"What; I can't get the real deal?" I asked the receptionist with a sceptical look.
"Um, no, we don't offer… that kind of service,"
"Strange that a brothel doesn't offer sex, you know?"
I really didn't get it. The succubi need 'sexual energy' or some shit, so they offer dreams, but not sex?
What?
I stumbled upon this place when I was exploring town, and thinking it was a brothel, decided to enter.
What I found was… different.
It was owned and operated by succubi, as something of a mutually beneficial relationship with the town's adventurers.
They provide the dreams, and are, in turn, provided with sustenance and protection.
But they don't offer sex.
I sighed, "Whatever. How do I get one of these dreams?" I asked the receptionist, a scantily clad, older succubus.
She smiled, reached behind the counter, giving me a slip of paper akin to a menu, consistent with the restaurant theme of the building.
"Please fill out all the specifics you want in your dream on this form, then hand it back to me,"
Simple enough.
I sat at one of the tables and quickly filled it out, writing a generic 'gorgeous, slightly older woman' as my selected partner, leaving what I received to the luck of the draw, something I was confident would turn out well.
I returned to the receptionist, turned in my form, and paid the 5,000 Eris (~50 USD) fee.
Very cheap, but probably end up being a waste of time, though I was willing to try.
I left the store, and with my exploration complete, I returned home, where I was greeted by an excited Aqua.
"Kazuma! Kazuma!"
"Yes, I'm Kazuma,"
"Tonight's dinner is going to be splendid! It's crab! Darkness' folks sent someone over, saying that if Darkness is going to stay here from now on, they should send a gift, and that was a super extravagant crimson-snow crab! And a magnificent top-class wine too! They want to thank us for taking care of their daughter!"
Oh.
Nice.
"Crimson-snow crab?" I asked.
"Yeah! They're really rare and expensive, but they taste incredible!"
"Cool. I'll have to try it then," I said as we entered my mansion.
"In an improvised career as an adventurer," Megumin began, "I never thought there would be a day I would see a crimson-snow crab! I am glad I joined this party!"
"It's that good, is it?"
"It's incredible! … Or so I've been told," she trailed off.
"I'll get to cooking it then, where is it?" I asked.
Megumin was about to answer, but stopped, "You can cook?" she asked instead.
Can I cook? I essentially lived by myself! Of course I can fucking cook!
"Yeah, I can cook. Who do you think made last night's curry?"
She didn't answer, instead just stared at me, mouth slightly open as her face slowly went red.
Seems I ticked one of Megumin's boxes.
I rolled my eyes, "So?" I asked, "Where is it?"
"Eh? Oh, um, right. It's in the kitchen. Darkness is already cooking it though," she answered.
"Oh. Never mind then,"
I sat at the dining table, and the three of us chatted about idle things until Darkness made her appearance, the crab sitting on the large dish she held between her hands, while Aqua cheerfully retrieved four wine glasses for us to drink from.
Everyone waited, looking to me, so I took the first serving, where everyone then followed suit.
I dipped some of the pink and white flesh into some vinegar and put it in my mouth.
It was very good.
A taste that only comes with high quality meat.
I could tell why everyone was so eager to eat.
I grabbed the wine bottle and poured everyone a glass, except Megumin, who I stopped before.
"Careful with this Megumin," I warned, "It's like, 8 times stronger than what you had last time,"
She blinked at me; mouth full of crab. She swallowed her mouthful, before acknowledging me.
"Okay. Thanks, Kazuma," she said, picking up her glass and taking a sip.
It was then that Aqua called to me.
"Kazuma, Kazuma,"
"Yes, I'm Kazuma,"
"Use your 'Fire' here!" she said, gesturing at a small roasting pot she had created, "I'll show you the best way to have the wine and crab!"
I obliged, lighting a small flame for her, as she tipped a small amount of wine into some shell with a bit of the crab meat still within.
After a moment, she took the slightly charred shell and placed it to her mouth, sipping the warm wine within.
