This is Becca Thorn, the girl who has been scouted for the hero Derrick’s harem. I never expected that he would try to swallow me up too. Perhaps he isn’t doing it consciously or he is speaking in a misleading way.

But still, it doesn’t feel good to be treated like one of the extras added on to the hero Prince. If I want to escape this fate I’ll have to avoid the hero during my stay in the capital. Either that or I figure out a way to get rid of him.

But then the wedding preparations will be ruined.

If only this was a problem that could be solved with my fists. You know, maybe those rumors of a violent hero I started were on to something.

Becca 「 Well, I took care of my business so I guess we’re all free for now. You girls got any plans this evening? 」

Lina 「 I was going to check out the stalls around the city with sister Laura and the kids. Cheshyr, want to join us? 」

Cheshyr 「 Sure. My armor is starting to fall apart. Hopefully there’s a smith who can reinforce the joints and fix the dents. 」

The girls decide to check out the festive stands gathered in the capital. It’s a nice atmosphere, but the thought that this celebration is in honor of the wedding between the hero and the princess puts me in a sour mood.

Envie says she wants to check out the Maid’s Guild, but what the heck is that? I’ve never heard of something like that, is it an underground kind of guild?

I don’t know what sort of weird things that demon maid will learn but it should be fine I suppose. Brigid also seems interested and decides to tag along, although she should wipe that drooling dirty smile first.

If Brigid is thinking those maids will be the kind to satisfy their master during “night duties” then she is going to be disappointed.

If Laura is bringing the little ones like Alice and Pip, along with slime Mu and wolf pup Fu, that just leaves…

Becca 「 Hey, where do you think you’re running off to? 」

Maeve freezes mid-movement, the very picture of a burglar ready to make their silent getaway. She’s even wearing dark baggy clothes and a ski mask with eye-holes cut out.

She’s trolling me on purpose, isn’t she? She must be pretty pent up by now. Maeve is originally a psycho of a psychic who killed enough monsters at once to earn a title.

Titles are strange things that can’t be observed just like one’s class or status, but they have definitive effects. I’m guessing titles are similar to a God or Goddess’ blessing that can be earned after fulfilling a strict criteria.

This girl with a scary looking title of Slayer of a Thousand Evils, which apparently can be obtained from killing 1000 monsters in a short span of 1 hour, I somehow managed to tame her because I was stronger.

She listens to me because I have a collar on her but also she finds it interesting to tag along. She’s a follower that is only joining me because it suits her.

But keeping a wild lion caged up makes her act out from time to time. She acts like it’s that time of the month and causes destruction and mischief. The last time this happened I found her at a zoo where she broke open the cages and moved the animals around into a makeshift arena.

Apparently she started dogfights between the animals using elephants, zebras, and rhinos. The animals with lacking intelligence were manipulated with her psychic powers and induced into a frenzy.

I managed to clean up the scene quietly with the help of Reina and Julia of the secret societies. I seem to run to their Solstice group every time I need to clean up a supernatural mess.

The pair of officer and lawyer must have a headache sorting through the scene and silencing witnesses. Although funny enough, the cleanup crew seems happy to have extra work. Apparently the overtime incentives offered are very lucrative.

I wish someone would offer me overtime pay for babysitting a psycho. If there’s such a thing as a Hero’s overtime pay, then I want to line up for it right away.

My wishes go unheard as I drag Maeve back to me before she can slip away again. I have to babysit her so she doesn’t break anything here. This hero here is being overworked, so what about the other hero?

I can imagine Derrick is having a blast with his harem of beautiful girls. In a brief fit I use Hex magic to try and lay a curse on him. Nothing harmful like the last time when I financially ruined that dirty noble acting all villainous.

I cast a curse over Derrick so that anytime he steps outside any passing birds will unload their droppings on him. I’m not sure how effective this curse will be but it should annoy him quite a bit.

Maeve 「 You’re using what you call Hexes right? I haven’t seen such strange witchcraft before. 」

Becca 「 I guess it’s similar to witchcraft. So, are you going to be behaved? 」

Maeve 「 I can’t take it anymore, I’m bored! Working for a Hero is more boring than I thought. Let me go on a rampage. As long as no one dies it’s fine right? You can just heal them and I can wipe their memories and no one will know! Trust me, I’ve done it plenty before. 」

Becca 「 No, absolutely not. Not in the city. If you need to vent, take it out on the monsters on the outskirts. I managed to grab a request from the Keeper’s Guild. 」

I show her the sheet I grabbed telekinetically while everyone was focused on the Hero Derrick. It’s a common request to quell the local goblin and kobold populace.

