowdy guild was dead silent because of what the woman
accompanied by knights said.

“I’m a prosecutor of the Kingdom, Sena. Subversion of the nation

literally means committing an act that undermines the authority
of the nation. We suspect that you’re either a terrorist or a minion
of the Demon King’s army.”

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The woman with long brown hair said as she glared at me with
stern eyes.

She had that air of an intelligent beauty that gave the impression
of a secretary.

After hearing Sena say that, Aqua shouted.

“Ehh? Hey, Kazuma, what trouble did you stir up this time? What
crimes did you commit while I wasn’t looking! Apologize right
now! I’ll apologize together with you, so do it quick!”

“Are you an idiot! There’s no way I would commit such crimes! In

the first place, we spend most of our time together! There’s no
way you wouldn’t know if I did anything!”

As I was scolding Aqua, Megumin said:

“Wait a minute, did you get the wrong person? Kazuma does
commit minor infractions like sexual harassment from time-to-
time, but he doesn’t have the guts to commit such a major crime.”

“Are you helping me or looking for a fight?”

As I retorted, Darkness followed up and said:

“Yeah, I don’t think this man would commit such a serious crime.
If he had the guts, he would do more than ogle at me with creepy
eyes when I walk around the house in a skimpy attire. He’s a loser
who doesn’t even dare to do a night raid.”

“Wh-Wh-Who is looking at you!? Aren’t you too self-conscious?

Don’t get conceited just because you have a sexy body. I have the
right to choose, all right?”

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When she heard me say that, Darkness’s face turned red instantly.

“After asking me to do all that in the shower, you’re saying this

now…?!”

“I was manipulated by a succubus that time! And you’re the one

with the problem, being so docile and scrubbing my back because
of the mood! And what do you want now? Are you expecting
something? Just how gullible and open are you?”

“I-I-I know you still have memories about that…! And as a

crusader serving the Goddess Eris, my body is still pure! Saying
I’m gullible and open? I’ll kill you!”

As Darkness said these dangerous words, she attempted to

strangle me as we got into a scuffle. One of the knights beside
Sena broke up the fight.

Sena, who didn’t even move a brow after witnessing the

commotion, said coldly:

“Teleporting the core of the Destroyer, Coronatite, was done at

that man’s instruction. And the place the ore was teleported to
was the mansion of the Lord.”

After she said that, the entire guild fell into deathly silence.

– Coronatite. During the fight with the Destroyer, the one who
asked Wiz to teleport that stone, which was about to explode, was
me.

To think that that stone–

“Really, so that landlord died in the explosion…?”

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“He’s not dead, don’t just kill him off! Coincidentally, the landlord
had sent away all the household staff and was in the basement
himself, so there were no casualties. But the mansion was
destroyed.”

Hearing that there was no deaths, I breathed a sigh of relief.

“So no one died in the fight against the Destroyer? That’s great.”

“It’s not great! Do you know the situation right now? You sent an
explosive device into the mansion of the landlord and blew up the
entire mansion! Like I told you, you’re under suspicion of being
either a terrorist or a minion of the Demon King’s army. Anyway,
I’ll listen to what you have to say back at the station.”

Sena’s words caused the guild to turn rowdy again.

That was expected. All the adventurers present knew what kind of
person I was.

At the same time, they knew the role I played during the fight
against the Destroyer.

“Ku, I thought it was something terrible… Kazuma was the most

valuable player during the battle against the Destroyer. He might
be the one who ordered the teleportation of the Coronatite, but he
had no choice in that situation. If not for Kazuma’s wits, people
might’ve died when the Coronatite exploded. He should be
commended, not prosecuted.”

Sounds of people affirming what Megumin said sounded all

throughout the guild.

You, you guys…!

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While I was feeling touched, Sena said coldly:

“By the way, the charge of subversion could be brought against

suspects other than the mastermind. Before the trial ends, I’ll
advise everyone to mind your words and actions. If there are
people who want to go to jail with him, I won’t mind.”

The guild turned silent once again after her speech.

After this–

“… ‘Don’t worry! The world is huge! Compared to a place with lots

of people, the chance of it ending up somewhere with nobody
around is higher! Don’t worry, I’ll take all the responsibility! I
might look this way, but my luck is incredibly good!’… I remember
that was what Kazuma said during that moment…”

Aqua said suddenly.

… I did say that, but how could this girl remember it so clearly?
She’s usually a complete airhead. Could it be…?

“Aqua, don’t tell me…? You’re thinking of pushing all the blame
onto me…?

Aqua simply awkwardly averted her gaze without answering the

question.

“By the way, I never made it inside the Destroyer. If I was there, I
would’ve stopped Kazuma from making that decision.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t there, so it can’t be helped. That’s right,
how unfortunate.”

No one asked her anything, but Megumin started a monologue

out of nowhere.

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“… Hey, hold it. Aqua, Megumin, you two… Could it be…?”

The two of them wanted to…!

At this moment, Darkness defended me, standing before Sena and

said:

“Wait a minute, I’m the mastermind, and the one giving the
instructions wasme. Please let me join the kinky games in prison…
No–I mean if you want to arrest Kazuma, take me in and
interrogate me too!”

“I heard that you only stood in front of the Destroyer and were
totally useless, right?”

“?”

Sena put salt in Darkness’s wound without hesitation, causing her

to look at me with tears in her eyes. But Darkness being useless
was a fact, so I ignored her. I didn’t have time to deal with this
right now.

In this situation, Wiz, who was quiet all this while, raised her
hand timidly.

“Um… the one who cast teleportation was me. If you want to
arrest Kazuma-san, then I…”

Aqua grabbed Wiz’s raised hand at this point.

“Don’t do it Wiz! If sacrificing one person is enough, this should

be for the best! I know you feel bad, but you need to endure this…!
That’s right, Kazuma is not leaving us forever. We need to wait
patiently for Kazuma to return safely from prison, understand?”

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That bitch! Don’t make it sound like my jail term was confirmed!

No… the one who instructed Wiz was me. At the very least, I
needed to protect Wiz!

“Forget it; even if you aren’t with me, I can still rely on the guys in
the guild!”

As I said that, I looked around the guild, but all the adventurers
averted their eyes after meeting mine.

Y-You guys too?!

“Hey, what kind of joke is this?! Put in more effort you guys! At
least resist a little!”

As I lashed out at them, a girl mage said softly:

“The first time I met Kazuma-san… That’s right, I saw it that time.
At the alley behind the guild, Kazuma-san stripped a female thief
of her panties. Yes, his expression back then left a deep scar on
me.”

Wait…!

“That’s right, I always thought Kazuma would get into big trouble
one day…”

“Yeah, me too. I heard a rumor that he locked the priestess in his

party inside a cage and used her as bait for crocodiles.”

“There’s more; I heard that when someone challenged him to a

duel, Kazuma stole the challenger’s magic sword and sold it.”

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“Oh, you guys are turning on me now?! I’ll remember your faces,
loudmouths! Better watch your back after I prove my
innocence…!”

As I was telling them off, two knights grabbed my arms forcefully.

“I won’t forget this–!”

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 Chapter 1: Part 2
– The police station in the middle of town.

A building a just adventurer like me would never frequent.

Right now, I was inside the police station, being led into its
depths.

“Okay, go in obediently. Until after the trial is over, this will be

your room.”

Sena, who was walking in front of me, said as she stopped before a
small and dark cell.

“Hey, I’m the hero who saved this town, right? Are you for real?
Are you really going to lock me inside a cell? Are you serious?”

I became afraid after seeing the cell. I asked Sena, attempting to

get on her good side, but…

“I’ll question you thoroughly tomorrow, just rest here for today.”

Sena didn’t answer my question and ignored me. When the

knights heard what she said, they pushed me into the cell.

After this, Sena turned around and left with the knights.

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“Hey! Wait!… Hey!… Hey!… Really…?”

Inside the dark and cold cell, I grabbed the iron bars with my hands,
losing my composure after the sudden turn of events.

… Up until this morning, I was still lounging around in my mansion.

Why did things turn out like this?

Not knowing what to do, I surveyed the cell. I found some rugs on
the icy floor, a toilet at the corner and a window with iron bars,
that’s all.

How unfair. Treating the one who saved the town this way is too
much.

I hugged my legs and sat down, burying my face between my knees.

I knew that this world is dangerous and the rules don’t make sense,
but I never thought it would be to such an extent.

Thinking back now, my time as a hikikomori was so wonderful.

I could sleep until noon inside a warm room, then spend all day
playing games after waking up.

Eating the meals prepared by my parents, sleeping whenever I

wanted and getting up whenever I pleased; a self-indulgent life.

But after coming to this world, I have been living through hardship
every day.

I don’t have any knowledge about this world, can’t find a good job
and couldn’t work well in the service industry. I had to perform hard
labor after arriving in this world and sleep in the stables every night.

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And I had to clean up after those idiots and got burdened with
debts…!

The more I thought about it, the angrier I got. Just wait until I get
out, all of you!

… But.

“I want to go back… I had enough, I want to go back to Japan…”

I remembered my original goal of returning to Japan.

This was a world with a feudal society and I was being charged in
court.

The person I offended wasn’t a nobody. If I make a wrong move, I

might get the death sentence.

My current circumstances were dire, and being placed in a dark cell

made me very uneasy. At this moment…

As I was about to cry inside my cell, I heard several sets of footsteps

in the distance, drawing near.

“Hey, I won’t resist, so be gentle!”

“Shut up, scum! Faster!”

Alongside the sound of clanking armor, a nasty voice boomed out.

Seemed like another prisoner was going to a cell near me.

… No, wait. There was only one cell here.

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Come on, I don’t want to share a cell with an unknown criminal!

“Go in! Really, how many times do you want to come here? This is a
prison, not a hotel. There’s someone who went in before you, so get
along.”

“All right, all right, I get it. Sorry for the intrusion… Hey, isn’t that
Kazuma? What are you doing here?”

– The one entering the cell was the town’s infamous delinquent
adventurer, Dust.

“Hey, what a coincidence to meet you here! So, what did you do?”

After the knights left, Dust, who seemed happy for some reason,
asked me.

“Nothing much, they seem to think I’m a terrorist… During the

battle with the Destroyer, I gave the order to teleport the core that
was about to explode. Turns out, that thing was sent to the
landlord’s mansion and blew his house apart.”

Hearing me say that, Dust burst into laughter.

“Wahaha, that’s great, Kazuma! That stinky landlord is detestable

anyway! Well done! Wahaha, he had it coming!”

“Hold it, it wasn’t intentional! I didn’t do it because I had something

against the landlord! Or rather… I’m curious. What are you doing
here, Dust?”

From what the knight said, he seemed to be a regular here.

“Me? Nothing much. I heard the payout for defeating the Destroyer
was coming, so I ate and drank to my content and left tabs

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everywhere, thinking that I would clear the debts with the payout. I
thought the payout would be great, so I took out a loan to gamble. In
the end, the payout was smaller than I thought and I couldn’t pay
back the money. With no money, I had to sleep in the stables. But
it’s cold out this season, so I’d rather come here so I won’t freeze to
death and have food to eat. So, I ate at some place without paying,
and the debtors couldn’t chase me here too.”

This man really lived up to his name.

Seeing the sorry state of the unrepentant delinquent Dust made me

feel better about being locked away here.

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 Chapter 1: Part 3
After killing time chatting with Dust and eating dinner, I turned in
for the night.

– I didn’t know how long I slept.

Hearing an explosion from far away, I felt a slight tremor shortly

after and woke up with a start. At the same time, I heard a soft voice.

“… Ka… Kazuma! Hey, Kazuma, wake up!”

The moonlight shone in through the iron bars covering the

windows.

It was probably late in the night.

“Hey, Kazuma, can you hear me? Kazuma–”

The soft voice coming from outside the window sounded familiar.

I looked around me and confirmed that, aside from Dust snoring, no

one was around.

This cell was situated in the deepest part of the police station. They
probably thought that there wasn’t any need for anyone to guard it.

The window with iron bars was at a place much taller than I was.

I walked towards the bottom of the window and heard Aqua’s voice
clearly this time.

“Aqua! What do you want, dammit!”

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“I’m here to save you, of course! Megumin and Darkness are
creating a diversion right now to attract the attention of the guards.
Megumin probably set off her explosion magic somewhere near
town, drawing the police away. Darkness should be fleeing the scene
with Megumin who depleted her mana in tow.”

So, the tremor I felt in my dreams was from the explosion magic.

“Anyway, why are you guys thinking of saving me now? If you

wanted to help, you should’ve supported me during the day.”

“If we did that, we would be spending our time in prison together!

We didn’t do this out of fear of what Kazuma would do to us after
you get out, definitely not.”

Hearing the latter half of her sentence, I had a rough idea of why
they came to rescue me.

But–

“But would it be fine to run away like this? Won’t it make matters
worse?”

“What nonsense are you saying? Subversion of the nation is

punishable by death. I heard from Darkness that the landlord is a
despicable and petty person. For a nobody adventurer like Kazuma,
he’ll use his influence to twist the facts and kill you off.”

As expected of an alternate world with a middle age level

civilization.

Lives were treated like trash.

“… I’ll break out of prison then, but how am I supposed to get out of
here? Saw through the iron bars in the window?”

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Aqua laughed confidently upon hearing me say that, and threw
something through the gap between the iron bars to my side.

Dropping onto the ground with a slight metallic sound was a piece
of steel wire.

What should I do with this? Was that girl telling me to…

“First, use that wire to open the lock of your cell, just like in a
manga. You can then use your Lurk skill to escape the police station!
After that, return to the mansion and prepare to run away in the
night! That’s it then, I’ll wait for you at the front of the police
station!”

Aqua left after saying these words.

I picked up the wire and looked at the lock of the prison cell.

… It’s an eight-digit number lock.

“… I’m going back to sleep.”

I covered myself with the blanket once again.

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 Chapter 1: Part 4

“Get up! Come with me. It’s time for your interrogation!”

I was still wrapped in my blanket when Sena barged into the cell and
woke me up.

“What is it, it’s still early…”

“It’s almost noon! How do you normally spend your time?!”

Under the watchful eyes of the guards, I was brought before a

certain room.

“All right, get in. I’ll listen to what you say, then decide if I’m going
to prosecute you. You better think carefully before you speak!”

After hearing Sena’s threatening words, I cautiously walked into the

room. At the center was a table and two chairs.

There was a small table and chair near the exit as well.

The set up was just like a police interrogation room you see in
movies.

One of the knights who escorted me over sat in the chair at the
entrance silently and placed a piece of paper on the table.

This action is known as taking a statement, right?

The other knight hurried me to the seat in the middle of the room.

He then stood quietly behind me, probably standing by to subdue

me if I turned violent.

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Two knights in full armor were in this small room. As I was feeling
tense from the pressure, Sena sat down on the other side and placed
a small bell on the table.

“Do you know what this is? This is a magic item that can detect lies,
used in court and places like this. This bell is synchronized with the
magic caster in this room, and will ring when lies are uttered. Please
remember this… Well then, I’ll begin my questioning now.”

After Sena said that, her face turned serious and the interrogation
began in this heavy atmosphere.

She tapped her index fingers on the table, trying to exert pressure
on me.

“Satou Kazuma. Age sixteen, working as an adventurer. Your job is

also an adventurer… So, state your place of birth and what you were
doing before you started adventuring.”

A sudden high difficulty question.

Where did I come from and what did I do, how should I explain
that?

She said that that bell would ring if I told a lie–

“I’m from Japan, and I was a student.”

– Ring.

My words made that bell ring… Hey, I didn’t lie okay.

Sena who was tapping the table stopped and frowned.

“… Write this down, falsifying place of birth and job history…”

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The knight in charge of taking minutes started writing.

“Wait! I didn’t lie!”

– Ring.

What’s with that?! Why is it ringing?!

I’m from Japan and was a student…! Was… A student….

“… I’m from Japan. I spent every day in my house, living a depraved

life.”

After I answered once again, Sena stared at that bell.

I also stared at the bell closely.

– It didn’t ring this time.

“… Why did you lie about being a student?”

“I didn’t lie… Ugh… Forget it…”

Damn, I hate that magic item–!

“I’ve never heard of a place called Japan before… But never mind.
Next, state the reason why you wanted to become an adventurer.”

“To save the citizens that were being terrorized by the Demon King’s
army and…”

– Ring.

“……”

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“… Because being an adventurer sounded cool. It felt like it would be
easy to make big money and become popular with the girls.”

“…Ve-Very well. Next question. Do you bear any grudge against the
landlord? I heard that you had been complaining about your debts.”

“That’s because the huge payout from successfully taking down the
Dullahan wasn’t enough to pay the reparation fees for the damage
done to the town; that’s why I landed in debt. It was done to protect
the town, but it would be meaningless if the town got destroyed in
the process. I’m fine with this outcome.”

– Ring.

“……”

“To be frank, I used words like these to convince my angry

comrades. But honestly, for him to treat the heroes who saved the
town like this, it makes me want to kill him.”

“I… I see. Then next…”

“Excuse me… Can I say something?”

I interrupted Sena seemed reluctant to continue the interrogation

and said:

“Would you like to just get straight to the point? Like ‘Are you
working for the Demon King’s army?’, or ‘Did you give that order
because you had a grudge against the landlord?’. I’ve said this
several times: I only asked someone to perform a random teleport. I
wasn’t targeting the landlord, and I never thought that things
would’ve turned out this way. I gave that order because I wanted to
save the town. I’m telling the truth.”

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Sena kept her eyes on the bell as she listened to me.

– And of course, the bell didn’t ring.

After confirming this, Sena sighed heavily.

“… I seem to have been mistaken. I’ve heard nothing but bad rumors
about you, so that’s why… I’m very sorry…”

Sena changed her attitude, becoming more humble and polite as she
bowed to me.

I think her earlier tone was meant for criminals, this is her usual
manner of speech.

Since I had been cleared of any suspicion, I decided this was a good
time and said:

“Really, believing rumors without investigating them first? Do you

know how to do your job, prosecutor?”

“Ugh… Sorry, I apologize…”

As Sena lowered her head in apology, I continued.

“Do you know what my achievements are? I’m not just the one who
contributed the most in the subjugation of Demon King’s General
Beldia; I was also the one in charge of directing the fight against the
Destroyer. My stellar performance broke the Mobile Fortress
Destroyer no one else could defeat! And you didn’t even offer a word
of thanks, just endless accusations!”

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I leant so far back that the chair was creaking. Fueled by my grudge
of being detained overnight, I started pushing my weight around
Sena.

“I… I apologize, this is because of my job…! I know what Kazuma-

san had done for the town, but…”

“But…? But what? Anyway, now that my suspicions have been

cleared, why aren’t you serving me tea? What is it with this police
station? Bringing out some Katsudon would be fine too!”

“Katsudon? Sorry, we don’t have that here… I’ll serve you some tea
immediately…”

Sena left in a hurry, and returned with a cup of brewed tea.

I took a sip…!

“It’s too warm! Doesn’t the prosecutor here know how to brew tea?
And with your fierce attitude you probably don’t have a boyfriend,
right? Since there’s a magic item here, it’s my turn to ask the
questions. Do you have any man you’re close with?”

“No.”

Sena looked at me expressionlessly and said firmly:

“No. Yes, because of my personality, I never had a boyfriend even

after living until this age. Are you happy now? I advise you not to go
too far.”

“Sorry.”

Looking at the bell that didn’t ring, I fearfully apologized.

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“Anyway, what are the bad rumors you heard about me? Just those
that were brought up by the adventurers yesterday?”

“Um, well… Apart from those, I heard you stripped the panties off a
young girl in your party in public; you forced a crusader living in the
same house as you to wash your back in the bath; you think your
party’s priestess is troublesome and want to abandon her in a
dungeon; all these rumors made you a suspicious character–”

……

Seeing me turning stiff, Sena looked at me with suspicious eyes.

“… Are they just rumors?”

“Just rumors.”

– Ring.

Sena’s cold poker face returned as she said:

“… Those are just problems within your party, so I won’t make any
comments. But do you know what people call you in the streets?
Kazujerk, Kazutrash–”

“How… How mean! Who’s the one that gave me that sort of
nickname?!”

But I knew about the things she brought up, I couldn’t deny it!

Seeing me like this, Sena sighed and…

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“Really. To be safe, I’ll ask you again. You have no relations to
anyone in the Demon King’s army, right? You’re not, for example,
acquainted with a Demon King’s Army General, or anything like
that…”

“No such thing, do you really think I’m a big sho–”

– Ring.

I didn’t finish saying ‘of a man to you’.

I realized I had made a big mistake.

Listening to the echo of the bell reverberating in the interrogation

room.

I remembered that Wiz is a Demon King’s General.

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 Chapter 1: Part 5
“Hey, there’s not enough rice! And give me something with meat on
it! Who cooked this?! I want to see the manager–!”

I was depressed for making this huge mistake, while the delinquent
beside me was being noisy.

The man arrested for dine and dash was picking on the quality of
the food.

Maybe I should act shamelessly like he does.

… I don’t really want to act that depraved though.

“Hey Kazuma, cheer up. I can’t count the number of times I was
charged in court with all my fingers. You aren’t really an adventurer
until you’ve been brought to the police station once. We’ll both be
attending court tomorrow, so we should eat something good and
have a good rest. I’ll get you some nice food! The cops here don’t like
trouble, so they’ll bring things over if you complain a bit.”

After saying so, Dust started complaining in a volume loud enough

to be heard throughout the station.

In the end, the police came over to warn Dust to not push his luck
and beat him up. Dust turned quiet and I slept to be prepared for
the next day.

– As it was getting late, I was woken by a tremor and the sound of

an explosion from a distance, just like last night.

I sat up immediately and heard Aqua’s soft voice saying:

“Kazuma! Hey Kazuma, wake up!”

39
Hearing her voice, I clung to the wall with the window and said:

“You’re here again. What happened in the end last night? Is

everyone fine?”

“Megumin and Darkness were sure they weren’t seen by anyone on

the way back, but they were still made suspects for the explosion
incident for some reason. The investigation capability of this world
is amazing. But never mind that; I forced them both to wear a hood
they hated, so they would definitely not be found out this time.”

No matter how you thought about it, the problem wasn’t being seen
by others while committing the crime, but the limited number of
people who could cast Explosion in this town.

“Let’s leave that for later; I was waiting for you the entire time, why
didn’t you escape? I waited until my head was covered in snow; I
was even questioned by the police several times, how miserable.”

“It’s not a lock and key padlock, but a rotating number lock. And I
don’t have any lock picking skills at all, so there’s no way I can do
that with just a wire.”

Hearing me say that, Aqua was quiet for a moment.

“… They got me this time, I didn’t think their prison was so secure.”

“It’s just a number lock. More importantly, what are you planning to
do? If I don’t break out tonight, I’ll be charged in court tomorrow.”

Hearing me say that, Aqua snorted a couple of times. She sounded

confident.

Where does her baseless confidence stem from?

40
“The method yesterday was too roundabout. I prepared two saws
today; I’ll throw one of them to your side.”

… Saw?

“… You want me to saw through the window’s iron bars and

escape?”

“So, you do know. We have until daybreak and there’s no time, so

hurry!”

After saying that, Aqua threw a saw in through the gaps of the iron
bars.

I see, if both of us work together, we could double the speed of

cutting the bars.

But the problem is–

“… The window is too high from my side, I can’t reach it.”

The window was placed high up on the wall to prevent prisoners

from breaking out. I couldn’t reach it even if I jumped.

“Don’t worry, I’m not stupid. I already knew this might happen, so I
prepared a stepping stool. You can saw along with me if you use it.
There’s probably not enough time for one-person to saw through it,
but it should be fine with both of us working together.”

I see.

“So how do you plan in getting the stepping stool inside? Squeezing
it through the gaps between the bars?”

41
Aqua was silent for a while after I asked her this simple question.

“… Wait a minute.”

After saying this, Aqua ran off.

Sometime later–

“No, this is… A necessity for Kazuma, I have to give it to him…”

“I’ve never heard of anyone sending such a thing into a jail cell. And
why are you here at this late hour…?”

Aqua’s voice could be heard in the distance.

She seemed to be trying to get the guards to pass that thing to me.

Maybe I should learn to act as earnestly as that idiot.

Surprisingly, as I listened to Aqua and the guard squabbling in the

distance, I was no longer uneasy about going to court tomorrow.

– To dispose of the evidence, I threw the saw out the window and
slept while wrapped in my blanket.

42
 Chapter 1: Part 6
The justice system in this world was very simple. The prosecutor
would collect evidence, and the accused would be defended by a
representative.

If the judge concluded the charges to be true, he would pass

judgment.

There are no lawyers in this world and the accused are defended
by their friends.

The building structure was the same as the Japanese courts, with
the accused in handcuffs and the representative standing in the
center of the court. The judge, prosecutor and plaintiff sat
opposite of them some distance away.

Right now–

“No need to be so tense. Don’t worry, we’ll stay by your side.”

Megumin said, attempting to calm me down as I was so nervous

that my whole body was stiff.

– That’s right.

The ones standing beside me as my defense representatives were

the members of my party.

Why did things turn out like this?

Sitting in the seat of the prosecutor was Sena, who was staring at
me, who couldn’t hide my nervousness, with cold eyes.

43
“No problem, leave it to me. The Crimson Demons have high
intelligence; I’ll make that prosecutor cry through our debate.”

The one to my right making this reliable speech is my defending

attorney Megumin.

“Don’t worry; if events develop beyond the point of redemption,

I’ll think of a way to help you. You’re not at fault for this incident
at all.”

Darkness who was standing to my left said.

How reliable, I felt at ease…

But–

“Just leave it to me! As a woman of the cloth, my words are very

convincing! Just leave everything to me!”

That’s right, the problem lies with this girl. I asked Aqua to come
over and whispered into her ear:

“Listen carefully Aqua. I’m begging you, please don’t say anything.
If you keep quiet obediently for the entire trial, I’ll buy Snow
Crimson Crab for you.”

“What nonsense are you saying? If Kazuma’s sentenced to jail or

death, you won’t be able to buy crab for me. Don’t worry, the one
most familiar with being an attorney is me. Kazuma likes to play
video games, right? Haven’t you heard about people in Japan
playing ‘Based Attorney’ and ‘Manganronpa’? I played both
before.”

“Okay, I get it now. Please, don’t say a word.”

44
Aqua responded to my request by turning her head away
unhappily.

This little–!

– A middle aged man that appeared to be the judge rapped the

table with a mallet.

“Order in the court! We’ll now begin the trial for Satou Kazuma
for subversion of the nation! The plaintiff is Alexei Barnes
Alderp!”

On the cue of the judge, a fat man stood up.

He was tall and bulky, his balding head shiny. A middle-aged man
full of body hair.

So that’s the landlord who’s suing me.

Landlord Alderp glared at me, as if he was judging my worth. He

then used his lecherous eyes to look at the three ladies standing
beside me.

After looking at every inch of Aqua’s and Megumin’s body, he

turned his sights on Darkness…

And he stood stiffly there with a look of surprise.

“Hey, that fat old man kept looking at us. I feel the presence of evil
and have the urge to poke his eyes out.”

“I’m pleading with you not to do that… And isn’t he only staring at
Darkness?”

45
“He’s been looking at her for a very long time. His eyes are the
same as Kazuma’s when he’s looking at Darkness when she walks
around the mansion in flimsy attire.”

“Ughh… hey, you got it wrong. I-I never looked at Darkness with
such eyes…”

As I was explaining myself in a panic and looking at Darkness, I

noticed she was staring at the landlord too.

“… What’s wrong Darkness? Are you bothered by that old man’s

gaze?”

“… No… I’m fine, it’s not that… I’ll tell you later.”

Darkness didn’t look okay, but I had no time to ask her as the
mallet fell again.

“Silence! I’ll have order in the court. Prosecutor, step forth! We

have a magic item here, so any lie will be exposed in this court.
Remember this when you speak.”

The judge rapped the table again, and Sena stood up with this cue.

“I’ll now read out the charges… The accused, Satou Kazuma, took
part with other adventurers in the battle against the Mobile
Fortress Destroyer when it attacked. He gave the order during the
battle to send the Coronatite, which was going to explode, away
via teleportation. The Coronatite that was teleported exploded
after appearing in the mansion of the plaintiff. The mansion of the
plaintiff, Alderp, disappeared. Right now, Lord Alderp is forced to
live in an inn within this town.”

As Sena was reading the charges, the plaintiff landlord was still
staring at Darkness.

46
“When transporting monsters, drugs, and dangerous items such
as explosives, the use of random teleportation is prohibited. It’s
stated clearly in the law, and the instructions given out by the
accused clearly contravene this law; also, threatening the life of
the landlord could potentially shake the foundation of the nation.
Hence, the prosecution requests for the accused to be found guilty
of subversion of the state!”

“Objection!”

It happened right after Sena finished reading the charges.

Aqua who was standing beside me moved in front, raising one

arm as she shouted.

“It’s not time for the defendant to speak. Seek permission before
you say anything… Well, this is your first time in court, so I’ll give
you a pass this time… The defense may speak.”

The judge prompts Aqua, but she simply shook her head with a
look of satisfaction.

“I just wanted to try saying ‘Objection’, it’s okay.”

“The defense may only speak when defending the accused!”

This idiot, I really felt like giving her a tight slap.

Aqua, who was scolded by the judge right after the court session
started, seemed contented and returned to my side.

Sena, who was thrown off her game, seemed to be panicking a

little.

47
“… Eh, that’s all I have to say. In short, we’re asking for Satou
Kazuma to be found guilty of subversion of the nation…”

After Sena finished and returned to her seat, the Judge said:

“Next, I grant permission for the accused and his defense to

speak. You may plead your case!”

“– And so, the Demon King’s General Beldia and the Destroyer
were only defeated thanks to my efforts. It’s strange to accuse me
of subversion of the nation with my contribution to the town. In
fact, I think that everyone should be complimenting me instead!”

With the permission of the judge, I stated my piece in the center

of the court.

I described how cool I was in the fight with Beldia.

Emphasizing how great my coordination was in the battle with the

Mobile Fortress Destroyer, the judge looked at the lie exposing
magic bell several times during my statement, but I didn’t mind.

I might’ve exaggerated a little, but I didn’t make any of this up.

