KonoSuba Continued, Explosions! Volume 2

Yunyun, who was protecting Barton, turned towards me, and I
replied
“Rookie Killers are really cool, aren’t they? I quite like them.
Barton-san, did you know that there are some Rookie Killers that
like eating wolfberries?”
[TL: See Short story: Crimson Eyed rookie killer]
“Oh, that’s interesting. You must tell me more about them later–”
“Light of Saber!!!”
Losing her temper, Yunyun swung her spell at the Rookie Killer,
causing it to immediately dart away.

—As we proceeded deeper into the forest, we came under attack
from monster after monster.
“Iris-kun, I’ve misjudged you. I was under the impression that you
were a rich young lady who has been waited on hand and foot for
your entire life, but you are actually pretty skilled, aren’t you?
Would it be possible for me to keep you on a long term retainer? If
you want, I can even hire you as a live in assistant.”
Paying no heed to the fact that he was being protected by girls less
than half his age, Barton said some ridiculous things.
“Thank you very much! If I ever find myself thrown out onto the
streets, I’ll be sure to look you up!”

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Swinging her ornate sword through the air, Iris said something
even more inane as she cut down an Elder Treant, a large plant-
type monster that resembled a rotting, moving tree.
The only way this girl would be thrown out onto the streets is if
the kingdom were to collapse first.
“Say, Megumin, if we take this man out here and made it look like
an accident, do you think they’ll pardon us if we told Claire-san
what he just said? I think it’s important for us friends to protect
her from bad adults…”
“Please don’t say such dangerous things with a straight face… In
the first place, he’d probably be executed on the spot if Claire ever
hears about what happened here.”
As Yunyun and I whispered to each other, Barton and Iris were
chatting up a storm in front of the treant’s corpse.
“I see, I see! Very well, as a candidate for my future assistant,
allow me to pass on some knowledge! The branches of an Elder
Treant make for great kindling. If you put them into boiling water
and make tea out of it, it’ll give you a mysterious high when you
drink it. I highly recommend you take a few back with you.”
“I’ve learnt a lot today! I’ll bring them back as souvenirs for Claire
and Rain!”
Upon hearing that, Yunyun strode up to beat some sense into
Barton.

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—And after finally making our way to the swamps that lay in the
depths of the forest…
“Yunyun-kun, you should use ice magic on the Scallosaur!”
“I-Ice magic!? Understood! This is the first piece of proper advice
you’ve given all day, but leave it to me! Freeze Gust!”
At Yunyun’s shout, a cloud of white mist appeared from her wand
and enveloped the Scallosaur, a large lizard with a torso the size of
a cow.
And then—
“Barton-san, it looks totally fine!”
After taking the spell head on, the monster let out a vigorous
screech and seemed even more energetic than before.
“Indeed, that’s because Scallosaurs are immune to ice magic!
More importantly, behold! Notice how the scales of the Scallosaur
are turning blue after getting hit with an ice spell? That indicates
that it’s absorbing the magic from the spell and turning it into its
own strength! Such a vibrant blue! Don’t you think it looks
pretty!?”
“It’s amazing, Barton-sama! I rarely see such a strong shade of
blue in my life!”
“Are you an idiot, Barton-san!? Please don’t get in the way! Iris-
chan, you shouldn’t be praising him either!”

52

After being called an idiot, Barton carefully adjusted his glasses as
he responded.
“Harumph. I’m most certain you are unaware, but if you kill a
Scallosaur while its scales are in such a state, those scales will
forever retain that vibrant shade of blue. They will sell for almost
double the price of a regular scale–”
“Professor Barton, do you have any other similar knowledge? I
wouldn’t mind calling you Onii-chan for the duration of this
request.”
“Wait, Megumin, what are you saying!? You’re no longer troubled
by money problems, right?”
Immediately after saying that, Yunyun started chanting another
spell.
And, just then.
Iris, who was protecting Barton, suddenly looked around…
“Everyone, the monsters and creatures in the area have grown
silent. Something’s coming.”
Now that she mentioned it, it is true that the sounds of the
creatures that normally permeate the forests have gone silent.
Iris, who didn’t even bat an eye when faced with the Scallosaur,
showed me a serious expression for the first time today.
At that same instant.

53

The Scallosaur standing in front of us disappeared with a small
squeak.
And not long after that, the very earth started rising from the
swamp.
We must have woken it up.
“There it is! That’s the one we are looking for!”
The reason why I originally thought that it was part of the earth
was because it’s covered in moss.
It probably cultivated that moss to allow it to better blend in with
the environment.
This creature has been living in this swamp for who knows how
long while covered in a thick layer of moss large enough to
envelop its entire body.
“I didn’t hear anything about this! You said it was a more
advanced version of a giant frog, not a creature that’s on the same
level as a high bounty target!”
This is the King Toad that the self-proclaimed wildlife researcher
so aptly named.
“I’ll go out in front, so please stand back and support me with
magic!”
It was comparable in size to our mansion, and the tail of the
Scallosaur that we were fighting was hanging out the corner of its
mouth.

