Megumin's Turn, page 1
part #1 of Konosuba: An Explosion on this Wonderful World Series
Copyright
NATSUME AKATSUKI
Translation by Kevin Steinbach
Cover art by Kurone Mishima
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
KONO SUBARASHI SEKAI NI SHUKUFUKU WO! SPIN OFF · KONO SUBARASHI SEKAI NI BAKUEN WO! Vol. 1 MEGUMIN NO TURN
©2014 Natsume Akatsuki, Kurone Mishima
First published in Japan in 2014 by KADOKAWA CORPORATION, Tokyo.
English translation rights arranged with KADOKAWA CORPORATION, Tokyo, through TUTTLE-MORI AGENCY, INC., Tokyo.
English translation © 2019 by Yen Press, LLC
Yen Press, LLC supports the right to free expression and the value of copyright. The purpose of copyright is to encourage writers and artists to produce the creative works that enrich our culture.
The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book without permission is a theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like permission to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), please contact the publisher. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Akatsuki, Natsume, author. | Mishima, Kurone, 1991– illustrator. | Steinbach, Kevin, translator.
Title: Konosuba, an explosion on this wonderful world! / Natsume Akatsuki ; illustration by Kurone Mishima ; translation by Kevin Steinbach ; cover art by Kurone Mishima.
Other titles: Kono subarashii sekai ni bakuen wo! (Light novel). English
Description: First Yen On edition. | New York, NY : Yen On, 2019.
Identifiers: LCCN 2019038569 | ISBN 9781975359607 (v. 1 ; trade paperback)
Subjects: CYAC: Fantasy. | Magic—Fiction. | Future life—Fiction.
Classification: LCC PZ7.1.A38 Km 2019 | DDC 741.5/952—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019038569
ISBNs: 978-1-9753-5960-7 (paperback)
978-1-9753-8701-3 (ebook)
E3-20191109-JV-NF-ORI
“Explooosion!”
Someone with a hood concealing their face incanted the spell quietly.
As soft as their voice was, though, the magic that was unleashed was tremendously powerful. A roar shook the air, and a blistering wind surged in every direction. The big, black monster that had been chasing me was easily blown away by it.
But the spell, infused with tons of MP, didn’t stop there—no, it decimated my sacred play area, and the toy I’d been so lucky to find vanished without a trace.
All of it was simply swept away by the power.
It was a level of destruction far beyond any other magic. To think a single wizard with a single spell could summon up such extensive devastation.
But what spell was it?
I had never seen any of the grown-ups in the village use such awesome magic.
The person in the hood walked over to where I was standing, dumbfounded with amazement.
“Are you all right? You’re not hurt, are you?”
The person knelt down so they were peering into my face. The drab robe mostly hid their body from view, but the act of crouching down emphasized a very large chest.
…Incredible.
The magic spell had been amazing, sure, but this was even more impressive!
“How can I get to be like you, miss?” I didn’t even say thank you, just voiced the first thing that came to my mind.
My mother had said something recently that I couldn’t get out of my head:
“The women of our household have had modest proportions for generations, so just give up already.”
But I wouldn’t give up.
Not till the bitter end.
I clenched my fist with this private resolution as I stared at the figure’s most striking attribute…
I almost felt like the hooded woman was smiling at me.
…………………
There was a moment of silence, then the woman asked uncertainly, “…Is that a nickname?”
“No, it’s my real name.”
She went quiet again, then finally seemed to compose herself. “Ahem, so you want to know how you can be like me? Let’s see… Eat lots, study hard, and if you can become a great wizard, then I’m sure…”
If I could become a great wizard, I could get a huge rack.
Being a top spell-caster was the path to an abundant endowment!
“Yes… If you can become a great wizard, I’m sure one day, you’ll be able to use that spell. But I can’t say I really recommend it.” The hooded woman kept talking, but I didn’t hear her. My head was already full of thoughts about becoming a great wizard.
“Anyhow…” I was still muttering “great wizard, great wizard” as the woman put her hand on my head and looked around. “Say, little one. Are you by yourself? Aren’t there any grown-ups around? I’m sure there must have been somebody who broke the seal of this grave… I see the pieces of it right there, and I’m sure it didn’t break itself…”
The woman cocked her head in confusion and started collecting the bits of my toy that were scattered at her feet.
“I wonder who freed me. They can’t possibly have gone far… Well, I guess you wouldn’t know anyway.”
Then the woman walked to the middle of the crater she’d created with her spell. The big, black monster was lying there, just about breathing its last.
The hooded woman placed her hand on its head…
“Sleep just a little longer, O other half of mine,” she whispered. “This world is yet too peaceful for you to awaken…” Then her hand glowed as if she was absorbing something from the beast. Before my very eyes, the giant creature shrank down and down. It shrank until it was the size of a kitten, and then it kept shrinking until it disappeared.
