We crawled out of the inn room eventually and got down to the guild hall. We ordered food... And I did my best to ignore all the staring, thumbs up, and knowing grins we got.
"Open wide, Kazuma~!"
Which would have been easier if Aqua wasn't in my lap, feeding me. Every time I took a bite, she giggled and planted a kiss on my cheek, lips, or forehead. My cheeks flushed, and I cleared my throat.
"H-Hey... You don't have to do that, you know-"
"Aw, but as your doting wife, I should do things like this!" Aqua giggled. I scowled at her.
"We're not actually-!" I began to protest, but Aqua shoved another croquette into my mouth. "Mmph!"
"Hey Kazuma!" Dust, a blond adventurer I was familiar with, waved as he passed by with his party, "Congrats on getting hitched! She's a beauty!"
"Just be careful not to get her pregnant too soon, or you won't have any support!" Taylor, the party leader, warned us. "Still, congratulations!"
"Y-yeah, thanks," I managed, as Aqua cooed. I sighed.
Okay... I mean... Did I love Aqua?
Yes.
Did I want to spend the rest of my life with her?
Well, given I might die fighting the Demon King, I just might. Seriously though... I really don't know what our relationship would be. My closest experience to romance was making a promise to marry my childhood friend who then ran off with some guy on a motorcycle. Oh, and somehow shacking up with Aqua after praying to her to heal her.
I had no idea where the hell we were going. Hell, in my own world there are countless stories of romances between gods and mortals and how it can get complicated. Sure, you've got Keiichi and Belldandy in Ah! My Goddess! but you've also got fucked up things like in Greek mythology.
Hell, Aqua was immortal. I was her first. Her first. What if she just got bored of me and detached? We were running on the emotional highs, I wasn't stupid enough to think that could actually last forever! R-Right?
If you're wondering why I'm that goddamned cynical at the age of 17, one answer: The Internet.
"Kazumaaaa... Open up~!"
I sighed and opened my mouth. I ate the food. It was very good. She tilted her head cutely.
In an instant, I didn't feel my worries or my concerns... Well, save for a few.
"So... How much are the repairs gonna cost?" I asked.
Aqua winced.
"About... Oh... 500,000 eris. Most of that is for the plumbing. I uh... I wanted a sauna, and so I converted the water to steam... While it was in the pipes."
I sighed heavily. Right, a steam explosion. That would explain the state of the rest of the room we'd spent the night and morning in.
"Aqua, we can't spend that much money-!"
"I know! I know! I'm sorry!" Aqua said, kissing my forehead apologetically, "We can earn it back, but we are going to need more party members." She beamed as she wiggled on my lap.
"I think only advanced classes should be allowed! And only women!"
"Eh?" I blinked. "But I'm not an advanced class-"
"You are now," Aqua scoffed, "You're my champion. Besides, if we're going to take down the Demon King, we can't have any slackers!"
"She's right!" Boomed a familiar voice. I looked up, and my jaw dropped at the tall familiar form.
"Boss!" I cried. Boss grunted.
"I heard you got married to your pretty girlfriend," Boss stated, "I can't believe you wouldn't invite your boss to the ceremony! ... Not that I care!"
"I-Uh, we didn't have the ceremony-It's not-" I tried, but Aqua bowed her head.
"We're too poor to have an appropriate ceremony yet, Boss," she sniffled. She brightened. "But we're working on it!"
"Hmph!" The Boss grunted again. "Anyway, I heard you broke the cutlass!"
"Ahhh," I winced, "I'm sorry? I thought it was just junk-"
"IT WAS!" Boss cried, "But you should take better care of your equipment if you're not going to make Adventurers look bad!" He pulled out another cutlass, and dropped it on the table on front of us with a loud clatter. "Here! It's Level 10, so you can grow into it a little."
"I-I... Thank you, Boss," I said earnestly. Boss huffed, and crossed his arms over his chest.
"Bah! I'm not looking after you! I'm just getting rid of old junk and making sure you're not embarrassing me! I've got a hundred of these at home!" Boss stated. Aqua beamed up at him.
"So Boss... At our ceremony, can you walk me down the aisle?"
Boss flushed bright red.
"You-I-If it needs to be done, I might be persuaded... To do so..."
