Several more days passed.
“Are you feeling unwell, Aqua? Ever since we left Arcanletia, you’ve been sort of…”
Yunyun was talking to me as I stared into space, perched on the luggage rack of the swaying carriage. Incidentally, I guess this carriage belonged to Magic Sword Guy. Figures a cheater like him would have tons of money.
“How could I not be feeling well? Everything’s…you know…going really smoothly. In the past, when I’ve traveled with Kazuma and everyone else, our trips were always more…dramatic. Like, we survived every day by the skin of our teeth. I’m not saying that was a good thing, but this is just kind of…”
…boring.
Yeah, that was it. It was boring somehow.
Usually, Darkness would go charging into a horde of monsters, who would turn her into a punching bag, then Kazuma, on the verge of tears, would go to rescue her, before Megumin blew them all up with an explosion and I, noble as ever, used my healing magic to help the wounded with all due elegance.
Obviously, it was easier when a trip went according to plan, and that was nice. When we did encounter monsters, Magic Sword Guy usually took them down almost as soon as they showed up, and anything he couldn’t deal with instantly, Yunyun finished off with her magic. Even Magic Sword Guy’s two little friends looked bored without anything to do.
At that moment, though, I just went quiet. I could hardly tell Yunyun that it was all boring.
“Oh, by the way, what did you do when you stopped over in Arcanletia?” she asked. “Cecily said you went to the Axis church there…”
“Oh, that? Oh, that!”
✦ ✦ ✦
Things just kept going smoothly after that.
We went through a series of small villages that served as frontline bases against the Demon King’s forces. That led us to take a break in a tavern in one village that was practically a fortress, somewhere awfully close to the Demon King’s castle…
“Hey, why aren’t they here? It’s been days since I set out on my journey, but Kazuma hasn’t caught up with me.”
“Th-that’s true… Things have been going so smoothly for us, they probably haven’t been able to catch up… Mr. Mitsurugi, are you sure we shouldn’t wait even a little while for them?”
“We can’t. While we’re here, the Demon King’s invasion plans must be proceeding apace. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if the attack on Axel has already begun. I expect many casualties among the townspeople. We need to make sure there are no more victims in the future, and that means getting rid of the Demon King as soon as possible. Besides, that guy’s a piece of human garbage who’s already given up on going after you once, Lady Aqua. I keep telling you to let me handle the Demon King…!” Magic Sword Guy clenched his fist dramatically. We were on such different wavelengths at this point that I wasn’t even sure how to respond. This guy had completely bought into the being-a-fantasy-world-hero thing.
I couldn’t help wondering, though: Did Magic Sword Guy really hate Kazuma that much? Granted, he refused to work even when he needed money, had a terrible reputation around town, would gladly hit a woman, would get back at anyone who did anything to him, was so horny and yet so inept with women, so weak and yet willing to talk tough, immediately bowed down to anyone with a little authority, but also never hesitated to try to use his powerful connections…
“Hey, Yunyun, I’m stuck! I was going to try to stick up for Kazuma, but surprisingly, all I can think of are his bad qualities!”
“A-Aqua, you can’t say that out loud. Kazuma would cry if he heard you!”
Magic Sword Guy smiled thinly and got up from his seat. “You just rest here, Lady Aqua. I’m going to go talk to the villagers and try to find out more information about the way to the Demon King’s castle.” Then he left the bar. The two girls, who had been sitting at the table with us, scrambled after him.
………
“I know he’s got a lot of bad qualities, but…he’s got a few good ones, too. Like how even though everyone always causes problems for him and makes his life hard, in the end he always goes, Guess I’ve got no choice, and sorts things out. Somehow, Kazuma’s always the one we end up counting on.”
“I w-wish you’d have come up with that sooner,” Yunyun said.
This is so boring.
Our trip was going off without a hitch, with no trouble to speak of. Sure, there had been small problems in some of the villages along the way, but…really small ones. It’s true. Even when I put a cup of water on my head as if I was about to do one of my party tricks…
“A-Aqua, everyone’s staring at you! A woman shouldn’t make herself look so ridiculous!”
…Yunyun was the only one there to make a quip at me. When I’d done this in front of Magic Sword Guy, he’d just watched me with a smile and hadn’t said anything. A certain short-tempered someone would have come up with a cutting remark every time I did anything.
With the eyes of the entire bar on me, I flicked a little seed with my thumb, sending it flying into the cup on my head…