"...?"
Hearing the first part of what Darkness had blurted out, Shirakawa finally figured out why he had felt so offended by the look in her eyes earlier.
It was that familiar, awful personality again.
Still, he didn't bother arguing. This seemingly goddess-like woman was actually a perverted masochist behind the scenes—and somehow, she saw him as equally twisted.
That kind of mindset was just bizarre.
Even though he was a god with some rather twisted abilities, if used correctly, even the most abstract of jobs could yield positive results.
And without a doubt, Darkness was the perfect candidate chosen by the God of Pleasure—someone who sought ultimate bliss through all kinds of extreme play.
He approved!
Looking at Darkness, who was blushing and full of anticipation, Shirakawa naturally didn't refuse her request to join. She was a pre-determined candidate anyway.
"Welcome to the party, Darkness."
"Thank you!"
Barely able to hold back her excitement, Darkness asked eagerly, "When do we start doing real adventurer commissions?"
"Captain, you don't have any equipment yet—do you want me to help prepare some?"
Judging by Shirakawa's current appearance, he was clearly someone who had reincarnated into this other world. His class seemed to be a top-tier Arch-wizard—and for that kind of class...
The necessary staff alone would cost at least a million Eris!
Spending her family's money so freely to support a fledgling but clearly twisted adventurer—Darkness's fingers were trembling from the excitement.
She was truly looking forward to it.
"Not for now."
Shirakawa only had a basic understanding of the equipment system in the Konosuba world. For example, the most valuable item Megumin owned was her staff—
It boosted her magical output significantly.
As for other gear, the armor Darkness was wearing was apparently crafted by the Crimson Demon Clan blacksmiths, with excellent defensive properties.
And explosion magic didn't necessarily require a staff to cast—
It just reduced the power slightly. He still wasn't sure whether his own stat panel had any similarities with the rules of this world.
Thinking about this, Shirakawa glanced at the slightly shy Darkness beside him and said casually, "Darkness, could I borrow your adventurer card?"
"Huh? Sure."
Although she didn't fully understand Shirakawa's intentions, Darkness handed over the card. He probably wanted to compare professions.
But—
She regretted it the moment she handed it over. Her full name was written on the card. Thinking about having to absolutely obey the captain's orders—
And the pleasure of being controlled—
Darkness's cheeks blushed hard, the shameful thrill creating constant sensory feedback. Joining Shirakawa's team...
Was the best decision of her life!
"..."
The adventurer card was made using a special magic device that imprinted the registrant's information on it. Shirakawa closely examined Darkness's stats:
Name: Darkness—Lalatina Dustiness Ford
Class: Crusader
Level: 13
Constitution: 9
Agility: 5
Strength: 11
Intelligence: 8
Magic Power: 160
Skills: Decoy Lv10, Defense Boost Lv16, Status Resistance Lv15
A quick glance showed that nothing seemed out of place. After all, she was a level 13 Crusader—
In the anime, she could take a direct hit from Megumin's explosion and still survive.
So her attributes and defenses were definitely impressive. The skill list also emphasized defensive and resistance abilities.
But the most eye-catching part was Decoy (Lv10).
Activating this skill essentially meant taunting all enemies into attacking her, pulling their attention completely away from others.
As for what he thought of that?
After a short silence, Shirakawa said calmly, "Lalatina, your stats... are a perfect match for the party's frontline role."
"Please!"
"Please don't call me by that name. Just call me Darkness."
Being called by her full name made Darkness's face light up bright red. She became slightly shy, but still pleaded sincerely.
"Alright then, Lalatina."
"Ah—!"
A shameful domination play—something she had never imagined—was now unfolding. Darkness crossed her arms over her chest, looking embarrassed but secretly enjoying it.
Shirakawa was definitely twisted.
And she really, really liked him for it.
"We'll probably need to expand the party eventually. Right now, it's just me, Aqua, and Megumin. You should know them."
This interview was mostly for formality.
Darkness's position was already set—he wasn't planning on keeping Aqua and Megumin waiting too long. He explained this briefly.
No one was more excited than Aqua.
This otherworld was nothing compared to Heaven, and the only way back was to defeat the Demon King. Now that the party was essentially formed—
She said enthusiastically, "To celebrate the formation of our party, let's go have a feast at the Tavern tonight. What do you think?"
"..."
Megumin, who was currently poorer than poor, wisely chose to stay quiet. The meals she'd had in the past two days were all provided by Shirakawa.
