Konosuba Dust Spin Off 6

“I don’t want to hear your excuses! I thought you were shaping
up recently. I have just the little, really just a little bit of… For
you.”
The most important part was said too softly for me to pick up.
After saying that, she stepped back, and the head butler went
back to his original spot, breaking my line of sight.
“Hohoho, hearing the young ones have a sweet and sour
conversation is something special. Now then, former Dragon
Knight-dono, the new Princess Leonor doesn’t seem to have any
intention of hearing you out. What will you do next?”
The head butler has already seen through my identity, so I got
rid of the mask I was wearing.
When Lynn is in a bad mood like this, it doesn’t matter what I
say. She won’t listen to a word of it.
In other words, there’s only one thing left to do.
“That’s obvious. I’m going to forcibly drag her out and prostrate
myself before her!”
As I said that, everyone present gave me an exasperated look.
“Isn’t there something cooler you could’ve said at a time like
this? You’ve changed quite a bit, but I’m relieved to see that
you’re still as bad at dealing with women as ever.”
“That bit of you hasn’t changed at all.”

249 | P a g e

Those voices prompted me to shift my gaze, and emerging from
the bushes were a pair of knights accompanied by their
dragons.
“You guys are…”
Those two were my former colleagues and Dragon Knights. One
of them was my self-proclaimed rival, and the other one was my
junior who used to look up to me.
Did the princess bring Dragon Knights as part of her entourage
too?
“There are better ways to put that, but, in a sense, I’m a little
jealous. Rein, you’ve finally found someone you really want to
protect.”
I turned towards the source of that voice, and met the
somewhat lonely gaze of the princess.
“Yeah, I’ve found someone who is important to me.”
“I see. I suppose that’s a load off for me too. You know, the…
Date for my marriage has officially been decided. That’s why I
wanted to see you one last time. To see what you’ve become.”
I did hear her say something about her marriage getting
decided before I left the country.
I didn’t keep up with news from the country after that, but… I
see, you’re finally getting married.
“Congratulations.”

250 | P a g e

Those words came out of my mouth without prompting. There
is no longer any of the wavering from before.
Hearing that, the princess gave me a smile.
“Then, go get the princess that you really want to protect!”
She gave me a slap on the back and I took a step forward.
“Oh, do you intend to take out this many people? We even have
Dragon Knights on my side. What are you planning to do?
These are all the elite troops that we’ve gathered in order to
prevent the princess from escaping. Especially the maids. They
were chosen based solely on their capabilities with no regard to
their backgrounds or personality. You guys can show your true
natures for today.”
He’s speaking like some villain in a play.
“Get him! Get him! Get him! I’m going to turn you into ground
beef.”
“Oh, today’s ingredients involve a lively human, huh?”
“I do love making men cry…”
The maids produced countless weapons from nowhere.
One of the maids was lovingly stroking a machete.
Another one was waving around a long whip studded with
barbs.
“You gathered yet another bunch of colourful characters… You
should at least pay some attention to their personalities.”

251 | P a g e

“So that’s how they are… I never knew that.”
If the princess’s words are to be believed, they don’t usually act
that way.
In addition to the soldiers and those dangerous seeming maids,
there were also Dragon Knights present.

“Your odds of victory are less than one in a thousand. If the
princess would get down on her knees and sincerely apologize
for her actions, it would not be out of the question for us to
acceptー”

“There’s no way I would do that. Dust, send those idiots flying!”
Even in this situation, the princess is still headstrong.
… But that’s just how it should be! I didn’t get all the way to this
point just to see the princess grovel.
“Understood. It’s time for me to get serious. That’s your cue,
Faitfore.”
I took off the carry strap and lowered Faitfore to the ground.
She was still yawning and sleepily rubbing her eyes, so I leaned
in close and whispered into her ear.
“If you do well here, I’ll… No, that’s not it. Partner, lend me
your strength.”
“Okay!”
Her eyes suddenly glowed and she gave me a wide smile.

