God's Blessing on This Wonderful World! - Megumin's If -
After defeating the Demon King, Kazuma and his party live peacefully in Axel. But Megumin, who should have returned to the Crimson Demon Village, is now freeloading at Kazuma's house. She ran away from home, breaking the village's law. She seriously demands Kazuma to marry her. Kazuma refuses, but Megumin keeps blowing up his house with her Explosion magic, claiming it's proof of her love. Darkness understands Megumin's feelings, while Aqua strongly opposes because her drinking money will decrea
God's Blessing on This Wonderful World! - Megumin's If - - Crimson Vow - You Finally Told Me Your True Feelings in the Light of Explosion -
The cold morning air seeped into the stone walls of the village chief's manor.
Kazuma sat on the hard floor, gazing at the pale light filtering through the window. Mornings in the Crimson Demon Mountains were far quieter than in Axel, and far colder. His breath misted white and vanished.
(So today's the day we settle this.)
He traced the old scar on the back of his right hand with his thumb. The wound from when he'd defeated the Demon King. That morning had been cold, too.
"Kazuma, good morning."
He turned toward the voice. Megumin stood in the doorway. Her crimson twin-tails were neatly tied, her usual black cloak draped over her shoulders, her red eyes clear. In her hands, she gripped the village's ancestral magic staff, "Friend of Explosions."
Her complexion was a little better than yesterday. But not fully recovered. Faint traces of exhaustion lingered beneath her eyes.
"Yeah, morning. ...Did you sleep?"
"Yes, well enough. But you're the one with dark circles under your eyes, Kazuma. Don't tell me you didn't sleep at all?"
She peered at his face, a flicker of worry in her expression.
"Never could sleep the night before something important. Been like that since I was a kid. ...Anyway, what about breakfast?"
As he stood, light footsteps pattered down the hallway.
"Kazuma big brother, big sister! Breakfast's ready! Yunyun big sister made super delicious porridge!"
Komekko burst in, her red bob bouncing, clutching her usual stuffed toy tightly in both arms. Her innocent smile was so bright it was hard to believe a final negotiation with the village chief awaited them.
"Komekko, I've told you time and again not to run in the hallways."
"Ehehe, but I'm hungry!"
Megumin sighed, but the corner of her mouth softened just a little.
When they reached the dining hall, Yunyun was setting the table. Her brownish-red hair was tied back in a single ponytail today. The apron suited her surprisingly well.
"Kazuma, good morning. ...Um, I'm not sure if it'll suit your taste, but it's wild vegetable porridge. It'll warm you up."
She held out a steaming bowl, looking a little embarrassed.
"Oh, looks good. Thanks."
He took a sip, and the aroma of wild vegetables and gentle salt spread across his tongue. It seeped warmly into his chilled body.
"...This is good. Yunyun, you've gotten better at cooking."
"R-really?! Ehehe, I practiced a bit while I was in the village. ...I'm happy you said it's delicious, Kazuma."
She blushed, fidgeting with her fingers.
"Yunyun, when did you find time to practice like that? ...Kazuma, next time I'll make something with all my skill. I'll heat it instantly with Explosion Magic."
"Don't! You'll turn the porridge to charcoal!"
"Oh, leave the heat adjustment to me. ...Probably."
"You said 'probably.' Just now. Absolutely not."
Soft laughter echoed through the dining hall.
Then the heavy door creaked open.
Everyone's gaze turned to the entrance at once.
It was the village chief. An old woman with white hair tied back, dressed in the formal robes of the Crimson Demon clan. Her spine was so straight it belied her age.
"...Forgive me for interrupting your meal. But it's time. Come to the great hall."
Her voice was quiet. But within that quietness lay a weight that brooked no argument.
Kazuma set down his bowl.
"...Let's go."
The great hall was as cold as it had been yesterday.
