As they walked down the tree-lined avenue toward Axel's gate, the lingering smell of smoke after the disaster gradually gave way to the fresh scent of grass from the fields.
They had almost become sacrifices to ancient civilization, and Aqua had only managed to bring back a useless diary full of entries about tonkatsu donburi, yet somehow, the atmosphere around Kōichi's Party was unexpectedly cheerful, like they were one step away from becoming overnight millionaires.
"Hmph, hmph, hmph. Did you hear that? The way those guards looked at us when we entered the gate just now!" Aqua had completely forgotten how miserable she had looked earlier. She puffed out her chest, and although she was still covered in mud stains, her self-proclaimed Goddess arrogance had already returned. "Those were definitely the eyes of people looking at a savior! Once we get to the Adventurers Guild, countless believers will surely kneel and beg me for Blessings, then offer endless top-quality red wine and expensive snacks! That is the treatment a Goddess deserves!"
"Oh... Is it finally over? Those days of killing Giant Toads for a few hundred Eris..." Kazuma carried Megumin on his back, gazing into the distance with hazy eyes and a highly suspicious gleam at the corner of his mouth. "As a hero who saved the entire town, the king has to reward me with at least tens of millions... no, hundreds of millions of Eris, right? Then I'll buy the biggest mansion in town, hire a dozen pretty maids, and spend every day living like a useless bum who gets waited on hand and foot, with the occasional trip around the world... Ah, that's the ultimate goal of life."
"My name is Hero, the Destroyer of Destroyers..." Megumin lay sprawled across Kazuma's back. Although her body was still limp as mud, she kept muttering a new self-introduction. "From this day on, the whole world will know that Explosion Magic is the strongest magic. Those who called me a 'girl with something wrong in her head' will all kneel before my art and tremble as they offer their praise!"
Kōichi walked at the head of the group, listening to the increasingly ridiculous fantasies behind him, and could not help starting his own little calculations.
The direction that core had been teleported in did seem a little delicate, but since they had won the battle, his status as captain was definitely going to rise with the tide.
Maybe from now on, just saying the name "Kōichi" in Axel would be enough to get half off even when buying a bun.
"Um, Kōichi-san..." Wiz followed beside Kōichi nervously, twisting the hem of her robe between her fingers. "If there really is a generous reward, could I... maybe have just a little of it to pay this month's rent and restocking costs? If I don't deal with the mountain of unsold goods in my shop soon, Vanir might turn me into a roast suckling pig..."
"Don't worry, Wiz. You were one of the main contributors this time." Kōichi waved generously, putting on the air of someone who had more money than he knew what to do with. "Once we get the reward, I'll buy your shop outright... no, I mean I'll clear all your debts! We're a Party of heroes, after all!"
"Heroes...?" Darkness, who had been silent until then, suddenly let out a low murmur. Her face, flushed with excitement, looked especially strange beneath the setting sun. "As heroes who saved the town, we'll surely be targeted by nobles jealous of our achievements. Then we'll be dragged into a dark, damp interrogation room and subjected to all kinds of baseless accusations and mental torture... 'Talk! Where exactly did you hide the Destroyer's core?!' 'Confess your connection to the Demon King's Army!'... Ngh... An ending where heroes are doubted by the whole town and can only suffer in prison... That's... that's wonderful..."
"Hey! Don't say something that unlucky right now, you perverted Knight!" Kazuma shouted, trying to cover up the faint chill that had risen in his heart because of the teleported core.
And so, Kōichi and the others pushed open the Adventurers Guild doors with their heads held high.
Creak.
The noisy guild instantly fell silent. Every adventurer turned to look at the group standing in the doorway.
"Hey, everyone! Your heroes have returned!"
Aqua spread her arms wide, ready to receive a tidal wave of cheers.
After Aqua's confident and incredibly punchable announcement, what rushed out from inside the Adventurers Guild was not judgment or silence, but a wave of heat strong enough to lift the roof.
