"?"
Hearing Darkness's first half-sentence that slipped out, Shiraishi Kawa finally understood why he felt her gaze towards him just now was so offensive.
It was still the familiar terrible personality.
He didn't hold it against her. This kind of person, who appeared to be an ice queen but was actually a masochistic pervert behind the scenes, and then Darkness considered him equally sadistic.
The feeling was incredibly strange!
Although she was a somewhat twisted goddess in terms of abilities, if used correctly, even an abstract profession could bring positive feedback.
And undoubtedly, Darkness was absolutely the most suitable Hedonistic Chosen, enjoying various perverted plays and pursuing ultimate pleasure.
He approved!
Looking at Darkness, whose face was flushed and eyes full of anticipation, Shiraishi Kawa naturally wouldn't refuse her application to join the party; she was already the expected ~ candidate.
"Welcome to our party, Darkness."
"Thank you!"
Unable to contain her eagerness, Darkness asked with fiery eyes, "When do we start a real Adventurer quest?"
"Captain, you don't have equipment yet, do you? Do you need me to help you prepare it?"
Looking at Shiraishi Kawa's current appearance, he must be an outsider reincarnated into the Konosuba World. His profession seems to be the highest-tier Archmage. The staff equipment required for such a profession would definitely start at millions of Eris!
This kind of wanton spending of her family's money to take care of a novice Adventurer who was also exceptionally sadistic, Darkness's fingers trembled.
She was exceptionally excited.
"Not needed for now."
Shiraishi Kawa only had a superficial understanding of the equipment settings in the Konosuba World, much like Megumin's most valuable staff.
It could provide an amplification effect for magic output.
As for other equipment, Darkness's armor seemed to be crafted by Crimson Demons artisans, and its damage resistance was particularly good.
Explosion Magic could actually be cast without a staff.
It's just that the skill's power effect would be slightly discounted. He hadn't yet figured out if his current attribute panel had anything in common with the Konosuba World.
Thinking of this, Shiraishi Kawa said casually to Darkness, who was standing beside him somewhat awkwardly, "Darkness, could I see your Adventurer card?"
"May I borrow it to look?"
"Okay."
Although she didn't understand Shiraishi Kawa's specific intentions, Darkness still handed over her Adventurer card, probably thinking he wanted to compare professions.
However,
she regretted it as soon as she handed it over. Her full name was noted on the Adventurer card, and she thought of the absolute obedience to the captain's command.
The shyness in her heart, and the satisfaction of being controlled, the pleasure of the play.
Made Darkness's cheeks flush. This shameful stimulation constantly brought sensory changes. Indeed, joining Shiraishi Kawa's party
was the most correct decision she had ever made!
"…"
The Adventurer card was a special magic device that imprinted the registrant's information onto the card. He carefully examined Darkness's attributes.
Darkness Ford Lalatina
Occupation: Crusader Knight
Level: 13
Constitution: 9
Agility: 5
Strength: 11
Intelligence: 8
Magic Power: 160
Skills: Decoy Lv10, Defense Enhancement Lv16, Negative Resistance Boost Lv15
He briefly scanned Darkness's Adventurer card. The attributes didn't exceed expectations, as she was a Level 13 Crusader Knight after all.
Her performance in the anime, being able to withstand Megumin's Explosion Magic and survive,
meant her attributes and defensive capabilities must have excellent aspects. The same applied to her skills; besides various defense and resistance enhancements,
the most prominent one was Decoy (Lv10).
Once the skill was activated, it essentially applied a taunt effect to all monsters, drawing all attacks towards Darkness.
As for how to evaluate it?
After a brief silence, Shiraishi Kawa said calmly, "Lalatina, your attributes… are really well-suited for a frontline position in the party."
"Please!"
"Please don't call… call me by my name. Just call me Darkness."
Called by her real name, Darkness's cheeks were covered in a blush. Her tone became a bit awkward, but she still pleaded with Shiraishi Kawa.
"Alright, Lalatina."
"Ah~"
The combination of shame and control play was a path Darkness had never imagined. She hugged her arms to her chest, appearing shy but actually enjoying it.
Shiraishi Kawa was indeed very sadistic.
She really liked it!
"We might need to expand the party later. Currently, the party members are me, Aqua, and Megumin. You should all know each other by now."
The interview was actually just a formality.
Darkness's identity could only be pre-determined. He didn't want to leave Aqua and Megumin waiting for too long, so he briefly explained the reason.
The most excited one was Aqua.
Staying in this other world was nowhere near as good as heaven. The only way back was to defeat the Demon Lord. Now that the Adventurer party was somewhat formed,
she excitedly suggested, "To celebrate the formation of our party, let's go to the Cat's Tail Tavern for a big meal today. What do you all think?"
"…"
Megumin, whose pockets were cleaner than her face, decisively chose to remain silent. Even the meals she had eaten for the past two days were all provided by Shiraishi Kawa.
"No problem."
