A Dragon's Curse Upon This Illogical World! Chapter 7

Sorry for the long wait. Between my low motivation, struggling with recent negative feedback, and a new game coming out, I also got sick. Twice.

I did not have a good time during this year's February :(

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Edited by: Marethyu

It has been a few days since Verdia ‘visited’ Axel, and thankfully, it seems that Megumin hadn’t bothered him anymore. Rather, I think Kazuma has her on a leash. Her claim of Crimson Demons dying if they don’t cast an explosion spell once a day may not be true, but it might actually apply to her seeing how obsessed she is.

It’s honestly impressive and a little concerning. I get finding such grandiose spells ‘awesome,’ but she should be smart enough to understand the consequences of using a powerful and destructive attack daily. At least, that’s what I expect from someone with her age and intelligence stat.

So, she’s either ignorant and never appropriately educated, or she doesn’t care. Frankly, it’s probably both. I don’t know what caused her to turn out this way, but I blame her parents. Failing a brilliantly talented girl like her this badly should get them both locked up. I get that dealing with rowdy children is never easy, but that’s no excuse.

If she doesn’t have parents, then that explains a lot.

Regardless, these few days were relatively quiet compared to what I had to go through prior to Verdia showing up, so the presence of the bad omen already went away. So I’ve been feeling good, thankfully. Things have been going my way, finally.

First, my financial situation improved, and I’ve been leveling up relatively quickly. Granted, I did hit a wall at level 38, but that’s pretty good, all things considered. I’ve also saved up a lot of points to use on new skills and upgrading what I already have.

Also, I’ve scouted out the castle in which Verdia took residence. Surrounded by a thick forest and guarded by about two hundred undead warriors on the outside. Not as many soldiers as you’d expect a Demon Lord General to have with him. Maybe the rest of his army is stationed somewhere else.

He seems like a very easy target. I am confident in my skill at stealth and info-gathering, but there’s not much security. And no, a couple of low-level skeletons and zombies won’t cut it. Even a level 1 rogue could’ve done what I did.

The castle itself looked like it was in ruins, no doubt Megumin’s doing after casting explosion spells. I’m glad that Kazuma managed to prevent her from making a huge mistake, provoking someone she had no way of defeating.

However, the castle did seem a little more worn out than I thought. Is he not investing time to fix the damages? Is he a moron? Everyone knows where he is— fortifying his base should be a priority, especially after what Megumin did. Yes, beginner adventurers aren’t anything special, but he’s in human territory where most of his backup is somewhere else.

If Verdia isn’t an incompetent general, then he should know that Belzerg would be sending their best knights and top-tier adventurers to handle him very soon. Is he maybe overconfident? But what for? He didn’t feel strong enough to warrant such arrogance.

If anything, he felt too weak to be a demon army general. At my current level, I’m confident enough to take him on. Of course, this is assuming he doesn’t have an annoying boss gimmick. If he does have one, then oh well. I’ve dealt with worse. Nothing a well-prepared ambush can’t handle.

But my raid on his castle will have to wait for now. I’m biding my time and gathering as much information on him as I can, after all. In the meantime, however…

“So you wish to buy the mansion?” The elder noble hums as he rubs his chin, reading over the contract I gave him.

Sitting on the couch opposite me in a reserved meeting room on the adventurer guild’s second floor was the mansion's current owner: Mr. Estroid, the previous owner's brother and the harmless poltergeist's uncle.

With the place being practically abandoned, I thought I’d take it off his hand. Not only is the building itself large, but it also has a decently sized yard and cellar. Both of which have enough space to start constructing enough machines for general power and basic production of what I want to sell.

And as I live alone, I can simply refurnish the other rooms for even more machines, basically turning the mansion into a factory. I don’t need to waste rooms for maids, butlers, or anyone else when I can just build robots to do such menial tasks. It’s also cost-efficient.

