Konosuba Dust Spin Off 5

“Did something like that happen?”
I tilted my head in confusion, and she aimed a straight right at
my face.
“Hey, aren’t you a priest!? How could you resort to violence!?”
“People who encroach on the dignity of women and Eris-sama
are existences on the same level as undead!”
“Hey, resorting to violence with this many people on your side
is unfair! Should women of the cloth really be using violence in
front of a child this young? Take a good look at her innocent
eyes… Yunyun? Hey, don’t take Faitfore away!”
Looking back, Yunyun was carrying Faitfore away to join Loli
Succubus.
I, on the other hand, was completely surrounded with Eris
Cultists.
“Why don’t we talk things out calmly? Goddess Eris wouldn’t
look kindly on unnecessary fighting, you know?”
“Shut up!” x4

↲

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Chapter 2: Part 8 ↲

“Dammit, they beat me black and blue and tossed me out
without offering me even a single casting of Heal.
Unbelievable.”
Despite being priests, they ignored me as I lay on the ground
and went back into the church.
As I dragged myself up to my feet, Yunyun and Loli Succubus,
who had been keeping watch from afar, came over.
These guys are pretty heartless too.
“It’s all your fault that they wouldn’t listen to us.”
“I’m surprised that you managed to make an enemy of the Eris
Church.”
“There, there.”
Yunyun seemed exasperated, Loli Succubus seemed vaguely
impressed, and Faitfore got up on my back and started
strapping herself in. She seems to think that is her rightful
place.
“Right then, the question is, do we pay a visit to the Axis Cult or
ignore it and move on. Let’s take a vote on this. Anyone who is
in favour of visiting the Axis Cult, raise your hand.”
Not a single person raised their hand, so we decided to go to
Sir’s place.

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“P-Pardon me.”
“Vanir-sama, is there anything I can do for you?”
“Sir, there’s something I would like to ask you.”
When I opened the door of the Magic item shop, a sweet scent
flooded my nostrils.
And Wiz, the storekeeper, is collapsed in a charred heap on the
floor, but I’m used to that by now.
“Hmph, if you intend to help, you can start by throwing out the
trash.”
“Okay, can do. Hm~hmhm~”
Loli Succubus hummed a tune as she dragged Wiz off
somewhere with practiced motions.
“Lonerinquent are here too, huh? Moi is a little busy right now.
If you’re here to window shop, please come back later.”
“Lonerinquent!? Please stop lumping me together with Dust-
san!”
Sir, you sure say some good things every so often.
“By the way, what this Wiz do this time?”
“Just thinking about it gives me conniptions. This garbage
storekeeper mistook the large quantities of mandrakes Moi
ordered as potion ingredients as locally sourced wild vegetables
and gave them to the neighbours for free!”

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“Mandragora are those rare and dangerous monsters that
scream when pulled out of the ground and can cause people
hearing their screams to die, right?”
“Indeed. Having them be given away for free is painful enough
as is, but there is a bigger problem. Properly treated, it’s a
potent medicine, but it’s dangerous if eaten as is. Moi has
retrieved some of them, but there are still several of them still at
large.”
It’s only natural to be angry.
Just then, I heard a growl from behind my back. Turning
around, I came face to face with a snarling Faitfore.
“Dust, this man, dangerous.”
“Oh, that’s a rare thing to be carrying around on your back. To
think that such a creature would appear at a place like this.”
Despite being glared at, Sir Vanir drew closer to Faitfore
without the slightest hint of fear.
A snarling little girl and a smiling masked man staring at each
other. To anyone passing by, this would surely be a bizarre
sight.
“It’s fine, Sir is a devil and has a certain personality that means
he’s not exactly an ally to humanity, but he’s not hostile. So,
calm down.”
“… If you say so.”
She still looks like she’s ready to jump out at any moment, but
appears to be restraining herself for now.

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Still, I’m impressed that Faitfore managed to see through Sir
with just a glance.
“Sorry to bother you while you’re busy, but Sir, can I ask you for
more details about those rampaging adventurers that you
stopped the other day?”
“That incident? Moi ran across a strange man who was
screaming and running wild while working to recover the
mandrakes, so Moi defeated him.”
So he ran across him by chance, huh? Doesn’t seem like I can
expect much solid information from him, then.
“Well, those symptoms are similar to what happens when you
eat a mandrake, but it’s a small matter.”
“Oh, is that so? … Hey, wait a minute, Sir, doesn’t that mean it’s
definitely the result of eating a mandrake?”
And we stumbled onto the source of the problem.
With this, the quest is complete… is what I would like to say,
but…
“By the way, how many mandrakes are you still missing?”
“Hmm, from what has been told, there seemed to have been a
few unrestrained fools who showed up and took large quantities
of mandrakes with them during the giveaway. The remaining
pieces are most likely with those people. However, they might
prove to be a little troublesome.”

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Sir doesn’t declare someone to be troublesome lightly. I was
hoping that this matter would be easily resolved, but that seems
increasingly unlikely.
“Just what kind of people are we talking about for Vanir-sama
to be so wary?”
“The ones who took them away are, of all people, the Axis Cult.”
“Ah-” x3
Everyone present nodded at the same time.
They could be said to be the natural enemy of devils.
I would really want to avoid getting into contact with them if I
can, but it seems like I’m bound to them by some weird quirk of
fate.
There’s the party priest that hangs out with Kazuma, of course,
but I also ran into Zesta over in Elroad that seems to be the
patriarch of the entire organization.
To be honest, I really don’t want to get to know them any more
than this.
“Well, haven’t you arrived at just the right time? Would you not
take on the task of retrieving the mandrakes from that empty
headed cult that believes in a foolish goddess? You shall be
amply compensated, of course.”
“I would really like to take on a request from you, Sir, but I
don’t really play well with Axis Cultists.”
“I-I don’t get along with them too.”

