The Infinite Journey of a Certain Flame

[Friendly Reminder: This mission aligns with the duties of an acting leader of an adventure party, namely protecting party members from the threat of death. We recommend that you accept and execute this mission.]

Looking at the mission description that appeared on the semi-transparent panel, Kiana clearly sensed that something was wrong.

Wasn't the original introduction quite long?

Why was it replaced?

"Huh? Why has the mission description changed? Is this what you really think, System?"

Perhaps because she was angry, no matter how Kiana called out, the system did not respond.

It seems like it has returned to the past?

Kiana found the result both amusing and speechless.

Was this system really that sensitive? That's strange.

After internally criticizing the system, Kiana slowly turned around and looked at her captain and Shin.

At this moment, he was standing with his arms crossed and head down, looking extremely unwilling.

His cheeks were slightly sunken, and he looked listless.

It's truly intriguing to wonder what kind of inhuman treatment he's endured these past few days to have become like this...

"Phew, Commander Kazuma, what do you want to do next...?"

"Hello—hello!"

Just as Kiana was about to ask Kazuma about his next plans, a familiar female voice suddenly came from afar.

Looking in the direction from which the sound came, Kiana saw a blue-haired goddess hurrying toward her with two companions.

It was already getting late.

In the afterglow of dusk, the three women, each with their own distinct style, looked so beautiful.

certainly...

After spending some time together, Kiana understood very well.

The key to their beauty is that they don't speak.

"Hey! You three, you're so slow! Only arriving at a time like this!"

Kazuma stood with his arms crossed and back bent, looking at the three of them with an impatient expression, and complained to Aqua, who had been yelling earlier:

"You idiot goddess, did you come all this way just to laugh at me?"

"Ara ara~~~ Isn't this Kazuma? Haven't seen you for days, so you got lured away by those demon brats? Oh ho ho, how cute~"

As if to confirm what the person involved said, Akiya made sarcastic remarks to Kazuma after seeing him.

She had an air of "I'm going to make you laugh to death today."

After being mocked, Kazuma fearlessly retorted:

"What?! You have a problem with that?! You stupid goddess!"

"You idiot, who are you calling an idiot? Only an idiot would call someone else an idiot!"

The two of them started arguing, one sentence after another.

Kiana felt a bit troubled watching her two teammates argue in the street.

"This is so troublesome... I can't keep going like this."

【Host.】

"Hmm? What's wrong?"

[Your teammate seems to have something to say to you, right next to you.]

Upon hearing the system notification, Kiana noticed that Megumin had somehow appeared beside her, staff in hand, looking preoccupied...

A Certain Infernal Affairs in Another World (Konosuba): Chapter Thirteen: The Ghosts in the Haunted House: "Don't come any closer!"

Megumin is the foremost genius magician of the Crimson Demon Clan.

An indispensable member of the team.

It can use extremely destructive explosive magic, powerful enough to defeat a Demon King's army officer in one blow.

He claims to love explosive magic and feels he has to use it every day to feel good.

However, her current magic reserves seem to only be enough to sustain one use per day, and after that, she will be completely drained of magic and unable to move.

What's most puzzling is that this top-notch magical genius doesn't know any magic other than explosion magic, and what's more, he hates anything that can explode except for explosion magic?

"I initially thought she was a slightly more normal team member, but now it seems... she's about the same level as Aqua?"

With that thought in mind, Kiana glanced sideways at the red-eyed, chuunibyou (delusional) magician.

She belongs to the Crimson Demon race, a race known for its chuunibyou (delusional) tendencies. She possesses three main characteristics: red eyes, a chuunibyou-esque thought process, and a strange name.

He has a volatile and easily angered temper and is known as Axel's most prolific fighter. He particularly dislikes people having opinions about his name and will even go so far as to make children who laugh at his name cry.

Because he frequently uses explosion magic regardless of the occasion or atmosphere, he is often regarded by the people of Axel as someone with a problem in his head.

He has some sadistic tendencies and enjoys teasing his friends. However, he also possesses a gentle side, is prone to sulking and tantrums, and values...

"System, didn't you tell me these things before?"

Does it exist?

"Yes! When we first met them, you kept nagging on and on, I was so tired of hearing it!"

"...Then consider this my way of helping you remember it better."

The system stopped speaking after it finished, seemingly still sulking.

Kiana's reaction to it was both funny and indescribable.

She smiled helplessly, then bent down and squatted on the ground, asking Huihui with a calm smile:

"What's wrong? Is something the matter?"

"Huh? Oh!"

Seemingly surprised that the white-haired girl who had become the captain so inexplicably would suddenly bring her face so close, Huihui took a few steps back in astonishment, revealing a look of utter fright.

It's clear that this little girl seems to...

Are you very afraid of yourself?

That's really strange.

Kiana felt that in such a complex team, she should be considered one of the people she could rely on.

But she looked scared. Did she look...terrifying?

"I don't think so?"

Kiana pinched her pink cheek and asked Megumin:

Do I look scary?

"Huh? What are you talking about? It doesn't make sense."

Megumin seemed quite puzzled by Kiana's question.

Or perhaps it's just irritability.

She stamped her feet, clenched her fists, and asked in an anxious tone:

"Why are you suddenly so close? Are you planning to... treat me the way you treated Aqua?"

"What? How could that be? Why would I be targeting you for no reason?"

"Hmph! You're smart to know what's good for you!"

Huihui patted her trembling knees, then mustered her courage and poured out what she wanted to say:

"...While I was having dinner with Darkness and that idiot, someone suddenly came over and said..."

As she recounted her story in fits and starts, Kiana realized that the owner of a mansion had sent his servants to invite them to stay at his residence.

Not only can you stay for free for a week, but if you want to continue staying after the week, you can rent the mansion at a discounted price.

Since such a good thing had come up, the three of them naturally wouldn't sit idly by and wait for their doom, so they went to the mansion to take a look.

"Aside from looking a bit gloomy, it's a pretty good place to live. Kiana, I think it would be great if we could live there together. Hmph... and then lock me in the basement and whip me—!"

The female knight Darkness rarely spoke seriously, but before she could finish her sentence, the guy was already panting heavily.

Judging from her demeanor, she seems to be hoping to gain...favor?

Kiana sensed something was wrong, looked around at the bustling street, and then immediately changed the subject:

"Okay, okay! I got it!"

"Hey! Master, you're finally going to..."

"What are you guys doing?! You guys are really going to keep this up forever!"

[Host, calm down! Put down your sword, look how scared you've scared your team!]

"Oh, sorry, sorry," Kiana said, snapping out of her daze and realizing she had unconsciously drawn her sword. "How... how did I... do that out of nowhere?"

She was really strange...

Nothing seemed to have happened just now, so why did I draw my sword?

"That's strange, System. You... oh well, you're bound to make fun of me anyway, right?"

Kiana sheathed her sword, smiled at her terrified teammates, and then mentally mocked the system.

She figured that, given this guy's temperament, he'd probably make a joke or two, laughing at her for being so reckless.

However...

[Actually, you don't need to worry about these things too much, host.]

"Huh? Why would you say that?"

This is not the normal world, so your behavior will change to some extent, and the world will not accommodate or tolerate you. You will inevitably have to adapt to it.