" ": You talking

' ': You thinking

* *: Narrator/Voice-off

Your POV:

Aqua: ... He does have a lot of negative traits, but I think he has some positive traits too. No matter what kind of complex issue you bring to him, he will always find a way to resolve it. At the end of the day, Kazuma is the most reliable person I know.

Yunyun: Wh- Why didn't you say that earlier ? A- Aqua-san, everyone's staring ! A grown woman like you shouldn't do stupid stuff in public !

"Let her do her party tricks, it's not like she's hurting anyone..."

Yunyun: A-Aqua-san, what should we do with all these tips... !? Actually, is it really fine to leave just like that after putting everyone in such a lively mood... ?

Aqua: It's fine. And I don't need tips. I'm not a busker, so I can't accept that. Is there a branch of the Axis Cult here ? Just donate all those tips to them...

"... Speaking of the mood, I think people over here aren't in too good of one for some reason... The atmosphere seems heavy."

Aqua: let's go check it out. If they are having problems with the water, that'd be the perfect chance for me to step in.

Yunyun: P- Please wait. Um, I'll go ask them for the details first ! I mean, you always end up getting involved in strange problems, so i'm sure this time too... !

Aqua: Just who do you think I am ? It'll be fine, Yunyun. If it's a problem with water, you can count on the Axis Cult ! And if an Archpriest of the Axis Cult like me were to handle it, the problem is as good as resolved !

Yunyun: Aqua-san, I have a really bad feeling about this ! Ah, please wait !

"Hold on. Let her cook..."

Aqua: Are you having some problems with the water ? I'm just a traveling Archpriest of the Axis Cult that happened to pass by. If you mention water, you think about the Axis Cult !

Citizens: A- Axis cult ?! H- Hey, is it that Axis Cult ? It's best not to get involved...

Manager: Er, you see, it appears that our reservoir has been polluted. A brood of young brutal alligators have started making their nest nearby because of that. Those creatures will release a powerful toxin into their surroundings when wounded, so it's hard for us to deal with them. These creatures dislike clean water, so if the reservoir is purified, they should migrate elsewhere on their own, but...

Aqua: Ah, I see. That's a big problem. Now then, if you'll excuse me...

Yunyun: Aqua-san, where are you going ?! What happened to all that spirit from before ?!

Aqua: Let go of me, Yunyun ! I have really bad memories concerning those alligators ! It's just like you said earlier, I have a really bad feeling about this... !

Yunyun: I- I get it, I get it ! You'll trip if you run like that so- Ah !

*SPLASH*

"Well, doesn't matter if she wanted it or not, she's in the reservoir now..."

Yunyun: Sorry, Aqua-san ! I'll pull you out right now... Ah ! The alligators are approaching ! Please hold on for a while ! I'll take out the alligators first !

Manager: W-Wait a minute ! We'd be really thankful to have them taken care off, but if you take them out here our precious water source will be contaminated ! T-That's right ! Let's put our heads together and think of another way ! Someone bring an oar or something ! We need to pull that lady out !

Aqua: Stop discussing and decide if you are going to take them out or pull me out ! Actually, why are they gathering around me ?!

"These alligator hate clean water, so since you're purifying it, they're seeing you as an enemy."

Aqua: Waaaaah ! i'm sorry for running away, so please save me, Kazuma-san !!

Kazuma: ... This village feels odd. It's like, I don't feel the tension of being at a frontline village at all. I wonder what happened... Shouldn't everyone be more on guard ? It wouldn't be surprising for a small village like this to be wiped off the map at any time.

Guards: That priest really seemed like a Godes, didn't she ?! To think that she would risk her own body to purify our one and only reservoir ! You don't run into such heroic folks these days !

Kazuma: ... ... Pardon me, could you please tell me more about that ?

Guard: Well, you see, our reservoir got polluted, and brutal alligators started moving in. Just then, a beautiful priest happened to pass by and risked her own body to purify the water and chase away the alligators.

Kazuma: ... Hmm, must have been someone else.

Megumin: Yeah, I don't recall knowing such an exemplary priest.

Darkness: Indeed. It must have been someone else.

Guard: She was a priest of the Axis Cult with long, blue hair. She fell into the water, screamed a panicked chant of some sort, and before I knew it, the reservoir was filled with clean water.

Kazuma: that's definitely Aqua.

Megumin: That's Aqua

Darkness: Indeed, that's most definitely Aqua.

