Chapter 37

My name is Megumin. Greatest genius of the Crimson Magic Clan and wielder of Explosion. Also, destroyer of the servants of the Dark God and vanquisher of two high-level demons. “We have room for three more frontline fighters here!” “Any Priests around? We’ve got a nice, easy goblin hunt! We need one more person!” And here I was… “S-sooo hungry…” …starving practically to death. It was another day at the Adventurers Guild. Another day of making a flyer looking for a new party and then sitting in the corner. How had it come to this? I had given the bounty I’d earned to Rex and his party, but surely the other adventurers were at least aware that I had defeated Host. So why wouldn’t anyone bring me into their fold? When Yunyun left on her journey, I’d given her the remainder of our “war chest” for fighting Host as a going-away present in a foolhardy attempt to look cool. No, that wasn’t true. It was because I had been so certain that I, slayer of the demon, would soon be buried in invitations to join every party around. Money, I had assumed, would not be a problem. And yet, here we were. “Yo, whatcha doing here? Still no party?” I heard someone over my head where I was slumped on the table. I didn’t have to look up to know who it was. Rex. “What is this? Are your injuries healed already? And you felt the most important thing to do after that was to come and mock me? Have you sought me out for a fight? My stomach is empty, meaning my temper is volatile, and I will be more than happy to accept any fight you wish to pick. Crimson Magic Clan members never back down.” “N-no, that’s not why I’m here! Why would I ever pick a fight with you? G-geez, lay off—I didn’t mean it that way!” I hadn’t even looked up from the table, but I had Rex pretty shaken up. “…Hey, this is just a thought. But if you don’t have a group to join, why not be part of my party?” He was trying to sound casual, like he was asking me out to dinner… My head snapped up, and I grabbed Rex’s belt. “What did you just say?!” “Yikes! I just asked if you wanted to join my party. We’re making quite a name for ourselves around here. I think we could find a place for you and your awesome magic, y’feel me?” An invitation to an elite party—for me! “Details! Give me details!” “Y-yeah, sure. It’s like, you know. None of the monsters around here are worthwhile opponents for us anymore. So, like…” Rex jerked his thumb at the doorway. Sophie and Terry were standing there, looking like they were ready for a very long trip. …… “We’re gonna pick up and go to the capital—you know, the front lines—and make ourselves some real money.” I had to admit, it was a very attractive proposition. “There should be powerful enemies there, and lots of ’em. Even with just one shot a day, I think you could make a big difference.” It might be a boon to my future if I went with Rex and his party. But… “The capital. I think that’s a lot to ask of someone as low-level as I am,” I said, releasing Rex’s belt. “Huh?! Whatever, kid—if it gets to be too much, we’ll be there to back you—” “And another thing,” I interrupted. “I’ve only been in this town for a short while, but I’ve grown quite fond of it.” Then I smiled at him. “…You’re a strange one. Well, I guess that puts you in good company around here, eh?” He grinned. “All right. We’re heading out, then. Sounds like some general of the Demon King’s is on the move. No time like the present if we’re gonna hit the capital and make our mark.” He turned, waving over his shoulder without looking back as he walked over to his companions. I watched him go, feeling overcome with an emotion I couldn’t describe, when I realized something: Crap! This isn’t the time to be acting all cool! I should have at least asked him to treat me to a meal before he left…! Well, too late for that now. I headed for the bulletin board to check the posts. All the same parties as usual, I assumed. Argh, so hungry. I couldn’t afford to be choosy any longer. I would take any party I could get—if they wouldn’t let me join them, maybe I could at least get a meal out of them. And that’s when I saw a flyer that had never been there before. They were looking, it alleged, only for advanced classes. A rather high bar in this town of beginner adventurers, but I just happened to clear it. I was disturbed, though, by the postscript: Current party members: one novice Adventurer, one exceedingly talented and beautiful Arch-priest. I was starting to become something of a connoisseur of these bad feelings. The way this person described her own self as a brilliant, beautiful Arch-priest made me think of a certain person who had left town just the other day. But again, beggars couldn’t be choosers. What party could this be…? When I saw the pair I was looking for, I froze. It was those two people, the ones I seemed to keep running into. It didn’t look like anyone had come to talk to them. Maybe the tenor of their post had something to do with it. “…Maybe we need to lower our standards a little. I get that we’re trying to defeat the Demon King here, but the part that says, ‘Only those of advanced classes need apply’ is probably putting people off,” the boy said. The girl, the one with blue hair, was slumped across the table, looking eminently bored. “Uhhh… But… But…” She didn’t want to bend. I assumed she was the one who had written the post. That would make her the (self-professed) beautiful Arch-priest, then. …Arch-priest. A beautiful Arch-priest with blue hair?! Without meaning to, I almost started to giggle. No wonder no one had found her despite a town-wide manhunt. It was a rude thought, but I couldn’t help thinking it as I watched her lie dejectedly on the table. Still, I couldn’t help thinking that joining up with these two seemed likely to make life difficult—even if maybe I wasn’t one to talk. “At this rate, no one’s going to show up,” the guy said. “Anyway, you might be an advanced class, but I have the lowest job there is. How can I hold my head up if my entire party’s full of elite characters? Let’s cast a wider net, please…?” Despite my apprehension, I approached the table where they sat and, endeavoring to sound every bit the cool, collected wizard, said, “I saw the notice seeking adventurers of advanced classes. Is this the right place?” I ignored the bad feeling. These two… Every time I saw them around town, they seemed to be having fun. I was a “strange one,” evidently, and I thought things might not be all bad with them. This was Axel, the town for novice adventurers. I had thought I would simply be passing through, but it was starting to look like I would be here longer than I’d expected. The two of them looked at me blankly. I gave a great flourish of my cape and declared—!! “My name is Megumin! Arch-wizard and wielder of the most powerful of all offensive magic, Explosion!”