Chapter 891: Which Side Is the Demon Lord Army?
The living room suddenly fell silent.
"Waaaaaah—!!"
Yunyun let out a miserable scream, tears of shame welling up in her eyes.
She snatched the letter from Megumin's hands, tore it to shreds, then fled through the entrance with a bright red face, disappearing from everyone's sight.
Social suicide!
Utterly cringe!
"Hahahahaha...!"
Megumin burst into uncontrollable laughter, clutching her stomach as she collapsed to the floor.
"Yu-Yunyun, that girl... actually fell for something like this... Hahaha, I knew she was naive, but I never thought she'd be this stupid, hahahahaha!"
"So it was fake after all."
Darkness grumpily shook her wet long hair, feeling utterly foolish for rushing out in such a panic!
"Was I just teased?"
Eiji stared at the door Yunyun had slammed open, falling into deep thought.
Weren't we supposed to have children?
How could you take it so lightly? Just because it was a misunderstanding, you can pretend nothing happened?
Heartless woman!
This must be teasing!
I'll definitely have to tease her back hard later!
"Darkness, what did you just say?"
Eiji shifted his gaze to Darkness, looking like he'd found a fun new toy. This woman had run out in the middle of her bath!
"Eh? Ah, no..."
Darkness awkwardly averted her eyes.
"Why so quiet? More importantly, why did you rush out in such a hurry?"
Eiji looked at Darkness with an innocent expression, suddenly appearing enlightened: "I get it! The bathwater must have been too hot, right!"
"Ah? Well, yeah, th-that's right!"
"Okay, then I'll go adjust the water temperature for you!"
"Wait! No need, don't go over there!"
Darkness wished she could slap herself for her careless words and hurriedly chased after Eiji toward the bathroom.
"Such a mean guy."
Megumin watched Eiji's departing back coldly.
"Anyone who catches his eye would definitely live in constant turmoil!"
So declared Megumin, who had just been bribed moments earlier.
"Then Darkness would definitely be happy about that."
Kazuma said indifferently.
To be honest, he'd had thoughts about building a harem for a long time. In fact, what man wouldn't have such thoughts!
It's just that with his low strength, no power or influence, and average looks, he didn't have the capital for it. He could only have the desire without the courage. If he were as amazing as the boss, he definitely wouldn't settle for being ordinary—he might even play around more than the boss!
"...Can't argue with that."
Megumin was immediately left speechless.
If it were Darkness, she would definitely enjoy that situation, so her argument had no persuasiveness.
"But is this really okay?"
Kazuma crouched down and picked up the letter Yunyun had torn to shreds.
"Even though the later part was some novel written by who-knows-which-crazy Crimson Demon, the first part should be real, right? The Demon Lord Army executives are probably really attacking the Crimson Demon Village right now..."
Was this the boss's arrangement?
"It doesn't seem quite right. Although the boss is a pervert, a troublemaker, and a jerk... he's fundamentally a good person. He wouldn't possibly do something like this. Just like back in Arcanretia, when he found out Hans was eating people, he killed him on the spot."
"Could it be that some executive is disobeying the boss's authority?"
The same suspicion that crossed Eiji's mind now surfaced in Kazuma's thoughts.
A throne obtained through overwhelming power often comes with such instability.
"Megumin, aren't you planning to go back to check?"
Kazuma asked Megumin: "When Yunyun comes to her senses, she'll probably return too, right?"
"There's no need for that."
Despite Kazuma's suggestion, Megumin showed no reaction whatsoever.
"If everyone has died, then I shall inherit the legacy of the Crimson Demon Clan! Therefore, I absolutely cannot return now—otherwise, the Crimson Demons would truly face extinction!"
She declared righteously while raising her staff.
"Wow, Megumin, you're so filial!"
Aqua clapped with starry eyes, though it was unclear whether she was being genuine or sarcastic. Given her limited mental capacity, it was likely the former.
Megumin silently lowered her staff.
"You're actually a bit worried, aren't you?"
Kazuma looked at her suspiciously.
"Nothing of the sort! The village will be fine!"
Megumin firmly denied it, though her expression grew somewhat conflicted.
"...Actually, I'm a little worried about my little sister."