So, after saving up a little more money, I asked Luna if she could arrange a meeting between me and Mr. Estroid. Thankfully, at the mention of the mansion that he had no use for besides selling, he seemed interested enough and showed up to hear what I had to say.

And my offer to him is relatively simple.

“Correct,” I confirm. “In one of my quests, I was told to clear out the slimes investing the sewer system, and it doesn’t take an expert to notice that there’s no one maintaining the estate.”

“I suppose…” He says. “No one in this beginner town would be able to afford it, and most adventurers leave as soon as they’re able to. Having someone care for a mansion in Axel would be like burning my money.”

“And seeing that the property is of no priority to you, I thought I’d take it off your hands,” I add. “Naturally, as I’m still a beginner adventurer, I can’t quite pay you the full price.”

“Which is why you hope to make monthly payments instead.” He nods. “It’s still a steep price, Ms. Carmine. 50,000 Eris isn’t easy to come by for you Axel Adventurers.”

“As a matter of fact—” I take a fat pouch of one hundred gold coins, each valued at a thousand Eris. “I’ve saved up enough for two months.”

“Oh,” His eyes widen in surprise. “Impressive work. I can’t imagine this was easy.”

On the contrary, I did it in a day. The time-consuming part of these quests is almost always traversing the region rather than killing whatever I’m supposed to kill, which my wind magic trivializes. A journey taking five hours is reduced to a ten-minute errand. Flight is a very convenient ability.

Paying off the mansion won’t be that difficult of a task. Its full price is 1.2 million, meaning I’d need two years. And thankfully, ‘interest’ doesn’t exist here. Not yet, anyway.

“But if you’re this wealthy for a beginner adventurer, tell me why I shouldn’t simply rent you the mansion?” He questions. “Let’s say, at half what you’re paying me monthly, I would benefit more in the long-term, wouldn’t I?”

“Perhaps. That’s dependent on a few other factors.” I nod. “For this proposition to be a worthy investment, you’d have to assume that I would live in the mansion for longer than four years. And four years is a long time, Ms. Estroid. By my third year, I could already be working in the Royal Capital.”

The nobleman hums thoughtfully before nodding in agreement. I don’t blame him for suggesting that idea— he’s a businessman.

“Second, if you were to rent out the mansion, you’d still be its rightful owner,” I add. “Meaning it’d be your responsibility as a landlord to take care of and maintain the building. With a mansion that large, the expenses will be rather high.”

And because it’s a single person ‘renting’ the place, getting a cut from me wouldn’t help one bit. Unless, of course, he raises the prices. By, say, 75,000 Eris a month. Which is a very terrible deal considering my earlier point.

Besides, hoping for others to start renting other rooms would be pointless. The mansion is in Axel, where adventurers start. The beginner town. Nobody has the money to afford a place like this. Other than me, of course.

Diligence is a skill, not a virtue.

“The moment you sign the contract and accept the payment for the first two months, the responsibility falls on my shoulders, as I’d co-own the mansion.” I point out. “This offer is mutually beneficial. I’d even say it’s the best for both of us. I’ll take care of everything with my own money while paying you until full ownership transfers to me.”

Realistically, taking care of the place wouldn’t even be that hard for me. With my magic, general skills, and experience as an engineer, the maintenance fees would be minimized to nothing because I would maintain the building myself. I wouldn’t have to pay anyone to do it for me.

And once I have the resources and time, I’ll make it self-sustainable. Either via worker bots or by upgrading the mansion and turning it into a giant robot itself. Whatever suits my fancy at the time, really.

“I suppose I can’t argue with that. You’ve made your points very well.” He says with an approving smile. “You’re a shrewd woman, Ms. Carmine. Have you considered joining the Merchant Guild instead? Someone of your caliber would climb up the ranks very quickly, I’d reckon.”

I don’t think I’ve done anything special. If anything, as much as I hate to admit it, Crimson would’ve somehow gotten a better deal. For a lazy clown, he’s always been exemplary regarding these things.

