The ruins, suspected to be a dungeon, were larger than expected in several ways, but it didn't take too long to explore for my guild report.
The only thing that potentially slowed down the exploration was my conversations with Megumin.
But that's not very important, because we finally reached the workshop of the former owner of this place.
"Say, Renji, do you think there's anything important or interesting here?"
I nodded in response while searching for the journal of my Japanese compatriot who came to this world before me.
Megumin couldn't really help me search for now, since she was out of mana.
That's why I simply placed her on a chair during my search.
"Tch... there's nothing here worth any money," I said with a sigh, as if I was disappointed with my findings.
In truth, I had obtained a central element of my ascension in this world.
The Japanese guy's journal is a bonus, but the real treasure is the human hair I have in my possession.
Why do I consider the hair of this useless Japanese guy as a treasure? It's simple and logical.
I might be able to steal his "cheat" thanks to this element of his body.
This man is the creator of the Crimson Demons, but also of the Destroyer, a machine capable of razing entire civilizations for 300 years.
It took a goddess to disable its shields, and a double Explosion spell to defeat this infernal machine born from a whim.
Of course, the Destroyer isn't, in my opinion, his greatest work.
I think the Crimson Demons are his undisputable masterpiece in his long list of inventions.
Unfortunately, he himself sabotaged the potential of this creation because of the selection procedure for candidates for body modification.
This crazy Japanese guy modified people with chuunibyou syndrome with his cheat, which gave birth to the current Crimson Demons.
Chuunibyous... endowed with terrifying power.
Just imagine if this magical talent enhancement procedure had been used on disciplined soldiers, or your own subordinates? Terrifying.
Especially when you remember that the Destroyer, capable of annihilating civilizations for 300 years, didn't survive a double Explosion spell without its magical shields.
Let me remind you: Explosion is an advanced level spell, and every adult Crimson Demon must have at least one spell of this level.
In my eyes, only three skills can rival this cheat. And even then, this one could potentially neutralize the other three.
After all, the ability to create anything within the limits of the user's knowledge... it's simply frightening.
Too bad he lacked the motivation and will to defeat the Demon King.
"It's okay, Renji. We'll find other ruins and dungeons sooner or later."
I nodded at Megumin's words, before carrying her back to Axel.
Surprisingly, she didn't protest against the way I was transporting her this time.
She just buried her face against my chest to avoid my gaze, which was a cute gesture.
As I left the scientist's former base, I glanced toward the door leading to his golem daughter.
(Image)
I was really tempted to open it, but I'm not the masochistic type, rather sadistic, and I don't know how to reprogram her.
I'll come back later, when I have her creator's cheat, to see if I can modify her.
...
"Are they brother and sister?"
"So cute ~"
"They go well together"
During my walk with Megumin in my arms, several looks and whispers turned toward us.
At first, I was as embarrassed as Megumin currently is, all red in my arms.
But that was temporary.
After all, I have a body at the beginning of adolescence, but I remain an adult in his twenties in my head.
And I've lived under others' biased opinions for almost all of my second life, so this is cute.
Thus, I can't be intimidated by gossip related to my private life.
"Incredible! You succeeded!"
Unlike the idiots in the guild mumbling behind my back, Luna was in a good mood... at least at first.
The moment her eyes saw Megumin in my arms, I felt a kind of chill.
For an instant, I felt like I was back on the island from Hell's Paradise world.
A place where a single moment of inattention can cost you a limb, or even life itself.
Instinctively, I searched for the source of this phenomenon in my environment.
In vain at first, but I finally found it when my gaze met Luna's "happy" one.
Shit, I'm dealing with the most dangerous creature for a single man... a jealous woman.
"Your guild card confirms that you defeated the golem, but it will require a dungeon inspection by the guild to confirm your report," she said after checking everything.
"So I'll only be paid the golem and Toa Giant bounty, but not yet for the exploration?"
She nodded to confirm my words.
Bad news for my plans, but it's tolerable right now.
"It's fine Luna, you can pay me first for the quests considered accomplished."
After hearing me, she seemed relieved for some unknown reason and started the payment procedure.
Even if the bounty wasn't as interesting as the 300 million for a Demon King general or the 200 million for the Winter Shogun...
I was able to collect today the sum of 50 million Eris, and I'll receive 25 million more after the guild verification regarding the report.
"There's also the Giant Toa carcass that I defeated during the subjugation quest."
At their mention, Luna simply sketched an "understanding" smile toward me and started the procedure for selling the monster body used by beginner adventurers.
Thus, I obtained 50,000 more Eris.
"We're rich!!"
Hearing the high sums mentioned by the blonde receptionist, Megumin started getting excited in my arms.
Should I have established a disadvantageous contract like Kazuma did with her? Yes, but I prefer the current relationship with her.
"Calm down, we need to get a house first."
Winter is approaching, and I'm tired of sleeping on straw in the stable with the other novice adventurers.
It's time to get a base.
"Y... yeah, you're right, but... it'll cost a lot."
