Chapter 7: The Hunter King's Sanctuary

Part 1

A few hours went by as we continued our way through the forest. While we did, we came upon several packs of Hellcats. As planned, we avoided them as best we could. There were more than a few close calls and even some completely botched attempts but, ultimately, we managed to evade our pursuers and find all our stuff, that was until we came to the last item on the list.

"I think they're gone," I said, peeking out from a bush.

Everyone let out a sigh of relief.

"There's only one item left."

"Umu. Chunchunmaru," Megumin replied.

"Chunchun...maru?" Gren said in perplexity.

"Umu, it's—"

"Nothing!" I yelled, cutting Megumin off. "It's nothing. Come on, let's hurry up. I don't wanna stay here a second longer than we have to."

As we walked on, I started noticing something peculiar.

"ACHOO!" Aqua sneezed.

"Oi, wanna keep it down?"

"I can't help it, it's cold," she said as she rubbed on her arms.

"CHOO!" Then Ferris sneezed. "S-, Sorry."

"Hmmm." I looked around. Despite the drop in temperature, the forest still appeared to be rather healthy; it maintained the same lush and fertile greenery that we came to know in this area—a far cry from The Grove we were previously accustomed to. The contrast was strange to say the least—then again, this world wasn't the perfect picture of rationale and sensibility. In spite of this, something told me this discrepancy wasn't anything normal—even for this world. An anomaly? Umu, something like this, could it be caused by a divine relic? Or maybe some ancient magic? Only time would tell if my guess was right.

-A few minutes later…

"Should be right over this," Aqua announced.

"Finally, we can grab my sword and get the hell out of this place," I thought.

Aqua climbed out of the small gully we were in. I followed, climbing out and smashing face-first into her rear end.

"Oi! Why did you—" I stopped as soon as I laid eyes on what she was staring at.

"Kazuma, something wrong?" Megumin said as she watched me freeze in place.

I slowly climbed back down and turned around. "Nevermind. I could always commission a new sword. Let's go."

"H-Hold on!" Megumin said, grabbing me. "What's going on?"

"Why don't you have a look for yourself?"

Megumin did so, and then she slowly climbed back down.

"Well?"

She averted her gaze. "It...It does look bad—b-but we can't just leave Chunchunmaru behind!"

"Shhh!" I said, placing my hand over her mouth. I backed away with knit brows. "And what exactly do you want me to do about that, huh? Forget about it, there's too much risk involved."

I had a feeling we would encounter a place like this, but the reality far outstripped how many Hellcats I thought there'd be—no...how many I thought there could be. This place, it must've been their den...and my strangely-named sword was lying near the heart of this place, amidst dozens of the monstrous felines.

Yes, there was too much risk involved, way too much risk involved. It wasn't like I was using this as an opportunity to get rid of that sword with a stupid name, of course not!

"Aqua, get down here; we're leaving," I whispered. "Alright, let's go," I said, turning around. But Megumin grabbed my arm. "...Oi."

"You're not really thinking of leaving it behind...are you?" she asked with a saddened expression.

I let out a frustrated breath. "It's not like I want to, but you've seen what's up there. There's nothing I can do to get it. If I go up and try, I'll die, you ok with that?"

"No, of course not, but—"

"Then there's no point talking about this. If I go up, I'll die, you understand, Megumin?"

She looked down, then I felt her grasp on my arm weaken and let go.

"Ok, let's go," I said, once again turning away.

"I understand," Megumin said abruptly, "but...but I don't...I don't think we should just leave it behind like that."

I stared at her angrily.

She stared at me disheartenedly.

I felt my anger begin to dissipate and turn into frustration. Finally, I sighed heavily. "Well, if you got an idea"—Megumin glowed excitedly—"that doesn't involve Explosion"—and that excitement instantly dissolved—"I'm willing to listen." I crossed my arms in an attempt to give a stern front. "If it's no good, we're leaving, alright?"

Megumin nodded.

"Alright, let's hear it."

"Umu. My plan is to leave it to Kazuma."

"Alright, we're leaving."

"No, wait, I'm serious!" she said, holding on to me.

"And so am I."

"No, hold on, seriously!"

I could feel myself getting angry again; in spite of this, I turned around and waited for her reply.

Megumin went on. "I seriously think whatever Kazuma has in plan, we can do it. No matter what it is, we always make it through with your plans, so...please, use us to the best of our abilities."

I frowned. "The situation right now is completely different than anything before. If it was one Hellcat—or even two, I'd give it a go, but there are literally well over twenty of them, thirty? I don't know—a lot! There's a bunch of them and you wanna risk everything for a single sword?!"

"It's not just a sword!" Megumin snapped back, her face harboring a mixture of sadness, desperation, and anger. "We don't ever leave our partners behind, right? Isn't Chunchunmaru your partner? Wasn't it there when you fought off the Demon King's Generals, his armies, the Demon King?"

"I mean, technically, yes, but—"

"Then does Chunchunmaru deserve to be abandoned?!"

Why was she getting so passionate over something like this?

I sighed again. "I get what you're trying to say, but I don't have a plan for this."

Hell, even if our party wasn't made up of a bunch of rejects, I still think overcoming this situation would be near impossible.

"Kazuma-san," Aqua interrupted, "I think I see someone over there."

I climbed up just high enough to see what Aqua was pointing at.

Deep in the den, just past where my sword lay, there was what appeared to be a woman sitting against a giant white orb.

"Hmmmm. It does look like someone is over there but…"

There was no way this person wasn't tied to the Hellcats in some way. For them to be seemingly sleeping in the middle of their den without a care in the world, it'd be highly unlikely they weren't some sort of trouble.

"We should go save them," Darkness said, about to climb up.

"Hold on, you musclehead," I said, pushing her back down. "Don't you think this is strange? A lone person just sitting in the middle of a bunch of Hellcats without being torn to shreds. No, I think we should just go with my original plan and try to leave."

"You want me to turn my back on a person who might need saving just because they might be bad? Sorry, Kazuma, you know that goes against my ideals."

"Screw your ideals, you idiot! It's obvious that person isn't in any sort of danger! Be honest, the only reason you wanna go up there is for the chance to be mauled by the entire den, right?!"

Darkness quickly looked away.

"How about Chunchunmaru?" Megumin queried once again.

"If it's not worth going up there for a person, what makes you think it's worth it going up there for an item? Listen, Megumin, I know how much that sword means to you, but I'll get another one and you can name that one something ridiculous, too."

"Ridiculous?!" Megumin pouted. "Th-That's not even the point!"

"Ka-Kazuma-san!" Aqua yelled, pointing towards the orb.

I looked over and saw the figure rising. "Dammit, did we wake them? Not good. Come on, guys," I said, dropping back down, "we need to leave. Now!"

Suddenly, I heard a voice. Chilling yet somehow serene, it echoed throughout the den.

"Trespassers, reveal thyselves for escape is futile."

I knew it.

"RUN!" I yelled.

We all made a break for it.

Unfortunately, we didn't get far; a wall of ice and snow now blocked our way.

"Snow? Where the hell did it come from?"

"KAZUMA-SAAAAN?! WHAT DO WE DO?!" Aqua wailed in desperation.

"Reveal thyselves. There is no escape," the voice said once again.

"Tch." I grit my teeth. "Check the other side," I said.

One side could've been closed off but perhaps there was a way out somewhere else.

I waited patiently while the others split up and went to look for our escape route. A few minutes later, they returned.

"Did you find anything?"

They shook their heads.

"The entire place seems to be encased by this barrier," Darkness replied.

Perhaps there was a way to burn it, but with my meagre magic strength, I wasn't gonna be the one to do it. Megumin could probably destroy the barrier with an Explosion but there was barely any room for her to safely let one off.

"Kazuma," Megumin said, getting my attention, "isn't it odd that we haven't been attacked by any of the Hellcats?"

⸻!⸻

She had a point. We've been trapped for a number of minutes and not a single Hellcat has shown up.

"Kazuma, perhaps we should just listen to what that voice says," Darkness remarked.

"No. I got a way out of here," I replied.

"Huh? You do?"

"Why didn't you say so earlier?!" Aqua yelled angrily.

"Because I'm not confident in it."

"Confident?"

"Yeah, confident." I was talking about that spell I learned back in the Crimson Demon Village. "I can teleport us out of here."

"Teleport?!" Megumin said incredulously. "Ka-Kazuma knows Teleport?!"

"I thought I already told you? But yeah, I know Teleport."

"Well, you know there's a hard limit on how many people you can carry, right?"

"Of course."

I'll be using manatite to supplement the spell's mana costs and enhance my ability to take the maximum amount of people in one go; it'd still take two trips, but it'd be far better than the multiple trips I'd need if I was casting the spell under my own power.

For the first trip, I was taking Ferris, Gren, and Megumin.

"Alright, stay close and don't move too much," I said. "This'll be my first time using the spell."

I closed my eyes and pictured Selhas Nerr, one of the TPs I set. I started the chant.

This move will set us back a couple weeks but at least it'd be better than wiping in some forest. I sighed. Man, I hate forests.

"Alright, here we go."

And then...we went nowhere.

"Huh? Did you mess up?" Megumin asked.

"No. I-I'm sure I did it correctly. Here, let's try again."

They all looked at me skeptically, but I focused and tried once more...and yet the results were the same.

"It must be some barrier preventing teleportation," Megumin remarked.

Of course. Thinking about it, such a thing made sense. Why send a group of people down into a forest of death just to have them be able to teleport out?

"Dammit."

"There goes that idea," Darkness commented.

"Now what?" Megumin queried.

"*sigh* Guess there's no choice," I said. "Let's head over to that person. Just be on your guard."

Strangely enough, despite the many Hellcats, none rose to attack us. Simply idling by or watching us. Thanks to this, I was able to retrieve my blade—erroneously-named—Chunchunmaru without issue.

"You've arrived," they said as we approached.

From the distance, it was difficult to tell whether this person was male or female but upon closer inspection, it became quite obvious. She was undoubtedly an elf. Her long pointed ears, snow-white hair & complexion matched the typical appearance of the fantasy elf, but unfortunately, she was...underendowed in the chest area, being barely larger than Megumin in that regard. Not to mention, her hair was long...incredibly long, with the ends lying on the floor like a royal mantle or like the large white dress she was wearing.

"So, they've sent another batch to die in these woods once again. What an incorrigible man he is."

"You're—"

I looked back and saw Gren covering her mouth, a shocked expression on her face.

The woman, whose eyes were closed this entire time, opened them to reveal a pair of silver-colored eyes. They lazily passed over us...until it came to Gren. Her eyes widened and her face expressed the same manner of shock Gren showed just a few seconds earlier.

"You," the woman said, her brows knitting. "To think that after all these years…" She smirked and then broke into a laugh. "All these years you've eluded me, and now, in such blessed circumstances, you decided to show yourself. Did that man not recognize you?" She laughed once more. "Did he truly forget about that whore of his—that you and her share the same cursed face? Unlikely."

Now the woman was frowning deeply; without a doubt, she was angry.

I looked between Gren and the woman. What was going on here? "Ummm…"

"Human," she began saying, her face still locked to Gren's, "as much as I despise you and your kind, I'm a fair individual." She turned her sights on me, a grave expression adorning her face. "Give me that girl, and I'll allow the rest of you to walk away alive."

I looked back at Gren, then back at the woman, and heard myself gulp.

I wasn't depraved enough to knowingly and willingly sacrifice others for my wellbeing...but I wasn't brave enough to outright refuse her demand.