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Loli Succubus raised a shaky hand. It seems like she’d do
anything Sir Vanir asks, but even she draws the line at the Axis
Cult.
“Um, did you know any specifics about the priest who took the
mandrakes with them?”
“Hmph, from what has been told, she was a priest wearing Axis
Cult priest robes, and said something like ‘Finally, I can eat
something other than tokoroten slime.'”
Hmm? A chill went down my spine. It feels like I know that
description from somewhere…
Hearing a smack from my side, I turned and saw Yunyun sitting
on the ground, her head in her hands as she heaved a heavy
sigh.
“What’s wrong? Did you eat some rotten food and got yourself a
stomachache? You should be wary of food that smells bad. And
anything that tastes sour is right out.”
“I’m not you, so I don’t need that kind of advice. That person
might be someone I know. That behavior sounds very familiar…
unfortunately.”
“Is that so? Then, can Moi entrust this task to you, as a friend?
You are the only friend Moi can rely on during such times.”
“L-Leave it to me! I’ll never leave a friend in need!”
“So easy.” x2

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Seeing Sir wrap Yunyun around his finger, the same phrase
came to both Loli Succubus and I.
Well, this situation is beneficial to me too, so I think I’ll let it
run its course.

I expected that we’d be heading towards that Axis Cult branch
which is located on the outskirts of the town, but for some
reason, Yunyun instead led us towards the mansion district
where most of the ultra rich folks made their homes.
As for why I knew the Axis Cultists opened a church on the
outskirts, that’s because the residents of this town warned me
to stay away from there.
In particular, parents give strict warnings to their children not
to play in that area, so pretty much nobody goes over there.
“So, does that priest live here? I always thought the Axis Cult
had an air of poverty around them, but… Hey, you’re joking,
right? This is practically a palace!”
A massive mansion sprawled out in front of me. Kazuma’s
mansion is fairly spacious by itself, but doesn’t hold a candle to
the stately palace in front of my eyes.
Is that stingy sounding priest really living in a place like this?
“She lives in such an opulent place, but she still scrambles for
free gifts?”
Loli Succubus asked the same question that’s on my mind.

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“Umm, this is the place the band… acquaintance rented to serve
as a base of sorts, but before I knew it she began treating it as a
residence. She probably spends more time here than she does at
the church proper.”
Right now, it’s still barely past noon. Priests should be busy
distributing food or recruiting or some other activity around
this time. So she’s skipping work to laze about here?
“Should a priest really be doing that?… But, well, she is of the
Axis Cult.”
“Yeah, it’s the Axis Cult.”
Thinking it over, this isn’t anything unexpected from the Axis
Cult.
With that settled, I moved to the front door, but Loli Succubus
instead took several large steps backwards.
“I’ll wait out here, so please have a nice chat with that person.”
“She’s a little strange, but she isn’t a bad person… Well, she’s
probably harmless… Um, it’ll be fine. Probably.”
“Say it with more confidence. All you’re doing now is just
making her sound even less trustworthy. Lolisa here doesn’t
have a lot of good experiences when it comes to the Axis Cult.
Well, that goes the same for me too.”
“… Neither do I. It won’t be good to force her, so, okay, Lolisa,
you wait for us here… Ah.”
Yunyun let out a surprised gasp.

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Following her gaze led me to a woman dressed in priestly robes.
She was slowly approaching Loli Succubus with creeping hands
and a suspicious glint in her eyes, but Loli Succubus doesn’t
seem to have noticed her.
And then, the priest grabbed her from behind.
“Eh!?”
“I’ve found a little girl! Now, are you here to join up? Or are you
here to register? Or perhaps become one of us? We have plenty
of room for little girls, so don’t worry!”
“Kyaaaa! H-Help me! I’m being forced into the Axis Cult! I
don’t want to be an Axis Cultist!!”

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160 | P a g e

The priest clung tightly onto a struggling Loli Succubus.
I want to help her, but seeing the face of the priest gave me
pause. My worst premonitions always end up coming true.
“Cecily-san, please let her go! She isn’t here to join up. And this
isn’t the church.”
So her name is Cecily, huh?
I’ve run into her several times, but I think this is the first time I
got her name.
“Ah, yeah, that’s right. Recently, I’ve been spending more time
lazing around here than at the church, so I got mistaken. Tee-
hee.”
The priest cocked her head and stuck out her tongue.
She’s one of the troublemaking Axis Cultists I ran into in
Elroad.
“So, that thing is an acquaintance of yours?”
“Yes. There are some circumstances behind that, but…”
“Yunyun-san, you’re here too. Alice-san, Megumin-san, and
now a new little girl is joining our group.”
“W-Wait, Cecily-san! We are supposed to keep that a secret!”
Group? And, did she just say Alice just now? Alice is the alias
that the first princess of this country, Iris, uses, right?

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Ah, I see. There was a time where Megumin, Alice, and Yunyun
were hanging out together. If I recall, they were trying to
investigate if I was the rumoured Dragon Knight back then.
They must have hit it off together.
Iris probably used her royal authority to buy this mansion.
“Ooh, nice, a modest body with pink hair that just has the
slightest hint of erotism. It’s right up onee-chan’s alley! Hmm?
But this smell is…!”
“Let me go! Let me go! Help me, Dust-san! Dust-san!”
Loli Succubus desperately screamed. Running into the Axis Cult
at Alcanretia and Elroad definitely left a deep scar on her.
Cecily paid no heed to her struggles and started sniffing Loli
Succubus’s hair and shoulders, before tilting her head
questioningly.
I don’t know what she’s looking for, but I think I heard Zesta
mention that he can identify devils by the smell. This might be
dangerous to let continue.
“Hey, pervert priest, let go of Lolisa. And, come on, there’s no
need to cry.”
“T-Thank you very much. That was so scary…”
There’s no need to cry like this. I understand it’s scary, but
clinging onto me while snot and tears flowed from your face like
this is an overreaction.