252 | P a g e

Taking off her dress, her body started growing to several times
her original size, and a pair of large, white wings grew from her
back.
In the blink of an eye, she regained her true form, a White
Dragon, and rubbed her cheek against me.
“I didn’t expect that such a young girl would be a White
Dragon… Is that how you snuck out of the castle without
anyone seeing you?”
I ignored the fearful and admiring voice coming from the head
butler and got onto Faitfore’s back.
As I did so, my eyes met with the princess again, and she, with a
slightly forlorn expression on her face, opened her mouth.
“Farewell, my knight.”
Instead of replying with a farewell of my own, I merely raised
one of my hands.
“Let’s go, partner.”
At those words, Faitfore flapped her wings and carried me high
into the sky.
“There’s no reason for me to fight my way in on land. Watch me
take Lynn away in a single swoop.”
“Sorry, but I can’t let you do that.”
“Taking back the White Dragon is also one of our missions.
Don’t take this personally.”

253 | P a g e

Flying in front of me were the pair of dragons and their Dragon
Knights.
“Hey, come on, this is the part where you read the mood and let
us go.”
“Don’t say that. Unlike you, senpai, we are just lowly palace
workers. If we let you go, our salary will be docked.”
“Plus I always wanted to have a real fight with you once. Not
just in training, but on an actual battlefield.”
He tossed over one of the pair of spears he was holding.
“Seems like you’re serious.”
I’ve crossed spears with these two numerous times. I’ve yet to
lose, but these two aren’t opponents that I can take lightly.
In my prime, I could’ve easily taken on the two of them and
won, but I’ve since quit being a Dragon Knight and the two of
them have kept on training.
I wonder how much the gap in our abilities has narrowed.
“Growl.”
Seemingly sensing my worries, Faitfore growled in concern.
“Yeah, I have you with me. Plus I don’t think I’ve grown any
weaker since I became an adventurer. If anything, I’m stronger
than I was before.”
Not just physically, but mentally too.

254 | P a g e

If I wasn’t strong and smart, there’s no way I could’ve survived
this long as an adventurer.
“Rein-senpai, please forgive me!”
“Let’s do this, Rein!”
“It’s been some time since I had such a practice session!”
At those words, Faitfore violently flapped her wings.
To someone on the ground, Faitfore might look like nothing
more than a flash of light as she streaked through the night sky.
The wind rushed against my face and pushed my hair flat.
However, I kept my eyes open and focused on the other two
Dragon Knights.
I targeted my former junior who hastily got his spear into
position, and swept at his side.
“Uwaaah!”
He managed to block the blow in the nick of time, but the force
of the impact threw him to the side, messing up his posture.
I planned to take advantage of that and take him out of the
battle in a single blow, but just before my spear could reach
him, I suddenly changed my target in order to stop the spear
coming at my back with the butt of my own.

255 | P a g e

“Oh, wow, you managed to block my attack even from that
position. Your skills haven’t rusted a single bit. I can’t believe
you managed to pull that off while riding on a shaky dragon.”
The one who got in my way was the other Dragon Knight, my
self-proclaimed rival.
“Thank you, Senpai.”
“Don’t let your guard down. That man isn’t called a prodigy for
no reason.”
“I know that very well. I used to look up to him, after all!”
The look in their eyes totally changed. Breaking through them
won’t be simple.
“Let’s decide this fair and square! Or at least, that’s what my old
self would say!”
Looking at the two Dragon Knights cutting through the air
towards me, I grinned.
Holding out my other hand, I snapped my fingers.
“What is that supposed to… What the… I suddenly feel sleepy…”
“T-This is magic? But where did itー”
I drew closer to the two men who were trying desperately to
fight off the drowsiness and knocked their weapons out from
their hands before delivering a sharp blow to the stomach with
the butt-end of my spear.