I closed my eyes. "I—"

"Y-You can't have her!" Ferris shouted, jumping in front of Gren. "You can't have Onee-chan!"

"Onee…" The woman froze in shock and then broke out into a crazed laugh. "The Evergreen has really blessed me! I have been patient. I was prepared to wait a few more decades even, but...to have you both appear before me…*chuckles* truly...one can't call that anything but divine providence. Boy," she said with a confident smile, "those two girls and I will guarantee you and the others leave the forest safely."

"Hm." I looked at Gren and Ferris then back at the woman yet again. "FLASH!"

"AHHH!"

The burst of blinding light fulfilled its purpose.

"RUN!" I yelled.

I knew there was no way to escape but right now we needed to break away and come up with a plan.

"AFTER... AFTER THEM!" I heard her yell and then dozens of roars broke out.

They were coming; the Hellcats were coming—and they'd be upon us soon.

"Kazuma, what do we do?!" Megumin desperately asked.

Normally, I would've used Lurk, but that wouldn't work against Hellcats. There weren't many options and I definitely screwed up any chance for concessions.

"Everyone, over here!" Gren yelled. She was standing by a small opening in some nearby rocks.

Without hesitation, we scrambled into the hole.

"WAHHHHHH!"

CRASH!

"Ugh." I rubbed my back as I sat up and immediately heard the sound of hundreds of things cracking under me.

As I realized what I was lying on, I shot up in astonishment.

Bones...hundreds of them.

"What the hell is this?" I thought.

Was it a food pit? A place where the Hellcats brought their bounties and feasted? There were certainly many bones here—of all different shapes and sizes.

Because this was underground, I couldn't see with my normal vision. I figured the others were completely lost to what they were actually lying on, as I was.

"EEK! Eh? Bones?" The so-called goddess said as she fiddled with the ones she was sitting on.

"Bones?" Megumin said as she also sat up. "Where are we? I can't see."

"Probably best you don't," I replied.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Fireball."

A weak, but sizable orange ball glowed within my hand, lighting up the surroundings.

"Wha-What is this place?!"

"Looks like a bone pit," Darkness answered as she looked around.

"Sorry," Gren said. "I didn't think that crack would lead to a hole like this."

"Don't worry about it, Gren-san," Darkness replied, "at least everyone's safe."

"And," Megumin interjected, "thanks to you, we managed to get away from the Hellcats."

"At least for now," I remarked. "Still, this should give us a bit of breathing room. Maybe we can find a way out of the barrier somewhere in here."

"Oh, that's right."

"But first"—I shifted my view to Gren—"Gren-san, what's the deal with that lady? She seemed to recognize both you and Ferris."

Gren looked down, her face marred by a look of regret and deep contemplation. "I...suppose I should tell you. That woman… That woman is none other than the Queen of the Elves."

⸻!⸻

"Queen? Then what's she doing down here?" Megumin queried.

"I don't know...and I also don't know what's her connection to the Shadow Cats...or Hellcats, as you call them."

All of us traded glances.

"Could she have the same ability as Ferris?" I asked. "She seems to be able to freely command the Hellcats."

"I… I don't know. She was known as the Queen of Frost before, owing to her incredible ability to summon terrifying blizzards and cast powerful ice magic, but I've never heard of her being able to control monsters or beasts. It could be something she had before and no one ever knew about it...or it could be something she acquired quite recently."

"Well, in any case, I don't think taking her in a fight is a good idea. Our best bet is to try and find a way out of this place as soon as possible. Also." I walked over to Aqua and cast Drain Touch.

"WAHHHH!" She quickly peeled away from my hand. "You apostate, what do you think you're doing?!"

"I need mana to keep this fireball going; it's draining me faster than I thought it would."

Aqua grinned smugly. "Don't you wish you could see as well as I can?"

"I can see fine enough in the dark; I'm doing this for everyone else, so shut up and stop being selfish."

She frowned. "Your stupid light is unnecessary. With me around, all you have to do is make sure you follow and I'll be able to lead you to safety. Besides, given Kazuma-san's terrible magic, that Fireball is probably super weak, huh? It barely provides any lightning as is," she said, snickering at the end.

"Weak, huh? Then you wouldn't mind taking one to the face, would you? Then we can see how weak it really is?"

"You guys," Megumin interrupted, "shouldn't we be focusing on getting out of here?"

"Hm, you're right. So," I said, looking at Aqua, "why don't you go ahead and lead the way?"

"No way," Aqua replied with a pout. "You probably want me to go in front in case something comes out and attacks us, huh?"

I sucked my teeth. This girl knew me too well.

She went on. "I'll follow behind Kazuma-san and lead the others. Since you have your own inferior night vision, you should be fine without me guiding you."

I sighed in frustration. "Whatever."

"Kazuma-san," Gren said, getting my attention, "here; can you use that fireball to light this torch?"

"Torch?"

When I looked, Gren had made one using the bones and some cloth from her backpack. I assumed she also used some sort of oil because the cloth took light the moment the fire touched it.

"There," she said, holding it up. "Now you don't have to worry about expending any more of your mana, and Aqua-sama doesn't need to worry about guiding us."

I looked over at Aqua and saw that she was slightly saddened by the news. She caught my gaze causing me to smirk at her growing uselessness; of course, she frowned in return.

After looking around the current chamber we were in, Aqua found a path leading out from it.

"This must be it," I said. "Alright, guys, stick close and be ready."

-Some minutes later…

"Kazuma-san, look," Gren said.

The flame of the torch she was carrying was flickering.

"There's an opening nearby," Darkness remarked.

"Good," I said. "Hopefully, it leads us out of here." As I said this, I began to hear growling up ahead and the sorts of sounds you would hear from large beasts like Hellcats. "Wait up," I said, coming to a stop. "Sounds like there's some Hellcats up ahead."

"There doesn't seem like there's any way out other than this path though, Kazuma-san," Gren replied. "Well, none that I was able to see."

"Umu, neither was I."

I placed a hand on my chin and began to think.

How could we get around this situation? Lurk worked somewhat well enough in the forest...but if it failed us now it'd be game over. It was definitely a risky strat but I didn't see any other way around this situation that would result in us being successful.

Suddenly, we heard a chorus of growls come from behind.

"Kazuma-san—"

"Behind us!" Darkness shouted, jumping between them and us.

"Darkness, cover your eyes!" I yelled. "FLASH! RUN!" I shouted as the Hellcats stumbled and swiped at the area around them. "Dammit, this again?!"

There were only so many times I could pull off this trick; not only because they'd eventually realize what it was but also because sooner-or-later I would run out of mana.

As we made it around the bend of the dusty and rocky tunnel, the literal light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel came into view.

When we burst forth from it, we were immediately met with fangs and claws ready to shred us to ribbons. Fortunately, we managed to evade the ambush and run in a different direction.

"Kazuma, what do we do?" Megumin asked me once more.

"I don't know," I thought.

I knew we couldn't keep running forever, but just as unlikely was the possibility of defeating all our current enemies.

Once again, a group of Hellcats ambushed us, forcing us to run in another direction...and then a few seconds later, it happened again. Until eventually…

"We're here again," I said, looking at the giant white orb and the woman standing in front of it.

Did the Hellcats actually push us back here?!

She smirked maliciously. "Welcome back, human. I was ready to let you go but since you're so adamant about dying with these girls I suppose it'd be cruel of me not to oblige."

I gulped. I could use Flash on her once again, but even if I did, there was nowhere to run; plus, repeated use of skills and spells against the same target would build up their resistance to it, so it could just outright fail.

The Hellcats slowly closed in on us while the Queen of Elves watched on with amusement.

"Come on think, Kazuma, think! There has to be something that could turn the tides, something that can get us out of an unbeatable situation… That can...get us out of an unbeatable situation. Megumin!" I said, turning to her.

"Huh?" she replied, slightly shocked by my sudden call.

"Do you still have it?!"

"Have it? Have what?! What are you talking about?"

"That potion! The one your dad made!"

⸻!⸻

"I, I do!" She quickly rummaged into her belt pouch and pulled out the crystal vial containing an orange-colored substance and then handed it to me.

"Please do something good!" I prayed. I uncorked it. "Take this!" I yelled, swiping the vial and releasing the substance into the air.

Part 2

…

"Hyoizaburo-san, you idiot!"

"Kazuma-san, Kazuma-san," Aqua whispered, "did you check the expiration date on that potion?"

"Expiration date? What the hell is she talking about? Potions don't expire...do they?!"

The Queen burst into laughter. "Was that supposed to do something? How amusing. I must say, after being down here for so long, I haven't had many moments of palpable entertainment."

"Does that mean you'll let us go?" Aqua asked wishfully.

The Queen laughed yet again. "Of course not. I was going to let these beasts tear you all to pieces, but now I think I'll reward you all by getting rid of you, myself." She began walking towards us, large spears of ice forming around her.

This was it, there was nothing else I could do, nothing else we could do. If death was an inevitability, at least I'd have to go down fighting. Once she got closer, I'd use my blinding magic combo and rush her down with Drain Touch. I prepared myself.

The Queen raised her hand and we all watched as the spears rose into the air and pointed at us.

BOOM!

A heatwave engulfed the area as a pillar of flame erupted from behind the Queen, and from it, a giant flaming dragon burst forth, rising into the air and burning a massive hole into the canopy.

"What?! A Greater Flame Spirit?! Where'd—" The Queen looked back at us in shock. "Impossible!"

The flame spirit let out a piercing cry high above the canopy that stunned everyone and everything that could hear it. It pointed itself towards the ground and then dove.

In that split second, I turned to Aqua. "Shield! NOW!"

The next second, the spirit impacted the ground and released a wave of flames I never thought possible. Even with a goddess putting up a barrier, I still held reservations about our safety.

It all took place in the span of a few seconds, but it felt like minutes had gone by. When we opened our eyes, the scene around us had changed completely: the green forest was gone, replaced by the withered husk of great trees, the charred & smoldering ground, and an air full of embers. Megumin's father wasn't joking when he said such a potion would unleash Hell itself.

Needless to say, the Hellcats around us were no longer, however...

"Guh...you…"

⸻!⸻

"You're still alive?!" I said in shock.

The regal Queen of the Elves was lying on the floor, her body and clothes bearing singed marks, soot, and ash, but otherwise remaining relatively the same.

She tried to get up but quickly fell back down.

"It's over, give it up," Gren said forcefully.

She snickered. "You fools, you really think it's over?"

I turned my attention to the once burgeoning white orb; it had melted, now revealing something that made my heart drop.

From its lofty enclosure, a large cat rose. A beast with fiery red & black fur that seemed to dance across its body, saber-toothed teeth that were bathed in wisping flames, and eyes alight with living fire. This animal, this creature, this monster could only be…

"Asura," Megumin whispered in awe.

The beast stepped forward, and as it did, the Queen laughed maniacally.

"You fools, this place shall be your grave. Beast, kill—"

CRUNCH!

The elf fell silent as the mouth of the great creature closed around her neck.

I was used to seeing gore—at least somewhat—but it was different when the thing being mutilated before your very eyes was essentially human.

The great Hellcat opened its mouth, releasing the now-limp queen, and then torched her; Asura released a magnificent stream of flames that completely incinerated all traces of the once majestic royal. Then, it turned to us.

To say I was afraid was an understatement. We were all frozen by the terrifying sight before us—and sure, we could've run (had we not been stricken with fear), as I'm certain the barrier that was once in place was now gone, but...I was just as certain, there was no running from a creature like this. There only seemed to be one option at this point: death.

It let out a thundering bellow that rivaled even the roars of great dragons and then darted at us.

