When Kazuma woke up, the first thing that stuck him was the throbbing pain radiating throughout his skull. It felt like someone had clotheslined him with a sledge hammer. He released a hiss of discomfort, attempting to raise a hand to rub his face, only to falter when he realized he was restrained.
Wait...what the hell? Groggily thought Kazuma the moment he put together that he was bound tight to a chair by chains. What's going on here? In fact, where even is here!?
"Ah, you're finally awake. Excellent." A crisp, all-too-familiar voice sounded from nearby, making Kazuma freeze as genuine fear rose in his chest. He raised his gaze in the direction the voice came from, looking past the bars before him as a tall silhouette emerged from the darkness on the other side. "I was starting to worry that I might've hit you a little too hard on the head. My apologies. But to be fair, you have survived much worse."
"The Daughter!?" Kazuma exclaimed, almost calling her by the stupid nickname he came up with before catching himself. Whatever may or may not happen to him, he knew the last thing he wanted right now was to piss off his captor. "I, uh, thought you were out on another siege somewhere..."
"Oh, I was. Briefly. Let's just say I had far more important matters to worry about than another concurred city." The Daughter replied nonchalantly, her amber eyes sharpening as she leaned forward slightly, now out of the shadows of the dimly lit dungeon. "Those important matters being you, of course. And your merry band of adventuring morons as well, but specifically you, Mr. Satou."
"Me? But why me?" Kazuma asked, partially to stall whatever sick games the hellspawn had planned, but partially because he was genuinely curious as well. "Last time I checked, I barely put up much of a fight against you. And yes, I am man enough to admit that. I know my limits."
"Well, because of everything you've managed to accomplish, Satou! Surely you must recognize the importance of your victories and accomplishments," The Daughter countered, an almost impressed quality entering her tone. "While you may not have put up much of a fight against myself, you have killed four of my fellow generals, turned another to your side, and even managed to take out the infamous Mobile Fortress Destroyer. These achievements mark a very important pattern, you see, one that makes it clear you would be quite the ally to the Devil King."
"Now hold on a second!" Kazuma started, "Those don't count as real achievements! Hell, I wasn't even trying to do any of that stuff! You think I was actively trying to take out your key generals or turn one of them against you or destroy a rampaging mech? NO! They just...got in my way…is all."
This isn't helping my case, is it? He thought rhetorically.
The Daughter's grin widened gradually at his response, practically reading the young man like an open book. "Well, all the more impressive then, isn't it? You've managed to defeat five perilous, unrivalled foes without even meaning to. Don't lie to me, Satou, deep down you must recognize the value you'd have in my father's army. Perhaps...even as a replacement for one of my fallen generals?"
"Okay, first of all, I may not care about this kingdom's politics or factions, but I have enough common sense to recognize which one of those factions is objectively evil," stated Kazuma plainly. "Second, even if I was morally bankrupt, I'm telling you, I'd just be deadweight for your army. If you knew me like I know me, then you'd know I'm not who you think I am."
"Oh, 'evil' is such a relative term. While my father's tactics and conquests are far from innocent, I can't say that evil fits the bill any better. I prefer the term...ruthless." The Daughter supplied, before her gaze flicked back to Kazuma's and her smile grew an inch. "And if you're so concerned about my perception of you, I'd be more than happy to have you sort things out for me. Please, Satou, elaborate on how I'm wrong."
"What, now you want my life story? Why does someone important like you care so much about me!?" Kazuma demanded, frustrated and unable to comprehend The Daughter's seemingly random interest in him. "Oh god, please don't tell me you're one of those yandere types. I can't stand those."
The Daughter...actually snorted at that, shaking her head with a short chuckle as she leaned back, briefly dipping back into the shadows. "Careful now, Kazuma. Your age is showing. Not all interest is invested in such absurd categories. I'm interested in you for all the reasons I just listed, and because I simply believe in knowing the man behind the myth. You may not care for me personally, but I happen to find you quite intriguing."
Still unable (or unwilling) to understand her reasons for being invested in him, Kazuma sighed. "Alright, fine. You want the truth? You want the truth about all those 'myths' you've heard about me? Okay, here it is: they're embellished! Exaggerated! Twisted and molded until they became something different! Beldia only challenged us because we kept disturbing him without realizing it and Aqua was the one who ended up killing him! For Vanir, we were basically forced by the State to go after him and Megumin had to blow him up after he possessed Darkness. Hans and Sylvia? Bumped into them by sheer happenstance, and we only made it out alive because I had to sacrifice myself! In fact, pretty much everything you've heard about me can be chalked up to either dumb luck or my teammates doing the actual work. There, you satisfied now?"
