The sun hung high in the sky, beating down on the dirt path where Kazuma’s party stood, facing off against yet another stray demon from the now-crumbling Demon King’s army.

“Alright, let’s make this quick!” Kazuma barked, gripping his sword tightly. “We’ve got quests to turn in and not enough time to waste on a random grunt.”

This demon was a bit strange, however. Despite looking like some sort of fantasy world bug it stood taller than an ogre and clad in heavy, jagged armor, it loomed menacingly over the party, its glowing red eyes locked on them. Its voice rumbled like thunder.

“You think you can stand against me? With this magic artifact that allows me to grow in size, I’m invincible!” it snarled, raising a massive shield engraved with runes that seemed to pulse with power. “I will crush you in the name of my king!”

Kazuma sighed, feeling the beginnings of a headache. “Does every demon have the same script? Do they hand these out during orientation? And your king… he died more than a month ago! Shouldn’t you know it?”

“Silence!” the demon roared, slamming the shield into the ground. A ripple of energy spread out, sending dust flying into the air.

Darkness took a step forward, her eyes gleaming with excitement. “Ohhh, such power! Come, demon! Strike me with your mightiest blow!” She swung her sword with all her might, precisely hitting… a rock 3 meters away from the demon.

The demon tilted its head, confused. “What is wrong with this woman?”

“Darkness, stop using the sword if you’re not planning on hitting anything with it” Kazuma snapped.

From behind Kazuma, Aqua peered cautiously around his shoulder. “Kazuma, do something already! I don’t want to be demon chow!”

“You’re a goddess! Why don’t you do something?”

“That’s what you are here for! I’m the moral support!”

Meanwhile, Megumin stood at a safe distance, her staff already glowing with runes, gathering mana. She had that dangerous glint in her eye that always meant one thing.

“Kazuma,” she called in the chaos, “I’m preparing Explosion. Just buy me a little time!” she asked before chanting the spell

“Of course you are,” Kazuma muttered. He turned back to the demon, raising his hand. “What Am I even supposed to do? Steal!”

A gust of magic shot forward, targeting the demon’s shield.

At the same time:

“EXPLOOOOOSION!”

The two spells hit the weird artifact at the same time. Kazuma’s Steal latched onto the demon’s shield, the magic trying to rip it free from the creature’s grip. At the same time, Megumin’s Explosion created a fiery vortex of destruction, eliminating the demon and its shield at the same time. A wave of heat and weird purple mana hit the group nearly knocking them out, Darkness taking the most of the brunt, shouting in ecstasy.

___

Kazuma groaned, his ears ringing as he pushed himself off the ground. Dust hung thick in the air, and the faint smell of ozone tickled his nose.

“Is everyone alive?” he called out, coughing.

Darkness was the first to answer, her voice breathless but oddly satisfied. “Such power... I could feel it down to my core...”

Kazuma dusted himself off, shaking his head as the ringing in his ears subsided. The battlefield was quiet now, save for the crackle of flames from Megumin’s Explosion still lingering in the air.

Megumin sat up slowly, clutching her staff and looking unusually disoriented. “Kazuma Kazuma! Did you see it?” she questioned. “After the explosion. What was that purple stuff?”

Kazuma frowned but waved a dismissive hand. “Probably just some residue from that weird shield. I mean, it did look cursed, right? Don’t worry about it. If it’s a curse we’ll just ask Aqua to remove it”

Aqua stood up stumbling over, while brushing soot off her robes.

“Hmm… I don’t sense anything” She looked them up and down “More importantly, you’re supposed to protect me from stuff like that!” she whined, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.

Darkness staggered over to join them, a dreamy smile on her face and her armor slightly singed. “That was magnificent,” she said blissfully. “The raw force of that magic... It’s the kind of power I wish I could fight against forever.”

Kazuma gave her a flat look. “You weren’t fighting anything. You were just standing there getting blasted by friendly fire.”

Darkness’s face flushed, but her smile only widened. “Kazuma, your words are as demeaning as ever.”

“Ugh, forget it,” Kazuma muttered, turning away. “Let’s head back to Axel. This quest is more than enough for a single day.”

___

Kazuma adjusted Megumin in his arms, her staff balanced against his shoulder. She felt oddly light, which struck him as strange—carrying her after an Explosion usually left him grumbling about sore arms and back pain.

“Can’t you get a smaller staff or something?” Kazuma muttered. “This thing is as big as you are.”

Megumin glared up at him, though her exhaustion made it more of a pout than a proper scowl. “A great wizard requires a great staff,” she retorted weakly. “You should be honored to carry me. I am your greatest asset, after all.”

“Yeah, right.” Kazuma said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “Hmmm… Did you become lighter all of a sudden? You feel like less of a burden”

“I’m not a burden at all!” she snapped, though the effect was diminished by how she sagged against him, her eyes half-lidded with fatigue.

“You literally can’t walk right now. I literally have to carry you,” Kazuma pointed out.

Megumin grumbled something under her breath, but she didn’t argue further.

Aqua trudged beside them, still brushing soot off her robes. “Kazuma, you’re so mean. Why don’t you carry me too? I’m tired from all the emotional support I had to provide!”

“Emotional support?” Kazuma scoffed. “You hid behind me the whole time!”

“That’s because I’m a goddess! It’s your job to protect me!”

Darkness, walking ahead of them, paused to gaze at the setting sun. “What a glorious day,” she said, her voice tinged with reverence. “To stand in the face of such overwhelming power and survive... Truly, there is no greater thrill.”

“It wouldn’t have been as overwhelming if you didn’t stand so close. You should stop catching friendly fire”

___

As they continued walking, Kazuma found his gaze drifting down to Megumin. Something about her seemed... off. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but carrying her felt easier than usual.

“Hey,” he said, glancing at her. “Really, did you lose weight or something?”

Megumin opened one eye. “Kazuma, are you seriously asking me that right now? I just used Explosion! I've lost all mana! It’s natural for me to be light.”

“Mana doesn’t weigh anything. And you’re usually heavier than this,” he said, frowning. “It’s weird.”

“I didn’t lose weight, baKazuma!” Megumin snapped. “Maybe you’re just getting stronger!” she murmured under her breath”

“Eh?” Kazuma, of course, didn’t hear it.

___

By the time they reached the gates of Axel, the sun had dipped below the horizon, casting the town in shades of orange and pink. The usual bustle of townsfolk slowed as they approached, people turning to stare at them as they passed through the gates.

Kazuma frowned, glancing around. “Why is everyone looking at us like that?”

“Maybe they’re admiring my divine aura,” Aqua said, tossing her hair dramatically.

“Yeah, that’s probably not it,” Kazuma muttered.

As they reached the main square, the stares became harder to ignore. People weren’t just glancing—they were gawking, their eyes wide with shock or confusion.

Megumin, still cradled in Kazuma’s arms, shifted uncomfortably. “Kazuma... Do you feel like something’s wrong?”

Kazuma’s grip on her tightened slightly as an uneasy feeling crept over him. “...Yeah,” he said finally. “But let’s get to the guild first. Maybe it’s just in our heads.”

As they made their way toward the guild hall, the whispers of the townsfolk were harder and harder to ignore