On this rare occasion, the 'We're closed' plaque was hanging on the front of Wiz's magic item shop.
"Waaah! This is too much! It's way too much! Waah!"
Within the shop was Wiz, who has been wailing non-stop, and Vanir, standing next to her and desperately trying to hold back his laughter.
Vanir has been looking really glossy and happy recently.
It's probably due to all the dark emotions that he gets from Wiz every day.
"Come on, I'll share some of the vegetables I harvested, so cheer up, Wiz. It'll be fine, you're a decent girl, so I'm sure you'll meet a good man soon."
"*sob*, *sob* Aqua-sama… Will that really happen? Time won't just keep slipping by…"
Wiz momentarily raised her head from the counter after hearing Aqua's words.
"It's fine even if you wait. After all, aren't you immortal? That means there's no need for you to lower your standards just because you are getting old. That's a very big benefit, you know?"
Aqua's haphazard encouragement caused Wiz's face to brighten up ever so slightly.
"Y-Yeah, I don't age. I don't need to get desperate or lower my standards."
"Even if you don't get old, your age on the family registry will still go up."
"Hey, strange devil, stop saying unnecessary things! See! Wiz has started crying again!"
I kind of think I shouldn't feel this way while Wiz is crying like that, but I am a little relieved after seeing the usual rowdy scene within the store.
Duke said that this town will eventually become a priority target for the Demon King's Army.
But, at least for now, everything is peaceful in this town of beginners, and there aren't any signs of an imminent attack.
I really hope things will continue like this…
Just then,
"Hey, how long do you intend to cry for, you heartbroken shopkeeper!? Stop moping around and open the store for business! Didn't you want to help Moi achieve my wish? At this rate, how many centuries will it take for me to be able to create my dungeon? Moi might be immortal, but it'd be pointless if humanity goes extinct before the dungeon is complete."
"You don't need to tell me that… As a Lich, no matter who I get together with, in the end, all I can do is watch them slowly age and be left alone… Even after humanity goes extinct, I'm sure I'll be all alone…"
Vanir sighed as he looked upon the sobbing Wiz. Seems like this incident really traumatised her.
"Seriously… You aren't the only immortal, you know? We devils are immortal too. Until the day my dungeon is complete and adventurers come to vanquish me, Moi will stay with you, so cheer up, my friend."
Hearing that, Wiz snapped her head upwards.
"… In other words, if the dungeon forever remains incomplete, Vanir-san will be with me forever?"
"Right, I'll set my sights on taking away your management rights. You couldn't be satisfied with facing such a half-baked opponent, right? Very well, it's been some time, but I'll be your opponent!"
Vanir grabbed Wiz by her collar and started dragging her to the entrance of the shop.
"Ah, wait, Vanir-san! I was just joking! I'm sorry, I apologize! I'll work hard! I'll work hard, so please forgive me!"
Under the clear sky tinted by the cold air of approaching winter, Wiz's cries echoed throughout the town of Axel-
"-Well, all's well that ends well, so that's a relief."
"Are you seriously saying it ended well after seeing that?"
On our way back from the magic item shop.
We took a winding route back through the town as we headed back home, shopping around and browsing goods as we went along.
"… Marriage, huh. Darkness, you're the sole heir to your family, so isn't it about time you start seriously considering it?"
Darkness frantically averted her gaze upon hearing Megumin's words.
"M-My father is quite understanding, so you could say I've been afforded more freedom in such matters compared to the other nobility… Though, I suppose I am at the age where I should start considering such issues. Still, if we talk about age, the most perilous one is Aqua."
"Hey, Kazuma, let me tell you something interesting. You see, Darkness keeps a diary of her daily experiences with us in her room. But that's not the interesting point, the interesting bit is that there's a strange mechanism underneath where she keeps that book, and in it is where she writes all of her fantasies-"
"Aqua, get over here! When did you get in? I'm sure I locked my room properly! How much do you know?"
Aqua was dragged away by Darkness before she could finish her interesting story.
Just when the mansion was almost in sight, Megumin suddenly said something.
"Kazuma, how many children do you want in the future?"
"Pfft!"
I couldn't help but do a spit take in response to Megumin's sudden question.
To be honest, I don't really hate children.
If I have to choose, I'd have to say I like them.
But, I just bought a few items to prevent accidents from happening from.
Just when I was agonizing over the right way to answer this question, I noticed the figure of someone waiting for us outside the mansion.
That was a Crimson Demon with a large gift basket in her hand.
There's only one person who would bring such a gift every time she visited.
"Hey, if it isn't Yunyun. Did you come over to play and wait for us because we were out? What should we play today? I'm very excited after seeing someone else's Explosion today, so why don't we head over to the lake and see who can catch the most fish…"
Hmm, something seems strange about Yunyun.
Wait, could it be that old cliche again? Is she here to drag me into some other trouble?
I have the ability to learn from experience, you know?
"Umm, well… I have a request for Kazuma-san…"
Yeah, I knew it.
But Megumin interposed herself between us, as though she was trying to protect me.
Her eyes were glowing bright red. She moved her face close to Yunyun to the point where they are almost nose to nose, and in a threatening tone, said,
"What do you want with Kazuma? Why is everyone always coming to this man for help whenever they have a problem? Don't they have any shame?"
"I already failed the trial twice because of you, so I can't fail again!!!"
Yunyun's screams echoed through the sunny sky-
.
--------------->
.
Prologue
"Hey, are you guys done with your preparations!? You properly maintained your equipment, right!?"
"Aah, my armour is really glittering after all that polish! My beloved greatsword too has been sharpened to a fine edge, so expect great things from me!"
As we were gathering outside the mansion, Darkness, clad in equipment that has been polished to the point where it looked brand new, excitedly replied.
Even as I was looking over everyone's equipment, I didn't slack off myself.
In addition to my usual equipment, my bag was also stuffed full of various expensive magic items and scrolls.
"Say, Darkness, maybe you should give up on fighting with a sword and just use your fists instead."
"Well, then, if you're going to say that, maybe I shall start making use of my fists right now. Come over here, Aqua."
Bearing a backpack just like me, Aqua ran away as soon as she heard Darkness's words.
In direct contrast to us, who have been extremely excited since morning, Megumin bore the bare minimum of equipment as she joined us.
"… Why's everyone so motivated? In the first place, there are stores in the Crimson Demon village, so I don't think there's any need to bring so much stuff with us…"
"What are you saying!? It's a trial, you know!? A trial! One that can challenge even the tribe of elite mages, the Crimson Demons! No matter how much preparations we make, it will never be enough!"
Hearing my words, Megumin returned a bewildered look-