The next day began as any other – with Darkness wanting to challenge the Hydra as usual. This time, however, she wasn't the first one there. Kazuma and I were already waiting for her early in the morning.
When she arrived later in the afternoon with Aqua and Megumin, she was flabbergasted.
"You sure took your sweet time, Lalatina!"
"We thought you'd never show up, Lalatina!"
Kazuma and I started teasing Darkness.
"Lalatina-chan's here!"
"Lalatina!"
"Lalatina!"
That's when the majority of Axel's adventurers, who were all sitting and waiting behind us, joined in.
"..."
"... Did we overdo it? Agh, wait-! Lalatina, please wait before you strangle us!"
"S-Stop it, Lalatina! Those guys were just calling your name, don't silently start strangling us like that! Stop... Please stop!"
Lalatina grabbed us by our collars with teary eyes; whether from embarrassment or happiness, I couldn't tell. Maybe because my vision slowly began to blur.
"If this is a new way of harassing me, I'll give you a piece of my mind!"
"Harassment? Use this brain of yours for once before- I-I'm sorry, please, let go, I'll die!"
"Why would we gather so many people for something stupid like that? We just told everyone that you're challenging the Hydra every day and asked for their help!"
Hearing Kazuma's choked out words, Darkness released our poor collars and we were finally allowed to breathe again.
She finally connected the dots and frenziedly looked over to the crowd of adventurers standing before her.
"Oh, even Lalatina can get embarrassed."
"Don't say that. Lalatina-chan might look like that, but she's actually very delicate, alright? To defeat the Hydra, Lalatina-chan's strength is needed. What if you make her cry and run back?"
Some adventurers from the crowd spoke out.
"Take a good look, Darkness. We only had to tell them that you were doing something silly every day and so many adventurers came here just to help you. I can't do anything about your muscled-filled brain, but don't make others too worried."
"... T-Thank you..." The flushed Crusader muttered in a soft voice.
"What was that? Sorry, can you repeat that?"
Darkness glared at me like she was gonna murder me on the spot. I promptly looked away.
It just so happened that my eyes met Megumin's. She kept gawking at me, completely ignoring everything around her.
I recognized that look at first glance. This sense of amazement was almost exactly the same as the first time we met. It was almost the same as the first time she laid her eyes on the now famous 'chivalrous thief'.
My secret weapon was working.
"... So cool."
Yesterday when we went to gather all the adventurers with Kazuma, I stopped by some shops on our way back.
My light leather armor I used to wear from the moment I arrived in this world was now completely gone, just like the black hoodie. The last remnant of my old home was from that point onward kept in the closet in my room in our mansion. In replacement, I opted for a black, medieval-style coat, with hints of purple.
On top of that was the custom stylized cloak that gave me just the right amount of coolness.
And seeing as the very polite and nice shopkeeper offered a pair of pants and 'soundproof boots, boosted with magic' for a low price, naturally I bought them too.
To finish my jaw-dropping sexy outfit off, I got some damage boosting accessories.
I not only looked unbelievably cool, but also this outfit boosted my damage and agility. Every piece of cloth I had on me boosted my stats. The accessories boosted the damage, while the coat and the cloak - my agility and stealth skills.
Now that I think about it, I have no idea why I didn't think about it sooner...
But anyway. It's just like they say: If you can't beat them, look a hundred times cooler than them.
I flashed Megumin the most cocky grin I could and winked. I could see her blush from a mile away.
While I had my little flirting session with Megumin, Darkness was at a loss for words. She kept staring at the crowd of adventurers with her still flushed face.
"Everyone, I'm very-"
"Waaahhhh! Kazuma, Kazuma! The Hydra woke up earlier than usual for some reason!"
While no one was looking, Aqua went over to the lake and interrupted Darkness' words of thanks. From sheer embarrassment, our poor Darkness started quivering with an even redder face than before.
"I told you that it's better to wait for Kazuma's signal!" Megumin, who snapped out of her trance, shouted while preparing her spell.
"B-But, but...! I want to go home already to witness the birth of my Emperor Zell!"