"Come on, Aqua," I chuckled, "He'd be my father at the wedding."
"THE GROOM'S FATHER DOESN'T DO ANYTHING COOL!" Boss burst out. "Not that I would do it anyway! Unless you needed me to! Anyway, I'm here to look in on my daughter! She said she needed some repairs done! Not that I'm here for anything other than work!"
He stomped off, right to Luna's window.
"I'm here, Luna."
"DADDY!" Luna squealed, throwing her arms around Boss's neck.
"HEY! Be professional, damnit! I raised you better!" Boss protested.
Aqua giggled, nuzzling my cheek.
"Aw... He's just a big old softy," she murmured.
"Yeah, but don't let him know you think that," I muttered back. "Still, advanced classes. Who'd want to team up with us? It's not like we're the top-ranked adventurers."
"YOU!"
We both looked up. A pretty, slim girl with pale skin and black hair stood before us. She wore a classic witch's hat with a dress and a cloak, and held a magic staff. She wore a red eyepatch on her right eye. She pointed her staff at us.
"Uh... Yes?" I managed.
"I am Megumin of the Explosion! A Crimson Demon Arch Wizard! I am a Mistress of Magic, a Lady of Destruction and... And..."
She wobbled... And then fell forward. I somehow had the reflexes to push Aqua off my lap and catch her.
"She fainted right at the sight of you!" Aqua giggled. "See? Being my Champion has all sorts of bonuses!"
"We're supposed to be married, right?" I protested.
"I can still be impressed with my hubby!" She giggled.
We let the poor girl eat our leftover breakfast. She just shoved it all into her mouth and downed it with a desperation I've not seen outside of crash dieters on Earth.
"Haa... Thanks... Haven't eaten in three days," she said, "Like I said, I am MEGUMIN of the Crimson Demon Clan! I overheard you talking about needing a new party member! I'm your woman!"
I looked her up and down, a skeptical look on my face. She was slender, though not entirely waifish. Her clothing was worn and threadbare, like she'd been on the road for a while. Even so, she had smooth skin, large expressive eyes (the one I could see, anyway), and a cute smile. Further, she did have boobs (albeit A-cups), and nice thighs-
I closed my eyes.
NO. No Kazuma, you're a taken man now. Last thing I need to do is piss Aqua off by ogling another girl in front of her!
I mean... Were we together together? I didn't really know, but every dating sim I'd ever played indicated that checking out other girls while in a relationship with a girl was a no no and an easy way to get a Bad End. Unless you could get a harem route but... Nah. I wasn't that lucky.
"Well," Aqua said, checking over Megumin's adventurer's card, "She is an Arch Wizard. And the Crimson Demon clan do have very good stats. High INT in particular."
"Yes," Megumin cried, throwing her hand up, "The Crimson Demon Clan are the most intelligent and deadly of magic casters in all the kingdom! You would do well to have me as an ally..." She covered her non-eyepatch covered eye like a JoJo character, "For I would be an even more fearsome adversary!"
I blinked.
"Uh... Huh," I said, "Why are you talking like that?"
"Like what?"
I held up a finger, and took Aqua's hand.
"Give us a second," I said. I pulled Aqua up to her feet and led her away. I looked over my shoulder at Megumin, as she continued to gobble down leftovers.
"Why is she... So...?"
"Twelfth Grader Syndrome?" Aqua asked bluntly with a smile. "Well, I think the Crimson Demon Clan was founded by another Japanese guy I reincarnated into this world. They ended up going back in time... Probably... And established his clan as fearsome magic casters. And, well..."
I blinked. My quick mind came to a horrified realization.
"No... They're all like that?" I asked, aghast.
Aqua nodded.
"Afraid so," she said. "But she seems like a nice girl, with good stats. Why don't we give her a shot?"
I sighed quietly. I turned back and walked up to Megumin as she forced down some toast with her fist to her chest.
"Okay Megumin, you're a probationary member of the party," I said, "We'll take you out on an easy quest and see how you do, all right?"
Megumin's eye lit up.
"Really?!" She coughed. "I-I mean, of course you would realize that I, Megumin of the Explosion, would join your party!"