The Daughter simply hummed, shutting her eyes and nodding along to the restrained boy's rant until he finished, upon which she seemingly changed the subject. "Ah yes, those darling teammates of yours. Tell me, Kazuma, what exactly do you remember about how you got here, in this bunker? I believe some recollection will help you see things from my perspective."
Kazuma blinked, not expecting the woman to change the subject so suddenly. Even so, the thought of how he even got here surprisingly hadn't crossed his mind until she brought it up. Racking his brain, Kazuma pushed past the throbbing headache until he pieced together the events that led up to this moment.
"Ugh, are we getting close yet?" Aqua groaned childishly for what felt like the tenth time that day, making Kazuma huff in annoyance. "I'm tired, and you said we'd be there by now! This is a lot of walking for some dumb flowers, you know!"
"Aqua, don't make me turn this group around," Kazuma half-threatened. "It shouldn't be much longer before we reach the Whistling Flower Patch. Besides, can't you be grateful that we're just going to pick some magic whistling tulips for a nice old lady? This quest couldn't be more laid back even if it tried."
"I have to agree with Kazuma on this one, Aqua. This does fit the general jobs we agreed to take until we were back in the swing of things." Darkness tacked on, sparing their archpriest an apologetic smile. "I'm afraid this is the price we have to pay for safe work."
"Listen Aqua, I totally get where you're coming from," Megumin added sympathetically. "I'm bored too and I'd love nothing more than to blow something up right about now. But things are different now. I want to actually strive to be a better person than who I was before. For Kazuma's sake and ours. So, just try to bear with these baby quests for the time being, okay?"
"Alright, alright. I'll get my act together." Aqua relented, recognizing that a certain amount of maturity was required for such work, as much as she disliked the prospect. "Still, are we close yet? It really does feel like we should have reached that clearing by now."
Wolbach, who was the designated navigator for this expedition, was about to consult the map when a sharp whistle caught her and the group's attention off in the distance. She looked back at the stubborn goddess and smugly asked, "Does that answer your question?"
Whatever retort Aqua had prepared died just as quickly as a strange sensation fell over the whole group. One by one, they looked at each other, silently gauging if the others had noticed the bizarre shift in atmosphere as the realization set in that the surrounding forest had gone completely silent. Not a chirp, buzz, or breeze was heard for in that moment, as though time itself had come to a standstill.
And then the fire arrows came raining down.
"MOVE!"
Kazuma didn't even need to make the order as his party members were way ahead of him on that one. They all managed to narrowly avoid getting hit by a wave of magically endowed fire arrows, the flaming projectiles embedding themselves in the spot where they previously stood.
"Holy shit! Where the hell did that come from?!" Kazuma shouted, before peaking around the tree he was using as cover and receiving an answer. Beyond the treeline, in the nearby clearing, a mass of armored demon soldiers surged forward in a staggered line, some wielding swords and axes while others still clutched crossbows with flaming arrows pulled back at the ready. "Oh, you gotta be kidding me! The Devil King is sending soldiers after us now?"
"Something's not right, this doesn't look like any standard Demon Army procedure I've seen before," Wolbach stated from behind a nearby tree she was also using for cover. "Everyone be on your guard! I sense this is a trap devised by one of the higher-ups!"
The other girls all nodded, both agreeing with Wolbach's assessment and to keep their wits about them. Megumin and Wolbach started casting Blast and Fireball to keep the advancing soldiers under fire, with Aqua buffing them while Darkness stuck near Kazuma, a last line of defense of sorts.
"Why do the Devil King's minions keep coming after us!?" Kazuma said in frustration to no one in particular. "I know we've killed half of their leadership already, but it's not like we're the instigators! I'm just trying to mind my own business at this point!"
"Darkness, they're getting kinda close! We might need you up here in a minute!" Megumin cried, launching another Fireball into the hoard and vaporizing three soldiers, only to have their numbers instantly replenished with another wave. "Scratch that, we need you up here now!"
Darkness looked between the man she was guarding and the slowly encroaching horde before her eyes settled on Aqua still providing support buffs. The goddess noticed she was being watched and glanced at her before the crusader spoke, "Keep a close eye on Kazuma for me. I'm going in!"
"I got him, go!" Aqua confirmed, prompting the crusader to draw her sword and charge forward with a fearsome shout, clashing with the hoard just before they breached the treeline. Suddenly, the whole party was engaged with the Devil King's forces, with Megumin and Wolbach having backed up enough to still have some range with their spells while Aqua cast buffs out to three people, while still trying her damndest to also keep an eye on Kazuma.
