Chapter 14

1 It happened the day we set out for the neighboring country of Elroad. That was some time after returning to Axel after a bunch of stuff had happened. “So this is the Donnelly residence. I don’t know why they built it in the middle of nowhere, but it seems like a pretty nice place.” We’d come to the home of a noble family. The structure was built right in the middle of a forest near the town of Axel. I looked up at the manor, muttering. Darkness, who was all dressed up to meet the nobles, nodded gently. “The Donnellys have been involved in commerce for years. They may not be as prestigious, but they beat my family financially. I don’t like the girl who heads the family, though. Every time we meet at social events, her words are dripping with disdain for my house, calling us penniless plebs, even though she’s an upstart! Kazuma, there might be something more to this quest than meets the eye. Be careful, all right?” Darkness was, apparently, not overly fond of these nobles. Aqua, who’d also been forced to wear a dress, likewise raised her voice in anger. “I know about the Donnellys! When my pocket money ran out and I went to borrow from a lender they operate, they kicked me out, saying they don’t lend to Axis followers!” “You did that when I was gone? …Geez. As if Darkness trying to take my virginity by drugging me in Elroad wasn’t enough… You both need to learn from Megumin’s recent good behavior.” “?!” Megumin jumped in surprise at my words. “…Hey. Did you get up to something recently?” “No.” As Megumin’s flat, eye-averting denial convinced me she definitely had done something, Darkness said, “K-Kazuma… I’ll apologize for drugging you, so can you just forget about it and pretend like it never happened already…? I mean, we’re both embarrassed and ashamed, right? Yeah? I’ll, uh, buy you some nice wine when we get home, so…” “Hey, Kazuma, this family won’t do; let’s turn them down! Nothing good can come from a family that’s prejudiced against Axis followers!” Ignoring the nosier members of the group, I knocked on the mansion door… …A letter had arrived for me. It was a quest, addressed to the most famous adventurer in Axel. I understood why someone would want to depend on me after I’d made a legend of myself again over in Elroad. I was something of a busy man, however, training body and soul for the confrontation with the Demon King. Previously I had refused such requests, but this time it had come from a nobleman. I already had lots of connections, but as I had only just recently learned how wonderful power was, I decided that having new ones couldn’t be all that bad. With that in mind, I had accepted the quest, but… “Nice to meet you. I am Karen, the head of the Donnelly family.” It was a young redheaded girl, just a little older than I was, who came to greet us in the drawing room. Close to my height, she was a beauty, possessing the slender figure of a model. “You are Mr. Kazuma Satou, yes? Thank you very much for coming today to hear about my family’s requ—” The person calling herself Karen froze as she looked my way. No, it was as she looked at Megumin, who was hiding behind me. “…Excuse me, please wait one moment.” “C-certainly… I don’t mind, but…” I grabbed Megumin, who was still huddled at my back, by the scruff of her neck and went out to the hall for a moment. “What happened between you and that Karen chick? Out with it.” “What are you talking about? Nothing happened; I have never even met her before… All right, I will tell you, so don’t Drain Touch me! I won’t be able to cast today’s Explosion if you do!” Megumin had been acting suspiciously ever since we arrived at the mansion. She spoke while keeping an eye on my right hand as it came closer to her. “…Actually, my companions and I helped this family out when they were getting attacked by monsters before…” I had no clue why Megumin had been in the middle of a forest like this, but it didn’t really seem like she was hiding anything as she spoke. “Seriously, I thought you were gonna add on a bit about how you destroyed part of the mansion when you killed the monsters with Explosion, or that you obliterated their guards along with the monsters.” “No, nothing quite like that, but…” Megumin was still being a little evasive for some reason. “Shouldn’t you be more confident if you have nothing on your conscience? What, are you worried because you were killing monsters behind our backs? It does concern me, but from what I hear, your companions or whoever aren’t weak, right?” “Yes, a fairly strong grunt and a friendless Crimson Magic Clan member. There’s also an Axis Church priestess and a Thief.” It was a bit of an odd party composition, but the friendless Crimson Magic Clan member must’ve been Yunyun, and if she was with Megumin, there wasn’t much cause for concern. “No problem, then. Getting EXP is important, after all—I’ll even go with you when I have free time.” “All you ever have is free time. Well, since you’ve offered, I guess I will let you in, too. I am sure you will be surprised.” Megumin wasn’t really making sense, but at least it sounded like she was having fun. With Explosion Girl in tow, I opened the door to the drawing room once more, and… “Apologize! Apologize to me for kicking me out because you refuse to lend money to Axis followers!” “M-my apologies. I, er, do apologize for that worker…” Aqua was forcing an apology out of Karen, while Darkness hid her bright-red face with both hands. Honestly, I just wanted to leave right then and there. 