Konosuba Short Story

“Got it, leave it to me. I’ll pour it out for you.”
Aqua and I have been taking care of Darkness since last night.
Just what is this feeling?
Seeing her with a loosely flowing, pure white nightgown, unable
to lift anything heavier than a teacup and panting heavily after
climbing a flight of stairs makes her look exactly like a fragile
noble young lady.
“Thank you very much.”
Darkness thanked me with a truly grateful smile from just being
offered a cup of tea.
My chest is pounding for some reason.
Seeing her like this really stirs up my protective instincts.
… Maybe it’s fine to have her like this.
As Darkness carefully lifted her teacup with both hands and
slowly sipped at the tea, Aqua seems to be thinking along the
same lines as me.
“Hey, Kazuma, seeing Darkness so weak like this makes me feel
really warm inside. I feel like it might be fine if she remains like
this.”
“What a strange coincidence, I’m thinking the same thing.”
“H-Hey, what are you saying, you two!?”

93 | P a g e

After taking a much longer time than usual, Darkness finally
finished with breakfast.
Just then,
“Oh, my, Darkness. You sure are enjoying yourself, being
waited on by everyone like this.”
Megumin, who had already finished her breakfast and had been
washing the dishes in the kitchen, walked into the room.
“I-I’m not really being waited on…”
“I can’t believe you’d deny it while everyone is pampering you
from top to bottom! And you’re finally done with your meal. I’m
in charge of washing dishes today, so hurry up and bring them
to the kitchen, otherwise I’d be at this until the sun sets.”
Megumin hounded darkness with words that made her sound
like some kind of stepmother.
Darkness hastily gathered up her cutlery and tried to lift them,
but…
“Uuugh… H-Heavy…”
“What? You are not trying to say that you can’t lift anything
heavier than a teacup, are you!? Seriously, how could the
normally strong and bold Darkness fall to such a state!? You
aren’t purposefully putting on a ‘weak noble lady act’, are you?”
Megumin’s eyes shone bright red with excitement as she
lectured Darkness.

94 | P a g e

I’ve suspected this for some time now, but I think Megumin
might have a sadistic streak.
“Hey now, Megumin, I understand your desire to tease
Darkness now that she’s become so weak, but she’s going to
turn the tables on you once she gets her strength back. I’ll take
the dishes, so just rest, Darkness… And why are you breathing
so heavily?”
“N-No, it’s just, this might not be so bad…”
“Y-You…”
Unexpectedly, the two of them seem really taken with this
situation.

ーLater, Darkness and I visited the guild to give them an update
on yesterday’s investigation.
“… So, yes, that high bounty monster seems to have the ability
to cast curses as well.”
I quickly caught the attention of the guild staff and informed
them about Darkness’s strength getting sapped and the
suspected abilities of the monster.
“Thank you for the additional information. It seems like it
would be best to put out a notice to stay away from the monster
in addition to restricting access to the forest. I think we’ll give
you an additional reward for this information, so please wait till
the payment is delivered.”
Well, I’m grateful for the additional reward.

95 | P a g e

Just as I’m thinking that I’m one step closer to paying off my
debts…
“Uwoooh! It’s true, Darkness has really gotten weaker!”
That surprised shout echoed through the guild.
Turning to look at the source, Darkness is surrounded by a
small crowd of adventurers.
It seems that the people who heard the rumours about
Darkness getting weaker have challenged her to an arm
wrestling match to confirm it.
Darkness, after losing multiple times in a row, including once
against a female mage, laid with her face flat against the table.
“Oh my, I never thought I would live to see this day!”
“It’s true, I never expected that there would come a day where I
could defeat Darkness!”
“Darkness, you’re only good at being hard, erotic, and having
monstrous strength, so what are you doing now after losing one
of your key traits?”
“Heheh, ehehehe…! I bested Darkness in an armwrestling
match…! She might be under a curse, but I still bested her! I’ll
have to boast to my companions later!”
I rushed into the middle of the crowd.
“Hey, she’s only temporarily weakened! I understand wanting
to get back at her after suffering her lectures and hard-

96 | P a g e

headedness every day, but she’ll turn the tables on you once she
gets her strength back, so don’t go too far!”
“Y-You were thinking that?”
Darkness looked up at me reproachfully before softly
whispering.
“Now, now. Here, Darkness-san, this is on me! You aren’t going
on any quests today, right? So dig in!”
Saying that, the female mage who bested Darkness earlier
placed a mug filled to the brim with foam and beer on the table.
Perhaps to cover her embarrassment, Darkness quickly picked
up the mug in both handsー
“I-It’s too heavy for me to drink…”
She said, looking up towards the female mage with a teary look
in her eyes.
… The curse must be progressing even faster than I thought.
The female mage blushed for some reason.
“… I’ll help support the mug for you. Is this okay, Darkness-
san? Ah, if you drink that quickly, it’ll spill…!”
Saying that, she raised the mug to make it easier for Darkness
to drink, acting like a mother hen fussing over her chick.
A strange hush fell upon the adventurers who saw this.

97 | P a g e

“You know, something feels really weird. Darkness is starting to
look like a regular girl to me.”
“M-Me too. Even though it’s Darkness-san, I get this
overwhelming urge to protect her.”
Such whispers started spreading through the crowd of
adventurers.
“Hey, you guys go over there! I won’t show you any mercy if you
get in Darkness-san’s way!”
“No more armwrestling! This isn’t a show! Shoo, shoo!”
The female adventurers started forming a ring around
Darkness. It seems like their protective instincts were simulated
too.
“Looking at her like this, with her blonde hair and blue eyes,
she really does seem like a proper noble lady. It almost makes
me feel like a maid to be looking after her like this.”
“I-Is that so?”
Darkness said, sounding taken aback, but they continued.
“You’re normally so serious and strong, so seeing you act so
weak and fragile is such a wide gap that it hits me right in the
maternal instincts… Ah, I just want to pamper you! This is so
unfair.”
“T-Thank you…”
Darkness, who had most likely never been treated like this
before, gave an awkward smile, but made no motions to resist.

