Journey to Godhood Begins in Frieren

Noon

At midday, Shichen had lunch at the guild with everyone; the main dishes were all kinds of cuisine made from cabbage.

To be fair, the guild's cooks were truly skilled—the food tasted amazing. Of course, the quality of the ingredients probably helped too.

After all, those cabbages had been happily flapping around in the sky just moments ago.

The guild was bustling now. Every adventurer had returned with a full haul, and many stuck around to celebrate. Satou Kazuma's good friend Dust and his party were here as well.

A moment earlier Shichen had even spotted Chris, but unfortunately she had left and didn't stay to celebrate with them.

Maybe she had something to take care of—Shichen didn't think she was afraid of him.

…

"Aaah—beer is actually pretty good!" Aqua downed a large mug in one gulp and sighed contentedly.

"It really is," Shichen agreed with a nod.

A celebration naturally called for alcohol, and it turned out to be surprisingly tasty—rich with malt aroma. Truly an honest brew worthy of a fantasy world, nothing like the watered‑down stuff mixed with who‑knows‑what back home.

"Is the beer really that good?" Megumin, sipping fruit juice, stared at Shichen's mug.

"You can't drink yet." Shichen slid the mug out of her reach.

"Why not?"

"You're not of age."

"What difference does that make? Just one sip, please?"

"No amount of begging will work. No means no. Yunyun, you can't drink either. And Darkness—don't get drunk."

"Mm‑hm!" Darkness nodded vigorously.

She was being very obedient—after all, she was thoroughly satisfied. A little earlier she had charged head‑first into the cabbage swarm and reveled in their impacts. She couldn't have been happier.

Of course, a normal person could never understand that feeling.

"I‑I know." Yunyun shrank back shyly when Shichen addressed her.

"Ugh, why are you so strict?" Megumin pouted.

"We're a party. Isn't it normal for me to look out for you? Or would you rather I didn't?"

"Hmph—" Megumin huffed and didn't answer, but her attitude clearly meant she accepted it.

"Heh‑heh—" Shichen couldn't resist ruffling her hair. Her tsundere side was pretty cute.

"Haah—" Kazuma took a swig of beer and sighed listlessly.

"Kazuma, what's wrong?" Shichen asked curiously.

"Big Bro, this isn't the other‑world life I imagined!" Kazuma complained. "Wasn't I supposed to be fighting the Demon King? How did I end up battling cabbages?"

"But weren't you fighting pretty fiercely just now?"

"Well… I just got a little carried away. Those cabbages were infuriating," Kazuma admitted awkwardly.

"But they're worth ten thousand eris apiece."

"Th‑that's…"

"Kazuma." Shichen's tone turned earnest. "You have to remember—you're truly alive here, not playing a game. Life itself is necessary; there's a lot to consider. Even if we're going to challenge the Demon King, it won't happen in one go. We need to grow stronger bit by bit. And during that time, there are many other things you have to do."

"I know… I do, but…" Kazuma trailed off.

"But what? What are you two talking about—other world, game?" Megumin frowned.

"Nothing for you to worry about," Shichen brushed aside.

"You're not telling me? Then what's this 'defeat the Demon King' talk? Don't tell me that's actually your goal?"

"It is. Scared?" Shichen grinned.

"Scared? You're joking! Me—scared? If anything, I can't wait!" Megumin's eyes literally sparkled red. "I'm going to defeat the Demon King too! I'll show him the power of my Explosion Magic."

"Big words. You probably can't even break the Demon King's castle barrier." Shichen pressed her head down.

"Well, isn't that what you're for? You secretly learned Explosion Magic! Why didn't you tell me?" Megumin shoved his hand away, eyes shining with excitement.

"What's there to tell?"

"Humph—embarrassed, are we? You've finally felt the allure of Explosion Magic! Walk the path of explosions with me!"

"Just eat your food." Shichen flicked her forehead.

"Ow— that hurt!"

