Konosuba: Axels Fencer

Demon Kings General (Chapter 11)

Sapphire's voice cut through the tense air, expressing urgency as he declared, "I think I'll go pick her up right now before she does something stupid." His expression remained blank, a stark contrast to the urgency in his words. Kazuma's reply mirrored Sapphire's expression, lacking emotion as he stated, "I think that's a little too late for that."

With hurried steps, Sapphire made his way to Megumin, his hand gently settling on her shoulder as he adopted a fake smile. "Okay Megumin, I think you did a pretty good job. Now, please leave. Um, Beldia-san was it? I'm very sorry for the trouble we caused. We will be on our way now." The tension in Sapphire's voice was palpable, a testament to his wariness of provoking Beldia further. However, Megumin had other plans, and Sapphire felt a pang of concern mingled.

"No! I am a Crimson Demon, and the greatest mage in this town! Casting my magic on your castle daily was just my plan to lure you out here. You came alone, right into my trap. Like a rat," Megumin declared, her smug grin contrasting with the gravity of the situation. The collective gasp from the adventurers echoed Sapphire's own surprise and doubt. He leaned closer to Megumin, whispering, "Since when was this part of the plan?"

"Trust me, it'll work," Megumin replied, her nerves betraying her confidence. Beldia acknowledged Megumin's boldness with a backhanded compliment, "Hmm, you're a smart one, little girl." Sapphire couldn't contain his astonishment, "Wait! That actually worked?!"

As Megumin explained the dire consequences faced by Crimson Demons for not casting Explosion daily, Beldia's anger became palpable. Despite Sapphire's pleas for Megumin to leave, she stood her ground, setting the stage for a confrontational showdown. "You know what? I wanted to be peaceful about this. But now I'm sick of you! How about I make you pay, Crimson Demon girl?" Beldia's threatening tone added fuel to an already tense situation.

Sapphire, realizing the imminent danger, looked around for support, but options seemed limited. In a courageous move to shield Megumin, he stepped forward, intercepting Beldia's attack meant for her. The impact left him reeling, clutching his chest in agony. "Sapphire!" Megumin's cry pierced the air, her tears mirroring his pain.

As Beldia delivered his chilling sentence of death, Sapphire's breath caught in his throat, the gravity of his sacrifice sinking in. The party gathered around him, their faces etched with concern as Beldia left them with his curse looming over their heads. Eryn floated down towards Sapphire, her eyes filled with a mixture of regret, remorse, and pain. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she uttered his name quietly, "Sapphire..."

The emotional moment was disrupted by Darkness, who confronted Beldia, injecting a glimmer of uncertainty into the tense atmosphere. The looming threat left Sapphire and his companions with a potent mix of fear and determination as they faced an uncertain future.

When Megumin suddenly stood up and began walking towards the castle, Sapphire couldn't help but intervene. "Oi, you going somewhere?" Without meeting his eyes, Megumin replied, "I'm going to the castle. I'll one-shot the dullahan with my Explosion magic and lift the curse."

"Heh, you know I can't just let you go there alone," Sapphire said playfully, attempting to lighten the mood. "Sigh. I'm going too, otherwise you'll just get yourselves killed," Kazuma added from behind them, his smile masking his concern.

As they prepared to leave, Aqua suddenly cast a spell without warning. "Sacred Break Spell!" she shouted, her staff glowing brightly as she aimed it at Sapphire. The sudden burst of light engulfed him, causing him to scream in agony before feeling a wave of relief wash over him.

Once the pain subsided, Sapphire took a moment to gather himself, "... There! The curse is lifted! Something like that is child's play for me!" Aqua proclaimed joyfully. The adventurers who had been watching erupted into cheers, lifting Aqua in celebration. Sapphire, still recovering from the ordeal, muttered to himself, "... I think I need a drink, too."

Perched at the guild table, Kazuma delved into the quest board's possibilities, hunting for tasks that wouldn't tax the group too much. Meanwhile, a sense of discontent brewed among the rest of the party. "Ughhh... so... hungry..." Megumin lamented beside Sapphire, her head drooping onto the table in exhaustion.

"Agh, what's keeping him so long? We'll starve if this continues..." Aqua grumbled, rubbing her belly as it growled in protest. "It's likely due to the Dullahan settling into that nearby castle. The weaker monsters have probably scattered, leaving us with tougher quests," Darkness explained, her voice tinged with frustration.

"That means we'll be up against fiercer creatures, raising the stakes for us! Ahh! Just thinking about it makes me so... Haaah!" Darkness rambled on, her cheeks flushing with a mix of anxiety and exhilaration.

Amidst this banter, Sapphire's mind wandered elsewhere. "I forgot... I forgot again... about the house... I need to talk to Kazuma... about the house..." Megumin noticed Sapphire's distraction and gently poked his cheek. "Hey Sapphire, everything alright?"

Sapphire groaned and dropped his face onto the table. "Ughhhhh, why is Kazuma taking so long...?" As if on cue, Kazuma returned with a piece of paper, breaking the tension. "Good news, everyone." "Ah, Kazuma, I was just-" Sapphire attempted to speak. "Please tell me it's a quest where we fight some wild beast that'll ravage me! Not that I want that, of course, but it's for the party," Darkness interrupted eagerly, leaning too close to Kazuma.

"Back off, you crazy woman! We're not doing anything like that," Kazuma rebutted, pushing Darkness back gently. "We're going in the opposite direction. Look at this," Kazuma announced, presenting the quest details.

The task involved purging a cemetery haunted by neglected spirits. It was a suitable task for Aqua's abilities and promised decent pay with minimal risk for the rest of the team. "Kazuma, I really need to-" Sapphire tried again to speak up. "Not now, Sapphire. We can talk later," Kazuma dismissed, eager to get started.

"No, seriously, it's important-" Sapphire attempted once more. "Let's get moving and finish this quickly. Then we'll celebrate," Kazuma declared, cutting off Sapphire once again. Left alone in the guild, Sapphire let out a sigh of frustration, muttering to himself, "... Why do I even try at this point."