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Such a creature is now looking down at Iris.
“I didn’t expect it to be this huge! Tsk, as a wildlife researcher, I
always thought it’d be nice to experience being swallowed at least
once, but I’ll definitely die if this creature swallowed me! What a
pity! …But still…”
“We are in quite a pinch right now, so stop sounding like our
Crusader and hurry up and hide somewhere! Iris, take care not to
be stepped on! Yunyun, please cast some ice spells on it! Frogs
should be weak against the cold!”
After pushing Barton that was getting excited for some reason
behind me, I started giving out instructions to the two.
“Hey, is it really weak to ice!? I just got tricked by Barton-san
earlier, so will it really be alright?
“Oh, I wonder? The Scallosaur that was living in this very same
swamp was strong against ice, so what about this King Toad? If
you want a hint, call me Professor Barton–”
“Professor Barton who claims to be a wildlife researcher, allow me
to enlighten you about certain facts of Crimson Demons. On the
whole, Crimson Demons have short tempers and are utterly
merciless when riled–”
“It’s weak against ice! And it’ll be slowed afterwards, so lightning
spells would be very effective against it!”
Just as Barton hastily spat out his hint in response to my threat,
and Yunyun started chanting–

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“Exterion!”

The King Toad’s tongue shot out towards Iris like an arrow, and
Iris swung her sword to intercept it.
The shockwave that emerged from Iris’s blade sliced off the
tongue and sent it flying, but—!
“The King Toad has terrifyingly strong regenerative abilities!
Small wounds like these will heal right away! This information is
all in the book I released last year, Professor Barton’s Monster
Guide for Dummies, so I highly recommend all adventurers to
pick it u–!”
“Now is not the time for advertising! Iris, um, can’t you fire off
something more impressive!? You know, like the attack you used
to take out that Dragon!? Now’s the time to unleash the seal!”
I shouted towards Iris, but she gave me an apologetic look—
“I’m sorry, that skill is tied to the holy sword that has been passed
down through the Belzerg royal family for generations, so I can’t
use it without that divine relic in hand…”
“Why didn’t you bring it with you today!? You should just keep it
with you every time you go out!”

56

“B-But… It’s a sword that has been passed down for countless
generations, so the hilt really stinks!”
“Hey, this isn’t the time to be arguing about thaaaaat!!”
Yunyun’s shout drew my attention back toward the giant frog, and
the tongue that was cut off just moments ago has already been
mostly regenerated!
“Yunyun, we should retreat temporarily! Cast your teleport! That
thing is way too big for us to deal with right now!”
“U-Understood!”
“Exterion! Exterion!”
As Yunyun started making preparations to cast Teleport, Iris
repeated unleashed her skill at the frog in order to buy time.
The invisible blades of wind rendered large gashes in the King
Toad’s flesh, but it didn’t seem to phase the King Toad at all.
Perhaps because it can’t feel pain, or perhaps because it’s just far
too large to feel such pinpricks, the King Toad simply waved its
mostly healed tongue in our direction in preparation for another
strike–
“W-Wait, hold on, if we retreat now, what about the quest I gave
you today!?”
This man!

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“Now is not the time for that! If we stay here, we’ll all end up as
frog food!”
“But then, the promise I made with Barbara-chan…!”
“A waitress at a bar or your life, think about which is more
important! Besides, I’m pretty sure that Barbara-chan of yours
says the exact same thing to all the other customers!”
I don’t really care if some strange man is getting tricked, but if this
continues, there is a great possibility that something horrible will
happen to Iris.
I doubt she’ll actually be killed by a frog, but after bringing out the
princess like this, if she were to head back home covered head to
toe in slime, I’ll probably be executed.
I’m not about to lose my life over such a stupid thing, so all I can
do right now is wait for Yunyun to finish her chant—!
“I see… Well, even the guild rejected my request, so I’m really
grateful to you all for bringing me this far. And, the King Toad was
far larger than I expected. I guess I shouldn’t expect it to be taken
out so easily…”
That’s a far cry from the Barton that has been acting so
audaciously since we met him.
“Is that person really that important to you?”
Perhaps having her curiosity piqued by such a drastic change in
his attitude, Iris asked, her sword still squarely focused on the
King Toad in front of her.

58

“Indeed, I’ve been chasing after her for a very long time now. I’ve
known her since childhood, and she ended up taking over that
debt-ridden bar from her parents, and even now, she works hard
to keep things afloat. Even though she has gone out with the other
customers on countless dates, for some reason, she’s always
rejected my invitation. She’s stubborn like that.”

…Ah, dammit.

“Of course, I know why she keeps refusing my advances. Most
likely, she can’t see me as anything other than her younger
brother from when we were kids. That’s why, when the rain starts
falling non stop around this time of year, she’ll say ‘I’ll go out with
you if it’s sunny tomorrow’ …Even so, I’ve always held on to this
small hope…”
I can’t possibly stand by and do nothing after hearing such a story.
“Yunyun, you’re done with preparing your teleport, right? Please
stand by. Iris, come back to me. I’m going to unleash my magic
now, so please protect yourself.”
“Wait, hold on, if you use Explosion on that frog…!”
Yes, there is a reason why I’ve refrained from using my Explosion
even after encountering such a large enemy.