"What? Megumin has a sister?"
Aqua's eyes immediately sparkled. "Don't judge me by my appearance—I really like children! Megumin's sister must be adorable, right? How about we go take a look at Crimson Demon Village?"
"Last time I saw you, you were snatching a lollipop from a kid in a back alley, scaring them to tears. When their father showed up, you even tried to blame them."
"Kazuma, shut up!"
"Who cares what you say! Anyway, Megumin, if you're worried, we should just go back for a visit."
Kazuma seriously suggested to Megumin: "There should be teleportation magic that can take us directly nearby, right? It won't take much time, and sorting out your feelings will help with our future adventures."
"Eh? The shut-in NEET Kazuma actually made a sensible suggestion? I thought your brain was full of nothing but perverted garbage!"
"Aqua, shut up!"
"Who cares what you say!"
In the blink of an eye, Kazuma was grimacing and wrestling with Aqua on the ground.
"I can't stand you two!"
Megumin looked at the two on the ground with both disdain and amusement.
"Since you insist, I'll go back for a visit then!"
"Freeze!"
Aqua jumped around, shivering from the cold spell, while Kazuma took the opportunity to scramble up from the ground.
To his shame, he'd been completely overpowered by Aqua physically—she'd nearly pulled his pants off. How embarrassing! He definitely needed to level up properly after returning!
"I'll go notify the boss and Darkness!"
Kazuma straightened his pants and headed toward the bathhouse.
A short while later, he returned the same way.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing, I've already notified them!"
"Are your eyes okay? Did you bump into something?"
"Nothing like that!"
Kazuma firmly denied it.
He would never admit that the boss had poked his eyes for almost seeing what was happening inside the bathhouse!
Those two were actually playing bathhouse games!
"When I build my own harem in the future, I'm definitely going to play like this too!"
"Leave it to me!"
Upon hearing that the group wanted to teleport to Crimson Demon Village, Eiji confidently patted his chest and made promises.
"Do you have acquaintances who've been to Crimson Demon Village too? And recorded the coordinates there?"
Not just Megumin, even Darkness couldn't help but cast him a strange look.
While powerful families would typically train specialized teleportation mages for emergencies like escaping danger or traveling to cooler regions during midsummer—and nobles who enjoyed luxury would often reserve a slot for recording coordinates of tourist destinations like Arcanretia—recording coordinates for Crimson Demon Village was utterly bizarre!
Crimson Demon Village was notoriously remote, located almost at the edge of the continent, very close to the Demon King's Castle at the northern border!
Moreover, the surrounding areas were infested with powerful Magical Creatures that required groups of level 30-40 adventurers to handle, so hardly anyone would send their precious teleportation mages to record coordinates in Crimson Demon Village!
Even if they did, there were no benefits to gain. On the contrary, they'd get pestered by the eccentric Crimson Demons—completely not worth the effort.
At the very least, no family in the Belzerg Kingdom would or dare do such a thing.
Having such leisure meant that the forces behind Eiji were either completely insane or surpassed every noble—even the royal family—of the Belzerg Kingdom!
After Eiji disappeared for a while, Darkness grew restless. She always felt there was something extraordinary about Eiji.
The next morning.
By the time Eiji returned, he had already obtained the coordinates to Crimson Demon Village.
"Let's go!"
As the teleportation light flashed, the five of them vanished from the villa.
...
"..."
"..."
The two sides stood on opposite ends of the forest, staring wide-eyed at each other.
One group had just teleported in. After the dazzling white light faded, they found themselves here—Eiji, Kazuma, and the others.
The other side consisted entirely of pale green and crimson horned ogres, varying in size and age, numbering at least twenty or more. They looked quite intimidating.
However, they seemed just as bewildered by the sudden appearance of the group, their wood-chopping motions coming to a halt.
"...What's going on here?"
Aqua blinked, asking with an innocent expression.
"This... I'm not really sure either..."
Eiji looked hesitant, his face full of confusion.
"Are you sure you didn't teleport to the wrong place?"
Darkness asked, equally baffled.
"This is the forest around Crimson Demon Village. The teleportation should be correct."
Megumin recovered from her nausea and recognized the familiar forest of her hometown after years away.