98 | P a g e

“Ah, Kazuma-san, we’ll make sure to send Darkness-san back to
the mansion later, so you can go back first.”
Ultimately, even I ended up getting driven away.
… Wait, what?

↲

99 | P a g e

Chapter 3: Part 5 ↲

The next morning.
“Alright Darkness, say aaah~.”
“A-Aaah….”
Aqua, whose maternal instincts seem to have been awoken by
this incident, was feeding Darkness, who seemed to have gotten
used to being pampered.
Though, Darkness’s face is red with embarrassment, so I
suppose she hasn’t gotten completely used to it.
And, sitting on the sofa, pretending to read a newspaper while
observing the two of them with glowing red eyes, was a certain
crimson demon.
“… Aqua being weird is just business as usual for her, but why
are you acting weird too?”
“I’m confused too. What is with this urge to defeat Darkness
immediately welling up within me? I didn’t think I had any
strange tastes, but seeing Darkness being so fragile is pulling on
something deep within me.”
You sound like a wild predator coming across a weakened prey
animal.
“… Hey, Aqua, you said that it’d take two or three days for the
effects of the curse to vanish, right? Then, shouldn’t Darkness
be regaining her strength soon?”

100 | P a g e

“Yeah. It wouldn’t be surprising for her to regain her strength
now, but personally, it’s been really fun taking care of Darkness
over the last couple of days, so I don’t mind if she remains this
way forever. Right, aaah~.”

101 | P a g e

102 | P a g e

“Uggh… I don’t dislike being waited on like this, but I hope the
curse would go away as soon as possible…”
Darkness whimpered, but she still opened her mouth
obediently.
Aqua is saying stupid things as usual, but if things continue as it
is, it’d be a problem for me too.
We need to start seriously earning money once winter breaks.
True, the current Darkness does make me feel warm inside
whenever I look at her. She’s even started acting meeker as a
result of the curse.
Because she has to rely on us after losing her strength, she can’t
be her usual bullish self or indulge in her urges.
And she was already a beauty with a great body, so with her
current personality, I can’t help but think of her as a charming
woman without any faults…
……
“Say, is there no way you can extend the effects of the curse?”
“You too!? What happened to you? Aqua and Megumin and
now you too, just what happened to all of you!?”
Perhaps because she’s used to being treated roughly and is thus
unused to her current treatment, Darkness got to her feet, her
face blushing red with a mix of rage and embarrassment.
“Seriously! I can’t stay here! I’m heading to the adventurer’s
guild!”

103 | P a g e

As she said something that sounded just like a death flag…
“… You developed a taste for it after getting fussed over by
everyone at the guild yesterday, didn’t you?”
“O-O-Of course not!”
And just then,
“Emergency quest! Emergency quest! All adventurers, please
prepare for battle and gather at the adventurer’s guild!”
The emergency klaxon that I haven’t heard for quite some time
echoed throughout the town.

ーApart from Darkness who was too weak to put on her
armour, the rest of us quickly put on our gear and made our
way over to the guild.
What greeted us when we arrived was a scene of complete
chaos.
Some guild staff were running all over, gathering potions and
distributing them to the adventurers, who were all busy with
preparations for a large scale battle.
“Ah, Satou-san! What good timing!”
The moment I stepped through the door, one of the guild ladies
called out to me.
“What’s going on? Why are you all in such a panic?”

104 | P a g e

“About that, the high bounty monster that you guys ran into the
other day was sighted near the town…!”
The guild lady responded with such an explosive revelation.
“Wait, that thing is approaching the town!? I blasted it with a
shot of my Explosion! It can’t have recovered that quickly!”
Megumin said incredulously. She must have got it in a clean
blast the last time.
“That thing was originally a greater earth spirit. It has high
resistance against magic, so even if you use Explosion on it, a
single shot probably wouldn’t take it down. But…!”
The guild lady continued, and from what she told me, it seems
like Megumin’s spell gave it a pretty serious wound.
In fact, they suspect it probably came wandering down to town
because that blast enraged it.
“In that case, if we can get Megumin to blast it again…”
“Yes, it’ll most likely take it down… “
The two of us slowly shifted over to look at Megumin.
“Blast it once more, huh… To be honest, that thing really creeps
me out, but I suppose we’ll have to do it.”
Megumin seems much less confident than usual.

105 | P a g e

“It’s really rare to see you being afraid, considering how you
normally pick a fight with anyone without caring about the
consequences.”
In response to my jab,
“Of course I’d be afraid. Darkness is severely weakened, right?
The reason why I can focus on chanting my spell is because I
know that no matter what happens, I can rely on Darkness
having my back.”
Megumin let those words tumble from her lips.
Darkness, who was surrounded by adventurers who pulled out
a chair for her the moment she entered the guild, said.
“… I might not be able to wear armour because of my lack of
strength, but I should still have the highest defence out of
anyone in the guild. I can still be your shield.”
As we looked over to her, Darkness had her usual strong and
reliable smile on her face, the fragile mannerisms of the past
few days nowhere to be found.
That must have set them off.
“Even Darkness-san, as weak as she is, is going to the front
lines! Staying back would be pathetic!”
“I’ll protect you, Darkness-san!”
“Darkness who can’t even lift a pair of chopsticks is going to
fight, so I’ll definitely go out too!”

