As the Lutea River drew near, the air grew gradually damp. The grass along the riverbank was lush and green, and the breeze felt pleasant enough whenever it blew. ……Normally, anyway. "[serious]Let me confirm the quest details one more time," Kazuma Azuma unfolded the parchment he held in his hand. It was the one the receptionist Luna from the Axel Adventurer's Guild had handed him at the counter, and the contents were as follows: 'Lutea River South Bank—Giant Toad Infestation Extermination Request. Danger Level: Low. Reward: 5,000 Eris per toad defeated. Recommended Party Size: 2 or more' Low danger level. Those two words had never looked so reassuring. Not the Demon King's army. Not Dullahan-class monsters. Just frogs. Giant three-meter-long frogs, but frogs nonetheless. Their movements were sluggish too. Today was supposed to go smoothly—complete the quest, collect the reward, eat Lutea River trout set for dinner, and call it a day. That was the plan. "[excited]Giant Toads! I want to try using Sacred Breakthrough on water-attribute attacks even without undead targets!" Ruri shook her silver bob-cut hair as she leaned forward eagerly. The small freckles around her mouth were, well, quite visible. Her pale blue eyes sparkled. Sacred Breakthrough was a water-attribute purification spell used by Axis Church clerics. The formal incantation took ten seconds, and the MP consumption was moderate. It was a genuinely reliable spell against undead and curses. ……Except for the problem that it frequently backfired when Ruri used it. "[serious]Give it your best shot. Just make sure you recite it carefully," "[excited]Yes! Leave it to me!" Ruri clenched her fist with determination. Her motivation was at maximum. Behind them, a caster with deep crimson long hair, red magical eyes, and a height of 148 centimeters laughed with a "hmph." "[serious]It seems I won't have much to do today. For Giant Toads of this caliber, Ruri's magic should be more than sufficient," "[sarcastic]Don't you dare take that back later," Darkness with golden long hair in full armor declared "I shall take the front line" with dignified composure, while Aqua with blue long hair followed along, saying "As the goddess of water, I'm bound to receive divine protection near a river" with inexplicably confident reasoning. The party arrived at the riverbank. --- What came into view was, by rough count, over thirty Giant Toads. Massive frogs with mottled green and brown patterns were lined up along the riverbank—not exactly in neat rows, but there were certainly a lot of them. They moved sluggishly and croaked with low, rumbling calls. "[serious]……That's quite a lot," "[serious]The quest notice did say 'infestation,'" "[excited]No problem! This is where I come in handy!" Ruri stepped forward and began her incantation. "Sacred Breakthrough……" Her voice was calm. First incantation phrase, second incantation phrase, careful, careful—and then on the third phrase, Ruri's mouth caught just slightly. A single moment of hesitation. Dogooon. Murky water-attribute magical power spread across the river's surface, and a vague ripple expanded in all directions. Something was wrong. Ruri started to say, "Ah, wait……?" The next instant. All thirty Giant Toads moved at once. They all turned in the same direction. And launched a charge straight at Aqua. "[scared]Why!? Why only me!?" Aqua screamed and bolted down the riverbank at full speed. Water splashed. Toads jumped. More toads jumped. And more toads jumped. "[serious]I'll shield you!" Darkness spread both arms wide and threw herself into the toad swarm. The first one opened its massive mouth and—swallowed Darkness whole, armor and all. "[gentle]……Ah," Armor included. Pop. Kazuma was momentarily speechless. "[serious]The numbers are significant……This calls for explosion magic," Megumin's lips curled into a grin as she readied her staff. "[angry]Don't cast it near the water! The splash will drown us all!" "[sarcastic]You worry about such trivial details," "[angry]That's not trivial!" While Kazuma held his head in his hands, Ruri kept apologizing in confusion—"I-I'm sorry, why did it backfire……!"—Aqua screamed "Someone help me, goddess!!" as she was chased by toads, and Darkness, swallowed inside a toad's belly, let out an enraptured voice saying "Once more……" It was chaos. Complete chaos. Then, one of the toads suddenly turned toward Ruri. It stopped chasing Aqua and leaped toward Ruri, who stood there dazed. Kazuma moved before his mind could catch up. When he realized it, he'd already thrown himself in front of Ruri. Dosshaa. He took the toad's charge head-on, and both of them tumbled into the river's shallows. Cold water crashed against his body, and his hands sank into the muddy bottom. He nearly shoved his face into the muck before managing to push himself up. His vision swayed. Ruri's face was right in front of him. Close. Very close. Her wet silver bangs clung to her cheek, and her pale blue eyes looked straight at Kazuma. Covered in mud, soaking wet, and yet. "[gentle]……A-Are you alright?" Ruri asked in a small voice. For some reason, Kazuma couldn't answer. Two, three seconds passed. An awkward silence hung between them. "[sarcastic]I'd like to say 'you're one to talk,' but——" At that very moment, Megumin's triumphant declaration rang out from the riverbank. "[excited]Explosion Detonation!!" Dooooooon!! The blast engulfed the remaining toad swarm and tore across the river's surface, and a massive spray of water hit both of them directly. The same cold as before came down on them, this time from above. Kazuma's