"...So did we accidentally walk right into an enemy encirclement?Kazuma's expression turned subtle as he subtly shot Eiji a meaningful look.
Boss, what's going on here?
Don't look at me, I don't know either!
Eiji rolled his eyes helplessly.
When he came earlier to record the coordinates, this place was completely empty. How did it get filled with a bunch of horned ogres in such a short time?
"But they just look like some low-level monsters!"
Aqua shaded her eyes with her hand and, seeing only lower-tier monsters among the group, revealed a twisted smile on her face.
"Pfft-hiss! At first glance, there are only some low-level demons—no, you're not even low-level demons, just trash-tier fiends! How dare such riffraff show yourselves? If you value your lives, don't block this goddess's path and scram! Hurry up, get out of the way!"
Deities despise demons.
As well as all malignant undead like liches and True Ancestor vampires.
From her gaze, expression, movements—every minute detail—Aqua radiated utter disgust toward these trash demons.
And contempt.
The blatant scorn made the demons' faces twist like pretzels, their weapon-clenching hands trembling violently with rage, instantly escalating the tension to a fever pitch.
"Who dares barge into our army's base so boldly? C-could it be the Crimson Demons are attacking?!"
A voice tinged with subtle insecurity rang out.
Then, a figure emerged from the distance, adopting a defensive stance as she came into view.
"A beauty!"
Kazuma's eyes widened instantly.
Before them stood a brown-skinned beauty in a crimson gown, her chestnut hair tied into a long high ponytail. Her tall frame neared two meters, with voluptuous breasts and a slender waist creating an enthralling silhouette that was impossible to look away from.
"Lady Silvia!"
"Lady Silvia's here, thank goodness!"
"We don't need to fear them, even if they have a Crimson Demon and a priest!"
The surrounding trash demons cheered at the woman's arrival.
"Kazuma, how can you focus on her looks at a time like this!"
"Right, I remember her—she's one of the Demon Lord Army's executives!"
"To encounter such a formidable enemy here unexpectedly—everyone, be on guard!"
Megumin scolded Kazuma while Darkness and Aqua immediately tensed up.
"Another Demon Lord Army executive?"
Kazuma suddenly lost interest.
Another of the boss's flings?
With that outrageous figure, she totally hits the boss's preferences!
"Just one Crimson Demon, and a snot-nosed brat at that?"
The crimson-gowned beauty visibly relaxed, her demeanor shifting to arrogance.
Then she spotted Eiji.
Her entire body froze in shock.
"Y-y-y-you...!"
She pointed at Eiji, eyes bulging and jaw slack, unable to form words for a long moment.
"That's right, it's me!"
Eiji leaped forward, declaring with righteous fervor.
"The one they call the Demon Lord Army Executive Slayer, who even defeated a Hell Duke—that's me! Since you've fallen into my hands today, don't expect to leave alive. Prepare to die!"
Without waiting for a response, Eiji whipped out some "Excalibur" and charged forward, breaking all conventions of honorable combat.
"Oof!"
"Eek!!"
"You damn—oww!"
In moments, the trash demons were sent sprawling before they could even curse.
"W-what?!"
Silvia panicked, turning to flee.
"Wait, stop right there! Your life is forfeit!"
Eiji shouted, giving chase.
"The Executive Slayer title is supposed to be mine!"
Megumin grumbled resentfully, rapidly chanting incantations as vast mana coalesced into blazing infernos hovering in the sky.
"Stop it, Megumin! Are you trying to blow him up too!"
"Anyone who steals my title is my sworn enemy!"
Darkness rushed over to cover Megumin's mouth.
"Perfect timing, Kazuma! Search them now and take all their money!"
"You're even robbing these small-fry demons? Are you even human!"
This goddess is a god, Aqua proudly declared, her eyes glowing green as she charged into the group of small-fry demons.
"Dammit, don't think we're easy to push around!"
"Brothers, haven't we had enough of being insulted as small-fries? Don't we have any dignity? Let's show this woman what we're made of!"
Tears welling in their eyes, the small-fry demons charged at Aqua with bitter fury.
"Just which side is the Demon Lord Army here!"
Kazuma stared in stunned disbelief.
Aqua, you might as well join the Demon Lord Army!