Chapter 201: I Have a Bold Idea
Although his time with Freya was short, that Goddess of Beauty, in both her personality and her style, had a strong personal flair.
Willful, free, and domineering.
Moreover, as a god with hundreds of millions of years of experience, she was not only experienced but also exceptionally intelligent. If one was not careful, one would be led by the nose and fall into a trap she had set.
"...And that's what happened after I met the Goddess of Beauty."
"Oooooooh!!!"
Kobayashi was now back in the world of Konosuba, and at Kazuma's constant request, he was recounting the events of the past few days.
And as the storyteller gave his vivid speech, Kazuma also began to clap excitedly.
"That goddess is so domineering! To actually wave her hand and buy all the slaves, just for one slave girl! And because they had nowhere to live, she also bought the most luxurious castle! That goddess... she's just too rich!" Kazuma sighed, and at the same time, his eyes were hazy, as if he were fantasizing about Freya's magnificent presence.
But Kobayashi heard a "Rich lady, feed me, I'm hungry" tone, begging to be kept.
Don't tell me he wants to be noticed by her and receive her favor too?
He wasn't deliberately belittling his fantasizing companion, but with a name like "Scumbag Kazuma," in her eyes, he was probably worse than the sand on the roadside. The chaotic state of his soul alone would probably be enough to cause her physical discomfort.
Given their friendship, he didn't say it.
Aqua, however, didn't indulge him. She laughed sarcastically. "Oh my, you'd better put away those delusions, Mr. Kazuma. Even if you appeared in front of her, she probably wouldn't even see you. Because the light of your soul... is just too small."
With that, she even made a certain hand gesture.
The one for a "tiny penis."
Kazuma looked speechlessly at Aqua, who had a look of resistance, but for once, he didn't bicker with her. Instead, he sighed. "Although she's a bit of a flirt, their goddess is domineering and reliable. On the other hand, our goddess..."
"Wait! What do you mean by that, Kazuma? Are you trying to pick a fight?!" Aqua rolled up her sleeves, ready to reason with him.
"Then tell me! Besides those useless party tricks, what else do you have? Go on, say it!"
"Huh?! Have you forgotten that every time you die, I'm the one who uses my goddess privilege to resurrect you?!"
"And who's the main culprit for me dying in the first place, you useless goddess who's always dragging us down!"
"Ngh... ngh...!"
Aqua was being cursed out by the enraged Kazuma. Her eyes watery and pitiful, she looked at Kobayashi, then uncontrollably pounced into his arms, seeking comfort.
"Are you a child?!"
Kazuma clicked his tongue, annoyed.
"Alright, alright, stop crying," he said, stopping the goddess who was creating a flood. The front of his clothes was already completely soaked.
But he had to refute one point Kazuma had made.
He stroked her head and said, "I'm still more relaxed when I'm with Aqua."
"...Eh? Really?" she raised her small, teary-eyed head and asked, uncertain.
Under their puzzled expressions, he explained, "Ah, really. Because that goddess is too smart."
Hearing him say this, she was just about to smile through her tears, but Kazuma beat her to it with a backstab, mocking her, "What senpai means is that you're too stupid, so being with you is more relaxing."
"Wh...!"
She pouted, once again looking as if she were about to cry.
He secretly shot Kazuma a glare.
Even if it's the truth, you can't just say it so bluntly!
Compared to Aqua, Freya was indeed very smart. Unlike him, who had used an ability to cheat and see Ari's true identity, she had deduced it through clues and her own intelligence. If she hadn't been quick-witted and experienced, it would have been impossible to guess in such a short time.
And, at the end, when she was giving him the Falna, she had even deliberately dug a pit for him. If he hadn't subconsciously stepped into it, he might have aroused her suspicion, and she might have discovered something.
"By the way..."
Kazuma's words interrupted his thoughts, attracting his and Aqua's attention.
Then he tapped his chin with his index finger and suddenly asked with great interest, "Freya is the Goddess of Beauty from mythology, right? Then she must be very beautiful! Is she even prettier than this useless goddess Aqua?"
For some reason, whenever a god was involved, Kazuma liked to compare them to her.
It had been the same with Eris, and now with Freya.
