Chapter 22 Rock You Like An EXPLOSION! Arc Part 6

Schwanhild yawned as the sun's rays lit up through her room's window. For a moment she was confused on how she got back to her inn room.

"Ah," she pouted as a blush came to her face. It was the Dark Paladin that carried her to the safety of her hotel room. She considered a disgrace that the Dark Paladin now knew of her operating location. She would either have to change hotels, or room with with him in that shabby church, to have the element of surprise should she need to silently take him out.

Schwanhild then began to recall what happened last night at the graveyard, as she went about daily hygiene routine, followed by her semi-weekly reports to her mother.

===x===

"RAAAAAAH! YOU DAMN...!" Suddenly Aqua shouted and ran at full speed launching herself at the woman who appear, with her fist pulled back. 

"KKYYAAAAA!" The woman screamed and fell to the ground on her rear. That movement was what saved the woman's life. Or unlife as the case my be. 

Aqua's fist landed onto the solid ground, cracking and breaking it. With teeth gritted from anger, and without missing a beat, Aqua moved, grabbed the woman by the collar of her robes and pulled the woman up as she stood. 

"FILTHY LICH! You dare appear before me!? Fine then, I'll be sure to reward that courage by sending you straight to heaven!" Aqua shouted, the threat sounding much more intimidating than it how pleasant it sounds. 

"KYYAAA! Who are you!?" Screamed in fright the apparent 'Lich'.

"Yeah, you get her, Lady Aqua!" Cecily cheered, while peeking out from behind some large gravestones. 

Yunyun, Megumin and Darkness got ready for a fight, but Michael gestured for them to hold and be on standby, due to a hunch about the situation. 

"Umm, wait, isn't something off about this? I don't feel any malice from her. Miss Lich, why would you come here?" Michael asked. 

"I came here every night to purify the spirits the fill up the graveyard, but when I saw an Arch Priest I was glad someone else took up this job and was about leave." The Lich started tearing up pitifully. "It's just there was this song drawing me in, and before I knew it I was in the radius of that purifying magic circle."

"Hohoho, reeeeally?" A twitch mark appear on Aqua's temple, as though the Lich's words were an affront to her. "A Lich purifying and sending souls to the afterlife like a Priest? My, what a do-gooder you are. Well then," Aqua had a slasher's grin. "I guess I'll have to reward you by sending you right after those ascended souls!" The Turn Undead magic circle started glowing brighter. 

"WAAAAA, Stop, stop! My body is vanishing!"

"Hahahahaha. Foolish Lich, I'll annihilate you and make you disappear without leaving a single fragment." Aqua smiled menacingly. 

"Oookay, stop. Everything stop. Aqua, seriously, this whole situation looks like we're bullying her. We seriously sound like the bad guys here!"

===x===

Schwanhild frowned as she recalled.

Right, of course the Dark Paladin would side with the Lich. She thought. Or wait, wouldn't a Dark Paladin be the most against a Lich?

With some talk from Michael's charming words, they learned that the Lich was named Wiz and that she had been living in Axel for a long time, without causing any problems, and trying to help where she can. Naturally, this angered the Arch Priest Aqua, whom relented after some pleading from Michael about not starting fights that are not needed.

Schwanhild tried to recall what Dark Paladins are like, but she was finding it more difficult to place Michael on the mental models she had of the people with the Dark Paladin Job, as Michael didn't seem to follow the abilities or the attitude, of those with that Job. She recalled that Dark Paladins tended to be too grim, unlike Michael who can smile and be cheerful.

The young Priest then blushed as she recalled how the Dark Paladin carried her in a bride carry, after she got sleepy when the confrontation with that Lich was done. She remembered mumbling her hotel's name before drifting off in his arms.

I suppose that answers that mystery. Schwanhild thought, as she finished getting ready for the day, and headed off. It was time to meet her party for their first ever quest together.

===x===

"Hmmm, this is odd." Michael mused with a serious look.

"Don't tell me, are the quests too difficult?" Aqua asked in worry.

"There is no need to worry about the quests being too difficult, or rather I think all the current quests are great!" Darkness said enthusiastically.

"Hehe, I suppose I'll show my dark powers again today." Megumin with a pose while covering her eye-patched eye with her hand (the eye-patched was enchanted by Michael to be see-through from the unartful side). "Sensei, will I be learning how to shoot explosions from my eyes today?" Megumin switched from mysterious mage to enegetic student in an moment.

"Let's just focus on mastering the mechanics of Explosion Magic and go up from there." Michael said without taking his eyes off the quest board.

"I-I'll also do my best!" Yunyun said enthusiastically, to which she was met by an encouraging smile from Michael, before he looked back to the board.

"Ne, ne, Michael, Michael, are the quests too difficult?" Aqua whined when Michael forgot to answer her the first time.

"No. Well, yes they are, but I think given our party's capability, they're actually at the right level." Michael said, taking the poster for the Black Fang Kill Quest, Darkness was eyeing. "The problem is that there are no low-tier quests. There are only a few quests and all of their difficulty are high-tier." Michael noted.

"Maybe they fear our great power, Sensei." Megumin offered with a grin.

"Ha ha ha, no." Michael deadpanned with a sardonic smile. 

"If could be a seasonal period. The frog mating season is over, right?" Said Yunyun.

"I dunno, I don't think one single factor can change an entire eco-system." Michael replied. He noticed how the quiet Schwanhild was eyeing a certain quest, but not saying anything about it. "Guys, what do you think about doing a second quest today?" After getting a series of agreement, plus a reluctant one from Aqua, Michael pulled down a second poster.

Schwanhild's eyes widened, before looking at Michael.

"What do you think? We can do the Black Fang first, then the expanded Veteran Slayer's horde." Michael offered.

The quest Schwanhild had her eyes on was about a Rookie Killer's horde of goblins being filled by monster relocated from the burning mountain incident, which resulted in the Rookie Killer evolving into a Veteran Slayer, ruling over several Goblin Lords and a variety of monsters in it's horde.

He does that. Schwanhild noted. Including me, even when I don't try to engage with them. She felt a smile tug on her lips.

"Yes." Schwanhild replied, a slow menacing smile coming to her face. "I have been wanting to practice my Sacred Smite upon that group of goblins. As you seem to hold knowledge of multiple disciplines of combat both physical and magical, do you have knowledge on how to wield a mace?" Schwanhild asked, as her staff's head was large and pointy enough to be used a long-armed spiked mace.

"Yes, yes, just keep the blood-thirst till we get there." Michael Chuckled.

The party headed to the guild's front desk to register taking up the quests and were on their way.