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“To think that a girl would cry because of me. Onee-chan is
shocked. But seeing a girl cry does make me feel a little hot and
bothered.”
Is it really okay to leave the Axis Cult to their own devices like
this? She’s the very definition of a pervert.
“Please don’t egg her on! Anyway, we aren’t here to talk about
such matters. Cecily-san, did you come into a lot of vegetables
recently?”
If she knows that those vegetables are actually mandrakes,
there’s a high chance she might try to resell them for profit or
use them for some other ill deed, so we decided to act as though
they were just simple vegetables.
Actually, if things went badly enough, Vanir and Wiz might end
up getting brought in as accomplices to a crime.
“Ah, are you talking about that? A woman who reeked of
poverty was handing out vegetables, saying that she took in too
many of them, so I loaded up on as many of them as I could
carry and carted them off. What about them? They are already
all gone, so don’t ask me to return them now.”
“Eh? So quickly? Um, what did you do with all those
vegetables?”
“Well, you see, I wanted to eat them, but they looked so much
like miniature humans that they turned me off. So I distributed
them as food aid. You know about that suspicious priest that
recently appeared in this town and is rapidly gaining new
followers, right? So, to fight against her influence, I decided to
imitate the Eris Church a little and started handing out food
just like them.”

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“Don’t give food that you can’t bring yourself to eat as aid!”
“Eh? I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“You understand me perfectly! I didn’t say anything particularly
complex!”
Yeah, I just plain don’t get along with the Axis Cult. Especially if
it’s this girl or Zesta, just talking to them tires me out.
“But we tasted it. Even the members who usually have all kinds
of snide remarks to make end up enjoying it so much that they
jump for joy and slam their heads against the walls.”
“… Where do I start?”
Loli Succubus, hiding behind me, muttered under her breath.
She is still brave enough to interject even after being scared
senseless, huh?
Anyway, it’s clear exactly why those guys are acting up.
“Do you have any of those vegetables left?”
“Hmm? Say, did we meet somewhere before?”
“Do you still not remember my face? We met back in Elroad,
remember?”
“Ah, did we? Only handsome men and cute girls remain in my
memory, so I completely forgot about it. But, it’s fine now. I’ll
never forget someone carrying a cute silver haired girl on his
back.”

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This woman is only looking at my back. Anything goes for her
as long as it’s small and cute, huh?
Perhaps sensing danger from the gaze she’s receiving, Faitfore
tightened her grip on my shoulder.
“Don’t worry, I won’t let you go in front of her. I’ll definitely
protect you.”
“Okay.”
“Protect me too! Why are you only kind to Faitfore?
Favouritism like this isn’t good, you know?”
Loli Succubus too had a tight grip on my waist and refused to
budge an inch.
“Anyway, back to the original topic, you are certain you don’t
have any more of those vegetables on hand, right?”
“Y-Yes, of course. They have all been used up, so, even in the
one-in-a-million chance that something happened, there won’t
be any proof left. I have no involvement in this matter at all, I’m
innocent!”
“You… You know what’s going on in town, don’t you?”
… Her behaviour is suspicious as all hell.
She’s definitely aware of what she has done. The way she
constantly glances away and fiddles with her fingers can’t be
described as anything other than suspicious.

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“I, I have no idea what you are talking about. I’m a devout
worshipper of Aqua, so I need to go pray right now. Now, please
pardon me–”
“Cecily-san, I buried those strange herbs in the forest like you
told me to. Now, about the payment we agreed upon-”
The person who interrupted was a middle aged man pulling an
empty cart behind him. From the bandages wrapped around his
head, he’s probably one of those members who taste tested the
food.
There’s only one conclusion I can come to.
“You little, you’re destroying the evidence!”
“I-I have no idea what you’re talking about. It’s still too early to
be getting drunk. Come on, I’ll give you some tokoroten slime,
so go over there! Quickly!”
“This isn’t what we agreed on. You promised to give me the
freshly taken off panties of a newly ordained priest–”
The old man took the bag of tokoroten slime Cecily tried to slip
into his jacket and tossed it over his shoulder without a second
thought.
There are a lot of problems, but we can consider the case closed.
I should probably go pick up the mandrakes buried in the forest
later, but at least there won’t be any more incidents happening
in town. Probably.
“Well, that’s the quest complete. Let’s go back to Sir, get paid,
and get something to eat.”

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“B-But there might still be victims running around. Will the
guild really be satisfied? Plus, I don’t think Vanir-san will
consider this case to be closed just yet.”
Now that she mentions it, the quest did call to identify the cause
and put a stop to it. It’d be foolish to work without getting paid,
so it’s probably best to put in a bit more work for now.
“Alright then, let’s go find two or three rampaging folks and
drag them to the guild. Hey, corrupt priest over there.”
“Are you perhaps referring to me?”
“Who else could I be referring to? Did you give out food at any
other place? Or did you give the vegetables to anyone else? And
no more lies.”
“I swear on the name of Aqua-sama, I’m not lying. The only one
who gave out the food is us, so there shouldn’t be anyone else
who ate… Ah! Err, can I change the swear to the name of Zesta-
sama instead?”
“Of course not! It’s obvious you’re planning on lying! Now,
come on, lead the way!”
This woman is really bad at lying.
After getting the details from Cecily, we moved on to the next
location.

“They are catching up to us!”

