“The problem is, the two of us alone are totally outmatched. We need som allies!”

When we got back to town, we’d gone directly to the bathhouse. Then we’d headed to the Adventurers Guild, where we were eating fried frog legs and holding a war council.

The Guild Hall functioned as both an adventurers’ meeting place and a recreation facility. You could buy and sell monster parts, and a large tavern served up monster-based dishes.

We’d gotten two frogs’ worth of meat today, which we sold to the Guild for some pocket change.

We could hardly carry back those carcasses ourselves. But the Guild offered a transport service—for a price. Minus the transport fee, we earned five thousand eris for each frog. All told, it was barely more than we’d been making in construction.

Then again, the fried frog—while a little tough—was way better than I’d expected. When | first got to this world, I’d been loath to eat things like lizards or frogs, but it turned out they were pretty good in a combo meal.

The goddess sitting across from me, though, didn’t need any encouragement to eat everything that was put in front of her.

“Sure, but...we’re brand-new adventurers who don’t even have any decent gear. What kind of ‘allies’ would join our party?”

Aqua waved her fork back and forth, her mouth full of frog leg. “Doan’ worry abouf it! I’m the one whof’ll be recruifing!” “Swallow first! Swallow first, then talk!”

She gulped down her mouthful of food. “/’m here. When word gets out we want party members, they'll come. | am an Arch-priest, you know—an advanced class! | can use all kinds of healing magic; | can cure paralysis and poisoning, even revive the dead! What party wouldn’t want me? | might not have anywhere near my full power, thanks to you dragging me down to the mortal realm, but—Ahem! I’m the great Aqua, aren’t I? Pretty soon they’ll be knocking at our door. ‘Please let us join you!’ they’ll say. Get it? Now, pass me another fried frog leg.”

With that, she grabbed a leg off my plate, and | looked at this self-proclaimed goddess with a sinking feeling.