House prices are in the millions of Eris, and if you take into account that completing the Giant Toa quest twice gives 50,000 Eris, then becoming a homeowner is hard.
Especially since an adventurer must have equipment and maintain it, but also other human needs like eating.
Thus, the town of Axel, considered the starting town for novice adventurers, doesn't have many adventurer homeowners.
Especially since almost all veterans leave here because of quests that are either too easy or way too difficult.
"I... I don't know if you're interested, but there's an uninhabited manor in the slums. I can contact the owner, and you'll just have to negotiate with him, does that work for you?"
Even though she seemed to hesitate for a moment, I could read the hidden cunning in her gaze thanks to my knowledge from my past life.
The manor mentioned by Luna happens to be Kazuma and his group's future base.
This place indeed fulfills enormously many of my criteria, but it has a fatal flaw for ordinary beginner adventurers.
It's filled with ghosts.
The quantity is so high that Aqua had to spend a whole night exorcising.
This phenomenon is explained by the proximity of the slum cemetery, located not far from the manor.
Even if Wiz helps these unfortunate souls reach the afterlife, some take shelter in the manor.
I remember that Aqua will prevent souls from residing in the cemetery sooner or later thanks to a barrier, and they'll all go to this manor.
"Thanks for your help Luna, you're really an angel," I said my honest feelings in a sincere tone.
Perhaps out of guilt, she tried to propose other establishments I could buy in a commercial district, but I refused.
Compared to the manor, these are just ordinary houses, and their price literally revolves around 20 million Eris.
Call me cheap, but I prefer having a manor for a song and exorcising it thanks to Aqua than paying millions of Eris for an ordinary house.
The other reason is that it's funny to see Luna trying to repair her mistake made under the effect of personal emotions.
An unprofessional act, which made her similar to the moment when her romantic relationship situation was mentioned.
Is this a good sign for me? Would Luna really be interested? I need to test the waters later.
But her displeasure toward the idea of me living with a girl under the same roof is a good indicator.
"Besides the house, I'd like to publish a recruitment ad concerning exclusively a member of the Crimson Demon clan."
Megumin is powerful, but we won't go far with her alone.
I can fight on the front line, however it will be difficult for me to defend her alone after the Explosion spell.
I still need to recruit, if I want to take even harder and more dangerous quests.
"Do you really want another Crimson Demon?" Luna gave me a funny look, which indirectly accuses me of racism.
Maybe it's just my imagination.
"Yes, and at worst, I'll take a front-line fighter of a first-tier class like a Crusader."
After another conversation and some teasing, I left the adventurers' guild with Megumin still in my arms.
"... You seem close with the head receptionist, Luna."
At Megumin's sudden words, I just displayed a smile before nodding to show my affirmation.
"Indeed, she's the one who guided me when I arrived in Axel when I was a bit disoriented by the foreign environment..."
I started idealizing my meeting with Luna, but I omitted several details like the woman named Sena or my bet with the receptionist.
Megumin listened attentively with eyes containing a strange gleam, until our arrival at an inn.
I don't know if Megumin was staying at an inn until our meeting, but I chose one close to the guild.
Knowing her, she might have even lived outside or in the stables like me.
After all, the loli mage doesn't come from a well-off background like a certain blonde Crusader.
After paying the money for 24 hours, since one day is enough, because I plan to move into the manor tomorrow, I deposited Megumin in her room.
"There, I've finished the accounting of our common money for our adventurer activities and daily life."
80% of the money earned from quests belongs to our party, and the remaining 20% is divided between us two equally.
I first thought about keeping all the money for myself like Kazuma, who manages all the resources, but I gave up on this idea.
Better to favor a happy and satisfied team than a group full of repressed desires for a "greater cause."
"Are you really going to leave me alone in the room? I'm still..."
I frowned a bit at her situation, but I indeed couldn't leave her alone like that.
Yet, I wanted to go find Wiz in the slums to get in contact with the Demon King's weapon quickly, but also obtain the Teleportation skill.
"Alright, I'll stay by your side until you recover your strength."
Unfortunately, I had to postpone my program.
"Hey, I haven't looked at my status after the fight against the golem."
Name: Renji Takamura
Species: Human (Crimson Demon)
Age: 21 years old
Class: Adventurer
Level: 10
Strength: 20
Agility: 24
Intelligence: 30
Luck: 50
Magic Power: 60
Health: 33
Available Skill Points: 15
Magic:
Basic Magic:
Tinder: Level 4
Freezer: Level 4
Create Water: Level 5
Wind Breath: Level 1
Create Earth: Level 1
Intermediate Magic:
• Lightning: Level 3
I've spent 3 days in the Konosuba universe and 10 days in the Hell's Paradise world.
Tomorrow, it will be 2 weeks since my reincarnation.
"So? Did you gain levels?"
While I was becoming nostalgic about my journey as a prisoner and adventurer, Megumin's voice, surprisingly peaceful, pulled me from my reflections.
"Yes, I just need 10 more levels to officially become a veteran among adventurers."
I hope to reach them before winter.