59

“Boss, I’ll be fine. The remains of the frog will most likely end up
splattered everywhere, but I’ll handle Claire somehow.”
Iris said with a bright smile. She probably anticipated what is
going to happen next.
“Very well, let’s all end up covered in slime on our first adventure
together! Come to think of it, back when I first joined up with
Kazuma, I ended up covered in frog slime too! I’ll take down this
guy in a jiffy and we’ll all have a bath together afterwards!”
“I don’t really mind the bath, but don’t get upset after comparing
your bodies with ours… Ouch! Stop throwing stones around and
start chanting already!”
Yunyun shouted at me.
“Can you really bring the King Toad down…?”
My reply to Barton’s uncertain sounding words came in the form
of my chant.
At that time, perhaps learning that its tongue will be cut off every
time it attacks, the King Toad retracted it and gathered its legs
beneath it.
After completing my chant, I gave Barton a bitter smile.
“I learned a lot about the ecology of monsters from you today, so
in return, allow me to teach you something about the feelings of
women. The reason Barbara-chan keeps turning you down is–”

60

Before I could finish, the King Toad leapt into the air, seemingly
intent on crushing us with the weight of its body–

61

62

[TL: Once again, big thanks to Kasen for colouring the pictures
in]
“Explosion!!!”

↲

63

Chapter 1: Part 6 ↲

“I’m home~”

“Oh, welcome back.”

When I returned to the mansion, Kazuma, who was lazing about
on the sofa, greeted me.

Next to him, Aqua was repeatedly hitting Kazuma on the back as
she wailed…

“You were out pretty late today. What were you up to? You weren’t
up to anything weird like Aqua was, were you?”

“Apologize! Apologize to Teru Teru Megumin!”

Hey.

“Hold on a minute, I just heard something I can’t ignore. And
what do you mean by apologize?”

“Megumin, listen to this! This moldy NEET gave the Teru Teru
Megumin I made to Chomusuke to use as a chew toy! Thanks to
that, the Terumin got torn to pieces…!”

“Stop calling me moldy NEET, that makes it sound like I’m going
to sprout mushrooms. Anyway, she made a Teru Teru Bozu that
looked a little like you, but it’d be problematic for me if it’s sunny
tomorrow, won’t it?”

This man!

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“Didn’t you say you’d go out with me once it’s sunny!? What kind
of half-hearted promise is that!?”
“What? Okay, fine, it’s my fault! Anyway, didn’t you head out on
an adventure? You kinda smell nice. Did you take a bath?”
Aqua has moved on to Darkness who was sitting on the far end of
the sofa and is probably trying to fix the Terumin with her.
I glanced at them out of the corner of my eye and said.
“Yeah, it’s an amazing adventure that’s sure to make you jealous.
The bath is, well, I suppose you can call it destroying evidence…”
“Oh? Well, we can’t go out because of the rain anyways, so why
don’t you tell us all about it? Hey, Aqua, I’m sorry alright, so stop
crying already. I’ll bring out some wine, so let’s listen to
Megumin’s story together, okay?”
“If you are talking about the bottle you kept hidden away behind
the drawers, it’s already gone. I found it yesterday and drank it
all.”
……
I moved away from the two of them as they started fighting again
and approached Darkness, who appeared to have pricked her
finger but is looking at her perfectly unblemished finger with a
look of disappointment.
“If you don’t mind, I would really like to hear what adventures you
went on today. You’ve been heading out to the lake for your daily

65

explosion trip recently, so did you go even further away this
time?”
Darkness said, giving me a gentle smile as though she was
enjoying the peaceful mood of a rainy day.
“It’ll be a long story, so let’s wait till after dinner. We fought
against a large variety of monsters, and at the very end of it, we
helped a man who has been pining for his unrequited love. But
before that, I would like to ask Aqua for a little favour–”
The two of them temporarily ceased fighting after hearing my
words, and I flashed them my most charming smile–
“Can you make a Teru Teru Aqua, Teru Teru Kazuma, and a Teru
Teru Darkness too? I really want it to be sunny tomorrow—”
[TL: Teru Teru Bozu literally means Shine Shine monk, and she’s
replacing the monk part with a certain character instead]

↲

66

67

Lighting Over Alcanretia! (Part 1)
Chapter 2: Part 1 ↲

TL: Cannongerbil
Editing: Makentosh
[Thanks to Kasen for providing the coloured pictures]

The balcony of the most exquisite mansion in Axel.
At this place that overlooked the main street of the city, a
beautiful blonde haired lady lounged lazily on a couch and said.
“It must really be hard to be a commoner… having to work hard
from dawn till dusk…”
“Indeed, my lady!”
A blonde haired young girl dressed in a maid’s uniform
enthusiastically agreed.
The blonde lady picked up a newspaper from the table.
“… Fufu, to think that he used to have trouble fighting against
goblins, but now he’s put his face on the front page. He sure has
grown a lot…”
“Indeed, my lady!”
After giving the paper a glance over, she threw it back onto the
table and picked up a glass.
She brought it close to her nose, taking a moment to enjoy the
smell of the expensive looking wine inside it.

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And, as the maid besides her fanned her with a large ornamental
fan, she took a sip from the glass.
“Cough! Cough!”
“Are you alright, my lady!?”
Perhaps it’s because she’s not used to drinking wine, the lady
broke into a coughing fit.
… Actually…
“Onee-san, what kind of game are you playing?”
“Ah, Megumin-san! Hey, you want to try putting on a maid
uniform too? It’ll definitely look really well on you.”
The lady with the wine glass in hand is a priest of the Axis Cult,
Cecily.
And…
“Good morning, Boss! Lady Cecily said she wanted to pretend to
be a rich lady, so she asked me to act as a maid…”
The maid next to her, who is still fanning Cecily, is Iris.
Seeing this reminded me of the time the NEETs back home
started acting as though they were celebrities.
I wonder if there’s something wrong with the company I keep.

