8

Chapter 8: Show of Power

Notes:

Magnus: Sorry for the delay, I was experimenting with possible ramifications for Aqua (redeeming her or not) and that affected the chapter.

Disclaimer: I feel like I need to say this again: this is an experimental story, meant to serve as practice for when I make a serious Isekai crossover, which will come as soon as this experiment is over.

Chapter Text

A show of Power

Izuku found himself unable to sleep.

The first few nights he'd spent with Chika and Liza were difficult due to how easily the girls cuddled up to him at night, but he had gotten over it rather quickly. As much as he was a hormonal boy, he saw them as victims of mistreatment, and wouldn't dare to even have lewd thoughts about them; at least not until they were mentally healthy and were pretty clear on their interest.

Then he had noticed that the bed and the covers were getting uncomfortable.

At first he chalked up this feeling to the fact that he finally was settling into this world and the change in terms of technological setting was finally catching up to him. Megumin, however, was kind enough to explain to him later on that Druids, like many other classes meant to dwell deep within the wilderness, had a negative side to their passive comfort in the wild; they were actually unable to find comfort in cities and fancy settings in general.

It wasn't exactly a crippling blow, but it was still shocking.

Izuku had been able to cope by giving the bed to the former slaves, and him taking the floor to sleep. Things usually devolved into waking up with Liza at his back, and Chika being all over him; it wasn't uncomfortable at all, in fact, he was getting used to it… until tonight.

'Why did this happen?!' Izuku thought in distress as he watched Megumin, who was sleeping with a peaceful expression on her adorable face… in his arms.

After returning from testing the Big Bang spell, Izuku had insisted on finally knowing where Megumin was renting her room. The petite Crimson Demon had insisted long ago that her sleeping quarters were cheap, safe and comfortable enough, but had refused to share their whereabouts.

Izuku had been understandably worried about this, as such a cute little girl would make a prime target for unscrupulous people, who would offer accommodation in exchange for favors. That's why he followed her by taking the shape of a domestic cat. When he found out where she was sleeping…

'Why do you have to be so reckless?!' Izuku screamed in his mind while lightly caressing the hair of the petite Arch Wizard, 'You only needed to ask for help…'

Megumin had been sleeping inside a hollowed tree trunk.

When Izuku confronted her, she had been truly embarrassed. It took a lot of convincing, and even some harsh tones, but in the end, she had confessed what she had been doing with all her money. Izuku nearly had a heart attack when he learned that her family was going through dire straits, and she was sending pretty much every coin she earned back home.

That's what had forced him to take such a drastic measure.

He couldn't stop her, because he would do the same if he could. He couldn't give her more money, because he understood that she would just send it too. He did the best he could; he made a pact with her, so she would only send 80% of all her winnings, and give 20% of said winnings to the party coffers. In exchange, he would supply food and shelter for her, permanently.

With a face that resembled a tomato, the petite Crimson Demon had accepted… declaring that she was now under his care…

"Why aren't you doing things to me?" Megumin suddenly asked in a whispery voice, opening one eye to look directly into Izuku's eyes, "I… thought you liked me…"

There was some dejection in her voice, as if she had expected this to be a magical night out of a romantic novel. Izuku then remembered that this was a medieval society, and that Megumin was a chunnibyo, of course she expected such things!

Even if she didn't understand the implications.

Izuku was silent for a moment, something that made Megumin sad. She had thought that her crush was going to be hers tonight, but apparently he still saw her as a child, unfit to be by his side as a lover. The moment she tried to roll away from his arms, though, he hugged her, not only showcasing strong arms, but strong feelings… for her.

"It is because you are very important to me that I won't go any further." Izuku's whisper carried love and care, something that the explosive girl had no previous experiences with, "Neither you, nor I, are ready to… commit… to each other on such a deep level. We need to grow a little more."

Megumin smiled, understanding that she wasn't being rejected. She also felt a little bit of relief, as she wasn't sure how to act when doing things normally associated with being lovers.

"So, when both of us grow a little more…" The petite Arch Wizard trailed off a little bit, but was happy to receive a nod from the green-haired Druid.

"Can I have a… kiss?" Megumin's request was made with a massive blush on her face.

