102 Buying What You Sell

102 Buying What You Sell

I made supper for everyone, the Head Succubus, her 15 daughters and contracted subordinates, Megumin, and Darkness. They were all chatting normally, as was I, like nothing had happened to us today. It was both weird and also completely welcoming, because we were all doing our best to make it reality. None of us wanted to ruin what we discovered we needed.

Megumin, after a night and a day with the succubi, learned a valuable lesson on what it took to be a real family. She also accepted that others could have different views on what spell would be the ultimate spell they would choose to have as the pinnacle of their magic. She still blushed when she looked at me, too.

Darkness, after half the day being treated like a degenerate piece of trash, was extremely happy and acted normally. With her secret desires being handled by experts in delivering desire, her entire behavior had changed from her reacting to every little insult to her ignoring everything with composure. She knew the table was no place for her to act like a masochist slut and specifically saved that for the dungeon, her favorite place in the entire world.

For myself, despite how my meeting with Chris turned out at the end, I wasn't deterred in the least. Yes, I had scared her by taking her talisman and she reacted angrily. It also gained me skills she never would have revealed, even if I had confronted her about being who she was. I had a plan to fix that, though. I had a job to do and I was serious in gaining every skill I could to achieve that.

“Darkness, my good friend let it slip that you've been looking to join a party for a while now.” I said and took a sip of wine. She also told me who the 19 year old woman really was. She was the daughter of a prominent and important family and went against her father's wishes for her to marry another noble, namely the son of the Lord of Axel, and became an adventurer instead.

Darkness nodded and spoke with conviction. “It is my fondest wish to devote my body to the protection of my fellows, no matter how harsh, how terrible, or how degenerate the acts I must suffer to do it.”

The succubi tittered and blushed a little, because they knew exactly what she was willing to suffer.

“Then I would welcome you with open arms into my party. I can always use a meat shield to toss at the Devil King's army to keep the filthy enemies of this world at bay while I do the real work of saving the people.” I said and saluted with my glass.

Darkness blushed with pleasure and gave me a huge smile. “Thank you, my Lord.”

Megumin looked embarrassed at hearing me phrase it like that.

“Megumin, it's all right. Everyone in this Tower have come to an understanding. What happens here, stays here. It's no one's business but our own what consenting adults do in the privacy of their home.” I explained.

Megumin's eyes looked from me to Darkness, to the Head Succubus, and back to me.

“I've also heard from my good friend that you are a devoted follower of a very specific spell and have absolutely no other skills whatsoever.” I said and she blushed deeper, so I raised a hand to stop her from responding. “I'm not calling you down, Megumin. I'm letting the other member of our party know that you can only use your magic to cast a spell for ultimate destruction.”

Megumin looked surprised at me saying she was already a member of the party.

“Oh? Why is that?” Darkness asked, curiously.

“It's because she put all of her skill points into her top tier spell every time she gathers enough to upgrade it to the next level.” I told her.

“I do that as well. My defense skills are second to none. I sincerely doubt there is anyone in the entire town that has a higher protection value than I do.” Darkness said, proudly.

“R-really?” Megumin asked.

“Of course. I'm absolutely terrible with attacking and can't hit the side of a barn with my sword, even if I was standing next to it when I swung, so I put the points where they would do me the most good instead.” Darkness said, still proudly.

A few hours of getting what she needed has done her a world of good. I thought with a smile and directed it at the Head Succubus. She gave me a sexy smile back and I felt her dainty foot touch me under the table. I did not ask how her foot could reach me from that far away.

“That's what I believe, too! I decided a long time ago that Explosion was the only magic I would ever need!” Megumin said, passionately. “What's a simple cleaning spell compared to the power an Archwizard can funnel into the ultimate spell of destruction?”

Darkness nodded in agreement. “The two of our skills combined can make us become the best defensive and offensive team in the world.”

Megumin's eyes almost glittered at her words. “Yes! We really can!”

The Head Succubus managed to dig her toes into my pants and she was giving me gentle strokes through my boxer shorts. “My dear, I believe you have gained two valuable members. Will you go to the Adventurer's Guild to register them officially?”

“I don't see why not. I need to head over there to get my card updated anyway. We can go there first thing in the morning and take care of it.” I said and both Darkness and Megumin blushed. “I hope that's okay? I don't want anyone stealing you from me after they find out how useful you both are.”

That made the both of them blush harder.

“You don't need to be worried about that. Our dear Megumin enjoys her new room too much to leave.” The Head Succubus said and her toes wiggled on my tip.

“Was it the view, the company, or the free food?” I asked with a chuckle.

“All of it, dear. All of it.” The Head Succubus said with a sexy smile. “Darkness will be given the room next to hers and I believe she will also enjoy it.”

Darkness looked a little unsure. “My Lord... and Lady. I appreciate the offer, I do. I... I don't think I can move in here.”

Both I and the succubi laughed.

“You don't have to live here. None of them do.” I said and the succubi all nodded. “They have their own rooms, their own things, and their own lives. They can come and go as they please and they are not trapped here.”

“However, we chose to come here and made this our home.” The Head Succubus said and the others nodded again. “We've never felt more welcomed in our lives and Satou is responsible for that.”

“That's what I'm offering.” I said and nodded to Megumin. “There's no requirements needed. You don't have to join my party; but, I know that's what you really wanted. To use your skill in battle and to improve it and yourself.”

Megumin blushed and nodded. “It's all I've ever wanted to do.”

“I know that the room and food is secondary to that.” I said and she nodded again. I looked at Darkness. “The room is yours to do with as you wish while you are here. You can nap there, relax in a bath there, look out over the city, or you can choose to never enter it and it will still be yours.”

