You guys already knew?!

Other than this morning's lecture, the rest of the day was pretty laid back. Pucchin-sensei had introduced the class to what subjects we would be covering, including potion brewing and artifact crafting.

I found these subjects rather interesting, considering potion brewing gave me the opportunity to create skill-up potions. 

There was artifact crafting too, but I don't think I really need to learn it. 

Hyoizaburoo, Megumin's dad, was already a very skilled artificer. He owes me, and I could just ask him to craft whatever magic item I wanted when I leave the village to become an adventurer, considering I gave him so many ideas for artifacts that pulled him out of poverty.

Anyway, it was only the first day of school and I was in no rush to learn about the other subjects.

I didn't want to be hikikomori, burying myself in studies. With a brain that rivaled Jimmy Neutron's (spiritually, of course), I was certain I could pick up these skills effortlessly during class, without the need for extra hours of study.

Simply put, I was a lazy bum.

As we walked back home, I casually broke the silence. "So... what did you think about the first day of school?" 

"Hmph... As the greatest genius of Crimson Demon clan, it was barely a challenge," Megumin boasted, as expected.

"It was fun. I almost made a friend today," Yunyun said happily.

I let out a sigh before speaking, "Megumin... Why can't you be a bit more like Yunyun? She's so cute and humble."

"Why would the future demon king need to act cute and humble?" Megumin asked, her expression a mix of arrogance and cuteness.

"I guess the future demon king won't be getting any dinner tonight," I remarked, rolling my eyes. "I was thinking of cooking barbecue chicken with mashed potatoes."

"Yay! More food for me!" Yunyun chimed in.

"What?! No, Hyutaro, please!" Megumin exclaimed, as we stopped walking and she attempted to cling onto my arm. But, I stopped her in time and placed my hand between us, pushing her away.

"Okay, okay. I get it. I was just joking... By the way, what was that mischievous look you were giving me in class this morning?"

"What look? I was just excited seeing how many Skill Points I had."

As Megumin said this, she put on an innocent face that didn't convince me one bit. I had seen this look before; it was the same look she always had when she was about to scheme something.

"Really?"

"Yeah."

I narrowed my eyes at her. "You know, if I catch you lying, I'll actually do it."

"Do what?"

"I'll stop cooking for you."

Upon hearing this, Megumin's mouth fell open in astonishment, as if she had just been told she couldn't learn explosion magic and I couldn't blame her. 

I was just that good thanks to all those chefs I followed online in my previous life.

"Megumin..."

"...Hyutaro."

"Megumin."

"Hyutaro, surely you don't mean that?"

I stayed silent, and the silence between us couldn't have been more deafening. Eventually, Megumin gave up after thinking it through. A glutton like her giving up food made by yours truly was practically impossible. 

"All right, all right, I'll tell you! I was planning to learn explosion magic and unseal the being within the Tomb of the Dark God to act as my first target."

"..."

I didn't know what to say. At first, I thought she was just hesitating or excited to tell us that she wanted to learn explosion magic or something along those lines.

However, I couldn't have been more wrong.

This girl's way of thinking was insane, but at the same time.... there was a part of me that thought it was a good idea?

Any creature, monster, or entity that required sealing was so formidable that they couldn't defeat it outright and had no choice but to seal it away. So defeating the Dark God meant that an individual would get a shit ton of EXP. 

With Megumin's and my combined explosions, it was possible... no, scratch that, it would be suicide.

I had only watched the first two Konosuba. I didn't know how strong the Dark God is or what type of creature it is. explosion magic takes time to chant, and we would just be standing targets if it possesses high stats in agility and strength.

A tank or some kind of spell was needed in order to draw its attention away.

Either that or she can switch targets.

"How about you target the Demon King's castle instead?"

Megumin: "I'm sorry. I know you're disappointed, but It's my dream to learn explosion magic... huh?"

Yunyun: "Huh?" 

Me: "…What's wrong?"

***

In the Crimson Demon village, there were several tourist attractions worth visiting. There was the Griffin Statue, the Cat-Ears Shrine—home to a so-called holy relic, though it turned out to be nothing more than an action figure crafted by another transmigrator—and a sword mysteriously lodged in a stone.

Sound familiar? Well, that's probably because it was set up by yet another transmigrator, likely drawing inspiration from the legend of Excalibur.

Naturally, I couldn't resist the urge to try my luck at pulling the sword from the stone.

The outcome was just as expected: despite my best efforts, the stubborn blade refused to budge. I must've attempted it at least a hundred times, but that piece of junk refuse to budge.

So, you might wonder, was I a tad bit angry about being deemed unworthy? Yeah, just a little.

Now that I had the chance to learn explosion magic, perhaps I could use it to blow up the stone into oblivion and claim the sword for myself.

Ahem, moving on, the hill I mentioned earlier was one of the village's tourist spots, and among the most popular: the All-Overseeing Observatory "Vanirmild".