The young man in question, meanwhile, was warring with himself. He wanted to join the fight, to do what he could in the way of assistance, but the girls wanted him to stay safe...but he should be helping, right? His internal dialogue forced him into a sort of tunnel vision, one that completely tuned out the distinct noise of a teleportation spell right behind him and the footsteps that followed.
And before he knew it...everything went black.
"Oh yeah, I remember now. You knocked my sorry ass out while my party was holding the line against a hoard of Daddy Dearest's minions." Kazuma eventually retorted, attempting to rub the back of his head before realizing he was still chained to his seat. "Was that punch to the head really necessary?"
"A crude tactic, I will admit," The Daughter said with a carefree shrug. "But the results speak for themselves, don't they?"
"Oh, they sure do. Bet you're really proud of this one." Kazuma snarked, shifting in his chair due to discomfort and huffing in irritation. "Are the restraints really necessary? I'm already in a cell, I could do without being hog tied to the shittiest chair your evil bunker had to offer."
"Well, if you proved to be trustworthy, or at the very least well behaved, I might consider removing your restraints." The Daughter replied earnestly, before her eyes regained the sinister spark as she proceeded to deliver yet another change of subject. "But before I do you any favors, we need to get back on topic. Your 'friends' and their performance out on the field of battle today, it was...quite the sight, I assume?"
Weirded out by the devil woman's shift in subject, Kazuma blanked for a moment. "Uh...yeah, I guess? I'd say they held their own…"
"Mhm, I concur. Considering how well the ambush was executed, I'm surprised your little posse even managed to mount a defense. Wolbach, surely, but the rest of your comrades…" The Daughter trailed off for a moment, a dark smile rising on her lips and she spoke her next words with painfully bare sarcasm. "The powers of 'love' and 'devotion' at work, I suppose. At the very least, a wonderful imitation."
"Alright, look, if you've got something to say about my party, then just say it already," Kazuma practically spat, fed up with The Daughter's cryptic shtick. "I can't stand it when people beat around the bush just to mess with me."
"Fair enough, no more games then." The Daughter replied, leaning forward once more as she practically growled her next words with unprecedented hostility. "Your little girlfriends are using you as a plaything. Nothing more, nothing less. You're just a distraction for them, a way for them to get all the validation they need without having to put an ounce of effort in return."
Silence encompassed the cell. Kazuma stared wide-eyed at the stern offspring of the Devil King while she bore holes in the back of his head. Despite feeling reasonably uncomfortable under her palpable gaze, Kazuma eventually scoffed, "Yeah, sure, and I'm your long lost nephew. See how easy it is to make up nonsense? Now what's this about really?"
"You would be wise to heed my words, Kazuma. This is not a game." The Daughter reiterated, her tone still sharp and angry, just enough to make Kazuma sink back into his chair in uncertainty. "Think about how they've treated you in the past, how much shit they've put you through! You honestly buy that they just...what? Turned on the flip of an eris and suddenly fell in love with you? You're smarter than that, I know it."
Suddenly, doubts and concerns Kazuma once thought were finally buried under the hatchet threatened to resurface in the back of his mind. No, this was clear manipulation from The Daughter, nothing more! So how come he was feeling less than 100% confident on his stance with the girls right now? They already explained how they all came to fall in love with him. There was no way they were just trying to get cheap and easy thrills from an insecure, teenage boy.
...r-right?
"Bullshit," bluntly stated Kazuma, refusing to give The Daughter any sense of satisfaction. "Those girls may have annoyed me in the past, but they're still good people at the end of the day. Plus, they started making self-improvements ever since we started dating. All you're doing right now is proving to me just how little you truly know about us."
"...you may not be willing to listen to me now, and that's fine." The Daughter replied, suddenly looking terrifyingly serious as she leaned back from the cell, standing on the edge between the shrouded and lit side of the room. "But deep down, you know I have a point. You'll want to hear the truth, and when that time comes, I'll be here to tell you. Until then, I'm prepared to leave you with your thoughts. Hopefully, you'll gain clarity from the silence."
On that ominous note, The Daughter excused herself from the cell, locking the door behind her as she exited the room. Now that Kazuma was alone and away from prying eyes, the first thing he did was try to find a loose link in the chains restraining his arms. But, of course, that was just wishful thinking on his part; the chains digging into his arms were as sturdy as can be. He thought about scooting his chair closer to the cell's door, but soon shot the idea down because then what? He didn't have a lockpick, not to mention he'd still be bound to this damn chair!
