At a quarry close to town.
"Right, Ojou-chan, I'll leave it in your hands."
"Heh, leave it to me. Feast your eyes, for I shall demonstrate a glimpse of my true power right here! Were I serious, this entire quarry…! Ah, could you stand a little bit further back? Yeah, there'll do."
The chief civil engineer and Megumin were discussing how to proceed with their blast.
However…
"Why do I have to accompany you?"
"I don't have a choice. I won't be able to move after using my magic, so I'll need you to carry me home."
For some reason, I was dragged along to the quarry too.
"I don't need to be here for that. You could just let the civil engineer uncle carry you back. He's probably stronger than I am."
"What kind of nonsense are you saying? Take a look at this heavyset, beastlike man. If I was left alone with this man, unable to move, who knows what he would do to a frail girl like me?"
"That won't happen!"
"Hey! Why are you two screaming like that!? Why don't you explain it to me in detail!?"
Megumin raised her staff, her eyes glowing red. Seeing that, the civil engineer hastily said,
"W-Well, leaving that aside, our objective is that giant boulder. We can't get to work with that in the way. I discussed this issue with the guild, and they recommended you to me. So, what do you think? Are you up to it?"
"Of course! My name is Megumin! The one who will eventually slay the Demon King! A rock like that is but a pittance compared to…"
"Pii~! Pii~!"
….?
A bird-like cry suddenly rang out, causing us to exchange confused looks.
Looking closely at that boulder, I could see a bird nest-like object perched on the top.
"Oh, that's a wyvern! A wyvern hatchling! My god, to think that something like this could be nesting so close to town… But it's good that you are here, Ojou-chan. Blow it away along with that rock. It may be a hatchling, but wyverns are highly aggressive carnivores. If we let it be, it'll cause widespread damage in the future. Its parents aren't here, so it's a great chance to get rid of it."
"Ah!"
Hearing the engineer's words, Megumin let out a squeak.
Megumin looked at the small wyvern as it constantly chirped.
It's probably tough for her to end such a defenceless creature, but as adventurers, we can't let dangerous monsters roam free.
Furthermore, the target is a wyvern. When it grows up, it'll definitely become a serious threat to humanity.
But Megumin…
"U..uuu…"
Had an uncertain expression on her face, and didn't move.
In the end, Megumin opted not to cast her spell, and dejectedly hung her head before us.
Seeing her, the engineer scratched his head and smiled.
"Hah, well, I guess it can't be helped! It's probably too cruel a job for an Ojou-chan. I'll call you back to destroy that boulder after the wyvern has left the nest!"
The engineer let out a hearty laugh.
Megumin seemed to brighten up upon hearing his words.
"Let's take it down in a proper battle once it's grown up."
I said with a smile.
"Still, you missed out on a great chance there, Ojou-chan. It may be young, but you'd still become a Wyvern Slayer after killing it. And wyverns are also a type of dragon. You'll be able to call yourself a Dragon Slayer after that."
The engineer joked.
I joined in his laughter.
"You can call yourself a Dragon Slayer even if you defeat a hatchling? That's nice, isn't it? It definitely sounds like the title of a hero who will defeat the Demon King-"
"Explosion-!"
Megumin interrupted me with her spell.
At the same time, a loud boom resonated throughout the quarry, followed by a strong shockwave.
The sudden spell gave us no time to prepare ourselves, and the engineer and I both ended up getting blown over.
Laying on the ground, I slightly shifted to look at my surroundings.
The engineer must have hit himself on the head; he was showing the whites of his eyes and seemed completely out of it.
On the other side, Megumin lay collapsed on the ground after expending her magic. Without lifting her head, she proudly said,
"My name is Megumin! Wielder of explosion magic, and the one who defeated a dragon! Kazuma, please call me 'Dragon Slayer Megumin' from now on."
"You little piece of… Can't you just let things end happily for once!?"