"Yes." Izuku managed to reply without stuttering, however, his face resembled a tomato… and when he leaned forward, and kissed the girl on her forehead, she too blushed as deep as he did.

As the adorable girl in his arms nuzzled against his chest, preparing to sleep, he couldn't help but wonder what his mother would think of him.

The next day…

The day started on a rather odd standing. On one hand, awakening while being embraced by three beautiful girls was both elating and embarrassing; on the other, the smug smile on Megumin's face at seeing his expression at awakening in such a way gave him the shivers.

"Izuku, Izuku!" Aqua called, sounding way too friendly for Izuku's liking, "You look really well today!"

Megumin had boldly stated that she didn't mind sharing him with Chika and Liza, however, she had tried to be menacing when demanding no more girls between them. Izuku, of course, had vehemently refuted all notions of having a harem; he was understandably confused when the explosive Arch Wizard nodded with a smile.

"Did something happen?" Izuku asked in concern, "Are you in trouble?"

Going to the Guild to have breakfast with his girls, Izuku was understandably worried about the behavior of the ex-goddess. Of course, he wanted her to change her ways and be more agreeable and ready to help, but he wasn't a fool; such changes didn't happen overnight, much less after so much complaining about their daily routine.

"I told you he would see right through you." Darkness said as she continued with her breakfast.

"Alright! I need your help!" Aqua quickly conceded, taking a rather distressed look, "My cute worshipers are in trouble!"

Darkness just rolled her eyes at what she was sure were delusions, while Megumin and Chika gave the blue-haired Arch Priestess deadpan looks. They knew she was the actual goddess, which made her attitude all the more unbearable.

Then Aqua produced the quest petition.

"Ok, let's see…" Izuku gave the paper a cursory read, quickly accompanied by Megumin, as she was curious about the possible problem, "Fifty…"

There was a moment of silence as Izuku processed the petition; Megumin just stared dumbfounded at the paper.

"No." Izuku deadpanned.

The petition was ludicrous; the money requested was way too much, so much in fact, that it reeked of a scam.

"BUT MY CUTE WORSHIPERS!" Aqua screeched as she jumped over the table to grab Izuku by his collar, shaking him for added effect, "YOU HAVE TO HELP ME HELP THEM!"

"Dummy!" Liza nearly shouted as she grabbed the Arch Priestess by the back of her dress, unintentionally lifting her skirt a little bit more than usual while removing Aqua from her master, "Back off!"

Now, left to stand on her own again, the former goddess began to sob. Megumin and Chika gave her a deadpan look, again, and even Darkness shook her head at the scene.

"Why (sob) won't (sob) you help (sob) my worshipers?" Aqua's tears were quite convincing, perhaps because this time Izuku could tell they weren't just for herself, but for others.

"Aqua…" Izuku's voice earned attention, for he sounded kind and caring, while not being any less serious, "Can't you understand what you are asking for?"

The simple and clear question made the Arch Priestess look down, of course she understood, but she couldn't stay there and do nothing. Fifty million eris wasn't a small sum of money, not by any stretch of the imagination, and even a noble like Darkness would not throw such money around so lightly.

"Izuku doesn't have that much money; even if he had it, he still needs to cover rooming and food for four people." Megumin joined, fully supporting the Druid, "We all get that you want to support your cult, but there is a limit to how much we can throw away to help strangers."

"In addition to that, the Axis cult won't be thrown out of the city. They will only lose their temple, which means they will have to return to preaching in the plaza and at the small shrines like in the old days." Darkness further explained, but then she frowned, "Wait. Why does Izuku have to provide for four people?"

"THAT'S NOT THE POINT!" Aqua's screech was loud enough to drown Darkness' last question, "My cute worshipers have done nothing wrong! It's unfair that they have to pay that much of a tax to have a temple."

There was a moment of silence at the table as Aqua's true sorrow was being felt, the pain in her heart was genuine, and as much as Izuku had begun to dislike her and her attitude, he was still a hero at heart, and the idea of finding a solution to such a problem was beginning to take root in his mind.

"There may be a way…" Izuku started, just to be immediately tackled and hugged by the waist by a crying Arch Priestess.

"I'LL DO ANYTHING!" Aqua's scream earned quite a few stares, especially from those who had dirty minds.