“Enough… Enough, I understand what the defendant is trying to

say. Moving on, prosecutor. Please present the evidence showing
why the accused should be found guilty of subversion of the
nation.”

The judge hurried Sena to submit the evidence with an irate face.
Sena gave a gesture to a knight standing beside her.

Seeing that, the knight walked towards the waiting room in the
court as Sena picked up a piece of paper and read:

48
“The prosecution will present the evidence, proving the accused is
a terrorist attempting to subvert the authority of the nation, or
that he is related to the Demon King’s army. Witness, please take
the stand!”

With the instruction of Sena, the knight brought the witnesses

into the court. They were mostly adventurers.

Or rather–

“Ahahaha… I was summoned…”

The first witness was Chris, who was looking at me with a

troubled face as she scratched the scar on her face.

Including the thief Chris, the ones summoned to court as

witnesses were all familiar faces.

49
50
 Chapter 1: Part 7
The situation was bad.

“Which means, the accused used Steal under the watchful eyes of
the public to strip you of your panties. Is this true?”

“Um–it’s true! But it was an accident!”

“You just need to confirm this is true, thank you for your
testimony.”

“Hmm? Wait! I’m not bothered by that incident anymore…!”

Sena concluded the questioning in a hurry and chased Chris out of

the court.

The other witnesses were troublesome too…

The one who came from Japan just like me, whose magic sword
was stolen and sold by me: sword-master Mitsurugi. He walked to
the front with his two underlings right behind him.

“Mitsurugi-san. I heard your magic sword was stolen and sold by

the accused. And the two ladies were threatened by the accused
that he would steal their panties if you tried to get the magic
sword back. Is this true?”

“Yes, you’re right. But that incident was started by me…”

“That’s right, he threatened us! He said, ‘I’m a man who believes

in gender equality, who dares to use drop kicks against girls’!”

51
“Yeah! He also said, ‘Since you are girls, I might humiliate you in
public using my Steal skill’!”

Mitsurugi’s two underlings kept interrupting his words, using this

chance to get back at me for threatening them that time.

These two girls probably hated me deeply, sticking their tongue

out whenever our eyes met.

Ugh… The gaze of the judge and everyone else was hurting me…

After Mitsurugi and the others left the court, Dust was summoned
as a witness for some reason.

I didn’t remember doing anything bad to this guy.

If I recall correctly, Dust was the one who suggested swapping

teams.

After Dust greeted me warmly, Sena said:

“This man is the defendant of the next court case. I think the court
should be familiar with him. He’s a delinquent that causes trouble
and keeps getting sued.”

“Hey, you jerk, you’re the one who asked for me when I was just
waiting for my turn in court. I just got here, so stop speaking ill
about me! Are you asking me to massage those big tits of yours?”

Sena’s words made the short-tempered Dust lash out.

As the Judge was frowning because of Dust’s vulgar words, Sena

pointed at me and said:

52
“Dust-san, I heard that you’re rather close with Satou Kazuma-san
here. Is this true?”

“How could there be any doubt. We’re like brothers, and drink
together often.”

After hearing that, Sena turned and said to me:

“Satou Kazuma-san, are you best friends with this unruly

delinquent?”

“Just an acquaintance.”

“Hey–! Kazuma!”

Dust yelled, but the bell didn’t ring under the watchful eyes of
Sena and the judge.

“I… I see, pardon my rudeness. I wanted to bring up the point that

your friends are delinquents, that’s why…”

“It’s fine, it’s a fact that I’m acquainted with him.”

“Kazuma–! Is our friendship so shallow–?!”

As the knight dragged the yelling delinquent out of the court, Sena
turned to face the judge.

“That last witness was disappointing, but the other witnesses

should suffice to prove that the accused has a flawed personality
and bore a grudge against the plaintiff. Based on these facts, it’s
very possible that the accused didn’t order a random teleport to be
used, but instructed for a normal teleport to transfer the stone to
the mansion of the plaintiff, and disguised it as an accident–”

53
Sena tried pinning me down with circumstantial evidence.

“That isn’t evidence at all! I admit that Kazuma has a twisted

personality, but I can’t accept such a circumstantial charge! Bring
out something more concrete! And this trial is too strange!
Everything is too forced; don’t you find this weird?”

“The defendants are to watch their words. Only speak up when

granted permission!”

“You want evidence? Very well, I’ll bring undeniable proof! They’ll
show without a doubt that this man is a terrorist determined to
destroy the town, or is a minion of the Demon King’s army!”

Seeing Megumin become agitated, Sena picked up a piece of paper

and read it out loud.

“One! The party led by adventurer Satou Kazuma might’ve

defeated the general of the Demon King’s army during the fight
with Beldia, but extensive damage was done to the town due to
the huge amount of water that was conjured–”

Aqua trembled.

“Two! Setting up a giant barrier in the public cemetery, causing

the spirits in the cemetery to wander, creating havoc in town–”

I grabbed the hands of Aqua, who was covering her ears and
facing the back, peeling them off her ears so she could hear what
the prosecutor was saying, and…

“Casting an explosion spell in the area outside of town day after

day, changing the landscape of the territory. Recently, it could be
heard in the wee hours of the night, rousing the citizens from their
sleep–”

54
It was Megumin’s turn to cover her ears and turn around.

My defense team was too useless!

“Hey, wait, this is too strange! It’s weird no matter how you think
about it! The things you listed out have nothing to do with me!
Well, they were troubles caused by the members of my team! But
you should bring out evidence that has something to do with me!”

In reply to my outburst,

“And, we have reports of the accused using a skill only available to

the undead, Drain Touch. If you’re not related to the Demon
King’s army, please explain why you can use Drain Touch–You
can’t just ignore this by covering your ears!”

Sena pointed at me, who was covering my ears like Aqua and
Megumin, and shouted.

Remain silent! I want to exercise my right to remain silent!

“Finally, the most damning evidence… During the interrogation

inside the police station, I asked if you had any dealings with a
member of the Demon King’s army. You answered no back then,
and the magic item detected a lie. That’s the best evidence!”

Oh no, oh no, oh no–!

I was out of ideas and speechless at this moment.

“– Hold it!”

55
56
Unexpectedly, this confident voice came from Aqua.

To think this girl would hold a trump card at this juncture…!

“Aqua, tell them! Show them the decisive evidence that proves my
innocence!”

“Huh? There’s no way I have something like that, I just wanted to

try saying that.”

“Remove that person from court!”

“Sorry! I apologize on behalf of this counsel!”

“Ahhh… that hurts!”

I grabbed the temple of Aqua and squeezed tightly as I apologized.

Shit, this damn idiot–!

At this moment, someone seemed tired of our games.

“Enough! That guy’s related to the Demon King’s army! He’s their
minion! He sent explosives to my mansion! Kill him! Sentence
him to death!”

The plaintiff who had been silent all this while, landlord Alderp
stood up suddenly and roared angrily at me.

Well done old man, now’s my chance!

“No, I’m not related to the Demon King’s army! I’m not a
terrorist! I do bear a grudge because he made me shoulder that
debt, but I didn’t send the Coronatite over on purpose! Listen
carefully, look at the magic item closely! I’m going to say this

57
again! I’m not a minion of the Demon King’s army and I have
nothing to do with them!”

My words didn’t make the bell ring, rendering the landlord

speechless.

Sena frowned and bit her lower lips when she saw this.

If a testimony stated in the presence of the magic item could be

taken as evidence, my words that didn’t trigger an alarm would
also be taken as evidence.

The words of the plaintiff landlord helped me out of this situation.

The judge shook his head slowly.

“It’s always like this when we use the magic item to detect lies, the
results aren’t clear. The prosecution motioned for the reaction of
the magic item to be endorsed as evidence. But from the results
right now, I can’t accept it as legitimate evidence. The
circumstantial evidence presented so far is too weak. And so, I
hereby find the accused, Satou Kazuma, not guilty from the lack
of–”

During this decisive moment when the judge was passing his
sentence.

“I’ll say this again. That guy’s affiliated with the Demon King’s
army, he’s one of their minions. Sentence him to death.”

The landlord who was still standing said that.

In response, Sena said:

58
“No… No one was hurt for this incident. It should not lead to the
death penalty…”

When she said that to the landlord, he just stared at her.

“… No, you’re right. The death sentence is the most appropriate…

Right?”

– Hmm?

“Hey, hey, wait a minute! This is too weird, too weird!”

“Yeah, what was with that just now! Why did the prosecutor’s
argument change?!”

While Megumin and I were protesting, Sena was reacting

strangely too. She was the one who said that, but her face looked
confused as she tilted her head.

Aqua suddenly pointed at the judge, Sena, and the landlord and
said:

“I feel an evil presence! Someone among this group is attempting

to twist the facts with evil powers!”

Aqua’s unexpected speech made the court fall into silence.

Maybe due to her idiotic words earlier, all eyes watching Aqua
were doubtful.

Everyone looked towards the magic item, and the atmosphere

changed when it didn’t ring.

Aqua was an arch-priest, a job with a holy nature.

59
This made her words more convincing, which made the
expression of the judge change.

“Powers of evil… So, you are saying someone is using

underhanded means to influence this sacred trial?”

“Yes, that’s correct. My eyes are more accurate than that magic
item! Truthfully speaking, I’m a goddess of water with 10 million
devotees in this world! Goddess Aqua!”

– Ring.

Aqua’s declaration resulted in a crisp ringing sound in the silent

court.

“Why–! Wait, I didn’t lie–!”

“Defendant, please choose your counsels carefully.”

“My apologies, I’ll reflect on this seriously.”

Aqua, who lost the trust of everyone, was still being noisy as
Megumin consoled her. For some reason, the landlord was biting
his lips, staring at Aqua with a pale face.

“I get it, it must be because I was acting too vainly. The magic
item thought I was lying because of the number of devotees! 10
million is exaggerating a bit, I should had said something in the
region of 9.8 million.”

Hearing Aqua mumbling behind me, I wanted to retort that her

believers probably numbered less than a thousand. But I can’t do
that now as the judge would give his verdict at any moment.

The judge cleared his throat.

60
“… Defendant Satou Kazuma. Considering your inhumane actions
and your disruption of the peace and order to society…”

He started saying something that contradicted his previous

verdict.

“I find the sentence motioned by the prosecutor to be adequate.

The accused is found guilty and–”

Hmm?

“– Sentenced to death.”

61
 Chapter 1: Part 8
“This is weird–! No, hold it, wait a minute! What’s with this rushed
verdict?! Bring out stronger evidence! There must be something
wrong with your head to sentence someone to death so lightly!”

“Defendant! Watch your behavior!”

“Kazuma’s right, this is strange. There’s something wrong. That’s

right, Kazuma did bear a grudge for having to shoulder the
reparation cost of the flood, likes to complain, and hates the
landlord, which might lead to trouble one day. But despite all that,
he doesn’t have the guts to send the Coronatite over!”

Hey, are you defending me or getting in my way? Make it clear!

As I was wondering how to shut Aqua up, Megumin took off her eye
patch and said:

“Very well, since you want to think of Kazuma as a terrorist, I’ll

show you what a real terrorist is like… Hey, what are you doing!
Release me!”

Seeing Megumin’s crimson eyes glowing, the guards rushed in to

subdue her.

“No–! This is weird! Too weird! My clear eyes can see evil lingering
in the air inside this court! Just wait for a moment, I’ll purify the air
right now… Ah! I’m not using any suspicious magic, don’t get in my
way!”

“Usage of spells are strictly prohibited within the courts! It might

interfere with the lie detection magic device!”

“Enough, get them both out of here!”

62
Sena stood up, instructing the guards to take Megumin and Aqua
away.

“Order! Order!… I said order in the court!”

The judge finally lost it, roaring as he threw the mallet.

The guards were dragging Megumin and Aqua away when suddenly,

“– Your Honor, please look at this.”

Darkness, who had remained quiet without saying a word, took

something out from her chest.

It was a pendant that looked valuable with an insignia on it.

I didn’t know what that was, but it was something everyone in court
knew about.

“Th-That’s… Y-You’re…”

The judge stood up in surprise, staring wide eyed at the pendant.

Under the stares of everyone present, Darkness said softly:

“Pardon me, could you suspend the trial for me? I don’t mean to get
the prosecutor to throw the case out. I just need time to prove that
this man is not a minion of the Demon King’s army, and is innocent.
At the same time, I’ll ask him to compensate the landlord for the
mansion.”

Sena and the judge stood stiffly as they stared at the insignia
presented by Darkness.

63
Under such a circumstance, only the landlord managed to protest
weakly.

“This… But, even if you request for this…!”

“Alderp. As the victim in all this, you could count this as me owing
you a favor. If it’s within my means, I can do anything for you. I’m
not asking you to withdraw the charges, I just hope you can wait a
while longer.”

Hearing what Darkness said, the landlord stood where he was and
gulped.

“Anything?! An… Anything…!”

“That’s right, anything.”

Hearing what Darkness said, the landlord’s eyes shone as he looked

at Darkness’s body lecherously.

He then sat back into his chair.

“All right; since you’re the one requesting, I’ll grant this man more
time.”

– After being granted permission to leave the courts, I asked

Darkness, who was following behind me:

“What was that just now? Or rather, you know that old man
Alderp?”

“… You could say that. Ever since I was young, he had an obsession
towards me. Ever since his wife passed on, he asked for my hand in
marriage several times. But my father rejected him due to our age
difference.”

64
How terrifying. How persistent is he?

“Are… Are you all right? Will it be fine to promise doing anything for
that kind of old man? From the way he was checking you out, he’ll
probably ask for something horrible.”

“… Something, something horrible…”

“You… Return my sympathy to me…”

As I was turned off by the pervert who started blushing and

breathing heavily, I went together with Darkness to fetch Aqua and
Megumin who were being detained.

65
 Chapter 1: Part 9
– After Darkness’s negotiation, the court gave me two orders.

The first was to prove that I wasn’t a minion of the Demon King’s
army.

The second was to compensate the landlord for his mansion.

To raise the funds, I brought Aqua along with me to Wiz’s shop.

I wanted to come alone, but Aqua kept following me.

“I understand what Kazuma’s thinking! You got into all this trouble
because of that undead. You’re planning to rob her shop to pay off
the debts, right?”

Aqua, who didn’t understand anything, said spiritedly in front of the

shop.

“Get out here undead monster! I’ll send you to the other world!”

She shouted something silly as she kicked the door into Wiz’s shop
open.

“Wh-What? Robbers? The mafia?… Eck–! It’s… It’s Aqua-sama!”

For some reason, Wiz was more afraid of Aqua than robbers and the
mafia.

I moved into the shop and went over to Wiz, who was terrified
because of Aqua and told her the verdict for the case.

“I see… First, congratulations on being released! I’m terribly sorry,

Kazuma-san. It was all because I teleported that stone…”

66
“That’s right, if you understand then, ugh…!”

“Don’t worry about it. If Wiz wasn’t there back then, we wouldn’t
have made through it unscathed. It blew the landlord’s mansion up,
but no one was hurt. I just need to prove to Sena that I’m not a
minion of the Demon King’s army to be cleared of any suspicion.
But the next problem would be raising the funds to rebuild the
landlord’s mansion.”

I didn’t know what nonsense Aqua was going to spout, so I covered

her mouth and said that to Wiz; Wiz was relieved when she heard
that.

“I see, you managed to buy some time. But as for money… I really
want to help you, but my shop’s losing money, so I don’t have much
cash on hand… I had a friend back from my days with the Demon
King’s army. He was great in making money, but was an
unfathomable person; I could never understand what he was
thinking… It would be great if there’s anything else I can help you
with…”

Wiz said with a troubled expression and started thinking behind her
counter.

“No, I’m here because you can help me with something.”

“That’s right, the thing we need your help with is for you to move on
from this world!”

I ignored Aqua’s nonsense and discussed with Wiz.

Simply put, with my existing debt and the lack of cash on hand, it
will be difficult to raise the funds to rebuild the mansion of the
landlord.

67
Since that’s the case, maybe I should put the plan I thought about in
the past into action…

The civilization level here was more backwards than Earth. People
who couldn’t use Tinder had to rely on flints.

If I start selling lighters in this world, it would certainly be a hit.

But I knew how much skill was needed to make such delicate items.

Even if I managed to make one, it would be impossible for any shop

to suddenly agree to sell my wares.

That’s why I’m discussing it with Wiz to see if I could display

merchandize somewhere in her store for a while.

– I explained the whole thing to Wiz.

I told her I would be making some convenient items, and asked for
permission to display them in her shop.

If it sells, I would share a part of the profit with Wiz.

I told her that she might want to look at the things I made before
deciding.

“It’s not easy to make a living with adventuring as a career. Hence, I

must rely on doing business… And the only one I could rely on at
such short notice is Wiz.”

“In other words, Kazuma’s saying that we’ll be taking over this shop,
so hurry up and give us the deed… That hurts!”

68
I hit the back of Aqua’s head with the hilt of my dagger. I lowered
my head and asked Wiz sincerely.

Even though she was afraid of Aqua who was nursing her head while
rolling on the floor, Wiz still replied with a gentle smile.

“If it’s something like this, then there’s definitely no problem. I

would very much like more variety with merchandize. My shop’s not
that popular anyway… And if you’re making reparations for the
landlord’s mansion, I’m related to it too… I don’t know what you
plan to sell, but I’m looking forward to it, Kazuma-san.”

Seeing Wiz agree with a smile, I smiled along too.

If not for that thing rolling on the floor, the atmosphere would be
much better.

… Suddenly, Wiz’s expression seemed a bit gloomy.

Her face was full of worries, as if she was wondering whether to tell
me something.

“…? What is it? If there’s something bothering you, do tell me. I

don’t plan to force this upon you, so if there’s something you’re
worried about…”

Wiz waved her hands, gesturing that it was fine.

“No, I’m not worried about that! Um… It’s great for me if Kazuma-
san is willing to place his merchandize in my shop. It’s unrelated to
that; it’s about Aqua-sama…”

Wiz started hesitating with a troubled expression.

69
“…? What’s wrong with this girl? Oh… If I put my wares here, Aqua
might come over from time to time and cause you trouble, huh? If
you’re afraid of that girl, I’ll ask her to avoid coming here.”

Aqua might look like that, but she was a goddess after all.

As an undead, Wiz should feel uneasy in her presence.

“… No, that’s not it… It’s fine for Aqua-sama to visit… But she’ll talk
to the customers when she’s here, saying that the merchandize here
is made using unspeakable methods by the shop lady, and it’s better
not to buy them…”

“Hey, what’s that all about?”

Hearing my low pitch question, Aqua, who was nursing her head on
the floor, trembled for a moment.

“It’s… It’s fine! It’s all in the past now! The amazing thing is, things
like holy water inside my shop were wildly popular with the male
adventurers, so it’s fine…”

Should I say things worked out fine since it sold so well…

But was it okay for a lich to sell holy water?

Furthermore, were the adventurers in this town really fine?

“More importantly… Aqua-sama touches all the merchandize in my

shop, causing all cursed and necromancy items to be purified,
making many of the items unusable…”

“What were you thinking, you damn goddess!”

70
Seemed like she had been visiting Wiz’s shop and causing her
trouble every now and then.

I dragged Aqua up and pushed her head down to apologize to Wiz.

“I’m sorry Wiz! I’ll take responsibility and compensate your

damaged goods with her money! You jerk, don’t resist and apologize
properly!”

“Wait Kazuma! I don’t wanna! And the water being purified after
getting in contact with me is because of my holy aura, it can’t be
helped! It’s just like plants photosynthesizing when the sun shines
on them, it’s automatic! I really can’t control that!”

No, you shouldn’t touch the merchandize in the first place.

Aqua resisted with her neck and refused to bow down, so I bowed
deeply in her place.

I’ve been forced to bow down to a lot of people because of her

recently.

“Please, please, raise your head! It’s fine, it’s all in the past now! I
just hope she won’t try to purify the goods from now on. I have
troubled Aqua-sama a lot too, like asking her to send the lost souls
in the cemetery to the other world and exorcise that mansion…!”

Wiz bowed in a hurry as she spoke.

When Aqua heard what Wiz said, the culprit that caused the spirit
infestation in the mansion because of her laziness in purifying the
cemetery averted her eyes.

… You should just switch jobs with Wiz.

71
 Helping the Crimson Magic Girl Make Friends!
Chapter 2: Part 1
TL: Skythewood
Editor: Adam, Cannongerbil, Veritaum, Boring bone, Xenthur

“Hey–Kazuma–Where’s Darkness–? Isn’t she back yet?”

In front of the fireplace in the living room, Aqua, who was seated
on the couch she claimed as her private seat, asked in a bored
manner while hugging her knees.

– It had been several days since the verdict had been passed. To
fulfill her promise, Darkness went off to see the landlord…

But after setting off last evening, she had yet to return.

I remembered the lecherous way the landlord checked Darkness

out, and felt stuffiness in my chest.

After all, Darkness would follow her desires even when she faced a
general of the Demon King’s army.

The situation right now should be to her liking.

I didn’t like Darkness in that way, and didn’t harbor any feelings
of love toward her. If she wanted to go off with anyone, I had no
right to stop her.

But she stayed out the whole night after saying she was going to
fulfill her promise, which meant she stayed in the hotel room
rented by the landlord, and was probably…

“… Ahhhhhh–!”

72
“Hya–what’s the matter? Hey, what’s wrong with you, why are
you screaming while hugging your head! Kazuma, you’re already
strange, but you’re acting especially weirdly today!”

As I was screaming and Aqua was alarmed.

– Megumin came to our side while hugging something.

Megumin didn’t say anything to the two of us, simply quietly

holding on to the thing.

– I had been curious about that since long ago.

“Meow–”

An animal known as a cat… That’s what Megumin was holding in

her arms.

Megumin didn’t say anything, and just kept staring at us.

“… You want to keep this thing in the mansion?”

“… Yes. This is a good child, and would not cause trouble for
anyone… Is it fine?”

I didn’t know where the cat usually hid itself, but I saw it by
Megumin’s side every now and then.

It allowed Megumin to hug it, squinting its eyes lazily.

“It should be fine, I guess? I don’t think anyone living here is

allergic to cats… Oh, what’s with this guy, she’s good with people.”

I offered my hand to the cat in Megumin’s arms, and she used her
paws to play with my fingers.

73
… This was a dangerous world.

Staying in this party full of problematic children induced a lot of

stress.

Maybe I needed a pet that would heal my body and soul.

“That hurts! Why’s this cat only clawing at me? What’s going on,
be it the black fur or that arrogant attitude… I can feel an evil aura
from the body of this cat!”

Aqua, who was scratched after harassing the cat, was furious.

To protect it from the crazy blue haired beast, I took the cat from
Megumin’s arms.

I turned my back to Aqua and placed the cat onto the carpet in
one swift motion, protecting it.

… Speaking of which, we didn’t finish the fish we had for

breakfast.

“Hey, Megumin. What’s the name of this evil beast?”

“Chomusuke.”

I picked up the plate with the leftover fish from the dining table…

“… What did you say the cat’s name is again?”

“It’s Chomusuke.”

… I held the leftover fish and squatted before the black cat…
Chomusuke, it must be hard on you to have such a weird owner…

74
I placed the fish before Chomusuke, but she didn’t eat it
immediately, and just sniffed it a little.

“Hey, Megumin. That’s a female cat, right? I don’t think that

name suits her.”

“No. Its name is Chomusuke.”

As I listened to the conversation behind me and was looking at

Chomusuke.

– Chomusuke spit out a small burst of fire to grill the fish.

75
76
… What was that?

I hugged my knees and sat on the carpet, watching Chomusuke

eat the leftover fish…

“… Hey, Aqua, this cat can spit fire.”

I told Aqua softly.

Since the cabbages in this world could fly, cats spitting fire aren’t
anything unusual.

“What kind of silly talk is that? Kazuma, are you all right?”

“Cats don’t spit fire. Cats are animals that purr and meow.”

“That’s right. And they like to eat fish and look cute too.”

I know that.

“No, this thing just spit fire and grilled the fish before eating it.”

“… Kazuma, you must be tired.”

“You were detained in court after all, a lot of things have

happened.”

“It’s true! I’m not crazy!”

I yelled while pointing at Chomusuke. Megumin said:

“Anyway, what were you two arguing about just now? If it’s about
Darkness, she’s not a kid anymore, it’s fine even if she doesn’t
return for a few days. Please calm down.”

77
Megumin didn’t believe me at all.

“… You’re too calm. Do you know what the landlord is doing to

Darkness right now? It must be something terrible.”

Megumin scoffed at my words.

“He’s a landlord after all, what could someone with such status do
to Darkness… Wait, I did hear quite a bit of negative news related
to this landlord, but Darkness is an adventurer. I don’t think she’ll
just let him have his way with her.”

This idiot! She doesn’t understand Darkness at all!

“This is why people call you a child! You spent so much time
together with Darkness and you still don’t understand that
pervert? She’ll definitely end up blushing bright red and saying,
‘Ugh! Even if you have your way with my body, you’ll never have
my heart! I will not yield to you!’”

“!”

After Megumin finally got what was going on, she hugged
Chomusuke who was biting into the fish.

“Wh-Wh-What should we do? Darkness, Darkness is in danger!

What should we do, Kazuma?”

“She left yesterday and it’s already been one night, so it’s too late.
Listen up, when Darkness comes back, you have to treat her as
gently as usual.”

“I-I will! Since Darkness has become an adult, we can’t ask her
what happened either, right?”

78
“Ahwahah…! Darkness… Darkness, she…!”

Aqua clenched her fist to show that we could count on her while
Megumin’s face turned pale from helplessness.

If not for Darkness’s actions, I would’ve been executed. I was

grateful for what Darkness did for me and had no grounds to
complain, but…

… Ah, damn it!

I stress this again, I didn’t like Darkness that way or had any
feelings for her. Even though there were no feelings of love, I
couldn’t help feeling frustrated for some unknown reason.

When a female friend hitched up with another guy, that was the
complicated feeling I felt back then. At that moment–

“Satou Kazuma! Is Satou Kazuma here–?”

With this angry shout, someone pushed open the door into the
mansion suddenly.

The one who pushed the door open in a rough manner was the
panting Sena. Her face was red and her shoulders were shaking.

“Hey, hey, what are you doing here? There’s still some time before
the deadline for me to prove my innocence, right? Sorry, I don’t
have time for you right now, my comrade…”

“You say you have no time for me? Don’t bullshit me! So, you
really are a minion of the Demon King’s army! You’ve got guts to
cause this mess!”

79
It was a false accusation, but seeing Sena act so agitated gave me
an ominous feeling, so I asked cautiously:

“Wha… What do you mean by ‘this mess’…?”

“It’s frogs! The frogs that should be hibernating came out and are
moving everywhere outside the town!”

She should be referring to the giant frogs that were synonymous

with monsters here. But what did such a thing have to do with
us…?

“Don’t frame us for this. Or are you insinuating that we’re

controlling the monsters and woke the hibernating frogs up?
Show me the evidence for that!”

Megumin moved in front, ready for a quarrel.

“According to the reports from the guild staff, the frogs seemed to
be fearing something when they emerged from the ground…
Speaking of fear, it reminded me of someone casting an explosion
spell not far from town, terrorizing the citizens.”

Aqua and Megumin made a run for the interior of the mansion,
but I grabbed the back of their collars before they could get away.

“Wait, let me explain! I only did it because Aqua asked me too! I

was the one who did it, but the mastermind’s Aqua!”

“How sly Megumin! Weren’t you excited when I came to discuss it

with you? You even said, ‘Let me show you my power!’.”

Grabbing the collar of the two who were turning on each other, I
said:

80
“Now’s not the time to fight so disgracefully! Go and clean up the
mess you made!”

Looking outside, the town was already covered in snow.

81
 Chapter 2: Part 2
“No–! I had enough–! I don’t want to be eaten by the frogs–!”

Aqua’s scream echoed out loud.

“But to think the frogs are still agile even when it’s this cold outside.
They’re moving as fast as usual. Both animals and vegetations are
strong around here.”

I watched the frogs chasing Aqua around on the snow field and
commented thoughtfully.

“Because of the harsh environment in this world, all living beings try
their hardest every single moment. We mustn’t lose to them; we
have to become stronger to survive in this dangerous world.”

Megumin answered my words with a serious expression.

– While her body below the shoulders was inside the mouth of a
frog.

Perhaps because of her prior experience, Megumin remained calm

and didn’t resist, allowing the frog to swallow her.

Prior to this, Megumin had already cast explosion magic and took
out many frogs.

Megumin couldn’t move after exhausting her mana, but the frog
didn’t continue its swallowing action and stopped moving.

Maybe Megumin’s staff was stuck in its mouth.

“Hold on, I’ll save you.”

82
I raised my sword and faced the frog that was eating Megumin.

“No, it’s fine for you to take down the frog chasing after Aqua first.
It’s cold outside, I prefer the warmth inside the frog’s mouth.”

I thought this girl was normal aside from her obsession of Explosion
and didn’t expect her to have such great tolerance.

“Why you… One of your comrades is being swallowed by a frog

while the other is being chased around, how can you remain so
calm?”

Sena who was here as a witness found this strange and asked
stupendously.

That might be so, but this was normal for our party.

I decided to save Megumin later. I stuck my sword into the ground

and took out my bow and arrow I purchased earlier.

During the invasion of the Mobile Fortress Destroyer, I defeated

some golems and raised two levels.

After getting the skill points, I thought about what skills to learn.
After careful consideration, despite having a tough iron wall in
Darkness, we lacked someone who could attack from range.

Megumin could be considered as one, but she could only attack a

single time, and might drag Darkness into the explosion.

And so, it would be up to me. I might be weak, but I could learn the
skills of all the classes.

Using the unique point of this class, I got the archer Keith to teach
me the skills Bowmanship and Snipe.

83
As its name suggests, Bowmanship is a skill that allows a novice like
me to learn how to use bows.

As for Snipe, it increased the range of projectiles, raising accuracy

proportionally with luck, and was a skill well suited for me.

I nocked an arrow and aimed for the frog chasing Aqua…!

“Kazuma–! Hurry–! Hurry up–!”

Seeing me draw the bow, Aqua shouted as she fled.

… I felt like letting them chase her for a little while longer.

Seeing that I wasn’t intending to shoot the arrow, Aqua ran towards
me. It made me feel like I might get in danger too, so I had no choice
but to fire the arrow at the head of the frog.