106 | P a g e

Darkness, declaring that she would fight even though she’s too
weak to even hold a weapon up or wear armour, seems to have
inspired the other adventurers.
Seeing them, Darkness let out a tearful smile.
“Thank you, everyone. Once this battle is over…”
“Oh? Hey, Darkness, according to my peerless eyes, the curse
on you seems to have been broken.”
Yes, Aqua interjected.
“Eh?”
Darkness let out in a daze.
“The curse on you has been broken, completely. Try putting
some strength into your arms, you should be completely back to
normal.”
Following Aqua’s advice, Darkness gripped the edge of the table
and clenched…
“… Did you just hear a crack?”
“I feel like I heard a noise that should never be made by a
table.”
The adventurers closest to Darkness started edging away.
“To think that the curse would break at such a convenient time,
this must be Eris-sama watching over me…!”

107 | P a g e

After regaining her senses, Darkness raised her fist and
triumphantly declared, but at that moment, the door to the
guild flew open with a bang.
“Hey, good news everyone! The owner of the magic item shop
just went out of town and blasted that thing with Explosion! It’s
completely gone now!”
I can’t decide if that person came in at the best time or the
worst time.
“…Eh?”
Darkness slowly lowered her raised fist.
“I see. The spirit that placed the curse on you has dissipated, so
the curse placed on Darkness went with it. Isn’t that great,
Darkness? Now everything is back to normal!”
Aqua, once again, completely failed to read the room.
“Right, let’s drink.”
“Yeah, Axel is peaceful and nothing happened today.”
“So that fragile and cute Darkness is gone, huh…”
The adventurers around Darkness slowly started dispersing.
“… Say, Kazuma, can we go find another greater spirit that can
use the curse of weakeningー”

“I’m not taking on any extermination quests.”

↲

108 | P a g e

109 | P a g e

The Amazingly Lucky Silver Haired Girl
Chapter 4: Part 1 ↲

TL: Cannongerbil
Editing: Ulti, Striker
[Note: This story takes place sometime around volume 2, so the status quo is a bit different
from the more recent volumes.]

This happened a few days after we defeated the Demon King’s
general, Beldia, and got saddled with a huge amount of debt.
I was walking down Axel’s shopping district, hoping to come
across an easy way to make money, when I saw a certain
someone tackling someone I know to the ground.
“Wait, Aqua-san, there is an explanation for thisー!”
“Addressing me as Aqua-san is commendable, but
unfortunately I can’t spare a random pickpocket that I only just
met… Ah!? Look at this, Kazuma! I don’t really get it, but I
caught a thief!”
Aqua looked up at me with a wide smile on her face, obviously
fishing for my praise.
The other person is Chris, holding what appears to be someone
else’s wallet in her hand.
“Hey, Aqua, let her go. And that isn’t some random pickpocket.
You’ve met her before. That’s Chris.”
“…Chris? That name does ring a bell. But as a model priest, I
can’t afford to turn a blind eye to crime.”
Saying that, Aqua reached out to take the wallet.

110 | P a g e

“Wait, wait, there is a reason for this!”
Chris, laying on the ground, curled up around the wallet in her
hands like it was her own.

“ーSo basically, a certain newbie adventurer was forced into a
duel with a mean adventurer and got his wallet taken, and you
decided to steal it back for the newbie when…”
“I saw her in the middle of the act and decided to follow and
restrain her!”
After going to the park to shake off the crowd of curious
onlookers that were beginning to form, Chris gave us her
explanation.
Aqua, however, still had the same smug smile on her face like
she didn’t understand a word of what Chris said.
“Didn’t you hear her? Chris stole that wallet to return it to that
newbie adventurer who had it unjustly taken away.”
Chris nodded along to my words, but Aqua suddenly put on a
serious expression and said,
“Oh, Kazuma, no matter what the circumstances are, a crime is
still a crime. The moment that adventurer got his wallet taken,
Chris should’ve approached the police.”
Usually, she only spouts stupid things, but she does
occasionally say something sensible.

111 | P a g e

“Now, hand over that wallet. I’ll take the responsibility for
handing it over to the newbie adventurer in your stead. You
should go to the Axis Cult church and confess your sins, and
donate all your dirty money to the church. If you do that, I’ll
overlook your actions this time…”
“A-Aqua-san…”
Giving her a benevolent smile, Aqua took Chris’s hand into hers
and gently wrapped her fingers around the wallet.
“… Hey, Aqua, why did you follow Chris after witnessing her
steal that wallet? Wouldn’t you normally just shout a warning at
that very moment? And how are you going to return it? You
don’t even know what the newbie adventurer looks like.”
My words caused Chris and Aqua to immediately stiffen up.
“U-Um, I think it’d really be best for me to return the wallet in
person… A-Aqua-san? Umm, please stop tightening your grip,
it’s starting to hurt…”
“Oh, is that so? Then hurry up and hand it over. Treat this pain
as your punishment for doing something bad. Do you perhaps
doubt a priest like me? Don’t worry, I won’t do anything
untoward. I’ll just say I found it on the roadside and ask for a
small reward… Let go! Hurry up and hand over the wallet! If
you keep being stubborn, I’ll go to the police!”
“You are the worst! You remind me of that senpai I had who
strung me around a lot in the past! Your face and name are the
same too! Even though there’s no way she should be here!”
“That sounds like a wonderful person! Kazuma, if you want to
repay your debts even a little, then…Ow!”