"Blue hair dummy!" Liza was quick to lift the ex-goddess from her master's lap, "Don't touch!"

"As I was saying, there may be a way; but it'll require a compromise…" Izuku returned to his speech, carefully eyeing Megumin's worried expression, "First of all; Darkness, do the tax collectors take material goods as payment in lieu of money?"

The question was strange, as none of the girls thought the young Druid could possess something so valuable. Megumin, however, was privy to some of the things that Izuku had been doing on his free time. The wine was a success, and it had an interesting property, as it was capable of increasing the natural recovery of the drinker's mana. It wasn't by much, but it was nearly half of what the expensive mana potions from the guild could provide. Then there was the unintended byproduct, as the resulting pulp from the berries made for an excellent base for health potions, that while not as good as the standard ones, were cheaper, and thus, more accessible to low level adventurers.

"It is possible…" Darkness drawled on, not sure how this information would help in this situation, "But you need the items appraised by the Guild first."

"Well, here is the deal." Izuku said, earning the full attention of the blue-haired girl, "Along with my savings and the party coffers, we have a total of thirty million eris."

Megumin and Aqua gasped at such a number, as it was more money than they ever had on their hands.

"There is a chance that the wine and potions I've crafted during the last week can provide the rest." Izuku's words brought tears of happiness to Aqua's eyes, as she could clearly see her worshipers being saved, "However, this means having to deal with no money whatsoever for a time."

The fatalistic truth was like a slap to the face. Aqua knew that there was no way to convince her party members to fall into poverty.

Talking Izuku into parting with his personal savings and crafted beverages was not exactly a difficult task, as the budding hero would do anything to help people; the others, however, was another story.

The coffers were something that Izuku had invented, and was becoming popular amongst adventurer parties. It was a system that for a modest sum of money, allowed the adventurers to keep their valuable money and items within the walls of the guild, making it easy to save money for paying rent, procuring meals, and to afford services that would otherwise make for awkward moments when making monetary transactions.

Izuku's payment for this innovative idea was to have his coffer free of charge.

Since he didn't have to pay the upkeep, it had become the party coffer, making the money there double safe because only he could access it. This was also the reason Aqua had no say in it, because she preferred to keep the money herself, so she could spend it in whatever way she pleased. Meaning that it would be very rude for her to propose using that money for anything that would only benefit her.

"Even if we look at the best case scenario…" Megumin added, looking so serious that it was like she was faking a deeper voice just for the cool factor, "You are asking us to give up everything for nothing in return."

"That's not… I mean…" Aqua was hit with the realization that there was no way to return this favor in such a way that her party members would accept… unless…

"I'll remove the seals." Aqua's declaration was thrown in a low voice, surprising both Izuku and Megumin.

"Huh?" Darkness was now confused, "What seals?"

"Really?" Izuku was caught off guard by such a declaration, "I…"

Before Izuku could jump the gun, Megumin quickly took his arm, pulling him to her side.

"I'm not against it." Megumin whispered into the ear of the young Druid, "But be mindful of the slavers and the church of Eris."

Izuku's first reaction was finally tempered by the petite Arch Wizard's warning. Having the slaves healed, dressed and happy was one thing, but removing the slave seal was another. If it became public knowledge, anyone would be able to kidnap the demi-humans and turn them again into slaves, with him being unable to legally fight back.

"What do you propose then?" Izuku asked, making the petite Crimson Demon smile at such a level of trust.

"Do the unsealing in a private room, and then place fake seals on Chika and Liza." Megumin whispered her plan, "I can help with the magical signature."

"Can someone explain what is going on?" Darkness finally asked aloud, although with much less annoyance than one would expect, "Especially the part about Izuku providing for…"

"Aqua is in need of a lot of money, and has agreed to perform a very powerful magical service in return for such aid." Megumin quickly interrupted the Blonde Crusader, who looked a little confused still, "Also, I'm now living with Izuku."

"WHAT?!" Darkness shouted in shock, "How did that happen?!"

"Darkness." Izuku's voice quickly caught the attention of the masochistic Blonde, who was in dire need of an explanation, "Ten million eris from our coffer belong to you, and I'm not touching them without your permission. That's why I'm asking you to lend them to me this time, and I promise that I'll repay you as…"

Izuku couldn't finish his plea as the distressed Crusader slammed her fists against the table.

