Volume 3 Short Story: Explosion Is Art

-Klein Gilbert

This man is an extremely talented artist. It's said that there's not a single person in the artistic community who has not heard of his name.

He's originally the third son of a impoverished noble family, but he has single handedly restored the glory and finances of his house with his artistic genius. Right now he can be considered to be an influential aristocrat in this country, as well as being a famous celebrity.

"I'll gladly accept your request!"

"Oh, thank you very much, Megumin-san!"

And that man has been talking animatedly with Megumin for the past few minutes.

— Megumin was summoned by the guild.

I originally thought she ended up causing some kind of trouble again and went with her to apologize, but it turned out that this famous noble Gilbert had a special request for her.

And that request is…

"Explosion is art! I didn't think the day would come when I'd be able to see Explosion, a spell far superior to Blast or Detonation, with my own eyes!"

"You're right! You're absolutely right, sensei! Explosion is art! Blast? Detonation? No, only Explosion can be said to be true art! Very well, I'll let Klein-sensei witness the splendour of my greatest magic!"

… Well, you get the idea.

I've heard that artists are a quirky bunch, but I didn't expect him to be so compatible with the maniac in my party.

This explosion-obsessed artist traveled all the way to Axel from the capital after hearing that Megumin could use Explosion.

The two of them have been excitedly chatting about stuff I couldn't comprehend ever since they met.

I want to go home.

I really want to go home, but for some reason I get the feeling that it'd be very dangerous to leave the two of them unsupervised.

"Kazuma, what are you waiting for? Let's go! I'm feeling really great today. I'll definitely be able to unleash the best Explosion ever like this!"

"How wonderful! I'm looking forward to your performance, Megumin-san!"

Megumin dragged on my shirt and brought me outside the guild.

…I'm getting a really bad feeling about this.

"– There really is a clear difference between the work of Klein-sensei and the other painters. In particular, the 'Exploding man amongst the glittering sunset' is truly marvelous."

What do you mean by exploding man?

I don't really want to see such a sight, though I'm a little curious as to what kind of painting would have such a title.

Hearing Megumin excitedly sing his praises as they walked down the streets, Gilbert cordially said,

"There's no need to address me as Klein-sensei. Just Gilbert will do, Megumin-san."

Come to think of it, he didn't ask any questions or even waver at all upon hearing Megumin's name during her introduction.

In fact, he even said it's a wonderful name bursting with personality and originality.

Seems like artists really do see the world differently from regular people.

"Anyway, Gilbert-san, you said you wanted to see Megumin's Explosion, right? Where are we headed?"

"Address me as Klein-sensei, Kazuma-san. Ah, here we are. That's it. I would like you to use your explosion magic on that."

… What's with this difference in treatment between me and Megumin? I really want to slap him in the face.

I looked over to where Gilbert was pointing…

"… Isn't that the Eris Church building?"

Hearing my question, Gilbert nodded contentedly.

"Indeed, it's the church of the detestable Eris Church. I'm a devoted follower of the Axis Cult, you see. The destruction of a church of Eris through Explosion shall definitely create a wonderful sight full of artistic merit…"

"Very well, stand back."

"Don't do that! Stop chanting in the middle of the town! Hey, don't think you can do anything just because you are a famous noble! Blowing up a church is no laughing matter!"

After getting restrained by me, Megumin and Gilbert shot me disappointed looks.

"Okay, fine, how about changing the target to that run down magic item shop that looks like it'd run out of business any day now?"

"I know the person who runs that shop, but alright, let's go with that."

"I told you not to start chanting in the middle of town! That shop looks to be run down, but it's still in business! It just doesn't get that many customers! The store owner is still working hard every day!"

This scene played out over and over again as they walked down the streets, the two of them suggesting using everything they see as a target and me having to repeatedly stop them.

Dammit, this is really grating on my nerves. I should just forget about those two and go home.

… No, if I do that, I'll definitely end up having to clean up after them.

Noble or no, I should just abandon him in the outskirts and run.

Just when I thought of such a solution-

"I told you right from the start, there's no way we'll be able to complete it in such a short time!"

I heard a familiar voice.

This is the voice of the foreman whom Aqua and I worked under back when we first came to this world.

The foreman seems to be involved in a dispute with an opulently dressed man.

"I don't care, finish dismantling it by today! I won't pay unless it's done by the end of the day! Or what, do you think you'll be able to get another job in this down after going against a noble? If you understand, then hurry up and get to work!"

The opulently dressed man gave such an unreasonable ultimatum to the foreman.

"First Klein-san and now that man… Are all nobles like this?"

I muttered with a sigh, and Gilbert disdainfully refuted,

"Please, call me Klein-sensei. And that man is an embarrassment to the nobility! Don't lump him together with me! He's probably an upstart who bought his title with money. I've never seen his face before."

I suspiciously looked him, trying to decide if he's trying to be humble or bragging about his own superiority.

Just then, Gilbert exclaimed.

"Inspiration has struck me, Megumin-san! I've decided on the best situation to bring out the splendour of Explosion!"

"Oh, I'm all ears, sensei! Let me show you the ultimate Explosion!"

Hearing Megumin's words, Gilbert pointed at the noble and said,

"… That upstart seems to want his mansion torn down by today. Blowing up his extravagant mansion right in front of that upstart… What do you think? Isn't it overflowing with artistic merit?"

"Indeed! I too feel that it'd be worth a lot of points!"

My attention having been drawn away by the argument of the foreman, I was too late in stopping Megumin from chanting.

"Hey, wait-"

"Alright, Megumin-san, please show me the pinnacle of art! Don't worry, I'll take responsibility for this. I'll handle the damage to the surroundings, so go ahead and unleash your full power!"

"Very well, sensei! Explosion~!"

—An explosive flower bloomed above the town—

Not only was the mansion blown to pieces, but the windows of the surrounding buildings were also shattered by the shockwave. Having been bowled over by that same shockwave, I clambered to my feet and observed my surroundings.

"Look at this! Look at this sight, Megumin-san! Look at the face of that upstart with his eyes rolled into his head! What a blast! This truly is art! I'll have a decade of inspiration from this! Yes, this is what true art is!"

I spotted the foreman and the upstart noble lying unconscious in the distance.

"Yes, this is art! This is what true art is, Sensei! Hahahahaha!"

— I've decided.

Clenching my fists, I walked towards the two who were laughing heartily while lying motionless on the ground-