“All right, then. In that case, I’d better… Hmm? What are you doing, little one?”
The hooded woman looked at me. I was collecting the pieces of my toy from the ground.
“I’m picking up my toy. Our family is poor, and this is the only thing I have to play with.”
“Wha—? No, look, that’s not a toy, okay? Its job is to seal up a scaaary Dark God. Those pieces are important…… Wait, what?”
I quickly put the pieces of my puzzle back together and immediately realized some of them were missing. Three of them, to be exact.
“Three of the pieces went somewhere because of your spell, miss. Will you help me look for them?”
“No, no way! This makes no sense! There’s no way you could put the pieces together so easily! Even sages have failed to break that seal, so how…?” The woman had her chin in her hand, looking troubled. “Listen, little one. How long have you been on these sealed lands? Didn’t the village grown-ups tell you to stay away from here?”
“My mom said that whenever people tell you to Stay away or There’s nothing here or Better keep out, it almost always means there’s treasure, so I’ve been coming here every day.”
“Wh-what are you saying…?!” The woman’s voice went up an octave, and her face contorted. Finally, she came up beside me and planted her hand firmly on my head. “I can’t say this makes much sense, but it looks like I’m the one who needs to thank you, little girl. Is there anything you want? I know I don’t look like much, but I’m a mysterious wizard with tremendous powers. I’d like to grant a wish for you before I go.”
“A wish?”
“That’s right. Whatever you want, okay? Anything at all…”
“World conquest.”
“…S-sorry, that’s not really feasible. I wonder what’s going on here. This girl might be something bigger than she appears. Er, do you have a different wish?”
I could just make out her eyes under her hood, and I could see she was frowning a little.
“Okay, then give me big boobs.”
“Th-that’s not really possible, either. J-just how old are you anyway, sweetheart? I think you’re a little young to be worrying about that sort of thing.”
Another dead end. All right, then…
“Make me the Demon King.”
“L-look, I’m sorry, okay? Let me amend what I said. Compared to someone as impressive as you, I don’t really have that much power, so I can’t grant wishes as big as yours.” I saw a bead of sweat run down the hooded woman’s cheek.
I held up the pieces in my hands. “…Okay, well, my toy is missing three pieces. Just help me look for them.”
“Wait! Now, that’s thinking too small—I can do better than that! B-besides, you shouldn’t play with those shards! That beast from earlier—I’ve only sealed her away again, you understand?! Don’t ever come back here, okay?! Come on—isn’t there something? Wish for something just a little bigger…!”
The woman crouched down to look into my eyes, genuinely upset now.
…Something a l
Okay—
“Teach me that spell you did.”
1
It was just an average morning for me. Our homeroom teacher was calling roll.
“Take your seats, please… Arue! Kaikai! Sakiberii!”
Each student answered to her name. All of them were girls. In our school, girls and boys were in different classes.
We were a small class, just eleven students, so my name came up quickly.
“Megumin!”
“Present.”
When my name, the last on the list, had been called, the teacher nodded in satisfaction. “Good, good, looks like everyone’s here. All right, then…”
“T-Teacher!”
He was about to put away the roll, but the girl next to me raised her hand, looking like she might cry.
“My name hasn’t been called…”
“Hmm? Oh, sorry! I forgot there was one person on the next page. Sorry about that! Ahem… Yunyun!”
“P-present!”
Yunyun, whose longish hair was tied back with a ribbon and who gave off a definite overachiever vibe, blushed a little as she answered.
Ours was a small school in the hamlet known as Crimson Magic Village.
When they reach the right age, children of our village come to the school to receive a general education, and when they turn twelve, they start studying magic under the tutelage of a so-called Arch-wizard, an advanced class of wizard.
Members of the Crimson Magic Clan are born with exceptionally high intelligence and magical ability, and typically they study in school until they learn their magic. In other words, around here, acquiring magic is equivalent to graduating.
Which is another way of saying that no one in our classroom could use magic. The students in our class spent all their effort acquiring “skill points” so they could learn the spells they wanted.
The number of skill points one needed varied depending on what magic one wanted to learn. Stronger magic demanded more points.
But there was only one thing the girls in this class wanted to learn.
Advanced Magic.
This was a skill that allowed the wielder to employ a variety of powerful spells—enough to catch the attention of any young wizard. In our village, learning the Advanced Magic skill was tantamount to becoming a full-fledged adult. But…
“Okay, it’s time for the test results. The top three scorers will receive a skill-up potion as usual. Come to the front of the class to get it. Starting with number three! Arue!”
I gazed out the window, sparing only a glance at our phlegmatic classmate as she stood to receive her potion.
“Number two, Yunyun! Well done—that’s what I expect from the daughter of our chief! Keep up the good work.”
“Oh, y-yes, sir!”
I glanced over and saw Yunyun getting up from her desk, her face bright red.