“That’s rather flattering, Mr. Estroid,” I respond politely. “But I’m an adventurer at heart. Perhaps another day.”

“It’s your choice.” He hums, taking his pen and signing the contract. “Well, seeing that I have no reason to refuse, the mansion is yours.”

“Thank you very much. You won’t regret that decision.”

“I’m sure I won’t. A cunning and hardworking young lady such as yourself would surely be a better owner than me. Or my late brother.” He waves it off. “To be honest with you, it feels like a weight lifting off my shoulders. I’ve been thinking about what I can do about the mansion for a while now. Not having that burden distracting me anymore feels a little liberating.”

That’s a little over the top, but sure, I guess. I mean, if I was in his position, I’d turn the mansion into a new business. Marketing something cheap and aimed at beginner adventurers. Perhaps magical items or even a small restaurant.

Speaking of, I think I deserve a nice breakfast after a successful business transaction. Now, Crimson has no right to make fun of me for being homeless. My house is bigger than his. I am superior.

…is what I would say to him if he cared. To him, this isn’t a competition. If anything, he had probably forgotten all about it. So I’ll just settle for treating myself.

“I shall be on my way now, Ms. Carmine.” The nobleman stands up, offering me a hand. “Pleasure doing business with you.”

“Likewise.” I shake his hand.

As he finally leaves the room, I stretch my arms with a satisfied groan. I go downstairs and take a seat alone in the corner, ordering my food as soon as the waitress approaches me. Finally. Breakfast time.

As I wait for my food, I catch something from the corner of my eye— Kazuma and the three girls taking another table and discussing something between themselves. I watch them for a few seconds before grimacing as Kazuma makes eye contact with me, nearly prompting me to make a quick escape from the guild.

But as I devised a plan to run away and avoid them, he’d already sat right in front of me. And there goes my good mood…

“Yo.” He greets me casually.

“Hi,” I respond curtly, making him wince. “What do you want?”

Frustratingly enough, this cold response doesn’t deter him.

“Ah, well, nothing much. See, the girls and I were talking about a sweet quest we found.” He explained, putting down a piece of paper in front of me. “And we thought maybe you’d like to join us.”

I read the poster: An unclean lake infested with Brutal Alligators that needs to be purified. It’s a three-star-quest. Sounds… relatively simple. And the pay is alright.

“And cut our share even more?!” Aqua complains. “No way! You’re out of your mind—!”

“Shut the fuck up!” Kazuma yells at her, making her flinch. “You’re still getting the biggest cut anyway! Stop complaining!”

“But—”

“Quiet!” He shuts her down before turning toward me. “Easy quest. Most of it will just be chilling until Aqua’s done purifying the lake. Occasionally helping out in case she gets attacked by Brutal Alligators. What do you say?”

“I haven’t even checked the board yet,” I respond.

“Yeah, well, there’s nothing there. At least, nothing worth your time.” He shrugs. “You already finished pretty much all high-paying jobs in Axel. You’ll have to give it some time before more show up.”

That’s… a fair point, I suppose. There weren’t a lot of quests yesterday besides that one that had me stopping a turf war between a Manticore and a Griffin, which I did by killing both of them—a lot more convenient that way.

Then again, I wasn’t planning to go on quests today. I’m supposed to spend most of my time planning an attack on Verdia’s castle and checking to see what needs fixing in the mansion. I’ve saved up enough Eris to lay off adventuring for a few days.

…Oh, why not? I am in a good mood, and I guess the mansion can wait a few hours. 

A little more money wouldn’t hurt.

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I take it back. I should not have come here.

“Purification! Purification! Purification! Puri—Eeeek?!” The proud goddess of water squeaks as several more Brutal Alligators rattle her cage. “Help me! Help me! Carmine!”

Sitting on the edge of the iron cage Kazuma rented, I sigh and look down at the alligators, trying so hard to get through while also striving to make me fall toward them. With a wave of my hand, I cast a powerful gust of wind that carries them outside the lake before I hit them with a lightning bolt that cooks them from the inside.