"No problem."
Shirakawa was still fairly interested in the food of the Konosuba world—after all, they already knew how to cook with monster meat, and had basic seasonings, too.
As for the cost of meals, it used the same currency exchange rate as in his original world—1 Eris roughly equaled 1 yen in purchasing power.
He decisively turned his gaze to Darkness.
Her blushing cheeks hadn't completely faded. Facing Shirakawa's gaze, Darkness gave a slight nod and said, "I don't mind."
"You misunderstood."
"Actually, none of us have any money. You should have some, right?"
When dealing with the masochistic Darkness, being too polite was actually a punishment to her. So Shirakawa decided to reward her in the most direct way possible.
They hadn't accepted any quests yet to earn Eris.
Once finances improved, he could deduct the food expenses from Aqua's share—very reasonable!
"Yes! I do!"
Having just joined the party and already experiencing the captain's bullying, Darkness, satisfied both physically and mentally, pulled out her coin pouch.
It was full of gold coins.
Since there would definitely be drinks while waiting, she had already begun to look forward to Shirakawa possibly getting drunk and acting inappropriately.
"There has to be drinks, right?"
"A celebration banquet without alcohol just feels incomplete. Don't worry, I've got enough money."
"Fine, just don't let it interfere with serious matters."
Although Shirakawa didn't understand why Darkness was being so... enthusiastic, her attitude felt a bit off. Still, he didn't outright refuse.
Following Aqua's lead.
They looked like a pretty normal adventurer party from the outside. At noon, they arrived at Axel's most famous Tavern.
Quite a few adventurers were already gathered there.
When Shirakawa, Darkness, and Aqua entered the tavern, they immediately drew attention from the other adventurers. The main reason?
It had to be the attention-grabbing Aqua.
As an Archpriest with the highest-ranking class, she'd rejected invitations from all adventurer parties, claiming she was a goddess and would only join a Hero's party.
A high-ranking Archpriest... skilled at party performances.
And those who had previously teamed up with Megumin knew she was a weirdo Crimson Demon girl who could only use Explosion Magic—once a day.
Darkness, on the other hand, was relatively unknown.
So that left just her and the somewhat oddly dressed Shirakawa looking like the only normal members of the team.
"Hey, I recommend the fried frog legs. They taste pretty great—kind of like the steak from your world, Shirakawa."
"Then we'll take four fried frog legs and some lunch sets."
"For drinks, let's get sparkling wine. Make sure it's chilled. Total cost? Just get the money from Darkness."
Not the slightest hint of politeness.
Aqua tossed the bill to Darkness without hesitation and was just about to rally the new team for an epic declaration of conquest—when a figure appeared from across the room.
Walking toward them.
"..."
"Darkness, have you finally found a party you like?"
Short silver hair, a faint brown scar on her cheek, wearing a green jacket over a black chest-wrap—her appearance was somewhat boyish.
However—
Her slightly flat figure still gave away her identity as a girl.
Chris greeted her friend Darkness warmly, then gave a brief glance at her former superior Aqua and the Crimson Demon girl Megumin.
Lastly—
Her gaze landed on Shirakawa. He looked unfamiliar, but given Aqua's presence, she figured he must be another person reincarnated into this world.
"This is my friend, Chris."
Darkness introduced her only remaining close friend to the team and didn't forget to ask the tavern staff, "Please add one more meal."
Aqua, not the brightest, didn't recognize the silver-haired girl and greeted her cheerfully.
Still not fully acquainted.
Megumin was much more reserved, sitting properly with her hands pressing down her skirt between her legs, waiting for lunch to be served.
"Hello, just call me Shirakawa."
Of course Shirakawa was familiar with Chris. In this world, she played the role of a thief—but her real identity?
She was a goddess from the heavens.
The goddess of fortune, responsible for many aspects of this world. Even the local currency and church were named after her.
Eris.
She had a gentle and kind personality, generous, occasionally mischievous, and a responsible, beautiful goddess—just a bit modest in figure.
"Hello. Please take care of Darkness."
Chris offered her most heartfelt kindness to her follower Darkness. As for Shirakawa's team, she trusted them—especially with Aqua in the group.
No way things could go too wrong.
This way, Darkness wouldn't feel lonely with just one friend.
"Of course."
No one could resist a beautiful masochist. Besides, Darkness's personality made her the perfect candidate to be a future Goddess of Pleasure.
Shirakawa nodded seriously.
