chapter 7

On a certain afternoon.

I was free and stopped by the adventurer’s guild in search of something to do, and for some reason, a crowd has gathered there.

“…? Hey, what’s all this fuss about?”

“Oh, isn’t that Kazuma? It’s magic items. A magic item peddler has arrived.”

A familiar adventurer told me, and I reacted instantly upon hearing the term “Magic item.”

“There’s got to be some kind of downside, right? Like it’ll explode upon use or it’ll affect all targets indiscriminately or something.”

“These aren’t the items that Wiz-san sells, so you don’t have to worry about that. You’re loaded, so why don’t you take a look? Your companions are already out there picking stuff out.”

Turning over at his words, I saw my companions were indeed over there, picking up items as they wished.

“Oh, Kazuma, you came to the right place. Look at this item! It’s a potion that can increase my magic power for a short time! There are no downsides! I would like to borrow some money!”

“Kazuma-san, Kazuma-san, this is a cleaning tool that will spin around once supplied with mana. I would really like you to buy it. It’d be much easier to clean the toilets with this. Oh, and it seems like there are no downsides.”

I don’t know why they are emphasizing the fact that it has no downsides, but it seems like these things are at least usable.

That said, increasing Megumin’s magic power any further would only cause more problems, and Aqua will probably break it soon enough if I buy it for her.

And, standing next to them, Darkness was looking at something in her hand with a troubled expression.

“A bandana that can increase dexterity, huh… Should I buy it? No, wait, in that case, my attacks will hit. But, on the other hand, we’ve been going up against a lot of strong enemies recently…”

“Right, buy it. Buy it right now. Actually, I’ll pay for it, so put it on right now.”

After finding an item that’s perfect for Darkness, I immediately made to purchase it.

“Wha-Kazuma! No, wait, this has, you know, downsides…”

“It doesn’t have any! Just give it to me, I’ll pay for it!

“Ah!”

After taking the bandanna off Darkness’s hands, I looked over the goods on display to see if there’s anything else worth buying.

They said it was a peddler, so I was expecting some useless garbage, but I managed to get my hands on a very convenient item.

It’d be perfect if there’s a staff that allows you to use other kinds of spells, or an item that increases intelligence.

“That’s unfair, Kazuma! Please buy my item too! Or at least lend me some money!”

“I don’t want to return this, so please buy it for me! This magic item will definitely be fun! If I put some water on it and make it spin, it’ll definitely spray water everywhere. If I use it well, it can be used as part of a party trick to create rainbows!”

“Shut up! You don’t need that stuff! Even if I bought that potion for you, Megumin, you’ll just drink it immediately without waiting for a boss to appear! And that thing isn’t a toy, Aqua!”

Pushing aside the two of them who were clinging onto me, my eyes fell upon something interesting.

“What’s this? Paralyze stone?”

“Oh, you have a good eye, dear customer. That’s an exceptional item that has a certain chance of paralyzing a target it hits. That said, there is a downside…”

The old man peddler explained as I looked over the stone in my hand.

“In addition to the chance of paralyzation being low, it’s quite rare, so there’s only one for sale. On top of that, it’s pretty expensive, and it’s not a suitable item to trust your life to in the heat of battle… After all, if the paralyzation fails to work, the enemy can pick it up, and it’d now be a threat to you. It’s an item that anyone can use, so now you’d be the one at risk of being paralyzed.”

… Indeed, there’s no point in handing your opponent a convenient item.

If there’s no guarantee that the effect will go off, it’d be like handing over a weapon to your opponent…

Just then, I realized something.

“Old man, I’ll buy this stone.”

“Huh? Are you sure, dear customer? I mean, as a storeowner, it’d be a great help if you’d take it off my hands, but…”

After handing over the money to the old man, I turned towards Megumin with the stone in hand.

“Hey, Megumin, you want to try taking on my new technique?”

“Oh? Well, as long as it wouldn’t harm me, I don’t mind.”

As expected of the Crimson Demons. They understand the appeal of a new technique.

I threw the paralyze stone towards Megumin as she nodded.

The moment the stone made contact, I used a skill I had prepared in advance.

“Steal!”

“Ouch!”

As I intended, in my hand was…

“Hey.”

“That’s not it, hear me out.”

With Megumin’s underwear in my hand, I immediately started with a denial.

“My new technique is meant to allow me to retrieve the paralyze stone after it hits an opponent. It’s a technique that allows me to throw an infinite number of paralyze stones. My Steal has a weird trait of targeting more expensive items. In other words, it’s your fault for wearing expensive panties!”

“I don’t wear expensive panties! Actually, I can’t move!”

Just then, I noticed something odd with the surrounding atmosphere.

“Y-You came up with an amazing technique of paralyzing someone and stealing their panties…”

“You devil… No, comparing you to them is an insult to devils…”

Oh, crap, I think I just raised another Scumzuma flag.

“Say, Kazuma… How much do I have to pay to experience that new technique of yours?”

Darkness looked at the paralyze stone in my hand with an envious expression.

“I won’t use it on you no matter how much you pay! Old man, I want a refund! Hey, Aqua, don’t pretend like you don’t know me, help me persuade him for a refund!”

Today, my reputation once again took another great hit.

–Afterwards, I gave Darkness the bandanna that increases your dexterity, but of course, she still couldn’t hit anything.