256 | P a g e

Seeing that their riders have lost their fighting spirits, the
dragons slowly and carefully descended towards the ground.
“In a true battle, this is your most potent weapon. Wouldn’t you
agree?”
I tapped at my forehead with my fingers before looking up
towards the sky.
Floating right there was Loli Succubus, dressed in her usual
lingerie like uniform with her arms crossed.
“Umm, I might be a devil, but I still think that there was
something wrong with that. Weren’t you supposed to have a
cool fight scene to show off your good side?”
“What are you talking about? It doesn’t matter what you do as
long as you win. The victor can write anything he wants into the
history books. Even if you win underhandedly, it’ll be written
down in history as a brillant technique.
“That’s not the level we are talking about…”
She doesn’t seem entirely convinced, but she did put them to
sleep like the plan called, so I think I’ll leave it be.
We split up with Loli Succubus the moment we entered the
gate.
I knew the enemy would focus their attention on us, so she
would take to the air while we kept their attention. When I
snapped my fingers, that would be the signal for her to use her
magic on them.
“In any case, thanks for the help.”

257 | P a g e

“You’re welcome. Still, to think that Dust-san is really that
rumoured Dragon Knight. There are some truths that really
should remain buried. I must make sure to never let Yunyun
learn about this.”
“Leave me alone.”
I decided to reveal my secret to Loli Succubus since I knew of
some of her secrets too. I’m really glad that she’s so quick to
catch on.
“All that’s left is to kidnap Lynn-san back. Good luck, Knight-
sama.”
“Former knight. Former. And I’m not kidnapping her, I’m
taking her back.”
I patted Faitfore twice on the neck, she understood my
intentions and flew down to the roof of the mansion. Once the
maids saw us approaching them, they scattered before Faitfore.
The only person who remained in place was the head butler,
who stood there watching us fly by.
Stepping onto the roof, I came face to face with Lynn, who
stared back with half open eyes.
“What are you doing here? Your princess is down there, you
know?”
“I came to pick you… Kidnap you. My princess is you, Lynn.”
Saying that, I extended my hand.

258 | P a g e

I fought through the embarrassment to say those words, but
Lynn’s reaction is surprisingly tepid.
She didn’t move to grab my hand, but neither did she run away.
She simply stared at me.
“Are you embarrassed?”
“Shut up, don’t look at me! I can’t help it, I’m not used to this.”

259 | P a g e

260 | P a g e

She turned away from me without giving me a chance to look at
her face.
The bits of her neck that I managed to catch a glimpse of were
bright red.
Faitfore thoughtfully leaned over, so I wrapped my arms
around Lynn’s waist and pulled her onto Faitfore’s back.
“Kyaa, what are you doing!?”
She immediately started struggling when I plopped her down in
front of me.
“Let’s take a night stroll together.”
Holding onto Lynn from behind, we took to the skies.
As we did so, Lynn calmed down.
“Wow, it’s beautiful… So this is what Axel looks like from the
skies.”
She let out an honest voice of amazement.
This seemed to have lightened her mood, so I decided to
continue with this scenic flight.
“Hey, Dust, is it really fine? Leaving the Princess alone down
there?”
“About that, there’s one huge misunderstanding you have about
her. Princess Leonor is… Soon to be married.”

261 | P a g e

Lynn’s eyes opened to the size of baseballs and her mouth
dropped wide open.
Is it really that surprising?
“… Whaaaat!? Eh, you’re kidding, right? I mean, she eloped
with you!”
“We didn’t elope, though it’s true that I ran away with her. Her
fiancée at that time called off the marriage arrangement, but
someone else put out a marriage request. It seems like the
ceremony is going to be taking place soon.”
I only just learnt about that, though.
“Oh. I feel like such a fool. So, you don’t have any feelings left
for the princess, right?”
Normally I would respond with a joke or avoid the question,
but…
“I already told you, right? The princess that I want to protect
right now is you, Lynn.”
My embarrassment is almost overwhelming, but I managed to
power through it.
“Ugh, that really doesn’t suit you. Wait, you’re not embarrassed,
are you?”
“Don’t you dare turn around!”
As revenge for earlier, Lynn leaned against my shoulder and
started teasing me back.

