Part 1
At a ti earlier than high noon yet too late to be called "morning".
About that ti when one would prepare lunch.
I entered the living room with a bedhead, holding back yawns. Everyone's busy making lunch.
"Morning. What's for breakfast? I won't be wanting miso soup for a long while after eating weird things everyday in the capital."
As I tapped my bowl, Darkness glared at .
"Didn't you get your mories back? You do rember what the children wrote to you, right? Waking up this late isn't the way to be. Forget breakfast, we're having lunch soon. It'll be lobsters, because when I had gumin's secret Crimson Demon lobster dish in Elroad, I was captivated. This ti, I've finally convinced her to prepare the raw ingredients after nurous attempts."
Having heard Darkness' sowhat passionate explanation, I turned to gumin, who avoided eye contact.
She must have chickened out because she didn't expect a noble lady to enjoy such a basic lobster recipe.
Hopefully this noble lady who only minds her own business wouldn't order lowly dishes like lobsters in galas.
I decided not to break the truth to her after seeing her happy expression while preparing the lobsters.
"W-well then. gumin's dish is indeed quite delicious. Anyways, what are we doing today? …Are we really going to the guild?"
Having regained my mory, I once again rember the ti I spent with Iris after my team had departed.
I even rember Iris saying, "I really like onii-chan."
Had she not said that, I would likely be bursting with enthusiasm at this point from the children's fan mail.
"Whatever you like. In Kazuma's absence, we've cald down a bit… So, if Kazuma is absolutely determined to take quests, I'm all for it."
"Don't mind . Ask if Aqua is absolutely determined to go."
Aqua and I pushed responsibilities between us. Having little passion left, she probably feels the sa way.
Watching this scene unfold, Darkness gained an anger vein as she slamd her fork against the table.
"Didn't you two gain any motivation from the letters? Hey, Kazuma, you're no less than an admired idol for those children! Aren't you going to be a role model for them?"
"I can understand why they admire , but after calming down… Well, you know the rest. Think again carefully. Since experience can be earned by rely eating special cuisine, there's no need to do dangerous adventuring."
Darkness shook her head, as if saying "this guy is hopeless".
"Hey Aqua, you get along with children too, right? Don't you often play with kids in the neighbourhood? Don't you also call yourself a goddess, like you did at the capital? Then, shouldn't defeating the Demon King be your duty?"
Darkness' pampering voice grabbed the attention of the self-proclaid Goddess of Water.
"I am indeed the Goddess of Water, Aqua-sama… Although it's strange considering how you guys don't usually believe that at all. Hey, are you all realizing my godhood from heart? Then, since I've lived with you for so long, I must be more important than that Eris, right? Why not switch to the Axis cult?"
Aqua has beco skeptical due to my earlier incident.
Having thought that Aqua would be a low-hanging fruit to trick, Darkness was shocked to find her firing back.
"…B-but, every generation of my family had been loyal defenders of the nation and its religion. My duty prevents from believing any cult other than Eris cult…"
"Liar! You still don't believe ! Darkness, I really am the Goddess of Water! Don't you ever wonder how a normal person could stay subrged for so long and turn any solution to water with a touch!?"
Pounced on by Aqua, Darkness turned her eyes away.
"A-about that… I heard that Axis priests are very powerful due to the devotion of their followers, so I wouldn't be surprised if they could turn whatever they touch to water; besides, Axis cultists probably don't even need to breathe…"
"Apologize, now! Apologize for making my children sound like monsters! On another note… Everything Darkness wrote in those letters were complints for Kazuma. I believe it's about ti to redeem the na of the Axis cultists; more specifically, I also want fan mail!"
Hearing Aqua's demands, her eyes glowed…
"I-I understand! I'll just go there again if that's all you want, so— "
…and spilled so important truth.
"…Hey, you were saying…?"
Darkness imdiately covered her mouth.
But alas, it was too late.
"Go where again exactly? …Oi, Darkness, the letters you showed earlier were supposed to be from children, Right?"
Under my pressure, Darkness slamd the table and shot up.
"That's indeed how it happened! Problem!? I even paid the kids to write them! Did you think I had a choice!? You wouldn't co ho any other way!"
When Darkness made such a baseless accusation in response, I stood up as well.
"Way to bla the victim! I even treasured my first fan mail as a nto!"
"W-were you that elated by them? I sincerely apologize for that…"
Darkness mumbled apologetically.
This bastard, acting increasingly noble.
"Back then you were still an honorable woman who refused to abuse her status. Since when did you learn scams like this!? You have been trigger-happy with abusing power lately, threatening this and seducing that. And now you…!"
Indeed, the old Darkness tried her hardest to keep her familial matters separate.
But now that she's learned to use her power and wealth, it's as if she'd been swapped for a corrupt old noble.
Is that what growing up is like?
"W-well, whose fault do you think it is!? That's right, it's all you! I've only fallen this low because of you!"
Darkness is now shalessly going all-out. Aqua and I decided to strike back.
(Kazuma) "Why the hell am I the scapegoat!? Who are you kidding, bitch!? Your character doesn't seem at all that different from when we had t!"
(Aqua) "Apologize, now! Those letters really touched ! Not only to Kazuma, you owe an apology, too!"
(gumin) "Quiet down everyone, eat the food before it gets cold. I spent a lot of effort in this."
As the situation turned hairier—chaotic, even—knocking ca from the front door.
I'm honestly tired of arguing with them.
So, I swiftly went to greet our guests.
(Darkness) "Oi, Kazuma, we're not finished yet!"
(Aqua) "Shut up, you deceptive woman! Go eat your crayfish!"
(Darkness) "What are crayfish?"
While Darkness tilts her head in confusion, I opened the door.
(Funifura) "H-hello!"