69

“… Onee-sama, if someone important were to see her dressed like
that right now, your head will physically roll.”
“Authority is meaningless to us Axis Cultists. Still, Alice-chan,
keep this a secret between us, alright?”
“Indeed, my lady!”
It seems like waiting on someone else is quite an enjoyable change
of pace for Iris, who has been waited upon all her life.
“Actually, what are you doing here? Onee-san, you’re in charge of
the Axel branch of the Axis Cult, right? Do you really have that
much free time?”
“What are you saying, Megumin-san. Of course there’s plenty of
work for me to do. I’m just pushing them off to hang out with
some pretty girls instead.”
“That just makes it worse!”

–Despite it being the rainy season, the weather has been clear
these past few days.
Hopefully, this is the result of the quest we went on the other day.
Did Barton-san manage to go on a memorable date with the girl
he’s pining over, I wonder?
It would at least make it feel like all my hard work was worth
something…

70

“Oh, yeah, Boss, it might be a little strange coming from me, but
what are you doing here today? Are we heading out on another
adventure?”
“Eh, well, it’s a rare clear day in this season, so I wanted to take on
a quest together with Yunyun… but it’s one of those rare times
when she isn’t in the guild, so I thought that she might be here…
More importantly, what are you doing here, Alice? You might be
able to get here by using the teleport shops, but how did you get
out of the castle?”
“There’s a secret passage that only members of the royal family
knows about-”
“Right, right, I get it. I get it, so please don’t say anything more! I
feel like my head will roll if you say anything more!”
As I hastily covered Iris’s mouth, Cecily tilted her head and said.
“Castle and royal family piqued my interest, but for me
personally, there’s something else that sounds far more
interesting. You said you wanted to go on an adventure?”
“Yes. Does onee-san want to come along too?”
The only ones here right now is me, an Archwizard, and the all
purpose offensive tool Iris.
If Cecily, a priest, were to join us, it’d make a pretty decent party,
but…
“Er, Megumin-san, you see, onee-san has a request…”

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“If you stop fidgeting around like that, I wouldn’t mind hearing
you out.”

↲

72

Chapter 2: Part 2 ↲

“– Are there any good quest available? Ones that can be done with
just a vanguard and a support.”

“… Well… there is this one, but…”

“Megumin-san, please, don’t abandon your onee-chan!”

After making our way to the adventurer’s guild, Iris and I browsed
around for any decent looking quests on offer.

“Alice, what about this one? It calls for the extermination of the
Adamansnails that have dug into the fields. Adamansnails are
resilient creatures capable of fending off most normal attacks, but
that shouldn’t be a problem for us. Apart from their hard shells,
they are slow and have low offensive power, so it should be a fairly
easy job.”

“Y-Yes, but, umm, Boss…”

“Aaaaah! And here I lent you a little bit of my aid when you were
gearing to fight that demon!”

Oh, and this is yet another decent quest.

“Excuse me, I would like to take on this quest to kill the blood
stink flying squirrels. One of those things peed on me in the past,
so I have a score to settle.”

“I-I understand. Then, I’ll leave this quest in your-”

“You heartless fiend!”

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“You’ve been really annoying for a while now! People are
watching, so please shut up!”
Cecily clung onto my waist and wailed, so in the end, I had no
choice but to hear her out once more.
On the whole, what Cecily asked of me isn’t really that big of a
deal.
However, there is one small problem–

“I want you to come with me to Alcanretia and blow up the
mysterious slime.”
“… I would’ve agreed without a second thought if you weren’t
asking me to go to Alcanretia.”
Indeed, the destination is the problem.
“Boss, what kind of place is Alcanretia?”
“It’s a den of weirdos.”
“How could you say that!? Even if it’s Megumin-san, I can’t let
that slide!”
Cecily slammed her fist on the desk after hearing my brief
explanation.

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“Then, why don’t you explain what kind of city Alcanretia is in
your own words?”
“Very well, then, allow this onee-san to teach you about some of
the wonderful things that exist in this world, Alice-san.”
Why does she always have to be this grandiose?
“Alcanretia is the headquarters of the Axis Cult. The Axis Cult is a
religious organization that worships the goddess Aqua-sama. It
used to be known for it’s hot springs, but that is a thing of the
past. Now, Alcanretia is a holy land where holy water flows freely
from the ground! Truly a city blessed by the goddess!”
“A city where holy water flows freely? That sounds amazing! Then,
the people who live there must be pure hearted too, right!?”
Iris’s said with sparkling eyes, and Cecily averted her gaze.
“Onee-san, please continue. See, Alice is eagerly waiting.”
“Y-Yeah, I get it. The holy water that flows from the springs is not
only extremely effective when used on the undead, it will also
raise the quality of weapons when it’s used as polish, and it will
also ward off diseases when it’s used to cook food. It truly is a
wonderful substance with all manner of uses! ”
“Such a wonderful substance just springs forth from the ground!?
That will surely be a help to a lot of people! As expected of a city of
priests. Someone less magnanimous would surely make use of
that to earn themselves a fortune…”

75

Cecily seemed like she was about to say something, but quickly
silenced herself.
Then she shot me a pleading gaze that just seemed to say “Please
do something!”
“… As they say, seeing is believing. Now then, why don’t we
personally go take a look at what kind of city Alcanretia really is?”
“I’ll look forward to it, Boss!”
“Ow ow ow, my stomach! It suddenly started hurting! This must
be the counterattack of the tokoroten slime I ate yesterday! I’m
sorry, you two, it doesn’t seem like we can do that today!”
Cecily suddenly clutched at her stomach and started rolling
around on the floor in an obviously exaggerated manner.
“Please wait for a while. I’ll go home and fetch my Archpriest
whose skill in curative magic is-”
“No, wait, anything but that!”