face plunged into the mud, and he became thoroughly drenched. --- By the time the sun began to set, the quest was barely completed. Everyone lay sprawled and battered on the riverbank. Kazuma stared up at the sky. The sunset was orange, and the river's water reflected it in rippling waves. It was beautiful, he supposed. But with his entire body caked in mud and water, he couldn't appreciate it sincerely. "[crying]My dignity was eaten by the toads," Aqua lay sprawled in the grass, crying. Her hair was a complete mess. "[gentle]……I was swallowed three times. It was magnificent," Darkness gazed into the distance with a blissful smile. Her armor was dented. "[excited]My explosion magic defeated ninety-three toads in a single blast. A perfect result, if I do say so," Megumin, despite being completely out of MP and unable to stand, wore a smug expression. Kazuma muttered to himself alone. "And whose fault was it that we got thrown in the river before this 'perfect result'?" There was no answer. Everyone had reached their limit. By the time they'd set up camp and started a fire, Kazuma noticed something. Ruri alone sat at the edge of the circle, hugging her knees, staring into the flames. She didn't join in the chaos of the other three, just gazed blankly at the flickering fire. Kazuma hesitated for a moment, then approached her. "[serious]You hurt or something?" "[gentle]No, I'm fine," Ruri shook her head. She'd wiped off the mud, but the edges of her clothes were still damp. After a pause, Ruri spoke softly. "[whispers]……Um, can I tell you about my time in Kalsaad?" By then, Aqua, Darkness, and Megumin had all fallen asleep. Megumin lay beside the fire, still out of MP, while Aqua and Darkness were in the tent. When he looked around, only the two of them remained before the fire. Kazuma sat down on the grass. He didn't say "I'm listening," but he didn't move away either. Ruri began to speak. Her voice was quiet. She had spent three years in the training monastery behind the Axis Grand Cathedral in Kalsaad—a place where about thirty apprentice clerics lived communally. In the first year, she was scolded often. Every time she mispronounced the purification spell's incantation, the senior clerics gave her harsh words. "That's shameful for an apprentice." "You have no talent." "You backfired again." More than the words themselves, the accumulation of hearing them repeatedly wore on her, bit by bit. Her fellow apprentices gradually began to distance themselves. When she tried to practice together, they'd find reasons to decline. In the dining hall, her greetings were met with short replies. She still didn't know if there was malice behind it. She just knew that for three years, she was left out of the circle. "[whispers]Every night, I practiced the incantation alone. In an empty courtyard, I'd fail, and start over from the beginning," Ruri's voice wavered slightly. Her eyes grew red and watery. "[whispers]I thought that was normal. That it was my fault for not being good enough," Kazuma listened silently. "[gentle]……When that commotion happened in Kalsaad, Kazuma grabbed my hand and pulled me along, didn't you?" Kazuma remembered. That incident involving the Axis Church. In the confusion of the crowd, Ruri had frozen, so without thinking, he'd pulled her along. That was truly all it was. "[gentle]That was the first time I thought……I wanted to be by your side," Ruri said it softly, still looking at the fire. Kazuma's response came a beat too late. "[sarcastic]……I didn't do anything special," He said it while looking away. For some reason, he couldn't face her directly. He'd never experienced someone saying something so straightforward to him before. There weren't many people who could say such things face-to-face. At least not in Kazuma's circle. Aqua only talked about herself, Megumin only thought about explosion magic, and Darkness was……well, Darkness was Darkness. Ruri was someone who spoke the truth. That fact lodged itself in his chest in a strange way. --- When the fire had burned down to embers, Aqua suddenly sat up in the tent. "[angry]Hey Kazuma! Who's more important—me or Ruri? Answer honestly!" Why was she asking that now? "[sarcastic]Go back to sleep," "[gentle]……Please choose me as punishment……" Darkness crawled out of the tent, half-awake, dragging her blanket. "[serious]In situations like this, explosion magic is the fairest way to settle things," Megumin sat up, and despite being out of MP, she was fully prepared to ready her staff. "[angry]All of you, go to sleep!!" Kazuma grabbed Aqua by the scruff of her neck and shoved her back into the tent, scooped up Megumin and tossed her in, and pushed Darkness in with his shoulder. The complaints and screams of all three gradually faded into silence. The campsite fell quiet again. Ruri had returned to the tent at some point. Kazuma sat back down before the fire, alone. The far bank of the Lutea River was faintly visible in the moonlight. The sound of water flowed quietly. In the distance, something like an owl called. After a while, a small voice drifted from inside the tent. It was Ruri's practice incantation. A careful, quiet voice. As if confirming each word. The edge of the tent glowed faintly. "[surprised]Ah……I did it again," Another backfire. The small light faded away. The practice voice began again. Kazuma sighed. The fire burned on, red and slow. Fragments of Ruri's words circled in his head. I wanted to be by your side. (……This might be bad.) Kazuma thought vaguely as he stared at the flames that continued to burn, unable to look away.