(Dodonko) " agerm—! I an, M-gumin-san, is she ho?"
Before stood two familiar-looking crimson demon girls, and holding their hands was gumin's sister—Kokko.
Part 2
"Only the finest tea for our respected guests."
"M-many thanks!"
"Thank you very much!"
Sitting on the sofa in the living room, the two girls were offered tea by Aqua.
That's right, I've t them before in the Crimson Demon village. They were…
"So, what brought Punyfura and Dodumko here with my sister in tow?"
"How about you get our nas straight first! I'm Funifura, Fu-ni-fu-ra!"
"I'm not Dodumko but Dodonko! Could you be holding a grudge just because I nearly called you agermin!? I rely bit my tongue!"
gumin's reply reminded .
They were the duo of Yunyun's circle in the village.
"Anyway, these are Funifura and Dodonko, two insignificant Crimson Demons. Just keep them in mind for the ti being."
"How could you!? How could you use terms like 'insignificant' and 'the ti being'!?"
"While we're indeed usually treated as a pair and aren't that important, I still can't tolerate being judged by gumin!"
Hearing gumin's half-hearted introduction, the two got emotional.
"Here, have a taste of this, too! Don't worry, we still have a lot; take your ti."
"Kokko, there's dessert afterwards…s-so, please don't be so aggressive, you're worrying ."
As gumin and I took the responsibility of dealing with the girls, Aqua and Darkness fed Kokko next to us.
She seed incredibly hungry as she devoured the food at a dangerous pace.
Still a bit nervous visiting a different ho, Funifura then said,
.
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.
"Long ti no see, gumin. Your sister suffered tragic events, so we brought her here."
The assertive girl with twintails called Funifura inford gumin as she gazed at Kokko.
"Yes yes, we're unsure if it applies only to your sister or your whole family…but needless to say, Kokko has encountered a disaster and has nowhere to seek refuge. We then heard that gumin and Yunyun are both in Axel, so we've escorted her all the way here."
The girl with the ponytail called Dodonko puffed out her chest in pride.
"What matter could be so grave? What happened to gumin's ho? By the way, we've talked before when I visited the crimson demon village, right?"
Hearing my question, the two shuddered, suggesting they're highly inexperienced with talking to males.
"Aren't you gumin's boyfriend? Er, do you live with her? Actually, forget your ho, the whole village has been hit by a disaster."
"Yes yes, it's nonetheless a bit difficult to express…"
gumin couldn't stand their dancing around the issue any longer and gazed at the feasting Kokko questioningly.
As if sensing her sister's glare, Kokko gulped down whatever she was chewing.
"A 'boom' and my ho was gone."
Her rather unhelpful summary shocked gumin stiff.
"What did you an by 'boom'? Please elaborate!"
Seeing gumin confused, Funifura and Dodonko shared a glance and hesitated—
"The army of the Demon King's daughter is invading the Crimson Demon village."
Funifura started.
Hearing that, gumin beca unusually serious.
"The Demon King's daughter… Does that an the village's secret has finally been exposed?"
The Crimson Demon village's secret.
Crimson Demons were genetically engineered humans made by a lost technological superpower, so their very existence is a mystery.
Is that the reason the Demon King attacked them?
Although, by now the technology used to create Crimson Demons is long gone.
Therefore, that can't be the motive behind their attacks.
"Kazuma, don't worry too much. It's fine. Many Crimson Demons know teleportation, we won't be dealt with so easily. Even if the whole village burns down, we can still magically repair it in a jiffy."
As if mistaking for actually sympathizing the Crimson Demons, gumin suddenly said such a thing.
"No, while I am quite worried for gumin's parents, I'm mainly interested in the secret of Crimson Demons. Don't you have the tendency to collect…uhm, 'evil goddesses that had been sealed away' and other dangerous things to your own village? You also tend of have so sort of doomsday device in store. So, I was wondering if that's the reason the Demon King's daughter is attacking you."
At this stage, whatever that bunch may be hiding won't surprise .
So, I hope she could be succinct about it.
"I understand. It seems necessary to tell Kazuma the truth now."
As if reading my mind, gumin gazed at seriously.
"Actually, one of the tourist attractions at the Crimson Demon village is a watchtower that can spy on the Demon King's castle."
Watchtower?
"Indeed, there is a watchtower upgraded with powerful magic items on a mountaintop near the village. Although it hasn't reached the stage of 'Omniscience' yet…"
Funifura followed up gumin's explanation with equal seriousness.
"Us Crimson Demons can observe the Demon King's castle anyti. His daughter seems to have found out…"
Looking troubled, Dodonko also filled in so details.
…So that's what happened. Being spied on must be no joking matter for the Demon Army.
After all, intelligence is crucial in war.
So, the Demon King's daughter wants to destroy the offending watchtower, huh…
"The original selling point for that thing was that it 'could see into the Demon King's daughter's bedroom'. But now that our victim knows about it…"
"Mhm, the Demon Army's information warfare capabilities are not to be underestimated."
"What did you just say?"
I put a pause to Funifura and Dodonko's exposition.
"As they have said, the watchtower can not only generate revenue from tourism but also provide entertainnt for NEETs in the village. A piece of equipnt this valuable…"
"…would obviously be attacked by the Demon King's daughter. Hey, I've always wanted to ask: why is the Demon King at war with humans? To be brutally honest, aren't you Crimson Demons and the Axis cultists the main reason we're still fighting?"
As if agreeing with my logic at heart, the three Crimson Demons averted my gaze.
"Oi, are you girls feeling guilty?"
"Wh-what do you an, Kazuma? Why are we always to bla…? We just have the Crimson Demon barbeque festival every four years…"
As gumin's voice trailed off, Aqua, who's feeding Kokko, tilted her head in confusion.
"Barbeque?"