"Shichen, when are we going to defeat the Demon King?" Aqua suddenly asked.

"You want to fight him too?"

"Of course. I also want to go back to the divine realm."

"Isn't this world nice? They even have sparkling wine~"

"Mm… it is nice, but I still want to return."

"I see. Well, there's no rush. We need to get stronger first."

"That's true."

"So—another round?"

"Sure!"

"Why is Aqua still deluding herself that she's a goddess?" Megumin muttered.

"It's the same as you obsessing over Explosion Magic."

"How is that the same?"

"It's a childhood dream," Shichen said with a straight face.

"I see. Understood." Megumin nodded solemnly.

"That convinced her?" Kazuma looked shocked.

"Haha, don't overthink it. For now, just experience this world properly. Don't you want to grow strong and become adored by all?"

"Well…"

"So take it step by step. First, we should get ourselves a home."

"Alright, I'll follow your lead, Big Bro."

"That's more like it. Now eat up—this stuff even gives experience points."

"Got it!"

…

After lunch, Shichen planned to take Megumin and the others to look at houses around town.

The Cabbage Harvest Season had been lucrative, and with the ten million from Cecily earlier, they could afford a pretty nice villa.

Although he already had one in mind, it wouldn't hurt to look—there might be something better.

Just as they were leaving, Luna ran over and called them back.

"Shichen-san, please wait!"

"What is it, Luna-san?"

"Just call me Luna."

"…Alright, Luna, what's up?" Shichen, reminded so many times, couldn't ignore her any longer.

"Hehe~" Luna laughed happily. "Since that's settled, I'll just call you Shichen from now on."

"That's fine."

Smack—from her perch on Shichen's back, Megumin clicked her tongue in irritation.

Ignoring that, Luna explained why she'd stopped them: "Shichen, I just received a quest perfectly suited to your party."

"Oh? What is it?"

"Aqua-san is a high priestess, right? There's a 'Zombie Maker' in the cemetery that needs to be dealt with."

"A Zombie Maker?"

"Yes. It's an evil spirit that manipulates zombies. It possesses a high‑quality corpse and controls several zombies as minions. Recently, people visiting graves keep getting harassed… It should be very easy for Aqua-san."

"I see. Aqua, what do you think?"

"Need you ask? Exorcising evil spirits is my duty!" Aqua answered seriously.

"Alright, we'll take the quest."

"Thank you very much!"

"No, we should be the ones thanking you for keeping an eye out for quests for us."

"No, this is my job."

"No, really, we appreciate how much you look after us."

"No, I—"

"Enough already. Can we leave now?" Megumin interjected with a blank face.

…

Leaving the guild, the party returned to the inn and rested in their rooms. The quest had to be done at night—the evil spirit wouldn't appear by day.

Shichen cuddled Aqua and slept the entire afternoon. Darkness never came looking for him; she was probably still blissed out from being rammed by cabbages.

When night fell and the moon rose, they headed to a hill outside town.

The cemetery lay on that hill—a public graveyard for those who couldn't afford private burials or had no relatives.

Burials in this world were usually in the ground, not cremations, which naturally made it easy for ghosts to appear.

At night the cemetery was eerily silent and unsettling; nerves were on edge.

Megumin and Yunyun couldn't help clutching Shichen's arms—one side flat, the other soft.

Aqua, on the other hand, was utterly fearless.

Before long, Shichen's thief skill 'Detect Enemy' picked up several targets—but they didn't match the Zombie Maker's description.

Just then, a blue‑white glow suddenly erupted in the cemetery's center—dreamlike yet eerie.

The light formed a massive circular magic array, and next to it stood a figure in a black cloak.

"That's not a Zombie Maker… right?" Yunyun asked uncertainly.

"I'm not sure. Should we charge in?" Darkness was itching for action.

"Agh!" Aqua suddenly let out a shout and sprinted toward the figure.

"Impudent lich! How dare you show yourself in a place like this? So arrogant! Watch how I deal with you!"

~~~

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