Shiraishi Kawa was quite interested in the food of the Konosuba World, as they were already skilled at cooking various monster meats here.
And they had basic spices.
As for the money needed for the meal, the exchange rate was the same as the currency in his world; 1 Eris had roughly the purchasing power of 1 yen.
He decisively turned his gaze to Darkness.
Her cheeks were still flushed, and facing Shiraishi Kawa's gaze, Darkness nodded gently and said, "I have no objections."
"You misunderstood."
"Actually, none of us have money. You should, right?"
Treating the masochistic Darkness with too much politeness would be a punishment for her, so Shiraishi Kawa decided to reward her in the most brutal way.
They hadn't taken any quests to earn Eris yet.
Later, when their finances were more comfortable, he would deduct the meal money from Aqua's allocated share. Very reasonable!
"Yes! I do!"
Having just joined the party and already experiencing the captain's bullying, Darkness, whose body and mind were both satisfied, pulled out her money pouch.
It was filled with gold coins.
They would definitely be drinking. She was already looking forward to whether Shiraishi Kawa, when drunk, would take advantage of his muddled mind to lay hands on her.
"We'll be drinking, right!"
"A celebratory feast without alcohol feels like something's missing. Don't worry, I have enough money here."
"Okay, as long as it doesn't delay serious business."
Although he wasn't sure why Darkness was so… eager, this attitude made Shiraishi Kawa realize something was off, but he didn't directly refuse.
Following Aqua's footsteps,
the Adventurer party, which currently looked perfectly normal, arrived at the Cat's Tail Tavern, the most famous tavern in Axel. It was midday.
Quite a few Adventurers were gathered there.
When Shiraishi Kawa, Darkness, Aqua, and the others entered the tavern, they instantly attracted the attention of many Adventurers, primarily because
It had to be Aqua, the show-off.
As a High Priest, the highest-ranking class, she refused all invitations from Adventurer parties, stating that as a goddess, she would only join a hero's party.
A High Priest skilled in party tricks...
And those who had teamed up with Megumin knew that this Crimson Demons girl only used Explosion Magic, and was a peculiar Arch Wizard who could cast it once every day.
Darkness, however, was a more unfamiliar presence.
Only she and Shiraishi Kawa, who was dressed somewhat strangely, seemed like the normal ones in this party.
"Hey, I recommend the fried frog leg cutlets; they taste really good, almost as good as the steak from your world, Shiraishi Kawa!"
"We'll have four fried frog leg cutlets, and the lunch set."
"For drinks, sparkling wine, the iced kind. How much will that be in Eris? Go ask Darkness for it."
She showed no sign of politeness.
Aqua tossed the bill directly to Darkness. Just as she was about to rally her new party with a grand declaration of war, a figure appeared in the distance.
He was walking towards them.
"..."
"Darkness, have you finally found a suitable Adventurer party?"
She had short silver hair, a light brown scar on her cheek, and wore a green jacket and a black bustier. Her appearance was somewhat tomboyish.
However...
Despite her somewhat flat figure, her identity as a young girl was still recognizable.
Chris proactively greeted her good friend Darkness, then briefly glanced at her former superior, Aqua, and the Crimson Demons, Megumin.
Finally...
She then turned her gaze to Shiraishi Kawa, feeling somewhat unfamiliar with him, but assumed he was someone Aqua had reincarnated from another world.
"This is my friend, Chris."
This was Darkness's only remaining close friend. She introduced her to the rest of the party, not forgetting to tell the tavern attendant, "Please add another meal."
Aqua, who wasn't particularly intelligent, didn't recognize the identity of the silver-haired girl in front of her. She greeted her very enthusiastically.
They hadn't quite warmed up to each other yet.
Megumin, however, was much more reserved, sitting upright in her chair, pressing down the hem of her skirt between her legs, waiting for the waiter to bring their lunch.
"Hello, just call me Shiraishi Kawa."
Shiraishi Kawa was naturally familiar with Chris. Her current identity in the Konosuba World was a thief, but her true background...
She was actually a goddess from the heavens.
The Goddess of Fortune, she managed various affairs in the Konosuba World. Even the local currency and the Royal Church bore her name.
Eris.
Her personality was gentle, kind, generous, and occasionally a little mischievous. She was a beautiful goddess with a strong sense of responsibility, aside from her relatively modest figure.
"Hello, please take good care of Darkness from now on!"
Chris showed the utmost gentleness towards her Follower, Darkness. She also had great trust in Shiraishi Kawa's party, especially with Aqua in it.
It couldn't go too wrong.
This way, Darkness wouldn't be troubled by having only her as a friend.
"Absolutely."
No one could refuse a beautiful girl with an M-tendency, and furthermore, Darkness's personality was perfectly suited to be a Hedonistic Chosen candidate.
Shiraishi Kawa nodded very seriously.
"I won't join your Adventurer party's meal. Darkness, you can do it! I believe you can get along very well with the party."
She had no intention of staying.
If Aqua recognized her true identity, there would likely be a lot of trouble, and Chris was also secretly looking forward to it.