"Take what you will!" Darkness' uncharacteristic shout was powerful enough to get the attention of everyone in the guild, "Just explain already what's happening between you and Megumin!"

Suddenly, Darkness wasn't the only one interested in the relationship between her leader and the shortest girl in the group.

A couple of hours later…

Izuku looked at his newest magical contract, which bound the Arch Priestess to him. He wasn't as happy as he should be, but he guessed there wasn't much more he could do to ensure she just wouldn't run away.

Due to the nature of the transaction, Izuku couldn't force her to directly write the magical service she had promised in the first place, besides, all contracts of such caliber had to include an equivalent monetary compensation in case the first clause couldn't be fulfilled. Not that he believed the ex-goddess could suddenly produce fifty million eris, and he was pretty certain she wouldn't last more than a single day getting 90% of her winnings redirected to the party coffers.

"And here I thought there was still some hope…" Darkness' lament managed to distract Izuku, who almost pitied the masochistic Crusader.

When Megumin started to explain her current situation to the blonde pervert, Izuku had become nervous, because she was a chunni, meaning that she could easily say things that could be taken out of context. Instead, she had been quite clear; describing that she was just sharing a room with him, and that she was sending most of her money back home.

That didn't stop rumors to spread about some sort of romance between him and the petite Arch Wizard.

"It's done." Aqua said as she returned to the table, looking happy, grateful and hopeful.

"I made sure there were no mishaps." Megumin reported, even giving a mock salute to show how seriously she took this assignment, "The guild has the money, and it'll be transferred to the Priest of the cult today."

Izuku gave a sigh in return. He came off as paranoid to his party members at first, but when he explained that moving that much money would always gain attention from thieves and other criminals, they agreed to have things move as silently as possible.

"I know you want me to honor my end of the deal, but…" Aqua suddenly spoke, dragging on her words as she took in the steely stares of her companions, "Do you mind if we take a quest first? We kinda need to rent a sealed room for the service, you know?"

"Seems reasonable enough." Izuku replied as the others nodded.

As they began to stand so they could prepare for a quest, Chika suddenly tugged on Izuku's sleeve; once she got his attention, she got even closer to his ear.

"If Chika is set free." The black harpy started, sounded way too nervous, "Can Chika stay with Master?"

Izuku simply gave her a smile.

"Chika," Izuku started as he head-patted the avian girl, "You and Liza can stay with me for as long as you want."

The happiness radiated by the slave girls nearly blinded him, making him truly happy.

A couple hours later, at a nearby lake…

The quest was a simple one, to purify the lake in order to increase the quality of the town's water. Aqua had volunteered to do the heavy lifting this time, although by that she meant sitting inside the lake for half a day. Izuku saw this as a show of good will, for she insisted on not keeping the reward, as it would be used to rent the sealed room for the ceremony of liberation. The leftovers were going to pay for a large room for the night, mainly to save money while they recovered from the stunt of saving the Axis Cult.

Izuku, however, had a different proposal.

"From where I come from, Heroes are known for having final attacks, or special moves." Izuku said as he faced the still lake, murky waters staring back in defiance, "I intend to be a Hero, one day."

While Darkness considered the sentiment as cute, Megumin, Chika and Liza looked at the young Druid with sparks in their eyes. The demi-human girls adored their master and his heroic disposition, Megumin couldn't wait to see what her crush would create with his otherworldly knowledge.

"I will need some protection if the Brutal Alligators decide to attack me to keep their murky paradise." Izuku said to his companions, everyone nodding in understanding and support, "Also… if this doesn't work… not a word, okay?"

Izuku's bashful request earned a couple of snorts, but no rebuttal.

Megumin knew what he was going to do; he was going to attempt spellcrafting via the druidic traditions. Druidic spells were, according to the records, much easier to craft due to the basis of each effect being clearly ingrained in the minds and hearts of the Druids, unlike the formulae that Wizards had to follow. However, Druidic spells were considered sacred, meaning that to create something new it was required to utilize a Druidic circle, and to commune with nature until the spells were approved.

Simply crafting one was supposed to be impossible, as it would mean that the Druid in question was favored AND loved by nature itself, a notion most ludicrous.