Before I could react, it was upon us—yet somehow, Darkness managed to get in front and block...is what I'd like to say. As tough as she is, she stood no chance against the greater beast, for as soon as Asura's paw hit her, she was sent spiraling off to the side.

The mere sight of seeing something like that stunned me, allowing the creature to close the distance and attack.

Lucky for me, Autododge activated.

Looking not to waste this chance, I cast my blinding combo with Create Earth and Wind Breath, but to my audible surprise, the dust immediately turned to cinders even before reaching the monster's face.

SWIPE, SWIPE, SWIPE!

Autododge procc'd all three times but I was still on edge. If a normal Hellcat could instantly incapacitate me, this thing would probably take an entire limb off if it ever connected. I had to get some distance.

"BIND!" I didn't know if it would work, but at the very least, Bind would provide me with an opening.

Success! Asura jumped back.

"LIGHTNING!" I yelled, quickly following up the attack.

It would be a guaranteed hit...or so I thought; the Lord of Hellcats dashed under it and smashed its titanic skull into my chest.

The last thing I could remember was hearing the others cry out my name: my vision went black.

Gren grabbed Kazuma's bow and took off. "Watch over Ferris!" she yelled.

"Gren-san!" I yelled after her, but she already darted off in the opposite direction. I was stunned by the chaos unfolding, unable to keep up with it; how was Kazuma able to? "Ah, that's right! Aqua!" I called out to her.

She was kneeling in front of Ferris, calling out her name and shaking her. "Ferris-chan! Ferris-chan! Wake up!"

But Ferris was frozen in shock.

"Aqua!" I said again; this time I got her attention.

"Megumin? Help me, Ferris-chan—"

"She looks like she's a little shocked; she'll be ok, I'll watch over her. Can you go and see if Kazuma's alright?"

"But what about you?"

"I-, I'll be fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Umu." I nodded.

Aqua stared at me and then at Ferris. After a moment, she nodded and then took off towards the direction Kazuma was sent flying.

ROAR!

Asura's cry shifted my attention to the current bout. Darkness somehow made it back and was doing her best to keep its attention. Meanwhile, Gren was a fair distance away aiming the bow, seemingly waiting for the opportune moment to strike.

I turned my attention back to Ferris and attempted to rouse her from the trance she was in. "Ferris-chan, can you hear me?" I said, gently shaking her. "Ferris-chan!"

"GWAHH!"

I turned around to see Darkness being flung. Gren loosed an arrow but it was instantly incinerated the moment it got close to Asura. The Hellcat charged Gren, quickly swiping at the bow and splintering it like a branch taking a bolt of lightning. Even if she wasn't the target of it, the ferocious strike sent Gren spiraling into the ground.

Suddenly…

"NEE-CHAN!" Ferris yelled.

"Ferris?"

But before I could react, she had broken away from me and dashed towards Gren...and more importantly, Asura.

"No wait! Ferris!" I immediately started to think. "What do I do?! Should I cast Explosion? No...it'd definitely hurt Ferris and the others if I did but…" What else could I do?

I closed my eyes tightly. What do I do? What do I do? "Someone help me." I opened my eyes and stared at the scene before me: Ferris was a few steps away, the enormous creature slowly stalking towards her.

A sharp pain coursed through my head and then I remembered—I saw—I lived the same scenario before. Before, with my own sister, with Komekko. My own indecisiveness would've gotten her hurt...or worse. Was I really about to do the same again? Was I really a person so useless at such critical moments?!

I moved to get up but I was frozen in place. I had to do something—anything! I opened my mouth to shout but nothing came out. Was I...really so afraid? Even if courage found its way to me now, it would've been too late: the Hellcat was already close enough to tear Ferris in two if it so wished.

And yet, she stood there...facing it. Her knees were visibly shaking; she was afraid too—obviously so—but regardless, she stared it down without backing away.

"Stay...stay away from Onee-chan!" she yelled.

The Hellcat let out a deafening roar...but Ferris didn't budge. It took a step towards her.

"Move," I told myself. "Move!"

Yet nothing came of it.

Asura was directly in front of Ferris.

"Forgive me," I said to myself, shutting my eyes thereafter.

I heard another roar and then felt the ground rumble. I opened my eyes to find Asura thundering towards my direction. What happened? Did it find me an easier target? Was it coming for me because of my cowardice? "I...I don't wanna die...I don't wanna die." I thought this but I closed my eyes once again...and waited...waited for that death to come.

But it didn't.

The majestic Lord of Hellcats sprinted past me disappearing into the depth of the woods. I was spared...we were spared.

I looked towards Ferris and saw her desperately shaking Gren and shouting.

"Nee-chan! Onee-chan! Onee-chan, please, wake up!"

"Megumin! What happened?" Aqua said as she and Kazuma ran up to me. "Me and Kazuma saw that evil-looking creature run off; did you have anything to do with that?"

I looked away. "Um...no. G-, Gren! Gren-san, you should probably go see if she's ok, Aqua."

She looked over in the direction and headed over quickly.

"Where's Darkness?" Kazuma asked.

"She um… Asura knocked her away again."

"You ok?"

"Umm, yeah...I'm fine," I said with a slight sense of shame.

"What happened?"

"I… I'm not sure. It just...suddenly took off."

Kazuma silently stared at me. "Hey, Megumin, you sure you're ok?"

"Umu. I...just got a little spooked, that's all." I tried smiling but I knew it came across as an obvious platitude; my heart just wasn't in it.

"Really? Hmmm...alright." Kazuma walked off to join Aqua.

Did he really not notice it? I felt my heart grow heavy. I felt so useless...so pointless.

I quietly went on to join the others.

"There, you should feel better, Gren-san," Aqua said.

Gren moved her arm, checking its full range of motion. "Umu, thank you, Aqua-sama."

Ferris hugged her sister and then quickly prostrated herself before Aqua. "Thank you, Aqua-sama, thank you! I promise to devote myself to being a good follower of yours."

"Ah, really?" Aqua said in surprise. She smiled. "Well, in that case—"

"That's not really necessary," Kazuma interjected.

"Shut up, you traitor! You're supposed to be my most fervent servant after all I've done for you, and here you are trying to turn away other willing followers."

"Servant?! Who?! And no one who knows what they're getting into would willingly join your stupid cult! Stop trying to prey on innocents like her! I'm already traumatized by the poor children you and your group have already corrupted."

Aqua and Kazuma began to trade blows as usual.

"Everyone's alright?" Darkness said, appearing out of nowhere.

"My goodness, Darkness-san, are you ok?" Gren asked in slight shock.

She had every right to; Darkness's hair was disheveled and streaks of blood covered a portion of her face, and while her armor was mostly intact, the cloth and fabrics of her attire all bore some sort of tear. At the very least, one could definitely say she looked worse-for-wear.

"I'm fine."

"You're not fine, Darkness!" Aqua yelled. She quickly cast Heal on her.

"Would it kill you to be a bit more careful?" Kazuma said, crossing his arms in frustration.

"Sorry, Kazuma. It's just that when I see my comrades being threatened I tend to forego my own safety," Darkness replied.

Kazuma looked at her with stark amounts of skepticism. "You expect me to believe something like that?"

"It-It's true!"

"Come off it, we both know why you go out of your way to get hurt!"

Darkness looked away, once again trying to hide her joyous smile from cropping up. "It, it's a shame it ran away so quickly." She sighed.

While I'm sure what Darkness said was somewhat true, I don't think anyone fell for the explanation she gave, not even Gren—which at this point, I'm sure had come to know Darkness' true personality.

Speaking of Gren…

"Oi, Gren-san, what's that?" Kazuma said.

Gren, who had walked some distance away, turned to us holding a piece of jewelry in her hand. "The only thing left of her," she replied, looking down at the spot the Queen of the Elves once laid.

All of us fell silent, remembering the grizzly scene.

Kazuma cleared his throat loudly. "I think it's time for us to get out of here, huh?"

We nodded and then went on our way.

When we left the den and traveled throughout The Grove, we encountered some Hellcats; however, in every situation, they neither attacked us nor approached us. The Hellcats all stood their distance, watching us cautiously and quietly. It was an odd thing to experience—for sure—after being harassed by them for so long.

Eventually, after traveling for many hours, we arrived at the more familiar dark and cold area of The Grove; and in there, we came upon an elf called Alowenn, the elf that saved the others when they were lost down here that other time. We followed him back to his outpost after explaining our situation. He seemed like he had a lot of questions for us but, for some reason, he refrained from asking.

-Sometime later…

"Well, thanks again, Alowenn-san," Kazuma said once we reached the top.

Alowenn sighed. "There's definitely a whole lot more to your story than you're letting on, but I feel like I'll get an answer to those things in due time. If you completed the King's Challenge, I have no authority to stop you. His Majesty is waiting for your arrival so delaying that is nigh on treason."

"Is it me or are the elves a little too quick to judge?" Aqua whispered.

Kazuma elbowed her side and then smiled at Alowenn. "Don't mind her."

Surprisingly, the elf laughed. "No, no, she's right; we do tend to be rather strict when it comes to our rules and customs. Still, it's what makes our kingdom the most stable out of all the others and our people the most trustworthy. If a Sylv promises something, you can be sure they'll deliver on it whether it takes a hundred years or a thousand."

Eh? But at that point, wouldn't the other person be dead? After all, while there were many races, the vast majority of people were human.

"Hold on!" we suddenly heard coming from the lift.

The portly elf, Dera, and the female warrior, Vallatrix appeared.

"Huh, what are you two doing up here?"

"Shut it, Alowenn, you're not the only one who gets to leave the outpost," Vallatrix remarked. "This idiot wanted to give them something," she said, gesturing to Dera. "Make it quick, we've got work to do."

"Right, right." Dera handed a box he was holding to Kazuma.

"What's this?" Kazuma asked.

"Food for the trip. I don't know if you guys have a ride to take you to the capital but I figured if you were off doing the King's Challenge you all are probably pretty hungry."

"Ah, thanks."

"Hey, don't we still have a bit of fish?" Aqua interrupted.

"Shut up, you, I'm tired of eating fish!" Kazuma retorted. "Thanks again," he said, turning back to Dera.

"No problemo. It's nice to cook for some people who actually appreciate my efforts, unlike someone."

Vallatrix scoffed. "I'm leaving," she said, heading back towards the lift.

"Ho-Hold on, Val! Hey, it's been nice seeing you guys again. After your stuff gets resolved why don't we meet up again, huh?"

"Sure," Kazuma replied.

Dera smiled and then took off chasing after Vallatrix.

Alowenn coughed lightly, getting our attention. "Well then, fair travels. Hopefully, your issues get resolved. I look forward to seeing you all again."

"Right, thanks again, Alowenn."

Saying that, the elves disappeared down the lift, leaving us on the lone and precarious stretch of road leading to the capital.

"Should we get going?" Darkness said.

Kazuma sighed heavily. "I'm actually really tired."

"Oh right, it has been a while since we've all rested, hasn't it?"

"Man, those beds in the outpost looked really comfy."

"Can't we head back to Syltres Outpost?" I queried.

"I'm not sure," Kazuma replied. "I have a feeling if we head back there, that bastard, Erebin, is just gonna pin something on us."

"But aren't our things still over there?"

"Hmmm, I don't know. I seem to remember him telling me something about sending over our things to the capital."

"It's already evening though, Kazuma," Darkness remarked. "It'll take an hour or so to head back to the outpost and who knows how long to get to the capital on foot."

Kazuma looked down; he seemed to be weighing his options. "Alright, screw it, let's head back to the outpost. If that guy has some type of trap waiting for us, I give you full permission to blow him away, Megumin."

