"I hate to admit it, but you actually impressed me this time, Aqua," Kazuma Sato said. "Who would've thought you could complete a high-level quest on your own?"
"Oh, Kazuma, getting surprised over something so trivial~" Aqua replied with a smug little laugh. "It's obvious that when this goddess gets serious, there's no quest she can't handle!" She grabbed the mug of beer in front of her and downed the rest in one massive gulp. "Bwah! Another one, please!"
"Still, defeating an enemy strong enough to be a candidate for the Demon King's generals is quite the achievement," Darkness said kindly. "Congratulations from the bottom of my heart, Aqua. Tell me… was that demon really so powerful? Is it true he kidnapped a bunch of maidens and locked them up in his castle to subject them to all kinds of perverted acts?" The crusader's face was practically glowing with excitement. "N-Not that I'm jealous or anything! Aah… Just thinking about it… makes me shiver! With terror, of course."
"Yeah… Well, something like that, hehe."
"But just how strong was he?" Megumin asked. As always, the Arch Wizard refused to let go of her food even while talking, as if afraid someone might steal it. "Do you think he could have withstood a direct hit from my Explosion magic?"
"I… I wouldn't know."
The news that Aqua and Kaizer Prester had defeated the Fang Demon and rescued all the kidnapped girls spread quickly through Axel.
Several adventurers who regularly hung out at the guild had come over to congratulate her.
And Aqua, of course, didn't bother going into detail about how the mission had really ended. Especially not when even Kazuma —who always was calling her a useless goddess— had not only congratulated her but was also paying for the celebratory dinner. There was no way she was going to waste this chance to be pampered by her party members and bask in the praise of the entire guild. After all, this was exactly what a goddess deserved.
While thinking that, Aqua's eyes scanned the room, searching for Kaizer.
The paladin was sitting in a corner on the far side of the hall, shoulders slumped and head down, completely out of sync with the festive atmosphere of the guild.
That idiot. Is he planning to stay depressed all night?
Aqua kept rubbing her thighs together, shifting restlessly in her seat, trying to suppress the intense heat consuming her and the tingling sensation she had felt between her legs ever since they returned from the mission.
She had to admit it: she was unbearably horny.
The beer was good — cold and foamy, just how she liked it. However, what the Goddess of Water truly craved right now was for someone to pull down her skirt and fuck her hard.
And for that, she needed the paladin.
Who else could she use to satisfy her desires? Kazuma Sato? No. Aqua knew very well that the adventurer had zero interest in her. Even when they had been sleeping together at the stables, the young man didn't even spare a glance at her. Besides, back then she had still considered sex something extremely mundane anyway.
And going off to sleep with the first man she came across was completely out of the question.
Her pride as a goddess had already been tarnished enough after succumbing to carnal pleasures because of a single mortal. She didn't want to feel any more humiliated than she already did.
Stupid… You turned me into this…
"AAAH!"
Completely overwhelmed by her emotions, Aqua didn't even realize she had screamed in the middle of the guild until she opened her eyes and saw her three companions staring at her in shock. Even Megumin nearly choked on her food.
"Hey! What the hell is wrong with you?" Kazuma asked.
"A-Aqua… you shouldn't shout like that," Darkness said, looking around embarrassed. "Now everyone is staring at us. Ah… what a scandal…"
"Ah, it's just… I was really thirsty and couldn't wait for my beer."
Her excuse was terrible.
What am I even doing?
"In any cafeth, I don't think that'th enough reathon to thcream like that," Megumin said with her mouth full. She took a long swig. "Do you want everyone to think you're a weirdo? Mmm… Though now that I think about it, if that happens maybe they'll stop calling me the explosive crazy girl.
"What are you talking about? Everyone in the guild already thinks we're a bunch of weirdos. Or did you forget they started calling me 'Cadzuma'?"
"Kazuma, I understand how you feel," Darkness said gently, "but in this life, if you want to walk with your head held high, you have to take responsibility for your mistakes."
"It's your fault they call me that!"
"Sorry, but I have something to do," Aqua said, standing up so abruptly that her companions' eyes locked onto her again.
"Huh? What about your beer?" Kazuma asked.
"I'm not thirsty anymore."
She started walking without looking back, ignoring the stunned looks from her party members, who were surely wondering what the hell was wrong with her.
I am thirsty… but for something else, the goddess thought, licking her lips.
She slipped a hand inside her blue vest, and her slender fingers closed around the small vial she had been carrying ever since she and Kaizer visited Wiz's shop.
As she made her way through the tables, Aqua could feel her breathing growing heavier and the burning sensation becoming almost unbearable.
"Hey, Aqua!" someone called out.
"Oh! It's Aqua!" another voice shouted. "I heard you defeated a powerful demon!"
"Me too! How about showing us one of your party tricks to celebrate?"
Adventurers she sometimes drank with, even some ex-coworkers from her old part-time job, called out to her enthusiastically.
And while few things pleased her more than being the center of attention and showered with praise, Aqua ignored them all and kept walking until she reached Kaizer's table. The young man was so lost in his own thoughts that he didn't even notice when she stopped right beside him.
I guess I'll have to start by taking care of that first.