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Chapter 113 - Chapter 113: All Fear Stems from Insufficient Firepower

"I didn't expect you to be so afraid of evil spirits."

Sato Kazuma looked at Zunzun, who had buried his head in Yunyun's chest, unsure whether to feel amused or envious.

Megumin, however, was much more straightforward.

She glanced at her own nutrient-deficient flat chest, then at Yunyun's plump, jelly-like softness. Her gritted teeth and bitter expression made her regret palpable.

They were currently on a hill some distance from the town, at a public cemetery for the poor and unclaimed.

The mission they'd accepted was to eliminate the undead emerging from this graveyard. As it was a task requiring holy magic, Aqua, a high priestess, had eagerly taken the job.

Evening had arrived.

The group was now near the cemetery, setting up tents and waiting for nightfall.

Kazuma looked at Zunzun, who was trembling slightly, and his earlier teasing thoughts faded into concern.

"Zunzun, why are you so afraid of ghosts? Did something happen to you as a kid?"

"You know, Kazuma... I've always believed in the saying: all fear stems from insufficient firepower. But evil spirits..."

"Ah, I get it."

Zunzun was a Grand Mage—the strongest among them in terms of sheer firepower—but ghosts were intangible. He couldn't blast what he couldn't hit. It was fear of the unknown.

Kazuma, a modern man once rooted in science, had changed his views post-reincarnation. But evil spirits? They'd be lucky to get within ten meters of Aqua without disintegrating.

He didn't quite understand the fear, but just like Dullahan feared water and Aqua feared steel, Zunzun must've had a ghost-weak attribute—like a certain Pokémon.

Yes, that's it.

There's no such thing as a normal person in this team!

As he thought this, he flipped the meat sizzling on their teppanyaki grill.

Aqua leaned in eagerly toward the fragrant aroma. "Kazuma, Kazuma! When's it going to be ready?"

"Soon. Be patient."

They had set up the grill a short distance from the cemetery and were enjoying a little cookout while they waited for night to fall.

"By the way, Megumin's Explosion Magic won't work on evil spirits either," Zunzun suddenly commented.

"...Really?!"

Kazuma froze, tongs mid-air.

He had always considered Explosion Magic their ultimate weapon. If it didn't work here... he was ready to ditch the mission.

"Why are you so worried?" Aqua interjected. "You still have me!"

"Aqua?"

"That's right! I'm Aqua, High Priestess of the Water Goddess! I can take down any evil spirit with ease. Now, Kazuma, hurry up and give me that grilled meat!"

"Don't grab it! You'll burn yourself, you idiot!"

Kazuma and Aqua wrestled over the barbecue.

Earlier, the guild clerk had explained that their target was a lesser entity called the Zombie Maker—a malicious spirit that possessed corpses and animated them as zombies.

It was considered so weak that even a novice adventurer could defeat it. Confident, Kazuma had accepted without hesitation.

It seemed like it would be a routine mission. With Darkness off on welfare duty, it would be Aqua handling the exorcisms instead of Megumin or Yunyun.

Time crawled by.

The moon rose high. In the tent, Zunzun and Yunyun cuddled together for warmth. Megumin shamelessly squeezed in too. The comfort of their soft bodies calmed their nerves—somewhat.

Despite the cuddling, there wasn't any suggestive mood.

"It's getting cold," Aqua said suddenly. "Hey Kazuma, our mission is to defeat the Zombie Maker, right? I get the feeling something stronger is going to show up."

"Don't say that out loud! You'll jinx us!"

Kazuma rolled his eyes, then turned to Zunzun.

"Anyway, we're here to deal with one Zombie Maker. We beat it, turn its minions to ash, and go home. If anything strange happens, we bail. Got it?"

Everyone nodded firmly.

When the time came, the group made their way toward the cemetery. Kazuma led the way, having learned the enemy detection skill from Chris.

Soon, he froze.

"Wait… something's not right. I'm picking up enemies. One... two... three... wait, there are too many!"

A pale blue-white light suddenly glowed at the cemetery's center—eerie and dreamlike.

A massive magic circle had been etched into the earth. Next to it stood a figure in black robes.

"No way..."

Zunzun huddled against Yunyun again.