The surface of the lake looked like a sea caught in a bad storm. Massive ripples appeared on its surface until our target emerged from under the water with a huge splash.
"Why do all our emotional moments always end up ruined?"
"All Thieves, did you bring your steel wire? Archers, standby with your grappling hook arrows!" Kazuma ordered.
"Waaahhhh, hurry up! Hurry up!"
The plan was simple. First, we use Aqua as bait to lure the Hydra to the lake side.
"Tough adventurers, protect the backline! Stand by as human shields!"
Then, we take care of protecting the main damage dealers.
"Mages, prepare to fire off your magic and stand by! Use the most powerful spell you have!"
"Leave it to me! I'll blow that damn Hydra away to smithereens!" Megumin's eyes sparkled and she went back to focusing on her spell.
And then...
"Darkness, use your Decoy skill right in front of the Hydra! Your toughness will be the key to this fight! Don't you dare die on me here! Y/N, get ready, we're next!"
"Yessir!"
"Who do you think I am? Other things aside, my defense won't lose to anyone!"
After her declaration she attracted the attention of the Hydra and blocked this giant beast from the front.
"Hey, Kazuma! What about me? What should I do?"
"After casting support spells on everyone, you don't need to do anything unless someone gets injured! Go and cheer them on, or something!"
"What? Let me play a big role too!"
"Weren't you whining about going home to witness the birth of that chicken of yours just a second ago? Make up your mind already! Whining about going home is my job!"
Then, as Darkness kept blocking Hydra's movements, it was time.
"Darkness, do it!"
"You can count on me! Decoy!"
All eight enormous heads turned their attention to Darkness as she took a stance by the water.
That was the signal for me and Kazuma to rush at the Hydra.
I activated my Deadly Camouflage, while Kazuma used his Lurk and we both charged at the monster.
If I just arrived in this world, I'd never charge at a monster this big that could straight up just one-shot me. At mere sight I'd get a heart attack and die a pathetic death. So what was happening now? Whether it was just adrenaline rushing through my veins, or I just became braver over time and didn't notice it? I wasn't even that scared. Sure, I was shaking as hell, but it was to be expected when fighting something like that.
I remember that on one of our earlier quests I was scared to even walk into a graveyard at night. Like a little kid that lost the bet and had to wander through the place at night while his friends observed him and tried to scare him.
I've died two times already, so what's the point of being scared? The feeling that replaced my fear was something I never felt before. It was new to me. It was...
Kind of nice. Like a breath of fresh air.
Darkness somehow managed to withstand the attacks of all eight heads at once. Something like that would send me straight to Eris in one hit, but she stood her ground.
"Bind!"
When the heads were perfectly aligned, all the Thiefs used Bind to tie its long necks together.
At the same time, the Archers shot out their grappling hooks. All of them bounced off the hard scales of the Hydra, but they still ended up entangled with the wires binding the necks.
The ropes were secure, and the adventurers started pulling with all their might to drag the monster away from the lake, preventing it from fleeing.
Even with all its heads tied up, the Hydra was still focused on Darkness. Using this chance, Kazuma and I climbed onto the back of the beast. Then, deactivating his Lurk, Kazuma touched the steel-like scales up close, while I kept my Deadly Camouflage on.
"If you won't go down unless your mana dries up, I'll suck you dry! Drain Touch!"
The moment Kazuma activated his skill, the Hydra started thrashing around. As it was a dragon, and dragons are the crystalization of mana, it was sensitive to the fact that its mana was slowly disappearing.
I read about it in a book once.
I then withdrew one of my daggers, and still under the effects of the Deadly Camouflage, I said:
"It's the first time I'm using this, so let's hope it works!" "Wait, you said you know how it worked!" "Poison Dagger!"
I dug my dagger deep into the hard scales, penetrating them and tearing through its skin. With all the damage bonuses I had activated at that moment, it was bound to hurt. And hurt it did.
"W-Woah! Aw, come on, I just bought those clothes!" The blood fountain erupted from the wound and sprayed me in the face.
"What the hell? Did you really just stab it? How big is your dagger?"
For some reason the wound was much, much bigger than just a normal stab wound.