"But first up," I said with a smile, "We need you to have full eyesight available, okay? So you might want to lose the eyepatch."
Megumin gasped, and held her hand over her eyepatch.
"No! You can't release this eyepatch!" She cried. "For it holds my true power within! If I unleash it, the entire world might be consumed in explosions!"
I stared at her intently. I mean, this was a fantasy world, but based on what Aqua had told me...
"Is that true?" I asked, reaching out to rest a hand on the eyepatch, very lightly. She blushed deeply-Huh. I guess I'd been getting a lot more hands on with girls since Aqua and I got together.
"Er, uh... N-No... It just makes me look cool," she said.
Not breaking my gaze, I took hold of the eyepatch and pulled on the elastic, away from her face. Her eyes widened.
"N-No! Don't-!"
I let go.
SNAP!
"Owwwwww!" She whined, rubbing her eye, "Why'd you do that?!"
"Because I had to," I said with a smile and a shrug, "Welcome aboard. Let's go."
- - -
A few moments after Kazuma's new party found a quest and left, Darkness rushed in with an eager smile.
"They must be here, I know they must be...!"
Her face fell as she failed to see any sign of her chosen party. Her friend Chris walked up behind her, and patted her shoulder.
"It's all right, Darkness. Just be patient," she said.
"You mean," Darkness sighed, blushing, "Let the anticipation drive me into ever greater heights of ecstasy when we meet at last~?"
"Something like that, yeah," Chris agreed, patting her friend on the back with a gentle smile.
- - -
I had been tempted to try the toad quest again, because it was nice and easy... Now. But the diminishing returns on experience, skill points and cash would make that a problem. I'd jumped from Level 3 to Level 10 thanks to all the XP from the Black Serpent, and I was itching to try something a bit bigger.
So we went after something relatively simple: A pack of undead wolves had escaped from a dungeon and were harassing travelers near the big castle. Aqua and I had bonuses against Undead, but the pack was a little too big to handle on our own. So I came up with a simple plan:
We would herd the pack into an area where Megumin could hit them all at once with Explosion magic. Any survivors could be picked off at our leisure.
Again, it was a simple plan, little chance of failure, high chance of success...
"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
Except once again, something about the lore had bit us in the ass. Or rather, was going to bite Aqua in the ass.
"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!"
The second Aqua had shown up, the pack had rushed her. They'd flat out ignored me and Megumin, they just went right after Aqua! And my goddess girlfriend was now running around the field on Haste as the whole pack of rotting, decaying wolves chased her like dogs after a car!
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!! HELP ME KAZUMAAAAAA!" She shrieked.
"Crap, crap, crap," I muttered. "HEY! HEEEEEYYYY! OVER HERE! OVER HERRRRRE!" I waved my arms frantically, even ran to try and get in front of the pack. I'd taken the precaution of having Aqua cast some buffs on Megumin and I too, including Haste, which let me get out in front of them fast.
Nothing. They just passed by me like I was a rock!
This was absolutely ridiculous!
"I can't hit them while they're moving!" Megumin shouted. I sighed.
"I know, I know..."
"CHECK YOUR DIVINE CHAMPION SKILLS!" Aqua shrieked, as she ran back the other way with the whole pack thundering after her. Megumin gaped in astonishment as I pulled out my Adventurer's card.
"Wait, you're a Divine Champion?! Of Eris-?!"
"Goddess Lady Aqua, long story," I explained. "Wait, I'm only seeing my Adventurer skills!"
"AAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!"
"You can flip to another set of skills like this," Megumin pointed out, sliding her finger over the card. I grinned at her.
"Oh hey, thanks!"
"You're welcome."
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!" Aqua ran back the other way, once more. I checked my skills associated with this title. I guess I was multiclassing now. Sort of.
Understandably, most of the skills listed were passive buffs. I even saw the 'Limit Break'-'Holy Army of One' which sounded pretty awesome but the Mana and HP costs were staggering. No wonder Aqua had been terrified for me! One use of the Limit Break, even at my current level, and I'd be down to zero mana and zero HP in a minute or two.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!"
"Okay... Make Water, no," I muttered, "Aha! Divine Aura! I can get their attention that way, and lead them into a trap or something! Get ready, Megumin!"