Funifura answered,
"All teleportation-capable Crimson Demons would gather quadrennially and have a barbeque near the Demon King's castle. After the feast, us Crimson Demons then unleash a whole ss of magic upon the barrier, only returning after the Demon Army cos charging out."
"You guys are sincerely annoying. Can we stop with these troubleso activities already!? …Nevertheless, I understand the situation now. Thank you for bringing Kokko over, we'll keep her refuge; alright?"
Funifura and company exhaled in relief.
"Since the child doesn't really have another ho, we sincerely thank you. We ourselves have duties to attend to…"
"Mhm, as the Crimson Demons, how could we refuse free als delivered to our doorstep?"
Hearing those terrifying statents, gumin joined in and courageously said,
"Daughter of the Demon King, show yourself! I call dibs on the first strike with my explosion! Funifura, Dodonko, let's move!"
"How could you even help? Next, we're going to et up with the other Crimson Demons and engage in guerilla warfare with the Demon King's daughter, now that she's occupied our village. With only explosion magic, you're at most a backup."
Feeling betrayed by the term "backup", gumin's eyebrow twitched.
"Yes yes, we were recruited as soon as we learned advanced magic. Feel free to watch in jealousy as we put on a show."
Now with a second knife in her back, gumin's eyes lit up with crimson.
"Ah, speaking of which, Yunyun should be in this city too, right? Do you know where she is? She's also invited, although we haven't been able to find her."
"Mhm, and I rember Yunyun describing in her letters what the friends she made here looked like. Even though we told her in advance that we'd be coming today…"
Yunyun's friends? Gotta be the masked devil and the delinquent she had been hanging out with.
As for why she couldn't be found, she probably didn't want to introduce her so-called "friends" despite desperately wanting to demonstrate her social abilities.
"—L-look, gumin, we wanted to ask you sothing."
Said Funifura as if it were her final words before deploynt—
"Yunyun wrote in her letters that she had made a guy friend in Axel… She's really exaggerating and has no friends in reality, right?"
"I-is that true? Yunyun possibly has more friends besides us! Forget gumin, please don't tell that even Yunyun has more friends than we do…"
gumin then answered bluntly,
"As for her male acquaintances, first we have Kazuma over here, plus…the chick-magnet Vanir down the street and the notoriously degenerate blonde delinquent adventurer Dust…"
Watching gumin count with her fingers as she spoke, Funifura and Dodonko panicked.
"Ha…Haha! L-look, she's already trying her best given her abilities! Unlike the Crimson Demon village, there're many people here! So, having one or two weirdos befriend her is nothing unexpected!"
Funifura adamantly denied her loss while Dodonko also tried to convince herself…
"E-exactly! By the way, gumin, what's up with this guy here? You talked a lot about him back in the village; but on a second thought, it didn't make much sense. No way gumin can possibly be this lovey-dovey. Be honest with us, gumin. The shared bathing, sleeping together and events of the sort are all accidents, right?"
This question spells disaster.
Besides, Aqua and Darkness had just left to take Kokko to brush her teeth after desserts.
Only us four remained.
In other words—
"Uhmm… How should I put this… Er…"
gumin blushingly glanced over at , mumbled, then lowered her head.
How strange, this chick doesn't usually act this timid.
"You…hey, you gotta be joking, right!? How could you possibly react so girlishly…!"
"N-no, I can't lose to even gumin… How could I lose to that chronically airheaded gumin who's the least likely to touch romance…!"
The two Crimson Demon girls backed closer and closer to the door.
Hope drained from their faces as if they've seen the world's end.
gumin shyly scratched her cheek…
…then said troublingly,
"Please keep this secret from my parents."
"AHHHHH! We'll never…!"
"…lose to you!"
gumin savored the sight of them tearfully running away.
Then cracked a evil smile of victory.
—After sending them off, we bought a bunch of necessities for Kokko's stay and returned ho.
As soon as we were ho, Aqua occupied the sofa as if as a display of power.
Within her grasp was Chomusuke, who had been neglected recently due to our travels and is currently struggling for her dear life.
"So, I'll share my bed with Kokko. It's been a while, you must have felt lonely. Here, let compensate you with so long-awaited bedti companionship."
"Onee-chan must have been lonely without …"
"K-Kokko!"
As she responded gumin's bed-sharing invitation with a roast, Kokko stared intently at Chomusuke in Aqua's arms.
"Looks tasty…"
"Kokko, we have an abundance of food here, so please leave Emperor Zell and Chomusuke alone!"
gumin advised worriedly, to which Kokko nodded as she wiped the corners of her mouth.
"You're right, we must wait till they grow fatter."
"No, that's not why, Kokko! Those are our pets!"
Seemingly alard by Kokko's heartless requests, Aqua reflexively took Chomusuke away.
"Since we rarely gather, let's host a welco party. Onii-san will bring you all sorts of delicacies!"
"Onii-san is so handso!"
As Kokko cheered, she took out a small notebook.
"What are you writing?"
gumin leaned over to see what she's writing…
"mm/dd/yyyy: successfully seduced onee-chan's boyfriend. I seem to have shifted his target from onee-chan to myself… Kokko! What do you an by 'seduce' and 'boyfriend', who taught you these words!?"
"Buzucoily."
"That damn hikikomori huh!? The NEET really has zero redeeming factors!"
What's happening? Why do I feel hurt for this totally unrelated man even though I'm no longer a NEET but an adventurer?
"Say, what is this, really? A diary?"
"Mom told to use this to keep track of onee-chan's relationship with her boyfriend."
I completely didn't expect there to be a spy among us.
Part 3
The next day.
Sleeping in till noon, I went downstairs for brunch.
"Onee-chan, another one!"
"Kokko, we always have enough food here, so you can stop stuffing yourself like there's no tomorrow."