"Those damage boosters really hit hard..."
"Do you think the poison will do something against this thing?"
"I have no idea."
Before Kazuma was able to give me an earful, the Hydra started whipping and thrashing around even more.
Feeling its mana being absorbed, followed by the massive pain on its back, it started struggling in an attempt to free itself from the bindings on its neck. However, it couldn't reach its back with the bindings holding strong.
"Kazuma, the other guy, get out of there! Are you dumb? What the hell are you thinking?" One of the adventurers shouted.
"'The other guy'?!"
"It's fine, watch me use my secret skill to weaken this big fellow! Tell the mages to get ready to bombard once its mana's depleted-!"
As Kazuma was about to end his sentence, the Hydra decided to end our lives by twisting its body in an attempt to rub its back against the ground.
I regret everything I said before.
"Waaahhh! I don't wanna die! I still have so many things to try out with Megumin- Oof-!"
I managed to jump off at the brink of time. One moment of hesitation later and I would've been crushed.
"... Good, she didn't hear."
Just had to make sure.
"Wait, Kazuma!" Then the realization hit me.
The Hydra was now fully on its back, trying to scrub it against the floor. And then I noticed...
"... Eh?"
Darkness was pinning down Kazuma and propping herself up against the massive Hydra.
"As expected of Lady Dustiness, your arm power and endurance are marvelous."
"Is this really the time? Ugh, I can't, hold on...!"
Kazuma then touched the Hydra's back from under Darkness and yet again used Drain Touch.
"Even Darkness has her limits. She can't keep going like this forever..."
I racked my brain up the hardest I could. If I took too long, two of my friends and partymates would've died a very painful death. In that brief moment of concentration I could feel my heart running a marathon.
Then I saw it.
"My MP is low, so I'll have to be quick."
While the Hydra kept thrashing around on the ground, I activated my Deadly Camouflage yet again and rushed at the beast.
It may have had its back against the ground, but that only meant that its stomach was fully exposed and vulnerable.
The climbing was harder this time, but I still managed. I drew another dagger.
"Let's try again, shall we? Poison Dagger!"
Another blood fountain erupted from another massive wound and the Hydra's roar echoed throughout the area.
I swiftly escaped before the Hydra tried to roll back onto its stomach.
"Look, the Hydra's becoming really weak, right? And it can't move, either! I'll take the head of the large bounty target, the Kowloon Hydra! The one who scores the last hit can collect the entire bounty, I don't want to share it with anyone else!"
"Wait, I know that voice... No, you idiot! Don't go- or just ignore me and get yourself eaten."
The delinquent friend of Kazuma, Dust, was now in Hydra's mouth.
"Light of Saber!"
A familiar spell, flew through the air and cut off the head that almost swallowed Dust. I recognized the voice of the caster immediately.
"Oh, Yunyun. Nice of you to join us."
"I-I've been here the entire time...!"
"Wait, really? I thought you only just now showed up."
"No! I was with you all from the very beginning! I-I even tried to have a chat with you on our way here..."
"... Ah, yeah. I thought I heard some weird whispers... Thought it was just my imagination... So, how you doing?"
At that moment, when I tried to have a nice chat with my good old friend Yunyun, one of the adventurers shouted:
"Hey look, the head that was cut off didn't regenerate!"
I looked back and indeed the Hydra had only seven heads left. On top of that, it was bleeding like crazy from its back and stomach. I don't know whether it was due to the bleeding or poison, but its movements were sluggish and painful.
I evacuated to Megumin's side, to meet up with Kazuma and the rest. When I was leaving I had this weird sense that I forgot about something, but I just ended up shrugging it off.
"Y/N! Just in time to witness the birth of Megumin the Dragon Slayer!" Megumin grinned as soon as I came to her side. "I'm glad you're okay. I would've hug you if not for that blood on you..."
"You can do that and a lot more after we're done with the Hydra."
"If you don't stop talking, my clothes won't be soaked in just Hydra's blood. You okay, by the way?"
"Threatening me like that and then asking if I'm okay... Yeah, I'm good. If not for Darkness' refined muscles, we would've been crushed."