There were only two ways to gain skill points: raise your level by defeating monsters and gaining experience or consume a skill-up potion. Those potions were very rare, though, so students eager to attain Advanced Magic fought hard to get them.
“Finally, number one, Megumin!”
I stood to get my potion when my name was called. Yunyun was looking at me ruefully.
“Excellent score, as ever!” the teacher said to me. “I have to think you’ve got enough skill points to learn Advanced Magic any day now, though… Well anyway, keep raising the bar!”
I went back to my chair with my potion and resumed staring out the window. From our classroom on the second floor, I had an excellent view of the village.
I wondered if that person I met when I was so young, whose name I’d never even gotten to ask, was doing well somewhere out there in that big, wide world.
While the teacher was busy exhorting the other students to study, I pulled a card out from close to my chest. It was called an Adventurer’s Card. The JOB field was filled in with the word ARCH-WIZARD.
LEVEL: 1.
Below that, it showed I had forty-five skill points. And in the field showing skills I could learn, glowing letters indicated that learning Advanced Magic would require thirty points.
“The rest of you could learn a thing or two from Megumin. Work hard so you can get that Advanced Magic as soon as possible! All right, time for class!”
I let the teacher’s voice go in one ear and out the other as I gazed at something else in the SKILLS field of my card… Displayed in grayed-out letters was the word EXPLOSION, with a skill-point value of fifty. I ran my finger over it.
In the Crimson Magic Clan, learning Advanced Magic made you an adult, but that wasn’t the spell I was after. Even now, the words that robed woman had intoned, that spell of ultimate destruction, were burned into my mind.
I was going to acquire Explosion.
And then one day, I was going to show that woman what I had learned…
2
During the break after first period, a hand came slamming down on my desk.
“Megumin! You know why I’ve come!”
The speaker was Yunyun, who sat next to me. She was the daughter of the chief of the Crimson Magic Clan and an excellent student in every subject.
“Yes, yes. Incidentally, what is my breakfast going to be today? I’m famished.”
“O-oh really? Well, for a side dish today, I really worked hard to make— W-wait, no! Why do you assume I’m going to lose?! T-today I’m going to win! Today is the day I, the daughter of the chief, achieve victory!”
She was also my self-proclaimed rival and the one who made my meals every day.
Despite her declaration, Yunyun put her boxed meal on my desk. As for me, I set down the potion I’d earned earlier.
“All right, then I shall determine the nature of our duel, as always. Surely, I can be granted a little handicap against the chief’s daughter. And I hardly think a packed meal against a rare and valuable potion would normally be considered a fair wager.”
“Y-yeah, I know that. Just go ahead and name the terms!”
What a soft touch.
“Very well. Our duel will consist of who, at the next physical measurement, shall prove to be more compact and thus friendlier to the environment.”
“That’s no fair! There’s no way I can beat you at that!”
What…?!
“I know I’m the one who suggested this, but your bragging is really getting on my nerves! We are the same age, so there can hardly be that much difference between us! This young woman’s ego is way too big!”
“Ow, that hurts! Stop it! I thought we were competing at the measurements! If you’re that worked up about it, why not have a contest in gym class?!”
As I bopped Yunyun repeatedly, the other girls all filed toward the nurse’s office.
It was all right: As I grew up, I’d investigated what I’d been told as a child, that becoming a great wizard would also mean a great rack, and it seemed to be more than just talk. Maybe an intense magical cycle improves blood flow and encourages growth or something, because an inordinate number of the best wizards in the village were exceptionally well-endowed.
As the top student in my class, I expected the day would soon come when I joined the ranks of those alluring Arch-wizards. The thought filled my mind as I headed for the nurse’s office, Yunyun following frantically behind.
“Hey, Megumin! If you’re so sure, how about just a contest of who’s taller? No, hey, don’t leave me behind…!”
The physicals had already started when we got to the nurse’s office.
I was the smallest in my class full of girls. I had my suspicions, however, that the problem was nutritional in nature. Thanks to my father, a magical-item craftsman with unique tastes, my family was always destitute. Our collective diet left much to be desired, and I thought it might be stunting my growth.
“Ah, Arue, you’ve grown again. Maybe more than anyone in class. All right, next is…Megumin… Ahem, as I tell you every time, standing on your tiptoes and puffing out your chest doesn’t make any difference, all right? I’m using measurement magic, so holding in a big, deep breath isn’t going to change the numbers.”
My modicum of resistance went in vain as the nurse used her magic to figure out my measurements.
“Good… Hmm, you haven’t grown much, Megumin. Well, anyway. Next, Yunyun.”
“Oh, no, I’m sure I grew… I’m gonna lose… Awww, I knew it! I lost to Megumin again… Ow, ouch! Wh-why are you doing that?! You already beat me and took my food—why do you have to hit me, too?!”
