In the early morning in Axel, as Ash walked into the Adventurers Guild carrying a still-rubbing-her-eyes Aqua, he spotted that long table in the corner at a glance.
Megumin sat on a chair, her legs dangling, with an empty plate in front of her; she had clearly already eaten.
Darkness sat bolt upright; she actually looked like a proper knight at the moment.
” Too slow!
” Megumin jumped off her chair, looking at Ash and Aqua with an impatient expression.
” I have been waiting since sunrise, why are you two so late!
” ” This Goddess needs sufficient sleep to maintain her divine power, what do you know?
” Aqua yawned, sat down at the table with an expression of taking it for granted, and then immediately turned to Ash.
” Where is breakfast?
As a husband, do you intend to let your wife go on an adventure on an empty stomach?
” Ash expressionlessly pulled a few eris from his pocket and tossed them to a passing waiter: ” Three sets of meals.
” ” Why three?
” Aqua slapped the table in dissatisfaction.
” What about me?!
What about me?!
” ” Didn’t you eat two loaves of bread at the inn just now?
” ” That was a snack!
Are snacks and proper meals the same thing?
” Ash couldn’t be bothered to pay attention to her and sat down on his own.
He glanced at the three people in front of him; Aqua was gesturing to the waiter to add more dishes, Megumin had already started studying the quest bulletin board on the wall, and Darkness was maintaining that overly serious posture, though her cheeks were slightly flushed.
” Tsk, was it really too much of a stretch to try and fleece them?
” Just as Ash picked up his water glass to take a sip, a prompt suddenly rang in his ears.
[ Chain Quest Triggered ] [ Quest 1: Objective — Kill ten enemies with the ” Beast ” trait.
Reward — Martial Art ” Nine Lives “.
] [ Quest 2: Objective — Kill ten enemies with the ” Demonic ” trait.
Reward — Noble Phantasm ” dōjigiri yasutsuna “.
] [ Quest 3: Objective — Deal continuous damage to targets with the ” Human ” attribute (Duration ≥ 30 seconds).
Reward — Noble Phantasm ” robe of nessus “.
] Ash’s hand holding the water glass froze.
Three quests were issued simultaneously, but the rewards were more bizarre than the last.
Nine Lives, the martial art Heracles used to slay the Hydra, can theoretically launch fatal attacks on multiple targets simultaneously.
dōjigiri yasutsuna, the tachi Minamoto no Yorimitsu used to slay Shuten-dōji, is legendary for its anti-demonic property.
And the third one…
robe of nessus.
Ash frowned.
As a veteran Type-Moon fan, he knew the origin of this Noble Phantasm all too well.
It originated from Greek mythology.
The centaur Nessus attempted to force himself upon Deianira, the wife of the hero Heracles, and was shot and killed by Heracles with an arrow dipped in the poisonous blood of the Hydra.
Before he died, Nessus tricked Deianira into collecting his ” poisonous blood, ” lying that if the blood were applied to a robe, it would make her husband have a change of heart.
Years later, Deianira gifted this robe to Heracles; after he put it on, the curse of the Hydra’s poisonous blood mixed with Nessus’s semen immediately took effect.
The robe adhered to his skin like molten lead, burning muscles and bones from the outside in; any tearing would only cause the skin to peel off with it.
Ultimately, Heracles burned himself to death on Mount Oeta in endless agony, ascending to godhood.
This was not some equipment for positive buffs, but a purely cursed item.
It was just a seemingly ordinary white linen robe, with dark red bloodstains faintly visible on the edges, and a strand of centaur mane sewn into the collar.
It had no physical blade, yet it could inflict the most vicious, continuous curse on any creature, male or female, that ” wore ” it.
” Deal continuous damage to targets with the Human attribute…
” He muttered the quest conditions silently, his gaze involuntarily drifting toward Darkness, who was wearing an expression of righteousness.
” Forget it, let’s not think about this for now.
” ” Ash!
What are you spacing out for?
” Aqua’s voice pulled him back to reality.