262 | P a g e

I get the feeling that tonight will be far more memorable than
the time I flew through the night sky with the princess.

↲

263 | P a g e

Epilogue ↲

TL: Cannongerbil
Editing: Striker, Ulti

After that night, Princess Leonor and her entourage made up
and left the town of Axel, heading towards the capital of Belzerg
like they originally planned.
We did spend quite a bit of time flying around town on the back
of Faitfore, but it was pretty late out, so it didn’t seem like
anyone witnessed her. It’s a bit of a relief for me to know that a
White Dragon flying around didn’t become the talk of the town.
As for my relationship with Lynn… There didn’t seem to be any
major changes.
“Why do you have that pathetic expression on your face?”
Even right now, she’s eating her salad opposite from me like she
usually does.
Well, in truth, that’s really all there is to it.
After that night, she fell asleep the moment she got off the
dragon after the tension bled out of her.
“Say, haven’t you two been acting a little weird since that
night?”

264 | P a g e

Keith suddenly interrupted with something weird.
“It feels like you two are a lot closer, or rather, you seem to be
weirdly concerned about each other.”
“W-W-What are you saying? There’s no way I could have those
kinds of feelings for Dust!”
It’s rare to see Lynn this flustered.
Could it be that she is conscious of me too?
“Keith, stop teasing her. Even if it is true, it’s between them.
Though, all I can say is finally.”
“Taylor, don’t say strange stuff too!”
“It’s fine, isn’t it? It’s not like we should hide it from our
friends. Now, whisper your love to me like you normally do.”
“I’ll kill you!”
“Gurk!”
She punched me right in the face and sent me sliding back
along with my chair.
“You bastard, even if you are hiding your embarrassment, there
should still be a limit! I’ve had it with you! Step outside, I’m
going to lecture you!”
“That’s fine with me! After you!”

265 | P a g e

Dammit, just as I thought we were making some progress, this
happens. I should settle once and for all who isー

“Uwaaah! Damn you, you shot your magic at my back!”
I heard chanting, so I dove to the side, and a flash of light blew
through where I was just moments before and flew out through
the main door.
“Tsk, you dodged that.”

“If I didn’t dodge it I would’ve been dead!”

Even though we were having a shouting match, my companions
simply laughed and looked on.

Actually, not just that.

“Oh, it’s been some time since we saw Lynn and Dust go at it!
I’m putting my money on Lynn.”

“I’m betting on Lynn, too. Actually, Dust, hurry up and lose
already!”

“Do your best Lynn! If you need it I’ll assist you!”

The adventurers have started to gather around us.

“Why is everyone taking Lynn’s side!?”

“Go take a look at your everyday behaviour!” x4
Everyone, Lynn included, said the same thing.

“Don’t say it at the same time!”

266 | P a g e

Dammit, what a bunch of noisy guys… And I wouldn’t have it
any other way.
Princess Leonor, this really is the place for me. I really enjoy
spending everyday together with my friends.
“Ugh! Don’t attack people while they are lost in thought!”
“You were thinking about your love anyways, right?”
Why are you bringing that up again?
Well, if you insist on doing that, I have some plans in mind too.
“The only person I love is you, Lynn!”
I boldly declared in front of a large crowd.
“Oooooh!” x3
The crowd that has gathered around us let out a rowdy cheer.
Because of my unexpected declaration, all eyes present were
focused on Lynn.
And the person in question was shaking with her head lowered,
just like she was on that night.
“You can go ahead and leap into my chest, you know?”
I opened my arms to receive her hug, but she instead
headbutted me in the stomach.