"AH?! Really?!" I said excitedly.

"I'm through with someone yanking my chain."

And so, we headed back towards Syltres Outpost. By the time we arrived, it was well past evening and closer to night.

"HALT!" one of the guards yelled as we approached the gate.

"Hey, we're just weary travelers looking for a place to rest," Kazuma said.

"No, I recognize you lot. Go get the commander," he said to one of the other guards; they quickly ran off.

"Oi, come on, we don't want any trouble."

"Then stay where you are and wait for the commander to come."

Kazuma sucked his teeth in frustration. "I knew this was a bad idea," he said in a low voice.

"Kazuma," I whispered back to him, "do you want me to do it now?"

"Hold on, just give it a bit. We'll see what happens; if these guys want a fight you're free to do what you want then, ok?"

"Umu," I said, gripping my staff readily.

A few minutes later, the gate opened revealing Erebin, the commander of Syltres Outpost and the elf who had us arrested.

"Welcome back, Kazuma-san," he said with a sly smirk. "Please, come on in."

It took a few seconds, but then Kazuma took him up on his offer and walked on in; the rest of us followed.

"You're not planning anything else, are you?" Kazuma said, once the gates closed behind us.

"Of course not, Kazuma-san. I merely follow the instructions given to me. I've been told that you've been given the King's Challenge. The fact that you all are here means you must've completed it. As such, any crimes you may have been guilty of are absolved."

"If you're acting all buddy-buddy what the hell was the point of betraying us the first time?"

"Kazuma-san, you misunderstand; there was no betrayal. Personally, I had no intention of deceiving you, I was merely following orders."

"From who? Bartholomew-san?"

He gave a faint smirk in reply. "Please enjoy your rest. Should you have any questions or needs, please have one of the guards find me."

"Wait."

"Yes?"

"Where are all our things?"

"I had them sent over to the capital, like I told you."

"Then how the hell are we supposed to get there? On foot?"

"Worry not, Kazuma-san, you can use some of the transport here. There's a merchant convoy currently resting here; they're supposed to be leaving for the capital tomorrow, you can go with them."

"This isn't one of your or that guy's plan to get me into more trouble, is it?"

Erebin shrugged. "Like I said, I'm simply following orders. I know not what Lord Bartholomew has in mind, but if it makes you feel at ease, I've received no orders to have you detained or captured."

Kazuma stared at him, no doubt feeling somewhat dubious of his response. "...Fine."

"I'll take my leave then." Then, the elf walked off.

-A few minutes later…

"I still can't believe this place has an inn," I said as we entered our room.

"It's not unusual for large outposts to have such things," Darkness replied, placing the sleeping Aqua down on a bed.

"A single room, though."

"It was all they had reserved for us," Kazuma remarked.

"Still." I looked over at Gren who was tucking Ferris into bed. "Gren-san, is this fine?"

"Umu." She nodded. "I'm sure Kazuma-san is the responsible type in this situation."

"You shouldn't put so much faith in this man," I said, glancing at him.

"Hey, why are you trying to smear my good name? Someone with such a short fuse and a penchant for troublesome activities shouldn't be the one to judge me, alright?"

"Short fuse?! You—"

"Shhhh. People are trying to sleep. Now hurry up and go to sleep yourself," he said, turning over in bed, "good girls shouldn't be up so late."

"Are you treating me like a child again?! You are, aren't you?! Kazuma?!"

He pulled the blanket over his head.

I wanted to beat him up...but I was also tired. Seeing everyone tucked into bed made me aware of the weariness I had. Still somewhat frustrated by the offhand comment, I trudged over to the other empty bed and fell asleep...or so, I attempted to.

I did get some, but somewhere in the middle of the night, I awoke. I couldn't sleep; something inside me felt wrong. With the feeling of tiredness gone, the feeling I had previously, returned...and I started to feel a profound void in my chest.

"Kazuma," I said, having got up and walked over to his bed.

"Uh? Megumin?" he said wearily. "What is it? You need me to take you to the bathroom?"

"N-, No."

He yawned. "What is it, then?"

"...I can't sleep."

"You can't— Is it your head again?" he asked, sitting up.

"No."

"Then…?"

"I don't know. I feel… I feel really...hurt...for some reason." I looked down, having the feeling become more profound. "Can I sleep with you?"

Kazuma silently made room. I climbed in beside him.

"Sorry," I said, after a few seconds of silence went by.

"Don't worry about it. I kinda knew something was up with you ever since the fight with that Hellcat."

So, he did know.

"You did?"

"Of course. When the girl I know doesn't freak out after seeing such an intimidating-looking beast, I know something's up. I totally expected you to say something stupid like, 'hey, Kazuma, can we take it home?' or something like that."

I frowned. "Just what kind of person do you take me for? Is that how you really see me?" I went silent for a few moments and then said, "But it was really cool."

Thinking about it, I really hope Aqua would be able to make a figurine of it.

Part 3

"Yeah, it was actually a pretty cool-looking beast. I would've definitely admired it more if it wasn't trying to kill all of us."

I smiled for a moment and then grew sad once more. "I didn't really do anything that entire time. I just stood there while everyone else had something to contribute to the fight."

Kazuma chuckled lightly. "That's right, you couldn't cast Explosion, but did you forget who provided us with a chance? If it wasn't for that potion of yours, we would've all been killed by that lady."

"It wasn't my potion, it was my father's."

"Still, you're the one who had it. If you weren't around that would've been the end of us. Besides, why are you so sad about not being able to do something? Not everyone can contribute in the most flashiest ways all the time. Heh. I remember back when I used to go on raids with my guildmates there were times when I did nothing but stand on the outskirts of a battle just waiting for my turn to do what I was there to do."

"And what was that? Probably waiting to take the last hit on a tough monster, right?"

"Oi, I'm not a kill-stealer, ok? That's definitely something you'd do, but you're sort of right; I was the one who was tasked with getting the final hit on certain mobs. Reason being, the one who delivered the final blow affected the drops. Since I was lucky at getting rare items, I was usually assigned to delivering the final blow. Kinda mundane but it was something I took pride in doing no matter how menial it seemed. My guildmates depended on me and my luck to get us good items so that we could make our future endeavors easier; there's a trickle effect to it. Sometimes, at the moment, it's just hard to see it."

"I see." I snuggled up to Kazuma and hugged him. "Thank you."

"...You…you know, you're really important to the group, no matter if you just know one spell. Like I've told you before, if that's the way you choose to contribute, I'll find a way to make it work. So...don't feel too bad when you have nothing to do. Without you and your Explosion, this group would've failed a long time ago."

I felt myself grow warm and that feeling of emptiness leave me. "Kazuma."

"Hm?"

I kissed him on the cheek and then smiled. "I love you."

I felt him shake slightly and then he answered, rather shakily, "Me too."

-Morning

"There, Megumin, that should be better." As I stirred awake, I heard these words.

"Thanks, Aqua."

"I know I'm the best when it comes to healing but...you know...you should really get that Archpriest to check you."

"It's fine, the headache wasn't that bad anyway."

Hearing all this, I could discern what was going on. I opened my eyes and sat up.

"Ka-Kazuma," Megumin said panickily. "How— How'd you sleep?"

I yawned and then rubbed my eyes. "Fine, I guess. How about you? Anything wrong?"

Megumin looked as if she was about to answer, but she quickly stopped herself, looking down rather glumly. "I slept well but...I had a bit of a headache."

She didn't take the opportunity to lie; can't say I wasn't surprised.

She went on. "Aqua just finished healing me. BUT," she swiftly tacked on, "it wasn't as bad as the previous times so…"

"Hmmm, I see. Well, if it hasn't gotten worse then I guess we can relax a bit. Not like we can just leave, anyway. Where are the others?" I asked, looking around.

"Darkness and Gren-san went to see about that merchant caravan and Ferris-chan is in the bathroom," Aqua replied.

"Ah, right...that caravan." I stretched and let out another yawn. "Well, best get ready to leave then."

"All of us are ready except for you," Aqua retorted. "The boy who did the least is the one who oversleeps; can't say I'm shocked. What can you expect from a hikkiNEET?"

"Oi, don't you think it's a bit early to pick a fight? I haven't even got out of bed and you're already insulting me. AND YOU WERE ASLEEP THE ENTIRE WAY TO THE OUTPOST, YOU DAMN LAYABOUT!"

"Kazuma," Megumin interrupted.

"Hm? What is it, Megumin?"

"Shouldn't we have some breakfast? It's been a little while since we've had food."

"Ah, you're right." My stomach growled at the realization.

"I'll get the fish from the pack," Aqua said, about to run off.

"Forget the fish! That stuff should still be edible for a few more days. Instead, let's try some of the stuff Dera-san made us."

"I wonder what he made," Megumin said. "It smelled really good."

"You guys didn't get to sample his stuff but me and Darkness did; it's surprisingly well-made. Even some of the questionable-looking things were really good...then again, we were pretty hungry when we ate it."

Just then, the door to the room opened up, and in came Darkness and Gren.

"You're awake, Kazuma?"

"Umu. You and Gren-san went to speak to the merchants running the caravan?"

"That we did. They're going to be heading out in an hour or so. Apparently, they were supposed to leave earlier but one of their horses got sick."

"Seems kind of lucky, no?"

"Yes, unfortunate for the horse but I suppose it is a stroke of luck for us."

The bathroom door opened and Ferris came out.

"Ferris, are you done?" Gren asked.

"Umu."

"Good," Megumin replied. Then she turned to me, "You should go take a quick bath."

"Ah, you're right," I said, taking a moment to smell myself.

We didn't get to wash up after our previous session, so it was actually nice (and probably necessary) to take another bath.

"Did you guys already take yours?" I went on to ask.

Aqua frowned. "Of course. Did you really think we'd wait to take one while you were around?"

"Hey, I didn't even peek last time, so why are you acting like I'm some forlorn beast in heat?"

"That's last time. Don't try to act like you haven't tried to before."

"Unlike you, I'm fully capable of learning from my mistakes and actually developing. I admit, there may have been a few *cough* accidents, but that was then and this is now."

"Anyway, Kazuma," Darkness interjected, "you should hurry. While I got permission for us to go along with the caravan, I doubt they'll wait for us should we delay for too long."

"Right."

"We'll set up the food in the meantime," Megumin announced.

"Ok. Darkness, can you stow our stuff—" Then it hit me, 'our stuff' was nowhere here. "Ah...nevermind."

She smiled. "Go on now, Kazuma. We'll wait for you to get done."

Following an unusually short bath, I got dressed and met up with the others in the small dining area of the inn.

"Kazuma," Megumin said as I approached. "Here's your share," she said, handing me my plate.

I took it...and then I noticed something unusual. "Oi, isn't this the smoked fish we saved? What happened to the food Dera-san prepared for us?" Megumin slowly turned away. "Oi. You ate it, didn't you?" I said, noticing the many crumbs of food around her mouth.

"I-, I have no idea what you're talking about. Yes, I simply ate my— OWWWWW!"

Megumin began screaming as I pinched and pulled on her cheeks. "Ah, so all these crumbs and stains around your mouth wasn't part of that food?!"

"AHHHHHHHH! Ok! Ok! I'm showwy! Schtop poowing, pwease!" I let go. "Sorry. I couldn't help it," Megumin said, massaging her cheeks, "I took a couple of bites and realized how good it was, then I took a couple more bites and realized how hungry I actually was. So then, I ate some of Kazuma's." She averted her gaze from my glare. "B-But Kazuma's food is still better!" she quickly appended.

