You didn't expect this, did you? I've time-traveled again!

"This is all my savings, a total of 10 Eris."

Suoh Takeshi took the money bag, still warm and fragrant, from Wiz's large chest. Looking at Wiz's tearful and pitiful appearance, he sighed and said, "Don't worry, consider this money a loan. I'll return double to you within a month at most."

"Really?"

"Really, after all, I'm not some kind of demon."

'But what you did was worse than the devil!' Wiz didn't dare say those words out loud, afraid that Suoh Takeshi would renege on his promise and not return the money.

"That's settled then. See you next time, Wiz-senpai."

Suoh put away the money pouch, greeted Wiz with a smile, and then left the magic item shop.

I don't want to see you again.

Wiz saw Suoh Takeshi off with tears in his eyes.

After a while, as if she had remembered something, she screamed, "Oh no, I don't even know his name!"

And so, Wiz lent out 10 Eris without knowing the other person's name.

the other side.

Suoh Takeru walked back to the stables with a happy expression, trying to calm his wildly beating heart.

How dare a novice adventurer challenge a top-tier lich?

They really don't take Wiz seriously!

Extortion?

It's only because Wiz was merciful that his head wasn't twisted off.

"They've gotten too big for their britches! But it's all because Wiz was too easy to bully, and he took the opportunity to extort 10 Eris."

However, this can't really be called extortion.

Taking away the money is essentially preventing Wiz from buying bizarre products; it's helping Wiz minimize his losses!

And incidentally, Suoh Takeshi and his two companions also had the initial funds to purchase weapons and armor.

What does "win-win" mean?

That's it!

Suoh Takeshi flicked his money pouch, his lips curling into a wild grin as he laughed loudly:

You'll dare to do it again next time!

Chapter 007 Preparations Before the Adventure

Suoh Takeshi hadn't expected it to be so easy to borrow 10 Eris from Wiz.

In fact, Wiz is quite easy to talk to adventurers from the human faction, as long as they don't mention her age. Suoh Takeshi was also careful about this when he was negotiating with her.

"Here, 10 Eris."

In the evening, Suo Takeshi returned to the stable and opened the money bag, placing it in front of Aqua and Sato Kazuma.

"10 Eris?!" Aqua exclaimed in surprise.

"10 Eris... I know Suoh-senpai is reliable, but to actually borrow 10 Eris..."

Kazuma Sato never expected that Takeshi Suo could borrow such a large sum of money in a single day. Looking at the meager 100 erys he had left after deducting his expenses for bathing, food, and other things...

Kazuma Sato shed tears of hardship, like a working-class man struggling to make ends meet.

"But this comes at a price."

Suoh Takeshi hadn't forgotten his promise to Wiz: "One month from now, you must repay double the amount, which is 20 Eris."

"20 million?!"

"20?!"

The two people who were eyeing the money bag one second ago now kept their distance from it as if it were a hot potato.

"Senior Suoh, this interest rate is even higher than loan sharks! How can we possibly pay it off?"

“Yeah, Wu. If we mess this up, we won’t be able to pay back our meager daily wages…”

The two men's concerns were not unfounded, but Suoh Takeshi also had his own confidence. As a goddess with cheat-like abilities, if he couldn't exchange the money within a month, he might as well not be an adventurer and instead raise pigs in the beginner village.

Even if he didn't have to return the 10 Eris, Suoh Takeshi wouldn't allow any stain on his life.

An honest young man will not fail to repay his debts!

"Don't worry, I have a way to pay you back. We're a goddess and an otherworldly being, a mere 10 Eris, paying you back is a piece of cake!"

On this day, Suoh Takeshi not only borrowed money, but also gathered a lot of information, including the "Cabbage Harvest Season Operation".

In about a month, it will be cabbage season, the kind of cabbage in the original story where one cabbage is worth 10,000 Eris.

Even with just that, you can pay off your debts and even make a fortune.

"Oh, Suoh-senpai is really reliable!"

"That's right, he's the hero I've personally chosen! He's a million times better than that pervert who only knows how to sneak around and do dirty tricks!"

"Hey, you damn goddess!"

Aqua's words clearly hit a nerve with Kazuma Sato, whose words became increasingly rude and aggressive, and he even got into a physical altercation with Aqua.

"S, S! Stop hitting me, listen to me first!"