↲

76

Chapter 2: Part 3 ↲

The next morning.
“Onee-san, I’m begging you, please don’t make a scene in the
shop, okay?”
“Megumin-san, just what kind of person do you think I am? I’m
still a priest, you know?”
After meeting up with Iris and Cecily early in the morning, I led
the two of them over to Wiz’s magic item shop for the next leg of
our journey.
Iris was enthusiastically looking this way and that as we made our
way down the street. She must not have many opportunities to go
shopping like this.
Come to think of it, I think recall Kazuma saying something about
Aqua going wild and causing a big ruckus when he first brought
her to this shop.
“Promise me, okay? That person is way out of your league, no
matter what you do, there’s no way you can beat her. So please
don’t drag me in, okay?”
“Megumin-san, seriously, just what kind of organization do you
think the Axis Cult is? Apart from undead, devils, and heretics,
there’s no one we can’t get along with.”
The entire problem stems from the store being manned by
nothing but devils and undead.

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Iris, listing to our exchange from the side, curiously asked me.
“Boss, what kind of place is this shop?”
“It’s a den of weirdos.”
“That is really strange coming from your mouth, the joke mage of
a joke race.”
Suddenly, Vanir’s voice came from behind me.
“Fuhahaha! Welcome, joke mage and my former young master! …
H-Hey, what is with you!? My mask is not a plaything!”
Cecily grabbed onto Vanir’s mask, and the two of them started
struggling against each other.
Judging from Aqua’s daily behaviour, the priests of the Axis Cult
seem to have the ability to detect undead and devils.
In other words, Cecily figured out what Vanir really is the moment
she laid eyes on him.
She’s a bit of a failure as an adult, but however rotten she might
be, she’s still a priest of the Axis Cult.
Her eyes aren’t just for show.
“A handsome guy! I can detect the scent of a hunk coming from
behind that mask! Masked man, nice to meet you! My name is
Cecily!”

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“Moi name is Vanir, nice to meet you, and goodbye! Grah, I have
no business with you! This is why Axis Cultists are…!!”
No, I take that back. Her eyes really are just for show after all.
After prying Cecily’s hand off him, Vanir took a moment to
straighten his bearings.
And then, he turned towards Iris, whose eyes lit up upon seeing
him, and broke into a perfect bow.
“It has been some time, the granddaughter of the chirimen store.
It seems like you’ve gotten stronger since we last met. Even Moi
finds it hard to see through you now.”
Saying that, he broke out into a smile…
“Please don’t hate Axis Cultist that much! Come on, please show
me your face! Just a glimpse, just a very brief glimpse would do!
I’ll just watch, I won’t do anything!”
“Hachibei! Hachibei!”
“Sorry for interrupting while you’re busy, but is Wiz around? I
would like to request something of her.”
“Grah, don’t just talk all at the same time, you annoying little
girls!”
Iris immediately surged forward to hug Vanir, who has been
getting quite worked up since we met him a short while ago.

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“So Hachibei worked at this shop! Ahahaha, it’s been a long time,
Hachibei! Hachibei!”
Seems like these two have met sometime in the past.
Iris looked up at Vanir with a smile while clinging onto his waist.
“It’s wonderful to see you well, granddaughter of a chirimen
store… So, what brings you here today?”
“We want to head to Alcanretia today, so we are hoping we can
make use of Wiz’s teleport. I think I recall her saying that she set
that city as a teleport point after the last time she’s been there.”
Indeed, we aren’t here just to window shop.
If the princess were to go missing for several days while we made
the journey to Alcanretia via carriage, it would definitely throw
the capital into a panic.
Not that I have that kind of money in the first place…
“If you’re looking for the shopkeeper, she’s a charred husk in the
back due to certain circumstances. She’ll come back to life in a
short while, so you should go find somewhere to kill time while
you wait.”
Seems like Wiz ordered something useless again.
Just then, I noticed that Cecily has been oddly quiet for the past
few minutes.

80

Turning to look at her, she had both hands on her cheeks and was
breathing heavily.
“He just called me a little girl. What should I do? I’m used to
being treated as an onee-san, but this is a first for me. Even as
experienced as I am, I’m still a little girl compared to Vanir-san…”
It seems like Cecily has become overjoyed over being called a little
girl.
To a greater devil like Vanir, even a granny would be as young as a
baby to him, but I think I’ll keep that to myself for now.
Just then.
“W-Welcome back, Vanir-sama… Oh, we already have
customers?”
The front door opened, and a giant stuffed penguin came out with
a broom and dustpan in its flippers.
Seems like he came out to do some spring cleaning.
Upon seeing the cute looking former devil noble emerge from the
store, Iris immediately threw herself onto him.
“Zereschrute-sama! Zereschrute-sama!”
“Your highness!? What are you doing in such a place…?”
As a princess and one of the nobles who served the royal family,
it’s a matter of course that they should know each other.