” Hurry up and see which quest we should take!
This Goddess has already set her sights on this quest to slay an extremely vicious griffin!
” ” Or this one!
” ” A group of wild lizards!
It’s said there are nearly a hundred of them!
My Explosion Magic is perfect for such dense targets!
” ” And this one!
The dungeon necromancer.
Huh?
Why do we have to find it ourselves?
” Darkness took a deep breath, her voice trembling slightly.
” I think…
that quest to escort the merchant caravan is also good; it’s said that Thief groups often appear on the road, and we might be captured and interrogated…
” Ash looked at these three women and suddenly had the urge to cover his face with his hand.
” Do you have some kind of misunderstanding about your own strength?
” Ash stood up, picked up the Ea leaning against the table, and with an extremely practiced movement, first knocked Aqua on the head.
” Ouch!
” Then he accurately turned to Megumin.
” Ouch!
What are you doing!
” Finally, under Darkness’s expectant gaze, he hesitated for a second before lightly tapping her as well.
” Ah~ ” Darkness let out a sigh.
” Are you awake now?
” Ash retracted his sword, looking coldly at the two clutching their heads and…
a perverted female knight who was savoring the moment.
” You haven’t even done a beginner quest, yet you want to challenge monsters directly?
Is your brain filled with water?
” ” But This Goddess is a High Priest!
” Aqua shouted indignantly.
” I am the number one genius of the Crimson Demon Clan!
” Megumin also jumped up.
” Then prove it to me first!
” Ash tore a quest sheet off the bulletin board and slapped it on the table.
The three leaned over to look — — [ Quest: Slay Giant Toads ] [ Location: The swamp southwest of Axel ] [ Objective: Eliminate ten Giant Toads ] [ Bounty: 200,000 eris ] Silence.
A long silence.
” Ash!!!
” Aqua exploded first.
” You actually want This Goddess to catch frogs?!
I am the Great Goddess worshipped by the Axis Order!
I am a great existence capable of summoning floods and purifying the undead!
” ” I refuse!
” Megumin’s red eyes were filled with humiliation.
” My Explosion Magic is meant to obliterate evil dragons and incinerate fortresses!
How can it be wasted on this…
this slimy amphibian!
” ” I actually think…
” Darkness said in a low voice, blushing.
” It’s said that the tongue of a Giant Toad can wrap around a person entirely, that kind of…
feeling of being swallowed…
” ” Shut up, pervert.
” ” Yes!
” Ash expressionlessly picked up the quest sheet and turned to walk toward the door.
” Talk about the future after you’ve passed the frogs!
” ” Either come with me to fight frogs, or go feed the griffins yourselves, and then I’ll find other teammates; choose one now.
” Aqua and Megumin looked at each other.
” Fight frogs!
” ” Fight frogs!
” On the grassland outside Axel, one could faintly see several hill-like silhouettes moving slowly.
” Croak — — ” A Giant Toad poked its head out; its size was enough to swallow an adult, its skin was covered in slippery mucus, and its two bulging eyes were facing different directions.
” This is…
” Aqua swallowed a mouthful of saliva.
” A frog?
” ” It’s a Giant Toad.
” Ash stood on a dry highland, holding the Ea leisurely.
” Go, Aqua, Megumin!
The time has come to prove your strength!
” ” Hmph!
A mere frog!
This Goddess can flatten it with one punch!
” Aqua took a deep breath to steel herself, then shouted as she rushed toward the Giant Toad, and then swung her fist…
” Ha!
Die under my God Blow, you mere frog!!!
” She punched the frog on its slippery head.
” Croak?
” The toad tilted its head, seemingly a bit confused, and then shot out its tongue, preparing to swallow Aqua.
” Eh?
” ” Waaahhhhhh!!!
” ” Help!
Ash!
Help!
It wants to eat me!
It really wants to eat me!!!
” ” Don’t panic.
Aren’t you a goddess?
Use Purification Magic.
Go ahead and purify its desire to eat you~ ” Ash stood where he was, with absolutely no intention of intervening.