Her blissful sighs seemed to be enough encouragement, as both Megumin and Darkness quickly followed suit, who responded with pleased noises of their own.
So I tried it myself.
It was good.
The already excellent wine was only improved. The warmth and added flavour from the crab increasing its taste exponentially.
We continued eating, but I quickly confiscated Megumin's wine after about a third of her glass, as she was already nearing complete intoxication.
Fortunately, it seemed the wine wasn't 20%. Felt more like 15, maybe 18%, so she was still conscious.
After we finished eating, we slowly moved to the lounge room. Slowly, as I had to half carry both Megumin and Aqua, the latter have gone through four glasses of wine in less than an hour.
I got out the chess-like board and sat on the main couch between Megumin and Aqua, with Darkness in another chair opposite me.
"Alright Darkness. I'm gonna teach you a new game. A game called Chess,"
After an hour of me destroying everyone at chess, to my great amusement and their collective dismay, we all returned to our rooms to sleep.
I laid on my bed and quickly fell asleep.
Until now that is.
I found myself awake. Full conscious and alert. Something that often happens when I wake up in the morning. But a glance out the window showed it was still the dead of night.
Fuck. Guess I'll be awake a while then.
Maybe a bath will help me back to sleep. I still had that succubus dream to have, right?
I put on some clothing and retrieved a lantern, before exiting my room and heading for the bathroom.
I put up the little 'occupied' sign and lit the other lantern as I began running the water.
I really didn't care if any of the girls saw me naked. Not in the slightest. But they would care, which could become problematic, which is why I bothered with the sign.
I slipped into the water, sighing at the comforting warmth.
Oh man. I'm already feeling tired.
Fuck it. I'll sleep here. Not like I can drown or anything. I'll wake up if the water touches my face, and I really can't be fucked going back to my room.
I shut my eyes.
Then opened them.
It was dark.
Why was it dark? I remember lighting the lantern.
Ah. Maybe it's the succubi's dream.
I looked around the room.
Only to lock eyes with Darkness, her naked body only barely covered by a towel.
Oh fuck no. Not a chance am I fucking the revolting excuse of sentient life who answered to the moniker 'Darkness'. Dream or not.
I raised an eyebrow as I looked her in the eyes.
"Do you mind?" I asked, bored.
"K-K-K-Kazuma! W-w-what are you d-doing in here?!" she stammered, shrinking up on herself.
Huh? Is she blind and retarded?
"What am I doing here? Taking a bath, you moron! The sign was there for a reason you fucking perv! And why do you think the clothes basket was full? The hell are you doing, barging in here you peeping Tom!"
"W-w-wait! I-I wasn't peeping! There wasn't any sign! But now that you mention it, I should have noticed the full clothes basket," she said quietly, her face reddening in the dim light.
"E-even in this kind of situation," she panted, "K-Kazuma still abuses me!"
"Oh, fuck off! Leave me alone! Let me bathe in peace, you bitch!"
She blinked, "Eh? Um, right. Sorry Kazuma-san,"
She began to turn, but stopped, looking at me with a red face.
"I-I can't fully c-cover myself…" she admitted.
I rolled my eyes.
I turned away from her, and she spoke again, "And d-don't peak!"
"Like I'd want to see that,"
She stifled a moan.
…
I cannot win.
After she had left, I dried off and redressed, before returning to my room.
"Intruder! Everyone come quick! There is an intruder in the mansion!"
Aqua.
An intruder?
I quickly grabbed the Winter Shogun's sword and ran towards the living room, where Aqua's voice had come from.
Megumin and Darkness were already there, looking down at the intruder, who had been pinned by Aqua.
It was a succubus.
Younger than the receptionist. Smaller too. Short pink hair framed her red eyes, with darker pink wings sprouting from her scalp. Very little covered her petite frame. Black and pink lingerie paired with long, black, silk gloves gave her a very alluring appearance.
She looked at me as I entered, her eyes widening in recognition and panic.
Aqua noticed me too.