81

“Zereschrute-sama, right now, I’m but a simple daughter of a
chirimen store that you can find anywhere! So, for now, please
just address me as Alice!
“N-No, in the first place, what even is a chirimen store, and is it
really that common…. In any case, as part of my station, I cannot
simply refer to just anyone by name.”
“It’s Alice, Zereschrute-sama!”
Seemingly having taken a liking to the moniker of a daughter of a
Chirimen store owner, Iris gazed up at Zereschrute with sparkling
eyes.
If I recall, devils don’t refer to anyone by name unless they’ve
acknowledged them.
“N-No, your highness, I…”
“It’s Alice! Oh, yeah, if I recall, Zereschrute-sama will only call
people who are strong, or those who proved their skill in some
way by their names. Fufu, I’m not the same girl that you played
with all those years ago! Now, witness my growth with your own
two-”
“Alice-sama, you’ve grown to become a very strong and beautiful
lady! I, Zereschrute, is happy to see you grow this powerful!”
The penguin immediately conceded as Iris reached for her sword
with a smile.
After getting involved with the various weirdos of this town, it
seems like Zereschrute is finally running low on lives.

82

“So the Chirimen store’s daughter is familiar with Zereschrute. In
any case, do come in. We are friends, after all, so Moi shall allow
you to purchase my wondrous goods at a special discount!”
“Wow! Thank you very much, Hachibei! This is a magic item
store, right? I wonder what items are available!”
Vanir, overjoyed with having some new customers, gracefully
directed Iris to the door, and the chirimen store’s daughter didn’t
suspect a single thing as she followed him into the store.
It would seem that this naive young lady still has need of an
attendant.

↲

83

Chapter 2: Part 4 ↲

“First off is this! A certain harem brat created this, the mysterious
lifeform slinky spring-kun! It looks just like a giant spring at first
glance, but behold! If you put it on top of a flight of stairs and give
it a little push… It will jump down step by step like a giant
caterpillar!”

“Amazing! I’ll buy it! How much is it!?”

“What are you even going to use that for!? You shouldn’t spend
your money on frivolous things! The contents of your wallet is
filled by the tax money of the people!”

Upon entering the store, Iris almost immediately gets suckered
into purchasing some useless junk.

“Then, what about this!? The mysterious sandal that chirps
whenever you take a step! Apparently, it’s a legendary item that is
brought here from another world. It allows you to intimidate your
enemies just by taking a step, and is a favoured relic of a certain
famous warrior-”

“I’ll buy it! I’ll definitely buy it!”

“If you start making squeaking noises whenever you take a step
next to me, I’ll pry it off your feet!”

Iris seems to be willing to buy just about anything that Vanir
brings out before her, even if it’s completely useless.

“There’s a handsome man inside here, right!? I can tell, you
know? It’s large enough for a man to hide within, after all!”

84

“N-No, that is a magic item… Ah-no, you cannot! Please stop
trying to look inside of it!”
Cecily seems to be enjoying herself in a corner of the store with
the penguin.
“No, I will not stop! Just what kind of shop is this place? First
there’s the mysterious masked gentleman, and then someone in a
cute looking penguin suit shows up! I can’t help but tease such a
defenceless looking young man.”
“Like I said, there’s no one inside… Vanir-sama, this girl is really
strange! Please send aid!”
Well, at the very least, this will keep her busy, so I decided to leave
her be for now.
“This one is the perforated robe that the famous Crimson Demon,
Emoguravin is said to have loved. It’s said to bring out the power
of heroes within you upon wearing it.”
“The power of heroes…”
“If you go to the Crimson Demon Village, you can buy such items
for chump change.”
“Stop getting in the way of my business, joke girl! Chirimen girl,
this is a special item just for you. Simply twist it between your
palms and it’ll fly, a magic item known as a bamboo dragonfly-”

85

“I already have one of those! It’s not a magic item, but a toy you
can buy anywhere, right!? Hachibei is just saying the same things
Onii-sama said to poke fun at me!”
And, just then.
The front door of the store flung open, and a familiar face
emerged.
“Vanir-san, I did my best! Look at this! As you can see, it’s the
shell of an adamansnail…M-Megumin!?”
The person was Yunyun, who carried a large number of shells in a
basket strapped to her back.
To collect so many shells by this time, just how early did she set
out to the fields?
“What have you been doing since morning?”
“Eeh!? I-I received a request from Vanir-san and have been
collecting the shells of Adamansnails to be used in creating magic
items since yesterday…”
So she’s been working at it overnight?
“You have worked hard, good friend of mine. Just leave the basket
over there. Moi shall personally prepare some delicious tea as a
reward for all your hard work.”
Despite being worn out, Yunyun’s face broke out into a wide smile
the moment she heard the word friend.

86

“… You’re not working for free just because he’s calling you his
friend, are you?”
“What are you saying? Do you take money from your friends in
exchange for favours? Haggling over money is unbecoming of true
friends. Is that not right, good friend of mine!?”
“Ehehehe… Yeah. You can’t buy friendship with money, after all.”
Seeing my self-proclaimed rival get easily bought out with a cup of
tea makes my head hurt for some reason.
“You used to pay for your classmates food and offer me your
packed lunches as tribute because of that very same line. Have
you really not learnt anything…”
“The packed lunches weren’t tribute, I lost them to you!”
It was at this point that Yunyun started settling in and took a good
look around the store.
“By the way, what are you doing here? Cecily-san and Alice-chan
are here too…”
“We’re headed out on an expedition to another city.”
Hearing that, Yunyun carefully placed down the cup of tea on the
table and stretched in an exaggerated manner.
“I-Is that so~ Say, may I ask what’s the quest you intend on
accepting?”