Before was Kokko who hopped around to condense the food in her stomach and gumin who looked worried for Kokko.
And then—
"Oi, Darkness, why is the rice sowhat salty…?"
"Hmm… because I've been crying buckets…"
…there were also the two people who watched Kokko with teary eyes.
They seem to be strongly empathic about Kokko's poverty.
"Because she rarely has the chance to fill her stomach!"
"That may be the case, but as your older sister, I'd feel ashad. Here, have so pudding for dessert."
"Nom!"
After feeling conflicted for a brief period, Aqua pushed her own serving of dessert to the adorably gluttonous Kokko.
Unbelievably, even the most scrupulous person in terms of "food awareness" has been converted.
"Onee-san is full, you can have my pudding, all right?"
"Is that really okay? Wasn't pudding a super precious snack we only eat on birthdays? Don't you want it?"
While speaking, Kokko stared intently at Aqua's pudding. Buckling under empathy, gumin and Darkness also donated their share.
"Kokko, we're the most famous adventuring party in the whole nation; no worries for money. Tomorrow I'll make you a whole tub of pudding. For today, just say thanks and eat all these."
"Thanks everyone!"
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Kokko bowed deeply in gratitude as she received the pudding, as if it were so priceless treasure.
Aqua and company then continued to dote on her.
Just now, gumin noticed spectating.
"Huh, you're up? Are you here for breakfast?"
"Oh please… gumin, go ahead and tell when you need money. You always let handle most of the inco, only taking so change and tax money every month. How about I allocate a portion specifically for your personal spending?"
Indeed, this girl normally has no greed to speak of.
She occasionally gets infatuated with high-tier robes or fancy equipnt, but from what I recall, the priciest item she actually owns was the staff she bought with our cabbage quest money.
I felt extrely sorry, like the ti I saw all the discount tickets and reward cards in her wallet.
"Thanks for your consideration, but I'm fine. I only send a portion of my savings to my parents every month. Speaking of which, should I send too much money ho, my dad would definitely blow through it all making useless magic items."
"I didn't know your daddy was that irresponsible."
As we talked, I began eating my belated brunch.
"Onee-chan onee-chan, your boyfriend is finally here. Can we go to the guild now?"
"Kokko…! K-Kokko, uh… Could you stop calling him 'onee-chan's boyfriend'!?"
Aqua watched the bickering sisters with a graceful face as she sipped her after-al tea. Suddenly, she thought of sothing.
(Aqua) "Right, so Kokko wants to visit the guild? Since you're interested, why not let this famous onee-san take you there?"
(Darkness) "That's right, I had returned here to start from zero, to keep doing quests. Taking Kokko along while we look for suitable quests isn't a bad idea. By the way, why would you want to go there anyway? That's no place for fooling around."
Kokko then said sothing confusing in response to the unusually pampering duo.
"I want to visit the guild to see how strong onee-chan is."
However, gumin seems to have understood it very well. Her whole body trembled.
"In her recent letters, onee-chan told that she is well-respected within the guild. People would often complint her and bow down at the re sight of her."
Kokko said sothing I can't overlook.
Silence fell.
"Oi."
My single-syllable complaint intensified gumin's shuddering and made her stand up.
"Kokko, why don't we go play in the yard? You can et Emperor Zell in the pen there. Besides, it must've been long since you last played with Chomusuke, right? So, take her with you and go feed Emperor Zell!"
"Understood! I'll feed it till it's super fat!"
After resolutely sacrificing the cat that was sunbathing near the window, gumin sent Kokko off with a pressured expression. She sighed.
Seeing she has no intention to face , I then prompted her again—
"…Oi."
"It's not what it looks like."
gumin spun around, jumped into seiza (TL note: a formal resting position) and defended herself at the speed of light.
Even though I can't see how it could happen otherwise, I still decided to hear her excuses first.
After we've all taken seat, gumin stared off into the distance as if reminiscing her past.
"Let explain; this matter has deep history… That's right, it dates back to when I first left the Crimson Demon village…"
And thus she proceeded to explain the roots for her stories—
"—Nothing earth-shattering to speak of, is there?"
Hearing the story, I didn't find anything too worriso. She rely postured several tis in her letters ho.
She even took it further and explained it as to prevent her parents from worrying about her struggling in this cruel world.
Now that she ntioned it, I rember how her parents made many exaggerated comnts when we had visited the Crimson Demon village.
"I wish I had another way. Should my parents beco too worried, they might co take back—that'd be terrible news. Plus, without , wouldn't Kazuma also be distraught?"
Having spilled the beans, gumin stood up abruptly, flared out her cloak and struck a smug pose as if saying "what do you have to say now?".
"No, uh... Eh? If gumin gets taken away…?"
Would I really be distraught?
"Oi."
gumin fired back, now that I'm the one deep in thought.
"I'd very much be distraught if gumin left! Because that way, I'd have to remake the chore distribution charts and do even more work! On top of that, I'd have one less friend to play with!"
Aqua's careless response only salted gumin's wounds as she fell to all fours in grave depression.
Darkness stroked her back to provide consolation.
(Darkness) "L-let's put that aside for now. You'd better tell Kokko the truth first. Since you can't hide it forever, confessing sooner rather than later could save you a lot of trouble."
Seeing us all nod in agreent…
"B-but my pride as an older sister…! No, Darkness is right. Originally, I only wanted to lie about my conditions to keep my parents calm—at first, I wrote the letters sincerely, but my mother was still too overprotective… After all, since we live in a mansion now, boasting about being a frontline hero is redundant. There's no reason to take ho either at this point. I'd better co clean with Kokko."
gumin smiled in relief after seemingly making up her mind.
"—Kokko… I have so serious matters to discuss with you."
After getting the dirtied Kokko who seed to have had a great ti to sit down, gumin faced her and told her seriously.