And so, Kazuma resorted to the only option he had left: waiting. He sat there, in that chair, for an amount of time he couldn't hope to properly register since he was in a shrouded dungeon god only knows where. He wasn't sure how much time passed before the door on the far side of the room opened, and Serena stepped in with a small tray of food, approaching his cell.
"Well I'll be a pure and fair maiden. Kazuma Satou, you really are here to grace us with your presence!" said the dark priestess in a sickly sweet voice that just oozed with a thinly-veiled layer of contempt. "I had a hard time coming to grips with the fact that you were still alive. You know...after I killed you like the runt you are?"
"Yeah, well, what can I say? Suck less at murdering next time, Serena." Kazuma scoffed from within his cell, earning him an unamused glare from the priestess as she stopped just outside his cell. "On second thought, don't take it personally. Death hasn't really managed to take me yet, so you were already at a disadvantage going into it."
"Yes, well, I'll be sure to give it another go the next chance I get." Serena hissed venomously, her eyes sharp with thinly restrained hatred. "Because make no mistake, while The Daughter is more than content to entertain you for the moment, you will die by my hands before you leave this reached place."
Kazuma fake-yawned, "I'm sure I will. I mean, it's not like I haven't already died on several occasions. Besides, once you realize there's an afterlife, death kind of losses its existential dread factor."
Serena's snarl intensified for a moment, before she seemed to compose herself with a deep breath, though anger still raged behind her eyes as she opened the cell door, setting the food tray down on a nearby table before closing the door again. "You're very, very lucky that The Daughter is willing to entertain bargaining with you. I have no goddamn idea what she sees in you, whelp."
"Oh yeah? Well, that makes two us…" Kazuma muttered, mostly to himself, before Serena nearly slammed the door to the room shut. After she left, he looked over to the small tray of food the dark priestess presumably left for him before scowling. "Now how the hell does she expect me to eat while I'm chained up like this?"
A few minutes passed with little progress, with Kazuma only managing to reach the table before proceeding to essentially squirm and buckle for the rest of the elapsed time, only accomplishing to almost knock himself over twice. Eventually, the door to the room reopened, and Kazuma was surprised to be greeted with the sight of an irritated Demon General stalking towards his cell.
"Honestly, I can barely trust Serena to do anything right these days." The Daughter scoffed, before practically tearing open the cell door and stepping forward, sending the restrained adventurer a weary look. "If you try to escape, I will be forced to kill you, or worse. Understood?"
"Hey, I've watched enough crime dramas to know how a hostage situation works," Kazuma defended with a deadpan stare. "I'm not stupid enough to try something I know I won't succeed in. I'm just trying to figure out how to eat without using my hands, arms, or most of my body for that matter."
The Daughter just nodded, before retrieving a key from her belt and unlocking the restraints, allowing Kazuma to stand up, and eat his food properly. She proceeded to fall back to the entrance of the cell, before gesturing towards the table with another nod. "You're free to eat properly, now."
With a half-hearted thanks, Kazuma rubbed his sore wrists before picking up the utensils laid before him on the tray and starting eating. The food was bland and mostly devoid of flavor, but he figured it was better than having it taste like whatever slop they feed you in prison, so he counted his blessings. All the while, The Daughter watched him shovel food into his mouth in silence, studying him like an intrigued scientist would an undiscovered microscopic specimen. Kazuma halted a piece of spiceless meat from entering his mouth to glance at the supreme general once he felt her eyes bearing holes into him.
"...I know you're being pretty generous here, but do you need to stare me down like a predator about to pounce on its prey?" Kazuma requested, earning an eye roll in response. "Oh, come on! The last person to look at me like that was one of your fellow generals...though granted, the jury's still out on what that look was supposed to convey. I swear to the gods above those were bedroom eyes!"
"You certainly find a way to fill the silence, don't you, Satou?" The Daughter mused, almost looking passively amused with his ramblings, before turning slightly so that she was only half facing him. "There, is this more to your liking? Less predator, as you so eloquently described?"
"Uh...yeah, I guess," Kazuma relented awkwardly. Unsure of what he should say next, the captive adventurer simply went back to wolfing down the rest of his meal in silence. Once he cleared his plate, Kazuma sighed before peacefully sitting himself back down in his little prisoner chair. "Alright, my wrists had enough time to breathe. You can chain me back up now. I won't make it weird unless you make it weird first."