"Be careful Kazuma! It's a succubus; they target men! Don't come too close, or she might attack! She probably targeted you in the first place!" she said, anger growing, "But my barrier discovered her, and I caught her!"
Ah. I didn't expect something that clever from Aqua.
Maybe I should give her some more credit. She does come up with some pretty smart plans sometimes. Sometimes being the key word.
"Alright then, accept your fate!" Aqua spoke, "I'll use all my devil killing skill on you for targeting Kazuma!"
"I'm so sorry esteemed customer!"
What the fuck?
I looked back at the succubus, but her mouth was still closed.
But the speaking continued.
Telepathy?
"Just leave me sir! I'm just a monster! I didn't expect the barrier, and that's my fault! You shouldn't lose face trying to protect me! Just let them kill me…"
"Wait," I said as I approached the downed monster
Aqua froze, "Wait Kazuma! What are you doing? It might be dangerous!" she said.
"I have another idea," I answered.
I knelt down in front of the succubus, shifting my face into one of rage and disgust, but subtly winking at her.
"I'm not going to kill you," I said, "Instead, I'm going to make sure you realise the mistake you made, coming to this house, then, you're gonna go back to all your little succubi friends, and make sure they don't make the same mistake,"
She stared at me, mouth open, not in fear, but in awe.
"Do you understand?"
She rapidly nodded.
I looked at Aqua as I drew my blade and motioned from her to move off.
She nodded, a vicious smile on her face as she moved off the small succubus.
"Get up," I said roughly, "Slowly,"
She did, gradually climbing to her feet.
Once she was fully upright, I grabbed a hold of her neck with one hand, and placed the tip of my sword lightly against her back, careful not to pierce the skin.
I slowly led her to the door. She opened the door and I stepped outside with her.
I turned back to the three women that had followed along with us.
"You won't want to watch this part," I said.
They nodded and I closed the door.
We walked for a little while, until I was sure they wouldn't be able to see us, then spoke.
"This should be far enough," I told her as I removed my hand from her neck and resheathed my sword.
The girl turned around, quickly bending at the hips for a deep bow.
"Th-thank you so much! Y-you s-saved my life customer-sama! I'm so sorry you got stuck in that position. How can I ever repay you?"
Well, I have one idea.
I hummed in mock thought.
"I do have a problem you could help with," I said.
She looked at me expectantly.
I slowly ran my eyes over her appearance.
"A problem that your outfit has caused,"
She blinked in confusion, before her eyes fell, and a sultry smile grew on her lips.
"I think I can help with that~" she said as she knelt down in front of me, slowly unzipping my pants.
"I'm telling you! Luck is the best stat by far," I said.
"What? What good is luck for? You win a few more coin tosses?" Megumin exclaimed, incredulous.
"I do. In fact, I've never lost a coin toss. Or Rock-Paper-Scissors," I told the three, "But that's not the point. Think about it this way. Everything is influenced by luck,"
They looked sceptical, "Alright, I'll prove that my luck specifically, is the best, and how it can help,"
Alright Eris-sama, I need your help for this, just to prove that you have the best domain by far.
"Think of a number between one and one hundred. Got it?" they nodded, and I pointed at Aqua, "Eighty-six," then Megumin, "Twenty-three," then Darkness, "Forty-two,"
Cue simultaneous gasps and rapid glances between the three. Thank you Eris.
"That's what you call a one-in-a-million guess. Literally. Imagine if I took that to a casino. Or to the battlefield. If you had every one-in-a-million chance on your side , you'd be unstoppable. A gust of wind would fortunately blow arrows off course, swords would just happen to break, enemies would unluckily fall. Do you understand it's power?"
Three nods.
"And that's just in combat scenarios! It applies to everything! Who you meet, what you find, where you go, what get's talked about, everything. And-"
I was cut off.
Another broadcast.
"Destroyer alert! Destroyer alert! The moving fortress destroyer is approaching this town! All adventurers please report to the Adventurers' Guild with all your gear! The citizens in town, please evacuate immediately!"