Hearing that, Kokko was aghast.
"Could the tub of pudding onee-chan promised to give …be a ruse?"
"It's nothing insignificant like that, the pudding isn't a trick! I'm here to tell you sothing far more important!"
Seeing that her pudding is genuine, Kokko sighed in relief.
"Kokko,"
Resolutely, gumin began,
"You rember how I claid in my letters that we were the strongest party in Axel, right?"
"Mhm, that onee-chan is a super-duper mage that can kill any monster in a single hit and she's well-respected by other adventurers because of it…"
"Right. About that…"
Hearing Kokko's recital, gumin nodded.
"And the blonde onee-san never backs down before any monster, she's a reliable crusader who can withstand any attack. The blue-haired onee-san is a priest that never loses to any undead or devils; she can even revive dead people like a goddess."
As Kokko continued, gumin stood up in a hurry.
"Onee-chan's boyfriend is a very lucky and smart man; he killed many strong enemies. Even though he often complains, he still stands up for his friends when they're in danger. Very gentle."
At that mont, gumin covered Kokko's mouth.
"Kokko, you didn't have to say everything! The truth behind these descriptions…"
Just as gumin blushingly prepared to tell her the truth.
"As expected of gumin, at least acknowledging that I'm like a goddess—even though I am one. It's fine Kokko, your sister ain't lying."
Smiling, Aqua said sowhat arrogantly.
"Er, hmm. While I'm surprised at how gumin sees , those aren't really lies. Hehe… A reliable…crusader, huh…"
Even Darkness beca uncontrollably flattered.
"Wh-what happened to you two!? D-don't get the wrong idea, Kokko, what I wrote in the letters were all…!"
Before gumin could finish, I announced succinctly to Kokko—
"…Completely true."
Part 4
On our way to the Adventurer's Guild.
gumin berated us under her breath for taking Kokko along.
"You guys just had to ss up this matter even more. I was already prepared to be despised by her when I confessed…"
I responded to gumin's continued mumbling,
"Relax, you. I really don't think what you had told Kokko was that inaccurate. While it was indeed exaggerated, they were true for the most part."
"That's right, they were exaggerated just a tiny bit. Besides, many things can't be explained clearly in letters, so those mistakes aren't even your fault."
As I gave such an answer, Darkness said excitedly as she led Kokko by her hand.
"Blonde onee-san, are you really super strong? Sturdy enough to withstand explosion magic? Too powerful for even devils to possess?"
"Mhmm, those are indeed true. Hmm, er… Man, did gumin include even these details…? Needless to say, they're still true."
"So great!"
The usually complint-deprived Darkness abused this opportunity to fish for admiration from Kokko.
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She must enjoy Kokko's complints a lot because she rarely gets to shine as a at shield.
"So, what about ? Why not talk about a little?"
The similarly complint-deprived Aqua nagged Kokko tirelessly from behind.
…I should also ask her to describe later—
—gumin's voice echoed within the moderately spacious guild hall.
"I have sothing to say!"
gumin had yelled as soon as she entered the guild. All the adventurers turned their attention to her.
gumin and I let Darkness and Aqua handle Kokko temporarily, and had co to the Adventurer's Guild to explain the situation.
"Everyone, listen, we actually have a request for you all!"
As everyone still paid attention to us, I began to elaborate.
About how gumin's sister had co and how gumin had been exaggerating our performance to her parents.
Having also ntioned that she had beco idolized within the guild.
"So, you just have to cooperate. We aren't sure about the reward yet, but at least for the ti gumin's sister is around, I'll pay for all your drinks."
Hearing my offer for free drinks, several people seed to light up.
However, most were still reluctant, seemingly against lying to a child.
"I know what I'm asking is stupid, but…you have my sincerest gratitude should you accept."
I deeply bowed to the audience.
"K-Kazuma…!"
gumin stood dumbstruck, not knowing what to say.
She then smiled at .
"You didn't have to go this far for . I should better tell Kokko the truth. Compared to keeping her onee-chan's dignity, not troubling Kazuma is more important. Everyone, please forget what he just said. Sorry for dragging you all into this ss."
Saying that, she also bowed to the guild mbers.
…When suddenly.
"Don't act like a stranger, gumin. We got no problem with cooperating; after all, drinks are on Kazuma."
Suddenly, one of my drinking partners from the guild spoke.
"Speaking of which, Kazuma and company were the one who rescued when I first ca to this city. They bought als and taught adventuring skills. Now, take it as a return of favors."
It was her, the newbie female adventurer I had randomly chosen to dine and share adventuring wisdom with while pretending to be a seasoned professional.
"Indeed, Kazuma's party defeated powerful Demon Generals multiple tis. That's no exaggeration. Speaking respectfully around gumin? Piece of cake. After all, I had earned a hefty sum fighting strong monsters with you."
That was another familiar adventurer.
Facing these adventurers, gumin cried tears of genuine joy.
"Uh… Thank you all very much. However, I still can't fathom everyone lying for the sake of my petty dignity. So, while I understand your good intentions…"
Just as gumin said that with her head down.
The door to the guild flew open.
"And here is the Axel Adventurer's Guild! Sure, this might be a beginner's town and everyone here are low-levelled, but it doesn't lack in gentlen who would eat and drink with you just for hanging around!"
Everyone's eyes now focused on Aqua, who's sent so mixed ssages. Then, Kokko, coming in while holding Darkness' hand—
"But onee-chan said that this city was filled with powerful adventurers!"
—said such a thing with an earthquake-inducing volu.
"She said they faced off against Demon General Beldia, the Mobile Fortress Destroyer and the Kowloon Hydra without faltering. They're super courageous, and super handso!"
She announced with a face full of smiles.