With a party like Shiraishi Kawa and Aqua...
The city of Axel should become much livelier, right?
"I'm off!"
"..."
Watching Chris's retreating figure, Shiraishi Kawa's favorability towards her was clearly higher than towards Aqua. There wasn't a suitable opportunity yet...
to pull her into the Adventurer party.
However, there was no rush for such things. Looking at the lunch brought by the tavern waitress, even though he had eaten in the Apocalypse World...
He still didn't want to miss this gathering.
Simply tasting the food from the Konosuba World felt good to Shiraishi Kawa; at the very least, it tasted better than the food in the Goblin Slayer World.
He currently didn't have any money from this world.
Finding a way to get some Eris was the most crucial thing. The quickest way was to accept subjugation quests, and they had to be the most dangerous ones.
The bigger the waves...
the more expensive the fish.
"Hey, this quest to subjugate the giant dragon is pretty good, and the bounty is a whopping 50 million Eris, Shiraishi Kawa!"
"..."
Pointing to the highest quest on the bounty board, the blood-red skull on the bounty notice clearly indicated its danger.
All that remained were high-difficulty quests.
And Luna, the receptionist at the Adventurers' Guild, walked over with an apologetic expression, explaining, "I'm sorry, there's a Demon Lord Army Executive nearby."
"He's made this area his base. Due to the influence of the Demon Lord Army Executive, all the weaker monsters suitable for novice Adventurers in this vicinity have gone into hiding..."
Listening to Luna's explanation...
Shiraishi Kawa knew it was a normal plot development. As for why the Demon Lord Army Executive, the Headless Knight, appeared in Axel...
The main reason... he turned his head to Aqua. It was this guy, who fell from the sky, whose divine light attracted the Demon Lord Army, prompting it to send him to investigate.
He was the root of all evil.
Having grasped the specific information, Aqua calmly turned her head and said to Shiraishi Kawa, "How about we go and subjugate the Demon Lord Army Executive?"
"That's a very dangerous move!"
Before Shiraishi Kawa could respond, Luna, the receptionist, quickly intervened, completely against a party of novice Adventurers going to subjugate a Demon Lord Army Executive.
It would be suicide!
However...
As the Adventurers' Guild's magic loudspeaker blared, a rather gruff voice began recruiting all Adventurers.
Emergency Notice!
Emergency Notice!
All Adventurers are requested to immediately arm yourselves, prepare your equipment, and gather at the city gate in battle-ready state! A Demon Lord Army Executive has launched a surprise attack!
"Shiraishi Kawa!"
"Shiraishi Kawa!"
Aqua was the most excited. She grabbed Shiraishi Kawa's hand and quickly said, "This is our chance to make a name for ourselves as new Adventurers!"
"Subjugating a Demon Lord Army Executive will earn us a lot of bounty!"
"..."
Ignoring Luna's worried expression, Shiraishi Kawa could guess the exact situation with his eyes closed. Due to his intervention...
Aqua and Megumin had been bombing the Headless Knight's castle every day.
And so, the humiliated Demon Lord Army Executive, the Headless Knight, finally couldn't take it anymore and wanted to come to Axel to teach the crazy... Arch Wizard a lesson.
Thinking of this...
He cast his gaze towards Megumin, who was brimming with fighting spirit beside him. It seemed even she didn't realize the cause of the matter. Aqua was already rubbing her hands together.
Even Darkness looked impatient.
Since things had come to this...
Shiraishi Kawa realized he seemed to have no other choice but to solve the problem. The opponent he needed to deal with this time was a Demon Lord Army Executive.
His strength was certainly not weak.
With the attribute boost from the divine class, combined with the triple enhancement effect of Mana Release, he was curious about what kind of combat power he currently possessed.
Shiraishi Kawa couldn't help but be curious.
He shook his head lightly, his tone quite relaxed. "Since the Demon Lord Army Executive has come to us, it's a good chance to test our skills."
"Let him be our party's first subjugation target!"
If you dare to invade, I will ensure your utter defeat.
Coming to the Konosuba World, the days ahead are sure to be prosperous!
Without hesitation, he decisively led the Adventurer party of girls towards the city gate of Axel, where many Adventurers had already gathered.
Their cohesion was still very strong.
And in the distance ahead, appearing in Shiraishi Kawa's line of sight...
was the Demon Lord Army Executive, dressed in black armor.
He was riding a black horse with a red mane, holding his own head in his hands, his eyes radiating intense resentment as he looked at the Adventurers gathered there.
The Headless Knight, Dullahan, finally couldn't bear it and burst out swearing.
"Every day! Every day! Bang! Bang! Who is the idiot who keeps coming to bomb my castle?!"
"..."
Listening to the helpless complaint, Shiraishi Kawa turned his gaze to Megumin beside him, just about to say something...
When the notification sound from the Dimensional Chat Group came from his ear.
"World plot development detected. Do you want to start a live broadcast?"