My Favorite Isekai Adventure (Konosuba)

Chapter 17: Great Cabbage Operation, a Green Rain

Three days later, in the afternoon.

In the main hall of the base, Kobayashi asked loudly, "Everyone, are you ready?!"

"Of course!"

"I've been impatient for a while now."

"I even drew up a detailed plan last night."

"Hmph, me too."

The group's replies were full of enthusiasm. It seemed they had been looking forward to this for a long time.

Kobayashi waved his hand grandly. "Then, let's go have a blast... Move out!"

"Yeah!" x4

The fully prepared party headed straight for the town gate.

Today was the cabbage harvest day. Axel had become lively, with everyone preparing to show their skills and make a fortune.

However, the cabbages were not so easy to catch. It would be a huge mistake to think they were just ordinary flying vegetables! Precisely because they were unwilling to be eaten, they would collectively resist.

Even ants can bite an elephant to death.

Swarms of cabbages would pour in, posing a considerable threat to ordinary residents and novice adventurers.

"Children and women, hurry home and shut your windows tight! The rest of you adventurers, get to the town gate and prepare to engage! Are you all ready?"

"Stay sharp!"

"If you're not careful, you'll be overwhelmed by them."

Seeing the adventurers acting as if they were facing a great enemy, Satou Kazuma felt they were making a big deal out of nothing. In his view, no matter how many there were, they couldn't possibly overwhelm so many adventurers. Besides, they were just cabbages.

However—

"You've got to be kidding me..."

A massive, dark army of cabbages flew in from the horizon. They gathered in dense swarms, casting a shadow over the entirety of Axel. It was no exaggeration to say they blotted out the sun.

"This is a full-blown cabbage army!"

"That's why I told you to stay sharp!" an adventurer next to him yelled, then directed the crowd, "Quickly, disperse into your own parties."

"Right!" xN

Everyone answered in unison.

"Alright everyone, let's get a move on too."

Kobayashi also called to his companions, "Megumin, I'm counting on you to lead the charge. Announce your—the Fledgling Phoenix's—arrival to them."

"No problem! Leave it to me!"

Megumin had been waiting impatiently.

She didn't hold back, raising her staff and launching an Explosion spell right at the cabbage army.

"—Explosion!!!"

A nuke descended from the sky!

But the effect wasn't great. Not only did she almost hit other adventurers, but because the magic was too powerful, the cabbages at the center of the explosion were vaporized. Only a few scattered ones at the edge became her prize.

Plop—

Powerless, Megumin fell to the ground.

But it was fine. Kobayashi had a backup plan for her.

"Here, take this."

"What's this?"

"Magic Item: Drowsy Herb Wreath, Upgraded Version."

The Drowsy Herb was a potent plant that could knock out both people and monsters, and it was also the main ingredient for making the strongest sleeping potion. When made into a magic item, its effective range was expanded to 10 meters.

But it had a flaw.

To use the magic item, one had to use their body temperature to awaken the Drowsy Herb at its center. The resulting side effect was that the person holding the wreath would also be affected by the herb. And the most frustrating part was that, aside from purification magic, there was no way to resist it. Otherwise, it wouldn't be called the strongest sleeping potion.

Megumin couldn't help but shout, "Who on earth would make such a bizarre magic i... tem... zzzzz... zzzzz..."

"You'll have to ask your father about that."

That's right. This was a magic item obtained from Wiz's shop. Despite its bizarre effect, its price was as high as 190,000 Eris! Its exorbitant price was inversely proportional to its practicality, and it had been left untouched in a corner of the item shop until Kobayashi discovered it today.

"Look! The cabbages are falling down on their own!"

"And it's near that chuunibyou Archwizard from the Crimson Demon Clan with the screw loose!"

"What in the world is going on?!"

Many adventurers noticed the strange phenomenon, unable to understand the reason behind it.

This was when it was Kobayashi's turn to take the stage.

"Hey, hey, hey, I know, I know!"

"You know, Kobayashi?"

"Of course! She's using the Magic Item: Drowsy Herb Wreath, bought from Wiz's Magic Item Shop! The effect is just as you see, it can make all the surrounding monsters fall under the influence of the Drowsy Herb."

The adventurers saw it and nodded repeatedly.

"It's true."

"So strong, it can knock out so many."

"The effect is just ridiculous!"