The Daughter pursed her lips, staring at him with that same, calculating look for a moment before retrieving the chains...and stepping out of the cell. "Consider this an olive branch. Behave, and you get what little freedom I can allow. However, at the slightest hint of an escape attempt or any such actions, I will be forced to punish you. Am I making myself clear, Kazuma?"
"Quite frankly, I'm insulted you think so little of my intelligence," Kazuma huffed with his arms crossed, becoming genuinely annoyed by her constant threats of punishment. "I'll have you know this isn't my first time being locked up in a cell. I like to consider myself a model prisoner, thank you."
"Yes, well I suppose that remains to be seen, doesn't it?" The Daughter replied, her amber eyes twinkling dangerously with an unreadable emotion before she turned on her heel and headed for the door. "Until our next conversation, then."
Wouldn't miss it for the world, Kazuma thought sarcastically, biting back the actual response so as to not push his luck. Once The Daughter left him alone yet again, Kazuma stuffed his hands into his pockets and blew a raspberry, not really sure what to do next.
The next...well, Kazuma actually couldn't quite tell how many days it'd been, both due to the lack of any windows in the dungeon as well as the sporadic nature of the visits he received from his captors. Given the two of them, despicable as they were, Kazuma reluctantly preferred The Daughter's visits. At least she talked, filling the overpowering silence that tended to fill the room. Serena just kinda...glared at him, before eventually leaving.
What really struck Kazuma as odd during his indeterminate stay was how they haven't actually done anything to him. He was honestly expected to be tortured or brainwashed or something along those lines, but no. Whenever The Daughter decided to pay him a visit, she would try to ask him some personal questions about himself (which he answered depending on how comfortable he felt about sharing). Then she would ask if he'd reconsider his offer to join her and he would decline because he wasn't a moron. While The Daughter would glare daggers at him, but she would never actually lay a hand on him. At least she was capable of being civil unlike Serena.
One particular visit stood out, however. It was on his (maybe) third day, and The Daughter had brought down the usual slop he expected to be his breakfast. As he ate, The Daughter pulled up the chair she'd been using the last few visits and sat outside his cell, still watching him with that same calculating look, tempered with what almost seemed like the slightest air of amusement.
"An eris for your thoughts?" Kazuma said in between bites. "You're doing that stare thing again, and that's considered rude, you know."
"Apologies, I was simply considering what we could discuss today." The Daughter replied, leaning back in her chair and stretching a full muffled cracks audible in the near silent room. "After all, we're starting to run out of topics regarding you, so I was considering asking if you wanted to know anything about me."
Stopping mid-chew in contemplation, Kazuma swallowed the last bite of his food and slowly set his utensils down, eyes never leaving The Daughter. "Uh...okay, sure, why not. For once, I was actually getting tired about all our conversations being centered around me anyway. So right off the bat, do you have a name or is it really just 'The Daughter'?"
"Oh, absolutely not." She replied with a short chuckle, shaking her head. "I have a proper name. Unfortunately for you, I only share it with those I trust implicitly. As you can expect, that particular circle is quite small, but it remains as such for a reason."
"Well, can't blame a guy for asking," Kazuma relented, racking his brain for another question he could ask her. "Okay, so tell me then: why are you so obsessed with recruiting me? I know my party and I have made waves and all, even if they were purely incidental, but at the end of the day, I'm still just a human with average stats. I can see why someone like Serena is qualified to join, but what makes me so damn special?"
"Careful, now, Kazuma. We're coming dangerously close to walking in circles." The Daughter retorted, an almost smug quality rising on her face. "I want to recruit you not only for your accomplishments against my fellow generals, but because I can see the potential in you. You're smart, slick, a fairly solid strategist, a quick-thinker, and you possess your own ruthless attitude when not concerned with others. These are alluring traits for any general under my father's command."
"Alright, alright, I get it. Still think you're wasting your time though," Kazuma sighed in defeat, swinging his arms back and forth as he thought of anything else he could ask. The Daughter probably wasn't going to be too keen on sharing any history relating to her old man or her own upbringing, so Kazuma just shrugged and settled on a dumb question. "I don't know, what's your favorite color?"
"Lavender." The Daughter answered without missing a beat, relishing the surprise that briefly filtered over the young man's face. "You were expecting black, weren't you? Tsk, tsk, Kazuma, I'm not that predictable."
"Actually I was expecting you to say something cliché like, 'Red, for it symbolizes the blood of my enemies'." Kazuma replied with a somewhat weary grin. "Way to subvert my expectations."
"Oh, I certainly aim to please. Maybe soon, you'll learn to see me as less of a merciless tyrant." The Daughter replied innocently, tilting her head and fixing Kazuma with an all too genuine smile. "You and I aren't so different, after all."
