Me, a priest? How could that be!

Chapter 32 Your pain is my pain

There are no towering trees in the world, only things that can subdue each other. This saying is perfectly illustrated in Charlotte's case.

The lich girl who almost stormed the Demon King's castle and forced him to sign a contract is now trembling with fear as she serves tea and water to the idiot goddess, while the idiot goddess, who sits with her legs crossed like a boss, gets her head stepped on by some NEET.

"I told you not to cause trouble before I came!"

"I was asleep, I didn't hear it!"

He spoke with such confidence and conviction.

Kazuma Sato smacked Aqua on the head hard, making her scream in pain and quiet down considerably.

"Sorry Wiz, we've come to bother you."

"How could that be? It's alright. I'm very happy to see you all here as guests."

The timid lich girl smiled gently, and compared to the carefree and heartless Aqua, it's hard to tell who the real goddess is.

Without comparison, there is no harm.

"Wiz, let's end this small talk," Charlotte said impatiently. "Yesterday you said the magical item you specifically searched for that suits me arrived. Where is it?"

"here."

Wiz seemed to have been prepared. Urged on, he pulled a box from under the counter, and inside were a pair of boxing gloves neatly arranged.

It's a fingerless gauntlet with a dragon-like design on the back, and the handguards are cleverly concealed by a beard. It doesn't have the imposing aura of a divine weapon; in fact, it's surprisingly cute.

"Is this it?"

"That's right!"

Wiz enthusiastically explained, "These gloves are called Joint Gauntlets. Their effect is that you can increase the magic power consumption according to your thoughts, thereby enhancing the power and range of your attacks. They're truly rare magical items!"

"Sounds pretty good!"

Kazuma Sato also got excited.

Megumin did the same. She picked up the gauntlets and examined them carefully, saying, "This magical item looks exactly like my aesthetic, and both the manufacturing method and the materials are top-notch. As a member of the Crimson Demon Clan, I guarantee that this is absolutely a fantastic product!"

Besides being martial arts experts, the Crimson Demons are also masters of crafting magical artifacts, thanks to their exceptional eyes that are highly sensitive to magical power.

"That's it! Actually, I found this magical item at the hands of a master I've worked with for a long time; it's a rare find!"

"……Hello!"

Charlotte suddenly turned her head to look at Huihui and found that the little red demon girl was whistling with her head turned to the side, looking like she knew nothing and was just stating the facts.

I almost got scammed!

The magic item master who has been working with Wiz for a long time, isn't that Megumin's father, Hyōzaburō?!

Huihui must have realized that this magical artifact was her father's creation, which is why she praised it so lavishly. It's truly... I've never seen such a shameless person!

Kazuma Sato sensed something was wrong and asked, "What's wrong, Charlotte? You look speechless."

"It's nothing..."

Charlotte shook his head, then looked at Wiz and asked, "So, what's the price?"

Before Banir arrived, all the magical items Wiz sold had side effects, let alone those made by Piaozaburo.

One can only pray that the flaws aren't too bizarre.

"Yes! Actually, when this magical artifact was made, the maker intended it to educate disobedient children and make them understand the parents' good intentions. Therefore, it has the effect of making the user feel the same pain!"

What is this?

The pain is felt in my heart even though it hurts you.

Kazuma Sato suddenly raised his hand, puzzled, and said, "Wait a minute, I have a question. Wiz, you said this was originally used to discipline disobedient children?"

"yes!"

"When you hit a child, do the parents feel the same pain?"

"Is that right?"

"That doesn't make sense. Where's the educational value in this? Is there any necessary connection between parents feeling pain and children understanding that their parents feel pain? Think about it carefully, isn't this just self-indulgent sentimentality?"

"……ah!"

Wiz slightly parted her rosy lips.

She was clearly aware of the flaws in the magical artifacts, or rather, her explanation shouldn't have been that children understand their parents' pain, and that parents understand their children's pain.

But then...

Doesn't it just become a tool for self-punishment?

Darkness excitedly raised his right hand and shouted, "I'll sell this magical artifact to you! I'll buy it!"

"Stop right there!" Kazuma Sato roared angrily. "You're such a useless piece of trash who can't even hit your target. Buying this kind of thing will only cause you more trouble!!"

"Ugh!!"

The perverted female knight trembled with pleasure.

Wiz quickly added, "However, aside from this flaw, I can guarantee its excellence! And it's the magical artifact that best suits Mr. Charlotte's needs!"

It wasn't just her.

Huihui looked at herself with great anticipation.

You two shouldn't force yourselves to do things against your will.

"It's fine if Mr. Charlotte doesn't want it, but I've used up all my budget on new magical items, so it looks like I'll be scavenging for rotten vegetable scraps and bread crusts at the market this month..."

"...Ah, I understand, I understand, I'll buy it, is that okay?"

"Really? Thank you!"

Wiz quickly packed the goods.

Huihui also came over and whispered, "If you don't want to, I'll pay half the money too."

"...What's it to you?"

"What?"

"This is a product I decided to buy myself, it has nothing to do with Huihui, right?" Charlotte reminded her, and the Crimson Demon Archmage pursed his lips and stopped trying to persuade her.

However, I was actually quite happy after receiving the boxing gloves.

Sometimes it's like that. Before you buy something, you think it's terrible, but after you buy it, you think it's great. People have two sides to them.

Wiz happily exclaimed, "It's so great to have found a product I'm happy with!"

"yes!"

"That way, I won't be isolated by others, and I can join other teams without any burden!"

"Yes!... Hmm?"

"That's right. The guild recently said they're going to isolate you. I guess it's because Mr. Charlotte hasn't been able to properly support his comrades. Now that you have these boxing gloves, they'll definitely come in handy!"

"Well……"

Charlotte was completely speechless.

Only then did he realize that he had always misunderstood Wiz: the other adventurers might not have deliberately tried to get information out of him; it was all Wiz who had inadvertently revealed it.

For example, this happens when meeting a poisonous slime, or when meeting a follower of the goddess Regina. It's one thing for a simple lich to be unable to keep a secret, but to be completely lacking in tact.

wrong!

Now is not the time to talk about this!

Charlotte turned her head with difficulty to look at Sato Kazuma, only to find him taking a deep breath and then bursting into a tirade: "What are you talking about, wanting to be a lone wolf player? You're acting all high and mighty! Aren't you being ostracized and isolated by the guild?!"

Ruined!

Now we're completely exposed!

Charlotte quickly explained, "It's a misunderstanding! I just made others unhappy by selling lucky bags!"

"You're still disliked, aren't you?"

"I'm not disliked!"

"Then why don't you join the team!"

"I don't want to!"

Just as the two were arguing, Aqua suddenly leaned in and said foolishly, "Charlotte, why don't you join the Axis Cult?"

"...What did you say?"