87

“… It’s nothing major, just killing a mysterious slime that
suddenly appeared-”
“Slime!? You’re talking about the same slimes that have squishy
bodies that most warriors can’t even damage and resistant against
most kind of spells, right!? And not knowing anything about the
slime’s characteristics just makes it worse! Are you sure you’re
okay taking on that quest!?”
Yunyun suddenly interrupted before I could fully explain the
quest details.
“… I don’t think it’s that big of a deal. For starters, we have Alice
here who is not exactly your average swordsman, and me who can
use the strongest offensive spell known to mankind. A slow
moving slime would just be a sitting duck.”
“Y-You can’t do that! As an adventurer, bad things will happen if
you let your guard down like that! Plus, the composition of your
party is…”
“Alice as the Vanguard, and me and Cecily as the backline. Yeah,
it’d be nice to have another frontliner in the party.”
“… Y-Yeah! By the way, I’m a high level Crimson Demon, so I’m
fairly tough, and I can fight on the front lines with this dagger!”
………
“Well, normally I would ask you to come along with us, but it
seems like you’ve been up all night working on that quest Vanir
gave you, so just rest for to-”

88

“I was thinking of going for a jog after this, actually! Hunting
Adamansnails don’t actually provide me with much exercise, after
all! … Come to think of it, Adamansnails are supposed to be
resistant to magic and physical attacks like slimes are, but it sure
was a breeze dealing with them…”
Hearing Yunyun come up with an excuse every time I said
something, I lost my patience.
“You really are a troublesome girl, you know!? If you want to
come with us, just say so! In the first place, I was looking for you
ever since yesterday! What were you doing hunting Adamansnails
throughout the night! You should’ve expended quite a bit of mana,
so are you really okay!?”
“Of course I’m fine! I’ll just buy a few pieces of manatite! Vanir-
san, please give me a few intermediate stones!”
“Thank you for your business!”
“I know I was the one who brought it up, but you really didn’t
need to go that far! It wouldn’t take much time at all to deal with
the slime!”
Just then.
“Have you come to an agreement? I’m ready to go anytime you
want.”
I thought she was being quiet, but Cecily must have being trying
various ways to look into the box.
At the same time, a carefree voice came from the back of the store.

89

“… Oh? We have a lot of customers today, haven’t we!? P-Please
hold on for a moment, I’ll go bring out the tea…”
“We are fine with tea, so please don’t push yourself! You’re
looking kind of pale!”
Wiz, who seemed kinda fading around the edges, walked floatily
into the store.
Seeing her, Cecily’s eyes suddenly widened as though she received
some kind of shock.
“A-Ah… how could this be…”
I guess even Cecily would notice something is wrong upon seeing
someone who seemed to be slowly vanishing.
Her body started trembling, and her gaze focused squarely on
Wiz.
“Onee-san, please calm down. Please don’t cause a scene here. She
might look like that, but…”
“Tsk, so this is what you meant when you said ‘That person is way
out of your league, no matter what you do, there’s no way you can
beat her.’ before we came to this store! Such beauty! Such huge
tits! And her devotion to making tea! It seems like an illusion that
might vanish at any moment…”
It is true that Wiz seems like she’s about to disappear, but it’s not
because of that.

90

“I suppose it’s best to retreat for now… But, Vanir-san, we might
have only known each other for a short time, but we are still
friends who’ve shared close contact with each other, so I would
like to ask for just one favour… ”
“It feels like it would only further damage my honour, but if you
promise to leave afterwards, Moi supposes Moi can hear you out.”
Cecily traced a heart shape with her fingers onto Vanir’s chest and
said.
“I would really like to see what you look like beneath that mask…”
“… … Sigh…”
With a deep sigh, Vanir motioned Cecily to follow him, and the
two of them disappeared out the back of the store.
And shortly afterwards…

“Fwah-! Wait, hold on!? I thought I was attracted towards shotas
and lolis, but this is really making me question my type! Ah, no
wait, just a little while more!”
……
Eventually, Vanir made his way back into the store, followed by
Cecily who was positively beaming.
And everyone who was in the store said at the same time.

91

“Can I also-” x5
“I refuse.”

↲

92

Chapter 2: Part 5 ↲

“Cecily-onee-san, just what did Hachibei look like under that
mask!? Please tell me about it!”
“His face was refined, like the perfect image of a gentleman! … Ah,
no, come on, Cecily, get a hold of yourself! You like little girls,
don’t you!? That’s right, I’m going to get married to a rich and
handsome man and hire a lot of little girls to act as my servants!
Don’t be led astray by his devilish charms!”
Cecily grabbed onto her head and started mumbling to herself.
Just what is she fighting against?
“Well, leaving that aside…”
After finally having calmed herself down, Cecily looked at the rest
of us with a smile.
“Welcome to the capital of water and holy springs, Alcanretia!”

— Afterwards, Vanir quickly got Wiz to agree to send us to
Alcanretia, almost as if he’s chasing us away.