"And just like that, you went ahead and said something cliché," Kazuma snarked. "Listen lady, you and I are worlds apart. Literally." No sooner did the Japanese teen say that did he immediately regret letting the remark slip. Worse yet, the smile on The Daughter's face widened, becoming more sinister as she leaned forward.
"Ah, ah, Freudian slip. Always have to watch out for those, don't you?" She hummed, another chuckle slipping past her lips as Kazuma stared at her, the cogs already turning in his head. "Don't tell me after all this time, with all the chats we've had, that you didn't think I know about your little secret, my interloping friend?"
Now that The Daughter had caught Kazuma red-handed, he growled in frustration and threw his arms up in the air. "Fine! You cracked the code: I'm from another world already! I bet that's why you've taken such an interest in me, huh? Bet you wanna recruit me so you can learn about my world and maybe find a way to travel there and conquer it...Goddamnit, I'm doing it again!"
The Daughter looked like she was moments away from bursting into laughter, before ultimately composing herself down to a gleeful smile as she responded. "Oh, I'd be lying if you being from another world hadn't caught my interest, but if you're so concerned, I can assure you now that neither I nor my father have any interest in traveling to your world. We're more than content with this one. And even if we were to invade, with your world stripped bare of it's magic? It'd be...boring at best."
"Hey! Don't shit-talk on my world!" Kazuma bit back, suddenly becoming defensive of his old home. "We have the power to bomb ourselves back into the stone age with just the push of a button. Plus, with all the shit we've invented over the years, we might as well wield magic! You'd be surprised at what we can make when we're bored."
"Oh, I'm sure you do. Regardless, I must reiterate that my interest in your world is minimal at best." The Daughter replied, her eyes flashing dangerously again as they flicked up to Kazuma's. "My interest in you, however, grows with each of our little talks. Sooner or later, I'm quite confident you'll come to your senses and realize that serving at my side will be more fulfilling than fumbling around with those tramps you call teammates."
"You leave the girls out of this!" Kazuma demanded with a stern, pointed finger in her direction. "First you trash-talk my world and now you're trash-talking my family? If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're actively trying to dissuade me from your cause!"
"Oh, please, you still can't see it? After everything I've pointed out to you?" The Daughter scoffed, her previous pleasant nature disappearing at the drop of a hat as her eyes sharpened and her words became angry. "Your precious 'family' is nothing more than a bunch of self-serving parasites using you for their own gain! They're exactly what you think me to be, and you can't even see it!"
"Look, I'm dense as fuck when it comes to social situations, so how about you 'enlighten' me and just spit it out already?" Kazuma exhaustedly suggested. "What are you talking about?"
"Those girls are using you!" The Daughter practically roared, suddenly launching out of her chair and slamming against the bars, making Kazuma jump back in surprise. In all of their previous chats, she'd barely raised her voice above a speaking level. For her to escalate to this? "You're nothing more than a tool to them! A paycheck to mooch off of, free food and housing, an endless source of entertainment! You are nothing to them outside of a passing fancy!"
Uh-oh, he was trembling now. The only time Kazuma ever trembled like this was when he got into shouting matches with his parents, and this felt strangely similar to one of those times. Regardless, he stood his shaky ground and countered, "O-oh, yeah? Well...where's your proof then? Y-you're just talking out of your ass right now. I'll never believe you unless I see proof!"
"Proof? PROOF?! OPEN YOUR FUCKING EYES, AND YOU'LL SEE THE DAMN PROOF!" The Daughter ragged on, hitting one of the bars once more and caving it in slightly. "Think about EVERYTHING they've put you through! The debt, the lies, the war and death! All of it stems from them! Their selfishness! Their wrongs! You're the only person in your little posse who well and truly gains next to nothing for any of your work! You're just a tool and a plaything to them, and I would have thought you'd noticed by now!"
"H-H-How, how did...how did you know all that?" Kazuma stuttered, stuffing down his irrational fears while simultaneously trying to think of a rational comeback.
"The same way I know about your little secret, Kazuma. I have eyes everywhere, and ears everywhere else." The Daughter retorted, her anger simmering slightly, but not entirely dissipating as she continued. "I know everything they've put you through, and for the life of me, I still can't understand why you let them get away with it. Is it because they're sweet on you? They pretend to love you, and that's all it takes to get under your skin, to control you?"
Kazuma unexpectedly felt his back hit the cold, brick wall, not realizing he had been tumbling backwards during The Daughter's rant. His logical side waged war with his deep-seated insecurities as he tried to get a grip on his senses.