They’re barely worth any EXP…

“They’re gonna eat me! Help—”

“Can you stop crying each time they show up?” I tell her. “You’re safe in there. They’re not gonna get you. Besides, they’re already dead.”

“But–!”

“You’re in a cage they can’t get through.” I cut her off. “And I’m up here making sure of that. What more safety measures do you need?”

She’s been doing this for the past three hours, and it’s starting to get on my nerves. I understand being startled, considering this strange situation, but isn’t she a goddess? Can’t she show some level of composure?

All she does is whine. Even though we’ve already proven that the Brutal Alligators can’t bite through the cage. In the bestiary, it’s said that their jaws are strong enough to destroy iron, so at first, a part of me thought this iron cage wouldn’t be durable enough to handle them and keep the goddess inside safe.

But all I had to do was give it a temporary upgrade using my magic. While the upgrade remains active, it can’t be broken. In fact, the cage is still in excellent condition.

Even if they somehow managed to damage the cage, I’m literally sitting here. I can do what I just did and slay each one that gets too close. She’s in the safest position imaginable. Arguably safer than the rest of the party.

And yet, she just keeps complaining. It’s so annoying. How can a goddess be this cowardly?

“How are you doing up there?” Kazuma says as he approaches us, standing on the edge of the lake and chewing on a sandwich. “Having fun?”

I look down at the boy with my eyes narrowed. A part of me feels like he’s mocking me.

This whole plan was his idea, and although it seemed bizarre on paper, it was not so bad. This lake isn’t exactly small, and purifying one this large would take more than half a day, but because Aqua is a goddess, lowering her into the lake's shallows would speed up the process significantly as her essence leaks out into the water.

By all means, it’s a very efficient plan, and I found myself a little impressed by Kazuma’s suggestion. As deplorable as he is, he is pretty resourceful and relatively intelligent. That’s as much praise as I’m willing to give.

The plan still feels a little inhumane, but I’ve done worse if I’m being fair. And as unclean as the lake is, I wouldn’t mind taking a dip with Aqua to speed up the process, but it wouldn’t have helped. I can’t use holy magic.

And I suppose dragon gods aren’t exactly ‘pure.’

“This is a waste of time,” I respond with a sigh. “You did not need me for this quest. Why bother asking for my help? All you’re getting out of this is a lower pay.”

“Without you, I doubt the cage would’ve lasted this long. Even if it did, it’d be in poor condition. So less money overall.” He shrugs, making a good point. “Anyway, here. It’s lunch.”

He throws me a small paper bag, which I easily catch using my wind magic. I take a look at the meal: A simple sandwich. Not exactly the most filling lunch around, but I just ate anyway, so I’m not complaining.

“Thank you,” I say politely, admittedly feeling a little better after taking a bite. 

“The maso-crusader might not be useful on the frontlines, but at least she knows how to make decent food.” He snorts.

“Um, Kazuma?” Aqua mumbles as she eyes the unclean lake. “I don’t like this idea anymore—”

“You wanna get paid?” He asks sharply. “You want money?”

“Y-yes?”

“Then be quiet and do your job.”

Aqua doesn’t argue and keeps her mouth shut as she returns to purifying the lake. That’s a little mean…

“By the way, if you want to use the bathroom, then just tell us. We’ll reel you back in so you can go.” He points at the rope attached to the cage. “Or you can just do it where you are. If anything, it’ll probably help purify the lake faster.”

As gross as he is for bringing that up, it might actually be true.

“Archpriests don’t need to use the bathroom.” Aqua scowls at him, annoyed at his suggestion.

“Right. Anyway, I’m going back to take a nap.” He says after finishing his food, stretching his limbs with a satisfied groan. “Holler if you need anything.”

As Kazuma leaves to rejoin the other girls, I look down at Aqua to check up on her.