267 | P a g e

“Stop saying nonsense. There’s no way I would do that… And
it’s embarrassing in a place like this.”
I didn’t catch her last words, but if she’s going to put on such an
attitude, then I have some plans of my own too.
“You really let it get to your head just because I’m a little nice to
you. Fine, I’ll strip you naked and make you beg for mercy!”
“If you think you can do it then go right ahead!”
As usual, whenever we get into a fight, the drunken adventurers
would start gathering around us and turn the entire thing into a
scene.
It’s full of idiots, but this town is the best place to me.
“Everyone, please be a little quieter!”
The one who threw a wet blanket on the entire situation was the
receptionist, Luna.
Everyone present, including me, fell silent in response to the
volume and severity in Luna’s voice.
“I’m making an emergency announcement right now, so all
adventurers present, please remain here for a while.”
“Hey, come on, this level of rowdiness is nothing out of the
ordinary. And what’s this about an emergency announcement?”
Normally they would just laugh and turn a blind eye, so what’s
with her this time?

268 | P a g e

“There is some news we would like to share with everyone
regarding those rumours of the Demon King’s army
approaching this town.”
Her serious tone and expression caused every one of us to
simmer down immediately.

↲

269 | P a g e

270 | P a g e

Afterword ↲

How did you like the sixth volume, everyone?
This time, the truth of the rumour that Alice mentioned in
“Continued Explosions” has been revealed.
In the rumour, it was made out to be a tragic story of star-
crossed lovers, but the truth is… Please consult the main
volume.
The main character in that rumour is the princess, but in truth I
had quite a bit of trouble settling on her character. Akatsuki-
sensei gave me his notes, but as she is a character that doesn’t
appear in the main series properly, I had to flesh out her
personality and decide on the specifics of her characterization
by myself.
As fans of Konosuba would know, this world is full of quirky
characters, not only the main characters but the supporting
characters each have their own unique personality. After
Faitfore, I had to really rack my brains to come up with a
character that would fit right in and not be overshadowed by
the others.
A character that would stand out in another series would be
completely overshadowed in Konosuba, after all!
Speaking of the princess, while she might look very similar to
Lynn, it’s actually a simple task to tell them both apart. All you
have to do is to move your eyes down a little.
However, it can be easily covered up with clothes, so only those
close to her would notice. Also, if you look too closely, magic
might start flying.

271 | P a g e

Incidentally, when I first read the notes on Dust’s backstory, my
first impressions are “Who is this supposed to be?”
I mean, it’s Dust we are talking about, you know?
That the character who is said to be even worse than Kazuma
when it comes to scumminess would actually be that prodigious
Dragon Knight is already surprising enough, but to think that
he used to have such a personality too.
The person who influenced that exemplar of a knight was that
princess.
… Now that I think about it, isn’t she the most twisted character
in this story?

Well, moving on from the characters, let’s talk a little about the
plot as well.
Princess Leonor, after coming to Axel, felt that she wouldn’t be
able to enjoy herself fully if she was with her entourage and
swapped places with Lynn, who looks just like her, in order to
freely enjoy herself…
Well, that’s the general outline. Honestly speaking, Lynn just
got caught up in this, the poor thing.
Speaking of characters, what that troubled me most upon
picking up this spin-off was how to handle the characters of

272 | P a g e

Taylor and Keith. I would really like to give them more
screentime and more chances to shine.

Incidentally, have you all watched the movie “Konosuba:
Crimson Legend” yet? Of course, I caught it in the cinema. I’ve
mentioned this before in previous afterwords, but I was
originally a huge fan of Konosuba, so even if I wasn’t in charge
of writing a spin-off series, I still would’ve caught it on the big
screen.
The anime was great, but catching it in the cinema is really
something else. The acoustics and visuals are great, of course,
but the best thing is being able to laugh with the other people in
the cinema.
That sense of closeness and belonging is part of the charm of
going to the cinema.
The one regret I have is that I originally planned to watch it on
release day, but I fell down with a cold. I would’ve definitely
affected the other movie-goers if I watched it in that condition,
so I had no choice but to wait until I had a full recovery.
I went to see the movie once I’ve recovered, but by that time the
first screenings special booklets were unavailable.
Ah, I really want that booklet. I wonder if the editor who reads
this would be able get his hands on it and slip it to me~.
To the Crimson Legend!
… Now then, the customary words of thanks and appreciation.

