"Seriously! Why does it stink so much in here?! The whole place reeks of unwashed zombies! It's enough to suffocate the great Aqua-sama!"
Along with that complaint came a dazzling aqua-blue divine light, too brilliant to look at directly. It descended from the sky without warning and slammed into the pitch-black cursed hand like a massive hammer.
"Sacred Turn Undead!!!"
The necromantic hand, powerful enough to kill even a high-level adventurer instantly, let out a sharp sizzle the moment it touched the blue light. Like a snowflake dropped into concentrated sulfuric acid, it did not last even a second before dissolving into sparkling vapor and vanishing without a trace.
"Huh?"
The black-clad merchant's expression froze. He stared blankly as the forbidden curse he had desperately unleashed was casually swatted away like a fly.
"Huh? What's with that look?"
Aqua strode into the eye of the storm in her magnificent clerical robes.
She regarded the black-clad merchant with disgust, then casually sent another beam of purifying light toward him.
"Out of my way! The Axis Order is recruiting new followers right now. Anyone who joins gets a bar of soap personally blessed by me! Judging by how filthy and black you look, you must be in desperate need of a wash! Purify!"
"Waaaaah! My magic! My faith! No!!!"
Against Aqua's absurdly powerful max-level Purification spell, the black-clad merchant and all the shadow power surrounding him were completely purified. He turned into a transparent, oddly serene-looking spirit before dissolving into a wisp of smoke and disappearing into the night sky.
"...Huh?"
Completely drained, Kōichi dropped to his knees and stared at the idiotic Goddess picking her nose while looking around. His mind went blank for a moment.
"Aqua... why are you here?"
Kazuma slid down from the pillar, disbelief written all over his face.
"Because I noticed the egg was gone! That's the dragon egg I paid a fortune for! If it doesn't hatch, I won't have any money for drinks next month!"
Aqua thrust out her chest as though her reasoning were perfectly sound. Then she pointed at the object floating in midair, its shell now completely shattered and a lock of silver hair visible within.
"Look! My dragon is coming out! Hurry up and catch it!"
The purple-black magical pressure above the cemetery altar receded like the tide. In its place came a soft, pure-white glow with a faint milky fragrance.
As the eggshell dissolved into sparkling powder, a petite figure drifted slowly downward through the pale light of dawn, as light as a feather.
Kōichi stumbled forward almost instinctively. Fighting through the dizziness caused by his depleted magic, he stretched out both arms.
The soft, warm little girl landed safely in his embrace.
She had long silver hair as pure as moonlight. A pair of small, flawless white wings fluttered gently on her back, making her look both sacred and... overwhelmingly precious.
The little girl rubbed her sleepy eyes. Her large, sapphire-blue eyes moved from Kōichi to Chris, then to Aqua, before finally settling on Kōichi's face.
She tilted her head and gave him a pure, innocent smile. Reaching out with one chubby hand, she wrapped her fingers around one of his and dropped a bombshell in a soft, childish voice.
"...Daddy?"
Silence.
Dead silence.
Aqua and Kazuma, who had been fighting over the obsidian ring moments earlier, froze on the spot. Even Chris, who had been trying to make herself inconspicuous, parted her lips in shock. Her short sword slipped from her hand and clattered to the ground.
A cool morning breeze swept through the cemetery, carrying several withered leaves across the ground. Against the awkward silence, the sight seemed especially bleak.
"Huh... Huuuh?!"
Kazuma was the first to recover. His face, already twisted with jealousy, completely fell apart. He pointed at Kōichi, his finger trembling violently.
"Kōichi! You bastard! You already have a child out there?! And she's even some high-class winged type?! Wait, she hatched from an egg! Did you do something unspeakable with some kind of flying monster...? Waaah! You pervert! You traitor to the Bachelors' Alliance!"
"W-wait! That's impossible!"
Chris rushed forward with her face burning red. Her voice carried a trace of panic and jealousy that even she did not seem to notice.
"Kōichi-san has been with us this whole time... Besides, the aura around this child is clearly... from something very high-ranking..."
She glanced at Aqua, then quickly closed her mouth. With a complicated expression, she stared at the little girl affectionately nuzzling against Kōichi's chest.
"Oh?"
Aqua leaned her large head closer and curiously poked the little girl's cheek. A moment later, her face lit up with sudden understanding.
"I get it! Kōichi just used such powerful wind magic, so this child must have mistaken the first person she saw with strong magical power for her real father! That's wonderful, Kōichi. You became a father at such a young age! From now on, you'll have to work hard and earn enough money to support both your daughter and the great Aqua-sama!"
"Daddy, hungry..."
The little girl seemed completely unaware of the shock she had caused. She merely clung tightly to Kōichi's collar as her stomach gave a loud gurgle.
Feeling the very real weight in his arms and Chris's nearly murderous stare, Kōichi felt his stomach begin to ache.
He opened his mouth to explain, but before he could say anything, the shrill sound of a guard's whistle came from the distant town.
Through the thin morning mist, the urgent whistles and metallic clatter of armor grew steadily closer.
Ignoring the lingering pain in his muscles, Kōichi tightened his arms and held the soft little girl securely against his chest.
She seemed to find the sudden sensation of being lifted amusing. She let out a clear, bell-like giggle and clutched Kōichi's collar with both tiny hands.
"Stop standing around! Do you want to be arrested as grave robbers and thrown in jail?!"
Kōichi grabbed the bright-red Chris, who was still flustered by the little girl calling him Daddy, while using his other hand to shove Kazuma, who was trying to stuff the obsidian ring inside his clothes.
"Let's get back to the mansion first! Kazuma, Aqua, stop arguing and run!"
"Waaaaah! Wait for me! If a beautiful girl like me goes to prison, the warden will definitely bully me for being too cute!"
Aqua lifted the hem of her skirt and ran faster than anyone else while screaming complete nonsense. For a moment, she even overtook the far more agile Kazuma.
"Hey! Aqua, you disloyal jerk! Wait, Kōichi! Why are you running while holding Chris's hand?! Even now, you still can't stop building your harem?! You scumbag Wizard! You've got the little one in your arms and the bigger one by the hand!"
Panting as he chased after them, Kazuma unleashed a howl from the depths of his soul, fueled by overwhelming jealousy.