2 “…You want us to eradicate monsters wandering in the mansion’s vicinity?” “Yes. With your skill as famed adventurers of this town, we feel assured in requesting this of your party, Mr. Satou…” After quieting the sulking Aqua with tea cakes, we were given the rundown. “Well, that’s true. It’s quite a high reward, though, isn’t it? Can I take that to mean you think highly of us?” “Mind trying to be a little humbler? Besides, I told you in the beginning, didn’t I? Be careful, since there might be more to this family’s request than meets the eye…,” Darkness whispered, elbowing my stomach as I listened to Karen with a straight face. Considering our accomplishments, our reputation up until now was undeserved—this was the right way to treat us. As for Karen, at my small display of confidence, she suddenly grasped my hand with both of hers. “Of course, Mr. Satou—I have heard such good things about you. With your various skills and wonderfully quick wit, they say you have made a fool of many of the Demon King’s generals. I have also heard that your companions are all advanced classes like Arch-priest and Arch-wizard…!” “Well, that’s true. If I hadn’t been here, who knows what would have happened to this town…?” Embarrassed though I was as Karen held my hand and looked up at me while she spoke, I did my best to seem even more self-assured. Appearing disgusted, Darkness said, “…Hey, I belong to Kazuma’s party, too.” The blond woman spoke bluntly and with a distant, angry stare. “Oh dear, I thought you had just come along in a cheeky attempt to keep me from taking this cordial gentleman away… I suppose the rumors that you were playing adventurer were true, Miss Dustiness. It must be very hard to be from a family with no money, and whose only saving grace is their social standing.” Karen laughed while she slipped her fingers out from mine. “Huh, that’s a funny thing to say. Just as I’d expect from an upstart noble, it looks like you have no manners or modesty. Unlike an obscure, irresponsible social climber who’d probably sell their body for money, my family is prominent enough to have what you’d call aristocratic obligations. I put my body on the line as a shield for the people.” Totally unlike when she was curled up and poking me with her elbow, Darkness straightened her back slowly and smiled, emanating an aura of refinement and dignity. …Uh, what? This is scary. “Oh, goodness me, just as I would expect from you, Miss Dustiness. It moves me to think you would live in such poverty as to reuse the same dress over and over at social events for the sake of these so-called obligations. If you do not mind my hand-me-downs, why not take a few of my dresses?” Karen said. There was no smile in her eyes. “Just as I would expect from a family who throws away dresses after one use, you’re generous both in belly and spirit. But don’t worry—it wasn’t that I didn’t have any money; I just liked wearing my mother’s old dress. Besides…” Darkness crossed her arms in front of her chest. “With one of your dresses…I don’t think my boobs would fit.” The blond adventurer’s mouth was twitching while she replied. She hadn’t even used a metaphor! Things suddenly felt really awkward. …What? This is seriously scary. I just wanted to go home. Pounding the table with a wham, Karen stood up suddenly. “Try saying that again, Dustiness—your body is the only thing you’ve got! All the gentlemen prefer slender women like me!!” “Huh, even occasionally attending social events, it seems like I get more looks from men than you. Is it just my imagination? It’s hard fixing a dress every time your boobs get bigger, you know. Is that not why you buy a new dress every time, too, Miss Donnelly?” Darkness stood up as well; she had her arms folded across her midsection to accentuate her bust. “Ahhh, they’re so, so heavy… If I didn’t have an adventurer’s muscles, I wouldn’t be able to support them, they’re so heavy.” “Y-you little!” Gnashing her teeth, Karen glared at Darkness, who made a show of furrowing her brow and appearing troubled. “You’re looking at these so jealously, Miss Donnelly, but there’s nothing good about them being big, you know? They’re so heavy, they make my shoulders ache, and I can only wear certain clothes. I have to get armor specially made, and they draw the eye of many gentlemen, just like… H-hey, I thought you were gonna look, but you don’t know how to hold back at all, do you…?” The blond woman backed up a bit as I stared hard at what she presented. “Ow! H-hey, what was that for? I wasn’t trying to provoke you, Megumin…! I’m sorry, so stop pulling my hair!” Seemingly a bit satisfied at seeing Megumin starting to pull Darkness’s hair from behind for some reason, Karen sighed.