C'mon you dumbass! Don't tell me you buy into this crap! She's just saying all that nonsense to mess with you, so don't let it you idiot!
But...but what if there's a hint of truth in there?
"I can tell you're still not ready to face the truth. I can see it in your eyes, in your heart." The Daughter stated, her tone suddenly dropping to a much softer, almost gentle level as she leaned back, her expression fading to neutral. "But you will be ready one day. And when that time comes, I'll be there for you, exactly when you'll need me most. Because for as much as you hate me, I still want to see you thrive."
"N-no, f-fuck you," Kazuma whimpered as old habits of his started re-emerging from the cracks. "They...they love me and I love them, w-why would they fake something big like that? The girls may be idiots but...but they're not monsters..."
"Yes, Kazuma. Yes they are. You're just not willing to see it yet." The Daughter replied, before shaking her head and turning on her heel, retreating to the exit. "Clearly, you need time to think, so I'll leave you to it. Hopefully, proper silence will help you find clarity."
Without so much as a sound, The Daughter stepped out of the room and closed the door, leaving the frazzled young man in isolation. Kazuma let his back slide down against the wall until he sat sprawled on the ground, his mind clocking in overtime as the air around his cell suddenly became...stuffy. Almost suffocating. And, was it just his imagination or was the room always this dark? How come he couldn't hear anything like a leaky pipe or a rat scurrying by? Right now, the only sounds he heard came from a combination of his own ragged breathing and the dull ringing in his ears.
It was as if he had been locked away in his own, personal, shut-in hell.
And it was only going to get worse from here.
Kazuma wasn't sure how much time passed after that. It could have been hours, or days. Maybe even a week. Neither of the demon generals visited for some time, leaving the poor boy alone with his thoughts and the darkness. He couldn't sleep, what little food and drink he had was gone in no time at all, and his mental state was deteriorating faster and faster and faster-
In a sudden bout of inexplicable rage, Kazuma yelled and screamed at the top of his lungs as he smashed the wooden table with his chair, breaking them both in the process. He'd been so cooped up inside of his head that he didn't know what to think anymore and just wanted to break the god awful silence that wouldn't go away. Once the table and chair had been demolished beyond recognition, Kazuma simply curled up into a ball and cried, wondering how much longer he was going to be trapped in this quiet hellhole.
Time stretched further as Kazuma withered away, only for something to catch his attention after he ran out of tears to shed. A noise. Muffled, but getting louder, and one all too familiar as it brought an unjustified spark of relief and joy to his chest. Footsteps.
Eventually, the footsteps stopped outside the door, and as if Kazuma's prayers had been answered, it opened with a distinctive creak. No light came pouring in, and Kazuma wasn't sure which of his captors had come to check on him this time. Eventually, he managed to croak out a single word.
"Hello?"
…
"You've certainly made one hell of a mess."
Kazuma hated the brief but tangible exuberance that appeared for the brief second he registered The Daughter's voice. But in that moment he couldn't stop the sad, desperate smile from creeping up onto his lips as joyful sputters of broken laughter escaped him, only coming to an end as he heard more footsteps, stopping at the cell door.
"Are you injured?" The Daughter asked, tone level and calm but present, and enough to keep him sane. "You certainly did a number on the furniture you were provided."
"...I'm sorry," he just barely managed to wheeze out of his hoarse voice. He couldn't risk disappointing her if it meant she would leave.
"Don't apologize, Kazuma, answer me." She chastised, making him flinch slightly. Please don't leave, please don't leave… "Are you hurt?"
"N-no ma'am, I'm not!" Kazuma coughed, throat still sore from all the yelling he did. "I just got...really angry all of a sudden and don't know why."
"Perhaps it was a mistake of me to leave you in such isolation." The Daughter remarked cooly, her hands tracing the edge of the cell door, not that Kazuma could see it. "Clearly, you haven't benefited from being alone like I anticipated."
Even with his mental health degrading, the irony of her words was not lost on Kazuma. He'd been a shut-in for a good chunk of his adolescence and was at his peace being alone. But the young man quickly realized that without pleasant distractions like his TV, computer, or even his own bathroom, the self-isolation he once took solace in was unbearable.
"Tell you what, Kazuma. I'll make you a deal." The Daughter addressed him, her voice echoing ever so slightly in the shrouded chamber. "If you agree to join my father's army-or at the very least, entertain the notion-I'll let you come upstairs and see proper sunlight. With supervision, of course."