It was not the heat of anger, but the boiling atmosphere of alcohol, sweat, and a certain nouveau riche frenzy mixed together.
"Oooooh!! It's Kōichi! And the little Crimson Demon Clan girl who set off the fireworks! The heroes are back!!"
No one knew who shouted first, but the adventurers who had been sitting around the tables frantically splitting up loot all stood at once.
Kōichi was stunned to find that the tables in the guild were not covered in cheap drinking snacks, but in all kinds of precision parts gleaming with metallic luster, glowing mana conduits, and even several polished Mithril Alloy plates.
"Kōichi! You guys were amazing!" Dust was standing boldly on a bench, his left arm around two bar girls he had somehow picked up from who knew where, while his right hand held up a huge mug of top-quality dark beer. "Thanks to you taking that giant hunk of metal apart! I found an ancient drive shaft in that scrap heap earlier and sold it to some buyers for three hundred thousand Eris! Hahaha! Waiter! Bring these heroes who saved the town one extra-large Frost Spirit Roast each! Put it on my tab!!"
"Oh!! Long live Dust-sama! Long live Kōichi's Party!!"
The adventurers in the guild roared and cheered, the sound of clinking mugs rising one after another.
Seeing the whole town in full celebration, Aqua's stiff face instantly bloomed like a flower. Her big eyes shone with tears of vanity pushed to absolute satisfaction.
"Hmph, hmph. See? This is what it means to be loved by the people! Kazuma, Kōichi, look! I told you I was a beloved Goddess! Even that blond punk is treating us. This is definitely a miracle!"
"Three hundred thousand... Three hundred thousand for one shaft..." Kazuma, however, was nowhere near as optimistic as Aqua. He stared blankly at the thick stack of bills in Dust's hand, then looked at the tattered tonkatsu diary in Aqua's arms, and his entire being sank into a deep shadow. "Kōichi... while we were busy saving the world in the core room... did we miss a chance to make tens of millions? Why did those scrap collectors all get rich, while we, the heroes who risked our lives, have pockets emptier than our faces?!"
"M-My name is Megumin... As the greatest contributor to the defeat of the Destroyer, bring me three servings of roast meat! No, five! I'm going to eat all my magic back!"
Although Megumin was still slumped in her chair, she had already begun ordering the tavern staff around. Clearly, she had completely lost herself in the empty title of strongest Wizard.
Kōichi looked at the group, whose heads had already been clouded by money and alcohol, then glanced toward the corner of the guild, where a few of the lord's guards were desperately trying to push through the celebrating crowd, only to be grabbed by drunken adventurers and forced to drink with arms around their shoulders. He could not help finding it funny.
Apparently, as long as everyone was happy enough, even a summons from the lord could be treated like a napkin.
"Kōichi-san, everyone seems so happy." Wiz sat beside Kōichi, holding the juice Dust had paid for, a gentle blush on her cheeks. "Although I also wanted to pick up a few parts, seeing everyone come back safely and knowing Axel is all right is more than enough. Do you think... the king will really give us a big reward? If we got five hundred thousand, I could pay off the remaining balance on that batch of 'Slime dolls that scream automatically'..."
"Five hundred thousand? Wiz, your dream is way too small." Kōichi patted Wiz on the shoulder, took the roast meat the waiter brought over, and bit into it before mumbling, "We're heroes who saved the nation! That reward needs to have a whole lot of zeroes on the end! When the time comes, we'll buy land in the Royal Capital, make Aqua the state Goddess, make Kazuma the Minister of Finance, and have you open a 'Magic Item Shop That Turns All of Humanity into Deadbeats.' I'll be the mastermind behind it all. Hahahaha!"
"Oooh! That's our captain! I love that shameless confidence of yours!"
Kazuma was swept up by the mood too. He raised his mug and shouted.
"To our future lives as billionaires! Cheers!!"