The arrow brushed over the top of Aqua’s head, and pierced the
frog’s head.

Aqua, who was on the verge of tears, continued charging toward me.

“Well then, I’ll save you now Megumin.”

“Hey, Kazuma, were you waiting for me to be eaten just now? Hey,
you were going to let the frog eat me, right?! And your arrow almost
destroyed the charm point on my head!”

I ignored Aqua, who was pressuring me, and pulled out the sword in
the ground.

“… Do you always fight in such a dangerous manner? Are… Are

these bunch of people really related to the Demon King’s army…?”

84
Sena was mumbling something as she noted down the ongoing
battle.

I raised my sword at the immobile frog to rescue Megumin–

“Wait, there’s frogs…!”

Megumin, who was sticking out from the frog’s mouth, said tensely.

Aqua and I, who were facing Megumin, turned when we heard what
she said.

“… Ah.”

Another three giant frogs came out of nowhere.

I was cool and collected earlier, but could now feel the cold sweat on
my back.

This was bad. Now there are four frogs.

In that case, there weren’t enough baits… I mean, people to distract

the frogs.

I could Snipe them one at a time if there was some distance, but…!

“Aqua, we’ll split up! I’ll pull away and try to dispose of one, you
continue luring them!”

“I don’t wanna–! I don’t want to be chased by frogs anymore–! You

be the bait–!”

85
“Your attack power isn’t enough to defeat frogs, stupid! If we can
take one down, there’ll just be two left! We can stop them with you
and Sena!”

“Ehh? I-I’m just here to inspect, I shouldn’t take part in the fight…!
And are you planning to use a normal person like me as bait?”

As Aqua was wailing and Sena shouting, Megumin said:

“Excuse me, I’m being gradually swallowed, you can save me

anytime now.”

“I’ve had enough, if only Darkness was here! That armored girl
wouldn’t be swallowed by frogs! When will she come back–?

As I raised my sword toward the frog preparing to swallow

Megumin–!

“Light of Saber–!”

– A clear voice echoed on the snowy field.

At the same time, a beam of light shone across the body of the frog.

A moment after the light faded away, the frog split in half.

As I was busy dragging Megumin out of the frog’s mouth–

“Energy Ignition!”

That clear voice announced again.

At the same time, the three frogs closing in on us suddenly caught

on fire. With fire pouring out of their mouth as if they were burning
from the inside, they morphed into bluish white fireballs.

86
As I sniffed the fragrance of cooked frog meat, I used Drain Touch to
share some mana with Megumin since I didn’t want to carry her
back while she was covered in goo.

… And so, Megumin, somewhat unsteadily, managed to stand up.

In Megumin’s line of sight was a young girl in black robes.

She was probably a year or two younger than me.

The girl I had never seen before was staring at Megumin.

“That was Advanced Magic just now…! There’s someone who could
use Advanced Magic in this town…?”

As Sena who was behind me shouted in surprise, I bowed towards

the girl before me.

“I don’t know who you are, but thank you for saving us.”

After I thanked her, the girl stole a glance at me and seemed a little
shy as her cheeks blushed.

“I-I wasn’t planning to save you. It’s just that having my rival be
eaten by a mere frog would leave a bad taste in my mouth, that’s
all…”

She lowered her head and mumbled.

“What? You and Megumin know each other?”

After the frogs were defeated, Aqua regained her composure and
asked the girl excitedly.

87
“Rather than know each other, we’re more like rivals… – Long time
no see, Megumin! As promised, I’ve returned after completing my
training! As you can see, I can use Advanced Magic freely now! All
right, it’s time to fulfill the promise I made! I’ll settle our long-time
rivalry today!”

That girl said as she pointed at Megumin. She seemed happy.

What kind of hot-blooded development was this?

As for the one who was asked for by name–!

“…? Who are you?”

“Eh?”

Megumin who was covered in goo said nonchalantly, making that

girl shriek.

On closer inspection, that girl seemed to be dressed in a similar way

to Megumin.

The black robes and cloak on her body were similar in design with
Megumin’s.

88
89
She held a silver staff in her hand, and had a short sword sheathed
on her waist.

She was slightly taller than Megumin, and had a slender and
proportionate body.

She had a determined expression and looked gentle, and she was
also very beautiful.

If she were in Japan, she would’ve been the class monitor or the
student council president. She gave off that kind of model student
feeling.

Her black hair was tied together with a ribbon, and the most striking
thing about her were her crimson pupils.

That’s right, her eye color was the same as Megumin.

“It’s… It’s me! You remember, right? We were classmates at the

Crimson Demon Academy! Megumin was always the top student,
while I was number 2! And I said I would go on a journey to train
myself until I could use Advanced Magic…!”

The Crimson Demon girl pointed at her own face as she explained
frantically with teary eyes.

Wait, she just casually mentioned something amazing.

“… Hey, I can’t ignore that. Did she just say you were the top of your
school?”

Hearing me say that, Megumin smiled softly.

“Why are you still saying this? I already told you that I was the best
wizard of the Crimson Demons when we first met, didn’t we?

90
Kazuma was just too dumb to realize the truth. But after knowing
me for so long, it’s about time for you to believe me, right?”

“If someone believed what you said after seeing you covered in goo,
I would want to see how that person looks like.”

“Why, why you!”

“Please, please, wait a minute!”

Seeing Megumin and I quarreling, the Crimson Demon girl

interrupted.

“Hey, it’s me Megumin! Did you really forget about me? Try to recall
how I was always challenging you in everything at school. You
always said I had to place an adequate bet, and would accept if I bet
my lunch! And you conned me of my lunch every time!”

So, she had been doing for a long time.

I looked at Megumin, and she averted her eyes.

“Hey, I think they’ll take a long time. Can I go back to the guild first?
Otherwise, the frogs’ meat will go bad. Can I go get the people from
the guild to ferry the frogs back?”

Aqua said while she pointed at the carcasses of the frogs.

To be honest, it would be a pain for me to stay behind alone.

But given our current situation, whatever money we could scrounge

helped, so it would be better to send Aqua back to settle this.

91
And that way, Megumin and I would be able to return to the
mansion directly, and I could dump Megumin who stunk like the
insides of frogs into the bath.

“… Hmm. Seems like you still have much to talk about. Well then,
I’ll take my leave today… Kazuma-san, your adventure today was
pathetic, but I won’t throw out the possibility that this was just an
act to deceive me… I can’t trust you just yet.”

After looking at me with stern eyes, Sena returned to town together

with Aqua.

92
 Chapter 2: Part 3
After being left behind on the snow field, I asked Megumin once
again:

“Why did she keep saying she knew you? She seemed to know you
very well, so hurry up and remember her, all right?”

“I don’t know her. And she didn’t even mention her name. Isn’t
that suspicious? This must be the scam Kazuma told Aqua that
she mustn’t pull, that ‘it’s me it’s me’ scam. You must absolutely
not trust her.”

Megumin pulled on my hand after saying that and wanted to

leave.

Seeing that we were planning to leave for town, the girl said in a
hurry:

“Wait, wait–! I-I know, it’s embarrassing to do this in front of

others, but I’ll introduce myself!… I’m Yunyun, an Archmage,
wielder of Advanced Magic, and the one who’ll become the chief
of the Crimson Demons in the future…!”

After Yunyun introduced herself with a blushing face, she flicked

her cloak.

Do the Crimson Demons have a culture of making exaggerated

performances when introducing themselves?

As she looked at Yunyun, Megumin said to me:

“That’s how it is. She’s Yunyun, the daughter of the village chief of
the Crimson Demons. She claimed to be my rival during our

93
school days and will inherit the position of village chief in the
future.”

“Okay. I’m this girl’s adventuring comrade, Kazuma. Nice to meet

you, Yunyun.”

“So, you do remember me!… Hmm, this is strange. Kazuma… san?

Um, why didn’t you laugh after hearing my name?”

Yunyun was confused and asked me timidly.

After getting used to Megumin’s name, I wasn’t really fazed upon

hearing the weird names of the Crimson Demons.

“Your name’s a bit strange, but that has nothing to do with your
personality, right? There are people in this world with a strange
name and a strong presence, but still somehow manages to get the
nickname of ‘Explosion girl with a screw loose’.”

“Is that me? Are you talking about me? That nickname stuck on
before I knew it!”

Hearing me say that, Yunyun showed an astonished and surprised

expression.

“… I see, as expected of Megumin, you found a good comrade.

You’re my rival indeed.”

For some reason, her impression of me seemed to be improving.

“Anyway, do you want to talk about this at another place? It’s

inconvenient to talk while standing here.”

Hearing me say that, Yunyun remembered something. She lifted

her head and moved away from Megumin and me.

94
“It’s all because Megumin pretended not to know me that it
became so weird…! Megumin, I’m here to settle things with you!
I’m the one who will be the chief of the Crimson Demons! If I
don’t defeat you, I can’t possibly take the position of the chief in
the future! And most importantly…!”

Yunyun lifted her hand and said while pointing at Megumin:

“As promised, I learned Advanced Magic. Next, I’ll be defeating

you and getting the title of strongest of the Crimson Demons. That
way, no one can fault me when I take the position of chief. I won’t
let anyone say I depended on my family connections! Come
Megumin, let’s duel!”

With resolve in her eyes, Yunyun declared in front of Megumin.

“I don’t wanna. It’s freezing outside, and my body temperature is

starting to drop.”

Hearing Megumin say that matter-of-factly, Yunyun said

“Hmm–” and stood there stiffly.

“It’s settled then, let’s go back. I’ll heat the water up, so go wash
up first. After your bath, we’ll all have a meal together.”

After I said that and was about to leave together with Megumin…

“Wait, wait, wait! Hey, why? We haven’t seen each other in so

long, so why are you treating me so coldly? Megumin, please duel
with me, okay–!”

Seeing us move, Yunyun stopped us in a hurry.

Megumin sighed.

95
“… But I can’t use magic anymore today, my mana’s exhausted.
And you were planning to duel with me using magic, right?
Kukuku… You underestimate my strength. With just my strength
alone, I vaporized eight foolish frogs in one shot. Can you do that,
Yunyun?”

Megumin lowered her tone, saying this in a chuunibyou manner.

Yunyun looked at me with a surprised expression.

She was probably asking me if this was true.

“Yeah, she did vaporize eight frogs with just one spell.”

She couldn’t move after that and was eaten though.

Hearing my confirmation, Yunyun turned pale and gulped with

her head down.

“You weren’t in this town so you might not know… But did you
hear about these rumors? A boss of the Demon King’s army was
tricked by me and lured to this town by my constant explosion
spells cast at his castle, and was defeated. The Mobile Fortress
Destroyer that claimed to be invulnerable was blown up by
explosion magic in this town!”

After hearing all that, Yunyun alternated her gaze between

Megumin and me with fear in her eyes.

… She didn’t lie.

“Well, the boss of the Demon King’s army did come to town
because Megumin cast explosion magic daily, and the one who
dealt the final blow to the Destroyer was definitely Megumin.”

96
That’s one way to look at the truth…

After I said that, Yunyun’s face turned deathly pale.

“E-E-Even so, I still want to duel! I must duel…! No matter how

slim my chances are, I’ll keep challenging you!”

Even though she was blinking away tears, there were things she
would never back down from. Yunyun was afraid, but she still
resolutely announced this.

Seeing this, Megumin heavily sighed once again.

“… You’re really troublesome. How about this, since I can’t use

magic anymore today, how about sparring physically? You’re an
adventurer now, so competing in an academic test should be
unacceptable for you, right? No weapons; we’ll battle until one of
us surrenders… Is that fine with you?”

Yunyun said with a surprised expression:

“… Is that really fine? That Megumin who skipped most of the

physical education classes… Could it be…? You want to let me
win? That Megumin who kept walking before me during lunch,
and rob me of my lunch when I challenged her?”

“… You really are a good-for-nothing.”

“… That was a matter of life and death for me. Because of the
circumstances in my family, her lunch was my lifeline. If I had
taken the initiative and challenged her, wouldn’t that be the same
as extortion?”

Yunyun closed her eyes.

97
She took a deep breath and smiled brilliantly.

“I understand, we’ll spar then… I know what you’ll say next. ‘If
you want to challenge me, you have to place an adequate bet!’ The
bet this time is this manatite crystal. It’s a high quality manatite
with remarkable purity, an item all mages crave for!”

Yunyun took out a small jewel.

With the name Manatite, it should be jewel that contains mana.

Megumin looked at that thing and gave a satisfied nod.

“Very well, I’ll accept your challenge! Well then, come at me!”

Megumin opened her arms in a taunting stance and announced.

Opposite of her, Yunyun lowered her stance and clenched her

fists.

From the looks of it, Yunyun had the advantage in size.

Yunyun was taller, bigger and had longer limbs with

proportionate muscles. In contrast, Megumin didn’t look like a
proficient melee fighter no matter how loose the standard was.

The impression Megumin gave was of a little girl you could find
anywhere: a weak mage.

Yunyun closed in slowly.

Megumin maintained her open arms posture, ready to grab

Yunyun at any time…

98
“… Hey, Megumin. Hold on… Um, you seem a bit wet and shiny, is
that…”

“That’s right~ It’s goo from the frogs.”

Megumin immediately answered Yunyun’s uneasy question.

Yunyun’s face twisted instantly, but Megumin ignored her and

continued:

“Thank you for saving me just now. This slimy thing all over me
are fluids secreted from the stomach of the frog… But enough
about that, attack me. The moment you come near, I’ll hug you
without reservation and wrestle with you.”

Megumin declared with her arms wide open, advancing slowly bit
by bit while Yunyun backed away with a disgusted face.

“Me-Megumin? Don’t joke like this. You’re not serious, right? This
is just a strategy to diminish my will to fight and trick me to
surrender, right? Right? You always did that when we were in
school. I-I won’t be fooled anymore!”

Yunyun put on a strong front as she backed away, but Megumin

got closer to her slowly, her crimson eyes shining.

Megumin’s face looked like a kid who wanted to pull a prank on a

friend.

“We’re friends, right? Real friends must go through thick and thin
together.”

When she heard what Megumin said, Yunyun turned back and
ran.

99
Megumin chased after her.

“Surrender! I surrender! I’ll give you the mana crystal, so please

don’t come over!”

100
101
 Chapter 2: Part 4
After Megumin smeared goo all over Yunyun and made her leave in
tears, we made our way back to the mansion.

“Ah, Kazuma, take this. It should fetch a good price. Clear some of
the debts with it.”

On the way back, Megumin gave me the Manatite crystal.

I remembered Yunyun saying that this was something any mage

would want.

“Is that fine? Why not keep it? I don’t know how to use it.”

Megumin laughed softly when she heard my question.

“A Manatite crystal is a convenient item that can take the place of

mana when casting spells, but it’s just a consumable item. From the
purity and size of that crystal, it’s not enough to sustain the massive
mana expenditure of explosion spells. That thing is precious for
normal wizards, but useless to archwizards like me who cast magic
on a grand scale.”

She’s saying this so arrogantly…

“… Isn’t that a good thing? Hey, I’ll say it again, but do you have any
intention of learning spells other than Explosion…”

“I don’t intend to.”

“I thought so.”

Hearing Megumin’s immediate reply, I sighed heavily.

102
Never mind, I couldn’t force her. And there were times when she
was dependable too…

… Was there ever such a time?

The girl named Yunyun used Advanced Magic.

She elegantly took down the frogs in an instant.

Apart from her spellcasting abilities, she looked pretty good too.
She had a pretty face and a nice body.

Compared to that excellent mage…

“… What is it? Why are you sighing… Aside from powerful magic
abilities, the Crimson Demons also have high intelligence, so I can
tell what Kazuma’s thinking about.”

Seeing me sigh as I walked, Megumin asked with a face full of doubt.

……

“… I was thinking that compared to that girl, Megumin’s much

prettier.”

“Thank you for your compliment! As thanks, I’ll give you a tight
hug!”

“Stop, stahp! Don’t come near me, you still stink like a frog!”

– I opened the door to the mansion and saw that Aqua had not
returned yet.

I was hoping to find Darkness here, but there was still no sign of
her.

103
My back was feeling all sticky so I walked briskly towards the
bathroom.

“Ugh… It stinks… I never thought a hug from a girl could feel so

unpleasant.”

“You should be happier about it. Some people are willing to pay a lot
for a girl covered in goo to hug them.”

Megumin who was following behind me nonchalantly said.

– As I headed into the changing room, Megumin tugged on the

corner of my shirt.

“… What?”

“The goo’s making me uncomfortable, let me bathe first.”

“I’m uncomfortable too, and this is your fault. And if I don’t go in

first, there’s no way to heat the water up. Our heater needs mana to
work, so you can’t use it since your mana’s depleted. The mana I
shared with you can only produce lukewarm water. If you
understand, wait obediently in front of the fireplace for me to
finish.”

I waved my hand, gesturing Megumin to leave. She said with a

displeased face:

“If I don’t wash away the goo and sit before the fireplace, my robes
will stink after they dry. Haven’t you heard of ladies first? Men
should take care of ladies.”

“I’m someone who sincerely wishes for equality for all genders. I
hate people who push for chivalry when the situation benefits them,

104
and complain about not being men when they’re at a disadvantage.
And you’re not old enough to be a lady anyway.”

“Ah! You’re treating me like a kid! We’re just three years apart,
okay! Ten years later, we’ll be 23 and 26, there’s not much of a
difference…”

“The future’s the future, and the past the past. I’m a man who lives
in the present. In my eyes, you’re a child right now, that’s it. All
right then– I’ll be the first one to bathe!”

As I was saying this, I headed into the bathroom and lit the magic
heater. I then took off my shirt that was covered in goo.

“You’re really stripping!”

Megumin was surprised by my actions, but I didn’t feel anything

about a kid seeing my naked body.

“I’ll need to charge if you want to continue watching. I will not back
down. Never.”

Megumin bit her lips vexingly, and then laughed when she
remembered something.

With a smile confident of victory, she taunted:

“… I see. I understand, Kazuma doesn’t see me as a woman right

now. Then how about bathing together. Since you don’t see me as a
woman, there should be no problem, right?”

“You’re right, there won’t be any problem if we bathe together. I’ll go

on ahead.”

“Eh?”

105
Seeing me reply nonchalantly, Megumin who suggested this was
surprised.

“Ex-Excuse me, shouldn’t the next development be you saying

something shyly like, ‘Id-Idiot, it would be nice if we could do that’,
and then let me go first unwillingly, right?”

“Why do I have to follow such a cliché script? Let me tell you first, I
won’t follow such cliche developments. Let me give you an example.
Let’s say Megumin falls for me, and some other girl starts flirting
with me and Megumin became jealous. If you use unreasonably
violence on me, I won’t hesitate in fighting back. I’ll do the right
thing when the time comes, you better remember that.”

“… I underestimated Kazuma. Don’t worry, I’ll never fall for you.

And that’s not how you use the phrase ‘Do the right thing at the
right time’, but never mind.”

After stating her piece, Megumin seemed to have given up and

walked out of the bathroom. And so, I…

“Oh? After taunting me about it, you’re not going to bathe together
with me? You gutless girl. That’s why I see you as a kid.”

“You say I have no guts? How dare you, it’s just bathing together;
you think I’m scared?! Stop covering with your towel and hurry up!”

“Hey, you jerk, let go, don’t pull my towel you pervert! Why are you
so open about this! Did that girl Yunyun ever tell you that you’re like
a boy? You are too carefree about this, watch yourself!”

Megumin took off her robe without hesitation, covered her body
with a towel and walked into the bathroom.

106
– Hmm?

For an instance, I thought I saw some sort of tattoo on Megumin’s

butt through the gaps of her towel.

“The water isn’t warm enough. Pump more mana in, more mana!
Come here, hurry up!”

Megumin yelled after putting her hand into the bathtub.

Was I mistaken?… Never mind, forget it.

107
 Chapter 2: Part 5
“Fu…”

“Fu… It’s nice to bathe leisurely during the day… I think I can fall
asleep here…”

I soaked my shoulders under the water in the wide tub, and

stretched my limbs out to relax.

A big bathtub was the best point about this mansion.

“By the way, are you going to ignore that girl Yunyun? Hasn’t it been
a long time since both of you met?”

“We’ll meet again soon enough anyway. That girl claiming to be my

rival loves to chase after me.”

Megumin soaked her shoulders into the water and kept her chin
near the surface of the bathtub. Her eyes were closed and she
seemed to be enjoying herself.

“The name Yunyun might be a bit off, but she looks cute. For an
acquaintance of yours, she seemed to have good manners and
common sense.”

“Are you insinuating that I lack common sense? And she’s my age,
why aren’t you treating her like a child?”

While keeping her chin at the edge of the water, Megumin opened
one eye and stole a glance at me.

Megumin’s the same age as that girl… I took a good look at

Megumin who was soaking in the bath.

108
“… Hey, tell me what you’re thinking while you’re looking at my
body.”

“… I’m thinking that the speed of growth is different for everyone…

Hey, stop that, don’t chant Explosion! I know you’ve exhausted your
mana, but this isn’t good for my heart!”

As I said that, I copied Megumin’s posture and moved my chin to

the edge of the water.

“But that means she’s just thirteen years old. My strike zone’s two
years younger than me, so thirteen’s out. If she were fourteen, that
would make us middle-two and high-one, which is borderline
acceptable for me.”

<TL Note: Second year of middle school and first year of high
school.>

I muttered casually.

“Middle-two and high-one?… I’m not sure what you mean, but I’ll
be fourteen next month. You won’t treat me like a kid after that?”

Megumin who was relaxing in the bath said with her eyes closed…

“… Huh, are you serious? Your birthday’s next month? Eh, fourteen?
You’re graduating from being a loli character?”

“Who’s a loli character? I don’t recall making such a character!

And… what’s with you? Why are you suddenly acting strange…?”

Someone I thought of as an incapable young sister was gradually

morphing in my mind into an incapable junior…

“We-Well, I suddenly think this situation’s a bit embarrassing.”

109
“Hey, don’t say that, that’ll make me feel embarrassed too! What is
wrong with you? Is one year that much of a difference? And can you
stop shyly stealing glances at me?”

Why? For some strange reason, my heart started racing.

At this moment, I realized I was in an incredible situation.

“… Hey, why am I bathing together with Megumin? Thinking about

it, isn’t this situation bad?”

“Why are you saying this now? Don’t suddenly come to your
senses!”

Megumin started inching away from me in the pool.

I also backed away from the other end and told Megumin:

“Not that, I mean if someone were to see us like this, we can’t just
laugh it off, right? There should be a law or rules governing this.
Especially a girl that can’t read the mood will tend to…”

Before I finished my sentence.

110
111
“I’m home–!”

From the distance came the voice of that girl who can’t read the
mood.

“It’s all your fault Kazuma! You were the one who triggered this
flag!”

“Now’s not the time to say this! Anyway, one of us needs to get out
now!”

Megumin and I got out of the tub at the same time, and returned
immediately.

“Why are you getting out together with me? The towel’s soaked, I
already saw a lot of you, and you saw a lot of me!”

“You’re one to talk! I’ll get out first, you stay in there! Did you lock
the door? Did you lock the door into the changing room?”

“No, no I didn’t lock it! Aqua will certainly come here at a time like
this! What should we do? Think of something quick!”

What’s there to think of, one of us just needs to exit the bathroom
and it should be fine!

If Aqua were to see us like this, she’ll won’t let me off, and give me
nicknames like ‘LoliNEET’, ‘Lolima’ and spread it all over town!

“Kazuma–! Megumin–? I’m home–! Will someone welcome me

back?! I sold the frog and brought the money back–!”

Aqua’s voice was getting closer.

112
I hastily got out of the bathtub and charged towards the changing
room.

As I ran, the thumping footsteps drew near…

“Kazuma–!… What, so you’re bathing?”

Aqua seemed to notice I was in here.

The moment before the door to the changing room was about to
open, I used all the mana within me and stretched my right hand
out, concentrating with all of my might!

“Freeze–!”

Using all my mana, the Freeze I bet everything on froze the door
handle of the changing room door in an instant. Fatigue and
weakness assaulted me after I exhausted all my mana, and I
collapsed onto the floor.

“Kazuma–I left both of your share of the money on the table in the
living room! Let’s grab a bite after you finish your bath!”

After that, Aqua left without opening the door.

… That made sense. If she knew someone was inside, why would she
open the door and look at my naked body? This wasn’t a manga.

“Are… Are you okay, Kazuma? Did you deplete your mana? I should
say that was a close one. If things were to have escalated…”

“… I would be labeled a lolicon. Too close… Ah, Megumin, sorry to

trouble you, but can you help me wipe my body? I’m completely out
of mana and can’t move. I’ll catch a cold if I lie down here.”

113
I lay face down on the floor, asking for her help without seeing
Megumin’s face, but…

“… Hey, why will you be labeled a lolicon if you bathe with me,
explain clearly. You have guts to say such things when you can’t
move.”

“Hey, stop it asshole! Why are you grabbing my towel! You want to
be labeled a pervert?! Hey…! A-Aqua–! Aqua–! There’s a loli
molesting me–!”

114
 Chapter 2: Part 6
Aqua barged into the room after hearing me crying for help, and
bestowed on me the nickname of ‘LoliNEET’.

The second dinner that felt a bit lonely without Darkness ended
without incident.

– The next morning.

“… The two of them are out early.”

I muttered to myself when I reached the living room.

After discussing with them last night, we reached the consensus that
going on quests without Darkness was too dangerous.

So, we decided to act on our own for today.

… Darkness didn’t return last night.

I heard the landlord was very obsessed with her. Was she being
detained?

Or did she have some accident…?

If she didn’t come back tonight, I would need to take action.

It was too troublesome to make breakfast for myself, so I decided to

eat out. As I was wandering around town, I saw a familiar Crimson
Demon girl.

That girl was strolling along the street while looking at the food in
the stalls.

115
In the end, she hung around the kebab stall, observing it.

A short while later, a customer came to the stall, chatted with the
owner for a while, and left after buying three kebabs.

After seeing that, the girl made up her mind and bought three
kebabs just like the previous customer.

… Seemed like this was the first time she was buying things here,
and was unsure of how to place orders.

I was considering approaching her, but looking at how happy she

was eating the kebab, I decided to leave her alone.

“– Strange monsters are appearing near town, they aren’t strong,

but…”

“Right, I heard about that too. That thing has a weird shape, and will
grab onto anything that moves and detonate, right?”

I had breakfast at a random shop, and heard two adventurers

talking about this topic while wandering around town.

… Strange monsters?

To me, most of the monsters in this world were strange.

I’ll be careful of this anyway.

As I was thinking about that while strolling, the girl I saw earlier
appeared before me again, walking around the target shooting game
stall this time.

116
The target shooting game was different from Japan. It used real
bows and arrows with a round end. Most of the players were
couples, with the guy shooting and gifting the prize to the lady.

I see, couples visited this street often. It’s something akin to the holy
grounds for dates.

The stall was targeting lovebirds going on dates.

This was obvious from the prize displayed in front of the store.

That girl was probably too shy to play the shooting game by herself.
She waited for all the couples to vacate completely before she
started challenging the game.

Maybe she wasn’t proficient with bow and arrows, but she couldn’t
hit the prize she wanted no matter how many times she tried.

After that girl challenged many times, another couple came in to

play the game. She returned the bow to the owner and was about to
leave in shame.

… Hmm…

Strictly speaking, her relationship with us should be rather bad

since her rival was in my party, but…

I walked towards that girl and said ‘hi’ casually.

“…? Ah! Um, hello, Kazuma-san…!”

– I didn’t even look at Yunyun who greeted me, handing my money

to the owner of the shooting game stall directly.

Snipe!

117
Using my sniping skill, I hit the prize Yunyun wanted in one shot.

The prize that I hit was a samurai-like doll that looked a little like
Winter Shogun.

“Here, you want this right?”

I grabbed the prize and handed it to Yunyun a bit cockily.

If I were in Yunyun’s shoes, it wouldn’t be surprising to fall for me

because of that.

Yunyun’s cheeks turned red and hesitated for a moment, unsure if

she should accept.

Moments later, she smiled brilliantly and said:

“Thank… Thank you…”

“Customer, you can’t do that. Can’t you read the sign? No archers
and Snipe ability users allowed. You can keep the prize, but you
have to pay me three times the fees.”

– I didn’t look very cool as I apologized to the owner while topping

up the fees.

“Well then, I’m still looking for my party mates, see you.”

I was a bit embarrassed, so I raised a hand and said that to Yunyun

as I prepared to leave…

“Hmm? Ah, um…”

118
Yunyun looked as if she wanted to stop me, reaching a hand out for
me…

But she withdrew her hand halfway, putting it on the doll in her
arms and bowed to me.

“Um… Thank you, thank you for getting Winter Shogun for me!”

So that doll really was Winter Shogun.

Because of my trauma of being killed by that guy, I had the urge to

shoot the doll with a real arrow. But since she looked so happy, I let
it go.

– After parting ways with Yunyun, I started strolling around town

once again.

With how prominent my party mates were, finding them should be a

breeze.

“All right, next challenger–! Is there no one else–?”

Following the source of that noise, I saw a crowd gathering around a

spot.

This piqued my interest and I went closer. Most of the people in the
crowd with beefy, muscular guys who obviously worked out.

I observed the situation…

“All right! I’m next!”

The one who stepped up was a man with bulging muscles, who
looked like an adventurer.

119
It was hard to judge what his class was, but from his body type, he
was probably a vanguard.

The man picked up the hammer prepared by the store owner…

“Warrgghhh!”

And swung down mightily.

The hammer slammed on top of a certain rock.

When the hammer impacted the rock, it created plenty of sparks.

After the pounding by the hammer, the rock was…

“Damn, this still isn’t enough…”

Just as the vexed man said, the rock was as good as new.

When the stall owner saw that, he shouted:

“My friend here failed! The prize is now 125,000 Eris! The entrance
fee is 10,000 Eris! For every challenger that loses, the prize will
increase by 5,000 Eris! Is there anyone else who is confident in your
arm strength? Magic is fine too! This is Adamantite, if you can break
this thing, you’ll be known as a top-class adventurer! Come, isn’t
there anyone else who wants to test their might?”

I see–business came in all sorts of forms.