Following that, the adventurers all uniformly turned their gazes to gumin, whose own face is now blushed crimson as her robe. She pulled her hat's rim way down, avoiding any eye-contact.
Kokko found nothing weird about the state of her sister, even casting a look of admiration upon a nearby adventurer.
"So great!"
"R-really? Perhaps. Adventurers from other cities would have abandoned post instantly. We may be strong, but your sister is much more powerful!"
Seeing the adventurer smile as he spoke, gumin turned away in surprise.
A female adventurer beside the last also said proudly,
"Mhm, even though we're low-levelled, our passion for adventuring surpasses that of any city. But of course, we still are no match for gumin-san!"
"So cool!"
"Hey!?"
gumin desperately tried to stop the female adventurer from inflating the boast even more, but others have already begun racing to complint her.
"gumin-san was being honest, lil' girl. The adventurers of this city are all very brave; the ones like had charged directly at that bastard Beldia's face only to be slaughtered by him. Hehe, while it was for the good of the city. Granted, back then I could've used a little more finesse… Although, courage wise, I'm still no match for gumin-san, who had faced off Beldia one-on-one."
Earning an admiring gaze from Kokko, an adventurer told sothing gumin doesn't know how to react to.
"When I first heard that the Mobile Fortress Destroyer, having laid waste to nurous nations, had co to Axel, I shuddered in fear. But then, I decided that I must protect the city that nurtured for so long. Of course, that machine was also blown up by gumin-san's explosion magic. By the way, it was from that battle that I got this scar on my head…"
Eyes glimring, Kokko listened intently to the scarred adventurer's story.
"I rember the fight with the Kowloon Hydra. It was a tough one… It was supposed to be a match for only the royal knights, yet because the capital had been busy dealing with the Demon Army, they couldn't find ti. Alas, we had to take care of it ourselves. Was I afraid, you might ask? Ha, I unfortunately don't understand what fear is. And the hydra? He was terminated by none other than gumin-san!"
Another adventurer joined the show. Everyone nodded approvingly except gumin and Kokko.
"Onee-chan and everyone here are all so great!"
Kokko's innocent complint brought smiles onto everyone's faces. gumin was in shock with horror and muttered sothing cryptic like 'demonic imouto'.
Part 5
"Co, little one. Have a taste of Axel's specialty, roast shrimps!"
On a table at the center of the guild hall—A chubby-faced adventurer placed a plateful before Kokko.
"Idiot, little kids obviously love hamburgers way more! Here, try this shrimp hamburger!"
As if competing, a female adventurer nearby served up hamburgers.
The young girl then let out a heart-lting yet sly smile and…
"I'll take both!"
…made her call.
"—How terrifying. I'm truly worried about her future. It'd be a real problem once she starts exploiting n for her own benefits."
Using a volu only I could hear, gumin said as she watched Kokko get drowned in hospitality.
"Being the older sister, you're also pretty skilled at making waste out of n. See, on the rare occasion things get steamy, you would kill the mood…Owowowowow!"
Just as gumin pinched for saying sothing unnecessary, the receptionist approached Kokko with a smile.
Judging by the plate of ice cream in her hand, she seems to have also been infected by Kokko's charm… Hold on, sothing's amiss.
Kokko silently stuffed food into her mouth like a squirrel.
The onee-san stood right behind Kokko—
"Excuse …"
Still smiling, she took out a stack of paper.
And passed one to a nearby adventurer.
"A subjugation quest for Lucy the Spectre? Hmm, could that be…"
Hearing that, people all around shared glances.
The stack of paper that onee-san had were copies of a subjugation quest.
On top of that, the adventurers internally refer to the quest as the "durian quest" (TL note: lit. "kimchi quest". I used durian here because it was more relatable) because nobody would touch it with a ten-foot pole. Like so, the quest fell into neglect.
To this, Aqua frowned and leaned over to .
"Kazuma Kazuma, I have an ominous feeling. We'll definitely end up being forced to take this hairy quest."
"Coincidentally, Aqua, that is what I'm thinking, too."
Feeling the perilous atmosphere surround as I watched from afar, I backed off step by step.
Just as I prepared to run should things go awry, the onee-san said to Kokko who has difficulty standing up after finishing two als,
"You are Kokko, yes? I have ice cream for dessert here; could you listen to onee-san for a while in exchange?"
"Sure!"
She answered swiftly even after eating so much. The onee-san then placed the plate of ice cream before Kokko.
"Yes, there was a priest called Lucy who had, due to circumstances, beco a monster known as a spectre … To this day, she still spends her ti in anxiety near the ruins of what used to be her church. Kokko, don't you feel bad for spectre-san?"
"I do."
Gulping down the ice cream she had received, Kokko agreed naturally.
The onee-san nodded in satisfaction to her response.
"Kokko thinks so, too? But worry not, for our powerful adventurers will certainly finish the quest with little effort!"
(all) "What!?"
Onee-san's inconsiderate comnt made all the adventurers exclaim in shock.
"H-hey, Luna-san, what are you talking about…"
"You guys will finish it, right?"
Luna interrupted the adventurer beside her.
Beside the onee-san, Kokko expectantly stared at the adventurers. In the end, nobody had the courage to refuse—
"—Well then, let's fly before we also get dragged in. Look at that onee-san's brilliant smile. She must be incredibly happy that the unwanted quest has finally been answered."
I said as I pointed at the subject with my thumb. The adventurers that got invited looked dreadful.
Not a single person questioned my suggestion. Everyone sneakily crept to the gates of the guild.
Lucy the spectre.
In the mountains near Axel are the ruins of an old church.
It belonged to neither the Axis nor Eris cults.
While we don't know which god the small cult followed, rumors say that Lucy was the last of their kind.
In this world, a god's power is proportional to the faith of their believers.