“Don’t worry. I promise I won’t look at you if you need to pee.” I tell her. “Though you probably should’ve gone to the bathroom before a quest.”

“I don’t need to pee!” She bemoans. “Goddesses don’t pee, alright?!”

Not wanting to tease her too much, I drop the subject and return to my sandwich. Once I finish my food, I lay on my back and sigh, arm over my face to shield my eyes from the sun. It’s just about to set. I reckon it’ll be dark once we return to the city. I feel as if I’ve barely done anything today. I hate being unproductive.

I had it easy when I didn’t need to make time for sleep. I can do so much more with those eight extra hours.

I look around the murky lake one more time, noticing the absence of monsters as I tune out Aqua’s whining. Either I’ve killed too many of them, or Aqua’s essence is finally making a difference. The water does seem clearer than when we first arrived. It’s doubtful that there won’t be any more alligator attacks in the last two hours, but I don’t think they’ll be as frequent.

And seeing that I have nothing to do right now…

“Maybe a power nap isn’t a bad idea,” I mumble.

“What?! No! No naps!” Hearing me, Aqua vehemently disagrees. “What if more of them show up?!”

“We’ve been over this.” I groan. “I could leave, and you’d still be safe. They’re not going to hurt you.”

“But what if they—”

“Aren’t you a goddess?” I cut her off with a question, sitting up and peeking at her.

“Yes?”

“Then act like it.” I scoff. “All you’ve ever done here is complain. And for what? Seriously, what kind of goddess is afraid of a bunch of alligators? Does your divinity mean nothing? Grow a spine.”

I immediately wince as I see Aqua’s shocked face looking up at me, quickly realizing how mean I must’ve sounded. I may have been a little annoyed since, to me, this is a huge waste of time, and I hate wasting time, but she doesn’t deserve this. It’s my fault for accepting Kazuma’s offer and joining them. Yes, her whining doesn’t help, but is it her fault?

I don’t think taking out my frustrations on her is fair.

Although that last bit is admittedly a slip-up and something I didn’t mean to say, something in Aqua’s head seems to have clicked. As I open my mouth to apologize for misspeaking because her concerns are a little valid, the fear disappears from her face as she suddenly smiles proudly.

“You’re right!” She says, her attitude doing a 180. “How dare these stupid lizards try to attack me in the middle of my work? Do they not know who they’re messing with?”

Instead of saying anything to that, I slowly close my mouth. Why did scolding her work?

“I’m the goddess Aqua!” She proclaims. “I’m above these repulsive creatures! If one were to show up right now, I’ll show it the full wrath of the gods!”

And with newfound enthusiasm, Aqua returns to purifying the lake; her previously trembling voice is now filled with confidence… until more alligators attack and rattle her cage. Almost as if they’ve answered her challenge.

“HIYEEE?!” She screams. “Help me! Carmine, they’re going to eat me!”

I really should’ve just stayed home.

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– Kazuma –

For the most part, nothing interesting happened for the rest of the quest. Aqua and Carmine took care of the lake and alligators while the rest used the free time to rest, read, or uselessly swing a sword around in the name of practice, knowing it would never help your unreasonably shit aim.

But Kazuma couldn’t complain. While yes, he, Megumin, and Darkness weren’t going to be paid that much, seeing their lack of involvement, he was okay with that. First of all, he lived almost every waking hour of his new life with Aqua anyway, and he could probably beg her for money if he was struggling. It wasn’t hard to trick someone like her.

Second, he needed the peace and quiet. For once, he wanted a quest where he did nothing and got paid for it. He got it, and he enjoyed every minute of it. It wasn’t every day a former shut-in like him got to nap under a tree shade in a nice open field. To top it all off, it wasn’t that cold today, even with winter rapidly approaching.

For once in this damned world, Kazuma had a good day—a miracle. Yes, it was at the risk of pissing off the lady that could tear his entire party limb from limb without moving from her spot, but it was honestly worth it. Really, at most, she only just showed a slight annoyance. There was still a chance to turn her over to his side. Maybe. Hopefully.