Well that doesn't sound good.
"Everyone get ready," I told them.
"We're gonna fight the Destroyer?" Megumin asked, incredulous.
"Maybe. Maybe not. But we're damn well going to protect the towns-folk,"
Aqua joined Megumin, looking at me in wonder with flushing faces.
Those two are hopeless.
"Come on! Let's go!" I said, jumping to my feet.
"Yes!" they answered, all three getting to their feet and rushing for their rooms.
This wouldn't be easy.
From what I had heard, the Destroyer was damn near invincible.
A near city sized vehicle of destruction.
Kinda like that Western movie. 'Mortal Engines', I think? But with spider legs instead of tracks.
Incredible magical resistance combined with its huge size and incredible speed meant it had roamed the world unopposed for centuries, destroying everything in its seemingly random path. Hence the name 'Destroyer'.
Aqua was the first ready, followed by myself, Megumin, then Darkness. We all ran to the guild, sticking with our slowest member, Darkness, who was weighed down by her heavy armour.
Luna was outside waiting, glancing in every direction with a rapidity spurred by fear and panic.
She spotted me, and her worried expression brightened significantly.
"Kazuma-san! You're here! Please, go inside! The emergency council is about to start,"
I nodded to her and opened the door, but she caught my sleeve.
"I'll be honest Kazuma-san; your party is probably the strongest, and most accomplished in the town. It'll mean a lot to everyone inside to see you here. It means a lot to me,"
I smiled to her, "Don't worry Luna," I said, placing a hand on her shoulder, "We'll make sure everything turns out alright,"
"Right," she smiled in return, "Good luck,"
I nodded, and stepped into the Guild, my party in tow.
"Kazuma-san! Good to see you!" called an adventurer.
Oh. That's the dude who told be about the General using the castle.
"Likewise friend, we need as many people here as we can get," I responded.
"Too right. You and your party are worth at least five extra parties!" he laughed.
I joined him, patted him on the back, then continued, trading words with a few others as we found some seats.
It was a noticeable shift.
The few hundred adventurers in the Guild were already looking more spirited since my arrival. Words were traded in more cheerful tones, and a few laughs were exchanged. Moral had increased none too insignificantly.
Oh. That Mitsurugi fuckwad is here too. And he found his sword! I'll have to congratulate him for that.
After a couple more minutes, Luna came back in through the front doors.
"Alright!" she called loudly, seemingly deciding that this was everyone who would come, "Thank you for coming everyone! We're starting the emergency war council now! First things first; is there anyone who doesn't know what the Destroyer is?"
A few hands were raised.
"The mobile fortress 'Destroyer' is a gigantic golem, built by the nation Norse,"
Norse? Like the earthan… Ugh 'Earthan' sounds bad even in my mind. How about… Terran? Much better. Norse was a Terran country. Maybe it was created by a reincarnate.
"which had advanced magic technology to fight against the Demon King army. Using their national budget, and depleting their vaults, they constructed a colossal spider shaped golem, the size of a small castle. Utilizing large quantities of magic metals, it is far lighter than it looks, able to move faster than a horse with its eight gigantic legs,"
Damn. Wonder how they keep track of it if it's faster than they're means of transport?
How did we even get such an early warning?
Some kind of magical transport or communication?
Luna continued her explanation.
"Even a colossal monster would be turned into mush if it got stepped on by its eight agile legs," she claimed, "The torso uses the fruit of Norse's accumulated technology, casting a large magic barrier over it at all times. That means magic attacks are pointless,"
Every barrier has a weakness. The problem was finding it.
Maybe it could be overloaded by having Megumin cast 'Explosion' at it over and over again. We'd need a lot of mana for that though.
"Hey Aqua," I whispered as I turned to her, "How many 'Explosion's do you think you could fuel with your mana?"
Her eyebrows furrowed in thought.
"I don't know," she whispered back, "A few thousand maybe?"
What the fuck?
Holy shit, that'll probably work.