Which implies that if a god loses all their believers in the mortal world, they will vanish as they're stripped of power.
The devoted cultist Lucy didn't want the god she follows to disappear, so she chose to continue praying for them even after death.
Because she kept praying even as a spectre, the virtuous disciples were touched by her ardent faith and are reluctant to let her pass on.
Besides, as an ex-crusader herself, Lucy has high resistance to holy magic even though she's a spectre.
To let such a spectre pass on, an extrely powerful archpriest is needed; yet the powerful archpriests are more than often peaceful and virtuous.
Thanks to this incompatibility, Lucy still wanders around the ruins to this day.
"We need a strong archpriest to let Lucy pass on; a lousy one who's ignorant of faith and virtue, at that. Do those really exist?"
"We do have a plenty of trashy cultists, but the emphasis is on 'powerful'. Most of the priests in this city stink of corruption and are barely skilled."
"What about the Axis followers? They should be happy to send Lucy into the afterlife, right?"
Facing my back to the discussion among the adventurers, we snuck over to the gates and were just about to open the door silently as possible…
"K-Kazuma Kazuma…"
gumin's shaky voice made turn around uneasily…
…to find everyone's gazes focused on Aqua.
Part 6
The next day.
Departing early, we ca to a mountain north of Axel.
"Hey, Aqua, this must sound puzzling coming from a crusader, but—do we really have to vanquish Lucy? To be honest, I'm not very convinced…"
Yesterday, after all that happened, we couldn't help but accept the subjugation quest for Lucy.
Those adventurers were feeling relieved after they've shalessly pushed the mission unto us, only to be buried in countless other "durian quests".
On a side note, Kokko seems to have figured that she could get free food from anyone, so she headed to the guild early in the morning.
"What are you talking about, Darkness? You have heard of the reason she stays on this world, right? She's a different case from a certain earth spirit in our house who is lonely and enjoys adventure stories. Should she pass on automatically after her soul's been satisfied, it'd be no problem. However, Lucy will forever remain on this world. That way, I have the responsibility to force her into the afterlife."
What happened to this woman.
The rare sight of Aqua making a goddess-like oath shocked everyone. Aqua didn't seem to notice and continued,
"While I know not of which unpopular god she worships, having fewer competitors is nevertheless better. I'll let their final follower pass on and eliminate this reject god for good."
"You good-for-nothing woman, give us back that feeling of slight compassion."
We chatted as we moved along, finally sighting the remains of what seems to be a minor church.
"This has to be it, the church of the reject god! Who cares if she's the Goddess of Vengeance and Manipulation, I'll destroy her together with Lucy!"
"I'm inclined to agree with Darkness… Seeing that the endangered god is female only made even more reluctant. After all, I can't really bring myself to hate a spectre living in anxiety…"
Aqua ignored my complaint, started panting out of sheer joy and walked towards the church faster. gumin suddenly stopped.
"…Aqua, you were saying? Goddess of Manipulation and Vengeance?"
"Indeed. That's what the receptionist lady told . Lucy the spectre worships the Goddess of Manipulation and Vengeance; she still prays to this day."
Then, gumin tugged my shirt.
"Kazuma, could I say sothing?"
"What? Don't tell you want to let us have rcy on Lucy because the goddess of 'manipulation and vengeance' sounds too cool to be lost."
My semi-serious comnt made gumin shudder.
"…N-no. While the goddess of 'manipulation and vengeance' does sound cool, she is more importantly related to ."
"Oh you, this demon that goddess… Why do you always manage to involve yourself with such insidious entities. It's annoying enough as it is with Aqua around."
Although I felt speechless, I still let her continue. gumin then reminisced,
"Kazuma, rember when you went to the Crimson Demon village?"
"Mhm, I do. How could I forget such a unique place? Shared a bed with gumin and got ♂ poked by Sylvia…" (TL note: this♂is a reference to Van Darkhol. They mark homosexual innuendos.)
"I'd rather you not rember sharing a bed! Besides that, I'm asking if you rember the attractions in the village."
"Right. Stuff like the nekomimi shrine and the Excalibur rock. What about them?"
gumin still hesitated to tell .
And then…
"There were also the 'tomb which seals the evil god' and the 'sealing grounds of the naless goddess', right?"
"Mhm, I vaguely rember. Both seals were broken if I recall correctly. Sealed in the tomb was the Demon General known as Wolbach, and?"
"The seal of the evil god was accidentally broken when I was young, but at this point prosecuting is senseless. Let's set that aside that for now. The problem lies within the grounds of the sealed naless goddess."
"What do you an by 'senseless'? I think letting that evil god escape is poking a wasp's nest and very significant."
gumin ignored my accusation and said in a sowhat casual tone,
"…Yep, it dates to when I had first learned Explosion magic. To defeat an invading evil god's subordinate, I chanted the explosion spell as I protected Kokko and Yunyun."
"Oi, don't you try to change the topic, look at my eyes while you talk."
gumin still had no intention to turn around, instead she continued to talk to herself.
"Simply put, the target location of my explosion magic just so happened to be the sealing grounds. As a result, the Goddess of Manipulation and Vengeance that was trapped there escaped, and we haven't seen her since."
"What the hell are you saying? Hey, just what are you implying!?"
She said nonchalantly—
"The holy being that Lucy worships must be the goddess that had been sealed in the Crimson Demon village up until that point. By now, the goddess has been free for two years; she most likely has gained new followers besides Lucy. Therefore, don't sweat making Lucy pass on, the goddess won't vanish even then."
I was dumbfounded by the matters that were just shoved into my face.
"What the hell is wrong with you Crimson Demons? Bringing an evil god from elsewhere on your own accord just to seal her at your ho, even making it an attraction. Aren't your lives too lawless!? Consider at least a little how others feel!"
