According to the Adventurer's Guild, some animals and children had often gone missing. The majority of the reason for their disappearance was because of frogs. A mere frog capable of devouring children and animals—most people wouldn't believe that, especially reincarnators.
For them, a frog is just an animal, barely the size of a glass of water. They're nothing to fear—if anything, they're something that could be killed easily.
However, that's a common misconception. Frogs in this world operate in rather mysterious ways. Not only are they gigantic—exceeding 2 to 3 meters in size—but their numbers never seem to decrease, no matter how many are hunted.
That said, the townspeople aren't completely helpless. Taking advantage of this anomaly, they created a cuisine with frog as the main ingredient, such as fried frog—which I'm looking forward to tasting in the future. But for now...
"So that's what it looks like in person," I mumbled, watching the frog hop around like a fool. Its appearance isn't any different from those on Earth, aside from its massive size.
Seeing this, I understood why Aqua and Megumin didn't want to hunt them. Still, they were the most practical targets to kill at the moment. Even if they somehow smelled disgusting and mucky, I still needed to kill them.
"I guess I should try using that stealth..." My grip on the sheath tightened, whitening my fist. Slowly, I walked toward the oblivious frog, breathing innocently. It didn't know that it was taking its final breath.
Ribbit ~ Ribbit
Shaah!
Using the dagger held in a reverse grip, I moved in one swift motion—my fist arcing like a right hook, slitting its sagging throat.
SQUELCH!
~Ribbit!?
A thick red line formed across its once-bulging vocal sac. Starting as a small drip, blood squirted out as if it were experiencing an orgasm. To avoid getting soaked, I instinctively jumped back, still in stealth mode.
Thud...
The giant frog's body collapsed, lifeless, onto the farmland. Just to be safe, I stabbed its forehead one more time before switching to another target, determined to wipe them all out.
So far, there were only five frogs in total. There were probably more hiding or already in early hibernation, but I wasn't stupid enough to wake them up. Although I could deal with them easily, some might wander off without me noticing and cause a commotion near the nearby farms. I have no qualms about killing, but if possible, casualties must be minimized.
Once I finished the job, I dragged the corpses into one spot before heading back to the Adventurer's Guild.
I wasn't worried about them getting stolen. It's unlikely. Frogs are common; their value isn't much. In fact, they're more valuable alive than dead. Besides, the Adventurer's Guild has a way of confirming whether a monster was hunted by someone through the guild card alone. Also, butchering a frog and carrying it around is a hassle. So instead of stealing another's prey, it's better to hunt it yourself. After all, the pros far outweigh the cons.
I thought the remaining days would be quiet. My plans for the upcoming events were already in motion. I'd let Kazuma handle most things—or so I thought. If he couldn't, or if by some chance he didn't show up here, I'd probably ask Eris for a baptism or a blessed weapon. I doubted my dagger could kill demons with multiple lives.
While walking calmly toward the Adventurer's Guild, I suddenly felt a strong magic fluctuation nearby.
"What is this? Did someone mess up while practicing magic? " I muttered, glancing in that direction. Whatever it was, my interest was piqued. The location wasn't far—just six buildings away, probably close to the bridge by the riverside.
Near the bridge, people seemed to be staring at a couple. No—observing them intently. They didn't look like a couple at all—more like a two-person party.
There was a fair-skinned, slender boy with messy, short brown hair. He was dressed in a green tracksuit.
Beside him stood a girl with waist-long blue hair, styled in an O-shaped loop at the top of her head, like a water molecule. Her fair skin was accentuated by divine clothing: a vest with detached sleeves, a short skirt, and a transparent underskirt—with no panties underneath. Her white legs were wrapped in thigh-high boots.
If they were to be judged solely by appearance, the only fitting words would be "beauty and the beast."
"So I arrived several hours before them?" I muttered, leaning against a tree and watching Kazuma and Aqua interact.
"Uwahhh! Uwahhh! Uwahhh!!"
They had just arrived, and Aqua was already crying for attention. Despite strangling Kazuma in the process, no one seemed to care about him. If anything, they assumed it was his fault for making a beautiful girl cry. Her actions were justified in their eyes—some even looked ready to punch him.
"Calm down, goddess!!! " Kazuma said, grabbing her shoulders in an attempt to soothe her. But it only made her more violent. Knowing the crowd was on her side, her cries grew even louder.
"Uwahhh! Take me back to heaven! This is all your fault! "
"Ugh…" Kazuma glanced around. Technically speaking, he did drag her here—but it wasn't entirely his fault. If only Aqua hadn't taunted him, he wouldn't have done it. Still, he had no way to explain himself now. All he could do was accept it with resignation.
After several minutes, Aqua finally calmed down. Though she was still sniffling, at least it wasn't as loud as before.
"Have you finally calmed down, goddess? " Kazuma sighed. "I admit it was my fault, but in this situation, we should find the guild and register first. Do you have any idea where we can find it? "
Aqua blinked at him with a straight face and replied with full confidence, "I'm a goddess. There's no way I'd know something like that."
Kazuma pressed his lips into a thin line. "What a useless goddess…" he muttered.
"What did you say, hiki-NEET!? " she snapped back. Aqua was about to argue more, but her gaze shifted—to *me*. It shouldn't have been possible, but for some reason, I felt like she was drawn to my presence.
"Huh? This aura seems familiar…" Aqua murmured, staring.
"What are you looking at, godde—Holy shit! That outfit is dope! " Kazuma exclaimed, rushing toward me. "Hey! Judging by your clothes, you're a reincarnated person too, right!? "
I didn't answer. Instead, I stood tall, stepped away from the tree, and circled around it, giving them only a side glance.
Kazuma stopped mid-step, confused. Our eyes met—and my lens gleamed a sharp crimson.
"We'll meet again… soon," I said, then disappeared behind the tree, activating my stealth magic.
"D-Disappeared!?"
"I don't know what will happen next," I murmured, walking away. "But I won't interact with them much. Aqua is troublesome… and she's likely sensing Lady Eris's blessing on me." And so, I headed toward the adventurer's guild.