3Authors Notes
Note 1: This first page is an 'Improved' (Hopefully) version of my previous short-story, now serving as the Prologue to a bigger story.
Note 2: The story starts before chapter 17's Epilogue happens. That does not mean that some of the plotpoints mentioned wont come up in some way.
Gifting peace to these indecisive youths
Part 1
- The day after the Demon King was defeated.
Hero of this wonderful world, Kazuma Satou, slayer of the demon king.
That's me.
With a certain spell, perfected by a certain crazy mage, I blew him to bits and pieces and brought peace to the world and its people.
But despite that outstanding accomplishment, my soul still weighs heavy, for there is still a choice I have to make before I can set off into the sunset and enjoy my peaceful life as a Hero-NEET.
"Your 'present' better be good Kazuma, if it's what I think it is, I'm going to bite."
Megumin and I are currently on our way to the lake we have already visited all too often. But today will be the first time we are going to do it under the precontext of a real date.
That's right, since I'm the Hero of this world now, I have never before seen self confidence and managed to ask her out.
"Don't worry, your eyes are going to shine bright crimson when you see what I have in store for you."
Under the enticement of a 'Present' i managed to convince Megumin to delay our date till sunset, meaning that we will find ourselves in just the right mood i was planning for.
"Tell me what it's going to be already, Kazuma! Is it going to be a new staff? Or maybe a new robe? Or a potion that increases my dmg? No, I know! it's one of these zeppelins you told me about!"
"How does she think im supposed to carry a giant fucking zeppelin all the way to the lake without anyone noticing? Did she even listen when I told her about those?"
"No, I'm afraid it's going to be something more handy."
"Your way of phrasing it worries me Kazuma!"
She says that, but it's her mind going these places, not mine… no wait.
"There's nothing to worry about Megumin, just promise to show me the strongest explosion the strongest mage in the world has to offer and my special gift will be yours."
The words 'Strongest mage in the world' seem to animate her.
"I'm going to show you what the strongest mage in the world can do, today I'm going to show you the greatest explosion ever casted by mortals and gods alike! I guarantee that you will give me 120 points today!"
If she didn't just spoil it, I would have considered giving her an even better score.
- At the Lake
It's been a minute since we arrived at the lake, but ever since we did, neither of us spoke a word to the other and an uneasy atmosphere manifested around us.
If I don't do something about that, I'm going to lose the guts to say what I have to say.
I turned around to face Megumin and say something, but when I did she already innocently looked at me as if she wanted to say something important herself.
"Kazuma… Thanks for saving the world…"
Megumin looks like she still has something on her mind, but is too anxious to go on. Guess I'll have to help her out a little.
"Oh you know, it's no big deal for the number one adventurer in axel to defeat one measly demon king. And besides, without your help we would have never made it past that ex strongest wizard to begin with."
"Actually, now that you mention it. How did you defeat the demon king? If it was one of your fake explosions…"
"I don't want to talk about it"
I immediately replied. I don't want her to know that just yet.
"I guess you did die again in the process, so i wont inquire"
That was close. If she found out now, it would have ruined the dramatic effect I'm going for.
It looks to me like I successfully managed to shift the mood from uneasy to lighthearted.
It's time for the main event.
"Ok Megumin. Give me a show! Entrance, chanting and the most powerful explosion to date! I expect nothing less from the strongest mage of all time."
Looking at her, 'Strongest mage of all time' hit right home and she's ready to start.
But before I can let her start her chant, there's still something I have to say…
something i have to say…?
I have to say…!
have to…?!
…
YES! I have to say it. I'm the legendary Hero, so it's only right for me to end my story like a Hero would!
I grabbed Megumin by her shoulder before she started chanting, looked her right in her beautiful crimson eyes and spoke with a soft voice.
"Say, Megumin… if i was to ask you to… to…
…"
Shit! What is that feeling all of a sudden? I had it. I spent the entire day steeling myself for this moment. I'm not getting any manlier any time soon. What's wrong with me all of a sudden?
Is it because I'm going to lock myself out of the darkness and iris routes for good. But I already prepared myself to make that sacrifice, didn't i?
I did, right? Iris is just the cutest girl in the world and calls me onii-chan, and darkness just has a burning hot body and we know exactly how to turn each other on, but…
…
I changed my mind
"You look troubled Kazuma. Got cold feet."
Of course I got cold feet, who does she think i… what did she just say?
She let out a giggle and continued.