"You think just because you praise me I'll forgive you?!" I began grinding my knuckles into the side of her head.

"AHHHH!, Alright! Alright! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Please forgive me!" I released her and she swiftly backed away. "Oww...guh. Even in my famished state, I didn't forget about Kazuma. Please enjoy this sauce that came with the food," she said, holding out a small container.

I grabbed her arm and used Drain Touch.

"GAHHHHH!"

By the time I let go, Megumin was a crumpled heap on the floor.

-A few hours later…

"Oi, she's been rather quiet this entire time, hasn't she?" I said, staring at Chomusuke who was silently sleeping on Megumin's lap.

"Hmm, you do have a point." She raised Chomusuke in front of herself. The cat lazily opened its eyes and let out a purring yawn. "Hmmm." Megumin placed her back on her lap. "You don't think she's sick, do you?" she asked as she worriedly stroked her.

"Hmmm, I'm not sure."

"It's not like I've been neglecting to give her food."

"While I don't know how much of that's been you, it certainly doesn't look like she's lacking for food; she's gotten bigger, that's for sure."

"She's definitely heavier. It could be that she's been taken in by the influence of someone else." Megumin stared at me, lightly knitting her brow.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"*sigh* No reason. I suppose it's slightly unfair of me to call you lazy; Kazuma has been really active on this trip."

Thinking about it, another person has been rather silent this entire time as well: I looked over at Ferris. In her hands, was the precious emerald she held so dear.

Suddenly, "Look, it's the capital," Darkness said.

We peered out the front of the wagon. We were almost there.

"We'll arrive in a few minutes, travelers," the driver announced.

Finally, we'll be able to clear our names and move on. This was all essentially a side trip but after going through everything, I felt mentally exhausted with the idea of going north and looking for more trouble.

After reaching the gates, the convoy was inspected (as one would expect) and then let through. We got off once they made their stop near the market area of the city and then made our way towards the palace.

"HALT!" The gate sentries barred the entrance with their spears. "What brings you to the royal palace?"

"We—"

"Ah, wait, hold on, I remember you all; you were the prisoners. Bold of you all to show your faces here again. Were you thinking of exacting vengeance on His Majesty?!"

"Now hold on! We're—"

"We've completed the King's Challenge," Gren interjected.

"The King's… I see. Very well, wait here. I shall find someone to escort you all."

The guard left and then, a couple minutes later, he returned with another set of guards. We were led in and escorted to the antechamber of the throne room.

"Wait here," one of them said.

After waiting for several minutes, the guard returned. "You may enter the throne room. Watch your conduct; you shall be watched."

The guards pushed open the doors to the throne room and then we entered. Once we were inside, a complement of guards and one Zu' Re awaited us. The doors quickly closed behind us.

"So, you've all made it back, I see," she said. "I hope you don't think merely surviving is enough to absolve you of your crimes. Not to mention, the new ones you committed while down there; I've no doubt the ensuing forest fire is due to your actions."

Ah...a forest fire. Man, I really, REALLY hate forests.

"But let's not get ahead of ourselves," she continued. "You've slain the monster in the sanctuary, have you not? If you haven't, walking in here is essentially consigning yourselves to death."

"Of course," Gren replied.

"Where's your evidence? Show me."

Gren tossed something onto the floor; it cascaded over to Zu' Re's feet.

"You— Tsk." She bent down and then froze. Staring at the item before her, she quickly snatched it up and then looked between it and Gren. "SEIZE THEM!" she said, ordering the guards.

"Belay that order," the King, who was sitting quietly upon his throne, suddenly remarked.

"But, my lord! This is—"

"Zu' Re."

She quickly silenced herself, the look upon her face exposing the immense amount of restraint she was exerting. "Yes, my lord."

"Bring it here."

Without hesitation, she did so.

The King took it, staring at the item in question for a few moments. "Zu' Re."

"Yes, my lord?"

"Take the others and wait outside."

"My lord? Have I— Have I offended you?!"

The King raised his hand in a gesture to stop. "You have not; however, this is what I wish and command."

The shaken elf stepped back and then bowed deeply. "As you will, my lord."

"Worry not, Zu' Re, I shall call for you should I require your assistance, so be attentive, understood?"

"Yes, Your Majesty!" With a renewed sense of vigor, Zu' Re stepped away, and then, after gesturing to the guards in the room, they all left.

Once the doors closed, the King spoke, rather sternly at that. "Where did you find this?" he asked, staring at the item in his hand. "Keep in mind, lying to me is pointless."

"The forest, Your Majesty," Gren replied. "On the ground."

There was a bit of a pause, then the King spoke once more. "Did you kill her?"

"No, Your Majesty."

"Did she… Did she suffer?"

"I don't believe so...Your Majesty...though it pains me to say so."

The King lowered the item and then stared at her with a faint smile. "I knew it, but for some reason, I had doubts...despite you looking nearly identical. Why did you return, Gren?"

"It was the wish of someone important to me; had it been my choice, I would've set foot here ever again."

There was a deep sense of tenseness in the ensuing silence.

The King spoke once again. "How is she? Is she well?"

"She's dead. Died of illness some years ago."

For the first time, the king's face reflected much pain. "Anne… Oh my Anne. Forgive me. Forgive me."

Suddenly, Ferris stepped forward, brandishing her bespoke emerald. "Papa...you're my papa, aren't you?"

"Ferris!" Gren grabbed her younger sister, pulling her back.

The King looked up in shock and then slowly stood up. "Fe… Feirrah."

"No, Ferris," Gren went on, "he isn't anyone you should call 'Papa'."

"But—"

"Your Majesty, we've completed your trial, so I believe I shall take my leave." Gren turned around and stormed out of the chamber, Ferris in tow.

The King, his hand outstretched, slowly sat back down on his throne with a completely sullen look on his face.

The rest of us stood in mild confusion; there seemed to be something much deeper going on but what I was more concerned about was our condition of no longer being criminals.

Then, out of nowhere, Darkness spoke. "Your Majesty, is Ferris your child?"

"I know no Ferris. Feirrah...Feirrah is my daughter," he replied, still struck with grief.

The rest of us traded stares. Then Darkness spoke once again. "Did...something happen?"

I didn't know why Darkness would suddenly ask someone about something so personal, but surprisingly, the King answered.

"Long ago, when I inherited the throne and this kingdom, I was visited by a woman from a foreign nation; she was a priestess of her religious group...and a human. Looking to diversify my court, I took her in. At the time, I was young and...wild. I lay with many seeking to gratify my own pleasures. Such a thing is not uncommon and permissible in our nation; however, I failed to notice something: the priestess, her jealousy. It was forbidden to touch a holy maiden, whether it was one of our own or one from another, so such a thing was never meant to be. Yet, I could never foresee how bold this priestess would be. Many times she vied for my attention but I, seeking to uphold our holy law, ignored her attempts. Presumably, fed up with this very thing, the priestess confronted me and confessed her love for me. Obviously, I turned her down. I suspected she wouldn't take it well, but I never imagined she would do what she did."

"What did she do?" Megumin suddenly asked, taken in by her curiosity.

"She cursed me. She said...ahem, well she said some things not befitting her position or demeanor. But essentially, I could no longer sire any children; she cursed me with infertility. No matter how much I tried, my endeavors never amounted to children."

"So, she was probably the priestess of some evil god, wasn't she?" Aqua remarked.

"I don't remember too well given how long it's been, however, I seem to believe she said it was...some goddess of...what was it? Goddess of Liquids? Fertility? No, that wasn't it. Was it… Ah yes, it was a Goddess of Water; yes, that's right, the Goddess of Water. Though, I can't for the life of me remember that goddess' name."

All of us stared at Aqua who was now shedding waves of sweat.

"Th-The name isn't important, Your Majesty!" Megumin interrupted.

"Th-That's right," Aqua followed up. "It'd be a shame if you remembered the name of such a troublesome figure; set it aside for now."

"Hmm, you're right."

"Hold on," I said. "Why are you telling us this? It kinda seems a bit personal."

The King sighed deeply. "Normally, I would've never thought to divulge such things, but you all have traveled with Gren. If she finds you all trustworthy, then I can't find fault with trusting you with this information. Even if it turns out to be a fatal flaw, I don't care. I've failed everything and everyone I've ever cared for. If my fate is to be ousted and ridiculed, then so be it; perhaps it's for the better."

The man was broken.

"But what about your daughter?" Darkness pointed out. "You said you're unable to sire children, however…"

"That's right. Feirrah. She...was my only success. After I was cursed, it took a while for me to understand what really happened. Sparing you all some of the details, my attempts all ended fruitlessly. This was rather frustrating for my queen at the time. I was concerned, and that concern soon turned into panic. I sent for many Priests and Archpriests, Witch Doctors, healers of all kinds, yet none of them could dispel the curse placed upon me. I didn't know what to do, so I did what I thought was best: I surrounded myself with an exorbitant amount of women and got to work."

Despite it not being aimed at me, I could feel the judgmental gazes of my female companions.

The King, however, continued, unfazed by the withering gazes. "No matter how much I tried, the results were the same. Yet, during that time when I was searching for a remedy to lift the curse, a woman and her daughter visited my court. Both of them looked like they suffered a great deal, and according to her, they had traveled from the neighboring nation after hearing of the necessity of a healer. Anne Hallowitz was her name.

"Though she was a person who obviously needed things, she didn't ask for much, simply enough for her and her daughter to live well. For her service, I granted her this. Her treatments weren't amazing, they were rather dull in comparison to the many who found their way to my halls; however, Anne was compassionate and patient. She was hardworking and beautiful. I soon fell in love with her and took her to be one of my um...ahem...close companions. I loved her, and in one of our romantic adventures, that love bore fruit; she became pregnant.

"The majority of the court was ecstatic about the news; however, there were others who weren't. Perhaps I was blind with relief, or perhaps I didn't want to imagine it, but at some point, my Queen grew jealous. I realized after everything, she was jealous that a mere concubine would be the one to sire an heir instead of her. In a way, I could understand her anger and I couldn't blame her entirely, for most it lied with me and not her. She went on to cause an insurrection.

"It didn't last very long, but it divided the court into those loyal to her whims and those loyal to me and the law. Unfortunately—as brief as it was—the results of it were catastrophic, to say the least. Many of the warriors who were supposed to defend our law, sided with my Queen and carried out her orders. The first was to banish all of the royal concubines, the second...was to hunt down my love, and more importantly, my heir.

"When I heard news of this, I finally made up my mind to stop her. Though it pained me to do so, I had to order the immediate arrest of the Queen and all those who were loyal to her. A bloody fight ensued, but in the end, I banished her to Reisuh Gurrand O' Ha and the rebel loyalists were summarily executed. In spite of what she did, I don't hate my Queen. Even though another bore my child, I still loved her dearly. I wish I could've gifted her with a daughter of her own. Feirrah Aleiya Sylvanis, Aleiya after the late queen; I gave my daughter her name to show her how important she was to me and that I didn't forget about her. Unfortunately...it seems it wasn't enough."

It had seemed that over the course of the story, those damning glares from my female compatriots had softened into the pitying stares of a bleeding heart.

So, Ferris was the King's daughter.

"Hold on," I said. "If you knew Gren was part of our group and you had a sneaking suspicion of who Ferris was, why'd you send us into The Grove knowing it could kill them?"

The others stared at me and then looked at the King, waiting for his response.