112 | P a g e

When I smacked Aqua on the head, she immediately let go of
Chris to cradle her head and look at me with a hurt expression.
“What are you doing, you debt-ridden NEET! This is a
respectable act of justice to punish criminals! In our current
state, you shouldn’t be quibbling about methods!”
“What you are doing right now might as well be a crime! And
don’t call me debt-ridden NEET, you dumb bitch! You were the
one who got us in debt in the first place, so don’t stick me with
such unflattering names!”
“You idiot! The sins of the adventurer who took this wallet by
preying on the weak, and Chris who stole this wallet from that
adventurer would be forgiven if she gives me this wallet as a
donation! If you understand that, then hurry up and give me…”
As she said that, she turned back to face Chris…
“As expected of a Thief. The Lurk skill sure is useful.”
“Aaaah! She got away because of you!”

ーAfter parting ways with Aqua who said “I can’t believe you let
such a great opportunity slip away!” and other such stuff that
doesn’t fit a priest at all, I returned to wandering around town.
After spending some time in the shopping district, I concluded
that there doesn’t seem to be any easy money making
opportunities available, and moved my search to a mostly
deserted back alley…

113 | P a g e

“Fuahahahaha! Too bad for you! As long as my eyes remain red,
I won’t let you get away with committing crimes in my sight!”
“Waaaait! Why!? The adventurer’s guild told me my luck was
pretty good, so why are such things constantly happening to me
today!?”
And once again ran into Chris getting tackled by someone I
know.

↲

114 | P a g e

Chapter 4: Part 2 ↲

Megumin, her eyes burning red, pinned Chris against the
ground.
“Wait, wait, wait! Please, there’s a reason for this!”
“There’s no need for me to listen to whatever excuses you have
for stealing! Now, give me the item you slipped into your purse
from that store just now! If you do, I can generously overlook
your actions this time… Ow!”
I snuck up behind Megumin, hit her on the head, and pulled her
off Chris.
“Do you guys not feel satisfied unless you cause trouble while
I’m not looking? At least limit it to one incident a day.”
“I have no idea what you’re saying, but I’m not causing any
trouble. I’m simply capturing this shoplifter!”
Megumin indignantly pointed towards Chris.
“I told you that’s not it! There’s a reason for it…”
After Chris shakily got to her feet, she produced a small gem
from her purse, which was glowing with a soft radiance that just
seemed to suck you in the longer you stared at it.
Then, with a serious expression that stood as a stark contrast to
her crying and pleading after being caught by Megumin and
Aqua earlier, Chris said,
“This gem is called ‘Demon’s Blood’. It’s a really powerful
cursed item, one that shouldn’t be in the town of beginners.”

115 | P a g e

ーThis gave me a sense of deja-vu, but we moved to a nearby
park and listened to Chris explain herself.
“So, basically, it’s a gem that invites misfortune just by
possessing it?”
“Exactly. To be specific, it lowers the luck of whoever has it.
Nobles occasionally send such jewels to their rivals in the hopes
of seeing them brought low.”
After hearing Chris’s explanation, I averted my gaze from the
gem that was currently in the hands of Megumin, who was
happily polishing it with a piece of cloth.
“Wouldn’t it be better to explain it to the owner instead of
stealing it like this? Even the owner of a jewelry store wouldn’t
want to hold on to it after hearing it’s a cursed item.”
In response to my question, Chris shook her head.
“Of course I did, but then the owner told me that it was an item
he acquired on the request of a certain noble, so just leave it
be…”
I see.
The owner acquired the item knowing it was cursed, and that it
could be put to all kinds of harmful uses.
“So, you took the gem in order to foil the dastardly plans of
whichever noble order it?”

116 | P a g e

“That’s exactly it. I didn’t steal it for money. Plus, I may not
look like it, but my luck is pretty high. Just holding on to this
gem wouldn’t harm me too much.”
… Hmm.
The pickpocketing earlier and this current incident are
technically crimes, but after hearing her out, I’m a little at a loss
for what to do.
Chris probably understands that what she’s doing is a crime,
too.
With an apologetic look on her face, she extended her hand
towards Megumin who was still polishing the gem in her hands.
“So, please give the gemー”
“I respectfully decline.”
Megumin immediately hugged the gem towards her chest,
almost as if she wasn’t listening to a word of Chris’s
explanation.
“Hey, that gem makes you unlucky just by having it, you know?
We already have enough misfortune on our plates as it is, so get
rid of that stone already.”
I said and tried to take the gem back from Megumin, but…
“No way. This gem is called the Demon’s Blood, and it shines so
radiantly even though it’s pitch black. There’s no way I would
let go of such a treasure so easily. The fact that it’s a cursed item
only makes it sound cooler, and it’s not like we can go much
lower than this anyways.”

117 | P a g e

“What are you saying!? There’s plenty of worse things that can
happen to us! Like me getting dissolved in a vat of acid! Just
hand it over! Ack, t-this girl, you’re just a mage, so why are you
so strong!?”
“It’s not that I’m strong, you are just weak! Plus, I’ve had my
eye on this gem for quite some time now! I won’t give it up so
easily!”
While shouting such things, Megumin fell to the ground and
curled up around the gem like a tortoise.
Wait, she’s had her eye on it for quite some time?
“Oh, you little shit, the reason why you didn’t confront Chris
right away but waited for her to walk into a deserted alley was
so you could take the gem for yourself, right!?”
“Ehh!?”
Chris let out a surprised gasp, and Megumin exposed her face to
me from within that curl and gave me a victorious smile.
“Heheh, as expected of Kazuma. Indeed, everything is as I
planned! I was window shopping at that store today while
arguing with the shopkeeper when I noticed Chris acting
suspiciously. She must have been attracted to its glow just like I
was…”
“That’s not it! I don’t care about the glow of the gem at all!
Don’t lump me together with you Crimson Demons!”
Chris grabbed Megumin’s shoulders, or at least what she could
with her curled up like that, and started shaking her.