I was contemplating on starting a business myself, so this was a

good place to learn.

But with my skill and strength, it was pointless for me to challenge

this.

120
… In the direction, I was looking at incidentally, I said to the figure I
saw for the third time today:

“… We meet again, Yunyun.”

Seeing Yunyun, who was clenching her fist as she watched the
adventurer swing their hammer, I greeted her on reflex.

She claimed to be Megumin’s rival, so I thought she would be hostile

towards me. But from her reaction, I didn’t think she disliked me.

Yunyun saw me…

“Ah! Thank you for your help just now Kazuma-san! Look at that!
Everyone’s taking up the challenge of smashing the Adamantite!”
She said with her eyes sparkling.

Were there no gaming stalls like these in the Crimson Demon

village?

“Yunyun can use Advanced Magic, right? Want to give it a try? The
owner said spells are permitted.”

After hearing that, Yunyun said:

“I can’t break Adamantite with my powers… That requires powerful

Detonation magic. Leaving the destructive explosion spell aside,
detonation magic should be fine. But using explosion magic is the
safest bet…”

She said with a wry smile.

As we were chatting, more people went up to challenge it and failed.

121
The prize money was over 200,000 Eris before we knew it.

The crowd was getting bigger, and the owner of the stall yelled to
raise the tension higher.

“Is Adamantite too difficult for the people in this town? I came here
because I heard this town took down the Mobile Fortress Destroyer!
Is there no one who can break this stone? Come on, come on! Is
there no other challenger?”

As the stall owner was getting into his groove, the adventurers
pushed each other, gesturing for each other to take up the challenge.

Everyone knew what the stall owner was trying to do, but it still felt
vexing if no one broke the rock.

– As the adventurers on scene stared at each other.

One young girl stepped forth from the crowd.

She wasn’t in her usual robe, but a black dress for traveling in town.
My party mate moved forward and puffed out her chest.

She had the same determined arrogant face she had when she faced
off against the Destroyer.

“– The main character’s turn.”

The moment Megumin said that, all the adventurers including me

rushed in to restrain her.

122
 Chapter 2: Part 7
“Hey, I’m just an innocent girl, treating me like this is too much.”

I locked Megumin’s arms and neck from behind, ready to cover her
mouth if she started chanting.

On either side of her were built adventurers grabbing her hand

tightly.

“Hey old man, stop doing your business here! This girl noticed you!
She’s an infamous explosion maniac in town. Your business is too
stimulating for her!”

Hearing me say that, the stall owner turned pale and started packing
in a panic.

Megumin started struggling when she saw that.

“Ahhh! I can break it! I can definitely break that stone with my
explosion spell!”

“Run! Hurry up, old man!”

“Eek–!”

After finishing packing, the stall owner began sprinting at full speed.

Megumin saw him off with a face of regret.

After confirming the old man had escaped, we released our hold and
Megumin regained her freedom.

As the crowd dispersed, I said to Megumin:

123
“… Really, Aqua is more than enough trouble without you joining in.
Anyway, you’re not together with her?”

“Nope, she wanted to go somewhere else so we split up. The payout

from defeating the Destroyer gave the town an economic boost, so
all sorts of people are getting drawn here. There was someone
performing in the streets for money from tips, but he was driven to
tears after Aqua started doing far more impressive free
performances next to him.”

How… How pitiful…

I thought about doing something about that girl, but it would be a

bother if I got entangled in their squabbles.

He might be pitiful, but I decided to leave Aqua to that busker…

Megumin tugged on my sleeve.

“Let’s walk together since we ran into each other. There’s someone
over there who’s doing something like the guy that ran off. I want to
loiter around him to scare him.”

“I thought you were a girl with common sense, aside from your
explosion-maniac personality.”

As Megumin and I chatted as we prepared to leave, we heard

someone calling out to us from behind.

“Ah…”

I turned back and saw Yunyun looking at us with a lonely

expression.

“… Want to come along with us?”

124
Yunyun made a happy expression for an instance when I said that,
but she reverted when she saw Megumin and shook her head.

“I-I came to this town to defeat Megumin! I’m not here to build a
friendship with her! I’m grateful for the shooting game just now,
thank you very much! But… I can’t come along with you two!”

Yunyun hugged the doll before her chest and took a large step away
from us.

“Since she doesn’t want to, let’s go Kazuma.”

“Oh, right….”

When we left, Yunyun seemed to be rejecting us, keeping her back to

us.

“… Sigh…”

In the end, Yunyun let out a depressed sigh, slumped her shoulders
and walked away with heavy steps.

She then looked back longingly.

… And locked eyes with the two of us who were walking a few steps
behind her after we brought something-like crepes from the stall
nearby.

“… Um, why are the two of you following me?”

“I was thinking that I’ll be able to see your lonely and sulking face if
I follow behind you who’s alone like usual”

When she heard that, Yunyun pounced on Megumin.

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 Chapter 2: Part 8
“Among the Crimson Demons, Yunyun was well known for being
a weirdo that was ashamed of her own name. In school, she spent
most of her time eating alone. If I loitered around Yunyun who
was eating alone, she would happily challenge me, worked every
time…”

“Wait! It’s, it’s not that bad… It shouldn’t be… Right…? Fine, it’s
true. I challenged you every day, but I’m not lonely at all. I have
friends too.”

The three of us chatted as we walked out of town.

After talking for half the day, the two of them decided to have
another duel.

Megumin stopped when she heard Yunyun say that.

“I can’t just ignore what you just said… Yunyun, you have
friends…?”

“Why… Why are you reacting like this? I have friends too, all
right! Megumin should know too. Like Dodonko and Funifura,
they say we’re friends, I even invited them to lunch before…”

Hey, stop it! I can’t bear to hear anymore!

… This seemed to be the situation. The village of the Crimson

Demons was full of weirdos and this child was the only one with
common sense, so she stood out from everyone else.

How pitiful…

126
“And so, what shall we compete in today? I can only use explosion
magic, so I don’t really want to fight with spells.”

“… That’s right. You should learn some other spells too. You
should’ve saved quite a bit of skill points by now.”

“I did. I used all of them for explosion power raise and speed
chanting…”

“Idiot! Why are you so obsessed with explosion magic?”

Good, tell her more.

“But that’s really troubling… What should we duel in…?”

As Yunyun was pondering about that, Megumin said:

“Anything’s fine, I’m not a kid that’s bothered by winning or

losing anymore.”

Hearing the loli say that casually, Yunyun smirked softly.

“Not a kid anymore? I remember when we competed in our

degree of growth before. Since you say you’re not a kid anymore,
want to try that again?”

Facing Yunyun’s taunt, Megumin simply said:

“No, I mean I’m not a kid anymore in another way. My

relationship with Kazuma has progressed so far that we’ve even
bathed together before.”

“!”

“Hey! Shut it, don’t tell others about that!”

127
“?!”

After hearing my conversation with Megumin, Yunyun’s face

turned red. Her mouth opened and shut, her entire body turned
stiff.

“… It’s, it’s my loss today–!”

After saying that, Yunyun ran away in tears.

Megumin and me stood in place for quite a while.

Megumin then took something out and started writing.

Looking closely, it looked like a notebook.

She wrote the date for today and marked a small circle beside it.

“I won today too.”

“You, you… Is this really fine…?”

– After seeing Yunyun running off wailing, Megumin and I

decided to return to the mansion.

“Ara, you’re back. Hey, look, look. There was a guy busking in the
streets, he said he didn’t need it anymore and gave it to me. He
seemed to be planning to inherit the farm in his hometown. I
don’t understand why, but that’s lucky!”

When we got home, I saw Aqua sitting on the couch in the living
room, toying with some trinkets happily.

After breaking the heart of the busker, she took his tools of trade.

128
I wanted to tell her not to disrupt the lives of other people, but…

“Darkness is still not back… She should be coming back tonight,

right?”

Watching Aqua playing deftly with the trinkets, Megumin

muttered.

– In the end, Darkness didn’t come back today.

129
 Gifting the Aristocratic Lady With Marriage!
Chapter 3: Part 1
TL: Skythewood
Editor: Adam, Cannongerbil, Veritaum, Boring bone, Xenthur

“Hey Aqua, don’t make me waste my breath, just give up that seat.
Since Darkness isn’t back, we won’t be doing quests today either. I
need to design the merchandise to be displayed in Wiz’s shop, so get
out of my way.”

Hearing me say that, Aqua, who was hogging the spot on the couch
before the fireplace as usual, squinted her eyes as she yawned and
said:

“Why are you so irritable? You’re too hysterical lately. You don’t
need to act this way just because Darkness isn’t back yet. Enough
about that… I heard that girl Yunyun said something to Megumin.
You must pay the adequate price for everything. If you want me to
give this warm place to you, you must give me something that
satisfies me. Let me think, specifically speaking…”

Aqua paused and pondered for a moment.

“… If thou wish for the place where the goddess resides… Offer high-
class wine to me. Warm light will then shine a path for the lost
NEET.”

I should give her a tight slap.

Megumin too, why was she teaching her unnecessary things?

“Hey, fallen goddess, if you have the time to ask for wine this early
in the morning, you should think of a way to make money. Really,
why do I have to work so hard? I’ll work on the debts from blowing

130
up the mansion of the landlord, and you take care of the reparations
for the flood. If you feel any guilt at all, then move aside.”

Hearing me address her as a fallen goddess, Aqua looked at me with

displeasure.

“Hey, stop giving me weird names, okay? Useless goddess, fallen

goddess or whatever. If you keep addressing me as a fallen goddess,
you’ll suffer divine retribution! Like this incident with the landlord,
it might be your punishment for not taking care of me, the goddess.
Kazuma, if you feel bad about the way you’re treating me, then say
‘Sorry, beautiful Aqua-sama’, and offer high-class wine to me. Go
buy some, quick…”

“Steal.”

Seeing Aqua continuing to hog the couch and hugging her knees, I
reached out a hand and said that.

With the sound of coins rustling, Aqua’s purse appeared in my

outreached hand.

“… What are you doing, you thief! What you are doing is a crime! If I
send you to the station, the delayed court date will be cancelled.
Hee–Kazuma’s a criminal–! Are you planning to buy wine with my
money? What I meant was for you to use your own money…”

“Steal.”

Before Aqua finished, I used Steal on her.

In my hand was one of Aqua’s socks.

Aqua continued hugging her knees, moving the toes on her one bare
leg intentionally in protest.

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“… What are you doing, I’ll feel cold. Return my sock to me, pervert.
If you don’t return it to me, I’ll tell the police that a pervert was
panting excitedly after stealing my sock. If you understand…”

“Steal.”

I didn’t know why Aqua was keeping this on her.

After using Steal, some sort of seed appeared in my hand.

Aqua looked uneasy after seeing this.

“Hey, hey, Kazuma. This kind of prank isn’t funny. I also went a bit
too far, and I’ll reflect on that. How about we both apologize and
make up?”

“Steal.”

I tossed the other sock that appeared in my hand onto the carpet.

I then said to Aqua slowly:

“… I’ll raise a large sum of money now. Didn’t you say your
hagoromo’s a holy relic? Let me borrow it, I’ll sell it for you. If you
don’t want me to take it by force, go to another room and take it off
yourself… But you’ll probably say no, so I’ll just strip it away right
here.”

I wiggled my fingers at Aqua to emphasize this, and she said with a

stiff expression:

“What are you talking about? This hagoromo is proof of my

godhood, how could you sell it? This kind of joke isn’t funny…”

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“Steal.”

“Ahhh Kazuma-sama, ahhh! I was wrong, it’s my fault, don’t,

stop–!”

– Several minutes later.

“Woo… Sniff… Boohoo… Wahhh…”

Aqua was still curled up on the couch like a ball, burying her face
between her thighs.

As for her appearance…

– Aside from her bare feet, it was the same as usual.

“Damn it, why’s your luck so strong during a time like this… Or
rather, what are you doing with all this junk…”

The junk I stole from Aqua was scattered near my feet.

They looked like party trick items. Seeds, cups, marbles…

The carpet was filled with things you might find by turning out the
pocket of a kid.

I wasted a ton of mana on this girl.

“Why are you so noisy this early in the morning? What’s

happening?”

I was still standing before the sniveling Aqua when Megumin came
down the stairs in adventuring attire.

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“Hick… Kazuma, he… To pay back the debts… He says he’ll sell it…
and strip me forcefully…”

“Hey, shut it, don’t say stuff that’ll create misunderstandings! Yes,
it’s my bad. I apologize, and don’t look at me like that, Megumin! I
only wanted to sell her equipment away!”

As Aqua continued to snivel, Megumin looked at me with disdain.

This was a normal morning.

“Bad news, this is bad! Kazuma, bad news!”

Suddenly, a beautiful lady charged in and shattered the peaceful

atmosphere.

Her dressing gave a noble impression. The expensive looking dress,

white high heels, and her head of long braided hair flowed down her
chest from one shoulder. She looked like a daughter of some noble
family.

But her noble dressing couldn’t hide her alluring figure.

Even though we’ve never met before, this beautiful lady was calling
me by name.

“… Who are you?”

“Huh…? Eh…! Kazuma! Now’s not the time to joke around! Can we
play this game next time instead?”

The beautiful girl blushed said something out of place, and made me
realize who she was.

“What, you’re Darkness? You made us worry so much, you’re finally

willing to come back!”

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Hearing me say that, Aqua who was sniveling cried out immediately.

“Wahhh! Darkness, Kazuma he–! Kazuma, he wants to strip me and

sell my precious thing away…!”

“Hey! Putting it that way can easily cause misunderstandings, so

shut it!”

As Aqua and I were squabbling, Megumin told Darkness:

“Welcome back Darkness. You don’t need to explain what

happened. Here, go take a nice long bath to soothe your body and
soul.”

“…? Bath? What are you saying Megumin? Anyway, I’m more
interested in the special play Aqua mentioned…”

Darkness expectantly looked at me and Aqua.

“Are you still dreaming? Stop it with the dream talk; just rest for
today. It’s great that you’re back. Listen to me, go take a warm bath
and cry your heart out.”

“What are you talking about? Why do I have to cry? And what’s with
the bath… What is it, Aqua? Why are you pulling on my skirt?”

Aqua, who stopped wailing and was tugging on Darkness’s white

dress, confirming the material said:

“… This is definitely high-quality material. This must be the bonus

reward the landlord gave you.”

“Darkness… You worked so hard… To save me, it must’ve been hard

on you…”

135
I told Darkness emotionally.

“Stupid! What exactly did you think happened? The landlord didn’t
do anything weird to me, this dress is mine! Why? You think I didn’t
return earlier because I was being abused by the landlord?”

“What else could it be? We were thinking how terribly they were
treating you… But if this wasn’t given to you by the landlord, then
what’s with this expensive dress? You say this belongs to you, is it
for a noble lady cosplay? Are you researching a type of play?”

“No! This… This isn’t cosplay! Sorry for making you worry, but that
landlord didn’t have the guts to request anything rude from me…
Forget about that, look at this!”

Darkness then handed an album-thin booklet to me.

Instead of an album-thin booklet, this was more like a…

“… What is this? Oh, a handsome guy? How unpleasant.”

Looking at the photo of a bright and cheery man, I unconsciously

tore it…

“Ahhh! Look at what you’ve done to the marriage interview photo! If

you tear it like this, how will I reject the matchmaking now!”

Hya!

“Oh, sorry, I was careless! I don’t know why, but my hands moved
unconsciously, I couldn’t control it… Wait, what matchmaking?”

I tilted my head, confused with the photo in my hand.

136
“That’s right! That damn Alexei, using cheap tricks like this! I did
promise to do anything, but my father would reject him if it was too
offensive. I knew that, that’s why I promised him back then, but…”

The panicking Darkness said.

“Wait, slow down and speak clearly. Who’s this handsome guy? And
forcing you to marry someone you don’t like is clearly an
unreasonable request, right? Also, how’s the landlord related to the
handsome guy on this photo? Darkness, if you don’t want to, why
not just ask your father to reject this? I’ll try to fix this photo. Aqua,
could you get some rice for me?”

“Okay–”

Aqua ran off, and to calm Darkness who was about to cry, I ushered
her to the couch.

“The one on the photo is Alexei’s son. That damn Alexei, he

probably knew if he was the one to propose, he would be rejected.
But the only good point my father saw in Alexei was his son. How
should I put this…? The one most enthusiastic about the marriage is
my father. But I don’t understand why Alexei wants his son to marry
me…”

Darkness said as she sat on the couch and stared at the messy coffee
table.

Aqua returned with bits of rice and sat beside Darkness, placed the
photo on the desk and started repairing it.

Aqua used a corner of the table, while my designs for the

merchandise to be displayed in Wiz’s shop were scattered on other
parts. Darkness picked one up and asked curiously:

137
“… Hmm? The sketching on it is weird. What is this?

Megumin who was putting on her boots near the entrance

answered:

“While Darkness was away, we’ve been brainstorming about ways to

earn more money. These are convenient tools Kazuma thought of.
He’s planning on selling them in Wiz’s shop.”

“Oh? Well, Kazuma has high luck stats. He might be better suited as
a merchant.”

“Speaking about my luck, I’m really doubtful about that. If my luck

was so great, I would’ve been able to meet comrades that are more
useful. I wouldn’t get into debts, get entangled in troubling
incidents, and live a wonderful life.”

The three of them trembled when they heard me say that.

“I-I’m troubled by the matchmaking because I spoke up for

Kazuma! No, I’m not asking you to repay me or anything! We’re
comrades after all; the most important thing is to help each other!
I’ve troubled you much, so it’s only natural for me to help you!”

Darkness explained, but a drop of sweat dripped down her cheek.

“I-I have a meeting with Yunyun later! Yes, that’s right! To prove
Kazuma’s innocence, I’m going to think of a plan together with
Yunyun…!

Megumin averted her eyes and said so before the entrance.

So that’s where she was going.

138
“I’ll leave clearing Kazuma’s name as a suspect to them and clean
the toilet! I don’t think it’s dirty, but I’m concerned with the toilet!
Kitchen and baths, leave places that use water to me!”

Stopping her work in repairing the photo, the goddess of toilets used
cleaning as an excuse to escape.

– As everyone was planning on running.

Darkness waved her hands, gesturing for them to stay, and showed a
sad face to us and said:

“What… What should I do? I went back these few days to stop the
progression of the matchmaking session… I’m here because of that…
The matchmaking will be this afternoon. There’s no time left.
Pardon me, but is there anyone who’s willing to return with me to
convince my father?”

139
 Chapter 3: Part 2
“… In short, Darkness’s father wants her to give up the dangerous
job of adventurer, so he sends her to matchmaking sessions
whenever he has the chance. But Darkness doesn’t plan on
marrying yet and rejected all previous attempts.”

Megumin who had put on her boots said as she sat near the
entrance.

Aqua continued to repair the photo on the table.

I wanted to repair the photo I tore myself, but since Aqua was
happy to do so and was doing a great job, I decided to let her be.

This girl really had all kinds of unnecessary talents…

“… Yes, you’re right. To be frank, I’m very satisfied with my

current life. If I continue my career, an evil mage or a minion of
the Demon King’s army might target me. I’ll resist until the very
end, but still get captured by them in a miserable state. It’ll be
terrible. I’ll be tied up in locks and chains, my clothes will be all
tattered…! Ugh…! Stop… Stop…!”

“I think you should retire and get married soon.”

Darkness was lost in her own fantasy, squirming about with a

blushing face, making me back away from her.

Megumin shook the staff in her hand and said doubtfully:

“I see, the previous matchmaking sessions were by the request of

Darkness’s father, where you can reject. But this matchmaking
session was raised by the landlord, and you’ve already promised
him to do him one favor. Darkness’s father is eager and the

140
landlord’s also eager, so you can’t reject it under such
circumstances. But the landlord wants you by hook or by crook, so
why’s he so obsessed with Darkness? I don’t get why he wants you
as a daughter-in-law either. With his status as landlord, if he
really wanted to, he could force Darkness to be his concubine.”

Hearing what Megumin said, Darkness lowered her head.

She put her hands together before her chest, rubbed her fingers
for a moment and finally said:

“… My, my real name’s Dustiness ford Lalatina. I’m a daughter of

a rather esteemed noble clan…”

“Ehhh!”

Seeing our surprised expression, Darkness flashed a lonely

expression for a moment, and seemed sad.

She must’ve surprised many people before when she introduced

herself.

“Dustiness…! That’s not just rather esteemed, it’s a super powerful

nobility clan! The top adviser in this nation, that Dustiness? In
this town?”

Darkness answered the screaming Megumin softly:

141
142
“… Yes.”

Next, Aqua asked:

“What! So, if I become a child of the Dustiness family, I can slack

around all day and live an extravagant life?”

For Aqua who missed the important point, Darkness replied with a
slightly troubled tone:

“Yes… But, our family’s not looking to adopt…”

I retorted the most important point at the troubled Darkness.

“Darkness, you…! You’re always saying things like ‘Yeah’, ‘Sure’, and
acting like a proper knight! But your real name is Lalatina! It’s so
cute!”

“Don’t, don’t call me Lalatina…!”

Lalatina’s face turned red, and she shouted with tears in the corner
of her eyes.

Megumin, who stood up because she was too surprised, sat down
onto the carpet near the entrance and said:

“Well… This might be surprising, but Darkness is Darkness. For me,

Darkness is a tough Crusader; an important comrade. That’s all.”

When she heard Megumin say that, Darkness said with a happy
expression:

“… Yes, please take care of me from now on too…”

She then smiled with relief.

143
Seeing their interaction, Aqua pointed at herself cheerfully.

“… Hey, hey, I have something shocking to tell you, okay? Well, I’ve
said this before but you didn’t believe me… Actually, I’m a goddess!”

“Wow, that’s great!”

“Why don’t you believe me–!”

Aqua grumbled as she started repairing the photo with rice again.

Seeing the three of them like this, I started thinking about

something.

I see, a lot of things made sense now.

Like why Darkness knew less about the world than me and why she
was wearing cosplay-like attire that was so out of place.

The reason why the landlord wanted his son to marry Darkness was
probably because of political reasons.

There were people who wanted to at least live in the same house,
even if they couldn’t get the girl themselves.

If I leave this alone, an important member in our party was going to

be married off.

Important… Member… Hmm…

“We have to bring this photo back and convince Darkness’s father.
Here, look at this. How is it? Isn’t the repair perfect?”

144
As I was deep in thought, Aqua handed the photo to me with a cocky
face. The photo was as good as new. You couldn’t tell that it was torn
before.

… Wait, Darkness is going to be married off?

This meant that a Crusader who couldn’t hit the enemy would have
to leave the party because of marriage.

Retirement due to marriage… That’s right, a wonderful occasion.

I wasn’t treating her like a useless child and chasing her away.

I didn’t hate Darkness.

She has some weird habits, but she wasn’t a bad person.

But the prospect of our party wasn’t good and Darkness was an
aristocratic lady, so was it fine tying her down as an adventurer?

– No, it’s not good.

If Darkness got married, her parents would feel at ease.

In all honesty, I was worried about Darkness too.

On the off chance we made it to the Demon King’s castle and ran
into danger, this girl would yell enthusiastically something like
‘Don’t worry about me, just leave me here and go’.

After getting captured, she would be overjoyed, saying ‘Ugh…! Just

kill me…!’ or something as she looked forward to her mistreatment.

That’s right! In other words, this was a great idea that would gift
everyone with happiness!

145
“Sigh… I must come up with a reason and return this photo to the
other party. I’ll then apologize using this excuse and try to convince
my father… That’s why, I hope someone can accompany me to do
this…”

Darkness looked at the repaired matchmaking photo in my hand

and eased up as she requested us for help. And then…

“That’s it–!”

“Ahhh!”

I tore the photo in half.

146
 Chapter 3: Part 3
“I have to meet Yunyun, so I’m going now. I have an ominous
feeling about what Kazuma’s thinking about, will it be fine?… I’m
leaving Darkness in your hands, all right?”

Megumin looked at me uneasily a few times, and left the place with
a worried expression.

For me, it’s great that Megumin is leaving.

Among the three, the hardest to handle would probably be

Megumin.

“Ugh… I worked so hard to repair it…”

Aqua sat on the couch, throwing a tantrum because the photo she
fixed was torn up again.

– As I watched Megumin leave, I could feel a strong gaze on my

back.

The gaze came from Darkness. She was glaring at me silently with
tears in her eyes.

Aqua was also staring at me with tears.

How… How scary.

“Calm… Calm down. This is for the best in the future.”

Hearing the excuse, I made up on the spot, Darkness whose eyes

were still teary asked:

“… How?”

147
I explained in detail to Darkness and Aqua.

Putting it simply, for her to continue her career as an adventurer, it

would be better to attend a matchmaking session now.

It might be with the landlord’s son this time, but even if this one was
rejected; Darkness’s father would arrange another one in no time.

Would Darkness need to reject them one by one?

If Darkness’s father couldn’t take it anymore, he might adopt

tougher measures.

If that was the case, Darkness should accept it this one time and
mess up the event utterly. That was my suggestion.

Although I suggest utter destruction, it wouldn’t do to tarnish

Darkness’s family name. She just needed to force the other party to
give up by themselves.

That way, Darkness’s parents would be more prudent about

arranging the next matchmaking session.

After all, it would be embarrassing for the family if the other party
rejected them every time.

And of course, Aqua and I would be accompanying her under the

guise of servants.

We’ll assist Darkness secretly to make the other party dislike her.

And the target this time was the infamous landlord’s family after all.

148
Even though messing up this session to discourage Darkness’s
father would have negative impact on her family name, it would be
less damaging than doing so compared to matchmaking with a fine
aristocratic clan.

– After the two of them heard my explanation…

“That… That’s it, Kazuma! Let’s use this plan! If this works, I won’t
need to go home and beat down my father every time he arranges a
session.”

I feel sorry for her father…

“I get it, this is a great plan! I thought you would’ve said ‘If one of
the problem children marries off, I can find a new member and
relax, yahoo–!’ or something like that!”

Aqua’s words made me shiver.

“No… No way! How could I bear letting such an excellent Crusader

like Darkness leave?… Don’t do that, don’t look at me with such
eyes, I’m half serious about this, all right…”

149
 Chapter 3: Part 4
Dustiness mansion.

The building situated on the main street of town had an appearance

befitting a grand aristocratic family.

“Is this true? Are you really fine with this, Lalatina? Are you willing
to seriously consider this matchmaking session?”

Lalatina… I mean, Darkness’s dad held her hand as he said

excitedly.

We are inside Darkness’s home.

Darkness told her dad that she was willing to go for the
matchmaking session.

“It’s true, dear father. Lalatina wants to try it.”

When we heard Darkness say that, Aqua and I lowered our head.

“Hey, hey, Kazuma-san, Kazuma-san, she said ‘Dear father’.”

“Are… Are you stupid, Lalatina’s funnier, she called herself

‘Lalatina’.”

Looking at Lady Lalatina talking in a different manner than usual,

Aqua and I whispered to each other. Our shoulders were shaking as
we tried to hold back our laughter, earning the glare from the red-
faced lady.

When Darkness’s dad saw us like this, he felt a bit suspicious.

“Lalatina, who are these two guests?”

150
Hearing him ask this, Darkness extended his hand towards Aqua
and me.

“These two are my adventuring companions. For this matchmaking

session, I wish to employ them as a temporary butler and maid to
join me for the event.”

Her dad frowned and seemed uneasy about this.

“Um, about that…”

That won’t do.

I took a step forward, put one hand on my chest and stood up

straight.

“Pleased to meet you. I’m adventurer Satou Kazuma, I’ve been in the
care of Lady Lalatina. If the matchmaking’s a success, we probably
won’t be able to meet Lady Lalatina because of our difference in
status. I know we’re flaunting the rules a little, but for this very last
moment, we wish to stay by Lady Lalatina’s side, and see for
ourselves if we can entrust our important companion to the groom.”

Without any stuttering, I stated my piece fluently and bowed.

I’m so cool right now.

If I could marry the lady away, I felt I could achieve anything.

Seeing me act so differently, Darkness and Aqua were stunned.

– The maids brought us to the meeting room.

151
“Please wait for a moment. We’ll prepare the attire for our honored
guests.”

The maids ushered us to sit at the couch and served us tea. After
inviting us to ‘enjoy the tea’, they left the room.

As expected of a meeting room for a grand aristocratic family.

It looked plain at first sight, but it was obvious that it costs a lot of
money to maintain the appearance of nobles.

We waited obediently for a while, but eventually got bored.

Unable to sit still, we wandered around the meeting room, picking

up and observing the decorations.

I don’t have an eye for appraising things, but every one of these had
to be expensive pieces.

For example, the painting hung on this wall.

At a glance, it looked like a child’s scribbling, but it should be those

so called modern art pieces.

I rubbed my chin as I looked at the painting, mumbling a little as I

acted as if I was appreciating this painting.

“Kazuma, you really like that graffiti, huh?”

Aqua who didn’t know about art told me when she saw me admiring
the art piece.

152
“Hey, how uncultured. This is what you call modern art, those who
understand will know how wonderful it is. It must be a work of a
master painter.”

Listening to my bullshit, Aqua said on casually from the couch:

“But in the eyes of me who has learned about painting, that’s just
normal graffiti.”

I shrugged and shook my head at Aqua.

“Well, being able to paint and the ability to appraise are two
different matters. Look at this part. It might look like scribbling at
first, but if you…”

As I was making up nonsense in my explanation to Aqua, Darkness

walked into the meeting room.

“Sorry for the wait, you… Hey Kazuma, that’s a painting of my father
by me when I was young. Father really likes this painting, so he
hung it here to show it off to the guests. Don’t stare at it, it makes
me feel embarrassed… Hey, what are you doing? Don’t pull my
hair!”

As Aqua was laughing at me deviously, I tugged on Darkness’s

plaited hair. At this moment, the maid entered the room carrying
clothes for a butler and a maid.

“Kazuma-san, this is the attire for a butler. The size should be just
right, please try it on.”

I received the clothes from the maid and followed her into the
dressing room next door.

… Yeah, it fits perfectly.

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“It looks good.”

Hearing me say that, the maid bowed and retreated to a corner of

the room.

– I succeeded in getting Darkness’s dad to hire me as a temporary

butler and returned to Darkness after putting the proper attire.

Aqua was already there, dressed as a maid.

