“Fine, fine, just consider it a reward from me as your King.” Ash quickly got into character; since he had already secured his first pot of gold, there was really no need to skimp on their meals.
Furthermore, the current “empty state” of the gate of babylon made him, as its master, feel a strong sense of crisis.
He needed to replenish his energy to deal with any upcoming “system glitches.” The three returned to the guild.
Ash generously ordered a full-course meal, along with the bubble liquor that Aqua had been longing for.
Just as the three were sitting around the long table—with Aqua “glug-glug-glugging” down her liquor and Darkness sitting upright and composed—a highly incongruous aura quietly began to spread from the shadows nearby.
“Oh, wanderers who happened to cross paths at that crossroads of fate, drawn by the forbidden aroma, and thus caught a glimpse of the corner of the abyss…” The voice was somewhat childish, yet it carried a deliberately suppressed weight and an exaggerated tone that made one’s toes curl.
Ash put down his fork and turned his head with great interest.
He saw a petite girl standing quietly by the table.
She wore an exaggerated wide-brimmed black witch’s hat, a red and black cloak, and held a staff that was taller than she was.
Most eye-catching of all was the jet-black eyepatch on her left eye.
Although there were no signs of injury on the exposed skin, this attire, combined with her delicate yet overly serious little face, exuded an indescribable air of chuunibyou.
“What is the meaning of this?” “My name is Megumin!” The girl whipped her cloak around with a dramatic flourish, struck a visually striking pose, pressed a hand to her eyepatch, and her voice echoed through the guild hall.
“I am the number one genius mage of the Crimson Demon Clan!
I am also the one who wields the strongest attack magic in the world—Explosion Magic!” Aqua looked at Megumin’s red eyes, then explained to Ash.
“Red eyes?
The Crimson Demon Clan?
People from the Crimson Demon Clan are natural-born mages, it’s just that their brains are a bit wired wrong.
Come to think of it, Ash, your eyes are red too.
Are you from the Crimson Demon Clan as well?” “Is your brain broken?” “Oh, right!
You’re not from this world!” Ash had already recognized the identity of the girl in front of him: the Explosion Magic maniac who could only fire one shot a day before collapsing—Megumin.
“A genius of the Crimson Demon Clan?” A playful smile tugged at the corners of Ash’s mouth as he continued the conversation.
“Then, this young lady who has mastered the ultimate mystery, were you drawn here by the red thread of fate, or are you simply unable to walk away because you were seduced by the forbidden aroma of this steak?” “Um…” Megumin’s originally cold, arrogant, and mysterious expression changed instantly.
“Grumble…” The girl’s fair face gradually flushed red.
She clutched her stomach tightly, but her eyes couldn’t help but circle again and again over the untouched plate of roast chicken on the table, and she swallowed audibly.
“Since…
since you have asked with such sincerity…” Megumin took a deep breath, trying to forcibly salvage her crumbling dignity, but her voice sounded somewhat weak due to hunger.
“Then, in order to maintain the order and balance of the world, I have decided to temporarily lower my status and join your mundane meal.” “Please, be my guest.” Ash couldn’t help but laugh, casually pushing the food to an empty spot on the table.
“Sit down, genius of the Crimson Demon Clan.
In this party, rather than the strongest magic, we might be in more desperate need of someone who can communicate normally…
although, looking at you, that requirement seems a bit out of your league too~” On the wooden table in the guild cafeteria, the plates that were originally piled high were now clean enough to reflect one’s image, and Megumin let out a burp that was entirely unbefitting of a young girl, looking satisfied.
“Ha…
my destiny has actually found temporary redemption in front of this plate of meat.” Megumin’s slightly pale face was now flushed with color from the meal, and she looked at Ash with shifty eyes.
“Um, although it’s just a meal, I have received this offering.
Honestly, I’ve been living on spring water and gnawing on wild roadside vegetables for three days straight.” Ash played with the empty wine glass in his hand nonchalantly and replied indifferently.
“It’s nothing, just a meal.” He straightened his posture slightly and examined the petite girl with some curiosity.
Although he knew why Megumin had ended up in this state, the necessary formalities still had to be observed.
“Come to think of it, Megumin, since you claim to be the number one genius of the Crimson Demon Clan and your magical reaction is indeed quite decent, why have you ended up starving?” Ash narrowed his eyes.
“With your looks and this attire, you shouldn’t be going hungry if you were to apply to any party, right?” “Ugh!” “Th-this…
well…” Megumin’s red eyes began to dart back and forth, and she stammered for a long time without managing to squeeze out a complete sentence.
“Because…
because my ultimate mystery is too profound, those common folks…
they…
they simply cannot understand the romance of Explosion Magic!” “Hmph, This Goddess can see through such a clumsy excuse at a glance.” Aqua, who was clutching her wine bottle tightly to the side, looked at Megumin sideways, her tone filled with a certain sense of superiority.
“This person definitely belongs to the type who is useless at work, first in line to eat, and causes trouble for her teammates all day long.
If someone like this were dumped into the Axis Order, she wouldn’t even get a basin of foot-washing water, which is probably why no one wants her, right?” Ash turned his head and looked at Aqua with a speechless expression: “You really have absolutely no self-awareness.
In a sense, you and her are six of one and half a dozen of the other.” “What did you say?!
I am an Archpriest!
I am the wise Goddess of Water!” Aqua was so angry she was about to flip the table on the spot, but was pressed back into her seat by one of Ash’s hands.
“I object!” Megumin stood up abruptly, pulled a shimmering adventurer’s card from her bosom, and slammed it heavily onto the table.
“Look closely!
I am the Archwizard Megumin!
My stats are extremely high!” Ash leaned in to take a look, and it was true.
“It is indeed a high-level class, and the stats are frighteningly high.” Ash nodded.
“But why don’t you have any other attack magic besides Explosion Magic?” “Because it’s not needed!” Megumin raised her head, her eyes burning with a near-paranoid passion.
“My life exists only for this one shot of art!
I can only cast it once a day, but that is the true essence of magic!
All other juggling magic is a profanity against the word ‘magic’!” “Fine, art is an explosion.” After hearing this, Aqua’s originally mocking expression changed instantly.
Looking at Megumin’s face, which seemed to say “I’m very useful, even if only for one second,” she imagined what Ash had just said and assumed that Megumin was also a believer wanting to follow her, just too embarrassed to ask!