Murals carved into the stone walls chronicled the history of the Crimson Demon clan. Twelve hundred years ago, the clan's ancestor Megrina had sealed the Demon King with Explosion Magic. Below them, the village chief sat in a chair positioned like a throne.
Kazuma and the others stood before her.
Megumin stepped forward.
"Village Chief. ...What is it you wished to discuss?"
Her voice did not waver.
The village chief gazed at Megumin's face for a long moment. Her face was deeply lined. Her red eyes reflected the image of her granddaughter.
"...Megumin. At tomorrow's ritual, we will attempt to stabilize the seal. And afterward, you will remain in the village. As heir, you will spend your life protecting the seal with Explosion Magic."
Her words sounded like the reading of a verdict.
"...I'm to remain in the village?"
"Yes. According to the Blood Covenant, the heir remains in the village and guards the seal. This has been the law of the Crimson Demon clan for twelve hundred years. As your grandmother and as village chief, there is no other path."
Then Kazuma stepped forward.
"Hold on, granny."
The village chief's gaze shifted to him.
"What is it, boy?"
"There's no need to chain the heir to the village. If she keeps casting Explosion Magic outside, the seal can be maintained. There has to be a way."
His voice was calm. But his eyes looked straight at the village chief.
"...What are you saying? The power of Explosion Magic is maximized only in a land filled with the village's magical energy. Cast outside, its power to stabilize the seal is halved. And the law is the law. In twelve hundred years, not one person has broken it."
"Then I'll be the first. ...Listen, granny. Your granddaughter isn't a tool. She's a fourteen-year-old girl. Locking her away in these mountains for life—for the village, for the seal, for the law—that's wrong."
At his words, the village chief's brow twitched.
"...Boy, what do you know? An outsider who knows nothing of the Crimson Demon clan's fate."
"Yeah, I don't know. Who cares about your clan's fate? But I do know this—what her face looks like when she casts Explosion Magic. How she laughs when she's beside me. ...I won't let some village law take that away."
He clenched his right fist.
"...Kazuma."
She called his name softly.
After a long silence, the village chief slowly spoke.
"...Then prove it. That your method can stabilize the seal. Today, we will perform the ritual at the altar. If the seal stabilizes, I will make a special exception allowing Megumin to operate outside the village. ...But if you fail, my granddaughter returns to the village. This is my final notice as village chief."
"...Fine by me. I'll do it."
He met the village chief's eyes without flinching.
The air in the great hall grew taut.
But within that tension, something had undeniably begun to move.
The path to the sealing altar led deep into the Crimson Demon Mountains.
Red-stained rock faces pressed in from both sides. The footing was treacherous gravel. Occasionally a cold wind swept through, swaying Megumin's twin-tails.
"Kazuma big brother."
Komekko trotted up beside him, clutching her stuffed toy, keeping pace at a small run.
"Hm? What is it, Komekko?"
"Um, I wanna tell you about big sister."
She gazed at Megumin's back ahead of them and spoke in a small voice.
"Big sister, you know, she's always tried to carry everything alone. Her training in the village, her Explosion Magic practice—all of it, alone. ...But really, she gets super lonely."
"...Is that so?"
"Yeah. When she was little, she used to cry alone at night. I saw her. Big sister kept whispering, 'I have to be strong,' over and over. ...Because the village chief was so strict with her."
Her voice trembled slightly.
"You're the same, aren't you?"
He said it quietly.
"...Huh?"
She looked up.
"You're also trying to carry everything alone. Your mission as a pursuer, your feelings for your sister—all of it, alone. ...Am I wrong?"
Komekko stared at his face for a while.
Then she murmured softly.
"...I just wanted to be like big sister. Strong, cool, someone everyone relies on. ...So when the village chief told me, 'Your Explosion Magic will surpass your sister's,' I was so happy. ...But I was wrong. I was just chasing after her. ...When big sister left the village, I was really lonely. Maybe I came as a pursuer because I wanted to see her."
She hugged her stuffed toy tight.
"...Komekko."
