Dragged to Another World… and I Took the Goddess with me!

Finn dragged the thief by the legs, Majestria strolling beside him like a supervisor making sure the punishment stayed on schedule. The man could barely twitch from all the damage Finn (and mostly Majestria) had inflicted. And if he did try to move, Majestria would probably uppercut him into orbit just for breathing wrong.

So all he could do was cry, beg, or talk trash.

He did all three.

"Please, I'm sorry! I won't ever steal again!"

"One," Finn muttered.

"W-Where are you taking me?!"

"Two."

"I-I'm not scared of you people! You won't do anything to me!"

"Three."

Finn dropped the man's legs with a thud and spun around, glaring down. "Can you shut up?!"

The thief froze like a toddler caught misbehaving in church, gulping so loudly it was almost comedic. Finn sighed, grabbed the legs again, and kept dragging with zero care. He already knew exactly where this guy was going, and nothing was going to change his mind.

Still, the guy's behavior bugged him. Before getting caught, he strutted around like a confident thief. Now he was whimpering like a kicked puppy.

Finn rubbed his chin. Maybe he's working for the Demon Lord? Or a spy from another kingdom? Wait… aren't the other kingdoms just full of different races? Eh, whatever. He shook the thought off. Probably just a garden-variety thief with garden-variety cowardice.

Before long, Finn arrived at the outdoor dining hall. Dinner was winding down, people clearing plates after the earlier commotion. And there, looming like a final boss of discomfort, was the giant chef lady. She turned at the sound of Finn's approach, flashing him the creepiest grandma smile imaginable.

"You finally came to your senses, sugar?" she cooed.

"Uh, no…" Finn muttered.

Majestria folded her arms, glaring. "Finn, who is this? This better not be another girl you know."

"No, no, no. Never. Nothing like that. She's… uh… an acquaintance. Let's leave it at that."

The chef licked her lips—loudly this time. "So what is it you want, sugar plum?"

Finn frowned, then gestured at the limp thief. "This man's been wanting to get to know you. He's really shy, so he'll say 'no' a lot, but that just means yes. Please take good care of him!"

The thief blinked, staring at the woman. Recognition hit him like a frying pan—this was the same abomination he'd used as bait when distracting Finn to steal his hat. His face drained.

"You… you can't be serious. This is a joke, right? Just a messed-up prank?"

Finn only stared. Silent. Cold.

The man laughed nervously. "Haha… right? A prank?!" He looked between Finn and Majestria. Neither said a word.

The chef's tongue darted across her lips again as she bent down and seized his legs. "Thank you, sugar. I needed someone to fill my lonely nights. And this… this is perfect."

She stroked his helmet like it was a pet cat. The man screamed bloody murder.

"Please feel free to come by, sugar," she called to Finn, dragging her prize toward to some place only God know. "My offer still stands, my favorite sugar."

"No thanks," Finn muttered, waving as he walked away with Majestria. "Appreciate it, though."

The thief thrashed and howled, swearing vengeance on Finn as he was hauled away.

Then his voice faded into the distance—just another cry swallowed up by the night.

Finn didn't care much for the thief's desperate threats, the whole "I'll get my revenge when I get the chance!" routine. Whatever that meant. He'd lost count of how many people had sworn vengeance on him by now. And really—did it matter? The guy was about to have the worst night of his life with that woman.

Turning his attention back to the group, Finn saw the girls finishing up.

Chestelle looked perfectly content, presumably having demolished enough food to feed a small village. Definitely over two-thousand calories. Finn squinted.

'I wonder if she'll actually gain weight from all that…'

Lickthorn, meanwhile, seemed sulky—probably because not a single man had spoken to her all night. Well, aside from the unlucky one who got body-checked during the thief's chase. Finn felt a pang of guilt; he still owed her for a long time. He just hoped "paying her back" didn't end up being anything weird.

And then there was Majestria.

Smack!

Pain exploded across the back of Finn's head. He clutched it instantly, groaning. "What the hell was that force?!"

"For hitting me earlier," she said calmly.

"Oh, come on! You're still holding onto that?!"

"Shouldn't you know better than to hit a goddess?" she snapped.

"'Shouldn't you know better than to hit a goddess,'" Finn mocked in the pettiest voice possible.

Her fist twitched, ready to swing again. Finn immediately flinched and threw up his hands. "Sorry! Sorry! My bad!"

She lowered her hand, satisfied. Finn gritted his teeth.

'I'll get my revenge on you soon. Just you wait…'

With everyone regrouped, it was finally time to head back into the tent and meet up with Theron, to figure out where things were going from here.

***

They all entered the tent, where Theron greeted them warmly.

"Did you all enjoy yourselves? I trust the food was to your liking."

He spoke in a polite, considerate tone—but none of it mattered. The question was met with three tired faces and one overly content face.

"Oh, that is most unfortunate."

"Not at all! The food was very delicious." Chestelle beamed with delight, fists clenched in excitement.

"Well, that is quite good. What about you three? What is it that troubles you so much?"

Lickthorn spoke weakly. "It happened again."

"What did?"

She stayed silent, unwilling to speak further.

Theron then turned to Majestria.

"I was fine, but he"—she pointed at Finn—"ruined it."

"I did not!" Finn barked.

"How so?" Theron asked, curious.

"You ask him. He's right there."

Theron sighed, turning to Finn. "Would you mind explaining what happened and why both of you are upset?"

"Well… first and foremost, I didn't cause anything. And secondly…"

Finn puffed his chest out dramatically.

"Someone tried to steal my cool wizard hat!"