Perks of being divine, I guess.
"Which leaves physical attacks," Luna continued, "If you get close, it will just crush you, which restricts us to ranged attacks like archers and catapults. Unfortunately, the Destroyer is crafted from magically reinforced materials, so arrows cannot do any damage, and siege catapults are essentially useless because of its incredible agility. The Destroyer's master, who has controlled it to this day, doesn't discriminate between monster nor man, simply destroying everything it sees,"
Well fuck.
She huffed, "Any ideas?" she asked in desperation.
An adventurer raised his hand. "What happened to Norse? Surely if they built it, they must know its weaknesses," he said.
"Norse was the first place targeted once it began its rampage. It was destroyed in its entirety,"
"Maybe a giant pit trap?" another adventurer proposed.
"It's been attempted before. One town gathered all of its Elemental Masters in order to excavate the earth. The Destroyer fell in the trap successfully, but due to its incredible agility, it was able to jump out before they were able to completely trap it,"
This seems to have a simple, if hard to execute answer.
"We need to board it," I said, "If its being controlled, and nothing can stop it, we just need to stop whoever is controlling it. You said that the master of it has been controlling it since its construction. For centuries. That means they're almost certainly an undead, and my party is rather good at dealing with undead. The problem that arises is; how to get on board,"
I turned to Aqua.
"Wiz said you would be strong enough to destroy a barrier sustained by three or four Demon Army generals. This one should be no problem at all. Then," I turned to Megumin, "you target the legs, knock it over and we can climb up it in no time,"
Luna looked at me, her eyes bright.
"Brilliant Kazuma-san. Brilliant! That might just work!"
Megumin tugged on my sleeve. "I'm not sure I'll be strong enough by myself…"
The door burst open.
"Sorry I'm late!" Wiz called as she stepped inside, "I'm an adventurer too, so please let me help!"
My, that's lucky.
"Wiz," I called, "Can you use 'Explosion'?" I asked.
"Eh? Um, yes, I can. Why?" she answered, confused.
"Perfect. Aqua breaks the barrier, then you and Megumin can take out its legs,"
"I see," she murmured, "That's very clever," she nodded to herself, "Yes. I can do this,"
I turned back to Luna.
"There's your plan Luna. Ready to take down the Destroyer?"
Megumin, Aqua, Darkness and I, along with Wiz and Luna, were situated on the ramparts of the city walls.
Below us, adventurers busied themselves constructing barriers to protect against the 'Explosion's that would soon be cast.
Megumin was breathing rapidly.
"I-I have to d-do my best! I-I-I-I can d-do this! I-I w-will suc-succeed!" she said to herself.
"Megumin," I said softly, putting a hand on her head. She snapped her eyes to mine in a panic, "You can do this. I have faith in you," I comforted with a smile.
The concern on her face slowly washed away, being replace with a resolute smile.
"Yes. I can do this. Thank you Kazuma,"
I turned back to where the Destroyer was meant to be coming from, and scanned the horizon.
Ah. There it was.
A smooth, black, spider-like construct peaked over the horizon.
"I see it," I said, pointing it out to the others.
I was about 10 metres off the ground on the rampart, so from memory, it's about…
"The Destroyer is 10 kilometre out everyone! Be ready!" I called.
(The distance of the horizon compared to your height is a pretty smooth logarithmic line with a scale at about 10 to 100. i.e. to increase the distance you can see by 10 times, you have to increase your height by 100 times)
Luna's voice followed my own, being magically loudened so everyone was made aware.
"The Destroyer is only 10 kilometres away! Please get ready for battle everyone!"
The ground tremored as it approached, and within a couple of minutes, it was only half a kilometre away.
"Now Aqua!"
"'Sacred Break Spell'!"
A bright white orb appeared in front of her outstretched palms, before rapidly soaring towards the Destroyer, crossing the distance in mere seconds.
A dome flashed into existence around the town sized behemoth, pale and translucent, likely as Aqua's spell reached it.