"...The circumstances in which those girls and their mother left...I didn't believe they'd ever return. Truth be told, I didn't think they were still alive. So, when Gren showed up, I simply thought that she was someone else I had mistaken for her. At least...some part of me wanted it to actually be her. To think it actually was. No, I immediately knew it to be true once she told me her answer. Our family was always gifted with seeing through lies. Like before, I thought sending them away would save them. In some ways it did, but in others…" The King sighed.

"That still doesn't explain why you sent her down with us," Megumin said. "In fact, it just makes you seem more guilty; you said you knew it was Gren from her reply, so why go through with that decision knowing that?"

"I had no choice." The King noticed our perplexed stares and elaborated. "The law requires me to judge someone—or a group in your case—once they enter Reisuh Gurrand O' Ha. There's a bit of leeway with these things, but if I let it be known that she was the daughter of the woman I once loved...it could've complicated matters. I trusted...that she'd be ok...that both of them would be ok. I know it's not the answer that you may have been expecting but...I'm quite relieved it panned out. It was a gamble, no doubt about that, but I also knew, to some extent, who all of you were. I figured, if she was with you all there was a good chance you could clear the trial and come out alive. Doing so would've given any opposing parties no word on what was to be done with you—and most importantly—them."

"Law? If it's a law, why not just change it?" I queried. "I mean, this is the daughter of someone you were really close to, not to mention, your own daughter. Are you really willing to gamble with their lives so freely?"

"Laws are binding in our nation; once it comes into being, it's really difficult to get rid of it. Even as king, I can't dissolve them as I like; doing so, requires the sole agreement of the Tribunal as well as the opinions of various other group heads. If I wielded my power so, it would certainly cause a rift in the nation."

So bureaucracy here was just as confusing and pointless as it was back in Japan.

"Hmm, well, does this mean that our crimes are forgiven?"

"I heard of many things happening due to your actions in Reisuh Gurrand O' Ha; Zu' Re spoke of one earlier."

"Ah, yeah...the forest fire."

"I am not so pretty that I'd hold such things against you, given the predicament you all were in; however, I must ask something of you."

I felt my stomach turn; requests from royalty were usually tall orders. Still, I don't think we were in a position to refuse. "Go on."

"I ask that you look over Gren and Feirrah."

Look over them? Gren didn't seem like she really needed much protection and Ferris was under Gren's constant care so…

The doors to the throne room burst open, and Ferris came running in. "Papa! Papa!"

"Ferris! Wait, stop!" Gren yelled, running in after her.

Ferris threw herself upon the King's leg and hugged him.

"Ferris," Gren said, "let go of him."

"No, I don't wanna run away anymore. I'm tired of it just being us. I want to be a family again!" Ferris cried. "I want us to be a family again! I want...to see Mama again."

"Ferris…" Gren looked down, stricken with sadness, "you know mother isn't coming back. And that person you're clinging to so badly...he abandoned us...he abandoned you—and mother. He's the last person who would want a family," she said, looking up angrily.

"Papa! Papa, tell Onee-chan it isn't true; tell her you want to be together with us!"

The King stared at her with sullen eyes and then stroked her head softly. "Feirrah, I love you and I love your mother, but your sister is no liar; I abandoned you, I abandoned you all. I'm truly sorry but perhaps you should really go with your sister and find some place you can be—"

"I don't care!" Ferris cried. "I know Papa isn't bad, I know. I know because when I asked Mama about you...she smiled. Mama smiled when she thought about you. Even when she was sick." Ferris began sobbing. "Papa isn't a bad man. I know Papa misses Mama too."

The room was quiet except for the persistent sniffles of the young girl corralling her father's leg.

"Ferris...let go of him," Gren said rather tiredly.

But the young girl continued to cry softly.

The situation was...rather awkward to experience, given how personal it was, but I'm not a cold-hearted person. As much as it didn't have anything to do with me, I didn't like seeing such a young girl cry.

"G—"

"Gren-san," Darkness said, completely cutting me off, "I know it isn't my place to tell you what you should do—or even suggest something, but...I do believe you should give the King a chance."

"Darkness-san." Gren looked away. "I… I can't forgive what he did. I can't forgive him. Because of his cowardice, he doomed us."

"Perhaps. But I still think if someone is willing to fix their mistakes one shouldn't deny them the opportunity to do so. If they wrong you again, you have all the reason to stick to your reasoning, but you will never know unless you give them that chance. Denying them that, isn't it that the same as judging someone unfairly?"

Gren took Darkness' words into consideration and then glanced at the King. "I suppose so, Darkness-san. As much as this gives me no pleasure...Your Majesty...I'm willing to give you a chance. If I deem you to be unfit a person for Ferris, I shall take her away from here—even if I have to do so by force." After saying this, she looked down once more and said, "I just...don't want to see my sister cry anymore."

Part 4

"Your Majesty!" Zu' Re rushed into the room. "Forgive me, I tried to stop them, but—"

"Your Majesty," Gren said, interrupting Zu' Re, "there's something else that concerns me that I wish to voice. It has to do with this one in particular."

"Hmm? What is it that troubles you about Zu' Re?"

"She knew Ferris' true identity, and despite this, she attempted to murder her."

"What?!" Zu' Re said in shock. "What are you talking about?! Your Majesty, I-, I... There—"

"Is it true, Zu' Re?" The King asked.

"I…" She fell to her knees knowing an answer would condemn her.

"I see. Then, such actions cannot go without punishment. Zu' Re, I hereby strip you of your title as Captain of the Maidens of the Silver Branch and remove you from its service."

"Your Majesty! Please!" she said, beginning to wail desperately. "I-, I didn't think it was possible! Please, believe me! Please!" The King and the rest of us stared at her in silence while her whimpers filled the room. "My lord, please. I didn't…I didn't mean it. Forgive me."

The King gave a light sigh. "Zu' Re, my judgment still stands; you no longer have anything to do with the Maidens nor my protection...however"—Zu' Re looked up, eyes filled with hope—"there's a position I'd feel remiss to not offer you."

"My lord?"

"Feirrah is my heir; as such, she'll become queen of the realm one day. Which means she'll face a lot of danger from now on. Zu' Re, I believe someone of your talent and loyalty would be useful in protecting her. Would you become her personal bodyguard?"

"What?!" Gren suddenly cried out. "Excuse me?! She tried to kill her! Were you not listening?!"

Zu' Re prostrated herself before the King and Ferris. "My lord, I promise to safeguard the royal heiress for as long as I draw breath."

"Stop!" Gren shouted, getting between them. "What is this?! You're assigning the very person who tried to harm her to be her bodyguard?! Are you insane?!"

Zu' Re got up and angrily faced her. "Watch your tongue! You may have certain privileges afforded to you, but I will not sit idle while you continue to berate His Majesty."

The King coughed lightly. "Zu' Re."

"My lord?"

"Please go and turn in the equipment of the Maidens and clear your lodgings."

"Um… Yes, of course. At once."

Once Zu' Re left the room, the King turned to Gren. "Gren, we shall speak of this later, for now—"

"No. I want an explanation this instant; I'm not leaving Ferris in the care of someone who tried to kill her."

The King stared at her for a few moments and then sighed. "I understand how you feel, Gren. I do. But taking everything away from Zu' Re would serve no purpose; someone of her talent is still useful, and I believe that giving her this responsibility would allow her to correct her wrongs and cement her loyalty. After all, someone who has wronged another would not be so hasty to wrong them again, on the contrary, I believe that by doing this, Zu' Re will fiercely protect Feirrah from any harm that'd come to her—even if it's only because she seeks my praise."

Gren still looked mostly unconvinced but now she was the one to sigh. "I won't leave her alone with that woman...and I still believe this is a bad idea. I'll personally see to Ferris' safety myself."

"I'm sure you will; you've been managing to do so for so long, after all. Now then, our guests have been standing here for quite some time. I believe after everything, you all deserve an apology. I'd like to grant you all a gift."

"A gift?" I said sort of surprised; I wonder what could it be.

"Is it some fine wine?! Or maybe a large bag of money—or jewels?!" Aqua said out loud.

The King chuckled. "I can grant you these things, of course. However, I'd like to grant you immunity. Should you all ever have trouble in the future no action can be taken against you until I've given my explicit consent to do so. I believe the things rallied against you all were a bit unfair, so I feel the need to apologize for that. Also, you brought me and my daughter together again, even if it wasn't something known to you. Lastly, I'd like to extend our courtesy and hospitality to your entire stay here. Young man, please come up here."

I looked around for a moment and saw the others staring at me.

"Ah! Um, of course, Your Majesty!" I replied with a bow.

I walked over and knelt before him.

"Here. These are emeralds that signify your direct ties with the royal house; show these to anyone and they'll know you have my backing."

I took the emeralds in my hand: four in counting.

Before I could get up and walk away, the King drew in close and whispered, "Be sure to learn from my mistakes; it should serve as a cautionary tale, women can grow jealous if you're far too attentive to one and not the others. Be sure to spread that affection amongst all of them, ok?

Huh? What was this man saying? I think he was getting the wrong idea. I looked over my shoulder at the others and then back at the King. He gave me a sly smirk and then nodded.

Yup, he was definitely getting the wrong idea.

Eventually, we left the palace. Ferris remained and Gren did as well—presumably because of that very reason.

It was still quite early in the day, so instead of finding a place to stay, we decided to go and retrieve the carriage and our stuff. According to one of the guards, items of that nature would've been sent to a group whose responsibility was to search through everything with a fine-toothed comb, the Evergreen Prospectors as they were called, and their headquarters was somewhere near the entrance of the city.

"This must be it," I said, looking on as several guards and personnel carried items to and from the large building.

"Then let's hurry and get our stuff! I wanna have a good look around town," Aqua said somewhat excitedly.

"You're probably trying to head to the first liquor store we come across, aren't you?"

She frowned. "Do you think that's all there is to my joy in life?! Of course I'd like to visit such places but I'd also like to see about this place's religious order."

"Oi, don't you go causing any more trouble, alright? You definitely heard the King's story; don't you think you and your people have caused enough of it in this kingdom as it is?"

"What are you talking about? I feel like I was blatantly accused of something I didn't do. All I'd like to know is who is the god these people worship so I can have an amicable exchange with them."

I stared at her with an extreme sense of doubt; there wasn't a single bone of amity in this girl's body.

"Whatever, we'll figure all that out once we get our stuff back."

After getting past some guards stationed at the place's entrance, we entered.

Like many administrative places we've visited before, this one had a desk and staff members standing behind it, idly waiting to serve those who came through the door. Unfortunately, we weren't the only ones coming to retrieve lost or confiscated items.

"Geez, what a long line," I commented.

"No use in dwelling on it," Darkness replied. "Lines are a necessary part of order...as monotonous as they may be."

Several minutes later, we finally arrived at the front of the line.

"Next person, please," one of the clerks said.

We walked up.

"Satou Kazuma and his party," I said.

"Very well, Satou Kazuma, what is it you're here for today?"

"Um, our carriage and items were supposedly sent here so we came by to get 'em back."

"Ok. Can you tell me some details of how the carriage looks, maybe give me some details about the items as well?"

"Ah right. Um, the carriage is kinda wide with a fully enclosed cabin. Looks really bawdy. You know, like a noble's carriage or something like that." I racked my mind for more details concerning the cabin. "Um, it's made out of wood—the dark kind and um, has kind of bronzeish parts to it? Um...stained glass windows, too."

"Hmmm, alright," the clerk interrupted. He was looking down at a large book. I assume it was the registry. "How about some of the items or cargo?"

"There should be a few boxes and trunks with clothing and personal effects."

"Are there any unique items that can help identify it from others?"

"Eh, I mean… Ah, actually, one of the boxes should be stained on the inside. And the box itself should have a bunch of wine and alcohol in it."

