"Damien, Damien, is that the same…?"

"It's probably her."

Though Damien often teased Aqua in private, calling her a dim-witted goddess, he didn't dislike her.

After all, when he first arrived in the Konosubaverse, she granted him the overpowered Copy skill.

"Is Damien going to make her our companion?"

Seeing Damien stare at Aqua, Ogerpon seemed to catch on.

"Huh?"

Damien blinked, then looked at Ogerpon with horror. "No way, Ogerpon, how could you have such a terrifying idea?"

"Bwoh?"

Ogerpon tilted her head, her eyes full of innocent confusion.

She didn't understand what was so scary about her thought.

"Ogerpon, you mustn't get too close to Aqua!"

Gratitude aside, Damien would look out for Aqua in the Konosubaverse.

But making her a subordinate?

Leaving aside whether Damien could even capture a goddess like Aqua, the mere thought of her joining the team made his scalp tingle.

That girl was a walking disaster.

Recruiting Aqua could turn his fledgling enterprise into chaos.

So…

'Stay away, dummy! Scram, airhead! Begone, brainless!'

"So scary!!"

Ogerpon didn't get it, but if Damien said so, it must be true.

Already not the brightest, she trembled at the idea that Aqua could lower others' intelligence.

"Ahem."

Damien took Ogerpon's hand. "Let's not meet her yet."

"She's a goddess, after all. Being seen in such an embarrassing state by someone she knows would be mortifying."

Not ready to interact with Aqua and Kazuma, Damien pretended not to notice and headed straight for the guild.

"Hm?"

"Mr. Damien, and Ogerpon?"

As soon as he entered, Luna spotted him.

The well-endowed blonde approached, asking with concern, "It's been a while. Did you leave Axel?"

"Yeah, I took a private commission that sent me far off."

When Damien traveled between worlds, their time flows synchronized.

He'd spent about a week in the Cardinal World, so seven days had passed here too.

"Yo, Damien, my man!"

"Long time no see!"

"Haha, you're as lively as ever... great to see!"

"…"

After his last banquet, most adventurers in the guild had warmed up to Damien.

Guys bond over drinks, after all.

Especially since Damien single-handedly outdrank everyone.

That kind of drinking prowess made him a true powerhouse in their eyes.

"Running low on cash? Don't expect me to treat you again."

"No way we'd mooch off you every time!"

"Yeah, we're not that shameless!"

They meant it. Damien's previous generosity had already thrilled them, showing his warmth and friendliness.

You can't be too greedy... you've got to know when to be content.

"Two guild special meals."

"Three servings each of pudding and cream ice cream."

"And some sparkling wine."

"Right away, sir."

After ordering from the waitress, Damien led Ogerpon to a corner table by the window.

He scanned the guild hall, searching for new classes or skills he hadn't seen last time.

Shortly after they sat, a figure in armor caught his eye.

Golden hair pinned up with a clip, the tall, curvaceous girl exuded femininity. Her emerald-green eyes were calm yet faintly cold, perfectly embodying the image of a haughty, elegant Crusader.

'This girl… could she be…'

Damien didn't need to guess. Her appearance matched the anime perfectly: 'Darkness?'

Darkness, one of Konosuba's heroines, was the tank of Kazuma's party, with attacks that never hit but unmatched defense and vitality.

Plus, she was an extreme masochist.

"First Kazuma and Aqua, now Darkness."

"Just missing Megumin, and the original quartet's complete."

Though he'd spotted another canon character, Damien had no intention of approaching.

It wasn't that he disliked Darkness.

Compared to the dim-witted Aqua or the chuunibyou Megumin, Darkness's quirks were, at most, a bit risqué.

A Crusader with a touch of perversion? Pretty normal, right?

At least in the anime, Damien never saw Darkness flaunting her tendencies toward anyone but Kazuma.

All in all, if he could train Darkness to direct her masochism solely at him, it'd be quite amusing.

"Too bad."

"Bwoh?"

Ogerpon looked up curiously, unsure what Damien was lamenting.

"I mean, subordinate slots are limited. I can't use them carelessly."

Damien explained to Ogerpon, "Even if I like a character, I need to judge their worth first."

Unlike protagonists who could freely bring companions across worlds, Damien's Planeswalker skill was less flexible.

To take Darkness, he'd need to make her a subordinate.

But that was the issue.

Subordinate slots were finite, and using one on Darkness wasn't cost-effective.

'Sorry, my preferences.'

With no spare slots, Damien could only silently apologize to his desires.

But while he had no plans to approach Darkness, that didn't mean she'd ignore him.

As she spoke with Luna, the girl suddenly turned her gaze toward Damien and Ogerpon.

"!!!"

Their eyes met.

"Uh…"

Caught staring, Damien felt a bit embarrassed.

Before he could look away, a spark of excitement flashed in Darkness's eyes.

***

Bonus Chapter:

100 Power Stones = 1 BC

300 Power Stones = 2 BC

500 Power Stones = 3 BC

700 Power Stones = 4 BC

1000 Power Stones = 5 BC

***

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