Accompanying this body-shaking roar was a gale that ravaged the surrounding area.
And thus a new crater was born on the plains a short distance away from Axel.
The construction workers were going to be busy again.
Megumin, who had collapsed onto the ground, turned her head to me and asked:
âHow many points was that?â
I â who had recently been given the title of âExplosion Sommelierâ by Megumin â wouldnât give a high rating very easily.
âââHmm, based on the destructiveness alone, Iâd give it 90 points. But I noticed that the intensity of the heat wave wasnât as strong as it usually was. You were trying to control it to accommodate for the summer heat, werenât you?â
When Megumin heard my question, a bright smile flashed across her face.
âExactly. I thought to myself, âIs only focusing on raw destructive power really good enough?â So I decided that for todayâs Explosion spell, Iâd try making a cool breeze. Whatâd you think of the wind that blew away all that hot and stuffy air? I think itâd be a good addition to Axelâs natural scenery highlights.
I might not have understood half of what she just said, but I still got the gist of it.
âFor your consideration of the audience, and for the beautiful roundness of that crater, today Iâll give you 97 points!â
âThank you very much! Iâll keep on doing my best!â
After we finished our stupid conversation, I picked Megumin up off the ground. I was already used to carrying her light body, which still hadnât developed the slightest bit.
âSorry for always bothering you like this.â
âIf youâre really sorry, then raise your level already. Boost your max MP high enough so you donât collapse anymore, okay?â
I complained to Megumin as we walked back to Axel.
âThisâll probably keep happening no matter how many times I level up, you know? I mean, I put all the skill points I get from leveling up into increasing the power of my Explosion magic.â
âWhat?! I was wondering why even after all this time your max MP hadnât caught up with your MP costs⊠So it was you all along! And here I was thinking that we wouldnât have to go home like this anymore after you got your level high enough. Give me back those hopes!â
âWhatâs so bad about this? Isnât the occasional skinship between companions a necessity?â
âOi, you of all people have absolutely no right to say that.â
I considered whether I should step things up from mere âskinshipâ with Megumin, who seemed completely remorseless.
âThe me from back when I lived in the Village of Crimson Magic probably wouldâve never believed Iâd end up cherishing my companions so much.â
âYeah, well Iâm not really feeling that cherishment right nowâŠâ
Megumin chuckled at my immediate rebuttal.
âSo what were you like back then? Actually, more importantly, what possessed you to go nuts enough to decide to learn Explosion?â
âHow rude of you to call me insane. As for what I was like, wellâŠâ
Megumin went silent for a while. Was she thinking about her past?
âI used to never interact with anyone. Since I was a genius, I thought Iâd be fine even if I was alone.â
âOh, so you were already a chuuni back then? Er, I mean, you were a nutcase even as a kid?â
Hearing my comment, Megumin started putting some strength into the arms she had wrapped around my neck.
âOkay, okay, my bad, let me try again! Basically, you were just an unwante- Ow, ow, ow! Hey, go easy on me! Your level and strength are both higher than mine!â
Megumin, who seemed amazed at my reaction, bemusedly sighed to herself on my back.
âWell, itâs your fault for saying something so uncalled for⊠Anyways, you wanted to hear the story of how I learned Explosion magic, right?â
âOh, right! Normally, you canât learn Explosion unless somebody else taught you first, right? So I was wondering what kind of troublesome person your teacher was.â
âCalling the benefactor I looked up to so much a troublesome person is very rude. Ah, thatâs rightâŠâ
A nostalgic expression appeared on Meguminâs face as she thought of the past.
âââIâll tell you after I tell a certain person that Iâve learned Explosion magic.â