A spiderweb of cracks crossed its surface in an instant, and with a strange unsettling silence, it shattered, shards of magical defence dissipating in the atmosphere as they rained down around their creator.
I put my hand on the back of Megumin's neck. I opened a channel of mana between us, letting it lazily flow between us.
"You feel it? We're in this together, so give 'em hell!" I told her.
"Yeah!" she cried with determination.
"Darker than night; brighter than fire; come hither with your endless anarchy! Infinite in heat and unending in force; may my magic guide you! Combine with my power and return all to the abyss; 'Explosion'!"
"'Explosion'!"
With her chant complete, my mana vanished. Drastically more than half disappearing in an instant as her spell drew its required mana from our collective source.
Twin beams of light flew through the air, reaching the Destroyer near instantaneously.
The spells carved through the legs of the behemoth without difficulty. The twin denotations wiping out all eight of the Destroyer's supports.
The cacophonous booms were shortly followed by a tremendous thud as the Destroyer's body impacted the floor.
A better result than I ever could have hoped for.
It was well and truly grounded, allowing us to explore it at our own leisure.
Cheers erupted from the adventurers, comparably loud to the explosions themselves.
It was time. Today is the day that the Destroyer is killed.
"WARNING. WARNING." Screamed the downed machine, "MOVEMENT INOPERABLE. UNABLE TO VENT EXCESS HEAT. REACTOR SLOWLY APPROACHING CRITICAL TEMPERATURES. ALL OPERATORS EVACUATE IMMEDIATELY."
Oh shit.
Well, I wasn't wrong. It's definitely gonna die.
Whether or not it takes us with it is still up for debate.
"What's going on? Why is it yelling that? What does it mean?"
I slid down a ladder to reach ground level.
"It means," I told him, and the other adventurers around him, "That it's gonna explode,"
He paled, "How big will the explosion be?"
"Well," I answered, "Considering that the power source, which must be gigantic, is what's gonna go boom, I'd guess that it'd be lucky if the town's ashes still exist,"
"The entire town..?"
I nodded.
"But it's not the end," I said, raising my voice, "All those in favour of boarding the Destroyer, shutting it down, and saving our town; raise your hand!"
They raised their hands unanimously.
"Then let's take this fucker out!"
They cheered their approval.
So, we ran for the destroyer, and upon reaching it, we discovered no way to climb it.
"Archers!" I called, hoping my idea would get across.
I pulled the recurve bow from my back and took an arrow from the quiver. I grabbed the end of a long rope and tied it around the end of my arrow.
Thankfully, arrows, when fired using a skill, like 'Snipe', aren't affected by the weight of additional materials attached to them, so the rope wouldn't stop my arrow mid-air.
'Snipe'
The arrow soared upwards, and over the top edge of the Destroyer.
I yanked the rope.
It held firm.
"I'll go up first," I said to the adventurers around me as other archers began doing something similar, "I'm the lightest. I'll get to the top and make sure it's secure,"
They nodded in response and I began making my way up the rope.
Thank fuck my upper body strength has increased, or this would be hellish.
My arms were sufficiently burning by the time I finished climbing the straight vertical 20 metres and hauled myself over the lip onto the deck of the Destroyer.
I followed the rope to my arrow, it having caught in a railing, untied the rope from it, and firmly retied it to the railing itself.
"It's good! Go!" I shouted down to the other adventurers, who somehow began to climb the rope without difficulty, even though they were fully armoured.
I waved at another archer. She nodded in response and fired an arrow by me. I grabbed the rope trailing behind it and tied it in place on another railing.
The deck behind me rumbled.
I turned.
A golem was spawning.
I dropped into 'Incognito' and readied my all my damage boost skill.
I quietly slid behind the Earth element golem, and struck.
My blade carved clean through earth and stone, bisecting it from left hip to right shoulder.
With my blade sheathed, I turned back to the first rope, to see a wide-eyed adventurer peaking over the top.
I jogged over and extended a hand.
