Chapter 34

3 When I finally got downstairs, I found Yunyun pacing back and forth like a bear in its cave. “What are you doing, Yunyun? I told you to go kill time somewhere.” “Megumin! Could I just walk away after leaving me with that foreboding speech? I was worried sick about you… Hold on, why does it look like you’ve been crying?!” I quickly wiped the corners of my eyes. “N-no reason! No reason at all!” “You’re practically a rock, Megumin, and something made you cry!! What was it?! And did you get our war chest?!” Yunyun had me by the collar, using both her hands, and was shaking violently. “I have ten million eris right here…” “What on earth did you do to get ten million eris?!” For some reason, Yunyun was crying now, too, not to mention shouting. I remembered what Cecily had said earlier: “Stop, please stop! That was just a little prank because I trust you so much, Megumin! I was so sure you would take care of everything, see?! And I thought I would tease you a little when it was all over… Ahhhh, stop, stop, you don’t have to be so mad!!” “…I don’t want to tell you.” “No! Megumin, you’ve been defiled!” Yunyun seemed to be under yet another strange misunderstanding, but I couldn’t muster the energy to explain; I just trudged out of the inn. “Listen, Megumin. What’s done is done. And we needed that money for a noble cause, to keep that demon from destroying our town. So whatever you did to get it, I won’t look down on you or be ashamed of you.” ………… “I know this has to be harder on you than it is on me. I mean, it reduced you of all people to tears… I can’t believe… I just can’t imagine… Sniff…” “Oh, will you give it a rest already?! You have the wildest imagination of anyone I’ve ever met!! I didn’t sell my body or something—I just said something a little bit embarrassing to somebody who has a soft spot for me, and then I let them hug me!” “You said something embarrassing, and then they hugged you?! Was that really all? I mean, as if that weren’t bad enough? Was that all it took to make you cry?” That made me think for a moment. “Well… Afterward, they were unexpectedly kind to me, and I found myself somewhat deceived… Frankly, it doesn’t put me in a good light, so I’d rather not share the details.” “I knew it!!” …Oh, forget it. “Anyway, I got the money, so what’s important is that we use it to wage war effectively. I have somewhere to go, so, Yunyun, you take this to the magical item shop. Buy everything that looks like it might be useful. And do anything else with it that you think will improve our odds in this fight. Oh…and buy a black cat plushie, if you would.” I handed her the pouch. “Huh?! B-but I have no idea what to do with all this money…!” I would just have to leave the rest to my poor, confused Yunyun. 4 “Please! When we get the bounty, I’ll give you all of it!” “Huh, I don’t care if you’re going to give us every cent you have; we’re talking about that demon, right?! It beat the magic-sword guy and Rex and his whole party—we don’t stand a chance!” I was back at the Adventurers Guild, speaking to the adventurers. “Oh! You there, uh… Well, I forget your name, but we were in a party together once! So you know how strong I am. You’ll go demon hunting with me, right?!” “You could at least remember a person’s name! A-and no, I think we’ll pass. And that’s because we’ve been in a party with you—we don’t want to get caught up in your spell…” “Y-yeah, that’s right. And if you miss, we would be completely helpless. That’s not a gamble I want to take.” C-crap… “Oh, you over there! Are you looking for an excellent wizard? I’m from the Crimson Magic Clan! I’m sure I can be of use to you. You need only—” “No way, no how, I’m not going after any demon! Our whole party is low-level and loving life. An Arch-wizard from the Crimson Magic Clan would completely throw off our balance.” I had decided to swallow my pride and beg everyone who would listen to join me, but my reputation already preceded me, and it wasn’t a good one. Between that and the rumors of the demon’s strength, no one was willing to take me up on my request. My plan had consisted of two main things: Yunyun would get some magical items that would help slow the demon down, while I recruited some muscle among the adventurers. If we could catch Host in a trap, maybe we could defeat him before he got his wits about him again—or if not, the adventurers could buy us enough time to get some distance and drop a decisive explosion on his head. I had been sure it would work somehow, but I had miscalculated. But then… “Ummm…” I heard a voice behind me, full of hesitation and anxiety. “You’re the one who’s always with that Yunyun girl, right? We aren’t much, but if we can help…” I turned around…! “Strength is immaterial if you’re willing to help me. I—You?! I am looking for adventurers, which neither of you is. This is much too dangerous for civilians. Scram! And stay away from Yunyun!!” I found myself confronted with the old drunkard and the cruiser, the ones who had been so eager to take advantage of Yunyun at every opportunity. As I was shooing them away, a buzz ran through the Guild. What could that be about? As casually as I could, I said to someone nearby, “Say, what’s happening?” “Hrm? Oh, I guess there are these awesome adventurers swearing they’re gonna defeat that demon or something. There are only two of ’em, but they went rushing out of the Guild like—Yikes! Wh-what’re you doing?!” I had the guy by the chest. “Who were they?! Describe them to me!” “O-one of them was, like, a Crusader, I guess? And the other one looked like a Thief… They were both saying stuff like, ‘We must defeat the demon!’ and ‘We’ll kill any demon that wanders through here!’ or something.” If I had gotten here just a moment sooner, I could have recruited them…! Then again, maybe they would surprise us all and actually defeat the demon. “But I wasn’t able to actually get anyone to help us. This is looking worse and worse…” 5 “How did it go for you? Find any useful-looking items?” “I went to every magical item shop in town and bought whatever the clerk said were their most powerful items. But…” She presented me with her collection, much of which looked distinctly familiar. “…These were all made in Crimson Magic Village.” “…Yeah, we’re sort of a household name these days.” I wasn’t thrilled to be paying top dollar for things we could have procured perfectly cheaply in our own hometown, but knowing their provenance, at least I was confident of their quality. “Where did you go, Megumin? You must have been doing something to get ready for the battle, right?” I couldn’t quite bring myself to look at Yunyun. “I thought I would find us some allies, but… Let’s just say I’m a little too well-known for my own good, and no one was biting…” “You did this to yourself! Nobody wants to help you, right? Now, what are we going to do? Wizards without front-row protection are sitting Duxions!” I picked up Chomusuke, who was curling around my feet as if trying to escape the reality of the situation. “Just who do you think I am? Yes, I am the greatest genius of the Crimson Magic Clan and wielder of Explosion! The moment that demon gets anywhere near us, he is the one who will be dead! In one hit! …Oh! Yunyun, look, you’ve done it! This is a scroll with a spell of concealment within it—with this, victory is ours!” “I bought it just in case, but I don’t know if it will really work, okay? We’re facing a high-level demon here; he might be able to see through light-bending magic before we can reach him…” She trailed off, but it was better than having no plan at all. I tucked the scroll carefully in my bag. “And here’s the black cat plushie you asked for. Not that I have any idea what you want to do with it…” I took the stuffed toy and silently tied it to Chomusuke. “Uh…” “If we leave it like this for a few minutes, this toy will acquire Chomusuke’s scent. We simply leave this on some unpopulated part of the plain, hide ourselves with the scroll, wait until that monster takes the bait, and then bam!” “Y-you really think it will be that easy? Come on—it’s not too late. We can still run away to some other town…” …To think that Yunyun, one of the most generous people I knew, had come to be able to say something this cut-and-dried in less than a year. Perhaps this girl really had grown up a bit when I wasn’t looking. Though I wasn’t sure I approved of the direction she had grown up in. I showed Yunyun my Chomusuke/plush-toy hybrid. “It will go well—you will see. You are not the only one who has found themselves attached to this stubborn fluff ball, Yunyun.” Besides… “Though it was never for long, this town is home to people I have adventured with now. This fur ball and I are the source of this problem. And we will be the end of it!” I spun on my heel to go back to the inn, but I heard Yunyun behind me, exasperated. “Gosh. You’re just as reckless and stubborn as ever.” I didn’t even look back as I said, “Oh, hush. You are just as timid now as you ever were, always sticking with the status quo.” I heard Yunyun swallow. And then… “…But I think I’ve become a lot more individualistic and matter-of-fact this year.” Did I really hear her say that, or was it just my imagination? 6 Back at the inn, I had my dinner and went back to my room, but then a thought struck me, and I ended up knocking on Cecily’s door. “Are you there?” “Mm? Megumin, my sweet? Come on in—it’s not locked.” I opened the door and found an exhausted Cecily slumped on the bed. “You look rather tired, don’t you? Did you go enjoy yourself somewhere after I left?” “Don’t be sassy. I was so inspired by your dedication, Megumin, that I actually went to work for once—you know how unusual that is?” Huh! “And may I ask exactly what sort of work you did?” “Well, I went to the Eris church…” “I’m sorry I asked.” More fool me. “Wait, hear me out! Your big sister really worked hard this time! I only know the simplest of healing magic, but I’m very confident in it! And so…” “No, don’t tell me any more. I know what happened: You waited for some poor injured person to drag themselves to the Eris church, then tried to horn in on the church’s business?” “Megumin, you’re the worst! I can’t believe…! I mean, I would never…… Huh. That’s not a bad idea, actually. I’ll have to make a note of it.” “Do it later. I came here to talk to you.” As Cecily assiduously made a note of my plan, I held out Chomusuke to her, now free from the plush toy. “I need you to look after this cat for a while.” “I can do that—but isn’t she sort of your mascot? The one who makes you even more adorable than you are? You really want to leave her with me?” “The word isn’t mascot—it’s familiar. And tomorrow is likely to be witness to a truly brutal battle, so for safety’s sake, I’m leaving her with you.” Then I put Chomusuke on the bed Cecily was lazing around in. Chomusuke sniffed a few times, perhaps curious about the scent of this stranger, and Cecily patted her on the head. “Well, then you can count on your big sister. I’ll even teach her a trick while she’s with me. What would you say to a fire-breathing cat?” “H-hey, don’t teach my cat weird tricks! Well anyway, miss.” “I keep telling you, call me Big Sis Cecily!” “W-well, C-Cecily, take care of my cat.” Cecily seemed to recognize that this was the best concession she was going to get out of me and appeared satisfied. As I left the room, she was already playing with Chomusuke. “Huh?! Megumin, what