154
155
Unexpectedly, the pure dressing of a maid suited her well.

“Aqua, you look nice in it. Right now, you look like a top-class
minion.”

“You too Kazuma. You look just like a try-hard apprentice butler. It
feels just like you’ll be bullied by mean senpais and will end up
crying by yourself in a corner.”

“Ara, what an interesting way of putting it. If we weren’t in the

mansion of a grand noble right now, I would’ve given you a piece of
my mind… Well then, are you ready, Lady Lalatina?”

“Don’t… Don’t call me Lady Lalatina! Just addressing me as ‘my

lady’ will do if others are around!”

Darkness hastily barked at me.

The meeting will be held in this mansion.

And Darkness’s dad asked for my help.

He asked me.

He asked for my assistance to stop his daughter from doing

anything rude during the meeting.

Not just that.

He was also willing to pay me for my efforts if the meeting went

smoothly.

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Not only did our interests coincide, he even threw in a reward as a
bonus.

It would be hard for me not to be fired up.

If the son of the landlord was incapable, I would join in the

disruption of the meeting. But if he was just a bit annoying, I would
still close an eye on that matter.

“The two of you, this way. Listen carefully! You know what to do,
right? I’m counting on you!”

Darkness had an uneasy expression as she led us to the entrance to

receive the other party of the matchmaking session.

With maids flanking her on either side, Darkness looked the part of
a lady from a noble house.

On the way to the entrance, Aqua used her sharp eyes and searched
for valuable exhibits.

“Oh, that one looks rather…”

Aqua looked at an urn with a handle as if she was looking at

something special.

Be it the value of this urn or the worthlessness of the graffiti from

earlier, this girl had great artistic sense.

I was curious about the urn Aqua was looking at and lifted it up.

It was heavy.

“Is this expensive? How much is this worth?”

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“Hey… Don’t touch the things over here, that’s my father’s expensive
urn…”

Darkness reached out for the handles of the urn I had picked up.

“According to my brilliant appraisal, this urn is…”

Phuck!

“Ah!”

With a clear crack, along with our shout, only the handle remained
in Darkness’ hands.

“… This urn is now a piece of trash.”

“What… What should we do? This is my father’s precious collection,

what should we do?”

Darkness started to panic with the broken handle in her hands.

“Calm… Calm down! Your dad isn’t here right now! There are two
solutions! First is to admit it when the matchmaking people are
here. That way, your father won’t become angry before the guests!
Number two! Use rice or something to make emergency repairs, and
place the urn in a position that will easily fall if your dad picks it
up!”

“I… I got it, we’ll do that! As expected of Kazuma, how quick witted!
Even if I admit it before the guests, he’ll still lecture me after they
leave! We’ll do temporary repairs. Put it in a position that’ll fall
easily and instruct the house help not to touch it, that’s the best
way!”

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When she heard my conversation with Darkness, the Dustiness
maid said:

“… Excuse me, honoured guest… Please don’t teach our young lady
such things…”

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 Chapter 3: Part 5
– The servants formed a row before the entrance with Darkness and
her dad right in the middle.

Aqua and me stayed on either side of Darkness.

I suddenly noticed that I hadn’t seen Darkness’s mom, but now’s not
the time for that.

The other party will be arriving soon.

“But… To think that you would agree to this matchmaking. I’m

really happy… When Alexei said he had something to discuss with
me, I was worried about it. He was confident you would not reject
too. Leaving Alexei aside, his son is a good man. You’ll have a
wonderful life with him, Lalatina.”

Darkness’s dad said to her happily.

But Darkness replied:

“How mean, dear father. Lalatina only said she would seriously
consider the marriage, fufufu… After thinking it through, I think it’s
still too early for me to marry, but it’s too late now. I agreed to the
matchmaking session, but I didn’t say I wanted to marry! I’ll mess
up this meeting! I’ll destroy the matchmaking meeting! Hmm…
Hahaha!”

Darkness felt there wasn’t any need to act anymore and revealed her
true nature!

Her dad turned pale as he realized our true intent…

“Could… Could it be the reason the two of them are here is to…?”

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Her dad looked at us in fear.

Oh no, Darkness was so excited that she forgot about keeping her
family name untarnished.

At this late juncture, she probably didn’t care anymore.

If that was so, I had no need to continue acting.

“… My lady, your choice of words is too crude, please don’t speak in

such a way.”

When they heard me say that, Darkness and her dad looked at us in
surprise.

Aqua seemed to like her maid attire a lot, swaying her skirt around
happily as she ignored the tense atmosphere.

After understanding my true intent, Darkness’s expression turned

sour. Her father blinked away tears of joy, looking at me as if I was
the messiah.

“Kazuma, you… You…! What is this, are you planning to betray me?”

“There’s no betrayal to speak of, my lady. Right now, I’m Dustiness’s

butler, and my greatest wish is for my lady to achieve happiness.”

Her father sighed in relief and replied:

“You… You’re Kazuma, right? Even if this session fails… At least,

don’t let Lalatina do anything disgraceful before the other party! I’ll
reward you well! So… So…!”

Before her father could even finish, I bowed deeply.

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“Please leave it to me, old master. I’ll aid my lady with all I can…”

– At this moment.

The door of the mansion opened with a crack, and the man I saw in
the photo appeared at the door.

He had an entourage with him.

Darkness was bent on making the first move, crossing her arms and
glaring at the other party as she said loudly:

“You’re the brat who’s meeting with me, right? I’m Dustiness ford
Lalatina! You can call me Queen Dustiness…”

“Ara, watch out my lady! There’s a bug on the back of your head!”

I delivered a strong blow to the back of Darkness’s head!

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 Chapter 3: Part 6
After I stopped Darkness from making a scene.

We excused ourselves, saying that we wanted to check if the bug

stung the lady and moved to the room next door. Darkness’s father
accompanied the guest to buy time.

“Hey, what are you thinking? Are you not here to help me?”

Darkness grabbed my back collar and dragged me to the corridor.

Aqua who still didn’t understand what was happening followed

beside Darkness. She seemed to like stroking Darkness’s plaited
hair, toying with it in her hand.

– Right now, Darkness was interrogating me.

“Anyway, calm down my lady. You had forgotten about something

important.

“Don’t call me lady when it’s just the three of us!… What’s that
important thing?”

Darkness regained her composure, her attitude had softened

enough to listen to me.

“You forgot the part about not tarnishing your family’s reputation. If
you make too big a mess, you’ll be the one who’ll be hurt the most.”

Darkness frowned when she heard me say that.

“How would I be hurt? If the negative news spread, I won’t be able

to marry and can continue my adventuring career without worries!
The worst case would be my father disowning me, but I’m already

163
prepared for that… After being disowned, I’ll feel uneasy about my
uncertain future… Despite that, I’ll still do my best to survive and
take on jobs too hard for me. In the end, my body won’t be able to
take it and I’ll get captured by the minions of the Demon King’s
army, and be ravaged…! … I want to live a life like that.”

“So, you finally admit it.”

After expressing her wish that was incredible in some ways, the
young lady continued:

“And that guy’s not my type. The guys my father wants to set me up
with are all bad.”

I was confused when she said that.

But that guy was a handsome guy.

“Is that guy as bad as you say? According to your father’s

description, he sounds like an okay guy. But I only know what he
looks like though.”

Darkness replied to my question:

“That guy’s Alexei Barnes Walther. He’s talented and looks nothing
like the landlord. The citizens give rave reviews about him, he’s a
cheerful man.”

Aqua gave her comments too:

“Speaking of Walther from the Alexei family, everyone in the town

of Axel has nothing but praise for him. He distributes items to help
the poor. I’ve even received it a few times too.”

You… You…

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Hearing Aqua say that, Darkness said unhappily:

“That’s not good! My father doing that is enough! How can a noble
who wants to marry me do such a thing?”

“Is… Is that so? Ah, could it be that he does charity on the surface,
but does evil deeds in the dark? If that’s so, I’ll feel bad even if I
didn’t know about this…”

He was that landlord’s son after all, I was too rash. As I was feeling a
bit remorseful, Darkness said:

“There’s no such thing! First, I heard that guy has excellent

character. He won’t get angry with anyone, and won’t lecture his
staff when they make mistakes. He’s a weird person who would
think together with them as to why such mistakes occur…”

…? That sounds like a great guy.

“And he’s very hardworking, studying every day to help the people
with his knowledge. He’s smart and great in swordsmanship, the
youngest knight ever in history. I’ve never heard anything negative
about him, a truly perfect man. He also advises his father often,
pleading him to change his harsh policies.”

……

“Hey, from what I’m hearing, isn’t he the perfect man? Which part
are you unhappy about, Darkness?”

Aqua asked confusedly.

“Which part am I unhappy about? Everything! First, nobles should

act like nobles and always wear a sinister smile! Why does he have

165
such clear and forthcoming eyes when we met? It should be more
like… Like Kazuma’s lecherous gaze when I walk around with loose
clothes in the mansion. Eyes that want to rape every inch of my
body!”

“N-no, wait, I’m not! I-I-I’m not looking at you with such eyes!”

As I was soothing my guilty conscience, Darkness continued.

“He doesn’t get mad when his staff screws up? Is he an idiot?! If a
maid makes a mistake, then he should do this and that to her using
that excuse, that’s the proper way for a noble! That man doesn’t
know anything! His staff makes mistakes because they want to be
scolded! As a noble, he should have the guts to make all of the maids
pregnant!”

“You’re the only one that thinks that way!”

But Darkness ignored my words and tightly clenched her fist, before
embarking on a passionate tirade.

“Simply put, the type I like is the total opposite of that man who’ll
achieve great things, even if I leave him alone! He must not be too
eye catching, either too fat or too skinny. It would be best if he loves
me but has a weak will, lusting after other girls if they’re a bit kind
to him. Some mandatory criteria will be having a lecherous look and
is horny all year round. If he looks down on the hardships of life and
just wants to live his life easily like trash, that would be great. If he
has debts, that’s even better! He also must drink all day and refuse
to work, always grumbling that ‘This is the fault of society’. He’ll
then hit me with empty beer bottles and tell me: ‘Hey Darkness, use
your slutty body to earn back some cash!’… Hmm…!”

After speaking her mind, our lady Depravetina blushed and

trembled.

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Damn, this woman was beyond redemption.

In this uneasy atmosphere, Aqua and I silently stood in place.

“… Enough! I’ll destroy this meeting myself! Kazuma, be prepared

for the consequences if you get in my way!”

After saying that, Darkness walked out of the room angrily.

Aqua and I remained silent for a while.

Finally, Aqua said to me accusingly:

“… Kazuma, what are you planning?”

I said to Aqua:

“You saw her dad’s face too, right? He’s really worried about his
daughter’s future. You heard how the other party’s reputation was,
right? This isn’t a political marriage, but a father who wishes for the
happiness of his daughter; a carefully planned meeting.”

“What then? Even if it was Darkness’s father, he has no right to

decide her life…”

Aqua said strongly.

But I didn’t let her finish.

“Darkness is a noble. Isn’t it normal for her not to be able to decide

her own marriage? For aristocrats, they live a life of luxury and
receive elite education… Though we can’t really tell from Darkness’s
behavior. Since they depend on the taxes of the commoners for a
living, it’s normal for their life to have less freedom. Living a

167
luxurious life from birth and wanting the freedom to decide their
own life, that’s just being willful… She already had it good living
such a carefree life all this while. And the one she’s marrying is a
perfect man. If you still want to be picky about it, it’ll incur the
wrath of the people.”

After hearing my long speech, Aqua seemed unconvinced.

“… But! That’s still too much!”

“That’s not all.”

Aqua stopped when I said that.

“… Eh?”

I gestured for Aqua to squat down.

I then asked her with a very serious expression:

“Aqua. Our objective’s to defeat the Demon King and return home,
but what are Darkness’s wishes?”

Aqua squatted down like me. She didn’t think I would ask her this so
seriously, confusing her.

“Well, um… To not marry and continue adventuring with us…”

Aqua gave a harmless answer which made me shout.

“Wrong! I don’t want to listen to such pleasantries! You know the

truth! Hurry! Don’t be shy, say it! Say it out loud! I want you to say
it! Let me see what expression you’ll make when saying it!”

168
“To… To be kidnapped by a strong monster she couldn’t win against
and let the enemy do erotic things to her!… Ka… Kazuma, that’s
sexual harassment, right? Hey, is this sexual harassment?”

I continued saying to Aqua who was on the verge of tears:

“This isn’t sexual harassment! Listen well. If you’re a moron, then

that girl’s a super moron beyond redemption! Her dream’s to be
kidnapped by monsters and have perverted things done to her? That
idiot! Go, tell her dad about this! Do it if you can! Tell him his
daughter has a grand dream, so he must forget about marrying her
off and let her realize her ambition. Explain it to her dad right now!”

“I’m sorry! I can’t say it! Sorry!”

Aqua apologized in a panic.

“But… But are you certain the right choice is for her to marry that
person? Darkness should have her own preference for the type of
men.”

“Are you are saying something stupid, like the other party is pitiful
because he isn’t her type? Darkness said what type of men she likes,
you heard it too. If Darkness found her ideal partner and he’s
exactly as she described, what are you going to do about it? Listen,
just force her onto that Walther character… He’s a good guy after all,
so we can trouble him a little. Darkness can be rash at times, so we
should let that guy tie her down and watch over her. From what I
just heard, Walther is a warm and gentle person far different
compared to his father. If that’s so, he might agree to Darkness
going out for adventures occasionally. We can then accompany her
and do quests from time to time. Her dad would be at ease and I can
relax. Darkness won’t partake in quests that are too dangerous.
More importantly, I can get rid of one of the three problem
children.”

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“The three problem children you just mentioned, are you referring
to me?”

I lift my fist and stood up.

“In the end, adventuring’s not a career you can do forever! This is a
job that borders on the edge of the abyss, if I can quit then I should
quit! Or rather, I’m ready to quit anytime! Let’s make it clear, that
girl is an idiot! I’ll support her if she wants to continue being an
adventurer, but I must emphasize that she’s an idiot! Others
shouldn’t interfere in her family matters, but my goal is for
Darkness to marry off successfully! If that doesn’t work, I’ll aim to at
least protect the reputation of the Dustiness clan so she can marry
and retire at any time!”

“Wait Kazuma! Answer my question!”

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 Chapter 3: Part 7
“Pardon me for the long wait.”

“We’re back.”

When Aqua and I returned to the entrance, Darkness and her dad
were still chatting happily with Walther. Darkness was glancing
uneasily at us who was standing beside her.

“I know how Kazuma feels about this. I also wish for Darkness to
marry someone she likes. But after hearing what you said, I think
it would be terrible if that happened.”

“I’m glad you understand. Listen, you just act by your own
judgment. Try to help from the side so Darkness can leave a great
impression on the other party, okay?”

I wasn’t sure if Darkness heard what we said. She lowered her

voice and whispered into my ear:

“… Hey, for your own good, give it up. If not, you’ll experience
something so bad that you will wish you were dead.”

What’s she talking about, that’s too scary.

But threats won’t work on me now.

Because I have the backing of someone more powerful than

Darkness.

That’s right…

171
“Pardon my interruption, old master. Could we start the meeting
between the young lady and master Walther? The young lady has
been looking impatient for a while now.”

Hearing me say that, Darkness ground her teeth in protest to my

proposal.

Her dad didn’t notice Darkness’s reaction, accepting my

suggestion readily.

Darkness’s dad didn’t seem to mind me whacking the back of

Darkness’s head to shut her up.

He seemed to think I did a good job and sighed in relief.

This meant that I had the approval of her dad, and wouldn’t get
lectured if I went a bit too far.

“Well then, Mr. Walther, this way please. Lalatina, come with us
too. Let’s go to the meeting room.”

Darkness squatted down when she heard her father say that.

“My heels seemed to have broken… Mr. Walther, can you lend me
a hand?”

Darkness reached out to Walther as she said that.

She probably wanted to avoid me hitting her head as Darkness

spoke in a normal, lady-like manner.

But this is strange, she must be up to something.

I reached out immediately.

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“Young lady, allow me. No matter how much you admire Master
Walther, you aren’t engaged yet, so you can’t trouble him like this.
My apologies Master Walther, the young lady is happy… Ahhh,
ow, ow, ow… It’s breaking… Breaking… Please don’t joke with
me… Wait, stop. Please stop! I’m telling you to knock it off young
lady!”

I blinked away the tears after I shook off the hand that was
crushed by Darkness with her full strength.

This… This girl. If I hadn’t stopped her, she would’ve done that to
Walther!

“What’s wrong? Are you okay?”

Seeing me squatted down while favoring my right hand painfully,

Walther was worried and asked.

What a great guy. Please, just marry this mad dog and take her
away.

“Fufufu, it’s nothing. Let us be off, Mr. Walther.”

Darkness moved away briskly. I could only see her off while
squatting down, waiting for Aqua to heal me with magic.

When her father saw us, he put his hands together and lowered
his head in apology.

“– Well then, let me once again introduce myself properly. I’m

Alexei Barnes Walther, son of the Alexei family. My job is to assist
my father in managing the territory.”

Darkness and Walther sat facing each other with the white coffee
table of the guest room between them.

173
Walther was a cool and stylish man.

He was one head taller than me.

He probably trained regularly. His solid muscles were visible

through his clothes, and he was adequately lean.

Walther smiled gently as he looked at Darkness.

Aqua and I were beside Darkness, a little bit too close to her.

Walther seemed bothered by us. But since Darkness’s dad didn’t

say anything, he didn’t say anything about it.

“I’m Dustiness ford Lalatina. I don’t think I need to introduce my

family. Even the son of some upstart landlord should know…
Ahhh!”

Darkness who was speaking ill right from the get go trembled with
her face red.

“Are… Are you okay?”

Walther asked with concern, but Darkness continued.

“I… I’m fine… It’s just that seeing Mr. Walther’s face is making me
uncomfort- Nnnhhh–!”

Before finishing, Darkness lowered her head to the table with her
ears red.

“Young lady Darkness’s tummy has been acting up since morning.

Isn’t that right, Darkness?! Don’t push yourself if your stomach
hurts.”

174
“Huh? No, I’m not…!”

175
176
Darkness denied as Aqua tried to make an excuse for her.

Leaving Aqua who was making matters worse aside, I said:

“The young lady was eager to meet Mr. Walther since early morning,
she was a little too excited. As you can see, the young lady is so shy
that her face is all red.”

“Er… Well, her face is really red… It’s a little embarrassing…”

I stepped harder with my foot and whispered in a volume only

Darkness could hear.

– I twisted my foot that was stepping on Darkness under the table.

“… Hey young lady, I’ll step harder if you say any more nonsense.”

I wasn’t sure she heard what I said, but Darkness’s face became red
and she started panting as she said softly:

“… What, what a wonderful reward…”

Our young lady was acting as usual.

When he saw the way his daughter was acting, Darkness’s dad
seemed to understand what the situation was like under the table.

Since he could grasp the situation, it meant that he knew about his
daughter’s fetish.

I wanted to scream at him for letting her daughter go astray, but

there was no time for that now.

To cover for me and Darkness, her dad brought up a topic to chat

with Walther.

177
“Mr. Walther, I heard your mansion was destroyed not long ago.
Where are you living right now? How about bunking in my place? Of
course, you’ll have to sleep in a different room from my daughter.”

Darkness’s father said half-jokingly, and Walther answered with a

smile.

“Hahaha! No, if I’m to live under the same roof with the beautiful
Lady Lalatina, it would take tremendous self-restraint to stop
myself…”

And so, as Darkness was trembling with a blushing face, the two of
them conversed idly…

178
 Chapter 3: Part 8
– After saying ‘An old man staying around would only be a
hindrance’, Darkness’s dad took his leave.

As he was leaving, he whispered in my ear, ‘I’m counting on you.’.

Right now, Darkness and Walther were strolling in the family

courtyard with Aqua and I in tow… And it was grand, as expected
of a famous aristocratic clan.

The vast courtyard had a pond, and colorful flowers were

blooming despite it being winter. These were probably high-
quality breeds.

Aqua whistled and clapped when she saw the fish in the pond.

I was curious about what she was doing and looked, and saw the
school of fish gather towards Aqua…

… That’s amazing, I’ll get her to teach me later.

“Lady Lalatina, what are your hobbies?”

As I was focused on the pond, Walther asked something that was

obligatory and harmless during matchmaking.

“I hunt Goblins when I’m free…. Ugh!”

When Darkness said something thoughtless, I elbowed her waist

from the side.

Walther smiled wryly, tilting his head as he asked me who was

unnaturally close to Darkness.

179
“… The two of you seem to be really close.”

My face turned pale and I thought that this was it.

Oh no, I overdid it. I became a factor that dragged Darkness’s

image down.

It must feel awkward to see the butler and the lady so close
together during a matchmaking session.

As I was thinking about how to tide this over, Darkness who

noticed this smiled at me deviously.

What was this girl scheming…?

“I’m very close to this butler, Kazuma. We spend every day

together. Be it meals or bathing, even sleeping at night is… Is…
Ugh…”

Darkness who said something foolish on impulse couldn’t

continue and blushed.

Really, what was it with your standard for embarrassment?

“The young lady loves to joke. That’s the way she is, a cute girl
who gets embarrassed by the things she herself is saying. Right,
young lady Lalatina? What’s the matter, young lady Lalatina?
Your face is getting red, young lady Lalatina.”

“Ugh… You, I’ll get you for this…”

Hearing me repeat the cute name Lalatina, Darkness ground her

teeth as tears welled in her eyes.

Good, she won’t act up for a while.

180
Seeing our interaction, Walther had a slightly lonely smile.

“… You’re close to each other… It’s making me envious.”

“Please don’t joke with us, Mr. Walther. This is just a mistress and
her butler playing around a little…”

Darkness suddenly stepped away from me when she heard me say

that.

Oh?

“I don’t want to beat around the bush anymore! I can’t take this!”

I don’t know what she was thinking when she tore the skirt of her
dress.

Her white thigh was visible from the torn portion, showing
Darkness’s alluring body in plain sight.

Lewdness tore her skirt to an easy to move length. She then tore a
line up the side of her skirt.

Walther couldn’t help averting his eyes as Darkness shouted at

him.

“Hey, you’re called Walther, right? Since you’re a knight, you

should know how to use a sword! My job’s a Crusader, let’s go to
the dojo. I’ll appraise your capability there. Come, follow me!”

Darkness acted impulsively suddenly and I couldn’t stop her.

181
“… Walther, take a good look at that man. As a noble, you should
learn that from the lecherous eyes of Kazuma and use it every
day!”

I-I-I, I didn’t look!

I only glanced over a little because of curiosity!

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 Chapter 3: Part 9
“We fight until one party surrenders. Just try to make me say ‘I
can’t fight anymore’, or ‘Please stop hitting me’! If you can do that,
I can marry you or follow you anywhere!”

Darkness brought us to the dojo.

In the center of the dojo, Darkness tossed a wooden sword to

Walther.

Walther caught the wooden sword and swung it with a troubled

face, saying:

“Um, Lady Lalatina, I’m a knight. Even if this is just training, I

can’t point a sword at a lady…”

Hearing Walther say that, Darkness frowned and said unhappily:

“What a gutless fellow. Kazuma who’s standing right there claims

to be a gender equality advocate. He even announced that he
would not hesitate to drop kick a woman. You should learn from
him.”

Walther looked at me when Darkness said that. His gaze felt

painful.

Then, Walther seemed to have made up his mind, and said with a
sigh:

“… I understand. To be honest, my father forced me to come, and

I’m here to reject the marriage… But after seeing you, I changed
my mind. You’re different from the other daughters of nobility, as
expected of the only daughter of the national chief adviser. You
seem to have a bold personality, but get embarrassed by your own

183
words. That’s cute. Your way of speaking is straightforward and
isn’t haughty towards the butler serving you, treating him as an
equal. I’m very interested in you… Prepare yourself, Lady
Lalatina!”

After the sudden confession, he slashed at Darkness!

The quick slash disarmed Darkness’s wooden sword and hit her
shoulder.

Seeing that the attack was a success, Walther sighed in relief

thinking that victory was a sure thing.

But Darkness picked up her wooden sword and said nonchalantly:

“Very good, next. Come at me!”

– After more than thirty minutes.

“Enough! The match is obviously over! Why aren’t you giving up?”

Despite Walther having the advantage, it sounded as if he was

forced into a corner.

In terms of capability, Walther was dominating.

Since the start, Darkness’s wooden sword couldn’t touch Walther.

Darkness was hit multiple times and was bruised all over.

But other than being out of breath, Darkness was fine and her
eyes were full of life.

Her fiery red cheeks were covered in sweat, and Darkness yelled.

184
“What’s the matter? Don’t be shy, attack with everything you’ve
got! Show me your determination to persevere to the end!”

Seeing Darkness act this way, Walther tossed his wooden sword
away.

He then raised both his arms in surrender.

“… I give up, Lady Lalatina. It’s my loss. Even if my skills are

better than you, I’m not as strong as you mentally… I can’t attack
you anymore. You’re a strong person.”

Walther looked at Darkness with a dazed look and smiled.

Darkness seemed unsatisfied and shrugged.

“… That’s it? Boring. Come back after you train more.”

Hearing Darkness say that, Walther laughed out loud.

He was laughing happily with no regrets.

Walther then said in a volume Darkness couldn’t hear…

“… I’ve really fallen for you…”

He mumbled.

– On the surface, it was a beautiful story of Darkness winning

over Walther with her determination.

But I knew how Darkness really was, so I couldn’t feel good about
this…

185
In Walther’s point of view, Darkness with her panting and red
cheeks looked like a Crusader enduring incredible pain.

Darkness was still out of breath as Aqua came to her side to heal
her wounds.

I sighed deeply, but Darkness picked up the wooden sword

Walther tossed aside…

“Come, Kazuma. Show Walther your merciless and despicable

side. Let him learn.”

After saying some dumb stuff, she gave the wooden sword to me
who was sitting at a corner of the dojo.

… What’s this girl saying?

No, she just had a fight with Walther. She was probably still
feeling the adrenaline rush.

What a joke, I don’t want to deal with her.

“… I too wish to see how does one trusted so much by Lady

Lalatina fights.”

Walther added unnecessarily.

Aqua who had healed Darkness grunted ‘Oh?’, and was very
interested in the turn of events.

… What’s with this?

“Sigh… never mind, I get it. The matchmaking’s a failure anyway,

and you probably won’t spread disparaging rumors about the
young lady.”

186
I stopped my act before Walther, spoke like I usually did and
stood up.

“Great, that’s the spirit Kazuma! I had always wanted to spar with
you! A despicable man who dares to steal the underwear of a girl
you just met! Unscrupulous, using all sort of dirty tricks! Come at
me, and don’t hold anything back!”

After hearing what Darkness said, the gaze from Walther felt even
more painful.

I had no intention of fighting this excited moron in such cold

weather.

– I reached my empty hand out…

“Create water!”

And poured water on top of Darkness’s head.

“Eh?”

Walther sounded surprised, and I asked in confusion:

“?… What’s wrong?”

Walther answered in a panic:

“… It’s… It’s nothing, just that a match with wooden swords

usually would not allow magic…”

Huh? I see.

Anyway…

187
When Aqua saw Darkness’s appearance, she said:

“… How strong–as expected of Kazuma-san, who’s the best in

sexual harassment. He’s good–”

Prompted by her, I looked towards Darkness. Her underwear was

visible through her soaked clothes, couple that with her torn
dress. This is really… candy for the eye.

As for Walther, he couldn’t look at Darkness anymore. He lowered

his head, not daring to lift it up.

“Fu… Fufufu… Observe, Walther! In a spar with wooden swords,

he’ll suddenly humiliate me with such tricks. Witness how this
man really is!”

The soaked Darkness said something that might cause

misunderstanding.

“I… I didn’t mean to do that…! Ah–I don’t care anymore!”

She wanted me to not hold back? Then I’ll do everything I can.

I already used magic, so doing it again should be fine!

“Freeze!”

“Ughh…!”

I cast freezing magic, making the soaked Darkness turn pale and
hug her shoulder.

“De-Demon…! Deep in the winter, you not only soak her with
water but you freeze her with magic too…?!”

188
“That’s normal–The people in town call him Scumzuma or
Trashzuma for a reason.”

Shut up, audience!

“Fu… Fuhahaha! This merciless style! This… This is…!”

Before she finished, Darkness slashed at me!

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 Chapter 3: Part 10
This was bad. It would be worse if this dragged on.

Facing me who was looking anxious, Darkness seemed to be

mocking me as she raised her sword up high.

Her attacks were powerful, but she was either facing the wrong
way or misjudged the distance. She could only attack in a straight
line, so it was easy to dodge.

“What’s the matter Kazuma? Your breathing is getting ragged!”

Darkness was shivering from the cold, but now her skin was
turning red as she sweated and laughed happily.

I already struck Darkness several times, but she didn’t even make
a sound.

“Darkness, that’s it! The skinny Kazuma doesn’t have any

stamina. He isn’t suited for a dragged-out battle!”

Damn it, that audience is noisy!

“Fufufu… Your movements are getting dull! Well then, it’s about
time to decide this.”

After hearing what Aqua said, Darkness smiled arrogantly. She

threw her useless sword away and pounced on me.

This is bad, I’ll lose in a match of pure strength!

“All right Darkness! Grab him, strangle him! The weak Kazuma
will never beat you in a wrestling match!”

190
Shit, why was she cheering Darkness on? I’ll strangle that girl
after this is over!

As I was building a grudge against Aqua, Darkness spread out her

arms and ran towards me to bear hug me.

I threw my sword away too, I held my hands up and took a stance

to take Darkness head on.

“You think you can win me in strength? You’re underestimating

me!”

Darkness shouted as she happily grabbed my hands.

“I don’t know what you’re planning, but the difference in strength

between a Crusader like me and an adventurer like you is…
Ahhh!”

Darkness who was grabbing my hand calmly suddenly screamed.

She wanted to pull her hands back, but I held on tightly and said:

“What’s the matter? Aren’t you confident? Hey Darkness, say

something! Wahaha… There’s no way I’ll fight you head on; you
don’t understand that after partying with me for… Ahhh!”

I thought my victory was ascertained, when I screamed due to my

hand being squeezed.

Darkness who was squeezing my hands laughed in a shrill voice.

