Chapter 229 The Sand Sculpture Team Assembles! This time I really can't carry it anymore!
It was afternoon, the sun was just right, and the lakeside was covered with charred remains of Brutal Alligators.
Arthur, with Fou on his head, lay casually in the shade of a tree, pretending to nap, quietly waiting for Aqua to purify the lake water.
Yunyun, who had overused her magic, knelt beside her, watching Aqua's purification process, her eyes full of wonder.
The moment the turbid wastewater touched Aqua's body, it became clear and transparent at a visible rate.
"So amazing! The High Priestess's purification magic is truly incredible!"
She then looked at the lake, where Kazuma was nimbly tying up the alligator corpses, trying to package them to take away.
"Kazuma too, even though his level isn't high, he always manages to be useful at critical moments."
Finally, Yunyun glanced at her side, feeling very embarrassed.
Darkness was covered in semi-dry mud, her cheeks flushed, and her body occasionally twitched.
"I'm sorry, Miss Darkness, there were too many alligators just now, and in my haste, I used Lightning…"
"It's fine! I feel… absolutely wonderful right now!"
The perverted female knight's voice was full of energy, clearly indicating she was thoroughly thrilled by being electrocuted in the mud.
Arthur rubbed his eyes, looked at the slow purification progress, and shouted at Aqua, who was squatting by the shore:
"Are you slacking off? At this rate, we'll be lucky to make it back for dinner!"
Aqua, who had a guilty conscience, flinched from his shout and complained indignantly.
"It's all because of you guys! You insisted on fighting in the lake, and the pollution level directly doubled!"
"Now you're even complaining that I'm slow! Are you a devil? You must be a devil!"
Arthur was expressionless: "Can't you use some divine power or purification magic? Just relying on your physique is too lazy, isn't it?"
As soon as Aqua heard the words 'divine power,' she immediately wilted like a frosted eggplant.
She turned her head away, looking wronged, and began to continuously cast purification magic, muttering softly.
"If I wasn't afraid you were an investigator sent by the God Realm, I wouldn't let this go so easily. Just you wait and see!"
With Arthur's invisible urging, the purification efficiency greatly improved, and before sunset, the group successfully returned to Axel.
Because her magic was depleted, Yunyun excused herself first to buy magic potions for recovery.
Darkness, covered in mud, also stood up and excused herself, saying she needed to clean herself.
So, Arthur and the other two returned to the guild first to submit materials and report the completion of the quest.
Kazuma and Aqua stretched, about to head to the restaurant to feast, but found Arthur still at the reception desk, quietly discussing something with Princess Luna.
Only when he returned to the table did Kazuma, munching on a fried giant frog leg, ask indistinctly.
"Big Brother, looking for tomorrow's quest? Speaking of which, I leveled up again today!"
Aqua savored the highest-grade sparkling wine, letting out a satisfied sigh.
"Phew—! What should we do tomorrow? Exorcising undead and purification have both been tried. Is there any situation where this Goddess's power can be better utilized?"
Arthur shook his head and spread out a stack of parchment.
"No quests tomorrow."
He pointed to the various property information on the paper and explained.
"Tomorrow, we're going to rent a house."
"Rent a house?"
Kazuma and Aqua looked up in confusion, apparently having never considered this issue.
Arthur glanced at the two, with a hint of disappointment.
"The Headless Knight Beldia's movements are unknown, and nobles who are afraid of death have all fled to safer big cities. Now there are many empty houses for rent."
"Do you two really want to live in an inn forever?"
"Of course not!"
Kazuma slammed the table and stood up, his eyes full of longing for personal space.
"Big Brother! I fully support you!"
Aqua, slightly tipsy, also lay on the table smacking her lips.
"Me too! Remember to leave the biggest and most luxurious room for the Goddess!"
"S-sorry! I'm late!"
Yunyun's voice came from the doorway, accompanied by a girl her age wearing a pointed hat and a cloak.
Her bright red pupils proved that she was also from the Crimson Demons.
As Arthur just asked, "This is…," the girl seemed to have a crucial switch flipped.
She suddenly raised her hand to cover her eye patch, dramatically threw open her cloak, struck an embarrassing pose, and loudly declared.
"My name is Megumin! The Crimson Demons's foremost genius! My profession is Archmage! I am the one who wields the strongest offensive magic—Explosion Magic!"
"You took care of the High-ranking Devil before me! You've been making a big splash in this beginner town! And you even took in Yunyun! Not bad!"
"Took in? How could you say that…"
Yunyun's eyes welled up with tears, her expression so aggrieved she looked like she was about to cry.
"You didn't believe I found teammates, so you insisted on following me, and now you're making it sound like I'm a stray cat."
Megumin coughed twice, pulled down her hat brim, and chuckled mysteriously.
"My foolish rival! This round goes to you! But don't celebrate too soon! Our destinies are still intertwined!"
"I won, right! You just said I won!"
Yunyun automatically latched onto the keywords, clapping her hands excitedly.
Watching the two lively characters in front of him, Kazuma moved closer to Arthur and lowered his voice.
"Big Brother, don't you think this Megumin… is a bit…"
Arthur raised an eyebrow: "Chunibyo?"
"Exactly!"
"Hey! You two over there! I'm not sick!"
Megumin sternly raised her staff, pointing at the two whispering, but her eyes involuntarily drifted towards the steaming dishes on the table.
"Grumble~~~"
A clear stomach growl made Megumin's cheeks instantly flush crimson.
Arthur chuckled, pointing to the empty seat beside them.
"If you don't mind, sit down and eat something with us."
"Hmph! Since you've invited me, I suppose I'll reluctantly agree."
Despite her grand words, Megumin, who hadn't eaten all day, sat down without any pretense and devoured the food with an appetite comparable to Aqua's.
Yunyun, who didn't understand, sat down next to Arthur, tilting her head in confusion.
"Megumin, didn't you say you've been going on quests with a party lately? How could you be…"
Facing her best friend and rival's merciless jab, Megumin swallowed her food with difficulty, stubbornly refusing to admit defeat.
"Because the power of Explosion Magic is too strong, I simply haven't found an opportunity to use it!"
"She's been talking about Explosion Magic since earlier." Kazuma rubbed his chin, "Big Brother, what is that?"
Arthur watched Megumin wolfing down her food as if there would be no tomorrow, and explained.
"A lost explosion-type magic. Because it requires a huge amount of magic power, the caster becomes helpless after casting it, so no one uses it anymore."
"So what!"
Megumin gripped her knife and fork, her voice low and solemn.
"I… am an Archmage who deeply loves Explosion Magic. It's not that I like explosion-type magic, but that I only adore Explosion Magic."
Just then, Darkness, dressed in casual clothes, also ran over cheerfully, calling out everyone's names.
The moment she sat down, it was as if the world's puzzle was complete, and Kazuma involuntarily shivered.
Arthur's gaze swept across the entire group—
A foolish goddess who caused more trouble than help, a hopelessly masochistic knight, and a chunibyo mage who only loved Explosion Magic…
The smile on his lips grew wider, his gaze finally settling on Yunyun, who was quietly eating beside him.
"Indeed, Yunyun, you're still the best."
"Eh?"