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“Did you say something?”
“Nothing! I-I’ll go get it! I’ll try every town in the area until I find it!” Serena gave them a smile, although her eyes were brimming with tears and the corners of her mouth were twitching.
“All’s well that ends well,” I said.
“How is this well?!” Serena snapped. She was going to be carted back to Arcanletia to repent everything she’d done to date and given an appropriate punishment. At the same time, she was going to be the lackey of the Axis Church, made to work like a dog, for as many years as she’d been a sinner.
I just prayed I was the only person she’d ever actually killed.
Everything was pretty much wrapped up, and I was just thinking about returning my focus to the Aqua situation when someone called: “Well, Master Kazuma. Shall we get going?”
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“Darkness, squeeze over a little more. You stick out in various places and take up a great deal of space. Couldn’t you make yourself a bit more compact?”
“I-it’s not as if I like being this endowed. I think you might be a little too compact, Megum— Ouch! Ow, ow, Megumin, stop pulling my hair…!”
As the two of them argued, we heard: “Ha! Ha! Ha! Now, now, small chests and muscly busty types are equally necessary to this world. You mustn’t fight; that’s the main thing. Although if you truly wish to settle the matter, I will happily referee. Just let me have a look, and I’ll deliver the final judgment!”
Zesta had volunteered to be our driver, since the only horses we had were the ones corrupted by the Axis believers.
“Listen, creep, no sexually harassing my friends. That’s my right and mine alone. I’ll kick your old ass outta this moving carriage without thinking twice.”
“If this idiocy continues, we’ll shove you both out of the carriage. Megumin, are you sure it’s safe to have this guy with us? He didn’t need to be the one to drive the horses, did he? Couldn’t one of the other Axis believers have done it?” Darkness kept looking uneasily at Zesta in the driver’s seat.
“I’m not sure I know what you mean,” Zesta said. “I boast the greatest strength of anyone in the Axis Church. There’s no one better to ensure your safety along the way. I shall see you safely to Lady Aqua.” He grinned, ignoring the dirty look Megumin gave him at the word greatest.
Incidentally, we were in one of those two-passenger carriages. I had begged for a passenger seat, but they’d turned me down, and I ended up squeezing into the driver’s bench with Zesta.
“Ah, the warmth of a young man. What a beautiful reward! Lady Aqua, you have my thanks!”
“I wish you would shut up. Hey, Megumin, Darkness. You sure you don’t want to trade places?”
“I—I certainly do not; I’m almost positive I would be sexually harassed.”
“Y-yeah, same. I’m used to being harassed by you, Kazuma, but with that guy, it’s a little…”
No dice, huh?
“If you’re ready, then. Shall we be off? My dear fellows, I leave the rest in your hands!”
One of the female believers smiled. “Yes, sir. And we pray that you will be of assistance to Lady Aqua on our behalf, Lord Zesta.”
“’Kay, see ya, Serena. I think it’ll be easiest if you just give up and go full Axis believer as soon as you can.”
“Shaddup and get lost, ya jinx!” Serena’s trembling voice was the last thing I heard behind me as Zesta cracked the reins and we set off for the Demon King’s castle…!