"Welcome to the party. Go help the other archers and tie off their ropes. Make sure they know you're helping, or you might end up dropping someone to their death," I instructed him as he stood.
"Got it. Good luck Kazuma-san," he responded.
"And to you as well,"
Following quite close behind him was a tired Aqua. I grabbed her hand and pulled her to her feet.
Wait, she's wearing shorts now?
I looked over the edge to see an assortment of disappointed adventurers.
Ah. Smart. I guess she can summon clothing or something.
I pointed at a small gathering of adventurers who were slowly fighting their way through the golems towards a door.
"Go help them out, heal them, buff them, whatever. I'm gonna look for the core," I instructed her.
"Okay," she responded, "Be careful Kazuma,"
I again dropped into incognito, weaving around golems and adventurers as I searched for a way down.
I located a ramp and ran down it to be confronted with three hallways.
Fuck me. It's never easy is it?
After nearly a quarter of an hour of frantic searching, I found the main reactor room.
Buzzing angrily in the centre of a metal wire-frame fence was a glowing red stone. The heat being emitted from was incredible. I couldn't even get close to the fence.
I couldn't do shit about it myself.
I bolted back for the top side.
It was deserted.
Destroyed golems were strewn about the surface, but it was completely absent of adventurers.
I ran for the door I had seen earlier that the adventurers and burs through it.
Inside I saw the thirty or so adventurers, a skeleton (not an undead one, but a fully dead one), and Aqua with a book in her hands.
Everyone looked to me as I entered.
"I found the core,"
"I can get it out, be we need a way to get rid of it straight away. As far as we know, the only reason it hasn't exploded yet is because it's still in there,"
"I could 'Teleport' it away, but I can only send it to a few places, and my mana is too low," Wiz offered.
"Where can you send it? You can use 'Drain Touch' on Aqua for the mana cost," I responded.
"I can only send it into the town, to the capital, or into the Dungeon. And I can't take mana from Aqua-san. It's too holy in nature, and will destroy me before I have enough to cast with," she answered.
"Send it to the Dungeon then. Could you use me as I conduit? I absorb the mana from Aqua, and you absorb it from me?"
"Um… The Dungeon is the main source of income for adventurers worldwide. But that should work, with you defusing the holy nature of the magic,"
Fuck.
"Alternatively, I could send it to a random location, but it could as easily land in an open field-"
"Or in a populated area," I finished, to which she nodded.
"Fuck it. It's the best option we've got. Aqua, come here,"
She stepped close, and I took her hand and activated 'Drain Touch', immediately drawing mana from her gigantic reserves.
I held my other hand out to Wiz, and let her draw as much as she needed.
"You good?" I asked her.
She nodded.
I cupped my hands together and used my learnt ice magic to cool the air between them as much as I could.
"'Steal'!"
The core, which I learnt was 'Coronatite', vanished from its containment, and immediately a searing pain appeared in my hands.
I instinctively ripped my hands apart, the brightly glowing stone falling to the floor.
It had already started glowing both brighter and hotter, its colour quickly approaching white.
"Now Wiz!"
"'Teleport'!"
And with a flash of white, the stone vanished, this time for good.
I grunted as the burning pain in my hands continued.
"Are you alright Kazuma?" Aqua asked, rushing back towards me.
I sighed, and simply showed her my hands.
She gasped as she saw the damage, quickly taking both of them into her own hands.
"'Heal!'"
Immediately, the pain subsided, and I watched as the previously horrifically burnt flesh rapidly returned to its natural colour.
With the core gone, the warning that had been glaring continuously finally stopped, giving my mind some heavenly silence.
"Thanks, Aqua,"
Time to get out of this shithole.
A couple of days had passed since the Destroyer was stopped, days I had spent in relaxation.
I think I deserved it.
Myself, followed closely by Aqua, Megumin and Darkness arrived at the Guild, having heard that the bounty had come in.
We approached the front desk.