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“If they catch us, they’ll definitely do something horrible! I need
to escape!”
“Shut up and run! You’ll bite your tongue!”
Right now, I’m running flat out with a large pot in my hands.
Yunyun and Loli Succubus are also running alongside me with
equal desperation.
And the people chasing us are the priest from the Eris Church.
“Stop right there! If you stop right now, we shall be merciful on
you!”
“You aren’t convincing at all if you say that while waving a knife
around!”
There is a reason why we ended up in this situation.
Because Cecily only had vegetables in the form of the
mandrakes while cooking her stew, she traded some of it to the
Eris Church in exchange for some meat.
I tried to get them to stop cooking, but all my words fell on deaf
ears and we just kept going around in circles, so I eventually
decided it’d be faster to just grab it and run.
“There is no telling what they’ll do if they catch us! Run as if
your life depended on it!”

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After somehow getting away and disposing of the soup, we paid
a visit to the other location… and found ourselves in a flat run
yet again.
“Don’t underestimate the Axis Cult, you vegetable thief!”
Angry voices came shouting from behind us.
Looking back, I could make out the forms of over a dozen angry
Axis Cultists chasing after me.
“Why didn’t they hand it over after we explained it to them!?
There’s no need to steal it, is there!?”
“The moment they saw me, they started making all kinds of
unreasonable requests! It’d be faster to just take it than try and
negotiate with them. When dealing with the Axis Cult, the cops
will turn a blind eye even if you are a little rough on them, so
there’s no need to worry about that!”
“That’s not what I’m worried about! Please stop throwing the
mandrakes out just because you can’t be bothered to carry them
with you! Vanir-san is going to be angry!”
I originally just asked them to give the vegetables back, but…
“There is no reason for me to return something that was freely
given over. If you insist… well, you know what I’m talking
about, right? If you have that little girl step all over me while
giving me a scornful look, I might consider it.”
“I’ll give back one piece for each time you let me grope that girl,
how about that?”
“If you call me ‘Master’ with a sweet voice, I might consider it.”

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Those cultists just made all kinds of unreasonable requests.
They only just got it from Cecily not too long ago, so where do
they get off being so obstinate?
“They are criminals, so we can do anything to them when we
catch them, right!? I call dibs on the little girl!”
“Ah, that’s no fair! Okay, fine, I’ll take the other quiet-looking
girl!”
“I want to get my hands all over than blonde fellow!”
… I think I just felt a shiver go down my spine.
This is why I don’t want to get involved with the Axis Cult!
“I feel like an even worse fate awaits us if we get caught by
them!”
“Axis Cult, noooooo! Vanir-sama, save me!”
The two of them ran with tears in their eyes as their arms are
filled with mandrakes.
“Run with everything you’ve got! If you get caught, there won’t
be a tomorrow waiting for you!”
With wild desperation fueling us, we managed to run all the
way out of the town.

↲

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Chapter 2: Part 9 ↲

“.. So that’s the story. Not to toot my own horn, but I think we
put in a lot of effort there.”
After returning to Wiz’s magic item shop, that still smells faintly
of ashes, I gave my report.
Yunyun and Loli Succubus lay on the floor, completely
exhausted. The only way I know they are alive is how they
twitch every so often.
“It seems there will not be any further incidents as a result of
this. Very well, here’s your reward. Claim it with glee.”
“Thanks, Sir. If anything else needs doing, feel free to talk to
me.”
“Hmph, Moi does not have any request for you at the moment,
but you might come asking me for a favour not too long in the
future.”
Sir gave me yet another suggestive answer.
Normally, I wouldn’t pay such words any heed, but Sir’s
predictions usually end up coming true.
“Well, when that time comes, I’ll be counting on you.”
Thinking that I’ll probably be coming back here soon, I left the
magic item shop.
“I’ll hang around here to help Vanir-sama out~”

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“Is that so? See you around, then. Yunyun, what are you going
to do?”
“Eh? Err, I’ll go see Megumin. If I hang around you while you
are carrying a child around for too long, rumours will start to
spread… If rumours start spreading about me spending a lot of
time with the delinquent who is also a deadbeat father,
nevermind making friends, I won’t be able to walk around
openly in this town again.”
This girl really is a worrywart, isn’t she?
It’s not like she has any friends in the first place, so what
difference does it make?

After parting ways with Yunyun and Loli Succubus in front of
the store, I made my way back to the Adventurers guild to give
my report.
“Thank you for your work. It seems like this incident has been
successfully contained. Thank you.”
And that concludes the quest. I got paid by both the guild and
Sir, so this turned out to be a very profitable task.
Normally I’d treat myself to some luxuries with this money, but
the sounds of a stomach growling came incessantly from my
back.
“Dust, I’m hungry.”
“Yeah, I get it.”

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… I wonder how many meals this money will last for.
Is this how a bird feels when it’s bringing food back to feed it’s
hungry chicks? It feels like all the money I’ve been earning has
been going into food lately.
“Is it annoying?”
Oh crap, it must have shown on my face. Faitfore is staring at
me while nursing a frown.
“Of course not. We are close, aren’t we? So there’s no need to
stand on ceremony.”
Seeing her smile after hearing that blew away all my worries in
an instant.
“Oh, you’re back. How was it?”
Lynn waved at me from the corner of the tavern. I let Faitfore
down and walked over to her together.
“It went without any issues. I earned some money from it, but
they are all going to this girl’s food, so don’t even think about
it.”
“Of course not. I’m not going to steal from you, so there’s no
need to hide it from me. Anyway, more importantly, I need to
talk to you about Taylor and Keith.”
Leaving Faitfore who grabbed a hold of a passing waitress and
is busy ordering food to the side, I huddled close to Lynn.