"Right!" Megumin said with a nod, "You have to corral them until I can finish the incantation!"
"How long will that take?" I asked.
"Not too long, but the longer the spell, the more powerful the Explosion!" She said with a determined grin.
I wasn't in the mindset to counter her chuunibiyou bullshit, so I just nodded. I ran out as Aqua sprinted by again. Megumin began to cast.
"Darkness blacker than black and darker than dark,
I beseech thee, combine with my deep crimson.
The time of awakening cometh!"
"Divine Aura!" I cast. An aura of blue and white flared around me briefly as I stood between the pack and Aqua, cutlass out. "Now you've got another target to chase!"
It was a cheesy line, sure. Sue me, I was saving my girlfriend.
"Justice, fallen upon the infallible boundary,
appear now as an intangible distortions!
I desire for my torrent of power a destructive force:
a destructive force without equal!"
The pack... Skidded to a halt, and began to whimper at the sight of me. Some put their tails between their legs and began to run. My eyes widened.
"What the-?!"
"RUN!" Aqua screamed. We took off as fast as we could, Aqua activating Haste, as Megumin finally finished her incantation.
"Return all creation to cinders,
and come frome the abyss!
EXPLOSION!"
- - -
Once my ears stopped ringing, and my bones stopped feeling like they were going to vibrate right out of my fleshy body, I managed to look up.
Aqua had cast damn near every buff she had on use, including Reflect, Defense Up, and plenty more besides. She was already healing me, and I was back to full health in a matter of seconds.
I turned and looked back at the field where the force of the explosion had blown us clear. My eyes widened.
"Woah..."
There was a crater the size of a small house in the center, with some small fires circling the impact point. Not a single undead dire wolf remained.
Well... Okay, one had. One which was trotting towards Megumin.
Megumin... Who was lying facedown in front of it.
"CRAP!"
Aqua and I ran to the wolf. Aqua held out her hand.
"Holy Water!"
The undead wolf yelped and jumped back from the splash of the water. It's agility was high... But not high enough.
"Critical Hit!"
The wolf howled and dissolved from my cutlass blow, the Divine Aura ability apparently giving me a major bonus against Undead. Good to know.
One other thing I needed to know though...
"Okay... Why did they chase you but not me?" I asked. Aqua coughed, and poked her fingers together awkwardly.
"Ahhh..."
"Aqua," I growled.
She glanced back at me.
"Er, well... Since I'm actually a goddess, they're naturally attracted to my divine energy, to be purified and released from their unlives... Ya know. But since you're my champion, your divine aura is more... Menacing to undead. To low level undead, you're basically saying 'You want to be purified? You have to go through me."
She grinned saucily.
"Which is actually really sexy-"
"Aqua," I interrupted, though reluctantly. I love when she smiles like that. "Why couldn't you have told me all of this before we went after undead?"
"You said it would be an easy quest!" Aqua whined. I sighed and rubbed my forehead.
"Yeah, but the fewer surprises we have, the easier it is," I gritted out. I turned to pull Megumin up into my arms. "Hey, you okay?"
"Yeah," she mumbled, "I just used up all my mana."
I blinked.
"Er... Well, that was a really powerful explosion," I said, "Maybe a bit overkill."
I smiled at her.
"Maybe next time," I said, "You use something a little less mana consuming-?"
"I refuse."
I blinked.
"Eh?"
"I only know Explosion. I only cast Explosion," she said, "And after I cast it, I use up all my mana for the day... And am helpless."
My jaw couldn't get any lower. I looked over at Aqua, who was shrugging.
"What?! The Skills tree isn't that detailed unless you flick it!" She whined.
I sighed.
"Okay... So you only know Explosion-"
"That's right."
"You'll only use Explosion."
"Yup."
"And after you use it, you're useless for the rest of the day," I finished. "Even with mana regen buffs?"
"Pretty much," Megumin admitted. I rubbed my eyes and sucked in a deep breath.
"Megumin... How many parties were you part of before joining this one?"
"Three."
"I can see why," I sighed. Megumin groaned.
"Come on... I'm... I'm useful! I got all those undead wolves-!"
"You missed one," I deadpanned, "Which means if we weren't with you, you'd be dead. How have you been surviving all this time?!"