"Ah, Kazuma!" Luna greeted, "You saved us all again! I don't think this town will ever be able to repay you,"
I laughed off the praise, "I don't expect them to try. I'm plenty happy with the rewards I get from the capital to spend back on the town,"
She smiled, "I suppose you're right there,"
"Satou Kazuma!" a commanding feminine voice called, "You are under arrest for the suspicion of treason!"
Treason?
What?
I turned to face the voice.
It had originated from a long-haired brunette woman, mid-twenties in age, in a military-esque dress uniform.
"Treason?" I asked her, "What treason?"
"You are the one who ordered the teleportation of the Coronatite stone, are you not?" she demanded.
It landed in a populated area then? Fuck.
"Where did it land?" I asked, ignoring her question.
"It landed inside the mansion of one of the capital's governors!"
Well shit.
"How many died?"
"Um, well, nobody actually died. He had sent away his workers for the day, and was in the basement when the stone detonated,"
In the basement by himself, after sending all his workers away. That's definitely something I can use.
"So all I allegedly did was destroy his house?" I said, picking my words carefully. Need to be careful when law enforcement is involved.
"That is correct, and that is why you are being arrested for the suspicion of treason!"
"Do you know why that call was made?"
"To dispose of the Destroyer's core, correct?" she responded.
"So you know that there was valid reasoning behind the order, but you're still arresting me?"
"Orders are orders,"
Fucking whore.
I levelled a cold glare at her, and raised my arms, palms up and fist closed.
She placed handcuffs across my wrists, as the outcry began.
"Hey! What are you doing with Kazuma! Let him go!" Aqua screamed as she strode forward to confront the woman.
"Aqua."
She froze.
"It's alright. I'm going with them willingly to sort this mess out. Nothing bad will happen, alright?"
She looked deeply pained, but nodded.
I turned back to the officer.
"Know this. Though I may be coming willingly, this arrest will not be an easy one,"
Right as I finished, the adventurer from a while back, the same guy who told me about the castle walked up and spoke.
"Hey, hey, hey! What are you doing with Kazuma-san? He saved us! Why are you arresting him?!"
His loud calls brought the attention of the others in the Adventurers' Guild.
"He is being arrested under the suspicion of treason," she repeated.
"Treason?!" he exclaimed, incredulous, "He saved the lives of everyone in the town! What's the treason in that?!"
"I can answer that," I spoke up.
I smirked at the woman, dark glare still in place.
"When the Destroyer's core was teleported away," I spoke, volume increasing as they led me outside, "the Coronatite stone destroyed a governor's house! So now I, the man who created the plan to stop the destroyer, the man who led the charge when we learnt of its imminent self-destruction, the man who made allegedly made to call to dispose of the core with a random teleport, saving the town and everyone who lives in it, am being charged with treason! Because apparently," I yelled, the eyes of all the surrounding townsfolk now on me, "the empty house of a governor is more valuable than all of your lives!"
Looks of surprise and disgust spread across the townsfolks faces.
"The corruption of the capital is so absolute, that they would arrest a hero for treason!"
With my tirade complete, the whispers began.
"Is it true? Did he do all that?"
"It is! I recognise him! That's Kazuma-san! He saved us before too! He defeated a Demon Army general!"
"And they are arresting him?!"
"Unjust!"
"Free our saviour!"
"Let him free you corrupt bastards!"
The screams of the people only increased in volume and intensity as we continued. Chants were taken up by dozens upon dozens of people, until there were hundreds of people following and surrounding us, all screaming abuse at the capital officers.
"FREE HIM! FREE HIM!"
"HERO! RELEASE THE HERO!"
"UNJUST! UNJUST!"
I yanked my arms back towards me, pulling the young woman who had made the arrest towards me.
She looked overwhelmed, panicked and terrified.
I leant in close and spoke directly into her ear.
"Good luck. It seems you'll need it,"
Her face was pale as she looked to the streets, hundreds of raging civilians lining the path we walked, realising the mistake she made in crossing me.
"UNJUST! UNJUST! UNJUST! UNJUST!"