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I completely forgot about them during that last fracas, but I still
haven’t thought of a good punishment for those two who
canceled on me at the last minute.
“Well, it was really strange. The two of them were with Serena
the entire time.”
“Huh? Are they planning to abandon this party and join up with
Serena instead? Even if she’s sexier as a woman, that can’t be.
Sure, Serena has a great figure with bountiful ass and tits, so I
understand-Uwah!”
I clasped the staff that Lynn wordlessly swung at me between
my hands.
Heh, a warrior like me won’t keep falling for the physical
attacks of a mage.
“How naive, Lynn. Do you think I’d be so easy… Idiot! Don’t
cast magic at such close ranges!”
A soft light slowly started forming at the tip of the staff. This
girl is chanting magic while swinging her staff around.
“I’ll put up with it this time because Faitfore-chan is here. Can I
continue?”
“Please do.”
Her expressionless face is really scary.
“While you were out, I ran into the two of them and had a talk,
but all they said were stuff like ‘We are busy protecting Serena
right now’ and ‘We must protect her from the villain’, so I
couldn’t get through to them at all. There is definitely

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something strange going on here, that behaviour is not
normal.”
“Keith is a lecherous virgin, so it wouldn’t be surprising if he
does end up acting like that, but there’s no way Taylor would do
the same. He has a soft spot, but there’s no way he would break
a promise without even providing a reason.”
“Yeah, exactly. Keith aside, Taylor isn’t that kind of person.”
“… I feel sorry for Keith.”
Faitfore, her cheeks stuffed to bursting with food, interjected
into the conversation.
Lynn cleared her throat and continued.
“A-Anyway, I looked into it a bit more, and there seems to be
quite a few adventurers who are acting in a similar way.”
“Luna did mention something like that. Like they were
infatuated with Serena and stopped showing up for work. It
feels like there might be something deeper behind this.”
“Right? And one more thing, no one knows what sect Serena is
a priest of. Spells cast by different sects can stack when placed
on the same target. Her spells stack on top of buffs applied by
the Eris Church, so I know she isn’t a follower of Eris.”
“Most of the priests in this country are of the Eris Church,
right? With a small minority belonging to the Axis Cult.”
There are quite a few Axis Cultists in this town, but their
numbers couldn’t hold a candle to the Eris Church whose name
influenced the currency of this country.

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“So that leaves the Axis Cult or an even less well known sect.
This is getting more and more suspicious. Well, I always
thought that she smelled fishy.”
“… Weren’t you praising her not too long ago about how she
isn’t fixated on money?”
“I don’t remember! People who appear upright are always
hiding some shady stuff behind the scenes. Perhaps that’s the
same for Serena too? She might appear to be a proper priest on
the outside, but perhaps she’s secretly an Axis cultist on a plot
to gain more followers.”
“Would an Axis Cultist really resort to such a roundabout
means of recruitment? They are really persistent when it comes
to soliciting new followers and don’t mind resorting to
underhanded means, but they always let the cat out of the bag
before too long.”
Now that she mentions it, it’s true. Axis Cultists recruitment
plots are usually far more straightforward.
And they might be willing to resort to all kinds of things, but
I’m pretty sure lying about which goddess they follow isn’t
something most Axis Cultists are willing to do.
Perhaps I should look into investigating Serena a little more.
“By the way, I don’t see Aqua-nee-chan around anywhere.
Didn’t she have some kind of falling out with Serena?”
Normally, when it starts getting dark, you’d see Aqua drinking
up a merry storm at the tavern, but I don’t see her around
anywhere.

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“Ah, yeah, about that. She turned all the wine in the tavern to
water when she was arguing with Serena a while back, so she’s
barred from the tavern for a while.”
“What is she doing…”
I knew Aqua was worried about losing her position in the party
to Serena, but to think that she’d actually do something like
that.
Still, this means that the chances of Serena being a secret Axis
Cultists are completely gone.
Taylor’s sudden change in demeanour is concerning, but
personally, I’m too busy earning enough money to feed Faitfore.
“In any case, Serena hasn’t done anything, so if we start doing
anything strange to her, we would be the ones branded as
villains… Let’s just keep watch over them for now. For all we
know, Taylor and Keith would come back to their senses after a
while. Plus, I’m busy finding enough money to feed her.”
“Hmm, yeah. The two of them are just chasing after Serena,
after all. It’s not like they are committing some kind of crime. I
don’t have anything planned for the future right now, so I’ll
help you out with the quests.”
In the end, we couldn’t come up with a plan, so we decided to
just gather information and keep an eye out for now.

↲

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Chapter 2: Part 10 ↲

A few days have passed since then.
Since most of the other adventurers have stopped taking on
quests, there has been no shortage of quests for us, and we
managed to earn quite a sum over the past few days.
Most of the money we earned went to feed Faitfore, but we still
managed to squirrel away enough for our own ends.
That’s a good thing, but…
“This really is weird, don’t you think?”
“Yeah. I’ve been out of town recently due to all the quests, but
there is definitely something strange going on here.”
Up until a short while ago, the number of adventurers in the
guild could be counted on one hand, but the moment Serena
appeared…
“Hey, I’ve heard that Serena-sama’s holding a sermon! Get a
move on!”
“It’s this way! You’ll miss out on seeing Serena-sama’s esteemed
face if you don’t hurry!”
A wave of adventurers appeared alongside her, and the guild
suddenly became alive
I think I can see Keith and Taylor within that wave of humanity.
“You’re joking, right? What’s with her popularity?”