118 | P a g e

“And thus, my plan was to watch Chris while she stole the gem
and confront her later on with the offer to hand over the gem or
I start telling everyone about it!”
“First Aqua and now you!? Why are all of you so callous? What
you are doing is a crime too, you know?!”
Chris and I tried to retrieve the gem from Megumin, but even
with the two of us against her, Megumin held on stubbornly.
Eventually, this commotion attracted a small crowd. Perhaps
anticipating that, Megumin suddenly shouted.
“Somebody! Please help me! This man is trying to take my
precious something away!”
“You, you little…!”
“Hey, isn’t he the rumoured panties-stealing fiend?”
“Yeah, that’s the fiend who’d steal your panties and threaten to
wave it about unless you buy it back from him!”
The things the surrounding onlookers are saying aren’t exactly
wrong.
I don’t see things ending well for me if I continue to stay here.
“Dammit, Chris, this is looking bad. We’re retreating!”
“Eh? I need to run too!?”
“Of course! If anything, I don’t have a reason to run at all. The
one who’d get in trouble with the police is you!”

119 | P a g e

Chris and I made a path through the gathering crowd of
onlookers and ran away as Megumin sported a triumphant
smile.

↲

120 | P a g e

Chapter 4: Part 3 ↲

… How did it end up like this?
Chris and I ran down the twisting back alleys while trying to
shake off our pursuers.
“Hey, I’m supposed to be pretty lucky, so why did things end up
like this? Whenever I get involved with you, I end up with my
panties stolen or chased by the cops or, or just bad things!”
“The reason why your panties got stolen is because you
challenged me to a duel, and this happened because you stole
something! And, thinking about it, you are the one who dragged
me into this!”
Yeah, why am I running away with her?
The one who committed the crime was her, not me.
As that thought crossed my mind, my pace slowed to a crawl…
“Hey, you’re not planning to slip away by yourself, are you? We
are companions connected with a strong bond of friendship,
aren’t we?”
“You’ve only just taught me a few skills! We’ve never even seen
each other very often since then! Hey, they’ll think I’m with
you, so stop pulling on me!”
I was planning to quietly slip away, but Chris grabbed onto my
shirt and refused to let go.
Just then,

121 | P a g e

“Hey, did you hear a voice coming from here?”
“… Is that so? Let’s go take a look.”
The moment we heard those voices, Chris and I crammed
ourselves into a notch in the wall and activated the Lurk skill.
“Hmm? … That’s odd, I swear I heard something…”
The officer tilted his head as he looked around the alley.
“N-Nyaaa~”
Chris suddenly said.
There’s no way they’ll believe it’s a cat at this stage!
“What, so it’s just a Neroid?”
“They do often hang out in back alleys like this. I really want to
catch it and turn it into pocket change, but we are on the job
right now. Let’s just leave it be.”
While saying that, the two of them left the alley.
“… Say, I’ve heard the name before, but what exactly is a
Neroid? I’ve heard that it goes ‘swish swish’ when you drink it,
so I thought it’s some kind of drink or something, but from
what they’ve said, it’s a kind of animal?”
“Neroids are neroids. They are mysterious creatures that hang
out in back alleys and go ‘swish swish’ when you drink them.”
Without enlightening me even the slightest, Chris let out a deep
sigh.

122 | P a g e

“Anyway, that was really close. Still, it’s more thrilling than my
usual jobs, so I suppose I had a little fun.”
“… Chris, do you always do these kinds of things?”
Stealing isn’t exactly praiseworthy, but there are some cases
where normal justice wouldn’t apply.
Thinking about it that way, I suppose I can’t really lecture Chris
for what she’s doing.
“Well, I haven’t had many chances to go on adventures since
Darkness joined your party, so I’ve been hanging around town
doing these kinds of things… I suppose I just can’t leave newbie
adventurers alone.”
Now that she mentions it, Chris called out to me when I was
agonizing over what skills to learn.
Maybe she’s just the kind of person who can’t help but get
involved when she sees someone in trouble…
“… No, no, no, wait. Come to think of it, back when you taught
me those skills, you suddenly stole my wallet and challenged me
to a match to get it back, didn’t you? You said you stole that
wallet because some mean adventurer challenged the newbie to
a duel and took it from him, but isn’t that basically what you did
to me?”
“Now then, things should’ve cleared up now, so let’s change
locations. I got a little reward after returning the wallet to that
newbie adventurer, so let’s go have a glass of Crimson Beer. It’ll
be my treat!”

123 | P a g e

“Hey, you can’t fool me by offering me a beer! I was a fledgling
newbie adventurer too! Don’t you feel bad for stealing my wallet
from someone like that!”
“Y-You already stole my panties as retribution! Please don’t
remind me of that day!”

ーWe went to the adventurer’s guild because Chris said she’d
treat me, and ordered a pair of drinks even though it’s still light
out.
“Pwaaah! Drinking beer during the day is the best!”
“That sounds like something a layabout would say. Well, I do
think the same way.”
After coming to this world, I learnt the taste of alcohol and
became completely hooked to the pleasures of drinking in the
day.
What you do after drinking is your own responsibility.
The age of marriage is 14.
Such relaxed ordinances and laws are some of the things that
made me glad to come to this world.
As Chris happily drained her glass while foam pooled around
her lips, I gave in and dug into my glass too.
“I may not look like it, but I do work hard every day. It’s nice to
let loose like this every so often.”