"How dense do you think I am? Of course I know why you brought me here. You want to get the two of us in just the right mood. Or do you think I forgot about that promise I made…"
That promise… that has to be the reason I was willing to let go of the other girls so impulsively. Yeah, it's because I got tricked by this little demon!
"...Aqua was right. boys really only think about one thing and even as a true Hero you're still not man enough to say it out loud."
That has nothing to do with me being a man or not!
"Hey! First of all, I AM a man. I defeated the demon king all by myself after all, or do you think some random kid like you could have done that? I was also not thinking about…"
"That's rich coming from mister loliNEET, who are you calling a kid hu? I'm a maiden! You hear me?! A Maiden in Marriageable age!"
Her always emphasising being of marriageable age is what made me fall for her trick to begin with!
"You idiot! I was about to say something incredible just now and it took me the entire day to find the resolve to do it."
"That resolve you accumulated was worthless anyway, or weren't you about to shy back just a second ago?"
… looking at her she seems disappointed about how things have developed. Luckily for her, I'm still ready to take what I can get.
"No, i wasnt. of course not…"
There's no way I'm telling her what I originally had on my mind.
"... it's just that… t-that… i wasn't going to ask for… 'That'"
Hey! Why did I tell her that I originally had something else on my mind? Brain to mouth, stop disobeying your master!
After I said something I had no intentions to actually say, she looked at me a bit worried.
"Sorry. You seem genuine about it, I didn't want to ruin your moment, I'm sorry."
"But you did. There's no way I'm going to say it now. Just use your explosion and we can go
home."
That was a close call. Way to close! I almost chose Megumin over the other two girls over a stupid promise…
What would Iris think if I neglected her? She would probably never forgive her onii-chan for that and may even have me executed on the spot.
Or what would Darkness say if I decisively picked Megumin over her? She would probably try to cut my head off, miss, leave our group, and never come back out of shame.
That's surely what would happen… phuu, that means I've made the right choice just now. It's better this way. Now we can return back home as less than lovers and I still have the possibility to make up my mind and choose whoever tries for me the most!
This is exactly the life I always dreamed of…
"Are you crying Kazuma? I'm sorry…"
Megumin also started to cry as she asked that and started hugging me.
Why am I crying…? Why is my body not listening to me?
My body shivered and Megumin's grip tightened around my waist. I can feel my chest getting wet from Megumin's tears.
This is not how I imagined it would go. I don't want our relationship to be this way, right?
Then my body decided to return her hug, and my left hand began to stroke her soft hair.
But why? Why would I choose her over the others? And how long ago did I decide that?
… It's because I'm actually a loli, isn't it?... but that explains only Darkness…
I frantically tried to find an answer to those questions, but I couldn't manage to find a concrete one.
All I have is this feeling. This feeling that has accompanied me for the longest time when I'm with Megumin.
I have spent my entire life lusting for any women that just happen to come across my eyeballs, but this is different. I look at her with a different set of eyes compared to all other women. A set that I'm not familiar with wearing.
"Megumin… I love you."
She released her hug upon hearing those words and gave me a relieved smile.
"I love you too, Kazuma!"
We were still holding each other by our joints and looked each other deep in the eyes.
I would go for a kiss if I was wise, but today I have proven to myself that I am not. It's time! If not now then never, this is what I have originally come here to do anyways.
I took a deep breath…
Then I pulled out a ring from my left pocket and held it in front of Megumin. But It's obviously not just any ring, It's a ring that increases spell dmg drastically. That's right, it's the ring from the vampire in the deepest dungeon. Back then I felt sorry for him because taking it would have felt like robbing, but then Vanir said something I could not have possibly ignored.
"Stop feeling bad for that wannabe lich, clueless brat that thinks about anyone but the one closest to him. Moi will make you an offer you can not ignore. Thou shalt taketh this vampire's ring with you and hold it dear to thy heart, for it will free you from your greatest worry in the near future."
"As if! And what do you want from me if what you say turns out to be true you heartless devil?!"
"Haha. Simple. Whatever moi wishes to sell you next, you will buy, no matter what."
I'm sure he's going to sell me some actual reset potions that reset not just my level but my skills and skill points as well.
At first I wasn't sure what to do with it, but when we stood before the demon king's barrier it finally made sense. I thought he wanted me to give it to Megumin so she can destroy the barrier more easily. But at that time Wiz said she wanted to 'test it first'.
It was when I stood face to face with the demon king, with my explosion in hand, that I knew what I was going to do with that ring, if I ever got the chance.