Guard: Aah, that priest ? We tried to warn her that it was dangerous, but she left with a few companions in the direction of the Demon King's castle. That was a few hours ago.

All: A few hours ago ?!

Kazuma: ... W- What ? Why are the two of you grinning like that ?

Megumin: No, I just thought you seemed especially happy. Recently, your complaints and retorts have lost their edge, so I thought that you might finally go back to usual with this.

Darkness: Fufu, stop it Megumin. This man can't be honest, after all. If you keep talking, he might start coming up with excuses again.

Kazuma: Right, I'm using Drain Touch on you the moment we get back to Axel. You won't be able to cast Explosion for three days. As for you, Darkness, one of these days, I'm going to swap out the oil you use for polishing your new armor with cooking oil. Now, let's hurry on !

Megumin: K-K-K-Kazuma !? You're joking, right ? T-That's way to much ! You don't need to regain your brutishness too !

Darkness: Y-Yeah, that's not funny ! ... Kazuma, you're joking, right ? P-Please tell me you're joking. I've already given a name to this armor. Y-you wouldn't actually do that, right ?

Darkness: Hey, Kazuma, the bodies are still warm. Aqua and the others couldn't have gone far... !

Kazuma: Please wait ! The rucksack... The rucksack is really heavy ! Please don't leave me behind !

Darkness: We are about to have an emotional reunion with our companions, so stop spoiling the mood ! Just throw that stuff out by the roadside !

Kazuma: I refuse !

Darkness: Grah, just hand it over ! I'll carry it for you! Seriously, here I thought you were somewhat cool earlier, but ... Ah ? What did you put in this, weights to help in muscle training !? You knew that we'd be traveling, so you should've packed lightly !? Just what did you bring with you !?

Megumin: H- hey... I think... I think I found it...

Kazuma: Found wha- aaaaaaaaaaaah...

Darkness: ... S- Such a foreboding sight...

Kazuma: 'No shit, that massive castle's made entirely of jet black rocks. No matter who you ask, that definitely seems like the residence of some final boss...'

Megumin: S- So cool... !

Kazuma: ... Blue hair... I- I found them ! Aqua ! Hey ! Heeeey ! Hey, guys ! ... Ah, dammit !

Megumin: Wait wait wait ! Kazuma, what are you trying to do ?!

Darkness: I know you want to shoot an arrow close by, but what if end up shooting her in the head by accident !? I know your luck is quite good, but you should know how unlucky Aqua is !

Kazuma: G- Gh ! Ah ! Those guys went inside the barrier !

Darkness: ... We came all this way but couldn't make it in time...

Megumin: W- W- What should we do ?! If I'd known it'd end up like this, I should've just let Kazuma loose that arrow and take our chances ! Y- You have a plan for this, right, Kazuma ? You always come up with some under-handed trick in such situations... K- Kazuma... ? Haha...

Darkness: H-Hey, what's wrong? Don't give up hope yet. They just entered the Demon King's castle, it doesn't mean that Aqua is already dead. It's too early for tears. Besides, just remember who she's with...

Megumin: ... No, if I properly learned Advanced Magic... If I was a proper Crimson Demon instead of this joke of a mage... we would've caught up to Aqua a long time ago... When I think about that, I... One might be able to break through the barrier with the Light of Saber spell that Crimson Demons like to use. If the magic power of the user is high enough, that spell would be able to cut through anything... If I had memorized that spell... If I had bothered to learn any other spell... Breaking through a barrier like this is the job of the spellcaster. But I've always been stubborn and never once did anything that is expected of one.

Megumin: If Yunyun were here instead, she'd be able to cut through the barrier with Light of Saber. Failing that, she could communicate magically with Aqua. If another Crimson Demon was here, she could've fired off some spell that wouldn't attract the attention of the monsters in the castle and caught Aqua's attention...

Darkness: If you're going to say that, if I didn't stubbornly refuse to learn any weapon skills, we would've had a much easier time going on adventures. It'd be the same for our past undertakings, but this journey too would've been much smoother and we'd have caught up with Aqua faster. You're not the only one to have been willful, Megumin. I too...

Kazuma: ... Hey, Megumin, that barrier surrounding the castle. Do you think you can break it with Explosion ?

Megumin: ... That's impossible. Explosion is a spell that converts magic power into pure explosive force. I might be able to create a few cracks in the barrier, but I don't have enough firepower to bring it down...