Feeling an incoming wave of conflicting emotions yet again, Kazuma's previously dried tear ducts miraculously managed to produce more tears as he quietly sobbed to himself uncontrollably. Not wanting his only outside contact to leave, however, he was just able to choke out, "I'm just a high school d-dropout...I'm not even fit to be in the m-military...w-why do you w-want me?"
A beat of silence, one which made Kazuma's heart drop further, was mercifully ended with the familiar sound of the rusty cell door opening, followed by footsteps as The Daughter entered his prison. Crouching down beside Kazuma, she placed a hand on his shoulder, resulting in the young man pathetically leaning into her touch, desperate to be tethered back to reality.
"I want you because I believe in you. Because I see what you could be, with the right guidance...and the right friend on your side." She hummed, bringing up her other hand and tilting his head upwards to meet her gaze, her amber eyes shining just enough for him to get the first sight of color in what felt like days. "Join me, Kazuma, and you will never be alone again. Your life will be a long and fulfilling one, where you reach your true potential. All you have to do...is take my hand."
Kazuma was so neck-deep in self-loathing, he didn't have enough time to come up with an answer as a resounding boom followed by the compound shaking momentarily stunned both occupants in the room.
"...I'll be back in a moment." The Daughter promised quietly, standing and leaving Kazuma alone once more, exiting the cell and starting for the exit of the room, pausing just as she reached the door to offer a final assurance. "I meant what I said, Kazuma. Every word."
Barely registering The Daughter's words, Kazuma simply laid still in the fetal position as the supreme demon general left the room in a hurry. She was in such a hurry, in fact, that she actually forgot to lock or even close the cell room door. Kazuma never noticed, looking off into nothing with a thousand-yard stare as his mind sank ever so slightly further into degradation.
Yet again, he wasn't sure how much time passed before another explosion rocked the surrounding area, making something in the distance beyond the door shatter, exposing the thinnest trail of moonlight through the far side of the room, which caught Kazuma's attention and brought him back to reality.
Footsteps suddenly thundered above him, making him shakily rise to his feet as his brain raised a flag, noting that those were at least three, more than he'd heard since he'd imprisoned. As his mind raced, slowly rebooting as his sanity tried to return to him, three distinctly familiar forms emerged into the dungeon, the leader of which gasped loudly as they lunged towards him, grabbing his hand and yanking him into a rough hug.
"KAZUMA! Shhh, it's okay baby, you're safe." Aqua soothed while Kazuma's dreary mind was still readjusting itself from the sheer isolation. "You're with us, shhh. Everything's gonna be alright…"
Kazuma should have been relieved. He should have been happy, overjoyed to see his girlfriends, knowing that they'd come to save him…but his sanity was minimal, he was sleep derived, and every single lie that The Daughter had told him wormed their way through his mind in that very moment.
They're using you. You're just a plaything. They don't love you. You're smarter than this.
Kazuma shook his head lightly, returning the goddess' embrace and burying his head into her shoulder. It wasn't true, he was just reeling from the isolation and The Daughter's bullshit. He needed to get his head straight, before he said or did something more idiotic than usual.
"Missed you. Lots." He moaned quietly into Aqua's hair, relishing the serenely beautiful chuckle his honesty earned him. "How long..?"
"A week. We never stopped looking for you, but...we ran out of Demon patrols to interrogate." Darkness supplied dutifully, prompting Kazuma to look up and realize that there were notable splatters of blood coating her armor...none of which seemed to belong to her. "Wolbach solved that problem...eventually…"
"Speaking of which, WOLBACH! He's down here!" Megumin shouted, painfully unaware of just how much Kazuma appreciated her volume after hours of dead silence. Furthermore, the accompanying footfalls of the dark goddess as she descended the steps, just in time to embrace Kazuma herself after Aqua released him.
"Kazuma! I-I wasn't sure...with how long you were gone…" Wolbach murmured helplessly, sounding well and truly afraid for the first time Kazuma could recall. After a moment, she leaned back and released him, offering him a practically jubilant smile. "I'm so glad you're alright."
"Alright is a relative term, but...yeah. Me too." Kazuma replied with a broken chuckle, one that quickly devolved into a coughing fit, prompting all four girls to practically surge forward to support him. "C-can we leave now? Please?"
"Of course. Everyone, stay close to me!" Wolbach practically ordered, with her usual brand of stoic returning as the rest of the party did just that, before she activated her Teleportation spell and warped them all back to Axel. Whether it was the surge of magical power or exhaustion just finally taking him, Kazuma's eyes suddenly fluttered closed, and then he was drifting off to sleep. He was safe with his family.