"T-They're not that refined!"
Following our party's happy reunion, it was time to end this.
"Mages, attack!"
All mages focused their mana and large number of spells flew toward the Hydra.
"Light of Saber!"
Yunyun who somehow was here again, cut off two heads with her brilliant light. She showed a smug expression at Megumin.
"Explosion incoming! Everyone near the water evacuate!"
"Cover your ears!"
The adventurers lived in Axel for long enough to figure out what was going to happen next after just glancing at Megumin's confident and cocky grin.
"Y/N, I'll avenge you now! A bouquet for the one in heaven! This is for killing the one I love, you hideous beast! Explosion!"
"Hey, I'm still alive, you kno-"
.
.
"Admit it! It was me who achieved victory today! I blew off six of Hydra's heads! You only cut off two! It's obvious who has the upper hand!"
"Y-You were just waiting idly until the Hydra was pushed to the verge of dying! I even saved someone who was eaten by the Hydra! That should give me the upper hand!"
"Saving a delinquent who wanted to gobble up all the money for that monster only gives you one point. As a Crimson Demon, you too should realize and understand the importance of stealing the spotlight!"
After our successful hunt, everyone was on their way to the guild in high spirits.
Megumin was piggybacked by Yunyun since I was covered from head to toes in blood. I should probably add that Yunyun was forced into this by Megumin.
Speaking of that one person Yunyun saved, that was our one and only casualty. After dealing with such a beast, it's a miracle that only one person ended up dying. On the other hand, that person was Dust, so no matter what monster, this idiot probably would've ended up dead...
After we recovered his body, Aqua did her thing and brought him back to life.
"Seems like we're more capable than we thought! Ara~ But we wouldn't have made it without Kazuma's party."
"That's right! Even though we agreed the bounty for the Hydra would be shared equally, Kazuma's group should take more. There's a moron who said, 'The one who scores the last hit can collect the entire bounty', so you can take that share with you too."
I was told that these two people were Keith and Lynn. The partymates of that one moron.
Kazuma sighed.
"Well, everyone must be tired from this intense battle... So let's rest for today and drink our hearts out with the reward tomorrow!"
Cheers erupted from the crowd behind us.
"You're not allowed to drink, Y/N."
"Eh? Look, who's talking, ms. too young to drink."
"Look, who's talking, mr. lightweight. And, you didn't have any problems with me drinking, last time I remember. Besides, do you even remember what happened after your last drinking session?"
"No, but I remember you telling me how you took advantage of me and we started making out in my bed while-"
"I-I-I wasn't taking advantage of you- Wait, no! T-This didn't happen! Yunyun, why are you looking at me like that?!"
"M-Megumin... making out... my rival..."
"Stop muttering this nonsense under your breath, I can hear you!"
"I didn't know you two went this far... How is this even possible...?"
"Don't say it like that! You make it sound impossible...! A-Anyway... you were the one who initiated it, Y/N."
"O-Okay, you need to stop talking now."
"Y-You were the one w-who started it!"
"Yeah, but you didn't have to finish!"
Then, we proceeded to walk in silence with our faces red.
"... You two are hopeless."
""Shut up!""
Kazuma sighed and shifted his eyes to Darkness, who had been happily walking beside him.
Recently she had been somber and anxious all the time. Now she looked refreshed and vigorous, as if she had lost a great burden off her shoulders.
"So how does it feel? You can sleep soundly from now on, right?"
"Yeah. Thank you all for this. Now all sorts of things seem trivial to me." She smiled the first time in many days. "I learned once again how much I like the people in town. Thanks to them, I found my way again. There's nothing to be afraid of, nothing to regret."
"Heh. You say some pretty embarrassing things sometimes."
Darkness playfully elbowed Kazuma for the tease.
"I'm really blessed." She showed a brilliant smile.
"Geez, just make out already."
""Eh?!""
"Really, show more reverence to me! Say that you're very grateful to Aqua-sama for granting you a new life, compliment me more!"
"Hey Kazuma! I'm thankful for being revived, but the priestess from your party's really annoying!"