Now that she ntioned it, I really want to slap whoever that gave birth to the Crimson Magic Clan right across their face.
…Although, at least we know that vanquishing Lucy won't harm the goddess.
That way, the only key difficulty left is overcoming her strong resistance to holy magic; however, that shouldn't be a problem since we have Aqua.
Well then, ti to do what needs to be done—!
Part 7
"Stop right there, Axis scum! Don't co any closer!"
"What did you say, you damn ghost!? I feel that even using purification magic on you is a waste! Let send you on your rry way with a God's Beating!"
After arriving at the church, we quickly got on with our spectre-removal duty.
"Great Regina, Goddess of Manipulation and Vengeance, please bring divine retribution upon this blue-haired woman! You despicable Axis cultist, taste my curse!"
"You have the audacity to curse a pure goddess, don't make laugh! Darkness, give your sword! Watch as I obliterate the hell out of the ruined church that this ghost calls ho!"
Lucy, the ghost that resides here, must have been a virtuous devotee to keep praying even after death.
Currently arguing with Aqua is a translucent female spectre about the age of 20.
gumin and I watched them fight dumbly. Then, Darkness interceded.
"Calm down, you two. Aqua, we're both disciples. Lucy, you must have been a disciple too, right? Then, let us stay calm and talk this out. The goddesses that you two worship wouldn't want a fight, would they?"
Darkness said while bitterly smiling. The goddess and the spectre then lashed back.
"Oi, what do you an by 'the goddesses that you two worship'!? Didn't you say that you recognize my godhood!? This spectre dare look down upon a goddess, don't you think she should be destroyed as soon as possible!?"
"Regina-sama, who I faithfully worship, is the Goddess of Manipulation and Vengeance! We believe in the eye-for-an-eye ideal! So, an outsider like you can go mind your own business!"
Darkness was unexpectedly counter-attacked. Those two weren't even finished yet.
"Man, that's what I ant when I say Eris cultists are absurd! Eris has many followers, of course she has no need to fight! Although, acting arrogant to the bone just for being the national religion couldn't possibly be beneficial. Darkness, why not co pray for the Axis church once in awhile?"
"I'm so envious of the amount of followers Eris has! Unpopular religions like us must fight for survival everyday! Wanting peace? Don't bring up such a first-world problem!"
Darkness returned speechlessly after being verbally abused by the duo.
"Look at you, just had to go ddle in other people's business. Aqua would have purified her either way."
"I'm also a devotee, so I've always wanted to convince a ghost into ascending on its own device…"
As I half-heartedly consoled the depressed Darkness, the fighting over yonder intensified to the brink of major violence.
"Go repent! Go repent in the underworld for angering a goddess! Ahahahaha! Watch as I God's Blow the reject goddess Regina along with her final follower into oblivion!"
"Grrr! The scent of a nesis I've been slling up till now… I didn't believe that soone like you could be such a…!? Regina-sama, Regina-sama, I still have favors I've yet to return! Regina-sama who sent the man that wasted all my hard-earned money to hell! Regina-sama who robbed penniless the woman that married my brother only to scam him of all his wealth! I have to keep you from fading, at least in the na of all who's unfortunate!"
Lucy prayed in tears in contrast to Aqua who wore an evil smile as she approached while swinging her fist.
Then.
"Don't worry, the goddess that you praise was relieved of her seal two years ago. She must have garnered other followers by now."
gumin, who had been calmly observing this whole ti, said to Lucy.
She looked like a disciple, too.
"…Really? How would you know about this?"
Lucy gazed pleadingly at gumin as if seeking salvation.
"Because I was the one who saved the goddess you worship. Go, you can rest in peace now."
Seemingly finding no lies in gumin's firm statent, Lucy smiled tranquilly as if her prayers have been answered.
"Thank you so much, kind stranger… While I want to properly express my gratitude—it seems that the sole desire keeping on this world has been satisfied—I couldn't stay much longer. Sorry that I couldn't return your favor…"
Saying that, Lucy smiled bitterly. gumin returned with one of her own.
"The essence of us Crimson Demons is to never refuse gratitude. This is quite fitting to the eye-for-an-eye teaching of yours. We seem to click well with the Goddess of Manipulation and Vengeance, so you have no need to stress."
Now relaxed, Lucy smiled gently at gumin—
"God's Blow!"
"Ouch!"
The utterly mood-blind True Priest suddenly punched Lucy.
"The hell are you doing all of the sudden! Why did you have to ss it up after finally reaching an understanding!? At this rate, she was in shape to naturally ascend!"
Facing the scene that is more than 'slightly outrageous', Darkness and gumin stood frigid.
"Exactly because she was going to leave soon! I can't stand being looked down upon by this questionable reject goddess and having her follower escape after defiling !"
Lucy trembled severely as she caressed her cheek at the absolutely immature goddess before her.
"No way you're a goddess! It's gods like you whose followers beco outcasts! Don't you feel ashad of having less followers than your kouhai Eris-sama!? Your kouhai's cult has beco a national religion; anwhile, the number of Axis cultists…pfft!"
Lucy then chuckled under her breath as she pointed at Aqua.
Aqua's eyebrows shot up.
"Oi, hold it you! I won't accept being scolded this way by a reject cult with such few mbers that they might disappear any second!"
.
--------------->
.
Completely furious, Aqua tried to grab Lucy, but she had nearly faded away. Her body floated up into the air.
"Great Regina-sama… As the follower of the Goddess of Vengeance, in my final monts, I have unleashed an epic roast upon the goddess that lost to her own kouhai… Having finished acting badass, I shall be on my way now. I wish you a bright future…"
And like that…
…the believer of the Goddess of Manipulation and Vengeance—
"WAAAAAAH! How could she run from this!"
Happily disappeared after successfully doing critical damage to the Goddess of Water.
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