Thinking about it. Vanir really is a tsundere, to think that for once he actually cared about my wellbeing. I don't even care what he wants me to buy, I'll buy it.
Mom, dad, todays the day your boy becomes an adult, I hope you're proud.
My name is Kazuma Satou
…
Wait a minute…
'Free you from your greatest worry'? What makes me think that she's going to say yes?
Vanir feeds off Shame, jealousy and frustration and the like, doesn't he…?
That little!
"Come out of hiding you bastard devil! I'm going to send Aqua to play with you for the rest of your life?"
"What's wrong with you Kazuma, what devil are you talking about? Did your enemy detection go off?""
Oh yeah, I forgot about Megumin.
"Vanir that little rat tricked me into taking this ring, he's here to feed off my negative emotions. So come out!"
…
"There's no one here except us Kazuma. Anyway, is this ring cursed or what? I can feel that it is a most powerful magic item."
Right, I was about to do something important just now.
"No, it only cursed me with guilt, but other than that, it increases spell power drastically according to Wiz."
"Did you just say spell power? That's the present you wanted to give me right? Can I have it?"
Megumin looked at me like a little child with her eyes shining crimson.
Because of my paranoia a moment ago the intense mood vanished entirely and her looking like an excited child does not help either.
Great, now this amazing self revelation was all for nothing. Guess I'll marry Iris afterall.
"Please say I can have it. There's no way you kept dangling it in front of my face just to toy with my emotions, right?"
Just forget about it…
"Yeah, that's the present I wanted to give you, I hope it makes you happy…"
An excited Megumin grabbed my hand to make the ring her own.
"Ähm… Kazuma… … …Kazuma! You can let go! Let… go… already! What's wrong with you?!"
Hmm… my body truly developed a mind of its own today. — I thought to myself with a smile.
Megumin always talks about not doing anything we will regret. But if i don't do this now, im sure as hell that i will never forgive myself for it.
It's time Kazuma Satou… it's time to truly prove yourself once and for all!
Yesterday I may became a Hero… But today I'm truly going to become a changed man!
I knelt before Megumin with the ring held tightly between my thumb and index finger.
"Megumin…"
There's no way in hell I'm not spending the rest of my life with this maniac!
Even if she says no, I have nothing to regret now.
…Will you marry me?"
…
After my heartfelt proposal I was looking at a Shocked Megumin, tears started flowing down her cheeks once again.
After she came back to her senses she showed me a brilliant smile with her eyes shining crimson like i have never seen before.
"... Yeesss! Of course I will!"
She fell on my shoulders putting her arms behind my back and started hugging me tightly.
"...I love you Kazuma. I love you with all my heart."
She softly whispered into my ear.
"I love you with all my heart too, Megumin."
The two of us spend at least 3 minutes in that position hugging.
I would usually make fun about a situation like this, but this is honestly the best moment of my life, so who cares.
"So, you wanna put this baby to the test or no?"
"I was never more ready in my entire life! Prepare for the greatest explosion, no, spell ever cast in history…"
She struck what was probably the coolest pose she could think of and started the show.
"... My name is Megumin, the strongest of the Crimson Demons, the strongest mage in the world and the strongest mage in history! I command power rivaled by neither Mortal or God, the legendary spell perfected by the legendary mage that crushed the demon king's strongest forces!..."
Wow, she's really putting her all into this.
"… Darkness blacker than…"
Maybe I should follow suit!
"My name is Kazuma Satou…"
Yeah, that's right. I'm striking a pose similar to Megumin's and began chanting explosion as well. I didn't bring that high quality manatite in my right pocket for nothing.
"... I'm the strongest adventurer in Axel and legendary Hero that killed the demon king to save the world. I too, command the legendary power rivaled by neither Gods or Mortals…"
Since I'm too busy looking cool I can't look at Megumin's face, but I bet all my wealth that tears started flowing down her cheeks again.
"Darkness blacker than black and darker than dark, i beseech thee, combine with my deep crimson…" x2
That's the first chant i ever heard, i recognised it the moment she started.
"... The time of awakening cometh. Justice, fallen upon the infallible boundary, appear now as an intangible distortions! i desire for my torrent of power a destructive force: a destructive force without equal! Return all creations to cinders, and come frome the abyss!-" x2
"-Explosion!" x2
…
To say that that was the most beautiful and powerful explosion I have ever witnessed would be an understatement. Call me crazy, but I think if we hit the demon king's castle with it, nothing but a crater would remain.
The teary Megumin lying on the ground turned her face to me and asked me her favorite question.