“Fu… Fufufu… This… This is Drain Touch, right…? But before you
drain me of my strength, I’ll break your hands first!”

“Kukuku… You can try if you can… Ahhh! It hurts!!!”

191
I absorbed the stamina of Darkness with Drain Touch while she
planned to overpower me with brute force.

Neither of us were giving in.

Darkness overwhelmed me with her strength bit by bit, but she

had a pained expression at the same time.

Damn it, I was siphoning her stamina with Drain Touch but her
vitality seemed endless…!

“Ugh, hey Darkness! Let’s make a bet! You wanted to fight me

because I did a lot of things that pissed you off, right? So, let’s
make a deal. The winner can ask the loser to do anything…”

I gritted my teeth to endure the pain while Darkness leaned her

entire weight over as she said:

“You… You want to make a bet…? Fu, fufufu, stalling for time…?
You’re on! If I win, you’ll have to prostrate…!”

– A chance!

“Deal…! No… No take backs…!”

“Yeah, of course…! You’re done! Surrender! Or your hand will

really…!”

I was being suppressed bit by bit, but I still said with a confident
expression:

“I’m serious! Don’t regret this! Promise! After I win, I won’t back
down even if you come crying to me!”

192
Despite being in a disadvantage, I smiled arrogantly at Darkness.

She must’ve been confused because she lessened her strength.

“…? What… What are you planning to do if I lose?”

“I’ll make you go red from ear to ear, something that’ll make you
cry and beg…! Hehe, it’s a bet! Let’s decide the match! I can
already see you begging for forgiveness after my victory…! You
just wait for your fate of screaming for my mercy!”

Darkness shivered when she heard that.

Her power turned weak.

“Ugh…! What… What are you scheming…? Tell me! Hurry!”

“Fuhehe, it’s something you can’t even imagine, something even

more overboard…!”

“Wha…! Stop…! Ugh…! Even… Even if I resist, my strength’s

being sapped…! Why’s this happening, if this goes on…!”

Drain Touch should only be absorbing vitality, but Darkness’s

power grew weaker and she dropped onto one knee.

“Hah… Hah…! You, what do you want to do to me…! Hah, hah…!

Ahhh… I’ll lose if this goes on…!”

The breathing of the blushing Darkness became heavy as sweat

dripped from the back of her neck down her collarbone.

“I’ll keep sucking your stamina until you faint! Look forward to
your miserable sight when you wake up!”

193
“Ahhh! You…! Ugh… I might lose this fight, but no matter what
humiliation I suffer, my heart will not give in…! And… What’s that
terrible thing you’re planning…?”

194
195
196
Darkness was still grabbing my hand as she knelt onto the ground
of the dojo. Her face red with expectation and her strength
draining away.

Walther shouted in surprise.

“Bringing up a bet on the verge of victory, how merciless…! The

name Trashzuma is really adequate…!”

“That’s… That’s rude!”

Seeing Darkness collapse, Aqua rushed in to take care of her.

– At this moment.

“I heard you were in the Dojo, so I brought some beverages…”

Darkness’s dad appeared at just the right time.

And the basket full of beverages fell hard onto the ground.

As I was thinking what was happening, the house help behind him
was also dumbstruck.

I followed their gaze and…

They were looking at Darkness, who was bruised all over with her
dress torn. She was wet, making lots of places visible. Darkness,
who was in a pitiful state, was being treated by Aqua.

… Walther and I looked at each other.

And Aqua pointed at the both of us and said:

“… They did this.”

197
“All right, drag them out and execute them.”

“No, this is a misunderstanding!”

Walther and I shouted at the same time.

198
 Chapter 3: Part 11
After Walther and I desperately explained, we managed to make
things clear and got over this mess.

But as a result, Aqua and my real identity were discovered by

Walther.

Still, Walther seemed to have noticed that I wasn’t a butler from the
very beginning.

Darkness, who was the culprit for our crisis, was still sleeping
because of my skill.

After being brought to the meeting room, we stayed beside the

slumbering Darkness. The maid helped her change into the usual
casual clothes she wore for adventuring, which was a tight black
skirt and shirt.

Finally, Darkness’s dad spoke with his eyes on his daughter.

“My girl isn’t good with people… Even with ones who are close with
her. Kazuma, you’re in the same party with my daughter, right? She
refrains from talking about herself, right?”

Hearing him say that, I tilted my head and thought.

– It’s hard to say.

I don’t really remember, but now that he mentioned it… I didn’t

really know much about Darkness.

Or rather, she didn’t really like to talk… And she didn’t say anything
good when she did.

199
“Even as a Crusader, my girl was always alone… She went to the
church of Eris every day, praying to Goddess Eris, wishing for
comrades she could adventure with. One day, my girl came back
from the church and told me she met her first comrade and made a
friend. She was so happy as she told me about her female thief
friend…”

… Oh, as expected of a real goddess. Goddess Eris really does good

work.

“As for our family, my wife passed away when Darkness was young…
I didn’t remarry after that, raising her as a single father. I was
always doting on her and always bore her freedom in mind… I
probably spoiled her that way…”

Darkness’s dad said in remorse.

He was probably referring to Darkness’s fetish.

Because she had too much freedom growing up, that’s why she
craved to be tied down?

No, I think that’s just in her nature, Darkness’s dad.

“I think Lalatina’s a charming girl and at the same time is as capable

as any man. If not for Kazuma, I would definitely want to take her as
my wife.”

Walther said something incredible out of the blue.

What’s this guy saying suddenly?

Darkness is just my comrade.

She seemed alluring to me at times, but that’s a separate issue.

200
I wouldn’t stand by if someone like the landlord were to ravage her,
but if a good man was willing to cherish her, I would gift them with
my blessing. That’s how our relationship was.

“… I’m sorry, I don’t really get what you’re saying.”

Hearing me say that, Walther adopted a ‘I know everything, you

don’t need to hide it’ attitude and said:

“It’s fine, you can make Lady Lalatina happier than I can. I can see
how deep your trust for each other is. Your feelings for each other
must be the real thing, right?”

“All right, get your ass over here. I don’t care if you’re the landlord’s
son, I need to give you a good beating.”

“Stop, Kazuma-san! Or do it somewhere I can’t see! Or I’ll get

arrested too!”

Aqua restrained me from behind while I struggled against her,

trying to use Drain Touch on Walther.

“Kekeke, hahaha!”

Darkness’s dad suddenly laughed out loud.

What now? So many things happened today, I’m reaching my limit.

Please don’t give me any more trouble, okay?

“Yes… I understand! Mr. Walther, if no one wants to marry my girl,

will you please take good care of her then?”

201
Facing the sudden question from Darkness’s dad, Walther said with
a troubled face:

“Well… I’m fine with this, but…”

Walther seemed to have something to say to me, but Darkness’s dad

cut him off and continued:

“Also, Kazuma.”

“Eh? Me? Yes, anything I can do for you?”

The sudden change in topic confused me.

“Please take good care of my girl. Please watch over her, and don’t
let her do anything foolish. I’m counting on you.”

What was this old man talking about?

He meant as an adventurer, right?

It would be fine then, that was what I had been doing anyway.

“… Hmm? Ugh…? Meeting room?… Ahhh… Right…”

Darkness regained consciousness.

She seemed to recall what happened before she blacked out and
said:

“… Ugh, is it over already? After losing consciousness, what filthy

things have been done to me…?”

202
“Nothing, I didn’t do anything! Don’t say things that’ll cause
misunderstandings, all right? It was already tense enough when you
were sleeping!”

Hearing me say that, Darkness looked around her and smiled

deviously at me.

… What was she thinking?

I remembered what Darkness said before the matchmaking began.

You’ll experience something so bad that you will wish you were
dead.

Relax, it’s fine.

No matter what Darkness says, there should be no problems.

Calm down, I’m super cool today.

I can get through anything if I keep a cool head…

“Dear father, Mr. Walther. Please pretend this meeting never

happened. I’ve been keeping this from you… I’m already pregnant
with Kazuma’s child…”

“What are you saying about a virgin like me? Ahhh!! I didn’t do
anything, and you have my child? Do you think you’re Mary? You’re
a virgin too! Watch out or I’ll punch you in the belly!”

Seeing the interaction between Darkness who couldn’t say anything

good and me, Walther was amused.

“I see, since you’re bearing Kazuma’s child, I have no choice but to

give up.”

203
After finishing, Walther stood up.

… Damn that bitch Darkness.

You didn’t know because you were sleeping, but you didn’t need to
say such nonsense anymore.

“I’ll tell my father that I rejected this marriage proposal. That should
be for the best.”

After finishing, Walther bid farewell with a smile and left.

… What a great guy.

Please take Darkness back with you…

Seeing Darkness who was smiling mischievously thinking she had

succeeded, I sighed heavily.

I guess I’ll have to adventure with this girl a while more…

Darkness and I noticed at this moment that two persons were acting
strange.

“Grandson… First grandson… My… My cute grandson…!”

“Ahwahwah… So Kazuma and Darkness reached that stage before I

realized it…! I-I need to tell everyone…! I need to tell everyone in
town…!”

We had to spend thirty minutes clearing the misunderstanding with

Darkness’s dad who was crying, and the confused Aqua.

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 Chapter 3: Part 12
“Really, I would’ve rejected this matchmaking session if I knew that
would happen.”

“That’s what I wanted to say. I’m grateful to you for protecting me

from that landlord’s defamation, but please stop sacrificing yourself
from now on. We were so worried while you were away.”

“What are you saying, Kazuma? You were planning to push

Darkness to that Walther guy, and now you’re pretending nothing
happened and painting a picture of a happy ending? Your character
is too rotten!”

“That’s right, you dare say you were worried about me? You were
planning to leave me behind in the confusion…! Aqua too, you
seemed eager in marrying me off, right?”

Hearing Darkness say that, Aqua and I covered our ears.

Darkness sighed heavily and seemed to remember something and

said:

“Right, Kazuma! That was your win just now! So, what do you plan
to do to me? You were saying something more terrible than I can
imagine…!

Darkness then looked at me with a blushing face full of anticipation.

Well, I did say that.

What should I do to her then?

No… Isn’t this a good chance?

205
I could…

“A-Aqua-san, why are you standing so close to me?”

“… I’m just thinking, what kind of request will Kazuma make? Are
you going to ask Darkness to do something terrible? Hey, I know
you were frustrated because Darkness made us so worried, but don’t
go overboard, all right?”

With the pincer attack of Darkness’s anticipation and Aqua’s

accusatory gaze…

“A-about that, let’s discuss this after we return to the mansion…”

I stalled for time and opened the door to the mansion.

“Boo…! Sniff…! That’s too mean–! Megumin’s a meanie–!”

“It’s about time you stop crying! Kazuma and the others should be
back soon, they’ll think I’m at fault if they see this… Ah!”

– What we saw was Yunyun sniveling near the door of the mansion.

As I locked eyes with Megumin who was consoling her, I closed the
door softly.

Someone pulled the door open forcefully.

“Don’t pretend you didn’t see anything, I can explain this!”

“No, it’s fine. I already know you like to bully others.”

I said calmly to the panicking Megumin who was rushing out of the
door.

206
“That’s wrong! To be honest, when Yunyun and I were classmates…!
No, that’s not important right now! It’s not the time to be so worked
up over Yunyun…!”

Megumin said as she waved her staff around in a panic.

“Not important! You, you say I’m not important…! No need to get
worked up over me…! Wah, wahhh–!”

“Ahhh! Enough, you’re troublesome…! Excuse us for a moment, the

two of us need to talk!”

Megumin said as she closed the door, and she talked with Yunyun in
the mansion about something.

Not long later, the door opened again and Yunyun left while
sniveling.

“I-I’m sorry for disturbing everyone…”

Yunyun bowed deeply and walked away.

… What was with that?

We looked at each other, and could only watch as the sorrowful

Yunyun left.

Entering the mansion again, we saw Megumin sitting tiredly on the

carpet.

When Megumin saw us, she stood up immediately.

“Kazuma, bad news! This is bad news!”

“I know. From what I just saw, there’s plenty of bad news.”

207
“That’s not it! Never mind Yunyun for now! That was just a squabble
between us, don’t mind it! I’ll explain it to you when we’re free!”

No, I’m really concerned about what happened just now.

But Megumin was still acting as if now was not the time to be doing
this.

“It really isn’t the time to be talking about this! The situation is bad,
it’s that prosecutor! That one called Sena is on her way here! She
declared that she’ll definitely arrest Kazuma this time!”

She told me with a pale, panicking face.

208
 Turning the Masked Knight Into a Slave!
Chapter 4: Part 1
TL: Skythewood
Editor: Adam, Cannongerbil, Veritaum, Boring bone, Xenthur

“Satou Kazuma! Is Satou Kazuma here–?!”

Just like Megumin said, Sena charged in angrily.

“Again? What is it this time? Is it frogs? Or did something else

happen?!”

I was a bit surprised by Sena’s aura, but I still managed to ask her.

“It’s the dungeon! What did you do to the dungeon? The Keele
dungeon near the town! I heard that many mysterious monsters
have flooded out from there!”

Sena who was so angry that her ears were red said.

Mysterious monsters? That should be the one I heard about in town

recently.

“No… Wait, that has nothing to do with us! We did enter the
dungeon before, but pushing all the blame on me when things go
wrong is too much!”

Hearing me say that, the others nodded too.

… Good. From their reaction, they didn’t cause any trouble that I
didn’t know about.

But Sena was still looking at me with suspicious eyes.

209
“That might be so, but I heard that you were the last batch of people
to enter that dungeon. Going by your history, the chances that you
people aren’t involved is really…”

“What twisted reasoning is this? And we really have no clue this

time. Right? There’s no problem this time, right?”

Hearing me say that, the three girls shook their heads strongly.

When Sena saw this, she was still doubtful but believed us for now.

“But this is troubling… I have no idea who else but you guys would
cause such trouble. I have to hire people to investigate then…”

Sena glanced at us as she spoke.

She was trying to pull the ‘Is there anyone who happens to be free’
gaze on us.

“Oh, Ms. Prosecutor, could you be asking your original suspect to

help in your investigation? We have plenty on our plate trying to
prove our innocence in the first place.”

Megumin noticed what Sena’s intention was and struck first.

Sena bit her lips, but she ignored Megumin and looked straight at
me.

“… I don’t have the time for this, sorry but I have to reject you.”

Hearing my strong rejection, Sena breathed in deeply and slumped

her shoulders.

210
“You’re right, I can’t force this on you since you’re not related to
this. But if you change your mind, please lend me a hand. I’ll be
making a trip to the adventurer’s guild.”

After Sena finished, she turned and left the mansion.

When Sena was gone, I sighed heavily.

I’m bad with such people.

Maybe it’s because she was honest and one of the few people with a
clear conscience in town.

“Well, I’m curious about the mysterious monsters flooding out from
the dungeon… But we have things we need to do. First is clearing
Kazuma’s suspicion, next is compensating the landlord for his
mansion. In the end, there are no solutions for these two problems
yet.”

That’s how it was.

“… Hey, Darkness, can we discuss…”

“Forget about borrowing money, I’ve already helped you plenty. Or

rather, I want to see the Kazuma who’s at his wit’s end.”

Darkness said to me with a smile.

Ugh… This girl still had a grudge for the incident earlier.

… But, mysterious monsters, huh.

“To be safe, I’ll ask you all again. You really have no idea what this
incident is all about, right?”

211
When they heard what I said, all of them had a question expression.

“For me, if this has nothing to do with explosion magic, I’m not
interested.”

“Same for me. I should say that unlike these two, I don’t cause
trouble.”

“Ah…! It’s true that Darkness doesn’t cause any major trouble, but
on the other hand you lack any stellar performance like in that battle
with Destroyer!”

“Wha…! Me-Megumin, you…”

Leaving the squabbling two aside, I asked the most suspicious

person.

“What about you? Any ideas?”

Aqua responded to my uneasy words.

“Of course not. Really, you suspect me too much.”

Seeing her frown while saying that, I sighed in relief.

“That’s right. Even you won’t stir up trouble all day! Sorry, my bad.
It’s all because of that trial, which made me so suspicious…”

I apologized to Aqua and reflected on my action of blaming

everything on her…

“Really, you should trust me a little. You should say that thanks to
me, monsters won’t be approaching that dungeon. Wasn’t there a
room where the lich was staying? I put some major effort into

212
drawing that magic circle that purified the lich. And that magic
circle’s still there right now, keeping evil beings out of that room!”

… I grabbed Aqua’s shoulders.

“Hey, what did you say just now?”

“…? Why… Why are you grabbing me? Like I said, that was a magic
circle I put my all into. It should still be working now keeping the
monsters at bay…”

I didn’t let Aqua finish…

“You idiot–!”

I grabbed my head and screamed.

213
 Chapter 4: Part 2
– Walking on the snow-covered road, we headed for that
dungeon.

“… Sniff… This isn’t my fault… It’s definitely not…!”

Together with Aqua who was still crying.

I walked in the front with Aqua behind me, followed by Megumin

and Darkness.

I turned back and said to Aqua:

“Why do you do this every time; stirring trouble after

accomplishing some good? Why? Is it an illness that compels you
to cancel out your performance with mistakes?”

For now, the bad part had been overwhelming the good part
though.

“Wait! This isn’t my fault this time! Please believe me, all right? I
only set up a purification magic circle in the boss’s lair, it won’t
cause the mass spawning of monsters! This is different from the
wandering spirits incident earlier!”

Aqua grabbed my shoulders and shook it as she spoke.

“Hey, stop that, it’s hard to walk like this! And whether you’re the
cause of this isn’t important! Sena finding your magic circle
during her investigation is the real problem!”

The magic circle in the depths of the dungeon.

214
We must destroy the evidence, or they’ll think we had something
to do with this.

I brought an item that could dispel a magic circle with me, but if
possible, I would like to settle this without going inside.

Aside from the wailing Aqua, we didn’t meet any problems along
the way and reached the entrance to the dungeon.

“… I see, it really is a mysterious monster.”

When we reached the dungeon, we observed the monsters that

kept on spilling out from the entrance.

Simply put, they were masked dolls.

They were about the height of my knee and bipedal.

“What is that? I’ve never seen or heard of something like this

before.”

Megumin tilted her head and watched the dolls with interest.

“At a glance, they don’t seem that strong in a fight.”

Darkness said, her heavy armour clanking.

“How should I put this? I feel a strong aversion to this doll on the
bi Why is that? Just seeing that thing makes me angry.”

Aqua picked up a rock as she said that.

– At this moment.

215
“Satou-san…! What are you doing here? Did you change your
mind and came here to investigate?”

Hearing someone calling me from behind, I turned and saw Sena

with a large group of adventurers in tow.

Sena was dressed lightly, wearing no armor and holding a

talisman with a strange drawing on it.

So, she was already here.

… No choice, I had to accommodate her.

“Now that I think about it, the appearance of the mysterious

monsters will affect us too. And protecting the town from these
monsters is the obligation of an adventurer.”

“I’ve never wished that I had a lie detection device with me so

strongly before…. But I’m deeply grateful for your assistance.”

Sena said and bowed deeply.

Oh no, my conscience was feeling bad about this.

This person didn’t have any agenda against me, she was just
inflexible and persistent in investigating me as a suspect.

“If that’s the case, please take this, Satou-san. It’s unknown why
the monsters are spawning, but they were probably summoned by
someone. If that assumption is true, then please take down the
summoner and paste this on the magic circle.”

Sena gave me a talisman as she spoke.

“… What is this?”

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“A talisman imbued with powerful sealing magic. By pasting this
on, it’ll disable the magic circle, no matter how powerful it may
be. There are certain circles that will continue to summon
monsters even after its caster has fallen, so please take this with
you.”

I see, such a convenient item–but we didn’t need it.

“No, I don’t need that. Don’t worry, I have a good idea. With so
many monsters in the dungeons, there’s no need to trouble
ourselves by going in… Megumin! Are you ready?”

“I’m already ready, leave it to me.”

Answering my call, Megumin lifted her staff and walked up.

When Sena saw this, she said in a panic:

“What… What is this? What are you thinking? Could it be…!”

“Oh, you figured it out? That’s right, by casting Explosion at the

entrance of the dungeon and sealing it…”

“No, don’t! Please find out the reason! No matter how you look at
it, these monsters didn’t spawn naturally. The one lurking in the
dungeon must be dangerous if it can summon so many monsters.
Even after sealing the dungeon, the other party will escape if it
can teleport. So, the goal is for you to find the enemy that’s
causing this major crisis and defeat it.”

Damn, such troublesome things again.

This is bad, I didn’t want to enter that dungeon at all.

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And Megumin couldn’t use her explosion magic in the dungeon…

At this moment, without caring about my problems, Aqua got in

position to throw rocks at the masked monsters.

She said that she was unable to accept that creature on a base
level. So, she really hated it that much.

The monster that bore no hostility towards us suddenly charged at

Aqua who was planning to throw rocks at it.

“Eh, wait! What…? What is this?… Oh?”

And then, the monster didn’t attack Aqua but hugged her knees
tightly instead.

“What, does it want to cuddle? The mask makes me mad, but I

think it looks cute when it cuddles like this… Hey, hey, Kazuma, I
think this doll’s getting warmer. I have an ominous feeling!”

Aqua ran towards me as she yelled. I had the same ominous

feeling and hurried to get away from Aqua.

And so–

With the sound of an explosion, the doll that was hugging Aqua
tightly had disappeared without a trace.

What was left was Aqua, who was lying face down on the ground
with her clothes all torn up from the explosion.

“… As you can see, this mysterious monster sticks to people who

are moving and explodes. The adventurer’s guild wasn’t sure what
to do about this too.”

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“I see, this is troubling indeed.”

“Why are you all so calm?! Can’t you worry about me a little?! At
least check to see how I’m doing!”

As I was chatting calmly with Sena, Aqua leaped up and protested

with a face on the verge of tears.

But she seemed to be fine.

“But this is troubling… This monster can only attack by exploding,

and will detonate if we hurt it a little. Even if we don’t harm it, it’ll
stick to us when we don’t pay attention and will explode anyway.
From the current situation, we can only stay far away and defeat
them one at a time.”

Sena said as she looked at Megumin consoling Aqua, who was

hugging her knees.

Aqua might act like this, but her hagoromo was the strongest
godly equipment.

If not for that, she would’ve suffered a considerable injury from

that powerful explosion.

What a troublesome monster.

Do we have to throw rocks at it as we advance?

But there were already many monsters spilling onto the surface,
who knew how many more were congregating in the dungeon.

Exterminating these monsters one at a time would be a little…

219
Furthermore, I couldn’t comprehend what the goal of these
mysterious monsters were.

In the end, who unleashed these monsters? And for what

purpose?

– As I was pondered over such things, Darkness suddenly

approached a doll and punched it without a word.

“Hmm? What are you doing suddenly?!”

As the surrounding adventurers and I were panicking because of

her action, the doll which took the punch stuck onto Darkness.
Shortly after, the doll exploded splendidly just like the one that
stuck onto Aqua.

After that explosion–

“… Hmm, I can take it. No problem.”

Darkness who was saying that was still full of life.

As Sena and the other adventurers were still shocked by the

tenacity of Darkness…

“I’ll clear a path, just follow behind me Kazuma.”

Darkness said something manly.

The dungeon exploration this time wasn’t a sneaking mission like

the previous one.

The plan this time was to attack openly from the front with the
other adventurers.

220
At this moment, Megumin tugged at the corner of my shirt and
said:

“Kazuma, Kazuma, I’ll only get in the way inside, can I standby
out here? I’ll be ready to use magic at the entrance of the
dungeon. Just run out if you run into a powerful monster.”

True, the one summoning these monsters should be inside the

dungeon.

And it should be very strong.

It’s better to let Megumin standby here so she can be the ace if a
powerful monster chased after us out of the dungeon.

“If that’s the case, I’ll wait for you guys together with Megumin.
I’ll cast buffing spells on you before you go in, so both of you be
careful.”

Aqua said as she dusted off her clothes…

“Hey, wait a minute! You’re coming too! You’re different from

Megumin and can be of use in the dungeon!”

“I don’t wanna–! I don’t want to go into the dungeon anymore! I’ll

be left behind if I go into the dungeon! That’s right, and many
undead will chase after me–!”

Aqua covered her ears and squatted down, voicing her refusal
while shaking her head.

Seemed like she had a trauma when I threatened to leave her

behind the last time we visited the dungeon.

I pondered over it and decided to leave Aqua outside too.

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With this girl around, the chances of meeting the undead would
skyrocket.

And other adventurers would be entering the dungeon too. If we

meet any undead without physical form, someone should be able
to attack it.

“The only ones entering the dungeon from my party will be just
Darkness and me.”

“Yeah… To be alone in the dark dungeon with Kazuma. I think

Kazuma’s more dangerous than the monsters.”

“Be careful, I might just leave you in the depths of the dungeon
and give you the same trauma as Aqua.”

As we were squabbling, the other adventurers seemed to have

decided the members to enter the dungeon.

Some of the adventurers stayed behind on the surface to protect

Sena and exterminate the monsters.

About twenty men and women would be entering the dungeon

with us.

The plan was for Darkness to take the lead and the other
adventurers to follow behind–

– The oil lamp in my hand illuminated the dim passage in the

dungeon.

Darkness, who might be attacked by the suicide bombers, was

holding a great sword instead of an oil lamp.

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I was several steps behind Darkness and held the oil lamp up
high, allowing Darkness who was walking in the front to see the
road.

The other adventurers fell into line behind us.

It might be a dark and moist dungeon, but there was nothing to

fear with so many people around.

That might be so, but our goal was different from theirs.

The other adventurers were here to investigate the reason why the
monsters were spawning, but our objective was to dispel the
magic circle inside the lich’s room and destroy the evidence.

And so, having them follow behind was troubling for me.

– But, on the other hand…

“Fufufu, hahaha! Kazuma, look! I hit it, I hit it! Even I can hit
these fellows accurately!”

Darkness who was walking before me was swinging her sword

happily, slashing at the dolls that made no attempts to dodge.

As expected. The dolls counter attacked by suicide bombing, but

that just covered the face and armor of Darkness with a bit of
dust. She continued charging happily as though nothing had
happened.

Well, she was probably a bit concerned about not being able to
land a hit on her opponent.

If that was so, stop being stubborn and learn a Long Sword skill,
all right?

223
Maybe her attacks landing made her happy because she was
useful, as Darkness rampaged through the dungeon like a tank.

The dungeon created by the renowned lich was sturdy, showing

no sign of collapsing despite the series of explosions.

“Hey–Wait, wait for us! Slow down…!”

I could hear the voice of the adventurers coming from behind.

I turned back and realized we had pulled away from the others
due to Darkness’s fast rampage.

And those monsters kept jumping out from either side of the
dungeons.

“Wait…! Ahhh, it’s sticking on me! Hey, someone pull it off me!”

“Wahhh, don’t come here! Don’t come–!”

The explosion of these monsters was powerful.

They might not be as durable as Darkness or wear godly items like

Aqua, but an adventurer in armor wouldn’t die so easily.

I felt a bit bad about that, but I should use this chance…

“Keep it up Darkness! Go straight down the passage! Keep

charging ahead!”

“Okay, leave it to me! Ah, such a thrilling experience! I think this

is the first time I’m fulfilling my role as a crusader!”

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The excited Darkness didn’t realize what the situation was like
behind her.

Charge into the depths in one shot and we can say goodbye to this
dungeon in no time.

225
 Chapter 4: Part 3
We reached our destination in the deepest part of the dungeon a
bit too easily, which was near the lich’s room.

If I remembered correctly, this should be the deepest part of this

passage.

“… What’s with this? No matter how I look at it, this must be the
boss of these monsters.”

Before me and Darkness was a figure sitting cross-legged in the

lich’s room, working hard at making the dolls.

He was wearing a suit that didn’t match the dungeon at all, and
his hands were covered in white gloves. The mask he was wearing
had a similar design with the dolls that attacked us.

The mask that didn’t cover the mouth had an ominous feeling.

226
227
Maybe he didn’t see us, even though I was holding up an oil lamp.
Or maybe he was too focused on making his dolls, but this fellow
didn’t even look at us.

I couldn’t see his face with his mask on, but from his build he
should be a man.

As I was wondering what to do, Darkness took large steps towards

the masked man.

“Hey… What are you doing here? If you’re making those dolls,
that means you’re the mastermind behind this commotion, right?”

Darkness then drew out her sword and took a stance.

The masked man only faced us now, as if he only noticed us after

Darkness said that.

Looking closely, that guy was tall.

He didn’t have anything that looked like a weapon on his hands,

but it was obvious that he was not a mere minion character.

The eye part of the mask gleamed with a red light, and the
exposed mouth smirked.

“Ohhh… I didn’t expect anyone to be able to reach here.

Adventurers, welcome to my dungeon! Thou art correct, moi art
the source and the origin of all evil! Moi art a general of the
Demon King’s army, the duke of hell that commands the devils!
The arch devil that can see through anything in the world, Vanir!”

An unexpectedly strong enemy appeared!

– In the dim dungeon, I backed away slowly.

228
Darkness held her sword cautiously against Vanir. She was tense
since this was a general of the Demon King’s army after all.

Oh no, I didn’t expect to face a general of the Demon King’s army

with just Darkness and me.

No… Now that I thought about it, there were plenty of signs.

For example, the frogs that emerged out of the ground as though
they were fearing something.

What spooked them wasn’t the explosion spell.

Just like that time when Beldia showed up here, the weak
monsters had all fled.

“Darkness. Hey Darkness, we can’t handle this situation by

ourselves, let’s think of a way to escape!”

“What are you saying? As a devotee of the Goddess Eris, how can I
retreat in the face of the devil and a general of the Demon King’s
army on top of that! Even if it’ll kill me, I’ll bring him down!”

What a stubborn woman!

After hearing what Darkness said, Vanir smirked enthusiastically.

“Ohhh, thou wish to defeat moi? Defeat Mr. Vanir, who some say
is stronger than the Demon King? You… The girl who’s worried
that the man over there saw your six-pack when thou were naked
in the shower, I can’t fathom why art thou are so angry, but moi
heard that eating some small bones will help in alleviating your
nature of being quick to anger. Part of my mask was made from
the bones of magic dragons, I don’t mind letting you bite it.”