With a calming breath, and a simple extending of his hands, Megumin noticed that the whole area had gone silent, becoming attentive to the being that was about to speak…

" Mother nature, Ruler of Life and Death; heed my call and listen to my heart."

First, there was a feeling in the ground. Their first thought was that it was a slight tremor, but softer, more akin to a heartbeat. While Megumin's face was one of surprise at the very notion of the spell actually working without passing it through the circles, Aqua's expression was akin to being told she was in the presence of something divine… that wasn't her.

" Take the chaos and ruin before me, crush it, break it, and consume it all."

Vines emerged from the center of the lake; unlike the ones he used as whips, these were thicker, like the branches of an old yet big tree. These vines sported massive spikes, whose length could easily pierce through the chest of an adult. Not only were they numerous, they were also shiny, almost metallic in appearance.

" Throw it all into the spiraling cycle of life, twist it and mold it until beauty blossoms again!"

Before everyone's eyes, the spikes on the vines began to glow. The vines began to move, spiraling and twisting, moving around each other. Water began to follow the vines, running like rampaging rivers all along the verdant limbs. The glowing spikes were feeding on the impurities of the water and the soil, absorbing and twisting their composition to generate only nutrients and pure energy.

During the entire process, Izuku's arms had been thrown out to his sides; then, as he looked at the rampaging vines, he brought his arms together, clasping hands in a loud and violent fashion.

"GENESIC WORLD TREE!"

In an instant, the vines came crashing together, twisting and knotting against each other, fusing until they became a single structure. The water that was running along the vines was forcefully spat upwards. For a moment, the lake seemed nearly empty, with only a large tree in the center.

The tree was unlike anything that the party had seen in their entire lives. The trunk, while standing perfectly straight, had its bark showing a twisting pattern; the bark itself had a shiny, nearly metallic look to it. The top of the tree was full of branches that freely twisted all around, the leaves though, seemed like they were made of bronze.

Then the water fell like a downpour, accidentally bathing the girls and the Druid in the process. Neither could complain though, as the water was pure, fresh and felt like the waters of a healing spring.

Spellcraft Successful. Druidic Branch of Magic Updated. Spell Registration: Izuku ' s Genesic World Tree.

"I guess that's a success?" Izuku asked as he turned to look at his companions, "Right?"

Everyone was soaked, but the looks on their faces had nothing to do with their clothes being drenched. Wide eyes full of disbelief looked at the young Druid, as if they couldn't process what they had seen, or the results of what had happened.

"And you admonished me for overdoing it?" Megumin asked with a smug voice and grin, making Izuku scratch the back of his head, "Don't you know that what you did is basically the dream of every Druid?"

Izuku was aware of the fact that Druids saw the creation of their own tree as the maximum expression of their connection to nature. He just wasn't sure that the end result of his spell counted as such.

"HERESY!" Aqua cried in shock, unable to deal with the envy she felt at the moment.

Izuku didn't just make a tree grow out of nothing. He created a new form of life while purifying an area. It was something she couldn't do. It shouldn't be possible.

"Is that the fabled Iron Tree?" Darkness asked, wondering if it would be safe with the dwarves and elves of the city wanting to get their hands on it.

"Master… is a God!" Chika couldn't contain her desire to praise her dear Master, for even she could understand that the green-haired teen had outdone so many people with this miracle.

"Now you are turning them into heretics!" Aqua screamed again, going hysterical at the mere thought of this simpleton gaining a cult of his own, "STOP IT!"

"Now, now. Let's just calm down and…" Izuku tried to defuse the situation, but when he tried to take a step toward his companions, he felt lightheaded, and stumbled a little bit.

"Master!" Liza shouted as she rushed in his aid, showing speed that belied her massive muscles.

"I'm ok!" Izuku replied as he was suddenly being embraced by powerful arms, "I'm just not used to spending that much mana on a single spell."

As Megumin and Chika were clustered around him in worry, and Liza refused to let go of him, Izuku began to wonder how his adorable Crimson Demon companion managed to drain all her reserves with her explosion magic, and find it fine. His spell had just consumed nearly 70% of his mana, and he already felt the consequences of such massive consumption.

Maybe it was because he had been using only low cost skills all this time?