Megumin gently patted his head, trying to comfort him. But staring at the robed figure, she muttered, "I don't think that's… a Zombie Maker."

Several spirits floated around the figure.

"Should we charge in? Even if it's not the Zombie Maker, anyone hanging around a cemetery at night has to be undead," said Darkness, gripping her sword. "And with High Priestess Aqua here, we'll be fine."

Then suddenly—

"Aaaaaah!"

"AAHHHH!"

Aqua shrieked and bolted toward the figure in the cloak. Before anyone could react, Zunzun screamed in tandem and ran in the opposite direction.

Kazuma reached out a hand. "Wait—wait, hey!"

Uh... what now?

"I'll go after them!" Yunyun shouted. "You guys check on Aqua!"

"Me too—"

"Megumin, you're too slow. You'll hold us back. Stay here."

"Hmph."

Tightening her grip on her wand, Megumin watched Yunyun run off, her heart filled with frustration. If this kept up… she really needed to get stronger.

"Arrest!"

"No, no—!"

Aqua tackled the cloaked figure to the ground.

As Kazuma and the others approached, they realized it was Wiz, the gentle lich and owner of the magic shop. Thanks to Megumin's quick recognition, Aqua didn't purify her on the spot.

"What are you doing here, Miss Wiz?" Megumin asked curiously.

"Well... as you can see, many souls here can't ascend because they died in poverty. I come regularly to guide them back to the heavens," Wiz explained meekly.

What is she, a saint?

Kazuma was genuinely moved.

But then Wiz added, "However, lately, someone placed a powerful seal in the cemetery. The souls have nowhere to go, and more evil spirits are being born. Not long ago, a gentleman was even possessed by one."

"...Ah."

Aqua's expression froze. She hunched her shoulders, trying to slip away—only for Kazuma to grab her collar.

"Wait, Aqua."

"W-What is it, Kazuma?"

"You told me the other day that there were too many spirits, so you went out to purify them. The next morning, you bragged about gaining three levels..."

Even a fool could piece it together.

All of this was Aqua's fault.

Because of her sloppy purifications, the Zombie Maker had likely gone rogue—possessing corpses and spreading chaos.

Wait… speaking of Zombie Makers...

"Where are Zunzun and Yunyun?"

"They haven't come back?"

"Because you scared Zunzun off!"

The group exchanged worried glances.

"We'd better find them. Zombie Makers can be powerful. I've heard they've seriously injured adventurers before."

"Mmm!"

Megumin's face darkened. She started to move toward the cemetery's depths, but someone held her shoulder.

"Wait, Megumin."

"Don't stop me, Darkness. I have to go."

"You're not going alone."

Darkness stepped aside, revealing the rest of the team.

"We're going together."

"Yeah. We're a team, remember?"

"Leave the spirits to me! I'm the high priestess!"

"No—you need to dispel the magic circle first," Kazuma reminded her.

Megumin smiled warmly. Her team was ridiculous, but also reliable. Still, the thought of those two kissing and cuddling somewhere made her grit her teeth.

With Wiz in tow, the group pressed deeper into the cemetery. Soon, they saw a bright yellow light and heard—

"AHAHAHAHAHA—WHAT ZOMBIE MAKER?! COME OUT IF YOU'RE NOT SCARED! DON'T YOU KNOW WHO I AM?! I'LL EXERCISE YOU TO DEATH! LIGHT OF SABER!! OF SABER!!! SAAAAAABEEEER!!!"

"ZUNZUN! ZUNZUN!! Calm down!!"

At the center of the chaos:

Zunzun blazed like a lightning rod, releasing surge after surge of electrical magic. His scarlet eyes were wild. His crazed, don't-come-near-me aura was terrifying.

Yunyun stood beside him, clearly distressed, trying to calm him down. The Zombie Maker cowered in the corner, trembling—completely overpowered by Zunzun's unhinged display.

"Uh..."

"Is this... physical exercism?"

"Zunzun..."

The others watched in disbelief.

Only Darkness looked thrilled, her eyes gleaming with excitement. Just as she charged forward—

Kazuma grabbed her arm.

Unfortunately for someone, trying to hold Darkness back only made things worse.

"Aaaaaaah—!"

 

 

-End Chapter-

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