As for the useless goddess going nearly catatonic after what was probably the most traumatizing experience of her life? Eh. She was overreacting. She’d get better soon.

Now, if only she stopped with the singing…

“A used-up goddess is being transported along…~” She mumbled. “I’m sure they’re taking me to be sold…~”

With the group transporting the dumbass goddess back to the adventurer guild as well as Aqua’s singing and ‘attitude’, people were starting to give them odd looks. Really, how could you explain this scene properly? Without context, it looked like they were selling her into slavery or something. It had gotten to the point where even Megumin and Darkness were starting to feel the pressure.

Kazuma used to think that he didn’t care what other people thought about him, but ever since he met these fuck-ups, he knew better. Not a day went by without him wanting to die from the second-hand embarrassment caused by their hilarious antics. But this? This was worse. Even worse than the time he stole Chris’ panties. By accident. Which he didn’t flaunt afterward, by the way. Fake news.

This made him feel as if people were on the verge of calling the guards on him as they whispered to each other. And with Aqua being the way she was at the moment, it’d be hard to properly explain what happened and why she’s in a cage.

“Hey, Aqua?” He muttered quietly next to the cage. “Think maybe you can keep it down now? We’re in the city. People can hear you. They might get the wrong idea.”

Though, in all honesty, Carmine seemed to be having it the worst, as civilians seemed to focus on her specifically, possibly because of that one time when Kazuma deliberately humiliated himself in front of her. They didn’t look like they’d forgotten who she was.

“Hey, isn’t that girl…”

“Yeah, from that time she bullied some guy.”

“Wait, isn’t that him?”

“Naw, no way. He doesn’t look as pathetic.”

Kazuma took that as a compliment. It’s called growth, people.

As for Carmine? She looked like she was taking it pretty damn well. Granted, she did seem a little annoyed, but she was composed and didn’t let it bother her too much. Honestly, for someone who’s very powerful, she had great control over herself.

“No way, it’s that dominitrix again!”

“Who said that?!” Carmine snapped, scowling at the gossiping civilians with a red face. “Who called me a dominitrix?! Huh?!”

Fearing for his own safety at the sudden outburst — while also keeping in mind to never call her that — Kazuma addressed Aqua once again.

“Why are you even still there?” He whispered. “Get out before Carmine has an aneurysm. You’re drawing too much attention.”

“This cage is my sanctuary.” She muttered, hugging her knees. “The outside world is too dangerous. Too scary.”

“I don’t think she’s getting out any time soon, Kazuma.” Megumin quipped.

“Poor thing. We should leave her be.” Darkness said. “Until she calms down, at least. She’ll feel better soon.”

…Kazuma didn’t like how that reminded him of his old self.

As they continued to pull the cart for a few more minutes, Carmine still seething after being called a dominitrix for whatever reason, someone in the crowd began shouting at them.

“Goddess!” The stranger called. “Goddess, is that really you?!”

The mention of a goddess made the group stop and turn around, seeing a heavily armored man rushing toward them. Kazuma could quickly tell that whoever this guy was, he was wealthy from his armor alone. The breastplate alone could cost a fortune.

And the sword sheathed on his hip was unlike anything he’d seen. It wasn’t a regular sword for sure, and although Kazuma wasn’t a wizard, he could feel the power radiating off it. Some kind of cursed or enchanted weapon? An artifact?

However, none of that answered why this man was heading toward them. What could a wealthy and probably successful adventurer want with a group of beginners? He’d said goddess— did he mean Aqua?

Now that I think about it. Kazuma blinked. He kinda looks Asian, doesn’t he?

Before any of them could ask him what he wanted from them directly, the stranger put his hands on the cage bars and effortlessly bent them open, making Kazuma’s eyes widen in surprise. Oh, he was no ordinary guy, that was for sure.