Darkness blushed and smiled. “You are very generous, my Lord.”

“A tempest cometh.” Megumin said, her voice deeper than her young stature should allow.

When the green flow of something was barely a mile out, nearly all of the adventurers raised their weapons and cheered. “IT'S HARVEST TIME!”

I was slightly startled by the cheer and concentrated on the flow of green as I cast a specific detection spell. “Is that... a cabbage?”

“ATTACK!” Ruffian ordered and all of the other adventurers charged towards the enemy.

“In this world, cabbages can fly. During Harvest time, they reach peak flavour. They don't sit around and wait to be eaten, though.” Darkness told me as she stood by my side. “They careen through the cities and meadows, across the continent and oceans, devastating the populace... until they reach a secluded space... where they stop moving and eventually die.”

I blinked my eyes and stared at her. “Are you serious?”

Darkness nodded and looked ready to take on the incoming horde of cabbages.

“It's such a waste.” Megumin said and hefted her staff. “We need to catch as many as we can and turn them into delicious meals to eat!”

I guess a couple days of normal meals wasn't enough to curb that behavior over food. I thought.

Luna's voice rang out behind us. “Attention! The annual Cabbage Harvesting Season has finally arrived! This year's crop is the best yet and the guild is offering 10,000 Eris per head. We have cages to store them in, so catch as many as you can!”

“YEAHHHH!” The adventurers cheered as the flying and hopping cabbages descended upon them.

The heads of cabbages were sliced, diced, shot, smacked, batted, kicked, punched, and a whole bunch of things that the adventurers could do to subdue and capture as many of them as possible. There were tens of thousands of them, however.

“Darkness, brace yourself!” I said and she nodded. I picked her up handily, ignored her indecent moan, and threw her as hard as I could.

“Thank you, my LOOOOOORD!” Darkness yelled with delight as she flew several hundred feet and disappeared into the center of the wave of cabbages.

“You really do understand her.” Megumin whispered and I nodded.

“Megumin, I need your help.” I said and stepped close to her. “Prepare to cast your best spell!”

Megumin shivered at the thought of unleashing her magic upon the horde of green monsters. She raised her staff and pointed it as she started to gather her magic. She caught her breath when I stepped behind her and formed a bright glowing ritual circle at our feet.

I hugged her waist with one hand and put my other hand over hers as my fingertips touched her staff. “I'll add to the chant when appropriate and will add more power.” I whispered to her.

Megumin softly moaned at the thought of her explosion having more power, then her eyes went hard. “I am the bearer of the flame of destruction. The darkness shrouded in the light. The frenzied blaze clad in the night. In my clan's name, I reveal the fall of thine origin!”

I felt the power build quickly and added some of my own magic. “Burn! Burn with the righteousness of Ice! Let the fire consume you and let the ice preserve you! Feel the presence of the divine upon your delicious bodies!”

Megumin's whole body shook from excitement from the magic boost. “I summon the root of thy power, a power so fierce that it lies hidden, in the kingdom of ash!”

“I summon the root of thy power, a power so feared that it lies hidden, in the kingdom of frost!” I said and we both poured our magic into the staff that was glowing with a mixture of bright red and bright blue.

“Feel the FIRE/ICE forevermore!” We both chanted at the same time. “EXPLOSION FREEZE!!!”

All sound seemed to stop as the combined beam of energy shot out of the staff in the blink of an eye and hit the center of the nearly endless flowing green horde of cabbages.

*BOOOM-CRISH!*

The explosion was bright and twice as big as Megumin's normal explosion. It nearly blinded everyone and seared their skin... and then it was bitterly cold as every single cabbage instantly froze. The solid thumps of well-cooked and freshly frozen cabbages sounded as they dropped from the sky.

Everyone ignored the very loud moan that came from the very center of the main pile of cabbages. After a few seconds, all of the cabbages were down and everyone cheered.

“That... was... glorious.” Megumin whispered and collapsed into my arms, shivering with pleasure.

I didn't bother healing her this time and let her languish in her exhaustion. She deserved it. I carried her over to the main pile of cabbages, thousands of them, and kept walking. It pushed a lot of the individually frozen cabbages aside and we reached the center of the mass.

Darkness was there and she was on the ground, pressed down by the weight of the cabbages. She was pretty beaten and bruised, too. I had to hold in my chuckle at the sight, because she looked completely out of it and had a strong musky smell around her. Her eyes were rolled into the back of her head and her legs twitched with pleasure.

I easily picked her up and slung her over my shoulder, getting a soft moan from her, and I walked back out of the main pile. “I only claim this main mound to split with my party. Everything else is up for grabs for those that can gather them.”

“YEAH!” The adventurers cheered and quickly went back to work.

I carried my two party members over to the gates to the town and Luna was there. “You heard?” I asked and she nodded. “Make it so. I'll be back this afternoon to finish registering my party officially and to collect the bounty.”

Luna looked at all of the adventurers bringing in the frozen cabbages that no longer needed cages to hold them. “What are we supposed to do with them?”

“They're flash frozen. If you want to keep them, toss them onto the preservation shelves I made for the giant frog meat in the guild hall's kitchen pantry. They'll stay frozen until you want to use them.” I said and she gasped, realizing what that meant. “Yes, that's right. You can now have year-round frog meat and cabbage salads for sale.”

Luna nodded and watched me walk away, then she whispered. “I made a huge mistake thinking you were stupid.” She lamented and sighed. “And letting you get away.”

I would never tell her that I had heard her and agreed with her.