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I expected her fan club to be mostly made out of nothing but
perverted old men, but there were quite a few women in that
wave as well.
Despite the large crowd, all they did was get into a queue and
told Serena about their worries.
“How do I put this, it’s surprisingly plain. I would’ve thought
for sure that she’d be recruiting followers with erotic or even
illegal methods, but she’s just running a consultation.”
“Still, we haven’t had a priest like priest in this town, so I
suppose it is a fresh feeling. They seem to hold her in high
regard.”
There are plenty of weirdos amongst the priests who choose to
become adventurers. This town in particular is known as a
gathering spot for weirdos. Even priests who lust for money
aren’t a particularly rare sight.
But a priest who provides her services for free…
“It’s definitely fishy. You can’t trust someone like her at all. In
the first place, clergy are people who placate the masses with
empty words in order to rake in money through donations or
tithes without lifting a finger. A priest who doesn’t seek
compensation or solicit new members can’t exist in this world.”
“Say, do you have some bad experiences with the clergy in the
past?”
“If it’s about the Axis Cult, I have a list as long as my arm.”

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“Still, there are quite a few pieces of their doctrine that I agree
with. In particular, I’m honestly envious of the way they simply
heed their desires and enjoy living each day.”
While Lynn and I chatted, we continued observing Serena.
Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted Kazuma and his party
seated a short distance away.
It seemed like the entire party was present, but… the usually
upbeat Aqua was looking like a wilted flower. It seems like her
companions were trying to comfort her.
I was blinded by money the other day and praised Serena, but
seeing Aqua like this made me feel really guilty. If I had to
choose between those two priests, I think I’ll definitely come
down on Aqua’s side.
“Hey, wait, where are you going?”
“I spotted Kazuma over there… I’m thinking of maybe buying
them a drink.”
And I’ll give them an apology while I’m at it.
When I got up and started making my way over there, Kazuma
suddenly stood up and started running at Serena.
“Let’s both take a nap today! I’ll leave thinking about how to
seriously get in your way for tomorrow!”
With that, he jumped up and delivered a flying drop kick to
Serena’s face.

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Serena was sent flying, but for some reason, Kazuma too was
sent flying in the other direction.
The two of them collapsed to the floor, and a stunned silence
fell on the guild.
“… Eh?”
I don’t know who it was who let out that confused squeak, but
that seemed to be the signal that broke everyone out of their
daze.
“H-H-How did this happen! Hurry up and see to Serena-sama!
And call the cops too!”
“Grab the guy who drop-kicked Serena! … Wait, isn’t this
Kazuma!?”
The adventurers erupted into a frenzy, but when it became clear
that the culprit was Kazuma, they suddenly became at a loss for
what to do.
The only adventurers in this town who don’t know who Kazuma
is are either newly arrived beginners or visitors from other
towns.
During that period of indecision, Darkness walked up and put
herself between the slowly angering crowd and Kazuma.
“I don’t know the reason, but he’s not the kind of man who’d do
something like this on a whim! Please let me handle him.”
“No matter what reasons he might have, kicking a woman in the
face is clearly a crime! Even if you are the daughter of the lord, I
won’t stand for it. Please step aside!”

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“Yeah, yeah!”
Those words failed to placate them, and the crowd slowly
started closing in.
I looked over to Taylor and Keith, and they seemed to be just
standing there in a daze. Just what are you doing?
“I understand your anger. Feel free to vent all your frustrations
on me! I welcome both harsh words and fists! If you want, you
can even resort to both at the same time! Now, come, there’s no
need to hold back!”
With flushed cheeks and heavy breaths, Darkness spread out
her arms and presented herself before the crowd.
… She sounded really cool at the start.
There were a few who seemed put off by that speech, but there
were still quite a number of them who continued advancing
towards Kazuma and Darkness.
“Dust, this is starting to look really bad.”
Lynn pulled on my sleeve and said in a somewhat worried tone.
That crowd is practically infatuated with Serena. It wouldn’t be
surprising if they went overboard against an unresisting target
who placed herself at their mercy like that.
“I guess I’ll buy some time until the cops arrive.”
I don’t know why he’d suddenly do something like that, but it’s
obvious who I’d trust more in this case.

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I took off my jacket as I approached the crowd that now formed
around Kazuma and covered my face with a handkerchief.
Then, when I felt like I was deep enough into the crowd, I
started grabbing at the asses of the people around me.
“Kyaa! Who grabbed my butt just now!?”
“Hehehe, that’s a nice ass you’ve got.”
“Abuwah! H-Hey, someone grabbed my butt too!”
“Dammit, wrong one!”
“There’s a pervert taking advantage of this situation to cop a
feel on both men and women! Watch out!”
I’m doing this to help a friend of mine out of a tough spot! It’s
definitely not me taking advantage of the chaos to cop a feel!
Don’t misunderstand! As proof, I’m even touching the asses of
men!
With the sudden appearance of a pervert, the situation became
even more chaotic.
Right, I think it’s about time to pull out.
I tried to disengage, but someone suddenly grabbed a hold of
my wrist.
“I found the pervert! What a lowlife, taking advantage of when
Serena-sama is facing a problem to do such acts! Everyone, get
him!”

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“Ah, crap… Ah, Serena’s clothes are all ripped up! She’s
basically half nude!”
“Really!? … What are you talking about? She’s fully clothed. Ah,
shit!”
I took advantage of the distraction to shake his grip on me and
immediately ran away.
“He’s really fast for a pervert!”
“This is the speed I gained from regularly running from the
cops! Don’t think you can catch up so easily!”
“Be careful, he’s a repeat offender too!”
The police finally showed up just as I was leading the bunch
that were originally closing in on Kazuma around the guild.
Passing by Lynn who was giving me an exasperated look, I dove
out the window and onto the streets.
The crowd was worried over Serena, so most of them didn’t
follow me outside. Once I rounded a few corners into an alley, I
removed the handkerchief covering my face.
“Seems like I managed to shake them. Guess I’ll head back to
the guild after everyone has calmed down some. Until then,
Lynn will probably handle Faitfore just fine. She’s quite well
behaved as long as she has enough food to eat, after all.”
Those two don’t get along very well, but they’ll probably be fine
during dinner.