"Hmph hmph hmph, I see you don't understand, you idiot Kazuma." She suddenly puffed out her chest proudly, her hand on her chest as if introducing herself. She said smugly, "I am a goddess! The Goddess of Water and Wisdom, Aqua! In the heavens, even my appearance is ranked among the top! The Goddess of Beauty or whatever... she can't possibly be prettier than me!"
"Mmm... what's the verdict, Kobayashi-senpai?" Kazuma was still very curious.
The two of them looked at him at the same time.
"Well..."
He pinched his chin, and after a brief thought, said, "If we're talking about beauty, Freya probably has the upper hand."
"Wh...!"
"Haha, I knew it!"
Aqua's mouth pouted, looking as if she were about to cry again, while Kazuma laughed like a victorious general.
"Wait, wait!"
He held up his hand, and to prevent them from misunderstanding, explained, "Actually, in terms of appearance alone, their beauty is on par with each other."
"Then..."
"Freya is the Goddess of Beauty. Her divinity carries 'Beauty.' That kind of bewitching beauty can even captivate the gods!"
"Huh?"
"The first time I met her, I was almost captivated by her beauty."
"No way?!"
Kazuma cried out in surprise.
Remembering what had happened when he first met her, he still felt a chill down his spine.
Because she found it interesting, she had used her charm on him, wanting to see through his soul. If it wasn't for Aqua's blue crystal necklace, he would have surely become her captive. That was why he had said that, compared to her, he preferred to be with Aqua.
"That's right. Compared to Freya, I prefer to be with Aqua."
To put the idiot goddess at ease, he said this with some shyness.
It felt a bit like a confession.
But she, on the other hand, had no such thoughts. She just simply felt that he had chosen her between the two goddesses, and then she smiled through her tears, and happily pounced into his arms again.
"W-wait! Snot! You're getting snot on my clothes!"
It would have been better if she hadn't been crying, and if her actions of rubbing all over him hadn't been so unbecoming of a goddess.
"But it wasn't a total loss this time," he said, and took out the parchment scroll she had given him.
On it was the essence of the Falna. It was the power that the gods bestowed upon mortals, using their divine blood as a medium, to engrave on their bodies to enhance their abilities.
"Here."
He handed it to her.
Among the three of them, only she, the goddess from the divine realm, could understand the stuff on it. He and Kazuma were completely useless.
"These words... are so strange. I've never seen them before. And there's a little bit of divinity on them. It doesn't look simple... Give me some time. I'll figure it out."
She took it and, like a magic trick, put it away.
"Wait, Aqua. I remember you can make things disappear... don't tell me..."
"How could I!"
Kazuma's question made her angry.
Then, his eyes blurred, and the parchment scroll she had given him appeared in her hand again.
It seemed she hadn't made it disappear.
Kazuma, afraid that she would mess up again, reminded her, "This is something Kobayashi-senpai worked hard to bring back. You'd better take good care of it. Do you hear me, you idiot Aqua!"
"You idiot Kazuma! You don't have to tell me, I know! The stuff on here... it might be the key to expanding my believers! How could I possibly lose it?" she said, laughing as she put the scroll away.
—The Falna.
Although it couldn't make a person stronger, it gave the person who received it a chance to become stronger.
For some people, to be able to excavate their own potential and thus become stronger than others was very attractive. Aqua probably also wanted to decipher the scroll and then use the Falna to attract more believers.
To be honest, he somewhat regretted giving the scroll to her.
It was understandable that she would want to expand her believers. But the problem was that her believers were the Axis Order members, who were feared by everyone. Those brain-damaged, mobile natural disasters were far more terrifying than the Demon King's army.
If they obtained even greater power, it was hard to say what kind of outrageous things they would do.
I hope the world will be okay. Amen... Aqua!
"Falna, huh?" Kazuma was also a little expectant. But more importantly: "Kobayashi-senpai, you said you were taken down in one move. Is that true?"
"Ah, it's true."
He didn't hide the fact that he had been defeated.
There was nothing more convincing than his own experience, even if it was a little embarrassing.
"LV7, the 'Boar' Ottar. He's the strongest person I've ever met. That's right. Even stronger than Esdeath!"