Back at the Guild Hall, much later…

Izuku felt good. After spending some time with a picnic, calming Aqua down, and enjoying some berries and roasted fish, the party had made their trek back to the town, finding no opposition worthy of note.

The quest reward had already been spent in paying for a large bedroom with two double beds, some food for night snacks, and a bottle of cider to celebrate… then Izuku realized he was going to spend a night in a room full of beautiful girls…

He didn't freak out, on the outside, but still got nervous.

"Are you ready, Aqua?" Izuku asked, more to fight his now escalating nerves, "We have all we need, right?"

"I'm ready." Aqua replied, looking a bit cross now that she had to uphold her end of the deal.

"Yes, we have all the materials." Megumin added while holding a bag with special inks and brushes.

"I guess it'll be better if I simply don't look." Darkness said as she took another sip of her beer, "As much as I enjoy taking punishment, I will never allow myself to become… you know what."

The unspoken word was well known by the group, and the main reason Aqua flinched at the mere idea. In a few more minutes she would perform a heretic act against her very own faith, but she was determined to endure it, because it was going to be performed as payment for saving her cute worshipers.

"Thanks, Darkness." Izuku's sincere words made the blonde Crusader blush, "I promise that I'll repay…"

Whatever else Izuku was going to say was drowned out by a scream.

"LADY GODDESS?!"

The entire party turned to the Guild's entrance, just to see a young man wearing a full set of plate armor, painted blue with gold trim and an avian motif on the chest. His dirty blond hair was adorned with a golden tiara-like headpiece, and his blue eyes were a strange mix of sparkling and shock.

"Do you know him, Aqua?" Izuku asked, not immediately thinking that there could be a problem with the newcomer.

"Nope." Aqua answered, seemingly unconcerned or uninterested with the newcomer, "His face and voice don't ring any bells."

"Well, he seems to know you." Megumin chimed in, pointing at the now approaching armored man.

"Lady Goddess!" The young man spoke again, still loud enough to catch the attention of the other adventurers, "What are you doing here?"

While the young man was starting to become a concern with how loud he was, the two girls he arrived with were a deeper worry. While young, and admittedly scantily dressed, their eyes denoted what Izuku feared the most, intolerance toward his demi-human friends.

"Huh?" Aqua was on the verge of taking a step back from the approaching guy, "Do I know you?!"

The young man stopped dead in his tracks, he seemed full of concern at first, but then smiled. He reached for his sword, trying to act as non-threatening as possible, but Darkness and Megumin still gripped their gear in preparation for a confrontation; to the side, Izuku noticed that Chika and Liza had tensed, ready to resort to violence if there was need for it… no one noticed that Izuku himself had a pair of thorny vines ready to use.

"It's me, Kyouya Mitsurugi!" The blond presented himself, showing the sword as if it was some kind of ID, "The Kyouya Mitsurugi you gave the Cursed Sword Gram to, and entrusted to save this world!"

There was a moment of silence as no one knew what to say. Aqua didn't seem any closer to recognizing the guy, even as if he seemed to be another reincarnated; the now identified Kyouya seemed unable to think that he was of no relevance to the ex-goddess.

"AH!" Aqua shouted while slamming her right fist into her open left palm, "Yes, it's you! Sorry, you won't believe how many I met before you."

Aqua's sudden enlightenment couldn't fool even Liza, who fixed the Arch Priestess with a deadpan stare; the others just rolled their eyes at the obvious fake recognition.

"Thank goodness you remembered." Kyouya seemed to believe her though, much to the annoyance of the group.

Izuku wasn't really worried about the armored young man though, he was more concerned about the two girls that hadn't stopped whispering to each other while throwing looks of disgust toward his party. After hearing the rumors himself, he wasn't naïve enough to believe they were just judging the attire of the girls on his team, but connecting the dots and getting to the worst of conclusions.

"As glad as I am that our esteemed Arch Priestess has been reunited with someone from her past…" Izuku interrupted the moment, managing to stop the two girls as well, "Don't you think that calling her a goddess is too much?"

While Chika and Liza nodded furiously, happy to stand in defense of their dear Master, Megumin quickly caught on to what he was trying to accomplish.

"Don't you know that there are likely zealots around here?" Megumin voice carried all around, succeeding in being heard, "You could make one of them stab our friend here just because they thought you were being serious!"

