Chapter 97: It Hurts. It Hurts So Much.
Can you even imagine it?
The powerful weapon you went through so much trouble for, scheming and plotting just to finally bring it back—a giant Gundam that could have potentially steamrolled the Demon King's army—was just that easily destroyed by a problem child's Explosion magic.
That feeling...
It hurts. It hurts so much!
Especially when the perpetrator, completely unaware, is proudly boasting to her companion.
"Did you see that, Darkness! My ultimate Explosion magic! Its power can even take out that big guy with ease! I'm just too amazing!"
Megumin's proud voice, from her position on Darkness's back, reached Kobayashi's ears.
"MEGUMIN!!!"
"Kobayashi, you're back!"
Megumin, upon seeing him, was actually exceptionally happy. After a brief greeting, she said to him proudly, "Oh my, I can't believe you ran into danger just as you got back. Good thing I acted in time and saved you all! But, no need to thank me too much. Just treating me to a deluxe kid's meal tonight will be enough!"
She chattered on, taking credit, and even demanding a reward. With her head held high like a little peacock, she completely failed to see the fury brewing in Kobayashi's eyes.
This act was the fuse that completely lit his fuse.
To prevent her from denying it later, Kobayashi deliberately set a verbal trap for her.
He said, with a laugh that was pure rage, "Oh ho? So, Megumin, you're admitting that the Explosion spell just now was cast by you?"
"That's right! How about it? It was amazing, right!" Megumin proudly puffed out her flat little chest.
"Mmm, the magic was indeed very strong. Probably even stronger than before I left," Kobayashi didn't deny this point.
"Right?! I'm amazing, right?!"
"But, Megumin, is it possible, and I'm just saying it's possible... that the giant Gundam you just blew up and that is now lying in that deep pit, wasn't actually an enemy, but the special souvenir I brought back?"
"...Huh?"
Megumin was instantly dumbfounded.
She never would have imagined that her Explosion magic just now hadn't saved her companions, but had instead been a terrible mistake.
It's over. She messed up again!
Kobayashi leaned in with a sweet smile and said amicably, "Megumin, you did just admit that you were the one who set off that Explosion, didn't you?"
"Wh-what are you talking about... what Explosion? I don't know anything."
Megumin slowly turned her head away, whistling and trying to play dumb.
However, Kobayashi placed both hands on her head, forcibly twisted it back to face him, and said viciously, "It's useless to talk! Accept your punishment!"
The lecture began.
And nearby, Satou Kazuma, who had almost been caught in the blast, looked at Megumin with a face full of disgust. After all, piloting a giant robot is the dream of all young men, and it had been so easily destroyed by a little loli. Anyone would be angry, right?
The lecture lasted a full 30 minutes.
Even Darkness couldn't watch anymore. She rushed up to plead for Megumin. "Megumin didn't do anything wrong! She was just worried about her companions! If you're angry and want to vent... just come at me! I am a Crusader, I should stand in front of my companions! So, just vent all your filthy, vile, and sordid desires on me!"
"Hey! I don't have those, okay! Also, seeing you so energetic, Darkness, puts my mind at ease!" Kobayashi retorted.
Being interrupted by her like that, his anger had pretty much dissipated.
He turned his head to look at Aqua, who was poking at the Gundam.
He asked the Goddess of Water, who was good at everything except her actual job, with a glimmer of hope, "How is it? Is there any chance of repairing it?"
"...No. The central control core is completely destroyed. There is absolutely no possibility of repairing it."
This was the first time Aqua had ever said she couldn't do something.
Kobayashi couldn't help but raise his eyebrows.
It went from a living being to an inanimate object... I heard from Bulat that "Teigu are alive." Armor-type Teigu like [Incursio] still retain the activity of a super-class Danger Beast. The strongest and largest Gundam, the [Ultimate Teigu], should be no exception. But I didn't expect it to be so fragile.
Then again, it made sense.
The difference between dormant and active was like that of an Ultraman statue with light and one without. When there was no light, a monster could easily destroy two Ultraman statues. But after being infused with light, one Ultraman Tiga could easily defeat two monsters. That was the gap.
"The Gundam is gone? Are you kidding me..."
Kazuma stared blankly at Aqua, his expression one of utter disbelief.
Kobayashi sighed and patted his shoulder. That Explosion spell hadn't just destroyed his fantasy; it had also destroyed Kazuma's dream of being a pilot.
Seeing everyone so disappointed, Megumin pouted. "I'll pay it back."
Pay it back? How are you going to pay me back?
...Kobayashi really wanted to say that, but it was too cheesy. He held it in.
Instead, he just leaned his head in and scared her a little. "You'll just have to work for me for the rest of your life to pay off this debt. Don't even think about running away."
"...I understand."
Megumin lowered her head reluctantly.
For some reason, she actually looked a little... happy? It was truly baffling.
But he was more curious about something else.
"Megumin, didn't you say you liked giant robots? Why did you attack it?"
"...Did I tell you that?"
"That's not important. What's important is why you attacked."
Kobayashi gave a vague answer, trying to brush it off, while urging her to hurry up and give a reason.
Megumin raised her staff and said loudly, "Because this is my home! And it's the house we all built together! It's full of our party's memories! Of course I can't let it destroy our shared home!"
Her voice was resonant and came from the heart.
"Is that so..."
Kobayashi knew that Megumin's family was very poor. The place she lived could barely be called a shed. A girl like that would, of course, yearn for a home. If anyone dared to attack her home, she would surely pay them back in kind. Not to mention this place held the memories of the whole party; it was a taboo that absolutely could not be touched.
Between her hobby and her home, she chose the latter.
She really... I'm so moved I could just die.
But I would have preferred if she had chosen her hobby!
Her good intentions had ended up destroying a powerful trump card. And now that he knew her true intentions, he couldn't even really blame her. Kobayashi couldn't help but feel heartbroken.
"And you guys were standing right in front of it! I thought you were being attacked, so I just acted without thinking..."
As she said this, Megumin also looked a little embarrassed.
"So that's what Megumin was thinking."
"She's a problem child, but her heart was in the right place."
"Mmm, it was our mistake to blame her."
"Oh well, oh well, it's already destroyed anyway."
Hearing this, the rest of the party all said that she had done the right thing, and she received unanimous praise. After all, her intentions were good. To continue blaming her would only discourage her enthusiasm and be detrimental to the party's development. In the end, they just ordered her not to recklessly and impulsively cast Explosion magic in the future...
...Although she probably wouldn't listen.
Megumin asked cautiously, "Then, about the compensation... is it possible..."
"Don't even think about it!"
Kobayashi pinched her cheeks. "To make sure you learn your lesson, you must compensate for this giant Gundam! You can just obediently sell your life to me and work for me forever!"
Thank goodness they lived in the suburbs. If they were in town, the amount of destruction it would have caused... just thinking about it was scary. So she had to be taught a lesson!
"Mmph, I understamph."
Megumin pouted, her answer muffled.
...So why, exactly, did she look so happy about this?
(End of Chapter)
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