229
“Six-pack… Six-pack…? You, stop spouting nonsense you minion
of the Demon King! Kazuma, this guy’s lying! I don’t have any six-
packs, I’m not worried about it!”

“Eh, don’t get agitated Darkness. Calm down!”

I restrained Darkness who was waving her sword and about to

attack.

Vanir ignored the enraged Darkness, maintaining his position of

sitting cross-legged and said:

“Please calm down. I didn’t come here to pick a fight with thee.
It’s because that fellow, the Demon King, asked moi to investigate
something. Also, I have some business with the useless general in
Axel who became more impoverished the harder she worked.

Darkness and I looked at each other when we heard Vanir say

that.

230
 Chapter 4: Part 4
Darkness who was standing at one side kept her sword raised and
alert, ready to strike at any moment. I sat on the floor of the
dungeon and listened as Vanir spoke.

“First, although I’m a general of the Demon King’s army, I’m just
maintaining the barrier of the castle because of his request, so I’m
just a general in name. I’m known to others as a devil. The best
delicacy for devils are the negative feelings produced by the hatred
of humans. In my eyes, humans are the producer of delicacies, so I
won’t perform stupid things such as killing or harming thou.
Whenever a human’s born, I’m so happy that I’ll dance in the
courtyard.”

“I-I see… But to stimulate our negative feelings, that means you’ll
harm us, correct? There won’t be any negative feelings if our lives
are peaceful.”

He had not shown hostility yet, but since he was a general of the
Demon King’s army, we won’t be able to handle him with just the
two of us.

It’s better to play along with him and avoid fighting.

Speaking of which, a general in name maintaining the barrier…

He was someone just like Wiz.

Vanir remained seated cross-legged as he created dolls skillfully

while speaking.

“For negative feelings, there are tons of them in various intensity.

The tastes of every devil are different and have differing preferences.
Some devils like fear and despair, while others are like me,

231
transforming into a great beauty to approach men. And after
working hard to make them fall for me, I’ll then reveal my true form
and say, ‘Too bad, it’s actually moi’. Then I’ll taste their feelings as
they cry tears of blood.”

“I’m starting to think it would be better to kill you off.”

I looked with suspicion at the devil wearing a suspicious mask.

– The Demon King seemed to have tasked this devil with the job of
scouting out the humans that defeated Beldia.

“As I was toying with the Demon King’s subordinates and feeding
off their negative feelings… He pleaded with me, ‘Don’t sloth in my
castle and bully my subordinates. Go work occasionally…’ I was
thinking about visiting my old friend residing in this town, so I took
the job. On my way here, I found this dungeon without a master. I
thought that it suited moi and came in on my own.”

What about your work? Your old friend? There had to be a limit on
how carefree you could be! I wanted to retort, but if he said, ‘I’ll
start doing my work then’, it would be troubling.

The humans who defeated Beldia were us after all.

– Although I wanted to ignore this fellow and scram, there was

something I couldn’t ignore.

“You mentioned that it would be troubling for you if humans were

harmed, so what’s with these dolls? They kept spilling out from the
dungeon and gave plenty of trouble to the townsfolk.”

“… Hmm? These things are used by moi to exterminate the useless

monsters inside this dungeon. I see, since they’ve made their way
out, it means that there are no more monsters inside the dungeon.

232
It’s time for moi to stop the mass production of Vanir dolls and
begin the next phase.”

“… The next phase? What are you scheming?”

Hearing me say that, Vanir returned the half-finished doll into dust
and said:

“It’s rude to call it scheming, man who was as worried as a bear and
pacing around the room all day because the armor girl didn’t return
home for a few days. I have a grand dream as a devil. I came to this
place to fulfill that dream.”

“Hey, shut up! You did say that you’re a devil that can see through
all things, but why are you describing it as if you’d seen it with your
own eyes… And you, you… Stop squirming about!”

Darkness who was blushing and stealing glances at me was

annoying.

It was true that I was worried about her, but I didn’t pace around
my room… The frequency should be negligible.

“The dreams of a devil don’t sound like a good thing. Anyway, can I
ask what kind of dream is that?”

Under the angry glare of Darkness, Vanir nodded…

“For moi who had existed for near eternity… I’ve been harboring the
urge to go out with a bang for quite some time now–and that’s to
pass on elegantly after dining on the finest negative emotions. I’ve
been thinking for a long time, that I don’t even remember when I
first had this thought. I had been thinking, what do I need to do to
dine on the negative emotion I’m most fond of. And I’ve finally
found the best idea…”

233
Vanir smiled at this juncture, and I waited with bated breath.

“First, I’ll obtain a dungeon. Next, I’ll dispatch my evil minions to

standby in each room, setting grueling traps in them! Powerful
veteran adventurers will then come forth to challenge themselves!
After experiencing numerous challenges, someone will finally make
it to my residence in the depths of the dungeon!”

Vanir got more and more excited during his monologue, his hand
gestures were larger and his tone more agitated.

“And waiting in the depths of the dungeon will of course, be moi! I’ll
then say, ‘It was impressive for you to make your way here,
adventurers! Come, great fortune awaits if you can defeat moi…!’
After my opening speech comes the final battle! After a fierce fight,
the adventurers will finally defeat moi. In the end, a treasure chest
with heavy seals will appear behind my tattered body. As I start to
lose consciousness, the adventurers who overcame immense
hardships will open the treasure chest before my eyes…!”

Darkness and I gulped and waited in silence.

“… Inside the box will be a piece of paper saying, ‘Thank you for
your patronage!’ The adventurers will then look at this paper with a
blank face. That’s the scene I want to see as I head towards my
demise.”

“Don’t do that. That’s so pitiful, anything but that…”

“Hey, Kazuma, I think we should take out this fellow after all.”

Vanir smirked at me and Darkness lightly and said:

234
“A friend of mine’s operating a shop here. Moi original plan was to
work in her shop to save up money, and use those funds along with
the help of my friend to create a large dungeon. But when I passed
by this dungeon, I realized there was no owner. So, I changed my
mind and decided to use this place instead.”

“Staying here for such a reason is a bit… Anyway, I know what

you’re planning to do here. Since you won’t be creating anymore
dolls, there’s nothing more to discuss. We’re here because we need
to do something in the room behind you. To tell you the truth, we’re
here to dispel the magic circle in that room.”

“Huh…? Hey, Kazuma, instead of that magic circle, we should take

care of this guy! You want to ignore this General of the Demon
King’s army? The enemy of humanity’s right before us!”

That might be so, but what can just Darkness and I do against a
general of the Demon King’s army?

As I was getting up and planning to leave to dispel the magic circle…

“… Magic circle? Oh, that magic circle that gave moi quite a bit of
trouble. Thou art too kind. I don’t know which annoying fellow did
this, but this irritating magic circle’s keeping me out of the room. If
thou are willing to dispel it for me, I’ll gift you a Vanir doll made by
moi which will laugh in the middle of the night.”

“No… No thanks. It would be troubling for us if this magic circle

remains here. We’ll be leaving after dispelling it, so please do as you
please after that.”

My plan was to rush off after getting rid of the magic circle, so I said
so casually.

235
“Why would the existence of this magic circle be bad for thee? Let
moi peer into thou’s past…”

My words stirred the curiosity of Vanir and he said this light

heartedly…

… No, wait…!

“… Fuhahaha!”

Before I could stop him, Vanir seemed to have observed something

and laughed dryly.

Feeling a strange aura coming from Vanir, Darkness moved up to

protect me.

“Fuhahaha…. Fuhahaha! Fuhahaha! Should I say this is as expected

or unexpected?! So, the magic circle that’s troubling was set by
thou’s party mate! Even an arch devil like moi couldn’t breach it. To
be able to set up such a magic circle, could that priestess be…?”

Damn… I didn’t know what was happening, but this devil appeared
to be agitated!

Vanir stood up slowly, his eyes that were looking at me emitted a

red gleam.

Unlike the red pupil of the Crimson Magic Clan, it fitted the image
of a devil, drawing out the instinctual fear of men. Eyes that were
red like blood.

“Oh, the vision’s clear to moi! On the surface! At the entrance of this
dungeon! I see the priestess who set up the magic circle drinking tea
leisurely while looking bored.”

236
If what he said was true, I had the urge to go back immediately and
beat her up. I want to scold her for making life so difficult for me.

The face below Vanir’s mask was full of life.

“All right. Girl who’s really concerned with the ‘overboard demand’
after losing a bet to this man, can’t get it off her mind, is full of
anticipation and keeps squirming around. Boy who’s thinking about
what to do to this girl and is itching to do so, open a path for moi!
Don’t worry, ‘not killing humans’ is moi iron rule. That’s right, I
won’t kill humans… All ‘humans’! That girl who gave moi so much
trouble with her magic circle, I’ll show her!”

“Nothing’s on my mind. I’m not anticipating and I’m not squirming,

so stop your nonsense! Don’t… Don’t mess around!”

“That-That-That’s right! I’m not itching at all! No… No such thing!

We barely endured the psychological attack of Vanir who could see

through our minds as he took a step toward us.

This fellow said he was a devil that could see through all things, and
he emphasized just now that he didn’t kill ‘humans’.

Which meant he knew Aqua’s identity…?

At this moment, Darkness lifted her long sword and pointed it at

Vanir who was closing in on us.

“If you’re planning to harm Aqua, there’s no way I’ll back down. As a
crusader serving the Goddess Eris, I swear on my honor that you
shall not pass!”

“Not just your six-packs, even your brain’s hard and inflexible, girl.
If I’m serious, it’ll be easy for me to finish you off. But I’m not

237
planning to kill humans. It’s hard to judge which person will
produce an exquisite negative emotion after all. Go home and finish
that ‘overboard demand’ with each other. This devil with foresight
eyes guarantees thou that if you return now, no one will get in your
way, things will definitely develop as you hope for.”

This… This guy…

“Ignore him Darkness! These are the so-called whispers of the devil!
Don’t get tempted by his alluring words.”

“I-I won’t be tempted! Kazuma, think of the time and place, okay?!”

Strange? My heart was shaken immensely…!

What’s with that foresight-eyed devil? He made me think that ‘Can’t

get it off her mind, is full of anticipation and keeps squirming
around’ was real.

… I stole a glance at Darkness and found her cheeks slightly red, the
tip of her sword was shaking, showing how shaken her heart was.

“Fuhahaha! Both are interested in the other party as a member of

the opposite gender, but are too scared to cross that line because
thou art party mates! Scurry off! Or thou could rest in that room
with a magic circle after I pass through before returning!”

They really were the sweet murmurs of the devil!

None of the enemies I encountered had set such a vicious trap!

“Hey, Kazuma! What are you so hung up about? We live in the same
mansion, it would be awkward if we develop such a relationship! Get
your act together!”

238
“Ahhh! That’s right, this is Darkness. I must get my act together! It’s
just that her looks and body suits my taste, but it’s that Darkness
inside. Don’t be tricked by a moment of lust!”

“You… You… You will get it after we go back…!”

Girls are so complicated.

“Ohhh… You resisted my temptation. But how should I go about

this? All my skills are so powerful, they’ll kill you in a single hit. For
example, moi lethal laser. Because it’s a lethal laser, thou who art a
human will perish with one hit; thou shall perish even if it doesn’t
hit. Aside from this, there’s the Vanir eye beams, but it has the side
effect of burning moi eyes after using it, so I haven’t tried it
before…”

“Enough, enough! I’ll go crazy if you go on! I won’t let you go to

Aqua, you’ll have to defeat me first if you want to go there!”

Darkness slashed at Vanir after saying that!

239
 Chapter 4: Part 5
Vanir effortlessly dodged Darkness’s continuous attack as he
laughed happily.

“Fuhahaha! Why are the attacks of this fierce girl not landing at
all?… Hmm? Where’s the other one? That boy who’s good at talking
but mediocre in performance, where did he go?”

Vanir looked around the area, searching for me who suddenly

disappeared.

… Sorry for being mediocre. My skills just happened to be plain, all

right?

“Stop looking around! Your opponent is me!”

As he listened to Darkness talk…

“Where did the man who looked like a schemer went off to? How
should I put this, such unscrupulous jerks are more dangerous than
a muscle-headed crusader? I can feel his presence, but where did
he…?”

The moment Darkness slashed at Vanir, I put down the oil lamp and
stuck close to the wall in the darkness. Using Lurk , I sneaked to
Vanir’s back.

So, what if I was a schemer, no one was stupid enough to fight the
general of the Demon King’s army head on.

“Don’t look down on me, face me–!”

Darkness swung her sword sideways.

240
Vanir leaped backwards.

– His back was right before me as I stood ready.

I stopped using Lurk and used all my weight to give Vanir a flying
kick!

“Ugh! Unscrupulous jerk, when art thou sneaked here… Oh, oh

no…!”

Vanir who dodged Darkness’s earlier attacks took a few unsteady

steps forward, right into Darkness’s attack range. Darkness’s attack,
which was powerful but lacked accuracy, cleaved across Vanir’s
body.

Vanir’s left hand flew into the air, his torso suffered critical damage
and he kneeled onto the ground–!

“To think that… Curses, moi is too careless…! To think a talent like
you was hiding in a beginner town…! Ugh… Is this how it’ll end for
moi…?”

After his speech, Vanir’s body crumpled into dust along with his
tuxedo, leaving only the mask behind.

The lantern lit our surroundings dimly, and only Darkness’s heavy
breathing could be heard in the dark dungeon.

“No way… Did I just defeat a general of the Demon King’s army…?”

Darkness had a face of disbelief, gripping the long sword in her

hand hard. Her adrenaline from the battle was still running and she
kept on trembling.

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“… If you say something like ‘Did I just defeat?’’, it most probably
means you didn’t. But that guy seemed surprised when he was
slashed, so it should be for real, I guess?”

“As thou art hoping it to be true…”

A voice came from behind in response to my words.

The sound originated from the mask that had fallen onto the
ground.

The mask absorbed the earth from the dungeon, forming slowly into
a body.

In the end, the body was wearing a suit and was identical to the man
just now.

“Did thou really think you had defeated moi? Sorry, not at all!
Fuhahaha! Fuhahaha! Oh my, the negative emotions coming from
thou are delicious!”

I want to kill this guy!

“What kind of absurd body is that? You think you can do such cheat-
like things because you’re a general of the Demon King’s army?!”

“Boohoo… I thought I really got him… I thought the me that

couldn’t normally hit the enemy had taken out a general of the
Demon King’s army… I didn’t do much during the fight against the
Destroyer and I thought I finally had the chance to perform…”

As Darkness was saying that depressed with the tip of her sword
shaking, Vanir smiled happily.

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“Fuhahaha! This body’s just a fake created by moi magic, the mask
is my real body. No matter how much thou slash at me, this body
will at most return to dust! In the end, the place where moi body
dissipates will be fertile as the earth, from my body is full of mana.
The flowers will bloom and the butterflies…”

“I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about! My headache

worsens whenever you speak! Damn it! What now, Darkness?
Should we withdraw for now?”

“I don’t wanna! Being made a fool is a shame of the knights! I must

make this fellow pay…!”

Darkness made a strong declaration against Vanir.

“Yes, I understand. But I have no desire to play with thou like this.
It’s time for moi to use my skill for this type of situation! I have a
hidden skill that won’t harm anyone and will only absorb negative
emotions, observe!”

After saying that, Vanir used his right hand to lift his mask…!

“Hey Darkness! This looks bad! Let’s get out of here first!”

“Too late! Crusader with a tenacious body, lend thou body to moi!”

Vanir shouted as he threw his mask at Darkness–!

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 Chapter 4: Part 6
“… Darkness? Hey… Darkness! Say something!”

After getting hit, Darkness’s face was covered by that mask. Her
hand holding her sword lowered naturally, and she remained still
with her head down.

This development wasn’t good.

According to what Vanir said and the current situation, Vanir

probably took over Darkness’s body.

And in fact, the body of Vanir started crumbling into dust after the
mask had been thrown out.

Darkness who had put on her mask raised her head slowly…!

“Fuhahaha! Fuhahaha! Listen up kid! This special power of moi,

(what should I do Kazuma, my body’s been taken over!) How about
it boy, if thou dare attack this girl, (I don’t mind! Don’t hold back,
attack as you wish! Quickly come! This is the most wonderful
situation!)”

Words that didn’t make sense came out from Darkness’s mouth.

“… What are you trying to say?”

“How can this be, what’s with this (beautiful) woman?!… Damn,
damn it, don’t sneak in words and play around! But seriously, this
girl’s mental tenacity is too strong… (An excellent role model of a
crusader!) … Shut up!”

By right, this should be a crisis, but Darkness was handling this

calmly.

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Or rather, she seemed to be having fun.

“To resist moi control, thou art a formidable opponent! (No, not
really…) But if you keep on resisting my control, thou shall suffer
horrible pains! (What, what did you say?!) Fuhahaha! Let’s see how
long you can resist!… Huh? There aren’t negative emotions, what’s
welling out from her is… Pleasure…?”

Seeing Darkness standing there motionless, I decided to leave her

there and finish my original objective.

I entered the room that belonged to that lich to dispel all traces of
the magic circle with the magic item I was given.

As I was doing that…

“(I…! I won’t give in to this pain…!) Thou have respectable courage!

But enduring it any longer will cause thee to break down
mentally…! … Could it be, thou are enjoying this?”

I heard Vanir say this in confusion.

Finally, I finished clearing the traces of the magic circle and

returned to the two that was struggling internally.

“All right Darkness, mission accomplished! We just need to return

to the surface and that’s it! Let’s link up with Aqua and run away!”

I walked towards Darkness while I said that, but she pointed her
long sword at me.

“Don’t come any closer, brat! (Kazuma, don’t worry about me! Just
leave me here and go!) Don’t think things will proceed as you’ve
wished… (… Ahhh! I always wanted to say that line…!) Thou have

245
feelings for this girl and don’t want to see her get hurt, right? (!) If
this girl continues to resist moi power (Ka-Kazuma, this devil who
claims to have foresight just said something intriguing.) If you don’t
want that to happen, thou should stop this girl. (I’m happy that you
feel this way about me. I really am, but the difference in our status is
too vast, and we’re in the same party…) Annoying, ahhh!”

“You two are the annoying ones! Please, one at a time, all right? I
don’t get what you’re trying to say!”

Seeing Vanir losing it and yelling, I yelled back defiantly.

“Ugh…! Choosing this body was a big failure (Hey, don’t say my
body’s a failure, how rude!) Silence! Moi will be leaving, thou shut
your mouth!”

Seemed like Vanir couldn’t take over Darkness’s iron-like will

completely and was about to give up.

Even a general of the Demon King’s army couldn’t handle that

pervert.

Vanir slumped his shoulder tiredly and lifted his arm to take off the
mask.

– I remembered something suddenly.

It would be more troublesome if Vanir recovered his original

strength.

After all, if his main body–the mask–was fine, he could change to a

new one if he got into danger.

And those beams and laser he mentioned sounded dangerous.

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Could he use those skills if he was inside Darkness’s body?

If he became serious, Darkness and I wouldn’t be able to stop him

from going to the surface.

– What if we trapped him inside Darkness’s body?

Not only was this the body of a human he wasn’t familiar with, there
was also Darkness who would get in his way as well.

… How about sealing him inside Darkness’s body, bringing him to

the surface and asking Aqua and the others to think of a way to
resolve this?

That’s right, since this guy wanted to find Aqua, I should bring him
there.

I walked to Vanir who wanted to take off the mask.

– I then pasted the sealing talisman Sena gave me onto the mask.

“What are you doing, brat…? What’s happening? I can’t touch…

Hey… What’s this talisman, brat? My fingers get deflected even if I
want to touch it! (Yeah, something’s fluttering before my eyes, how
irritating… Wait. Hey Kazuma, isn’t that…!)”

The two of them tried their best to remove the talisman, but it
seemed that the one being sealed couldn’t touch that talisman.

“It’s the talisman Sena gave me. Darkness, maintain this and return
to the surface with me. Keep Vanir within your body and bring him
to Aqua and the others. We’ll then ask Aqua to cleanse that thing
within you!”

“(Hya?)”

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That scream sounded so uniform as though only one of them did so.

248
 Chapter 4: Part 7
Most of the doll-like monsters in the dungeon had been cleared, so
we didn’t meet any resistance.

“Brat! This girl’s suffering tremendous pain as she resists moi

control! If this goes on, she’ll suffer mental trauma! It’s in your best
interest to tear off the talisman and let moi go! Or else… (It’s true
Kazuma! I’ve been feeling something terrible… Very terrible…!
Ahhh, this is the first time I felt something so intense, as expected of
a general of the Demon King’s army! I can’t take it anymore…!)”

Probably because of the pain, the back of Darkness’s neck was

sweating as she followed me while panting.

From the looks of things, Darkness still had control over her body.

On the way back, the adventurers who entered the dungeon with us
were stunned when they saw Darkness wearing a mask, but I didn’t
have time for them right now.

“Just hang on a little while longer, Darkness! We’re almost there! I’ll
release you from the pain when we reach the surface!”

“Ugh… What’s with this weird situation… (It’s fine, just leave me.)”

……

“What did you say?” x2

Vanir and I cried out in unison.

– To be honest, bringing a general of the Demon King’s army back

to the surface made me feel uneasy.

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But he was using that body as a container.

Frankly speaking, Darkness was incredibly clumsy.

Even when she slashed at a target right before her, she would hit
once for every five tries.

I wanted to ask her how she could be so clumsy to such an extent.

Anyway, the adventurers on the surface should be enough to

suppress Darkness.

“Darkness, great work for enduring this long! Leave the rest to
Aqua, the other adventurers and I will restrain your body…”

I said that when I saw the light at the end of the tunnel. But before I
finished…

“… Fuhahaha… Fuhahaha! Art thou speaking to moi?”

The voice spoke very clearly and wasn’t interrupted by Darkness like
earlier.

“Taking over complete! Brat, you underestimated moi! I was holding

back earlier! If I approach thou’s companion with such an
appearance, she’ll welcome moi with her guard down! When I see
thou’s priestess companion, I’ll cleave her right in the head!”

As Vanir was shouting this, he dashed up the stairs faster than I

could, even though he was wearing heavy armor.

Oh shit, oh shit!

That fellow’s target was Aqua. She might be wearing a strange mask,
but no one would stop Darkness from getting near Aqua!

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“Wake up, Darkness! You’re better than this, do you want to give in
to the minions of the devil?!”

“Fuhahaha! It’s useless, brat! I don’t know what this girl’s thinking,
but when the pain exceeds a certain threshold (I-I can’t anymore…)
will hand over the body… Damn, damn it! Don’t make such weird
noises!”

Oh no, that pervert can’t stand it anymore!

Vanir moved the body he had total control over and said:

“All right, time for a touching reunion for comrades who made it out
of the dungeon alive! My hated enemy! I want to see what thou will
do to a comrade whose body has been taken over by the enemy…!”

He shouted and leapt outside…!

“Sacred Exorcism–!”

“(Ahhh–!)”

Aqua, who was waiting at the entrance of the dungeon, cast her spell
without warning, enveloping Darkness in white flames.

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 Chapter 4: Part 8
Vanir who jumped out of the dungeon was on fire. He couldn’t
withstand it and fell on one knee.

“Dark… Darkness–!”

And of course, he did so while controlling Darkness’s body.

I rushed out of the dungeon, rushing to Darkness’s side to check on

her.

But on the surface, Darkness had no signs of burns at all.

“Fu… Fufufu… Fuhahaha! Fuhahaha!”

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253
And unexpectedly, Vanir who was hit by Aqua’s spell didn’t seem to
be bothered.

“Hey Aqua! Don’t attack Darkness with magic so suddenly, it’s bad
for my heart!”

I lectured Aqua, but she said unapologetically:

“What are you saying, that spell’s harmless against humans! I felt
something evil coming out, so I was thinking I should cast the spell
first and…”

“(I-I see… That’s fine, I was just surprised… Please give me a heads
up next time, all right…?)”

That attack probably made Vanir relax his control, allowing

Darkness’s will to show up.

“Hey Aqua! A general of the Demon King’s army is trying to take

over Darkness’s body! The enemy appears to be a devil! An
opponent you’re great at dealing with!”

“A… A general of the Demon King’s army?!”

When I said that, Sena who was observing the situation from a
distance shouted before Aqua could react.

When she heard me say that, Aqua frowned and walked towards
Darkness with an irked face.

She slowly covered her nose and said:

“Smelly! This is too smelly! That’s right, this is the stench of a devil!
Really, how did Darkness get stained with this filth?”

254
“(Hmm?! I-I don’t think I’m smelly…)”

Aqua’s words made Darkness tear up under the mask.

“Fufufu… (Kazuma, smell me… It isn’t smelly, right?) Fuhahaha,

fuhahaha! (Even if there’s a stench, it must be due to me charging
around the dungeon just now.) Shut up! This is the scene where moi
makes a cool speech, so keep quiet!”

Darkness became depressed when even Vanir lectured her.

“Fuhahaha! Greetings, cursed priestess that shares the same name

as that notorious goddess of water! I’m Vanir! Duke of hell, one of
the generals of the Demon King’s army, arch devil Vanir!”

Vanir had control of the body’s speech function, but Darkness had
control over the body. While Vanir was making a grand monologue,
his body seemed bored as it kicked at the small pebbles on the
ground.

… By the way, he mentioned the priestess who shared the same

name with the goddess of water.

Seemed like this devil realized Aqua’s identity.

“Not bad, greeting me with exorcism magic without hesitation!

Fuhahaha, that’s the reason why the infamous Axis devotees are
shunned by all! Does thou not know basic courtesy?”

“Annoying–being courteous to the devil, what nonsense are you

saying? Devils are worse than the undead who go against the will of
the gods. A parasite that can’t survive without the negative emotion
of humans–! Puhehe!”

The two were silent for a moment after this exchange…

255
“Sacred High Exorcism–!”

“Naive!”

Aqua cast a spell without warning, but Vanir dodged to the side at
the last moment.

“Why are you dodging, Darkness? Be a good girl and keep still!”

“(I-I know, but my body’s moving by itself!)”

As Aqua and Vanir began their fight, Sena and Megumin came to my
side.

“Kazuma, Kazuma! What’s with this situation? Why’s Darkness

wearing that mask…? How sly, I want a mask like that too! That
mask’s stimulating my blood of the Crimson Demons!”

“What stupid things are you talking about, now’s not the time for
that! Darkness’s body has been taken over by a General of the
Demon King’s army, his main body is that mask! You have any
ideas?”

“Satou-san, how did it turn out this way? That’s indeed a Demon
King’s army general on the wanted list, the one who possesses
foresight and clairvoyance. The devil of foresight, Vanir. What’s a
big shot like him doing here?”

Sena, whose face was ash white, said in a voice closed to screaming.

“That guy’s here to investigate the people who defeated Beldia, a

general of the Demon King’s army. He had another more troubling
objective, but let’s talk about that later. Right now, I’ve sealed him

256
using the talisman you gave me. He’s that mask on Darkness, and
he’s trapped inside her right now.”

Hearing me say that, Sena commented with a bewildered

expression.

“Trapped… In her body? You sealed a general of the Demon King’s

army inside the body of your comrade?! What’s wrong with you?
What were you thinking?”

“… But, this situation’s not good. That devil can even endure a hit
from Aqua’s exorcism spell. He can do so because he’s possessing
Darkness’s body. Crusaders are holy knights that serve the gods,
that’s why Darkness has strong resistance against light magic. It’d
be better to tear off the talisman and release that devil for now.”

After hearing Megumin say that, I looked at the devil Vanir who
kept on dodging Aqua’s spell.

Under his skilled control, Darkness’s clumsy body wasn’t affected by

the heavy armor, toying with Aqua with his agile movements.

What the hell, I thought we would win if we trapped him inside

Darkness’s body!

I was surprised by how high Darkness’s physical specs were.

“Release that guy? He’s trapped in Darkness’s body right now, so he

can only attack with a long sword. But that devil said he could use a
killing laser. That’ll be hard to handle if we release him from
Darkness’s body.”

When I looked again, the other adventurers had also joined the fray.
They were providing support, attempting to slow Vanir down so
Aqua’s spell could hit.

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“… This… This is bad… If this goes on…”

“… Things don’t look good…”

Following Megumin’s gaze, I confirmed the situation–

“Damn! That Darkness is so strong…!”

“I can’t hit her! She parried my attack with her sword easily! Her
strikes are heavy and amazingly fast! We’re only alive because she
was holding back…!”

“Fuhahaha! This body isn’t bad! The strength and stamina are great!
The resistance against holy magic makes it even more splendid!
(Boohoo… I’m causing trouble for the other adventurers, but I’m a
little happy to gain the upper hand against so many opponents…!)”

That girl… Now’s not the time to be happy!

“Hey Darkness! Enough, stop thrashing around–! Do you or don’t

you want to be saved? Or are you feeling great because you’re
showing the adventurers who looked down on you who’s boss?”

“(No-No, I’m not!) Fuhahaha! What’s wrong thou weaklings, come

at moi! Don’t hold back!”

As Darkness was trying to explain herself Vanir spouted taunting

words, making the expression of the adventurers around her turn
sour.

“Darkness, you little…! Acting cocky because your attacks are

landing!”

258
“I thought you were the one that was the most level-headed in
Kazuma’s party! To think that you…!”

“Surround her! Encircle that crusader!”

“(The-The one taunting wasn’t me!) Fuhahaha! No matter how

many minions you throw at moi, I’ll beat all of you off! (Ahhh…)”

Vanir was talking in Darkness’s voice.

To the adventurers, there was no way to differentiate which was

Darkness and which was Vanir.

And because of that, Darkness was drawing more and more hate
from the crowd. For some reason, the adventurers were scolding
Darkness instead of Vanir.

“She’s obviously being manipulated by the enemy, but everyone’s

scolding her, how pitiful! Isn’t there anything we can do?”

In fact, Darkness was being scolded as she overwhelmed the crowd

with her abilities…!

“(Ahhh… The adventurers that talked to me so nicely are looking at

me with eyes of disdain…!) I sense feelings of joy… Why’s that so?
What’s happening…?”

……

“But she seems so happy.”

Megumin tugged on my shirt and said:

“… That-That’s why we have to save her! Don’t you have any ideas,
Kazuma?”