The stranger, however, couldn’t do anything else before a powerful gust of wind sent him backward. A spell cast by Carmine, who looked both a little concerned and very irritated. She got in front of the cage and prepared another spell, this time a lightning element.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” She said with a cold tone. “Are you trying to pick a fight?”

“Are you?” The stranger glared.

Carmine looked at the cage to inspect its damage. Once kept in pristine condition by her temporary magic upgrades, two of its bars were bent too wide. Returning it in this state would not do them any favors.

She then sighed in frustration and pointed at the gap he made in the cage.

“You’re paying for this.” She said.

“What?!” The stranger’s eyes widened. “Are you mad?!”

“I’m generous. You damaged it; you’ll pay for it.” She argued. “It’s my right to demand compensation for what you did. Either that or you rot in a cell.”

“You’re locking up a goddess in the cage of yours!” He accused them. “How else am I supposed to react?!”

“Oh, you self-righteous son of— you don’t even know why she’s in there!” Carmine responded, getting a little heated. 

Honestly, Kazuma was kind of annoyed, too. Who the fuck did he think he was? 

“I see a woman in a cage, getting dragged off to who-knows-where!” He said with a scowl.

“Yes, and you know who also saw us? Every single civilian and guard we passed by. And they didn’t do anything to stop us.” Megumin quipped. 

“What right do you have to damage other people’s property out of pure assumptions?” Darkness assisted, looking equally displeased.

Not wanting to escalate the situation, Kazuma turned to Aqua.

“Oi, you know the guy, right?” He whispered, pointing at the stranger. “Tell him off or something.”

“Huh?” She blinked her dead-looking eyes.

“That asshole,” Kazuma explained. “He knows you’re a goddess. You sent him here or something?”

Aqua paused for a few moments, blinking a few times before life returned to her eyes as they widened.

“Oh, right! I’m a goddess!”

She fucking forgot? Kazuma wanted to strangle her.

Thankfully, the useless crybaby understood what she was supposed to do as she got out of the cage using the gap the rich asshole made, which caught everyone’s attention as they stopped fighting. With one hand on her hip, Aqua pointed at the stranger with a confident look.

“So, what business do you have with a goddess such as myself?”

There was a pause where nobody said anything until Aqua followed up with another question.

“Who are you?”

For some reason, the stranger looked shocked and hurt by that before indignantly introducing himself.

“It’s Mitsurugi Kyouya!” He said, pulling out his sword. “The one you blessed with the Cursed Sword Gram, and reincarnated into this world. The Hero who will defeat the Demon King.”

The silence afterward was loud.

“What?” Aqua blinked.

“What?” Kyouya also blinked.

This was becoming very painful to watch very quickly.

Seemingly, Carmine agreed with him as she got in front of Aqua and reminded him of what he did.

“Sorry to interrupt your wonderful reunion.” She rolled her eyes, pointing at the cage. “But you better pay up now and leave us alone. You can catch up with Aqua later at the guild building.”

Kyouya stared at Carmine for a little while, looking annoyed at her interruption before—

“Why should I?”

This guy is a fucking moron.

“What do you mean why should you?!” She snapped, rapidly losing her patience. “You broke it! You pay for it! That’s how it works!”

“All I did is free the goddess from this cage.” He huffs. “You haven’t even explained why she was in it to begin with.”

“Well—” Aqua tried to speak.

“No.” Carmine cut her off. “We don’t owe you anything. Not an explanation and not a single second of our time. On the contrary, you owe us like 300,000 Eris.”

“500,000 Eris, actually.” Kazuma lied, inflating the price of the cage.

“You heard him. 1,000,000 Eris.” Carmine added.

“You’re trying to scam me!” He accused them. “I heard you the first time— I’m not paying you a million.”

“Oh, so first you damage our property, then accuse us of being thieves?” Kazuma narrowed his eyes. “So much for being a hero.”

He really didn’t like this guy.