“Ehe, Ehehehe… I thought we might end up here. Someone like
me being invited to go on a trip with everyone… But it’s better
than spacing out alone like usual…. I never wanted to come back
to this city again, but it might be fun with everyone here…”

93

“… Megumin-san, my heart is starting to hurt a little.”
“I didn’t tell her that we were going to Alcanretia, after all. Just so
you know, the reason why the life suddenly left her eyes like that
is all because of onee-san and her Axis cult.”
Ever since we arrived in the city, Yunyun have had a lifeless dead
expression that’s halfway between a sob and a smile.
Next to her, Iris, who is visiting this city for the first time, glanced
about every which way, taking in all the sights.
“What should I do, a beautiful girl’s crying face…! Crying…! Hey,
Megumin-san, don’t you think a girl is beautiful even when she’s
crying?”
“You aren’t apologetic at all! More importantly, don’t you think
it’s time to tell us? Why did you take an interest in some strange
slime all the way in a distant city?”
A request from Cecily to take out a slime.
She’s the person in charge of the Axel branch of the Axis Cult. She
normally wouldn’t have had anything to do with a monster that
appeared in Alcanretia.
“Say, Megumin-san, we’ve known each other for quite a while,
right? Our bond is like a parent and child, right? So… Please don’t
get angry when you hear it.”
“All I can say is that I’ll be even angrier if you don’t tell me the
truth.”

94

Cecily stiffened up under my stern gaze.
“… Megumin-san, you’re a Crimson Demon, so you’re really
smart, right? So I’ll start with giving you a hint, okay?”
“No, I don’t really care for playing some strange quiz, so just tell
me why you want to kill that slime…”
Cecily raised a finger in response.
“Slimes are mysterious monsters. Nobody even really knows how
they come about. However, this is the holy headquarters of the
Axis Cult. Even though it’s a holy land, and overflowing with holy
water on top of that, a monster still appeared here. This is a grave
matter.”
“I understand that it’s a grave matter, but what does that have to
do with you?”
Cecily clasped her hands in front of her chest like she was about to
say a prayer.
“This is just something I’m saying to myself, alright?”
… I have a really bad feeling about this.
“Do you remember that time when I had a large amount tokoroten
slime go missing from the freezer along with vegetables from the
field? Indeed, the slime that I bought can revive itself even after it
has been reduced to powder.”
“That did happen, but… what does that…”

95

Have to do with this situation.
… The answer came to me before I could complete my sentence.
“Onee-san.”
“That’s not it!”
Cecily hastily denied before I even said anything.
“There was an incident in this town where Tokoroten slime
instead of water came sprouting out of the springs, right?”
“Yes, a sabotage attempt by the Demon King’s army. That really
was a headache… and for some reason, the tokoroten slime that I
so treasured was stolen by someone…”
……
“That incident, and this current incident all happened because of
you-”
“Don’t say anything more! That is all speculation! It could very
well all be just one big coincidence! As for the previous incident,
there’s no doubt that the Demon King’s army stole my precious
tokoroten slime! But in this case, it might very well be the result of
some of the slime I left away for later coming back to life,
escaping, and somehow evolving into this mysterious slime. Or it
could be something else entirely. The only thing I can say is…!”
A gracious smile appeared on Cecily’s face.

96

“The people of Alcanretia are troubled by the appearance of this
new slime. Is it really so wrong for me to lend them a helping
hand?”
“If you don’t tell me the truth, I’m going back home”
After a short period of silence.
“Yeah, it’d be really problematic for me if it becomes known that I
had something to do with it, so I want to get rid of the evidence
before that happens! Ah! Ah! Megumin-san! Please, don’t
abandon your onee-san!”

↲

97

Chapter 2: Part 6 ↲

A voice came from the other side of the door.
“I’m heading over to the Eris Church to complain! Don’t you think
it’s bad to make their goddess look that sexy!? Anyone who wants
to come with me, raise your hand!”
“I’ll go with you!”
“Me too!”
Hearing this retarded conversation made me hesitate to open the
door.
“Go right ahead. The Eris Church Priestess will probably come
here all red in the face to yell at me again, but that’s good too! Go
with my blessings.”
That familiar voice is the voice of the leader of the Axis Cult and
the one who oversees all cult operations in this town, a middle
aged man named Zesta.
“The beautiful Eris head priest will soon come charging into here.
I shall remove my coat and lie down by the entrance in order to
intercept her. Someone prepare a magic camera! I want to capture
the moment she realizes she just stepped on a naked me! She shall
go back in tears, and I would receive a great reward out of it too.
Afterwards, we shall distribute the picture with the caption ‘Eris
Church priest steps on a naked Axis Cultist!’ and further damage
their reputation!”

98

“What a wonderful plan! As expected of Zesta-sama! Please allow
me to take part in the trap too!”
“No fair, I want to be stepped on by a beautiful priest too!”
I really didn’t want to do this after hearing everything they are
discussing, but I reluctantly opened the door.
“!? A beautiful girl! A lovely girl has descended to our cathedral!”
“Hey, you will scare her away! All you bastards please go
somewhere else! Only us women shall receive them!”
“That’s not fair! I too want to breathe in the same air as a young
girl!”
“I too want to enjoy the scent of a lovely young girl!”
The scene before me is a scene from hell.
Indeed.
This is Alcanretia, the headquarters of the Axis Cult.
The moment Yunyun and I set foot inside the cathedral, we were
immediately surrounded by Axis cultists.
The men seemed to be holding back a little, but the women held
no reservations about getting as close as possible.
Yunyun was enveloped in the arms of an unfamiliar woman who
had no reservations in running her hands through her hair, and
seemed to be completely overwhelmed.

99