“I have returned!” she announced to the stunned tavern. “And I bring news! A challenge! A foe so vile, so cunning, so… crunchy, that only the greatest arch-wizard of the Crimson Demon Clan can hope to defeat it!”
“Megumin! Now!” Aqua screamed.
So much for plan A.
“No,” Megumin said, her face grave. “He sells Premium Eris Pudding .”
A thunderous crack interrupted them. The front door, a sturdy oak thing reinforced with iron, flew off its hinges and embedded itself in the far wall. Dust billowed in. A figure strode through the wreckage, silhouetted by the afternoon sun.
It was Megumin, her tattered black cape billowing in a non-existent wind. Her crimson eyes blazed with unhinged glory.
“It’s efficient!” Aqua pouted.
Kazuma stared at the pudding. Then at his party—a crying goddess, a passed-out arch-wizard, and a masochistic crusader rolling around in rubble.
Darkness, who had been polishing her armor in the corner (a process that involved a lot of clanking and heavy breathing), perked up. “A foul merchant? Will he try to… restrain us? Tie us up with… ropes of commerce?”
“Worse!” Megumin pointed a dramatic finger toward the town square. “A street vendor! Selling… the competition .”
That was it. That was the trigger.
Aqua twitched.
“Kazuma! We need money! We need to buy all of it and melt it with my sacred power!” Aqua shrieked.
A puff of smoke.
“A cabbage is not pudding!” the three girls shouted in unison.