He placed his hand gently on her head.
"You're you. Not a replacement for your sister, not a copy. ...That's enough."
Feeling the warmth of his hand, Komekko nodded.
Yunyun had been listening from a little behind.
(I came this far because I wanted to be like Megumin, too.)
She gazed at Megumin's back ahead.
(Megumin's always one step ahead of me. In Explosion Magic, and in her feelings for Kazuma. ...But I don't want to lose either. I want to help Kazuma in my own way.)
She clenched her fist quietly.
The altar lay in the deepest part of the Crimson Demon Mountains.
Passing through the entrance of a vast cavern, they found themselves in what felt like another world.
The ceiling soared high, and magical circuits glowing red were carved across every wall. Their light bathed the entire cavern in an eerie crimson.
"...So this is the sealing altar."
He caught his breath.
At the center of the cavern stood a massive pedestal. Above it floated a cracked crystal. At its core, a red light pulsed like a heartbeat.
"That is the core of the Demon King's seal. Twelve hundred years ago, our ancestors sealed the Demon King's remnant here with Explosion Magic."
She stood before the pedestal.
"...The seal's weakening is severe. Look at the cracks in the crystal. At this rate, the sealed magic will eventually leak out."
Where she pointed, red light flickered through the crystal's fractures.
"Now, we begin. Megumin, onto the pedestal."
"...Yes."
Gripping "Friend of Explosions," she walked to the pedestal.
"Kazuma. ...Please watch. My finest Explosion Magic."
She turned and smiled at him.
"Yeah. ...Don't push yourself too hard."
He nodded.
Megumin stood atop the pedestal and raised her staff.
"My name is Megumin. The Crimson Demon clan's foremost Explosion Magic user. ...Core of the seal, receive my magic and calm your weakening."
She began her incantation.
"Crimson flame, abyss of principle. Shatter all creation, scorch heaven and earth—the ultimate strike: Explosion!"
Crimson magic overflowed from her entire body.
A blinding light gathered at the tip of her staff.
BOOOOOOM!!!
The Explosion Magic surged toward the crystal.
The entire cavern was engulfed in crimson light.
But—
The crystal's cracks did not close in the slightest.
If anything, they seemed to widen further.
"...Ngh... ahh..."
She collapsed on the spot, her magic utterly spent, unable to remain standing.
"Megumin!"
He started to run to her.
"...It's not enough. As I thought, Megumin's magic alone cannot suppress the seal's weakening."
Her voice rang out coldly.
"...It's not enough. As I thought, she must remain in the village. ...Megumin, you will continue your training here to strengthen the seal's power."
Then—
"I'll cast too!"
Komekko darted forward.
"Komekko?! What are you saying?! Your Explosion Magic isn't controlled yet—"
"If you can't cast it alone, big sister, I'll cast beside you! That's all!"
She stood next to Megumin.
"I'll help too! With the advanced spell 'Crimson Guidance,' I can synchronize both of your magical energies! This way, the power of your two Explosion Magics can be more than doubled!"
Yunyun stepped forward as well.
"Then I shall raise the barrier! As a Crusader, this Darkness will protect the altar!"
At some point, Darkness had appeared at the cavern entrance. Her long blonde hair shimmered gold in the crimson light.
"...When did you even get here?"
"Kazuma, how cruel to leave me behind. ...But this is precisely when I'm needed. This pain—I can't resist it! Now, Kazuma, give me the agonizing task of raising the barrier—"
"Yeah, yeah, thanks. Just hurry up and cast it."
He brushed off her masochistic rambling.
"...Can't be helped. I'll help too, as a goddess. I just need to keep healing Megumin's mana sickness, right?"
Aqua stood beside Megumin, her long light-blue hair swaying in the cavern's air.
"Aqua, you haven't been drinking, have you?"
"How rude! What do you take a goddess for?! I haven't had a single drop today!"
"You said 'today.' ...Whatever, I'm counting on you."
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