" ": You talking

' ': You thinking

* *: Narrator/Voice-off

Your POV:

???: Vanir-sama, please help me- !

Aqua: Sacred High Exorcism !!

???: GYAAAAAAAAAHH !!

Aqua: What's with this pen-pen ? Hey, this pen-pen just reeks of a devil. I really hate that it looks this cute while smelling like that.

"Well, hum... I guess you just met and said farewell to the devil that we went to see for that nail... And you just killed him... Kinda wondering what he was doing here, and why he seemed in such a hurry..."

Aqua: I see, so this is the devil that bullied Darkness. I just let my magic loose because I felt something unpleasant, but this is fine. I wanted to go exorcise him after hearing the story from you.

Kazuma: And once more, i'm reminded who is the real devil around these parts...

"Tell me about it-"

Kazuma: I was including you.

Vanir: ... Fuuuuu...

Zereschrute: E- Eh ?! What was...

aqua: Sacred High-

"Give it a rest already, you'll just kill him again. You got him already shaking in his boots... Well, flippers."

Zereschrute: V- V- Vanir-sama, this violent blue-haired woman, could she be...

Vanir: yes, as you may have suspected, she's our natural enemy. Your remaining lives were all purified by her upon entering my store, but because you expired in front of me, Moi was able to restore one of your lives. However, if you run into her in the future without me around, then that'll be it.

Wiz: Um... I don't know who you are, but you are an acquaintance of Vanir-san, yes ? I'll go put on some tea;

Zereschrute: A- Ah, I don't need to eat or drink, so you don't have to do that for me...

Vanir: So, what brings you here today, Zereschrute ? Actually, you are a high ranking devil in your own right, so Moi really didn't expect you to be vanquished from just a single blow. What happened to the other lives you had in stock ?

Zereschrute: T- That's... I ran into a big problem recently... The Goddess Eris has been appearing at my castle every day to kill me. That's why all my lives are gone.

'... ... I need a chat with Chris.'

Aqua: Say, I'm starting to feel sorry for this penguin. Of course, I still won't let him off.

Kazuma: No, actually, do let him off. he's an aristocrat of this country, and from what I know he's been doing a pretty good job...

Zereschrute: H- Hey, aren't you the young man that was with Lady Darkness back then ? Could you please tell your companion to lay off me ? I'm merely an upstanding devil that enjoys the feelings of anguish and humiliation. You seem to know Goddess Eris somehow, so can you please help me out here ?

"Well, it's not that easy... It's not like I can contact her anytime I want, you know... But if I do see her, I'll make sure to strongly remind her about that whole thing."

Zereschrute: Is that so... I quite liked that castle, but it seems like I have no choice but to let it go...

Vanir: So, what do you intend to do from now ? Moi would not recommend living in this town. There's a rabid, devil-hating hound that claims this place as her territory, after all.

"By the way, she's also the Archpriest I threatened to call if you refused to give us that nail."

Zereschrute: ... I heard that the Succubi have set up a shop in this town, so I came to ask if I could be hired as a bouncer of helper. And if a customer with some special tastes show up, with the help of the Succubi, I'll be able to taste my favorite feelings of anguish and humiliation. I thought it was a good plan, but...

Aqua: I'll immediately exorcise you if I see you in town.

Zereschrute: Eeek !

Megumin: ... Aqua, there's a zipper on the back. I really want to see what's inside.

Aqua: yeah, you shouldn't be fooled by his cute appearance. Oh, what's with this flipper ?! Hurry up and show us what's inside ! Otherwise I'll purify you !

Zereschrute: Don't, wait ! Stop !

*knock knock*

Darkness: Sorry to disturb you, Wiz, Vanir. I'm sure you've heard already, but i'm here today to thank... Eh ?

Zereschrute: Well well, if it isn't Lady Dustiness who invaded my castle the other day and made a right mess of things. Hehehe, to think we would meet again like this...

Aqua: Fuuuuu...

Zereschrute: Aaaahhhh !!

Darkness: W- Why is lord Zereschrute here ?

"Divine intervention harassing him. If even the breath of someone like Aqua can hurt you so much, I strongly advise that you leave this town."

Zereschrute: E- Even if you say that, I escaped from my castle in the middle of the night, so I don't have any money nor a place to stay... Young man, is the girl next to Darkness the one you needed the medicine for ?

"Hm ? Yeah, that's Sylphina. She's Darkness' daughter- Cousin. Still mixing it up..."

Darkness: please stop saying that she's my daughter... N- No, you're my daughter, Sylphina, so don't make such a face...

Zereschrute: Oh, it's good to see that she's well ! You don't need to be so guarded, Lady Dustiness. As a devil, it's only natural for me to come to blows with a Crusader. I don't hold a grudge over that incident.

Darkness: I don't really get it, but if you say so... Still, what are you doing so far from your territory ?

"Well, that's quite a good question... You see..."

Darkness: ... Say, you met with Eris-sama when you died, right ? Does she seems like she has a lot of free time on her hands ?