273 | P a g e

Akatsuki Natsume-sensei, the sixteenth volume is the best! I
can’t wait to read the next installment. Though, as it’s nearing
the end, I do feel a little conflicted over wanting to read it or
not.
Mishima Kurone-sensei, I was really happy to see Kazuma
plastered on the front cover of Volume 16. Kazuma is usually
stuck in the background of some other character, so seeing him
take the lead with the other characters in tow is really moving.
Yuuki Hagure-sensei. Thank you for illustrating Princess
Leonor who doesn’t appear in the original series! I really can’t
show anyone else the face I make when I admire your
renderings.
To everyone at the Sneaker Bunko editorial department, Mr. M
in charge, and everyone else involved in getting this book to
print, thank you for your continued support. Thank you very
much for your work this time too.
And to everyone who’ve picked up this volume, thank you very
much!

Hirukuma

↲

274 | P a g e

Translator Note ↲

And that is Dust 6. I hope you enjoyed reading about Dust’s
true past as much as I did. I must say, the Dust spin-off have
really grown into their own over the course of the series. There
have been some fairly derivative moments in the past few
volumes, but the last two books have been solidly great,
especially the two original characters that Hirukuma
introduced.
This time the image cleaning was done by Kasen, while the
typesetting was done by Ulti, so great thanks to them for that.
Also I’d like to thank Ulti, Striker and Xenthur for going
through these chapters and catching my stupid mistakes
before they make their way up to the site. Without them
consistently doing that my final result would be a lot rougher
than they are.
Now, as usual, I’ll be uploading the short stories over the next
couple of weeks before taking a break to work on Volume 17.
Don’t worry, I know a lot of you are dying to read the
conclusion to Konosuba, so I’ll try to get it out as fast as I can.
I’ll try to line up some content to fill in any gaps between the
end of the short stories and when Volume 17 goes live, but with
luck, I won’t have to use any of it. Tentatively, I’d set the
release date for early July, but it might end up coming out in
late June if everything goes just right.
Till we meet again.

–Cannongerbil
www.cgtranslations.me

↲

275 | P a g e

Short Story 1: Faitfore and Restaurants ↲

TL: Cannongerbil
Editing: Striker, Ulti

“Siiiiigh.”
I let out a huge sigh after checking the contents of my wallet.
My gaze rose towards the table.
“Siiiiiiiiiigh.”
Which made me let out an even longer sigh.
A mountain of plates lie on the table in front of me.
Just a short while ago, this table was piled full of food that
wouldn’t have looked out of place at a banquet hall, but now the
plates are almost all empty.
I looked over at the girl hiding in the shadow of the mountain of
plates.
Her mouth is covered in sauce, and hasn’t spoken a word since
she started eating, continuously shoveling food into her mouth
without break.
I’ve gotten used to seeing her like this, so it isn’t surprising, but
I still have to wonder where exactly in that small body of hers
does all this food go.
“Is it tasty?”
“Yeah, it’s really tasty.”

276 | P a g e

She swallowed her puffed out cheeks in one big gulp before
giving me a genuine, innocent smile.
“… Well, that’s good.”
If it was anyone else other than Faitfore, I probably would’ve
had a few choice words for them, but, oh well, that’s just how it
is.
Still, I’ll have to get a lot more money if I want to let her have a
full stomach each day.
Even the underground loan sharks have stopped lending me
money.
They keep saying something about me refusing to pay, starting
a fight, and getting them all in jail for a couple of days or
something.
Those guys really aren’t cut out for service work. You need to be
more easy-going to succeed in such an industry.
While I was thinking about that, Faitfore seemed to have
cleaned the table out.
I’ll just ignore how she’s staring at the menu. Right now I don’t
even have a single extra eris left to pay for the meal.
I lifted Faitfore onto my shoulders as she stared longingly at the
menu and left the store.
“Thank you very much! We look forward to seeing you again!
We’re really looking forward to seeing you again!
The waiter sent me off with a smile.

