Chapter 898: Megumin and the Evil God
"How can I become like you?"
Little Megumin gazed at the red-haired woman with starry eyes, asking a question that caught her completely off guard.
"W-What, become like me...?"
"How do I become like you!"
Little Megumin stared intently at the red-haired woman's chest, emphasizing her words with great seriousness.
"Uh, just learn Explosion Magic, I guess?"
The red-haired woman was left speechless by her.
Thinking the child was stimulated by her other half and wanted to become stronger, she inadvertently forged a bond that would last a lifetime.
"However, Explosion Magic is pretty useless for ordinary people. Big sister doesn't recommend you learn it. It's better to start with intermediate magic. But you're from the Crimson Demon Clan, right? Then you should learn advanced magic. Your clan has great talent for magic, so becoming stronger step by step is the safest approach..."
Megumin didn't hear a word of what came after.
So that's how it is.
As long as I learn Explosion Magic, I can become busty!
Little Megumin immediately made up her mind—she could skip all other magic, but she absolutely had to learn Explosion Magic!
That was the beginning of the Explosion Mage, Megumin's life.
Of course, after years of researching Explosion Magic, she had genuinely fallen in love with this world's strongest magic that could only be cast once per day.
After all, its power was truly exhilarating!
"After learning Explosion Magic, I was determined to show big sister how I use it. With that thought, I left Crimson Demon Village and headed for Axel—"
"But I heard you accidentally destroyed the tomb sealing the Evil God and used adventuring as an excuse to escape the villagers' blame?"
"Who said that! Who said that! Was it Yunyun? That girl has some nerve!"
Megumin flew into a rage, waving her staff as she tried to go confront Yunyun, but Darkness managed to talk her down after much effort.
"Actually, there's a reason for that incident! A year ago, many demons suddenly appeared near Crimson Demon Village, seemingly searching for their master. Among them were even powerful high-ranking demons! Left with no choice, I used Explosion Magic! In other words, I did it to protect myself, not to deliberately destroy the tomb!"
"Let me guess—you used Explosion Magic to drive back those demons, but accidentally released their master too?"
"..."
Megumin fell silent.
She looked at Eiji with confusion.
How can you guess everything?
Eiji chuckled. Anyone could figure it out after hearing the testimonies from Wolbach, Yunyun, and Megumin!
The incident began seven years ago when Megumin accidentally released the sealed Evil God. Both Wolbach and her other half, who were sealed within, escaped and fought fiercely, ending with Wolbach's victory as she resealed her other half back into the tomb.
Unable to reclaim the power from her other half, Wolbach appeared weakened and had to recuperate using hot springs.
Until a year ago, Wolbach had sent numerous demons to Crimson Demon Village to retrieve her other half. Unexpectedly, those demons ran straight into Megumin and Yunyun, and were annihilated by Megumin's Explosion magic. However, the blast from Megumin's spell accidentally released Wolbach's other half.
The reason Wolbach couldn't find her other half no matter how hard she searched was precisely because Megumin had taken it away.
"But now that we know this backstory, things will be much easier to handle."
Eiji clapped his hands, a look of confidence spreading across his face.
"Easier? The enemy is clearly overpowered!"
Darkness complained with a headache.
"This enemy is clearly on a different level from what we've faced before. Being able to use Explosion magic and Teleportation magic consecutively means they possess both immense destructive power and high mobility. We can't even pin them down. Even the Crimson Demons should be at their wits' end by now!"
That was the truth.
Come and go as they please.
Arrive and hit you with a massive attack, and you can't even stop them from leaving.
The entire Crimson Demon Village felt like a naked young maiden, utterly defenseless against Wolbach's comings and goings.
"Leave this to me."
Eiji volunteered confidently, taking full responsibility for the situation.
"Don't worry, I have a secret plan."
"With the boss here, we can just relax and enjoy our trip!"
Kazuma was the happiest of all. Without a second thought, he trusted Eiji's words and was already scheming about how to freeload food and drinks over the next couple of days.
"Alright then, let's see what this secret plan of yours is."
Darkness and Megumin exchanged a glance, both choosing to believe in Eiji's capabilities.
Aqua, as usual, had no say when it came to formulating battle plans.
Soon, the group arrived at the outskirts of the village.
"Huh? There's a stable over there! Don't all Crimson Demons know Teleportation? Why would you keep horses?"
"That stable is my house."
"..."
Aqua was rendered speechless by Megumin's enigmatic smile.
At a glance, the building looked exactly like a stable. It was shabby on the outside, with wooden walls full of holes, making anyone wonder, "How does this family survive the winters?"
Knock knock knock!
Megumin stepped forward and rapped on the door.
After a moment, the door creaked open with an aged groan, revealing a little girl who looked no older than five or six.
"Is this Megumin's sister? She's like a mini-version of Megumin!"
"Her name is Komekko."
"What a cute name! Would you like some candy?"
Aqua crouched down and pulled out a piece of candy.
Eiji frowned. Where had she pulled that candy from? Why hadn't he noticed it at all?
Komekko stared blankly at the group, then took a deep breath.
"Mom! Big sister brought back a bunch of suckers!"
"?"
Four giant question marks popped up above the group's heads.
"Megumin, what does 'suckers' mean?"
"...It doesn't mean anything special."
Unable to meet Darkness's serious gaze, Megumin guiltily averted her eyes.
"Welcome, welcome! Are you all friends of Megumin? Please don't mind Komekko—she's just a child who doesn't know any better. Please, come in!"
A woman who looked like an older version of Megumin appeared at the door. With long hair and a warm, friendly smile, she radiated the aura of a devoted wife.
"Barely friends."
Kazuma said with a deadpan expression.
"Why barely?!"
Megumin stared at him in shock.
"If you're all friends, you really shouldn't bring any gifts!"
Mom smiled and waved her hand at them, looking very kind.
"..."
Eiji felt a turmoil in his heart.
He exchanged a glance with Darkness, then winked at Kazuma.
"Just a small token of our appreciation!"
Kazuma took a paper box from his bag and handed it over.