This spot was an observation platform with a name as grand as its purpose. It allowed visitors to use a telescope to observe the Demon King's castle and catch a glimpse into the Demon King's daughter's bedroom. Unfortunately, the Demon King's daughter had figured out that she was being spied on and moved bedrooms. Also, around the same time, the Demon King had waged war against the kingdom of Belzerg and the entire world. Was it a coincidence that this happened? Was the Demon King so angered by people ogling at his daughter that he decided to wage war? Surely not, right?

Well, whatever the case, there was nothing I could do about it.

The Demon King became the enemy the moment he decided to wage war and I was reborn into this world. So casting Explosion Magic from a vantage point with a good view and distance from the enemy castle seemed like a good idea.

Unfortunately, that wasn't going to happen anytime soon.

Yunyun, as the daughter of the village chief, was privy to certain information that I wasn't. "No, no, you can't do that, Hyutaro! Dad and the other villagers already tried, and none of their spells worked."

"Of course they have."

Hmm, now that I think about it, I remember something about Wiz and her maintaining some sort of barrier around the Demon King's castle. 

Oh well, I guess we'll have to find a better target.

"But that doesn't mean we can't try!" Megumin interrupted. "Explosion magic is the mightiest spell there is. Let's go over there now. We can defeat the Demon King and I'll even let you guys become my generals when I claim the throne!

This little shi.... I flicked Megumin on the forehead.

"Owww, what was that for?" she exclaimed, rubbing her head.

"Stop being an idiot," I scolded.

"We'll find you a better target for your first explosion," added Yunyun encouragingly. 

Megumin was silent for a moment before she spoke up. "Wait... so you guys don't mind if I learn explosion magic." 

Yunyun and I exchanged a glance before bursting into laughter.

Megumin looked puzzled. "Hey! What's so funny? Stop laughing!" she protested, her pout deepening and a hint of tears welling up in her eyes.

I reached out and gently patted Megumin's head. "We already knew about your dream. You weren't exactly the best at hiding it."

"You already knew?"

"You really think we wouldn't notice you sneaking out every night to practice explosion magic chants?"

Yunyun nodded to my words. "Last week Hyutaro and I saw you in the fields practicing your chants on a scarecrow."

Megumin had an expression that seemed to say she had been caught red-handed. She wiped her eyes and tried to compose herself. "Hmph, I already knew you guys knew. I just didn't bother to say anything."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm sure that's the reason," I rolled my eyes at her blatant attempt to save face. "Well, now that it's out in the open, we should celebrate this weekend. I'll cook whatever you guys want."

"An explosion party!"

"No, just a regular party," I interjected, shaking my head.

"Fine, but I still want to use explosion magic on the Demon King's castle!"

"No way! We'll get in trouble," protested Yunyun.

Megumin scoffed, crossing her arms. "Oh, come on, Yunyun. Don't be such a worrywart. Using explosion magic on the Demon King's castle would be legendary!"

Of course, she's still hung up on that and I doubt she'll give up on the idea anytime soon. She might even sneak out and try to blow up the Demon King castle behind our backs.

I have to convince this little shit to stop thinking about this.

"You can try, but there's a high chance for your first explosion magic to be a dud." 

"No way! You've seen it for yourself! Explosion magic is mightiest—"

"You explosions won't be as powerful as that big titty onee-san. You're still level 1 and she's at least level 40."

After hearing what I had to say, Megumin's expression morphed into one of surprise, her mouth forming a perfect 'O'. It was as if she had been told that pigs could fly... well, that wasn't really the right phrase, considering some pig species in this world could actually fly.

Yunyun nodded her head. "Her stats must be off the charts compared to yours."

"You think I don't know that!" Megumin snapped, grabbing Yunyun by the shoulder and shaking her strongly.

"Megumin, stop it! Im getting dizzy!" 

"Stop that, you idiot," I intervened, picking Megumin up by her school robe and pulling her away from Yunyun. "If you really want to attack the Demon King's castle, go ahead. No one's stopping you. But, it would really suck if your explosion ends up being a dud."

"Then what should I do?"

"How about targeting the forest around the Demon King's castle? From Vanirmild, you'll be able to spot strong monsters or maybe even some of the Demon King's army, providing the perfect opportunity to unleash your explosion magic."

Megumin paused, then her eyes lit up excitement. "Kukuku… as expected of my number one follower."

I raised an eyebrow. "I'm your what?

"She said your her—"

Just as Yunyun was about to speak, Megumin moved faster than lightning and covered her mouth with her hands. Then, she turned toward me, "Anyway! Let's go there now!"

I shook my head, "We still need to do a few things before unleashing your first explosion."

"But, but— I can't hold it in anymore!"

Taken aback by Megumin's outburst, Yunyun and I quickly scanned our surroundings and sighed in relief when we saw that no one was nearby.

I swear where did I go wrong with this one… 

"Don't you want your first explosion to be special," I said irritatedly, reaching over and lightly pinched Megumin cheeks. "We also need to inform Yunyun dad about the plan just in case the Demon King retaliates and attacks the village. And don't you want Komekko to witness how cool her big sister is?"

"Oww, owwwwww, yooo~uuu~'ree I'm so~rr~yyy…"