The kind of self-righteous prick who probably lived a carefree life free of worry. Having picked a cursed sword as a cheat item, then simply breezed through this world without an ounce of struggle. What did he know?

And with an ego so inflated, he would try to bully those he thought beneath him, impose his own rules onto others, and pretend to be the ultimate good guy. This fucker. No doubt he thought he was freeing Aqua from slavery or something batshit like that. But all he was doing was making himself look like an ass.

But Kazuma? Kazuma knew pain. His own pettiness got the better of him, and he chose this dumb bitch as his ‘item.’ One so useless that it didn’t fucking work half the time, and the other half, she’d fuck up their whole plan.

This guy should drop dead.

“T-that’s not what I—

“There’s seriously no end to your arrogance.” Darkness played along.

“But I—”

“Pay up, or I’m calling the guards,” Carmine said.

“You—”

“Can I blow him up? Can I blow him up?” Megumin asked.

“Enough!” Kyouya yelled. “Can anyone just please clear this misunderstanding first?! Ms. Aqua, why were you in the cage? Why are you in this world?”

“Oh.” Aqua blinked. “Well, when Kazuma died, he chose me to come with him.”

Kyouya’s eyes went wide as he turned to Kazuma.

“You WHAT?!”

“And we just completed a quest to purify a lake infested with Brutal Alligators.” She added before Kazuma could respond. “I was in the cage so the monsters couldn’t get me.”

“Are you out of your mind?!” He scowled, grabbing Kazuma by the collar.

The moment he touched Kazuma, another gust of wind pushed him backward— another warning shot from Carmine, who seemed increasingly pissed off by this fuckwad’s disrespect. Oh wow. Being protected by an unimaginably powerful wizard actually felt good.

“Touch my teammate again, and you’ll lose a hand.” She growled. “This is your last warning: Pay the debt you owe us.”

Kyouya’s eyes narrowed.

“No.” He refused. “Rather, how about we settle it with a duel?”

How heroic. Challenging the beginner party in Axel to a duel with his fully-maxed out gear and cheat item.

But he was gesturing at Carmine. Even though he was the leader of this quest, Kazuma found that to be a reasonable decision, really. She was the strongest, dressed the nicest, and was the first to confront him. Why would Kazuma fight?

Let him dig his own grave.

“A duel?”

“Yes.” He nodded. “If I win, you’ll hand the goddess over and forget this scam you call a debt.”

This motherfucker. Kazuma’s eye twitched.

“And if you win, I’ll grant you a request—”

“If I win, you’ll give us all your belongings,” Carmine said. “Sword and armor included.”

Kyouya hesitated for a moment, but then an overconfident smirk made its way onto his face.

“I agree.”

Absolute fucking moron.

“Hey, hey. I really don’t want to go with this creep.” Aqua whispered to Carmine and Kazuma.

“You’ll be fine,” Carmine replied, stepping forward.

As soon as Kyouya drew his blade, Carmine was already on the move, casting several lightning spells that he struggled to evade or block. Another wave of fire spells rained down on him from above, followed by water, ice, and earth.

But Kyouya only swung his blade once, extinguishing all of Carmine’s spells in an instant and making him more cocky than he already was before—

“Eh?” He blinked in confusion, just now noticing her fist inches away from his face.

Whatever maneuver he tried failed as a rock spike protruded from the ground, striking his hand and making him drop his sword as Carmine introduced her fist to his face, likely breaking his nose and knocking him out in a single blow.

Kyouya was sent sprawling over the floor, unmoving, leaving the crowd shocked and confused at what had just happened.

“Overreliance on his weapon, overconfidence, easily distracted, dreadful visual skills…” She listed off as she stared at his unconscious body. “It’s a miracle you even made it this far.”

She then turned to look at Kazuma and the rest of the group with a smile.

“Strip him of what he has.” She told him. “I think we deserve a feast.”

Yup. This pretty much confirmed it.

Kazuma either had this girl in his party, or he killed himself.