"Uhh... I'd say that rather than having free time, it's more that she's taking revenge for you, as a devout follower... Also, she really hates devils..."

Darkness: I- Is that so ? Why is Eris-sama keeping such a close eye on me... Still, i'm terribly sorry, Lord Zereschrute. You might be a devil, but it's not like you've done any wicked acts...

Zereschrute: No, there's no need to apologize. Managing a territory is fun, but it's about time I moved on to something new. But, if you really feel that way, I would appreciate if you could use the backing of the Dustiness House to allow me to live in this town.

Aqua: Don't get ahead of yourself just because you've helped darkness' child. She seems quite attached to you, so I won't purify you in front of her, but I make no such guarantees if we were to meet on a secluded street somewhere.

"Okay, both of you stop. We have 3-"

Kazuma: 4. We have 4.

"... Fiiine. We have four devils in this shop, so let's stop before things escalate and Wiz somehow gets hurt-"

Announcer: *Emergency quest ! Emergency quest ! All adventurers in town, please gather at the guild hall immediately !*

"... ... ... ..."

Vanir: Before you say it, dear associate, I didn't do anything.

Aqua: Hey, why are you staring at me like that, Kazuma ? I don't know anything about this.

Megumin: I've got no idea about this either. I've been properly toeing the regulations concerning the locations and usage of Explosion.

Kazuma: ... That leaves...

Darkness: Hey, don't look at me. I'm the one who's the least likely to cause any trouble. That tax collection incident only happened because the guild came to consult me.

Announcer: *I repeat, all adventurers within the town, please gather at the guild hall immediately... All adventurers... The treasure island has appeared !!*

"The what has what now ?"

*VWOOSH*

"Hey, what's going on ?! Explain instead of running off !!"

Kazuma: What's up with them ?! Leaving Vanir and Aqua aside, even Wiz ran out like she was possessed.

Megumin: What are you saying, Kazuma ? It's the treasure island ! It's a literal island of treasure ! We shouldn't be wasting time here, let's hurry up and go !

Darkness: I- I'll have to stay here and take care of Sylphina...

Aqua: Guys ! I picked up a set for you ! Come on, take your pickaxe and other gear, and let's head out of town ! Hurry !

"Why don't you start by explaining what's going on first ? What kind of money-making grabbing quest is that treasure island ?"

Megumin: Treasure island is the common name of the Genbu. A giant tortoise known as a Genbu has appeared outside of town. The Genbu spends most of its time underground, and only surfaces once every ten years. It's said that it rises up to sun its shell in order to rid itself of the mushrooms, parasites, and other harmful creatures that have taken root on its body, but no one knows for sure. What we do know is that it will remain on the surface until the sun goes down. And Genbu lives on a diet of precious gems and metals deep underground, and such precious gems and metals will be stuck on its shell.

Kazuma: isn't that giant tortoise going to attack the people digging into its shell ? And there are already a lot of adventurers who went ahead of us. Won't it all be gone by the time we get there ?

Aqua: The Treasure island is a very docile creature. As long as no one does anything too crazy, it won't attack people. And there's no need to worry about all the treasure being gone. Son, you'll see why people call it a Treasure island... Anyway, what is the weird devil doing her ? Genbu are divine beasts. Divine beasts are the enemies of devils, you know ?

"Right, so No Explosion, and always keep Aqua in our line of sight. Divine beasts... I think the Tortoise is the first of the four, with the Phoenix, Tiger and Dragon next... That's a common trope..."

Kazuma: If we're going with symbolism, I think you make a pretty convincing Tiger here...

Vanir: if it were up to me, Moi wouldn't be doing this either ! But this useless shopkeeper once again bought some garbage and put us in the red again ! I swear the only reason we manage to stay afloat is thanks to the deliveries' profit ! If Moi doesn't do something soon, this month's rent will be...

Wiz: It'll be fine, Vanir-san ! We might be in the red now, but if I properly raise the goods I bought, I'm sure we'll end up making a huge profit... S- So don't look at me so coldly, you're scaring me !

"Well, that certainly is a big tortoise..."

Aqua: Let's go, Kazuma ! We have until sunset ! We are going to dig until our rucksacks are full to bursting !

Kazuma: Right, now that I'm here, time to put in some effort... Oh, isn't that Dust and the others ? They are here too ?

"You go and have fun. I'll be waiting her for you."

Darkness: ... Are you not going too ? With how profitable that could be, I'd expect you to make an army and take the entire Tortoise for yourself...

"Why would I need to ? I'll just provide support from there and make sure everyone can bring back as much loot as possible."

Darkness: How is that profitable for you ?

"Darkness, Darkness, Darkness... You lack knowledge of the economy. Everything the adventurers bring back from that Tortoise will need to be refined, transported, transformed... That's where merchants will get the big bucks. So, the adventurers gets money, I get money, and the taxes get money. Everyone wins."

Sylphina: ... Mommy, what does that means ?

"I'm already 4 parallel universes ahead of everyone."