259
Even if you asked me, the current Darkness was beyond what I
could handle.

In the current situation, we didn’t have the means of defeating that

devil.

Even Aqua’s spell didn’t have any effect. There was nothing we
could do…

“You’re so annoying! Why are you so hard to deal with?”

“That’s what moi wants to say! Damn it, how despicable to attack in
waves! Don’t think you can play around because moi don’t want to
kill thou, adventurers!”

Meanwhile, Aqua and Vanir were still battling.

When the adventurers figured out that Vanir’s target was Aqua, they
formed a human wall to hold Vanir back.

Aqua kept casting her exorcism spell from behind the human wall,
but both parties couldn’t break the stalemate.

The balance was finally broken by Vanir.

He probably had gotten used to controlling Darkness’s body.

Swinging the two-handed long sword with ease, he began destroying
the weapons of the adventurers one by one.

In terms of her strength and stamina, Darkness was well ahead of

the other adventurers.

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And with the vast combat experience of the devil and agility, the
sub-par crusader Darkness was powerful enough to win against an
adventurer’s party of ten.

“I think that girl seems a little blessed today. Her performance has
been eye-catching in all sorts of ways…”

“Don’t just say that leisurely, think of something… Ahhh!”

Finally, an adventurer couldn’t withstand Vanir’s fierce attack and

fell to its blunt blow, crumbling the line of defense.

Megumin yelped when she saw what happened.

“Fuhahaha! It’s time to settle our score, moi rival! To die under the
blade of your companion, how blessed art thou!”

“Hey Darkness! I believe in you! You won’t lose to the devil, right?
It’s… It’s fine, right? Hey, Darkness, can you hear me?”

Aqua retreated slowly as she shouted, but Darkness didn’t reply.

The balance between Vanir and the adventurers had broken down.
It was only a matter of time before Aqua, who was hiding behind
them, was attacked.

“Satou-san, are you not going to join the battle? Aren’t that priestess
and possessed crusader your party mates?! Are you not going to
save them?”

Sena asked me urgently, now what should I do?

“No, you should know that I’m just an adventurer. Guys that are
stronger than me are falling one after another. I can’t turn the tide
even if I join the fray.”

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“You! What is with you?”

As Sena’s face was cramping from disgust, the adventurers lost their
ability to fight one after another.

“Ka-Kazuma–! This is a big crisis! The biggest crisis I’ve ever met–!”

Aqua who was on the verge of tears pleaded for help from the
distance. Megumin hugged her staff as she looked up at my head
with unease.

Even if you looked at me like this, the weak me couldn’t do

anything…!

Even Sena, who was focusing on the adventurers being forced into a
corner, was looking up at me with a pale face.

I really wanted to give Sena a good lecture right now.

I wasn’t the one who started the commotion, but I got dragged in as
a victim every single time.

… Sigh, I kept getting dragged into troublesome matters. Where did

my luck go off to?

People who said I had good luck must’ve lied to me, I complained in
my mind.

“Kazuma-san–! Kazuma-san–!”

– I listened to Aqua’s pleas for aid.

“… You guys are really troublesome, ahhh!”

262
I shouted a little disparagingly as I prayed. I hoped that if my luck
really was good, everything would turn out well as I charged in with
my sword drawn.

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 Chapter 4: Part 9
Vanir seemed to have completely taken over Darkness’s body.

“Fuhahaha! Fuhahaha! All right… Prepare yourself, moi rival! To

think I can destroy thou in such a place, even I couldn’t have
foreseen that! Oh, the weakest man among the adventurers present
here… Thou true nature has been seen through by moi, allow this
devil of foresight to give you my prophecy.”

Vanir spoke to me, who was standing before Darkness.

“Thou who seeks peace and stability, listen well. Don’t waste your
efforts; just pretend you didn’t see anything. Thou have good luck,
but it’s canceled out by the bad luck of your companions. For your
own safety, thou should find other party mates, that way…”

Before Vanir could finish, I already slashed at his mask in silence!

But as I expected, that was easily dodged by him.

“The boy who values his safety before all else, what caused you to
have a change of heart? No matter what thou do, it won’t help the
current situation. Aside from the Vanir doll, I can also throw in a
mask that looks just like moi. Just take these and be gone.”

“I-I don’t want such things… Anyway, what’s up with you Darkness,
why did you let your body get taken over so easily? You got tamed by
that devil who suddenly showed up in no time? Are you really a
gullible and easy woman?”

I said my taunting words.

“Fuhahaha! It’s useless, now… (Jerk, who are you calling gullible
and easy? He didn’t tame me! It’s just that the way this devil’s

264
manipulating and hurting my heart is too skilled…!) As thou can see,
this girl can’t hear you any… Hmm… What an iron-like will, moi
didn’t expect this. I’ve lived in this world for such a long time, but
I’ve never met someone I couldn’t dominate.”

Should I say this was as I expected? The crusader whose interest

were in endurance still had control over herself.

“Darkness, listen carefully. I’ll break the seal on the mask in a

moment. It’s fine even if it’s just for an instant, but you must wrest
back control of your body from Vanir. Then rip off that mask and
throw it away. After that…”

Once the mask was removed from Darkness, it would be Aqua’s turn
to shine.

… It was as though he saw through what I was thinking…

“Hmm, that isn’t a bad plan, but there’s a problem. How will thou
who is weak break the seal of moi who has fully unleashed the
powers of this girl? It would be so much easier to defeat my hated
enemy by maintaining the current status quo. If you want to break
the seal, wait until I’ve finished off that woman. (Yeah, don’t look
down on the current me. I don’t think I’ll lose to anybody right
now!)

That’s what Vanir said and…

“You… You moron… Are you on his side too?!”

– The adventurers, who lost consciousness after getting hit by the

blunt side of Vanir’s sword, collapsed around the area.

265
And Aqua, who was casting healing spells on the adventurers who
were down, stood behind me when she saw that I was opposing
Vanir.

“Kazuma, I’ll support you from behind! Use my buffing spells and
destroy that devil like a hero!”

After Aqua said her irresponsible lines to fan the flames…

“Fufufu, I’ll help you from behind too. All right Kazuma, it’s time for
you to awaken the power sleeping inside you. Stop playing around
and liberate Darkness from that devil!”

Megumin, who was also standing behind me, also taunted

irresponsibly.

What do you mean by the power sleeping inside me?

But Aqua and Megumin seemed to think that I would challenge

Vanir head on and then break the seal.

Vanir took up a fighting stance when he heard what they said.

“Fuhahaha! You want to defeat moi?! (If) you want to take off this
(talisman!), come (at me bro). Shut up! Don’t snatch the cool lines
from moi!”

“Didn’t the two of you hate that talisman? And now you don’t want
me to take it off, make up your mind.”

As I couldn’t help but retort, I instructed Aqua to prepare her

exorcism spell.

“Brat, thou must have a scheme in mind. It’s all because of that
woman who’s emitting bright flames, shrouding thou’s mind from

266
me. But thou don’t seem to be planning to fight moi with swords…
Hmm, thou must be thinking of using some skills, right? (It’s Steal!
Kazuma must be using his best skill, Steal!)”

“You… You idiot! Why did you reveal my trump card?”

I couldn’t help retorting when I heard Darkness gloating. Vanir

smiled deviously.

“Kazuma, the spell’s ready!”

“Great, leave the rest to me! Well then, time for me to move.
Darkness, just like that time in the dojo, let’s make a bet! If I win, I’ll
add in something even more overboard on top of my ‘overboard
demand’. You can do as you wish if you win!”

“(Ahhh… To-To use such tricks at a time like this…!) Damn… Damn
it… Don’t get taken in by the tempting words of that man! Don’t
show your weak side, refresh your soul! Increase your power to
resist his Steal…!”

As Darkness was struggling internally, Vanir couldn’t move well and

stopped.

At this moment, I heard Megumin start chanting explosion spell

behind me.

I was stunned for a moment, and saw that Megumin was staring at
the entrance of the dungeon when I turned back.

Adventurers were rushing out of the dungeon, and Vanir’s dolls

were chasing them.

When Vanir saw that, the eyes of the mask gleamed eerily, and the
dolls flooding out of the dungeon started swarming towards us.

267
Megumin seemed to be targeting them.

“All right, I’m coming Vanir! Darkness, keep resisting Vanir. Don’t
let him move!”

I said as I reached out towards the mask…!

“Just a Steal from a mere adventurer! If thou think it’ll work on moi,
thou art going to be disappointed! Just try it, don’t hold back…!”

“Tinder–!”

… After all that build up, what I shouted wasn’t Steal, but the fire
magic Tinder.

I didn’t need to tear or steal the talisman.

I just needed to burn it with fire…!

“… Fuhahaha! Fuhahaha! Fuhahaha! (Ahhh… How despicable,

Kazuma you scoundrel!) To think thou could trick moi, the devil of
foresight, splendid!”

The talisman on the mask caught fire and the thing bounding Vanir
and Darkness together was gone.

“Hey Darkness, show me your mental toughness! Take off that mask
and throw it away!”

Darkness placed her hand on her mask when she heard me say that
and–!

“(…! I can’t take it off…!)”

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Under the strong resistance from Vanir, the mask was still sticking
tightly to Darkness’s face.

Vanir’s dolls were swarming in.

And the adventurers who escaped the dungeon formed a human

wall to block them.

Everyone seemed to sense that we were facing a boss-level enemy,

and were planning to hold back the minions for us.

“Kazuma-san–! What should I do? Can I cast my spell?”

“No… Wait, the mask is still on Darkness! Even if you cast your spell
like this, it’ll be resisted by her…”

– At this moment.

“(Don’t worry, just do it.)”

With her hands still trying to take off the mask, Darkness muttered.

Even if she said that, it wouldn’t be effective.

“(If Aqua’s spell doesn’t work… Then don’t worry about me and cast
Explosion, just blow me away with him.)”

Darkness said…

… Hey, what are you saying?

“You idiot! No matter how tough you are, you can’t survive
explosion magic!”

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“(How would you know if you don’t try it!) Wait… Don’t be rash,
let’s talk this over.”

When Darkness said that, Vanir who was calm all this while started
to panic a little.

Darkness then told Aqua and Megumin behind me who had finished
preparing their magic:

“(Aqua! Cast the exorcism spell the moment this mask leaves my
body!) How about calling it a draw today? (If this mask keeps
sticking onto me, then cast your Explosion, Megumin…!) To fight to
a draw with moi who is a Demon King’s army general and the duke
of hell, it’s something thou could boast to others about!”

“I-I understand Darkness! I’ll do it once that annoying thing’s out of

the way!”

Aqua watched that mask closely, ready to cast her spell at any
moment.

“Kazuma, Darkness is insane… Even she can’t survive that!”

Megumin cried to me with tears in her eyes.

Suddenly everyone, including the dolls charging us, Sena and the
adventurers stopped.

They stood far away from Darkness, not daring to move.

– In this situation.

“(… Hey Vanir. The time was short, but it wasn’t too bad hanging
around with you. So, at the very least… I’ll let you choose. Do you
want to be purified after getting away from me, or do you want to be

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blown up by Explosion together with me? Which one do you
prefer?)”

Darkness forced Vanir to make such an unreasonable choice.

Both meant his destruction.

“… I’m a devil.”

Vanir answered with a heavy heart…

“As an existence that opposes the gods, I don’t want to be purified.

Fuhahaha… My wish for destruction’s coming true in an unexpected
manner. Goodbye, it was fun possessing thou’s body.”

He chose Explosion.

Hearing him say that, the masked Darkness went far away from us.

“(Do it, Megumin!)”

Darkness’s cruel request made Megumin shake her head in refusal. I

went up to Sena who was watching the events unfold with a blank
expression and patted her shoulder.

“If something unfortunate does happen, please be the witness and

testify that it was my instruction. It’s the same this time too, I’ll bear
the full responsibility.”

When she heard what I said, Sena nodded firmly with a pale face
and gulped.

The crusader that was the pride of our party was tough and
tenacious.

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– The toughest in all of Axel.

“Do it, Megumin!”

Shortly after I gave the word.

A loud explosion took place a short distance before the dungeon–

272
 Epilogue 1
—— Aqua——
TL: Skythewood
Editor: Adam, Cannongerbil, Veritaum, Boring bone, Xenthur

– It’s been some time since our battle with that strange devil.

Kazuma, the rest of the party and I were summoned to the

adventurer’s guild.

Really, Kazuma was so troublesome.

Why did that guy keep getting into trouble?

I don’t want to fight with Demon King’s generals anymore.

Can’t I have a little more peace and quiet?

Of course, I still want to return to heaven. I haven’t encountered

anything good since coming to this world.

“Wow, you really have exceptional talent for useless stuff.”

Kazuma mocked me while I was doodling on the table.

“Of course, who do you think I am?”

As the goddess of water, playing with water is but a small matter.

“I don’t think anyone will doubt you if you claimed to be the

goddess of parties.”

I really felt like giving that filthy mouth of Kazuma a holy punch.

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But the generous me wouldn’t do something like that.

It… It’s not because I’m afraid of Kazuma fighting back.

Yup, that’s right… Not afraid at all… Not even a little.

Megumin who kept stirring trouble and Darkness who kept saying
perverted things gave Kazuma plenty of stress after all, so I should
treat him better.

The kids in this party were all unreliable. As a goddess, I had to

watch over them.

“… Hey, you’re thinking of something weird, right? Why are you

looking at me with pitying eyes? It feels so infuriating for you to
stare at me like this.”

When I displayed my mature side, Kazuma sprouted his

nonsense.

It must be because he was too childish and lacked calcium.

But he would become mature in the future.

After all, it’s the reason the guild was asking for us–

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 Epilogue 2
——Megumin——

– I didn’t do much this time.

I wasn’t as bad as Aqua and Darkness, but I did trouble Kazuma

sometimes. So, I was thinking of supporting him well this time…

I’m the only normal person in this party, so if I don’t pull myself
together…

My familiar, Chomusuke, was resting on the table. Kazuma probably

bribed it with food, that’s why she likes him so much.

“… This fellow gets along well with me, but it hates Aqua. So, it’s
true that animals will be close to people with a kind heart.”

“The kind me was thinking about being nicer to Kazuma who had
been troubled so much by everyone, but I just heard something
incredible. Are you implying that the holy me doesn’t have a kind
personality?”

“Yes, and what are you going to do about it?”

Kazuma and Aqua started fighting, making Chomusuke scramble

away to its home base–which is my shoulder.

At a corner of the guild, Yunyun, who was planning to work together

with me to prove Kazuma’s innocence, was eating a set meal all by
herself.

Just stop being stubborn and eat with us. You don’t keep brooding
on our ‘rival’ relationship.

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Kazuma cleared his suspicion of being a spy of the Demon King’s
army, but he would still need to give thanks to Yunyun who worked
hard behind the scenes.

“Ugh… No more…”

A low moan came from the seat opposite of Kazuma.

Darkness was lying on the table with her face blushed and was
trembling.

Her face turned red every time an adventurer teased her.

The aristocratic lady was too naive. She seemed like a cool beauty
but her emotions fluctuated widely, which made others want to
bully her.

… Okay.

I stood up and walked to Darkness’s side–

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 Epilogue 3
—— Darkness——
– Why did it turn out like this?

Just why?

“Stop messing around! Like I said, including the havoc during the
trial, you caused the most trouble! If I had to rank the three of you
by how much trouble you gave, it would be you! Megumin!
Darkness! If you get it, then don’t stir any more trouble before my
award ceremony! Just go to that wall and count how many lines
there are!”

“Wahhh! Kazuma, you’re too mean! I didn’t get into trouble

intentionally! The flood with Beldia and the barrier at the cemetery–
everything I did was for the people!”

“Wait a minute, I should be the one who caused the least trouble!”

I hugged my head and rest it face down on the table, ignoring the
squabbling three.

At this moment, someone spoke to me from behind.

“Hey Lalatina! What a cute name you have.”

This made me tremble.

“Lalatina-chan~ Let’s buy some clothes that suit your cute name! I’ll
pick some for you!”

I shook even more.

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“By the way, Lalatina… It sounds like some famous lady, so
eloquent.”

Please show mercy…!

After solving the matchmaking issue, another problem surfaced–

I lift my head and stared with teary eyes at the man behind all this.

“Oh, what is it Lalatina? Why make such a scary face; it doesn’t suit
the cute name you have.”

“Ugh…!”

Even my ears were turning red. I gritted my teeth and endured

Kazuma’s mocking.

He did say he would do something that would make me beg for

mercy if I lost…!

Ah, that coward!

I was looking forward to it and he backed off in the end…!

In the end, that Alexei didn’t mention anything further.

He had his eyes on me for so long, I didn’t think he would let it go so

easily.

“Oh, it’s about to start. I’ll be back in no time, Lalatina.”

Kazuma said as he stood up. I picked up the wooden cup near my

hand and threw it at him.

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 Epilogue 4
——Kazuma——
“Adventurer, Satou Kazuma-san!”

I basked in the passionate gaze of the adventurers as I stood

before the guild counter.

“In honor of your contributions in ensuring the safety of the city,

we offer you our thanks. Further to this, we would like to
apologize for the false accusation–”

Sena bowed deeply as she said. I received the letter of thanks from
her hand.

– This happened a week after the battle with Vanir.

If I really was a spy of the Demon King’s army, I wouldn’t have

sacrificed so much in order to destroy a general of the Demon
King’s army. And thus, my suspicion was cleared.

Sena, who witnessed my entire fight with Vanir, absolved me from

the crime of treason. And I finally received my bounty for taking
down the Mobile Fortress Destroyer.

Thanks to that, I could compensate the landlord for his mansion.

Darkness had made a full recovery, and the four of us were

summoned to the guild–

“Next, Dustiness ford Lalatina! Your selfless spirit is admirable.

To honor your stellar performance which lived up to the name of
House Dustiness and to compensate you for your losses, the royal
family has sent you a letter of gratitude and a full plate of armor
made by a highly skilled smith.”

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After Sena finished, the knight next to her presented a new set of
armor to the blushing and trembling Darkness.

– Megumin’s explosion took out the masked devil, Vanir.

Darkness suffered life threatening injuries from the explosion and

lay unconscious in the crater. Of course, her armor was ruined.
Still, thanks to Aqua, she is almost as good as new shortly
afterwards.

“Congratulations, Lalatina!”

Someone shouted. Darkness shivered suddenly.

“Great job, Lalatina!”

“That’s our Lalatina!”

The cheers of ‘Lalatina’ made Darkness cover her face from

embarrassment, and laid her face down onto the table again.

“This…! This feeling of humiliation is not the ‘overboard demand’

I wanted…!”

Darkness moaned weakly as she laid on the table.

Something that’ll make Darkness beg for mercy in tears…

I only made good on my promise.

“Hey Darkness, I think Lalatina is a cute name! I’ll punish

Kazuma who spread this name out as a joke–have more
confidence in your name, Lalatina!”

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Aqua meant no harm, but her words stabbed Darkness like a
knife.

Megumin, who intentionally sat beside her, was trying to hold

back her laughter as she gently shook Darkness’s trembling
shoulders.

– The ‘overboard demand’ was to spread the name Lalatina.

And so, Darkness was teased by adventurers every day. But that
wouldn’t last long.

“– We’ll now present the prize money to Satou-san!”

Sena continued. The rowdy guild became silent.

“Adventurer Satou Kazuma and party! Not only did you defeat the
Mobile Fortress Destroyer, you even took down the Demon King’s
army boss, Vanir. In merit of your accomplishments–!”

Sena had a gentle expression; her stern and cold face during the
trial was nowhere to be found.

“After deducting your debts and compensation for the landlord’s

mansion…”

Sena gave me a piece of paper.

“I present to you 40 million Eris as reward!”

She then passed a heavy bag to me.

The moment I took the bag, loud cheers erupted inside the guild.

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The adventurers showered me with well wishes and asked me to
treat them.

Before we knew it, the entire guild was in a festive mood.

Leaving that place to the goddess of parties Aqua and Megumin,

and left the guild together with Darkness.

– The debts had been cleared.

That might be so, but Darkness and I weren’t that happy.

… We had somewhere we had to go.

We had to inform someone of the news that Vanir had been

defeated.

Vanir said before that he was visiting a friend in this city.

This friend had the special skill of becoming more impoverished

the harder she worked…

This impoverished shop owner must’ve been Wiz who was a

Demon King’s General just like him.

Which meant we killed Wiz’s friend.

He was targeting Aqua, and, being adventurers,it was only natural

for us to defeat him. That said, it still didn’t sit well with us.

We came to a corner of a deserted alley.

The sign of ‘Wiz’s Magic Item Shop’ was displayed right before us.

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“Kazuma, let me tell Wiz about this. It wasn’t for long, but we
shared a body and wrecked havoc together. I can’t accept the way
he liked to toy with humans, but I don’t think he had a bad
nature… I don’t know why he hated Aqua that much… Anyway, it
might not be appropriate for a Crusader who serves the Goddess
Eris to say this but–I didn’t really hate him.”

Darkness said as she looked into the distance.

She said, ‘wreaked havoc together’.

So, she did have fun that time.

But now that it has come to this–

We opened the door and entered the shop.

“Welcome!”

After hearing Wiz’s calm greeting, I painfully imagined what kind

of expression she would make after this.

– I discovered a new employee wearing an apron in the shop.

He was tall.

His mouth was opened wide and he looked kind–!

“Hehehe… Welcome! The girl who gave an embarrassing

monologue while looking into the distance in front of the door, I
want to tell you something too. I don’t hate you, but devils like
moi have no gender, so I can’t accept your embarrassing
confession… Oh, my, that’s an intense swell of dark emotion! It’s
delicious indeed. Hmm, why are you curled up in a ball? Did you
really think you defeated moi? Hahaha!”

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The masked shop employee stood confidently before us.

I patted the shoulder of Darkness who was hugging her legs and
burying her face in her knees.

Wiz then came out from behind the counter.

“Oh, welcome, Kazuma-san! I heard your false accusation was

cleared after you defeated Vanir-san! Congratulations! All that’s
left are your debts, right? But no problem, Vanir-san is very
proficient in making money…!”

I raised a hand to cut off Wiz who was chattering happily.

“I did clear my name–but what’s with this guy? How can he be

doing so well after taking a blast of explosion magic? Isn’t his
existence itself a cheat? He’s not hurt at all!”

Vanir looked surprised.

“What are you saying? Even moi didn’t make it out unscathed
after taking such a grand attack. Look closely at this mask.”

He pointed to the forehead of his mask.

Looking at it carefully, a ‘II’ was written on it.

“Because of the explosion spell, I lost a life. I’m Vanir MK II now.”

“Are you picking a fight?”

I was enraged. Wiz rushed over to stop us.

284
285
““Vanir-san was already planning on resigning from the post of
Demon King’s General. Coincidentally, he was ‘defeated’, giving him
a new lease of life. Vanir-san is no longer maintaining the Demon
King’s castle barrier; he’s a harmless existence now.”

Wiz smiled happily, she was very pleased to see her old friend.

Is… Is he truly harmless now…?

Would it be safer to summon Aqua over and destroy it once more?

As I thought about that-

“Boy who came from a faraway place, the one who’s weak and yet
wants to defeat the Demon King. This devil that can see through all
things prophesize that soon, you and this whimpering girl will face
your greatest crisis ever. The crisis will be so grave that you will
regret your own helplessness. You will prosper in the field of
business… Art you interested in listening to moi proposal?”

Vanir declared dramatically as the corner of his lips opened in a

smile–

286
 Explosion Is Art
Short Story
TL: Cannongerbil
Editor: Ulti, Xenthur

–Klein Gilbert

This man is an extremely talented artist. It’s said that there’s not a
single person in the artistic community who has not heard of his
name.

He’s originally the third son of a impoverished noble family, but he

has single handedly restored the glory and finances of his house
with his artistic genius. Right now he can be considered to be an
influential aristocrat in this country, as well as being a famous
celebrity.

“I’ll gladly accept your request!”

“Oh, thank you very much, Megumin-san!”

And that man has been talking animatedly with Megumin for the
past few minutes.

— Megumin was summoned by the guild.

I originally thought she ended up causing some kind of trouble

again and went with her to apologize, but it turned out that this
famous noble Gilbert had a special request for her.

And that request is…

“Explosion is art! I didn’t think the day would come when I’d be able
to see Explosion, a spell far superior to Blast or Detonation, with my
own eyes!”

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“You’re right! You’re absolutely right, sensei! Explosion is art! Blast?
Detonation? No, only Explosion can be said to be true art! Very well,
I’ll let Klein-sensei witness the splendour of my greatest magic!”

… Well, you get the idea.

I’ve heard that artists are a quirky bunch, but I didn’t expect him to
be so compatible with the maniac in my party.

This explosion-obsessed artist traveled all the way to Axel from the
capital after hearing that Megumin could use Explosion.

The two of them have been excitedly chatting about stuff I couldn’t
comprehend ever since they met.

I want to go home.

I really want to go home, but for some reason I get the feeling that
it’d be very dangerous to leave the two of them unsupervised.

“Kazuma, what are you waiting for? Let’s go! I’m feeling really great
today. I’ll definitely be able to unleash the best Explosion ever like
this!”

“How wonderful! I’m looking forward to your performance,

Megumin-san!”

Megumin dragged on my shirt and brought me outside the guild.

…I’m getting a really bad feeling about this.

“– There really is a clear difference between the work of Klein-sensei

and the other painters. In particular, the ‘Exploding man amongst
the glittering sunset’ is truly marvelous.”

288
What do you mean by exploding man?

I don’t really want to see such a sight, though I’m a little curious as
to what kind of painting would have such a title.

289
290
Hearing Megumin excitedly sing his praises as they walked down
the streets, Gilbert cordially said,

“There’s no need to address me as Klein-sensei. Just Gilbert will do,

Megumin-san.”

Come to think of it, he didn’t ask any questions or even waver at all
upon hearing Megumin’s name during her introduction.

In fact, he even said it’s a wonderful name bursting with personality

and originality.

Seems like artists really do see the world differently from regular
people.

“Anyway, Gilbert-san, you said you wanted to see Megumin’s

Explosion, right? Where are we headed?”

“Address me as Klein-sensei, Kazuma-san. Ah, here we are. That’s

it. I would like you to use your explosion magic on that.”

… What’s with this difference in treatment between me and

Megumin? I really want to slap him in the face.

I looked over to where Gilbert was pointing…

“… Isn’t that the Eris Church building?”

Hearing my question, Gilbert nodded contentedly.

“Indeed, it’s the church of the detestable Eris Church. I’m a devoted
follower of the Axis Cult, you see. The destruction of a church of Eris
through Explosion shall definitely create a wonderful sight full of
artistic merit…”

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“Very well, stand back.”

“Don’t do that! Stop chanting in the middle of the town! Hey, don’t
think you can do anything just because you are a famous noble!
Blowing up a church is no laughing matter!”

After getting restrained by me, Megumin and Gilbert shot me

disappointed looks.

“Okay, fine, how about changing the target to that run down magic
item shop that looks like it’d run out of business any day now?”

“I know the person who runs that shop, but alright, let’s go with
that.”

“I told you not to start chanting in the middle of town! That shop
looks to be run down, but it’s still in business! It just doesn’t get that
many customers! The store owner is still working hard every day!”

This scene played out over and over again as they walked down the
streets, the two of them suggesting using everything they see as a
target and me having to repeatedly stop them.

Dammit, this is really grating on my nerves. I should just forget

about those two and go home.

… No, if I do that, I’ll definitely end up having to clean up after

them.

Noble or no, I should just abandon him in the outskirts and run.

Just when I thought of such a solution-

292
“I told you right from the start, there’s no way we’ll be able to
complete it in such a short time!”

I heard a familiar voice.

This is the voice of the foreman whom Aqua and I worked under
back when we first came to this world.

The foreman seems to be involved in a dispute with an opulently

dressed man.

“I don’t care, finish dismantling it by today! I won’t pay unless it’s

done by the end of the day! Or what, do you think you’ll be able to
get another job in this down after going against a noble? If you
understand, then hurry up and get to work!”

The opulently dressed man gave such an unreasonable ultimatum to

the foreman.

“First Klein-san and now that man… Are all nobles like this?”

I muttered with a sigh, and Gilbert disdainfully refuted,

“Please, call me Klein-sensei. And that man is an embarrassment to

the nobility! Don’t lump him together with me! He’s probably an
upstart who bought his title with money. I’ve never seen his face
before.”

I suspiciously looked him, trying to decide if he’s trying to be

humble or bragging about his own superiority.

Just then, Gilbert exclaimed.

“Inspiration has struck me, Megumin-san! I’ve decided on the best

situation to bring out the splendour of Explosion!”

293
“Oh, I’m all ears, sensei! Let me show you the ultimate Explosion!”

Hearing Megumin’s words, Gilbert pointed at the noble and said,

“… That upstart seems to want his mansion torn down by today.

Blowing up his extravagant mansion right in front of that upstart…
What do you think? Isn’t it overflowing with artistic merit?”

“Indeed! I too feel that it’d be worth a lot of points!”

My attention having been drawn away by the argument of the

foreman, I was too late in stopping Megumin from chanting.

“Hey, wait-”

“Alright, Megumin-san, please show me the pinnacle of art! Don’t

worry, I’ll take responsibility for this. I’ll handle the damage to the
surroundings, so go ahead and unleash your full power!”

“Very well, sensei! Explosion~!”

—An explosive flower bloomed above the town—

Not only was the mansion blown to pieces, but the windows of the
surrounding buildings were also shattered by the shockwave.
Having been bowled over by that same shockwave, I clambered to
my feet and observed my surroundings.

“Look at this! Look at this sight, Megumin-san! Look at the face of

that upstart with his eyes rolled into his head! What a blast! This
truly is art! I’ll have a decade of inspiration from this! Yes, this is
what true art is!”

294
I spotted the foreman and the upstart noble lying unconscious in
the distance.

“Yes, this is art! This is what true art is, Sensei! Hahahahaha!”

— I’ve decided.

Clenching my fists, I walked towards the two who were laughing

heartily while lying motionless on the ground-

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eBook Compiler: This was not compiled with permission from the
translator. I do not take ownership of the original writing nor of
the translation. Do not post any of these eBooks online if they are
shared with you. I will remain anonymous.

Thank you for respecting my wishes,

Anon

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