were you doing in there?!” As I left Cecily’s room, I ran into Yunyun, who was just heading off somewhere. “I have an acquaintance in this room,” I replied. “For that matter, where are you going at this hour?” Yunyun couldn’t quite bring herself to look at me—very suspicious. “W-well, look, I’m an adventurer just like you, and sometimes adventurers go down and check out the tavern at night, right?” “Yunyun, you’ve become a ne’er-do-well!” “No, I haven’t! I was just curious, okay?!” she replied hotly. “…Then I shall accompany you. Poor, gullible Yunyun, you will look as tasty to the patrons of that bar as a whole flock of Duxions would to me if I had been holding in my explosion all day long.” “I-I’ll be just fine without you, thank you very much! Come on—I was at the Guild bar all night just recently, and I was fine!” She really didn’t want me to come. “Okay, see you tomorrow!” she said, and then she rushed off into the night. 7 “…I can’t sleep.” My big battle was scheduled for tomorrow. Maybe it was the anxiety that was keeping me awake. Until just a year ago, I had been living a peaceful life as a student in Crimson Magic Village—how in the world was it that I now found myself preparing to fight a high-level demon? When I thought about it, I realized how full of adventure this past year had really been. The Dark God had been unsealed, and just when I thought its servant had been vanquished, I had to battle Arnes, a powerful demon. And now, in order to protect my new home of Axel, I would have to take on the demon Host. In my entire adventuring life to come, I was sure I would never encounter anything like this again. Most adventurers took on surprisingly ordinary quests to earn their daily bread. I couldn’t find any party unusual enough to accept me, so I didn’t know what would become of me even if I did manage to survive the battle with Host… There in the dark, I buried my head in the blankets. This would never do, letting my thoughts get as dark as the night around me. I was just apprehensive about the next day, that was all. I lay there, and eventually I had the sense that it was getting brighter outside the window. Somehow, I suddenly found myself wide-awake. I couldn’t shake the sense that I was forgetting something important… What could it be? Something very, very important to me—Wait! Ahhh! I had forgotten my daily explosion! No wonder I couldn’t sleep, I thought, and I was just about to get up when: “Unlock.” I heard a whisper from outside my door and then the click of the lock opening. What kind of pervert could be trying to pick the lock to my room at this time of night? The image of Cecily flashed through my mind as I turned over, back to the door, pretending to be asleep. My fists were clenched so I could attack the intruder at any time. At length, the door eased open. “Megumin, are you asleep…?” I relaxed my fists when I recognized the voice. The intruder was Yunyun. Still, what was she doing sneaking around? I could have just told her that I was awake—but for some reason, I decided to continue pretending to be asleep. “…Megumin, you’re really something. The way you refuse to run away even in the face of that demon. If I was in your place, I’m sure I’d be awake all night worrying.” I shouldn’t have pretended to be asleep. I could hardly get up now that I’d heard her say that… As I was privately regretting my choices, Yunyun went on whispering, as if to herself. “Honestly? When you decided to learn Explosion, I wondered how the smartest girl in class could be so dumb.” I had a sudden urge to jump out of bed and tackle her. “And then there was the way you helped that Axis guy in Arcanletia with that ridiculous proselytizing… I mean, come on…” Yunyun seemed to run out of steam for a moment… Seeing as she was no more innocent than I was in that regard, I thought she should be more careful about bringing it up. “But…” My back was to Yunyun, so I couldn’t see her expression at that moment. “But with Explosion, that one, gimmicky spell, you got rid of the servants of the Dark God; you got rid of Arnes. And now you’re going to take on that demon. Megumin…” I couldn’t see her face, but I was sure— “Megumin, right at this moment, I think you’re the coolest, most incredible person I know.” I had no doubt her face was beet red. Probably almost as much as mine. If I was to sit up now, Yunyun would be completely traumatized to realize I’d heard everything she said. But after she had been so honest with me, for once, to be left unable to respond at all… “I’m sure you already know what’s going to happen, Megumin. I’m sure you realize that even if you make yourself invisible with magic, the buildup of MP when you use Explosion will give away your position.” …I could hardly admit at this point that I hadn’t thought that far. I shifted uncomfortably, embarrassed, but Yunyun’s tone suddenly changed. “So I… I’m going to borrow this. So that I can keep being your rival, Megumin, awesome as you are.” She sounded so serious. Then I thought I sensed her picking something up. After everything she had said, I didn’t need to look to have a pretty good idea what it was. It must have been the plush toy, the one with Chomusuke’s scent on it that I was going to use to draw out Host. She wanted to do it first, to be the one to stop him. But Yunyun didn’t have the decisive firepower necessary to do the job. She would never manage it alone. “I was at the Guild tavern until just a few minutes ago, and I… For the first time, I was finally able to ask someone myself if I could join their party.” …… “It was Rex and his group. You know, one of the top parties in Axel. I said I wanted revenge on that demon, and they took me up on it immediately.” They did?