Seeing that their interest was piqued, Kobayashi continued to promote Wiz's shop.

"Everyone, you've seen the effect of the wreath! The magic item shop is having a special sale right now! The wreath isn't 1.99 million! It's not 990,000! If you go buy it now, you can get it for only 190,000! So what are you waiting for? Why aren't you rushing to buy one?!"

"Hiss, 190,000..."

"So expensive!"

"You could buy two high-quality magic crystals with that."

Hearing such a high price, many adventurers shrank back, indicating that it was unacceptable.

At this point, Kobayashi added, "I know the price might be a little steep, but please, do the math. One cabbage costs 10,000 Eris, and look around her... there are at least 100 cabbages there right now! With such a high return, isn't that enough to tempt you?"

It had to be said, this move was very effective.

When the adventurers saw the number of cabbages piling up around Megumin, they were instantly tempted.

"What are you waiting for? Aren't you going to rush over and buy one?"

"Quickly, they'll be gone if we're late."

"Damn it! I should have prepared earlier."

Many adventurers hurriedly ran to Wiz's Magic Item Shop to buy the wreath. Of course, some remained rational and chose not to go. It wasn't just a matter of whether they could buy one; even if they did, the round trip would take a lot of time. By the time they got back, the harvest day might already be over.

Kobayashi's plan was a success. Tricking them into buying the magic item was one part of it; the other was that there were too many people, preventing them from performing properly.

"Darkness, Aqua, Kazuma-kun, you can go now."

"Yeah!" x3

Darkness was as reckless as ever. She charged straight into the center of the cabbage army, ignoring the repeated impacts on her body. She even frequently stood in front of novice adventurers who were on the verge of collapsing, taking the damage for them.

Seeing the towering figure of the blonde knight not retreating even after being repeatedly hit and injured, the adventurers were moved by her fearlessness and bravery, earning her a wave of high praise.

But Kobayashi, who knew her true thoughts, couldn't feel moved at all.

"Wonderful! Wonderful! More! More!! MORE!!! I want more! Ahahahahahahaha—"

She's lost it. She's completely lost her mind.

But this is one of the few occasions she can let loose, so I'll just let her be.

Although Darkness blocked a lot of damage, her clumsy limbs meant her own harvest was meager, probably the smallest of anyone. She wasn't short on money anyway, so it didn't matter.

Aqua, on the other hand, was catching them with a net in a child-like manner. If nothing unexpected happened, she would likely have the second-smallest harvest after Darkness. One could only hope she wouldn't be hugging Kobayashi's leg later, crying and begging for some pocket money.

Satou Kazuma, in contrast, was very clever. Using his newly learned skills—[Stealth] and [Steal]—he fought dirty, launching sneak attacks on the cabbages when they weren't looking, and harvested quite a few.

As for Kobayashi, he had a wide variety of methods. Up close, he used [Steal] just like Kazuma. From afar, he drew his bow and shot arrows. Alternating between near and far, his harvest was plentiful.

But the most impressive of all was yet to come. It was RyuZU.

"It's about time."

Seeing the cabbages gathering together, attempting to form a shockwave, Kobayashi knew this was the last chance.

"RyuZU, it's your turn to take the stage."

"Yes, as you command, Master Kobayashi."

RyuZU lifted the hem of her skirt. Her posture was elegant, yet her words were sharp. "Next, I shall offer you the most splendid of dances. It is a pity, however, that you will be like a blind man, unable to see it. It is rather disappointing."

"My apologies, but if it were a normal dance, I could dance with you, RyuZU."

"Then it is a promise. My reward will be a dance with Master Kobayashi."

"Ah, I promise."

A happy smile appeared on RyuZU's lips. She then slowly walked towards the cabbage army, her aura elegant and calm, a stark contrast to the hectic and anxious battlefield.

"Come, it is about to begin."

—[Imaginary Switch]!

In an instant!

In just a single instant, RyuZU abruptly appeared in the center of the cabbage army. It had to be said, this was an extremely dangerous move.

But before anyone could shout a warning, they saw the charging cabbages freeze as if the pause button had been pressed, floating in mid-air.

RyuZU once again elegantly lifted her skirt and slowly curtsied to Kobayashi in the distance.

At the same time.

It began to rain from the sky. A green rain.

(End of Chapter)