124 | P a g e

“Hey, Chris, all you did was steal stuff all day, are you really
saying that was tedious work?”
“T-That is a different story. What happened today is like a
hobby I picked up to spread my wings.”
Just as I gave Chris a disbelieving look after she hastily
explained herself,

“Aaah! There you are! You sure have some guts to abandon me
to go drinking in the afternoon!”
Turning behind to face the source of the voice, standing right at
the entrance is Aqua who was covered in mud for some reason.
“What have you been doing?”
“Isn’t it obvious? I’ve been looking high and low for you two
criminals!”
“Hey, Aqua-san, you’re too loud!”
Chris hastily got to her feet and placed her hands in front of
Aqua’s mouth, but Aqua simply waved them away and
continued.
“Who cares about that!? While looking for you, I ended up in
someone’s yard, got chased away by their dog and ended up
covered in mud after taking a tumble down a hill! I’m calling
the officers here… Ah, what are you doing!? Kazuma too, what
are you doing! Let go of me this instant!”

↲

125 | P a g e

Chapter 4: Part 4 ↲

After gulping down the mug of ice cold Crimson Beer, Aqua let
out a contented sigh.
“Pwaaah! Drinking beer during the day is the best!”
She said as she helped herself to the snacks that we ordered.
“Yeah, you have good taste, Aqua-san! It’s nice to let loose every
once in a while after working hard all day!”
Chris happily said in response.
“You do get it, Chris. Yes, drinking beer during the day is like a
reward for all the hard work we put in every day. As a priest, I
have to be on my best behaviour in front of everyone, so it’s
particularly taxing on my nerves. If I don’t vent that stress every
so often, I’ll be run ragged.”
“Even a priest should let their hair down every once in a while.
Yes, I understand. I understand very well.”
Chris enthusiastically nodded along to the words of the priest
who has never put in a shred of hard work in her life.
“Pardon me, two mugs of chilled Crimson Beer here, please!”
“And bring up another pair of fried frog legs too!”
Chris shouted to the guild waitress, and Aqua added her own
orders too.

126 | P a g e

ーAqua, who tried to turn Chris in for stealing the newbie’s
wallet back, immediately dropped the matter once she heard
that the money Chris got as a reward is going towards these
drinks.
And now, the three of us are drinking together…
“It’s the first time I’ve had a proper talk with you, but I think I
like you. It’s a pity that you worship Eris. You seem like you’d fit
right in amongst the Axis Cult.”
“To be honest, when I first saw you, you reminded me of a
senpai that I didn’t quite get along with, so I tried to keep my
distance, but… After having this talk with you, you really don’t
resemble her at all!”
They were fighting when they met this morning, but…
“That person must really be a piece of work for someone as
friendly as you to dislike them. If I ever run into them, I’ll be
sure to give them a good talking to.”
“You’re so kind, Aqua-san. I really wish my senpai would learn
a thing or two from you.”
Now the two of them are getting along like two peas in a pod.
The two of them happily snacked on fried frog legs between
toasts.
I already knew that Aqua had a thing for alcohol, but I didn’t
expect Chris to lose herself in her cups as well.
“I really had the wrong impression of you, Chris. I thought you
were some thug preying on newbies after you took Kazuma’s

127 | P a g e

wallet a while back, but you really are an upstanding girl. I can’t
really approve of stealing, but when it’s done to take back
something that was unjustly taken away, I can’t really condemn
it.”
“Thank you very much. Ahh, when you first caught me this
morning, I thought you were one of those uptight priests who
wouldn’t let even the slightest thing slip by. It’s really a relief to
know that you’re such a kind person!”

128 | P a g e

129 | P a g e

Chris said, as a tinge of red started creeping along her cheeks.
Does Aqua really seem like a serious and uptight priest at first
glance?
“I’m a very flexible person, you know? One of my juniors is a
hard headed girl who always goes on and on about regulations
and procedures and such. I really wish I could give her even a
fraction of your flexibility.”
“For Aqua-san to say that, she must really be something. It’s
best for a priest to be an easygoing person like you. Living free
is best for humans. Leave the seriousness and uptight attention
to detail to the goddesses who are doing actually important
work like managing this world.”
“I think goddesses should let their hair down and live freely too,
but I like the general idea, Chris. I wonder if I could make you
my junior instead. Yeah, spending every moment paying
attention to rules and regulations is no way to live. My junior is
always so serious, she’s always following after me, asking me to
teach her how to enjoy good wine and tell her tales about the
phantom thieves that are popular in the place that I governed…
I wonder what she’s doing now…”
Aqua happily stared off into the distance.
The two of them have been getting on so well that I couldn’t
even get a word in edgewise.
It’s almost as if they’ve known each other for a long time.

↲

130 | P a g e

Chapter 4: Part 5 ↲

Just as we settled into our drinks and things started feeling
really easy-going,
“Ah! Isn’t that man the one you stole the wallet from?”
The person Aqua pointed to was someone I’ve never seen in this
town before. He might be carrying brand new equipment, but
he doesn’t strike me as a newbie adventurer.
Gathering information in the bar is the basics of adventuring.
As a firm believer in that principle, I’ve spent a lot of time in
this place, so I’m confident that I can at least recognise the face
of all the adventurers who live in this town.
However, I have no memory of ever seeing that man who was
downing a mug of beer with a scowl on his face.
He must have moved here recently from another town.
Just then, Aqua suddenly rose to her feet.
“I thought that person was a victim at first, but after hearing
your explanation, I’ve changed my views. Just wait here, Chris.
I’ll bring that man to justice just like a proper priest would!”
“Eh!?”
The alcohol and Chris’s praise must have inflated her ego, for
Aqua confidently stated that before walking over to the man’s
table.
“H-Hey, shouldn’t you stop Aqua-san?”