"You don't say? By the way, Y/N. You look really chuuni in that new outfit."
The next day at the guild...
"Adventurers! Thank you for your hard work yesterday! Congratulations on the successful subjugation of the large bounty monster, the Kowloon Hydra! Now, everyone who participated will receive a grand reward!"
After hearing the staff's announcemet, the entire guild was filled with cheers.
One day after subjugating the Kowloon Hydra, everyone who took part in the hunt gathered in the guild in elation. Every adventurer had a huge smile present on their face and awaited the bounty reward.
Speaking of which...
"Hey, why isn't Darkness here yet? Did she forget about the party that's going to be held today? Or is she still embarrassed about what happened yesterday?" Aqua speculated, holding her egg in her lap and showering it with warm light as usual.
"Hmm, that maybe it. Last night, she was more tensed up than usual. She normally doesn't drink much, but got dead drunk that time. She'd usually lecture me whenever I wanted to drink, but she actually offered me some..."
"Even you got offered something to drink? Why wasn't I allowed to drink last night?"
In the center of the guild, we discussed about Darkness and her suspicious behavior last night.
"Now you know how I feel! And anyway, you don't get to drink because you turn into Kazuma when you're drunk."
"Oi, I take offense to that."
"Oh~? I thought you liked that kiss? I mean, you even admitted that you went with the flow and-"
"O-Okay, everyone heard that yesterday, you don't need to repeat yourself!"
"No, no, please, continue."
"Kazuma!"
Aqua who now was nimbly twirling the egg in her hand, and acting all mature, chimed in:
"Ignoring Megumin's drunk fetish, Darkness might be the eldest among us, but she's like a child in many ways. She gets shy very easily like a useless child, so it's understandable that now she's too embarrassed to come out to meet everyone. Let's buy some gifts for Darkness for taking care of the house."
"Why are you nonchalantly treating Darkness as the oldest and making yourself look young? Aren't you a grandma in terms of age?"
"Yeah, since you're a goddess and all, aren't you the oldest around here?"
Kazuma and I said.
"Oi, if you two say something like that ever again, you'll suffer divine retribution. I'll curse you and the cold drink you ordered will become warm instantly." She said something stupid with a straight face.
Ignoring the goddess' 'threaths' my mind focused on the reward money we were going to receive.
After counting all of our savings, we could as well ditch adventuring and retire. That thought of course, crossed my mind a few times. Not fighting any dangerous monsters and just simply relaxing with all this money didn't sound so bad.
Maybe it's not that stupid of an idea? I can cook very well, so opening a restaurant might be a good idea.
Let's also not forget about Megumin. I know that maybe I'm reaching too far, but the prospect of... marriage, a-and... kids... It actually makes me pretty excited. Becoming a father, settling in with my new family and opening a restaurant...
"Are you okay, Y/N? Your face's all red. Do you have a fever?"
"N-No! I mean... no. I'm all good."
"Satou Kazuma-san's team of five will receive eighty million eris, and with the request of all the other participants, they'll receive an additional twenty million eris. Please accept this one hundred million eris!"
Thank Eris, the staff lady decided to speak up.
"Thank you very much! Alright everyone! The twenty million eris will be used to treat... Hey, hey let go! Why are you so reluctant to give me the bounty? Hey, give it to me!"
.
.
We were walking back to our mansion. The sun had already set behind the horizon, and was replaced by the bright moon, shining a brilliant white light.
Since we were filthy rich, on our way back, we decided to go all out with the dinner that was waiting for us home.
Since Darkness didn't show up at all, we planned to throw a party with her in our mansion.
With us was the Snow Crimson Crab. The last time we saw this fancy dish with our very own eyes was when Darkness' family sent us some a long time ago.
"Hey Darkness, we're... back? Where is that girl?" Upon entering the house, Darkness was nowhere to be seen.
"Hey, look. There's something on the table." I pointed out.
"A piece of paper...? That's Darkness' handwriting." Kazuma grabbed the paper and put it back on the table after reading it. "She said she was going to the landlord's place to report on the subjugation of the Hydra."
"Wasn't that the place you blew up?"