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“Still, why did Kazuma do something like that? He must know
something about Serena… Though, what should I do next?”
If he has some kind of plan, it’d probably be best if I don’t get in
his way. That means I should talk to Kazuma before doing
anything else.
Still, the problem is that I have Faitfore with me.
Even if it was just to gather information, I’d stand out terribly if
I was carrying a child on my back.
“Anyway, paying for food comes first. If I have the money, the
rest should naturally fall into place.”
I couldn’t think of any course of action right now, so after
seeing Kazuma being safely escorted away by the cops, I snuck
back into the guild.

↲

185 | P a g e

Chapter 2: Part 11 ↲

The very next day, Kazuma and Serena were happily chatting to
each other like nothing happened.
There’s definitely something off with the two of them having a
candid conversation after one of them kicked the other in the
face.
And in the end, nothing more serious than Kazuma throwing a
slight wrench into Serena’s consultation took place.
Though, for a brief moment, Serena’s mannerisms changed to
something far rougher than what we usually see.
… That’s probably her true nature.
I don’t know what Kazuma is up to, but whatever he’s doing is
definitely going to be amusing to watch. I would really love to
keep an eye on his activities, but I have my hands full with my
own problems.
“Right, that’s today’s quota reached.”
“You know, I think this is the first time in your life you’ve ever
treated work so seriously.”
Don’t be a wet blanket just as I’m celebrating the conclusion of
the quests, Lynn.
Faitfore has been riding on my back during the battle, but now
that the battle is over, she got off and dropped down next to
Lynn who was roasting the dead frog with deft motions.

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Their relationship might have been strained at first, but they
seemed to have gotten closer after spending the last few days
together.
“I’ll have it roasted in just a moment, so wait there for a while,
okay?”
“Yunyun is faster. Second rate.”
A vein started popping on Lynn’s temple.
They are acting just like a mother in law and the bride. Seems
like it’d take a little more time before they could get along with
each other.
Despite her complaints, Faitfore happily dug into the roasted
frog once it was done.
“Taylor and Keith still haven’t come back.”
While watching Faitfore enjoy her meal, Lynn said
melancholically.
We caught up with Taylor and Keith after that and forced them
to talk to us, but the only thing they said in response was “We’re
busy guarding Serena-sama.”
It’s clear that they are under some kind of spell or curse.
Before I became an adventurer, I ended up in a similar state
after an encounter with a cursed item.
I tried to get into contact with Kazuma to join forces, but he
seemed to have vanished without even telling his companions
where he is.

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Last I heard, he’s been constantly harassing Serena. And they
seem to be pretty mean spirited too. Serena’s facade has been
cracking more and more recently.
“Kazuma seems to be planning something, so if we are lucky, it
won’t be long before they come back to us.”
“I really don’t like leaving it all in the hands of someone else…
but it’s hard to even talk to her with the number of bodyguards
around her these days.”
Serena seems to be constantly surrounded by a swarm of
bodyguards these days, probably as a reaction to Kazuma’s
harassment. Just trying to get close to her would see us getting
thrown out.
“Let’s observe for now. They are just hanging around Serena.
It’s not like they are out committing crimes or anything.”
“Yeah. She’s suspicious, but she doesn’t seem to be treating
them badly.”
… Don’t give me that melancholic look. When those two idiots
get back, I’m going to lecture them. I’ll make them pay for
enough food to fill Faitfore’s belly.

The guild was oddly quiet when we returned.
It wasn’t completely deserted, but the few adventurers that
were here are all mostly alone and staring off into space.

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Just like us, their companions went off to join Serena, so,
lacking the means to take on most quest, most of them simply
spend their days whiling time away here at the guild.
Normally, walking into the guild with a child clinging onto my
back would’ve drawn all kinds of jeers from the guild, but not
only were there no such calls, there wasn’t even a single person
who came up to ask about our relationship.
“Well, I suppose having less trouble to deal with is a good
thing.”
Still, I need to do something.
I’m practically the face of this guild, the big boss of the
adventurers.
The adventurer’s guild of Axel should be far more lively than
this.
The crazy explosion girl who gets teased by the people in the
guild, the female knight who seemingly steps in to stop them,
but instead starts encouraging them to tease her instead.
The priest whose only good point is party tricks my best friend
standing amongst them with an exasperated expression.
And all the regular bastards laughing along with them.
“This just isn’t right.”
“What’s wrong, Dust? You don’t look like yourself.”
“Your face looks like the past you.”

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I’m tired of seeing Lynn getting so worried over her
companions too.
And I really want to show Faitfore the usual lively adventurer’s
guild too.
“Right, I think it’s time to stop fooling around and seriously
start working on a way to deal with Serena.”
“What great timing. Dust, do you think you can lend me a
hand?”
The moment that statement left my lips, an unexpected voice
called out to me from behind.

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↲

192 | P a g e

A Promise with That White Dragon
Chapter 3: Part 1 ↲

TL: Cannongerbil
Editing: Striker

Currently, I’m having a drink with an old friend at a particular
bar where lots of adventurers tend to gather.
I received quite a bit of war funds from Kazuma, so I could
afford to enjoy some of the more high grade drinks.
Right now, I’m fulfilling Kazuma’s requests
The favour that my bosom pal asked of me is to aid in harassing
Serena. Specifically, he wanted me to spread rumours that
would tarnish her reputation in this town.
He couldn’t give me his exact reasoning,but I accepted anyway.
The bag of money he was offering as advance payment played a
part in that decision, but it mostly came down to the fact that I
wanted to do something, too.
Bars at night is the best way to spread any sort of rumour, so
after some extensive persuasion attempts, I managed to get
Faitfore to agree to stick with Lynn and came here alone.