277 | P a g e

Well, yes, the restaurant must be making tons of money with
Faitfore eating like that.
If I were in that position, I’d be hard pressed not to smile too.
“Great, now I’m flat broke. I really want to take on a quest, but
Lynn and the others are on break today.”
Normally, I would hit up the other convenient parties, but the
Crimson Loner chose today of all days to be nowhere to be
found, and Loli Succubus brushed me off with “I’m busy
helping Vanir-sama today, so that’s impossible.”
“Dammit, just when I’m in trouble, everyone just brushes me
off… What is it?”
When I felt someone pulling at my sleeve, and I looked down to
see Faitfore looking up at me with puppy eyes while pointing at
something.
… I have a really bad feeling about this.
“What is the matter?”
“I’m a little hungry.”
I followed her finger and my gaze fell upon a roadside stall.
She just ate enough food to feed ten people…
“I would really love to feed you, but I don’t have any money
right now… Oh, wait, is thatー?”

278 | P a g e

As I was trying to convince Faitfore, a certain sign came into
view.
【Big eater challenge! If you win, you’ll get a prize in addition
to the free meal!】
“Well, now, what do we have here?”
“Dust, you are making a really ugly face right now.”
Ignoring what she said, I grabbed Faitfore’s hand and barged
triumphantly into the restaurant with that sign out front.

In front of Faitfore lies an inordinately large bowl that you
would not think could fit inside such a small child.
And in front of it is the restaurant owner who until now was
completely at ease.
“I-I can’t believe it… How could such a small child eat that
much!?”
The owner looked at the empty bowl and fell to his knees in
despair.
“How was it? Was it tasty?”
“It was good. Thank you for the meal.”
She rubbed her belly with a satisfied expression.
Even for her, she would be full for now after eating such a large
amount of food. Probably.

279 | P a g e

“Now, then, Mr. Owner, isn’t there something you should be
giving me?”
“Damn, I put the price that high because I knew no one would
be able to finish it…”
“Spare me your grumblings, just hand it over… Hey, let go! Stop
being a sore loser and give up already!”
In the end, I had to forcibly wrench the bag of money from his
grasp.
With the reward in hand, I walked towards the door with
Faitfore in tow, before stopping right at the exit and turning
back to the owner.
“Hey, your customer is leaving, you know? Isn’t there
something you are supposed to say?”
“Grrrrr… T-Thank you very much.”
I walked out onto the street with those forced words of
gratitude at my back.
“Man, not only did we get a free meal, but we also made out like
bandits!”
Faitfore is in a good mood because her belly is full, and I am
also in a good mood because my wallet is full.
Today has been a great day.
As I continued walking down the street, I suddenly felt another
tug at my sleeve.

280 | P a g e

“Dust…”
“Yeah, yeah, I get it.”
Wandering around, I found another store holding a similar
eating contest and barged right in.
ーNeedless to say, in a few days, there wasn’t a single store Axel
that was offering an all-you-can-eat buffet or eating contests.

↲

281 | P a g e

Short Story 2: Working Part Time at the General
Store ↲

TL: Cannongerbil
Editing: Striker, Ulti

“Welcome, welcome!”
I stood in front of the store and shouted in order to attract
customers.
There were several people who glanced my way, but no one who
bothered to take a look at the shelves.
I thought working at a general store consists of arranging all the
goods and waiting for the customers to drop by, but not a single
customer has shown up.
“What are you doing? You’re not trying to turn over a new leaf
by doing hard labour, are you?”
“Welcome… What, it’s just Yunyun.”
I thought I finally managed to get a customer, but it just turned
out to be the loner, Yunyun.
“If you are just here to poke fun, then go elsewhere. I’m busy
over here.”
“So did the guild finally fire you?”
“Of course not! I just got suspended for a few days!”
When I got drunk and insisted on massaging Luna’s boobs,
some other adventurers got in the way and it all ended in a huge
brawl… Dammit, it’s all their fault.