"I'm smart," Megumin said.
"She has a point," Aqua said, "If she's been surviving this long, she must be pretty smart. Crimson Demon children are kicked out of the house at age 13 and told to find their purpose in the world."
"You've been doing this since you were thirteen?!" I gasped in disbelief. "How old are you now?!"
"Seventeen," Megumin murmured.
I sighed and rubbed my temples. I had a headache. How in the hell had this girl not gotten killed?!
"Megumin... I'm willing to let you into the party... But you need to learn some other spells-"
"No."
"Even just a few from the Detonation Skill Tree-!"
"No. Explosion is my life," Megumin said firmly. "Nothing else is as..." She bit her lower lip. "Satisfying..."
And she was a weirdo pervert with an explosion fetish. Given her village's background, that's so not surprising.
"Please Kazuma?" Aqua asked with a smile. "I like her."
"Like her or not like her is irrelevant," I groaned, "If she can only cast one spell a day, that's not useful enough! She might get killed!"
"I can handle that!" Aqua insisted. "Please, Kazumaaa? For me?"
Damnit... This is what comes from catching feelings. If I still hated Aqua, her cute pleading and sparkling eyes would have no effect on me whatsoever! I groaned again.
"If you could just learn one other spell-"
"No," Megumin said, stubborn despite being utterly helpless, "There's nothing as good as the gigantic Explosion. Nothing comes close! Ever since a mysterious, badass witch came by my village and saved me from a demon I'd accidentally released with Explosion, I've made Explosion my life! She's my idol! She told me to follow the path of Explosion!"
I blinked. It was certainly an anime-enough backstory, grant you... But... Wait a second...
A lightbulb would have gone off over my head if this was a cartoon.
"Wait... Are you sure she meant Explosion? Or was she referring to a more general kind of Explosion?"
Megumin blinked at me. As did Aqua.
"Huh?" They both asked, momentarily sounding like they had the same IQ.
I smiled encouragingly.
"Aqua... You broke the pipes in our room because you wanted a sauna, right? How did you do that?"
Aqua blinked slowly.
"Oh! I just converted the water into steam-I can do that if I focus-And it caused an explosion. It wrecked the pipes... Uh... Sorry about that-"
"No, no, see?" I grinned at Megumin, "Aqua here managed to cause an explosion without thinking about it! With water magic!"
Megumin blinked again.
"Yeah... So?"
"So! That's just one way to make explosions with magic!" I said eagerly, "She wasn't even using Explosion Magic! She used an entirely different kind of magic, and got an explosion!"
Megumin blinked a few times.
"Wait... Are you saying... That I misinterpreted my idol's words?" Megumin asked. "That she wasn't just talking about Explosion the spell, but the path... Of all Explosion?"
"Yes!" I said, nodding eagerly. "Think about it! Your Explosion is amazing, no doubt Megumin! But what would be more impressive? Master just one kind of Explosion... Or mastering all kinds of Explosions? Of finding the Explosion potential in all magic?!"
Megumin's jaw dropped. Her eyes widened and sparkled. She looked upon me with shock and amazement. It was like her entire universe had shifted on its axis, and she was thrilled with the new possibilities wide open before her.
"You... You mean," Megumin continued, "To be a true Master of Explosion... I must find the Explosion... In everything?"
"Yes!" I said with a nod, "And I will eagerly walk the Path of Explosion with you! Explosions in every form of magic, and Explosion itself! You don't have to stop putting skill points into Explosion, because that was amazing!"
She blushed quite prettily as I continued.
"But to truly master your art... You must learn to Explode in every single way! The ultimate journey, for an ultimate master... OF EXPLOSIONS!"
Megumin grinned.
"I'll do it!" She cried.
"YES!" I laughed, caught up in her enthusiasm. Aqua giggled, and hugged us both.
"Ooh... Welcome to the party!" She laughed.
"... So," Megumin said, "Can you carry me back to town? I can't actually move... Or do anything else."
"Sure can, Explosion Master," I said, pulling her onto my back. She huffed.
"Don't call me that. Megumin of the Explosion is not an Explosion Master... Not yet!"
- - -
A slightly different way for Megumin to join the party, and Kazuma blowing her mind in a different way.