These monsters have negative IQ and the strength of stray dogs, but their rate of breeding is insanely high and they often bother passing travelers and farmers. They tend to obey their barbaric instincts and snatch crops and tools.

Goblins are especially perverse as they’ll grab women’s clothes and underwear. It’s not for the reasons that some perverts would expect. Goblins aren’t attracted to human females in a sexual way, but rather their scent instead.

I’ve also heard that goblins hand over the stolen underwear and dresses to their spouses or to potential partners in a ritualistic mating tradition. Goblins don’t humans as mating partners, same as how a bear wouldn’t see a giraffe as a potential partner.

Looks like there’s no need for a dedicated goblin slayer.

Regardless, all the Keepers Guilds host requests for the elimination of goblins and kobolds in what is referred to as an infinite quest. This sort of quest is convenient since there’s no deadline or form to fill out.

As long as you bring a goblin’s left pinky, the guild will count up the kills and distribute points and rewards. The pay is small and it’s not likely one can be promoted solely working as a goblin slayer. It’s basically like Earth’s concept of recycling centers where you can earn pennies for turning in any trash you come across.

Becca 「 So how about it? 」

Maeve 「 That’s a resounding no. Small prey aren’t fun to hunt and I’m not some pest exterminator. 」

I try to placate Maeve by letting her vent on some goblins and kobolds, but that isn’t going to satisfy her. It’s too bad too, as I was hoping to turn in the spoils under my name and acquire more Keeper’s points towards my promotion.

Becca 「 Are you sure you don’t have some tragic backstory like you’re loved ones were brutally murdered by monsters, so you swore to wipe out all monsters in existence? It would make more sense why you want to kill them so strongly. 」

Maeve 「 Why would I need a backstory? There’s no reason, I just like killing them. Well, to be honest, it doesn’t have to be monsters, I just enjoy killing and causing destruction. Monsters and non-human entities are just more convenient because no one will bother me if I exterminate several hundreds of them. 」

Spoken like a high functioning sociopath. This is the big factor why the Esper Society on Earth released her to my custody so easily. They were able to offload a nutcase that could one day point a blade against them.

And I bet she would do it with a smile in a heartbeat. Can I really afford to keep her with me? If it weren’t for the Party skill’s function of friendly fire and the collar suppressing her power, I wouldn’t be so sure.

Becca 「 Don’t you think you should get a new hobby? Something less violent and… I don’t know, maybe something like gardening? 」

Maeve 「 You know, there is one thing I’ve been interested in lately. 」

Becca 「 Really? What is it? 」

Maeve 「 Necromancy. 」

I took a moment to think about it. A psychic that plays around with the undead, leading an army of death. A chill runs down my back and I shiver at the thought.

Becca 「 … Let’s stick to killing monsters. How about I give you a new weapon I’ve been tinkering with? 」

Maeve 「 A new toy? What is it? 」

Maeve’s eyes glitter like a child on Christmas morning. If those words were taken at face value you might think she’s an innocent pure girl. That is, until you realize she is getting excited at using a new toy to kill monsters.

I pull out a magic pistol. I used Crafting and a diagram of a simple flintlock pistol to design a gun that shoots out magic. I enchanted the barrel with magic to condense balls of mana and shoot it out in a straight line.

It was an idea of a weapon that combined convenience and cool aesthetics. Sadly, I realized that using actual magic skills like Magic Missile were more efficient. With the elementary magic skill Magic Missile I could shoot out mana just as quick and increase the output while steering it.

I gave up on the Magic Pistol for now and stowed it away a while back. Now I’m handing it to Maeve who originally doesn’t use magic. With this pistol she should be able to load it with mana stones and shoot out mana bullets.

I only have a few mana stones on hand acquired from some wild monsters that the girls killed, but Maeve can easily gather more after killing and extracting them from the goblins and kobolds. According to Envie, monsters are born from chaotic mana and on death that energy condenses into a mana stone next to their heart.

To load the magic pistol one just needs to crush a mana stone into powder and load it into the flintlock pistol like gunpowder.

It looks like Maeve is satisfied with it and she speedily runs off to try it. Her nature is like a wild animal that bites anything you wave in front of it. At the same time, if you give her a chewing toy to nibble on and she likes it, she’ll allow you to get close enough to pet her while she is distracted.

I didn’t realize it but later on, I would hear word of a strange girl going around killing goblin villages and kobold packs, with just a small wand in hand that spouted out sparks and light with a bang.

They called her the Thundering Wizard. She might earn a new title at this rate.