"Hmmm, yes, I see. Yes, we've received a carriage bearing the items in question. In fact, we were told to return it to you with no further questions, so I believe that'll be all. Give me a moment to go ask one of the staff to retrieve your cargo. Just a moment." The clerk left and then returned a couple minutes later. "Alright, your carriage and items will be waiting for you outside. Please exit using the door on the right. Once you have, please make sure to check that all of your items are accounted for; once you leave the lot we're no longer responsible for any damaged or missing contents."

We left and reviewed our things, as instructed.

"Seems like everything's here," I said after searching for a few minutes.

"Great," Megumin replied. "That means we could—"

"Hold on!" Aqua yelled. "One of my bottles is missing! These miscreants! They dare steal from a goddess?! I'll curse them with—"

"You'll be fine," I said, pulling her away from the box of liquor. "One less bottle isn't gonna kill you—in fact, you could do with a whole lot less. If one bottle is all they took then I'm afraid it's nothing really worth being concerned about."

"You really are clueless, Kazuma; if they bothered to take one of my bottles, what makes you think they didn't go through your stuff as well?"

Hm, I hadn't thought of that to be honest. "Not like there's anything really worth taking in my bags. All I really have on here is my clothing. And we have all our equipment, so what is there to really steal anyway?"

"That just means you have nothing worth taking. Pfft, how pathetic." Aqua broke out into laughter.

"...Excuse me, sir," I said to one of the guards. "Here, I'd like you to have this fine bottle of wine for all the hard work you've been doing."

⸻!⸻

"Wine? Why thanks, stranger. I have been getting thirsty."

"H-Hold on! Kazuma, is that one of my bottles? Kazuma-san?! KAZUMA-SAAAAAAAN!"

-An hour later…

"Kazuma, look," Darkness said, "I think that might be it."

Before leaving the Prospector's Yard, we asked around for directions to an inn. As far as I was concerned, our job here was done and our little excursion in the elve's kingdom was pretty much over. After booking into an inn, we'll likely take a stroll through the city. Then we'd head back and sleep in order to get ready for the coming day; yes, the next day, the day we'd be leaving and heading north. North, towards the cold and inhospitable weather of the dwarven kingdom, towards the cold and inhospitable embrace of the Demon King's armies. Things were bound to get worse way before they got any better. I sighed heavily at the thought. I wanna go home.

"What's wrong, Kazuma? Do you not like the look of the place?" Darkness queried.

"Ah? Uh, no. I was just thinking about what comes next."

"Next? What do you…? Ah, you must mean the trip north."

"Umu. I can't imagine it'll be easier than what we've been through here."

"Perhaps not, but don't you worry. I'll be there by your side, ready to protect you and the others the moment something strikes."

"How touching; I'm sure I'd find that statement somewhat heartwarming if it came from anyone but you."

"Tch." Darkness looked away with slight embarrassment. "I-I'm serious! My own interests aside, I'll do my best to protect all of you from harm."

"Hmm. Well, yeah, I know that...even though you're a pervert who goes out of her way to seek pleasure in pain."

"Wah— I wish you'd just drop that already."

"The feeling's mutual." I sighed heavily once again. "Just hurry and turn in already, I'm kinda tired."

Once Darkness parked the carriage, we got to unloading the luggage we'd need for the night and entered the inn.

"Kazuma." Megumin called out to me after I finished getting our rooms.

"Hm? What is it?" She raised Chomusuke up to me; the creature was fast asleep. "She's still asleep?"

"Well, she woke up a bit in the carriage but…"

"But?"

"Well...Aqua picked her up—and she didn't even put up a fight. I'm kinda worried. What if she's actually sick?"

"Hmmm, that is pretty odd. But hey, what if she's actually warming up to Aqua?"

Both of us fell silent. I couldn't know for sure, but I felt like both me and Megumin were thinking of the very same thing: past memories involving the both of them. After a few moments of this, we looked at each other and said, "No."

"Hmmm," I rubbed my chin. "I'd like to help but I don't know the first thing about treating or diagnosing a sick cat. Wouldn't asking Aqua to check her be a better idea? I mean, as much as she may trade blows with Chomusuke it isn't like she wouldn't lend a hand if she knew she was actually sick."

"Hmm, maybe you're right. Perhaps I'll just stay with her while you and the others go out."

"Eh? Really? I definitely thought you'd be the first person to go out and look around. I'm not sure but something tells me the elf capital should be full of magical items for you to go crazy over."

"I definitely would like to go, but it's not like I can just leave her like this. What if something happens while we're out?"

"Couldn't you just put her under your hat like you have been?"

"She's been getting pretty heavy...and large. Not to mention, my hair is really starting to get covered in her fur. I can't tell you how many times I've found a few strands in my drinks or food; it all ends up in my mouth and I have to say, It's unpleasant."

"Well, I can understand that, but out of the three of you, I'd figure you'd be the last one to care about things like that."

"Eh?" Megumin knit her brow angrily. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Eh—nothing, nothing. Look, how about I stay with Chomusuke while you go out with Aqua and Darkness?"

"Huh?" Megumin said, quickly shedding her angry expression and trading it for mild surprise. "Kazuma isn't coming with us then?"

"I don't mind. Anyway, if it turns out I wanna have a look around town, I'll do it tomorrow or something."

"Hmmm… Kazuma isn't looking to do something dubious while we're out, are you?"

"Oi, come on. Here I am trying to be considerate of you and I get hit with suspicion in exchange."

"Uh— Sorry. You're right, maybe I shouldn't just jump to conclusions like that. No, Kazuma is capable of kindness."

"Umu, that's right. Now, go ahead and have your fun with the others. I'll stay behind and watch over Chomusuke in the meantime."

"Ok."

Megumin handed the sleeping cat over to me and then headed over to the other two who were busy having a look around the inn's large ground floor.

I quietly took my luggage (and Chomusuke) and headed over to my room.

I closed the door and looked down at the cat cradled in my arms. "Now that your owner and those other two are gone you can go ahead and talk to me. Megumin might not realize it, but I know you're getting close to transforming into a beautiful cat girl, aren't you? That's right, you are; anime and manga have taught me far too much when it comes to such things. After all, the difference in your size and weight can't be a mere coincidence. So then, transform for me."

But Chomusuke didn't move.

"Hmmm… Ah, I see, you're probably worried about me dropping you once you fully transform. Worry not, I won't let such misfortune befall you. So now then, go ahead and change."

Yet, once again, she didn't; Chomusuke simply dug deeper into my arms.

"Ok, I understand, you don't want to be carried. If I lay you on the bed, will you do it then? I'm pretty sure the staff won't be happy about letting you sleep on there, but I'm willing to risk it if you do me this favor, ok?" Without waiting for a reply, I laid Chomusuke on the center of the bed and stepped back. "There you are, an optimal spot for you to break your binds and show your true form."

She purred and then snuggled into the sheets.

I waited patiently, but after a few minutes went by without any signs of her trying to transform, I gave up.

"You're not gonna transform, are you?" I sighed heavily and then laid down beside her. "Come on, hasn't enough time passed already? We've already taken down the first boss. This would be the time a pet like you reveals her true powers and becomes a valuable member of our party."

"Reow." Chomusuke purred and then curled up.

"What is it? Are you hungry? Hmmm, oh! I got just the thing."

I walked over to my satchel and pulled out the remaining pieces of the smoked fish. The smell was fairly strong; I scrunched my nose in turn. No doubt this thing was beginning to go bad. Perhaps I should throw my bag in the washer with the rest of our things sometime later.

"Here you go, just the thing you like, right?" I placed the fish near her mouth but Chomusuke didn't so much as glance. "Oi."

Maybe she was sick.

I pressed it softly against her mouth. "Hey, aren't you hungry?"

Chomusuke opened her eyes and stared at me. After a few seconds of this, she sat up and stretched.

"Reow."

She took the pieces of fish and silently began eating them.

"So you were hungry, after all. Go on and regain your strength...but after this, you gotta return the favor and transform."

-A few minutes later…

"Oi." Chomusuke had laid back down and showed no signs of wanting to transform. "Hey you," I said, poking at her nose, "this isn't what we agreed on."

She meowed and then turned over and began playing with my finger.

I smiled. "*sigh* Well, I suppose you can just stay being our cute but strange cat," I said as I played with her.

Some time went by. Chomusuke had fallen asleep and I found myself lying there, staring at the ceiling.

"Hmmm, what to do." I thought I would be preoccupied with training a new and beautiful catgirl but that idea turned out to be fruitless. "Ah!" Another thought sprung to mind: Iris; I wonder how she and the others were fairing. Surely, she was already stricken with grief after such a long time away from her lovable Onii-chan. I'll write her a letter.

I got up and went over to the desk. Hmm, what a familiar feeling this was. Of course, I haven't forgotten about the previous letter I sent. I still haven't received a letter in return, but with how much we were moving around, expecting it to come to me was a bit much. In such cases, it was likely someone would send a letter to a post office somewhere they'd think one would go through. Iris had no reason to believe I'd head to elve's kingdom, so the location of such a return letter was likely somewhere up north.

Grabbing some paper and ink from the desk, I began writing the letter:

Dear Iris,

I'm writing to ask how is everything going? Are you well? I hope my previous letter has reached you; if it hasn't, I wrote you one back when I passed through Elroad. It's been some time since then and I'm now in the elven kingdom of Sylvenn. "The elven kingdom?" you may ask. Well, yes, the elven kingdom. It wasn't exactly where I thought we'd be but you see my darling Iris, there was another girl like yourself who was in trouble. I couldn't just leave such a troubled soul be, so I took it upon myself to go and rescue her from the clutches of some Demon King agents. Demon King agents?! Yes, Demon King agents.

They were just one of the many problems that cropped up on our way through the kingdom. There were a few rough patches but ultimately we solved the issues we came across and prevailed. I won't spoil them for that'll definitely serve for a good conversation for our reunion. On another note, I've been wondering if you've been keeping up on your gaming skills? Next time I go by the palace I'd like to challenge you to a game or two. I won't ask you to go easy on me but I'd like you to keep in mind that such things aren't competitions, they're meant to be fun. So, I'll be sure to extend the courtesy when we finally go against each other once again. Yes, you may have won last time, but that was only because I couldn't bear to see you upset.

Likewise, I hope you won't try to come up with some strategy to defeat me well before our meeting. You know how upset I can get when you introduce such unfair measures. Remember that the stories of my adventures are riding on an honest and fun experience for the both of us.

With much love,

Your dear and adoring not-related-by-blood brother, Satou Kazuma

P.S. The others are fine too.

I tucked the letter into an accompanying envelope and sealed it.

"Phew." I sighed and then leaned back in my chair. I let out a yawn. Sensing a feeling of weariness start to creep in, I stretched and threw my head back over the chair in response.

Two golden yellow eyes stared back at me...a small but beautiful girl with wild black hair and tan skin sitting behind them.

I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and then reopened them. In instances like this, there was one appropriate response. "I'm your master."

She tilted her head in perplexity, her eyes still fixed on me.

This female was undoubtedly Chomusuke. The cat that was lying on the bed several minutes earlier was nowhere to be seen, this girl having replaced it.

And being a cat-turned-girl...she was sitting completely naked, all her private bits fully exposed.

"Master?"

Her response caught me off guard. "Master? Ah yeah— Wait. Aren't you Wolbach? You seem a little...different."

"Wolbach? No, no. Chomusuke. I Chomusuke."

"Wait. So you're not Wolbach?"