"Seems that it's fixed now."
"It's good that at least she wrote a note for us. For a second, I thought that she got herself in trouble again and didn't want to tell us."
"That sounded very specific, Y/N..."
"Quit your jabbering and prepare the dinner already. I have to take care of Emperor Zell, so be quick."
"And who do you think you are? We'll eat when Darkness comes home. And don't just incubate the chick, help with the chores too. Are you cleaning the toilets properly?"
"I think you should be nicer to a woman raising a child, Kazuma. And stop calling it a chick. If you keep bullying this child, I won't even care if Emperor Zell bites you after it hatches, alright?"
"The worst it'll able to do is peck people, and just saying, if it does peck me expect a chicken for dinner the next day."
In the end, we decided to prepare dinner and wait for Darkness to come back.
The parent of the month had to take care of her child so she just sat on the couch and did absolutely nothing.
After the food was done and the table was prepared, all we had to do was sit and wait for Darkness' arrival.
"Hey Kazuma, why is Darkness not back yet? I can't keep waiting for her with the food right in front of me. Hurry up and find her!"
"I am not omniscient; how should I know why she hasn't come back yet? And what are you supposed to be anyway, some princess? Just be patient and keep your mouth shut. You should learn from Y/N. Usually he's the one who can't control himself in front of good food."
"Kazuma, you're expecting too much from her. She can't learn, remember?"
"... I'll curse both of you."
At that moment, Megumin came out of the kitchen with five sets of cutlery and tea.
"We put quite a bit of effort into the meal tonight. Even the noble lady Darkness won't be able to eat something like this often. Fufu, I'm looking forward to her reaction after eating my dish." Megumin proudly puffed out her small chest.
"Your dish? You only added salt. Me and Kazuma had to do all the work. Speaking of, I didn't know you could cook, Kazuma."
"I picked up a cooking skill a while ago. After all, I plan to limit my adventuring to being just a hobby, so I paid someone to teach me the skill."
"Huh, cool. Guess I'm gonna share a hobby with you."
"Not until I become the master of explosion. After I'll earn that title and defeat the Demon King, you're not getting any rest, mister."
"Yeah, yeah, I know... So, I'm stuck with you for a long time, huh?" I showed her a playful smile.
"You make it sound like it's a bad thing." And she replied to me with an affectionate one.
It was late into the night.
Darkness didn't come back.
"Hey Kazuma. The dishes are cold; go reheat them."
"... When Darkness finally comes back, I'll punish her so hard that even that masochist will be begging for mercy."
"Is that even possible? I mean, it's Darkness we're talking about."
"I've already told her that we'd be back before dinner, so what's she doing? Was it just like Vanir divined and something happened to her house? Even so, she'd tell us what happened..." Megumin said anxiously.
Everyone complained as time went by, with no sign of Darkness.
We eventually got tired of waiting and began thinking of a suitable punishment for her.
And so, we decided to make her wear the super cute attire designed by Aqua and parade in the streets and the guild. And even if it was just for a day, we'd rent the super expensive magic camera and hold a photoshoot.
It was almost midnight.
Darkness didn't come back.
"... She's late." Aqua said.
No one made any attempt to eat.
Everyone kept staring at the food with empty eyes.
"... She probably won't return tonight... Hey, let's eat."
Despite Kazuma's words, no one even dared to move their utensils. Everyone had a troubled expression on, while staring into nothingness.
Megumin kept fiddling with her fingers with a massive frown on her face.
Aqua kept looking between the food and the door with a pained grimace.
Kazuma had his arms crossed with furrowed brows.
What was taking her so long?
"Where the hell are you, Darkness?"
Darkness didn't come back that day.
Or the next day.
Or the day after.
Darkness didn't come back.
A/N: Here you go, the Hydra arc is complete. Now to just get done with the second half of this volume and onto the next one. I don't know if this is just me, but after writing and reading that Hydra fight, it seemed a little off to me, like something was missing. But who cares? Anyway, that's it for today. I have some original stuff for the next chapter, so it won't be just copy and paste of the original volume lmao. Thanks for the support and hope you enjoyed! See ya!