131 | P a g e

“It’s fine, just leave her be. She’ll probably come back here in
tears after he turns the tables back on her.”
“That’s not fine at all!”
Chris and I exchanged hushed whispers.
“I haven’t seen you around here before! My name is Aqua. The
Archpriest, Aqua. If you said you don’t know who I am in this
town, you’ll be laughed at without a thought!”
Aqua crossed her arms and proclaimed.
The people in the tavern briefly stopped to look at the source of
the voice, but after noticing who it was, they quickly returned
back to what they were doing.
The adventurer seemed taken aback by the sudden accosting
and the reactions of the people around him.
However…
“It’s just a little rumour I heard on the winds, but it seems like
you’ve been picking on vulnerable newbie adventurers and
challenging them to duels!”
The man let out a bark of laughter at Aqua’s accusations.
“Hey, now, I don’t know where you heard that from, but that’s
just slander from sore losers. I didn’t force anyone into
anything. They agreed of their own free will. If anything, I’m
even putting a handicap or two on myself during those duels.
Accepting a duel is your personal responsibility. Choosing to go
along with a duel only to start spreading such rumours once you
lose is true villainy.”

132 | P a g e

The man said, casually taking a sip out of his mug. In response,
Aqua’s temples started twitching.
“You aren’t going to fool me that easily using big words like free
will or handicap or personal responsibility! I don’t really get it,
but you are a bad guy! After all, your eyes look extremely
suspicious!”
“What is your problem!? Judging someone as evil just because
of their looks is way too unreasonable! Isn’t there any shred of
reason in your brain at all!?”
“You’re not fooling me with big words like that! I’m a really
good judge of character, so I can’t be wrong! Call it a goddess’s
intuition!”
“Oh, just get lost! My intuition and my Enemy Detection skill
are telling me not to get involved with you! What’s this about a
goddess? How stupid! If you don’t get going I’m going to start
throwing peanuts at you!”
After getting chased away, Aqua came back to us in tears.
“… See?”
“Now is not the time for that! Aqua-san is crying!”
Aqua grabbed my shoulders and shook me as tears started
pooling around her eyes.
“Kazuma-san, I was defeated, so take revenge for me! He keeps
using big and complicated words as excuses! You might be weak
and unreliable, but you are an impertinent NEET, so no one can
defeat you in a battle of wits!”

133 | P a g e

“Are you picking a fight with me too?”
As Aqua clung onto me, an idea popped into my head, which I
whispered into her ear.
After learning my plan, she nodded and went back towards the
other man.

“You sure gave me the runabout earlier! You might have run
circles around me last time, but don’t think the same tricks will
work on me!”
“You came back…? I’ll give you these peanuts, so hurry up and
go home.”
Aqua accepted the plate of peanuts the man offered, and while
helping herself to the dishes, said.
“I won’t back down. I challenge you to a duel.”
“… Challenging some to a duel after accepting food from them?
Are you really a priest? Well, I don’t really mind having a match
with you…”
Likely confident in his abilities, the man readily accepted the
duel despite his misgivings.
“Hey, is Aqua-san really going to be okay? That man doesn’t
seem like a newbie adventurer. I don’t know what kind of duel
he’s going to propose, but wouldn’t the odds be on his side?”
Logically, that’s the conclusion most people will come to.

134 | P a g e

However…
“Don’t worry. She might look like that, but apart from luck and
intelligence, her stats are…”
Just as those words came out of my mouth,
“The duel will consist of a single roll of the dice. If the number
that comes up is four or below, you win. If it’s five or six, it’s my
victory. What do you think, the odds are in your favour, right?
Even if you are a newbie adventurer, the gap in our levels
wouldn’t matter much in a contest of luck.”
This isn’t good. Aqua will definitely lose.
“Ah, I see. Aqua-san would have a high chance of victory in
such a contest.”
“No, change of plans. Aqua will lose.”
She has extremely low luck and intelligence.
“Eh!? No, no, Archpriests are supposed to be high in luck, like
thieves. The other guy seems to be a thief, but in such a contest,
Aqua would surely have the advantage…”
Chris said that, but that’s definitely a flag.
Now that people are expecting great things from her, the
chances of Aqua losing have now become a near certainty.
“… Oh, I see. You are dressed plainly, but you are actually a
pretty high leveled adventurer. You probably did something bad
in the other towns and got thrown out, and now you’re relying

135 | P a g e

on your high stats to make up for the handicap you give yourself
to prey on newbie adventurers with low stats, right!?”
The man grimaced in response to Aqua’s confident declaration.
“Tsk… I only just came to this town, but my cover is already
blown. Oh well, guess it’s time to go to another town…”
“Well, nevermind that! Hurry up and take out your dice! Let’s
set up the contest already!”
“…Huh?”
Despite having seen through the man’s schemes, Aqua still
wants to continue with the duel.
I surreptitiously crept to Aqua’s side.
“Hey, this is the point where you chase him out of town after
seeing through his tricks. Why are you challenging him to a
duel?”
“Oh, Kazuma, don’t you get it? We’ve already seen through his
little stunts. A great man once said, if you know your enemy,
you have a high probability of defeating him in a hundred
battles, or something like that.”
The saying is ‘If you know your enemy and know yourself, you
need not fear the results of a hundred battles’.
If you mean to follow that saying, you first need to know
yourself.
It was only then that I realized that this is beyond my ability to
stop.