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There’s no way I’d be able to visit a bar with a young girl
clinging to me, after all.
“Hey, you heard about that priest Serena that’s been wandering
around the town as of late?”
“Yeah, that’s the name on everyone’s lips lately. Ah, she sure is
beautiful. I want to get close to her, too.”
“This is just a rumour I heard, but apparently she has certain
unique tastes when it comes to men.”
“Unique tastes? Tell me more!”
Oh, he sure bit on hard.
“Apparently, she likes the smell of men. Especially the musky
ones that sweat a lot. She’ll probably love it if you send her
some unwashed socks as a gift. I mean, you’ve seen how she
surrounds herself with nothing but burly men, right?”
Well, that’s because she’s surrounding herself with strong
adventurers to help ward off Kazuma’s harassment.
“Now that you mention it… Wait, seriously?”
Normally, no one would believe such a silly story, but with the
amount of strong wine he’s been drinking at my expense, it’s
easy to get him to believe any story I want.
“And one more thing. Ah, this is a secret between us, alright?
Don’t tell anyone else.”
I suddenly lowered my voice and leaned in.

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Seemingly taken aback by my sudden serious demeanour, the
man nodded.
“From what I’ve heard, Serena is actually a man.”
“You’re joking!”
“Hey, keep it down. I told you to keep it a secret, right?”
“S-Sorry.”
Even after he’s quietened down, excitement still glimmered in
his eyes.
He’ll definitely spread these news around later. As a general
rule, no secret told in a bar ever remains one.
Anyway, now that I’ve gotten his interest, it’s time to layer the
story a little more.
“I heard this from her usual crowd of hanger ons. Apparently,
her voice occasionally cracks and she starts using far more
vulgar language. In the first place, don’t you think the prim and
proper air she maintains about herself is a little forced to begin
with?”
“Seriously? She looks so pretty, but she’s actually a man? No,
wait, it’s certainly not impossible…”
He crossed his arms and nodded.
Seems like he bought it. It’s far easier to make up a believable
rumour if you mix a little kernel of truth into it.

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At this rate, it wouldn’t be long before everyone in the bar
knows about it.

“–So tell this to your customers.”
“Um, why would I do that?”
I went to the succubus shop in order to try and get Loli
Succubus’s help in spreading these rumours, only for her to
shut me down.
“You don’t get it? This will help you too, you know?”
“In what way would talking about somebody I don’t even know
be beneficial to me?”
“Do you know the kind of state your store is in? Take a look
around. It’s practically empty.”
After scanning the store for a brief moment, Loli Succubus let
out a huge sigh.
Normally, this store would be stuffed with male adventurers
around this time, but right now, if you include me, there are
only three people present.
“True, we haven’t been getting very many customers lately, but
what does that have to do with this Serena-san?”
“Of course it does. That woman has pretty much all the men
wrapped around her finger. In other words…”

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I deliberately paused in order to draw the attention of the other
succubi.
Due to the store being practically deserted right now, my voice
carried pretty far.
After confirming that the bored looking succubi hanging
around were looking in my direction, I raised my voice just a
tad and said…
“Serena is more adept at charming men than succubi.”
I feel like the temperature in the room suddenly dropped by
several degrees.
The stares of the succubi suddenly became far more intense,
and I could see them staring daggers at me out of the corner of
my eye.
“I can’t let that slip by. Are you saying that a human priest is
better at charming men than us succubi? Even as a joke, that’s
not funny.”
Even though she’s smiling, I can feel an immense pressure
coming out from Loli Succubus.
I think this is the first time I’ve seen her get this angry. Having
men under their thrall be stolen away from them is the ultimate
insult to succubi.
I brought this up because I knew they would react to it, but it
seems to be far more effective than I expected.
“Right? I don’t think Serena’s charms is anywhere close to that
of you succubi. She was talking up her pure and innocent image

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and joking about being more charming than even succubi. She
was making fun of other women of the night too, but… well, if
you have no interest in this, I guess it can’t be helped…”
When I pretended to give up and tried to get out of my seat, Loli
Succubus, and the other succubi who’ve somehow surrounded
me before I noticed, pushed me back down.
“Tell me more!” x4
“S-Sure.”
Despite the fact that I was surrounded by a bunch of scantily
clad women, the only thing I could feel was the rivets of cold
sweat running down my back.

↲

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Chapter 3: Part 2 ↲

The next day, when Faitfore took an afternoon nap after eating
her fill, I left her sleeping in the room and went out to town.
“Those rumours are going to sound a lot more convincing
coming out of those girls than me. With this, it’s going to spread
like wildfire amongst the male adventurers.”
Judging from how enthusiastic the succubi are, that gossip will
be be common knowledge amongst the men within a few days.
I’ll also put in some legwork and visit the taverns at night to
help the buzz roll along while enjoying a few drinks.
The problem is others.
I’m not really trusted by the townsfolk and the women. I’d
really like the help of someone who’s in the good graces of those
people.
“Dust-san, is Faitfore not with you today?”
The suspicious seeming girl who had been pacing in front of a
fashionable cafe on the main street suddenly called out to me.
Oh, wait, it’s Yunyun.
She should’ve just entered the store if she wants to, but I
suppose it’s hard for someone as shy as her to walk into a brand
new store on her own.
“You know, if you’re free enough to brisk walk in front of that
store, why don’t you help me out… Actually, nevermind.”
“Stopping halfway just makes me more curious.”

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