(This was on the premise that the Ice Queen didn't use her time-freezing skill.)
Even now, he could still remember the pressure Ottar had put on him. From his appearance, to their exchange, to his departure... that indifferent expression and tone were so damn cool. He had been completely overshadowed.
"It's a good thing he didn't have any ill intentions. Otherwise, you might not have come back alive, senpai," he said, also looking a little worried.
RyuZU, who had been listening from the side, on the contrary, did not agree. She retorted, "Master Satou, have you forgotten about me? I must admit, that humanoid pig's strength is very great. Even ten of you, Master Kobayashi, might not be able to defeat him. But for me, it is no problem at all. Of course, even if I cannot defeat him, I can still retreat with you, Master."
"...Oh. Sorry, Miss RyuZU. I forgot about you."
Kazuma nodded.
He knew of her abilities.
To be able to move in imaginary space, and for as long as half an hour... no enemy could harm her.
She was in an invincible position from the very beginning.
This is bad! Tears of jealousy are about to flow from the corners of my mouth!
He was very envious of her as an automaton. But he was a "pure love" warrior. He would absolutely not make a move on his senpai's woman! Not even an automaton!
"Well, the key is that he had no ill intentions, right?"
"What?"
"He was actually following Freya's orders to come and 'guide' me in combat."
He explained.
Her first "reward" had been to have Ottar, who was also a warrior, give him special training in combat.
To be "guided" by the strongest in Orario... even if it was just once, it was enough for a low-level person to gain a lot of experience.
He was the same.
After fighting him, he had a new direction for combat, even if it was a reminder given by him and RyuZU.
"In other words, you're not going to be a swordsman anymore, senpai?"
"That's right."
"Er..."
Kazuma's mouth opened, but no words came out.
He asked curiously, "What's wrong, Kazuma-kun? You have that 'I really want to complain, but I don't know how' look on your face. It's fine. If you have something to say, you can say it."
"No, it's nothing. I was just thinking of the time when you fooled me into becoming an archer, senpai. So I was wondering if that powerhouse named Ottar was also fooling you," Kazuma said. His words made him a little embarrassed.
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"
He waved his hands, loudly denying it.
The key was, Ottar was right. After his fingers had fused with [Perfector], their flexibility was indeed top-notch.
In front of the two of them, he held out his hands, and his fingers began to move rapidly.
His ten fingers intertwined, and in a very small area, they created an afterimage. They were indeed incomparably flexible.
But to be honest, it was a little disgusting.
Kazuma even said, "Senpai, you'd better not do that in front of a girl."
"Why?" he asked in return.
"Because you'll be treated as a pervert."
"Er..."
He remembered that, back when Kazuma had used a trick to defeat Mitsurugi and steal his magic sword, and the two female adventurers who had been with him had come to demand it back, Kazuma had made strange hand gestures at them.
For this, he had even been arrested by the guards on the charge of harassing female adventurers and had been taken to the prison for interrogation.
It seemed that incident had left him with a certain amount of psychological trauma.
Aqua, on the other hand, mocked, "Don't be silly, lecherous Kazuma! Kobayashi is not like you! Even if his fingers are flexible, he won't go and harass girls!"
...No, I actually did have that thought at the time.
When Ottar had told him to play to his fingers' flexibility, he had complained about whether he should learn from a certain Eagle, and rely on his hand speed to give the enemy an intense sense of excitement in a short time and then make them pass out from pleasure.
It was just that he had given up on that later.
"Hey, Aqua! Are you playing favorites! Why is it that when I'm a little flexible with my fingers, I'm misunderstood, but senpai isn't?!"
"Huh?! Isn't that the case? If you had such nimble hands, you would definitely do bad things with them! Because you're that kind of person, lecherous Kazuma!"
"Th-that is..."
Kazuma turned his head away, not daring to look at her.
Indeed. If he had this ability, he really might go and do some bad things.
"Ahem," Kazuma quickly changed the subject. "Senpai, since you're changing, do you have a direction to play to your fingers' dexterity?"
"Ah, I have a bold idea!"
The corners of his mouth turned up, and his smile inexplicably carried a hint of sleaziness.
Kazuma and Aqua both had a feeling that something was not right.
(End of Chapter)