282 | P a g e

“Probably for another stupid reason.”
“Just leave me alone. Oh, right, do you want to buy anything?
It’s mostly junk, though.”
“The storekeeper is going to get angry if he hears you say that.”
“He caught a cold and is sleeping it off. He won’t hear you no
matter what you say.”
The owner is currently sleeping in the back room.
“Still, I’m surprised you’re actually hard at work. I would’ve
thought you would just stand outside slacking off.”
“I would love to, but my pay is influenced by the amount of
items I sell. I’ll get a huge commission if I make a sale. So, you
want to buy anything?”
I’m working in place of the old man who’s down with a cold.
When we started discussing the salary, those are the conditions
he laid down.
“Cough… If I don’t do that, you’d just slack off” he said.
Well, he knows me quite well.
Thanks to that, my plans to laze around reading the books he
has for sale have gone up in smoke.
“I’m a little concerned that the only person manning the store is
you, but these items are genuine goods, right? Do you have any
items you recommend?”

283 | P a g e

“Ah, well, that is a pretty decent sword.”
“I’m a spellcaster…”
“Then, what about that huge shield over there?”
“Have you ever seen a mage with a shield?”
“You know, people don’t like customers who are too picky.”
“I know your heart isn’t in it, but you should at least try…”
I can’t help it. I’ve only just started working here. There’s no
way I could’ve gotten familiar with all the items in this store
that quickly.
“Ah, I know, what about this? This item will bring you good
luck. I highly recommend it.”
“That’s more like it. Let me see… What is this?”
“As you can see, it’s an empty wine bottle.”
I pulled out an empty glass bottle with the label scraped off.
I did give it a good wash, but it still smells of alcohol.
“How is this item supposed to bring me good luck?”
“I happened to be drinking from that bottle when I won a game
of cards. You know it’s pretty rare for me to win, right?”
“Dust-san was drinking from this… Ugh!”

284 | P a g e

“Ow!”
She just threw the bottle at me.
“What are you doing?”
“That’s my line! Why is a bottle that you drank from being
sold?”
“That’s because I put a price tag on it.”
If I managed to sell that, all the profits would go to me. It’s a
perfect plan.”
“He’ll get mad at you…”
“Haven’t you heard the saying ‘It’s only a crime if you get
caught’?”
“I wouldn’t know any such outlaw sayings!”
“Tell me if you have anything to get rid of. I’ll sell it for you.
We’ll split the profit 50/50.”
“No way. I don’t want to be your partner in crime. And why am
I only getting half?”
Stop being such a stickler for the details.
I was hoping to sell her something expensive, but she doesn’t
trust me in the slightest.
She’s easily tricked by others, but for some reason she has her
guard up around me. Well, in that case, it would probably be

285 | P a g e

better to get something valuable from her than selling stuff to
her.
“You’re a brat, but you’re quite beautiful, aren’t you?”
“Eh, er, where did that come from? Flattery won’t get you
anywhere!”
She says that, but her face is blushing and she’s clearly
embarrassed.
It’s not really flattery, I just said whatever came to mind.
“Your loner personality can’t be fixed, but you are pretty to look
at… Oh, I’ve got a great idea. Am I a genius or what?”
“D-Don’t think I’m some easy woman who’ll do anything you
say just because you called me pretty. But I’ll buy an item or
two if you want.”
“… Sometimes I’m really worried for you. No, nevermind that,
give me your panties.”
“Worried? Kind words won’t… Wait, panties?”
“Yeah. Used panties can go for quite a sum, you know? So just
give me the pair you’re wearing… Hey, your eyes are glowing. Y-
You’re kidding, right? H-Hey, stop chanting your spell! Magic
from a Crimson Demon is no jokeー”

↲

286 | P a g e

eBook Compiler: I do not take ownership of the original writing or
translation. I will remain anonymous.
Thank you for reading,
Anon

↲

287 | P a g e