Suoh Takeshi quickly intervened to break up the fight. Although this was a way for the two to strengthen their relationship, they couldn't waste time on it.

"Hmph, he's clearly telling the truth, both perverted and real!"

Aqua ran up behind Suoh Takeshi and hugged him tightly, pressing her beautiful body against his back.

"A, Ku, Ya!"

Kazuma Sato is about to explode!

"Aqua, calm down. We're comrades, aren't we?"

Suoh Takeshi acted as a mediator, then turned to Sato Kazuma and said, "Sato-kun, you know Aqua's personality, let her go this time."

“Since Suoh-senpai has said so… I’ll let you off this time, Aqua.”

"Humph."

The two of them took a break for a while.

Seriously, this is too noisy.

"Well then, continuing from where we left off, I've gathered quite a bit of information." The three sat together, and Suoh Takeshi recounted the information he had gathered.

"First of all, this town is called Axel, and it's a beginner village quite far from the Demon King's army. Although I really want to complete the quests as soon as possible to get the bounty, buy equipment, and then embark on the adventure to defeat the Demon King, I should first accumulate strength, level up, and improve my equipment and experience before going to defeat the Demon King."

"Suoh-senpai is right, we are still too weak."

Game expert Kazuma Sato understands that before defeating the final Demon Boss, one should improve their own strength as much as possible.

"Secondly, our team cannot be called the Hero Team."

"Huh?"

"Why? Wu Ke is the hero I appointed. Why can't he call himself a hero?"

Aqua was very unhappy.

"Because the reputation of heroes in this world is of varying quality."

"Good...what?"

"A mixture of good and bad is a metaphor for a situation where good and bad people are mixed together and it's difficult to distinguish them." Aqua clearly didn't understand Suoh Takeshi's meaning, but Sato Kazuma explained it to her.

"It's amazing that you knew that, Sato-kun."

Suoh Takeshi praised him and then explained, "Too many people in this world have been brought here by the goddess, and they all call themselves heroes. But because of their selfish desires, most of them have failed to fulfill the duties of heroes and have even disrupted the stability of the world, thus greatly diminishing the prestige of the title of hero."

Suoh Takeshi did not lie to Aqua, and the facts were just as he said.

For example, in the original work, there was a masochistic Mediterranean character with the ability called 'Fantasy Creation'. He created a mobile fortress that could destroy a country, and it is still intact and wandering the continent—even though it was not his own intention.

There are many such people from another world, which has made the title of hero less prestigious.

"Of course, if you want to make a name for yourself, you need to find the right name and positioning for your team. While you can't call yourselves 'heroes,' calling yourselves 'heroes' is perfectly fine."

Although it is a step below the "Hero," at least the "Hero" is a positive image, which is beneficial for building the reputation of the adventure team.

"Well, I don't really care."

"How could this be..."

Kazuma Sato waved his hand dismissively, but Aqua was still somewhat unable to accept it. However, they couldn't let her have her way with her little tantrums at this point.

"One more thing, Aqua, you can no longer call yourself a goddess."

"Huh? Why?!"

If you bring this up, Aqua won't be happy. Can't a goddess call herself that?

Isn't this bullying the honest person?

"Because there are no goddesses descending to the mortal realm in this world. No, there are no goddesses descending to the mortal realm openly and legitimately." Suoh Takeshi thought of Eris from the original work and then changed his words to subtly change the concept.

"We will become powerful, and our name will become famous. What if the Demon King hears of the goddess Aqua's name?"

Suoh Takeshi placed a hand on Aqua's shoulder and said earnestly:

"Aqua, you are the key to defeating the Demon King; your importance is paramount!"

The goddesses, who have never managed the fate of the mortal realm, have chosen to join the human camp. If the Demon King finds out, will he choose to launch a massive attack on the human world in a desperate attempt to destroy everything? These uncertainties must be nipped in the bud.

However, this is also a signal that the Heavenly Realm can no longer sit idly by, otherwise they would not have agreed to Sato Kazuma's absurd and rude request.

—Although it's a comedy novel.

In the original story, it was Aqua's weakening magic that had a huge impact on the Demon King, allowing Kazuma Sato to successfully defeat him.

“That’s right, Aqua should stop calling herself a goddess, even though she doesn’t really look like one.”