Kyouya winced as it finally clicked in his mind that his beloved goddess may be here as part of an incognito mission, and he was hindering her progress.

"Y-yeah! You are right!" Kyouya replied as he sat at their table, uninvited, "I'm sorry for… overreacting."

"Do they know?" Izuku whispered to the blond as he sat by his side, "The truth about you and Aqua?"

Kyouya seemed lost at first, until Izuku gestured at the two girls accompanying him with his eyes.

"Girls, I'm sorry for bothering you, but can you report our success to the Guild attendant?" Kyouya's request was immediately answered with a squeal of acceptance; a moment later the girls began to head in Luna's direction, now arguing about who would be the one to make the report.

"Darkness, could you…" Izuku began to ask, trying to be kind about his request.

Darkness didn't allow him to finish, standing up on her own, with a steely look of determination in her eyes.

"Of course!" Darkness replied as she dutifully marched in the same direction as the girls.

She may not be the smartest woman in the group, but Darkness had been aware of the ill disposition of the two followers of the newcomer. The way they looked at the young Druid, her charge, the purest heart she had ever met, it made her blood boil; she just couldn't risk them going around spreading falsehoods and ill rumors.

"What about them?" Kyouya asked as he noticed that neither the Arch Wizard, nor the slaves, were going away.

"They know the truth." Izuku replied, throwing a look that spoke of confidence and trust to his girls, "And are trustworthy."

With that, Kyouya let out a tired sigh before he demanded answers…

Izuku then spent ten minutes explaining his story, cutting out the parts about his misery, and trying his best to properly explain why Aqua had to tag along. The blond Swordsmaster looked cross at the information given, and while he couldn't exactly blame the young Druid for Aqua's presence on this world, he was incensed at the way Izuku treated his beloved goddess.

"I understand." Kyouya stated as he stood up, moving a couple of steps away from the table. Then he turned and pointed at Izuku in an overdramatic fashion, "But I can't stand this!"

Izuku and Megumin were at a loss of words, as they couldn't understand the sudden harsh tone.

"Stand what?" Izuku ventured to ask, hoping to be able to diffuse any potential hostility.

"Your treatment of my dear Lady Aqua is intolerable!" Kyouya's voice began to increase in volume, gaining attention again from the other adventurers, "I demand you release her so she can join my party!"

"Your what now?!" Aqua asked as she felt a shiver running through her spine; she was used to being worshiped, receiving declarations of love from her worshipers, and even took pleasure in knowing that she incited lewd thoughts in some of her younger followers, but this guy sounded creepy as hell.

"She is not my property." Izuku replied, calmly, while taking a bite of the fried frog he had ordered, "She is, and always have been, free to come and go as she pleases."

The blond Swordsmaster was taken aback by the sudden declaration, unable to believe that it would be so simple to wrestle what was the greatest of the divine gifts from this boy.

"Aqua has always been free to leave the party if she felt that Izuku was not an appropriate leader, or if she felt mistreated." Megumin added, taking small, cute bites from her cabbage stir-fry, "She still has a debt to pay though."

"What debt?" Kyouya asked with narrowed eyes, while at the same time Aqua winced upon being reminded of that part of the deal.

"Ah… well…" Aqua began as she fidgeted, "I kinda asked them to lend me fifty million eris… but it was for a noble cause!"

"I have no doubt of it, my dear Lady Aqua." Kyouya's assurance only brought another shiver to Aqua's spine, "Aren't you ashamed of yourself? Will you demand the money back from such a noble and pure…"

"Yes, I will." Izuku interrupted the boy, getting rightfully annoyed at his attitude, "It was a lot of money, and I have mouths to feed, and shelter to provide."

Kyouya was about to ask why that was important, until he finally recognized the girls as demi-humans, and slaves. The kingdom of Belzerg was known for its kindness to slaves, making it expensive to even have one, let alone two, but their mere existence made it easier to see the Druid as an evil individual.

"I see…" The blond Swordsmaster said in a low, trembling voice, "THEN I CHALLENGE YOU TO A DUEL!"

Izuku didn't know it at the time, but this event was going to mark him for life…

Notes:

Magnus: Feel free to leave a comment about Aqua's fate. Should she be redeemed or not?