"And… how many points was that?"
There was obviously only one correct answer…
"Two Hundred points!"
I knelt down and picked her up under her left arm.
"W-when did you learn explosion magic?"
Megumin asked me with an exhausted and unstable voice.
"What else was I supposed to kill the demon king with?"
"The demon… The demon king died to explosion magic?! Kazuma, I'm fainting, it really can't get any better…"
"Are you sure?" I could still think of something."
I picked her up and we headed straight to the mansion. It was already dark, so everyone else would either be asleep or they started worrying and we would meet along the way. I really hope the former is true.
"Kazuma… I knew it."
Part 2
Back at the mansion all lights were off, so everyone had to be asleep.
Megumin and I headed straight for my bedroom.
When we arrived at my bedroom, Megumin closed and locked the door, while I was frantically looking for that contraceptive that I bought from Vanir a while ago.
"I can't find it anywhere, why do these things always happen to me?! Oh, I bet Aqua knew what i was up to and once more decided to get in my way! But not today goddess of misfortune! Megumin open the door, I'm going to…"
"It's fine…"
…
… are my ears working properly? No wait, my eyes! She's shyly looking at me, and her eyes…. Can this be? Is she really?"
"It's really fine Kazuma. I don't mind."
Best. Day. Ever.
"I honestly don't mind either, the world is at peace and it would have happened anyways."
Wait, is Destiny really letting this happen for once?
I have to say it again. Best. Day. Ever.
- In Front the Bedroom door
"Good. hihi, next time you visit you better bring good news.-"
"-Teleport."
Part 3
- the next morning
After Megumin and I finally became adults last night, we grabbed Aqua and decided to pay Vanir an early visit.
"Good morning dear customer… oh it's our Hero that surely won't regret his past choices, and he brought the good for nothing goddess and his soon to be wife along with him, how great."
Vanir didn't seem to expect us this early. That means the good for nothing goddess is actually good for some things after all.
"Just this once I will give you a pass. I'm a goddess after all. A true goddess! And since I have regained my full power, it would take me but a flick with my pinkie finger to vanquish you once and for all… did you just call Megumin a 'wife'?!"
Vanir looked at Aqua with a worried face and then turned to me with a smile. Seems they really are no longer equals.
"Listen brat, moi just unpacked a most valuable item, wanna take a look?"
"I guess you wanna sell it for the entirety of my wealth right? I'm in a good mood today so I don't even mind, but if you pull any tricks Aqua will take care of you."
"So you remember our deal. But no, your wealth can wait. For now, brat, behold!"
He handed me a potion and smiled at Megumin for some reason.
"So what does it do? Is it at least useful or does it reset all my skills and stats?"
Did he just say 'can wait'?
"Oh, this potion is most useful indeed, so don't worry, it won't change any of your stats brat. None of yours, hehe…"
"Vanir? Hey, Vanir?! Stop looking at Megumin like this!"
That's exactly why I brought Aqua along, if this potion hurts Megumin in any way I'll make sure she makes him suffer.
"Listen closely, brat. This potion is an unbelievably powerful item. Yes, one could say it's unique. And since you have defeated the demon king, I'm willing to leave it to you for the merely 52,600 eris in your pocket."
It would only make sense for the local merchant of my choice to hand me an Overpowered item at the end of my journey, so his answer better be good.
"Tell me what it does already!"
"It doubles the user's magic power permanently…"
…
The room fell silent, and everyone but Aqua looked at the potion in my hand.
"... the only side effect is that it removes all positive status conditions, including hidden ones like pregnancy."
After our reactions Vanir started rolling on the ground laughing.
"Fuahahahahah, Hahahahahaah, those delicious negative emotions, last time I had a feast this rich was when Wiz got dumped, Hahahahahaha! You should have used the contraceptive moi gave you brat, or do you think your companion can withstand the urge?"
"Megumin? Megumin, get a hold of yourself, you're not seriously considering sacrificing our firstborn for more power… let go!"
After I restrained the woman that I foolishly believed to be as mature as she always says with my bind, my gaze shifted towards Aqua who was standing lifelessly in front of the entrance.
"Aqua! get a hold of yourself and eradicate this bastard demon once and for all!"
No reaction…
Why is she not listening?! There's no way Vanir put some kind of curse on her, what's wrong with this useless girl?
Wait a minute...
I tried to grab Aqua before she could regain her senses, but before I could reach her she ran out of the store in a hurry.
"I have to tell everyone!"