Kazuma: In other words, you can't take it down with a single blow. But what if you could hit it multiple times ? Can you break through it then ?

Megumin: T-That's impossible. That kind of barrier will repair itself over time. Even if I start regaining my mana the moment I cast Explosion, it would've fully repaired itself by the time I can cast it again. In the first place, the moment I unleash my spell, the forces of the Demon King would've come rushing over...

Kazuma: So you can break it if you hit it repeatedly in a short time, right ?

Megumin: Y-Yes. But a barrier on that scale wouldn't go down with just a couple of hits. Even Aqua could only make a small hole in the barrier. It would take at least several dozen hits...

Kazuma: Several dozen shots, huh ? So if you could cast Explosion that many times, that annoying barrier can be broken, right ?

Megumin: Yes. To take down a barrier of that scale, I would say... Thirty... No, around twenty shots would do.

Darkness: Hey, wait, what are you planning, Kazuma ? Are you planning on using our trump card, Explosion ? Sure, Aqua and the others might peek out in shock if we hit the barrier with Explosion, but that will definitely draw the attention of the Demon King's forces too. And, to use our trump card in such a way...

Kazuma: Darkness, give me my bag. Come to think of it, I gave that armor to Darkness, but I haven't given anything to you yet, right, Megumin ?

Megumin: Eh ? T- That's fine. i'm not some kind of high-maintenance woman who'd keep it on my chest if I don't receive an expensive gift every now and then.

Darkness: Ah ! Hey, Megumin, that makes it sound like I am that kind of high-maintenance woman... !

Megumin: I never said that you who treats that gift like some great treasure and polishes it with a grin whenever we get any amount of free time is a troublesome woman. If anything, I think it's kind of cute.

Kazuma: Come now, don't say that. I already got an expensive present for you, so just accept it.

Megumin: ... I- is that so ? Y- You didn't need to go out of your way...

Darkness: You're grinning from ear to ear, you know ? Sounds like you are a pretty high maintenance woman... Ah ! My hair ! Do you really like pulling on other's hair that much !?

Kazuma: It's a little late, but this is my present to you.

Darkness: ... Y- Y- Y- You... ! Do you understand the value of these things ?! How did you gather so many of them of such pure quality... !

Kazuma: Of course I know their value. They're worth over half of my entire fortune. You remember that time when Vanir chanced into a large amount of money, right ? Back when I sold him all of my intellectual property rights in order to raise the funds to clear your debt. Wiz ended up using the money Vanir earned from that to buy a large number of top grade Manatite. As thanks for him helping me power level in the dungeon, I bought all of these off him before we left town.

Megumin: K- K- K- K- K- Kazuma... ! T- T- This is... This... !

Kazuma: Just as you've heard, these are all top grade Manatite. Those can be used in place of mana when casting spells, but normal quality ones can't provide the massive costs required for Explosion. That's what you said back when you won that piece of Manatite off Yunyun, right ? And I believe you said back then that to such a great mage like you, such a low quality item is useless. Well, here is a pile of top grade manatite perfectly suited for a top grade mage such as yourself. It's all for you.

Kazuma: No matter who your opponent is, after you've spent all this time training and honing it, your skill at Explosion Magic will definitely be superior. I don't care if the Demon King himself or one of his subordinates or even Aqua were to come running out of that castle, blow every single one of them away ! I've accumulated a lot of stress on the way here as well ! Now is the time for you to show all those who treat you as a joke just what you can do! We can just earn the money back later ! Between the Demon King and Aqua running away from home, I'm close to my breaking point ! So, in my place, help me vent all this stress !

Darkness: W-W-Wait, Kazuma, didn't you just bring up a name that shouldn't be blown away just now !? Your speech sounds really cool, but isn't it just asking someone else to settle your grudges... !?

Kazuma: S-Shut up ! Wealth is also part of my abilities ! You go around brandishing your authority as a noble lady too ! Once we take that idiot back, we're going to start working hard ! Right now, I'm an elite adventurer who mastered a lot of skills, Kazuma ! We'll definitely have a much easier time of it compared to back when I was sleeping in the stables !

Megumin: ... ... Leave it to me. I'll make good use of the present you gave me... I'll never forget this day for as long as I live. I shall turn that impudent fool who dares name himself the strongest mage in the world without my permission into dust !

Kazuma: I'll be counting on you, the strongest mage in the world.