136 | P a g e

The patrons in the bar, attracted by the commotion, have
formed a small but rowdy crowd around Aqua and the other
adventurer.
Some of them have already started betting on who would win.
“Right, then, let’s start this game. The bet is the contents of our
wallets. I’ll explain the rules once more. This match will be
decided by this die. If the numbers one through four comes up,
it’ll be your victory. If it comes up five of six, I win. If you want,
you can provide your own die, too.”
“According to my eyes, this die isn’t tampered with. So, are
there any other prohibitions or rules?”
“Well, not really…”
“Right, there are no other restrictions! Blessing!”
“Ah, you littleー!”
Aqua immediately casted the luck increasing buff spell upon
herself the moment the man opened his mouth.
Even the people in the crowd started booing her when she did
that.
“Hey, Aqua, that’s dirty!”
“I have money riding on you losing, fight fairly, dammit!”
“Oh shut up, you guys aren’t involved in this! And shouldn’t this
be the part where you guys start cheering for me over this
adventurer who came in from somewhere else!? If you aren’t

137 | P a g e

going to cheer for me, then scram! Otherwise, I’m going to start
charging money!”
Seeing Aqua start arguing with the onlookers, Chris frowned
and started muttering something under her breath.
“… I always thought she resembled senpai, but no, it can’t be
right. Yeah, this can’t be it…”
Ignoring her, I approached the adventurers that were running
the impromptu betting pool.
“I put ten thousand eris on Aqua losing.”
“Why! This should be the point where you bet on me! Oh, fine,
just watch! If I win, I’m going to take ten percent from the
betting pool!”
Taking the die into her hands, Aqua declared with a confident
smile on her face.
With her previous Blessing and her current words, the result of
this match is now clad in stone.
“Right, let’s go! See, I lost… Wait, why!?”
“You even used Blessing on yourself, so how did you lose!?”
“Just what do you do every day to have luck this bad!? I was a
fool for believing in you for even an instant!”
“Oh, shut up! You were the ones who put money on me on your
own, so don’t start complaining when I lose! …Waaah! My
wallet!”

138 | P a g e

As Aqua started arguing with the crowd, the adventurer picked
up the wallet that Aqua placed on the table as her bet.
“Well, I was a little worried when you used that little trick of
yours, but too bad! Now, as promised, your wallet… Hey, there’s
only three hundred eris here! What are you playing at!? How
could you challenge someone to a duel with so little on you!?”
“I’m in debt, so that’s honestly my entire life’s savings! Anyway,
as promised, I’ll give you the contents of my wallet, so return
the wallet back to me! That’s the Japanese-style wallet that
Kazuma let me have because it didn’t fit the fantasy theme!”
The man gave the wallet another look over after hearing those
words.
“Oh?… I don’t really get what fantasy theme or Japan means,
but this is quite a unique looking wallet. Alright, I’ll be taking
this as my prize.”
“What we bet were the contents of our wallet! If you aren’t
going to follow the rules we set out, then the contest is void!
Void! If you are going to take the wallet with you, then you are
just a plain robber! I won’t even give you the three hundred
eris! Return it to me! Otherwise, I’ll wear iron clogs and tap
dance in the room above yours when you’re trying to sleep!”
“What kind of weird threat is that!? Plus, I don’t want to hear
that from someone who used Blessing on herself!”
The two of them started fighting over the wallet.
I let out a sigh and approached the man. Seems like we ended
up getting involved with yet another troublesome opponent.

139 | P a g e

“Hey, would you have a match with me? You can bet that wallet.
I won’t be using Blessing or anything like that, so… What do
you think?”
I said with a confident smile and presented my wallet.
The man looked me over with a wary eye before muttering
under his breath.
“I’ve heard that this town is a town of beginners, but it seems
like there are people like that here too.”
With that, he returned with a confident smile of his own.
“Fine, I’ll take you on. Just to be sure, I’ll check your wallet…
Hey, you only have eight hundred eris! Are you all here to make
fun of me!?”
After confirming the contents of my wallet, the man tossed it on
the floor.
“Hey, how crude do you have to be to check my wallet right
there? This is the point where you should boldly accept my
challenge.”
“Seriously, couldn’t you at least read the mood a little?”
Being told that by someone who normally couldn’t read the
mood at all, the man blushed.
“Screw it, I’m never letting go of this wallet. Even if you sue me,
I’m never giving this wallet back! Especially not to you!”
“What should we do, Kazuma? This guy is really petty!”

140 | P a g e

“Dammit, we sure got involved with a really troublesome
person…”
“I don’t want to hear that from you who dares to challenge
others without any money on you!”
Just as I was racking my brains for a way to retrieve that wallet.
“… Say, would you mind having a match with me?”
Chris, who had been silently observing up till now, said.
The man gave Chris a suspicious look.
“From the looks of things, you are a Thief, right? As you can
see, I’m a Thief too. That means you can use Steal, right?”
In response, the man nodded.
“In that case, how about a contest in using Steal? I have enough
money, and on top of that, I have a special something too.”
Saying that, Chris motioned to the dagger hanging on her waist.
“The grand prize is this Magic Dagger. It’s worth at least four
hundred thousand eris… So, do you accept?”
Saying that, she let out an unblemished smile.

↲

141 | P a g e

Chapter 4: Part 6 ↲

As the sun began to set on the town of Axel, we made our way
over to the stables where we usually spent the night.

“Seriously, you are really something. You must really have a lot
of guts to challenge him while having so little in your wallet.”

“And you are up to your same underhanded tricks. I wish I
could’ve captured his face when he opened his palm to find a
pebble in his hand.”

Chris and I shared a laugh.

“Hey, Chris, thanks for returning my wallet to me. I don’t really
have anything to repay you right now, but if you ever want to
convert from the Eris Church to the Axis Cult, you can talk to
me anytime.”

“Y-Yeah, I’ll keep that in mind…”

Aqua gave Chris an unblemished smile when she said that.

Seeing Aqua’s guileless expression, Chris and I shared a wry
smile.

ーJust when I thought that things might actually end well
today.

“Aaaaaaaah! Stop, stoooop!”

“I will not stop! Just how did you get your hands on such a
thing!?”

I’ve grown tired of hearing such voices now.

142 | P a g e