"I won't join your party meal then. Darkness, do your best! I believe you'll get along with your new team."
Chris had no intention of staying longer.
If Aqua recognized her real identity, it would bring trouble. Besides, Chris was also secretly looking forward to what would happen.
With a team like Shirakawa and Aqua—
Axel City was bound to become much livelier.
"I'm off!"
"..."
Watching Chris leave, Shirakawa clearly liked her more than Aqua. Right now, though, there wasn't a good opportunity to invite her into the party.
But there was no rush.
Looking at the lunch being served by the waiters, even though he'd already eaten in the Apocalypse World, he didn't want to miss this meal.
Sampling the cuisine of this world felt great to Shirakawa—at least better than the flavors in Goblin Slayer's world.
He still didn't have any money in this world.
The most urgent task was to earn some Eris, and the fastest way was to take on subjugation quests—preferably the most dangerous ones.
The bigger the storm—
The bigger the reward.
"Hey, this dragon subjugation quest looks great! The bounty is a whopping 50 million Eris, Shirakawa!"
"..."
She pointed to the highest-ranking job on the bounty board. The blood-red skull on the flyer clearly marked it as extremely dangerous.
All the remaining jobs were high difficulty.
Luna, the receptionist at the guild, walked over apologetically and explained, "Sorry, there's a Demon King General nearby."
"They've taken this area as a base. Because of the influence of the general, the weaker monsters suitable for beginner adventurers have all gone into hiding..."
Listening to Luna's explanation—
Shirakawa understood that this was normal plot development. As for why the Demon King General, the Headless Knight, showed up in Axel—
The reason...
He glanced at Aqua. Her holy aura from falling from the sky had attracted the Demon King's army to investigate.
She was the root of all problems.
Now that he had a grasp on the situation, Aqua calmly turned her head and said to Shirakawa, "How about we go subjugate that Demon King General?"
"That's a really dangerous move!"
Before Shirakawa could answer, Luna hurried to stop them. A newly formed party of beginner adventurers going to fight a Demon King General?
That would be suicide!
However—
Just then, the guild's magic loudspeaker activated. A rough voice echoed, recruiting all adventurers:
Emergency alert!
Emergency alert!
All adventurers are to arm themselves and gather at the city gate in full battle gear—the Demon King's General is launching a sudden assault!
"Shirakawa!"
"Shirakawa!"
No one was more excited than Aqua. She grabbed Shirakawa's hand and shouted, "This is our chance to make a name for ourselves as newbie adventurers!"
"We'll earn tons of bounty rewards!"
"..."
Ignoring Luna's worried expression, Shirakawa could already guess the situation even with his eyes closed—it was because of his own involvement.
Aqua and Megumin went to blow up the Headless Horseman's castle every day.
Finally, the Demon King's general, the Headless Knight, unable to endure the humiliation any longer, wanted to come to Axel to teach that mentally ill mage.
Thinking of this, he looked at Megumin beside him, who was brimming with fighting spirit. She didn't seem to realize the reason behind all this. Aqua was already raring to go.
Even Darkness looked eager.
At this point, Shirakawa realized that aside from solving the problem, he had no other choice. This time, their opponent was a general of the Demon King's army.
That meant the opponent wouldn't be weak.
Relying on the stat boosts from his god-class profession, combined with the tripled enhancement effect from Magic Release, he couldn't help but wonder just how powerful he currently was in battle.
Shirakawa found himself growing curious.
He shook his head lightly and said in a relaxed tone, "Since the Demon King's general has come right to us, this is the perfect chance to test our strength."
"Let's make him the first target our party defeats!"
If you dare to come, we'll make sure you leave in utter defeat.
Coming to the world of Konosuba, things were really starting to look up.
Without hesitation, he decisively led the female members of his adventuring party toward Axel's city gate, where many adventurers had already gathered.
The sense of unity was strong.
And in the distance, appearing in Shirakawa's line of sight—
Was a Demon King army general dressed in black armor, riding a black horse with a red mane, holding his own head in his hand. His eyes burned with intense resentment as he looked at the gathered adventurers.
The Headless Knight, Beldia, finally lost his patience and roared angrily.
"Every day! Every day! Boom! Boom! Who the hell are the idiots blowing up my castle?!"
"..."
Hearing this helpless rant, Shirakawa turned to Megumin beside him, just as he was about to say something—
A notification from the Dimensional Chat Group rang in his ears.
[World plot detected. Would you like to start a livestream?]