— — — — — —
Kazuma shook his head, which made Miko confused.
"We... It's not five million—it's five hundred million. My weapon's not that cheap. In anyone else's hands, this thing would be considered a divine artifact."
"Selling it to you for five hundred million is already a bargain."
To him, this weapon wasn't worth much, but it was still one of the treasures in the Gate of Babylon.
And anything there was, by definition, a treasure. Junk didn't even qualify to be stored there.
"Five hundred million…"
Miko Yotsuya felt her brain go blank. Five hundred million?! That number alone made her dizzy. There was no way she could afford that—she couldn't even count that high!
"Um… is there maybe… a cheaper option?"
Her voice was small, almost pitiful.
"There is," Kazuma replied casually. "For five million, I can clear out all the spirits in this area for you. But the world's too big—once this place is empty, new ones will wander in soon enough. It's only a temporary fix."
He leaned back in his chair. "Personally, I'd recommend buying my Ultimate Soulfire Gun. One purchase, permanent solution."
(Yeah, he totally just made that name up.)
Still, Kazuma had given her two choices; he just made the shiny one even shinier to be worthy of the 500 million. The real question was—how much could Miko handle?
"Um… any other options?"
Miko thought about it. Clearing the area of spirits would keep her safe for a while, sure—but only for a while. And that's for 5 million yen.
"There's another," Kazuma said after a moment. "Five hundred thousand. I'll give you an amulet that keeps spirits from attacking you."
He reached into his vault and pulled out a necklace with a green gem. He didn't even know what it was called—he'd just stumbled upon it while exploring his treasury. It hid the wearer's aura and offered personal protection.
Once worn, spirits wouldn't even notice her, and if one tried to attack, the charm would automatically generate a shield.
"This one sounds… great! But do you have anything else?"
Miko's eyes lit up. Finally—something she could actually afford! But… it didn't really solve her problem. As long as she pretended not to see spirits, they didn't attack her. Her real issue was how terrified she got seeing them every day.
"That's it," Kazuma said with a shrug. "I'm not cheap labor, you know. Five hundred thousand is already a huge discount. I don't lift a finger for less than a million these days."
He spread his hands like it was the most reasonable thing in the world. He wasn't here to work for free—he was here to complete missions, not to play exorcist for pocket change.
Then—
[Ding!]
[Main Quest Activated.]
[Main Quest: "Establish Your Own Guild!"]
[Quest Description: Expand your guild across every world!]
[Note: In this world, your primary contracts involve exorcism commissions. Keep that in mind when recruiting guild members.]
[Quest Rewards:
⟹ For every mission completed by a guild member, you earn 10 Points.
⟹ For every mission completed by a guild member, your magic capacity buff increases by 1%.
⟹ Unlock the World Achievement Board upon establishing your guild.
⟹ Gain the ability to freely travel between worlds once your guild is founded!
[Good Luck~]
---
Kazuma's eyes flickered with interest. "Well… I might have a much better offer for you. How about joining my guild?"
"If you join right now, I'll make an exception—take the Soulfire Gun and the amulet on credit. You can pay me back with the rewards you earn from missions."
His expression didn't change even as he spoke. The system's new quest had clearly caught his attention.
He didn't know exactly what "Points" were for yet, but they had to be useful—probably something you could trade for power-ups, upgrades, or unlock his beloved Ea.
And that "World Achievement Board"? That sounded like a new way to farm achievements. Definitely worth it, even if he didn't know how to use them yet.
As for why he still wanted Miko to pay him when he'd already be earning system rewards—well, system rewards were the system's. Her payment was hers. Totally different things.
"...Eh?!"
Miko Yotsuya stared at him, suddenly getting the strangest feeling—like she was a little girl being lured by a creepy uncle with candy.
But then her eyes drifted to the weapon and the emerald necklace lying on the table, and her heart started racing.
"So… what do I have to do if I join?"
She was desperately trying to keep calm, but the thought of getting five hundred million and fifty thousand worth of items for free? Her heart was doing backflips.
"It's simple," Kazuma said. "Just take on exorcism jobs, same as me. You earn money, and that money goes toward paying off your debt. Or, if you'd rather, you can use it to buy more gear from me."
Miko wouldn't get any system points for her missions like him—but she'd still earn normal rewards. And that was enough for her.
"Exorcism jobs… so I just aim and shoot like this, right?"
She was already tempted beyond reason. Five hundred million and fifty thousand! All she had to do was say yes!
"Exactly," Kazuma said, pointing across the café. "There's one right there. You can try it out."
A girl had just walked in, several spirits clinging to her like leeches. Poor thing.
"Eh, Miko! Eating dessert without me again? And who's this handsome guy—your boyfriend?"
The girl spotted them and waved cheerfully, trotting over with an easy grin.
Bang!
Before she could say another word, Miko grabbed the Soulfire Gun and fired at the spirits behind her friend. There was no recoil, no noise—just a flash. The bullet hit its mark, and the spirit vanished instantly.
"Ah, this is… my cousin," Miko said quickly, forcing a smile. "We ran into each other by accident and decided to grab some coffee."
She didn't mention anything about exorcisms or spirits. Hana couldn't see them anyway—and it was better that way. Ignorance, in this case, really was bliss.
"Cousin, huh?" Kazuma smirked. "So, about that thing we discussed—what do you think?"
He looked at her with mild amusement. She'd changed in an instant. Just minutes ago she'd been terrified, but the moment her friend was in danger, she didn't hesitate to act.
Not bad at all. She might be jumpy, but when it mattered, she had guts. With that kind of resolve, she might just do well on missions.
"I'll do it," Miko said firmly.
She'd made up her mind. There was no escaping this. She'd been born a spirit magnet—running didn't help.
And if she couldn't avoid them, she might as well face them head-on.
Still… as she glanced at Kazuma, she couldn't shake the feeling that she'd just become the lollipop-sucking little girl thanking the shady uncle who tricked her.
And honestly, she wanted to cry.
.
.
.
Author's Note: Just to clarify — Kazuma's weapons are all summoned from his treasury, not bought with money. He only spends cash on other things.
More about the items in the Gate of Babylon (ones that appeared in Fate) will be revealed when the time comes.