"I Chomusuke. Master call me Chomusuke. I remember. You other master? You feed me. I like." She smiled, exposing her enlarged canines.

"Hmmm." I stared at her, slowly rubbing my chin.

She definitely looked a bit different from Wolbach. First of all, her hair was a completely different color and style. The other thing was her size; her body was, overall, much smaller than that onee-san's. I'd say this new girl was about my height. And lastly, the most striking difference was her chest; while not as small as Megumin's, these were a far cry from that beautiful onee-san's. As beautiful as she was, she was a disappointment as far as cat girls went, however: no cat ears and no cat girl speech. Luckily though, she did have a nice long tail.

"Achoo! Mmmmeow. Cold," she said, wrapping her arms around herself and ducking under the covers.

"Hmmm, what should I do? I'm trying to remain calm but it's kinda difficult to do that when a beautiful and fully-naked girl is in front of you."

What was I to do? How could I calm my mind...and libido?

"Hey." The girl poked her head out and watched me excitedly, her tail curling at the tip. "So, just to be clear, you're not Wolbach, right? Do you remember anyone by that name?"

She tilted her head curiously. "Wol..bach? Chomusuke...remembers...someone named Wolbach. But I Chomusuke."

"Ok, ok, I see. So this girl was actually Chomusuke then. Seems like Wolbach-san is actually completely gone." This realization made me feel somewhat sad but I couldn't say I was surprised.

Chomusuke stretched, the length of sheets riding up her back and exposing her defenseless rear.

It was becoming extremely difficult to hide my excitement.

"H-Hey, Chomusuke, wanna play a bit?"

"Hm? Play?" she asked with the same sense of curiosity she displayed just moments earlier.

"Yeah. You lay on your back and I give you a tummy rub. How about it?"

"Tummy…?"

"Umu, just lie down."

She did so, albeit, hesitantly.

Not only was her belly exposed but all those "precious bits" were fully exposed as well. It was a feast for the eyes, to say the least.

I placed my hand on her belly and began to rub on it.

Within a few seconds, Chomusuke began to let out noises that sounded like purring.

Under normal circumstances, this would've been nothing more than a cute sight I would indulge in from time to time, but the current scene was nothing short of erotic. One move too far in either direction could've easily led to something far more serious.

"No, Kazuma. You might have the opportunity you always wanted laying right before you, but what kind of man would you be if you took advantage of this poor creature's innocence? What kind of man would you be if you were unfaithful to your own woman? How could you live with yourself?"

Suddenly, Chomusuke turned over and yawned, stretching once more. "Chomusuke tired. Chomusuke sleep." She curled up and instantly dozed off.

It seems I wouldn't get the chance to put those questions to the test, for better or worse.

Still, I was alone with a naked girl in my bed. I couldn't really call the situation resolved.

I took the sheets and covered her completely, then I sighed deeply, grabbed one of the pillows, and slept on the floor.

I knew myself.

If I wanted to stay faithful to my vows and Megumin, I couldn't place myself in such a tempting situation.

I closed my eyes...and images of the latest naked body dotted every corner of my mind's eye.

I opened my eyes.

Who was I kidding? It had been quite some time since the last time I got some relief. No one could blame me for feeling the way I did.

I got up.

Time for a trip to the bathroom.

No matter what, it would be a successful session...after all, I had all the material a guy could ever need lying right on my bed.

Part 5

-Elsewhere

"Megumin," Darkness said, "are you sure we should've left Chomusuke with Kazuma?"

I raised my brow in confusion. "Kazuma might be a perv, sure, but I don't think he's into things like that, Darkness."

"No, I meant is it ok to leave Chomusuke, who might be sick, with someone who might not be able to do anything about it?"

"I'm sure it'll be alright," I said, trying to hide some of my worry. "She probably just ate something odd. Besides, Aqua already promised to heal her once we get back."

"That's right," Aqua remarked. "Now stop talking about that furry gremlin and let's enjoy what this place has to offer. First stop is—"

"The nearest winery?" Darkness answered.

"No."

"The nearest casino, then," I added.

"No!"

"Is it the nearest clothing store?" Darkness followed up.

"NO! It's the nearest church. Although, all those other places are definitely on the list to be visited."

"The nearest church?" I said slightly bewildered.

"Yes, Megumin. Did you already forget what I said? I said I'd like to figure out who's the god who governs this area."

"Hmm, since when were you so interested in other gods, Aqua?" Darkness asked. "I thought the only god you had any relationship with is Eris-sama."

"Darkness, didn't I tell you I'm a Senior Goddess in Heaven? While I don't mind other gods doing their own things, as a goddess with much experience and authority, I feel it's my responsibility to meet with them and see how they govern their area. A god should be responsible, law-abiding, and overall unselfish."

A god's followers should be a reflection of them, so why was it I felt that the Axis Cult embodied the direct opposite of what she just said?

"Now," Aqua went on, "follow me. I think it might be in this direction."

Despite suggesting to Aqua to ask the locals for the whereabouts of their place of worship, Aqua refused, saying things like, "we're getting close", "it's just around the corner", and "we're almost there". After wandering around for the better part of an hour, however, Darkness and I finally decided to ask the locals about it.

"Our place of worship?" the elf repeated.

"Yes, like a church," Darkness replied. "Do you all have something like that?"

"Ah, I see. Yes, we do have such a place; we go to meditate and give thanks to the Verdant Evergreen."

"Evergreen?" I queried. "I've heard that name quite a few times now. Is that the name of your god?"

"Hmmm... Well, I suppose that's the simplest way of explaining it. The Verdant Evergreen is the guardian of Sylv and the heart of the forest itself. No tree or creature in this place is born without the grace of the Verdant Evergreen. Her massive roots cover the entirety of the land and nourish it. Some even say her reach goes far beyond the forest and extends to the trees, plants, and flowers beyond our borders. Personally, I don't know about that, but one can definitely see the effect she has in the Kingdom."

"Interesting."

"Oh?" Aqua crossed her arms. "If all the trees in this place come from that giant one, how come you guys still chop them down? Shouldn't you be a bit ashamed about committing such acts of sacrilege?"

"Aqua?!" Darkness yelped in disbelief.

However, the elf answered, undeterred by her thorny reply. "Sacrilege? No, the Verdant Evergreen blesses us with the bounties of the forest. We are her celebrated children."

"Well, I'd like to go see this Evergreen you speak of! How does one get there?" Aqua asked in an almost demanding tone.

"Sorry, it's not possible."

"Huh?!"

"Only Sylvs are allowed to visit the Verdant Sanctuary. I'm afraid if you all came to see it up close, you'll leave disappointed. The best I can offer is the tourist platform on the far side of the city. It's not very close, but it does offer a clear view of the Verdant Evergreen itself."

"What?! What kind of sleepy town deity is that stupid tree to exempt a goddess, huh?!"

Darkness quickly grabbed Aqua and covered her mouth while I got in between her and the now-shocked elf.

"Thanks for your help," I said with a quick bow and then sped off following Darkness.

After breaking away from the scene, we found a bench for us to sit at.

"Geez, Aqua," Darkness said, trying to catch her breath, "what was all that? Were you trying to start something?"

"Humph! Why's a stupid tree have that much reverence allotted to it? I'm the Goddess of Water! Water! Do you know what happens to a tree that doesn't get any water?!"

"It dies?"

"It dies! Humph. And that guy had the gall to say that me, the Goddess of Water, couldn't visit a tree."

"Aqua," I interjected, "I don't think that comment was specifically meant for you; he just meant that visiting, in general, isn't something a non-elf can do."

"I heard what he said, Megumin, but I'm a goddess—a Senior Goddess, no less. You'd think he'd be brighter, but I suppose there are some leaves that float far from the tree, as they say."

Wasn't it apples? And falling?

"Why don't we set this aside, for now, Aqua?" Darkness said. "We can have a look around town. I'm sure we'll find some interesting places."

"Umu," I said in agreement. "I think we passed some along the way."

Aqua frowned slightly and then let out a sigh. "Fine then. I suppose we could go somewhere else for the time being. Let's go to a magic shop. I'd like to see if they have some interesting trinkets available."

"Oooh, not a bad idea, Aqua. Maybe I can find something to boost the power of my staff."

"Or maybe they'll sell some cursed gear for Crusaders," Darkness said excitedly. "Let's go!"

-Sometime later, at a magic shop…

"Hmmm…"

"What's wrong, Megumin, haven't found something you like yet?" Darkness asked.

"No, I've found a few things. I've been wondering though, maybe we should get something for Kazuma. After all, he decided to stay behind for my sake, I only feel it's appropriate."

"Now that you mention it… Hmm, sure. What do you think we should get him?"

"What should we get him? Hmmm…"

Oddly enough, I didn't really have an answer for that.

Darkness chuckled. "It's sort of like his birthday all over again, huh? Kazuma really is an enigma when it comes to getting him gifts."

"What are you two whispering about over here?" Aqua said as she came by.

"Oh, Aqua. Me and Darkness were just wondering what to get Kazuma."

"Kazuma? Why are you worrying about what to get that boy?"

"Well, Kazuma's had a lot of stuff to worry about lately, hasn't he? Plus, he's doing me the favor of looking after Chomusuke, so…"

"Hmmm...well, I don't think he's been doing anything too noteworthy, but I suppose it isn't a bad idea to get him something nice from time to time...even though he gave away one of my wine bottles—why are we doing this again?"

"Did you find anything you like, Aqua?" Darkness asked.

"I did."

"You did? What?"

"This invisibility potion," she said, showing it off. "This is just the thing we'll need to get into that forbidden shrine area. Pretty impressive, eh?"

"Aqua, I really think you shouldn't do that. We only just got cleared of charges."

"Oh quiet, Darkness; you're starting to sound a lot like Kazuma."

"Guys," I interrupted, "speaking of Kazuma, the gift. What should we get him?"

"Hmm, if we were in Japan, I'm sure there'd be a lot of places we could visit to get him something he'd like, but over here I'm not too sure. I say we buy him a pack of pudding and call it a day—preferably the expensive kind with vanilla and chocolate mixed in."

"I'm not sure he'd be very happy with something like that."

"How about we get him some weights?" Darkness suggested.

"Weights?"

"Umu. Preferably ones that'll make it feel like your arms and wrist are about to snap. Although, I'm not too sure if we'll find any here."

"No, I don't think we will—and I'm also certain that's not something he'd be too happy with."

"Hmmm." All three of us began to ponder.

"Oh! I got it!" I said. Darkness and Aqua looked at me. "I'll get him a book on magic theory."

They exchanged glances.

"Megumin, you sure about that?" Darkness replied.

"I think if you get him something like that he might think you're teasing him," Aqua remarked.

"No, no, I think it'll be fine. He was asking me to teach him about magic a while ago. If I get him a book he could learn some of the foundations."

"Magic? He asked you to teach him magic?" Darkness queried curiously.

"But the only magic you know is Explosion magic," Aqua said.

"Well, he didn't ask to learn Explosion—even though I tried offering to teach it to him. He simply asked to learn some magic theory."

"Well, if he asked for it I guess it's fine."

"Do you think they sell such a book here?" Darkness asked.

"Hmmm, maybe. Let me ask. Excuse me," I said, getting the clerk's attention.

They came over. "Yes? Is there something you need help with?"

I nodded. "I was wondering if you sell books on the foundations of magic?"

The clerk chuckled. "Why of course, Miss. We wouldn't be much of a magic shop if we didn't have one. Right this way."

-Several hours later…

"Time to head back now, no?" Darkness said.

"I guess that's probably the best option," I replied. "Aqua seems to have gone overboard again."

"Well, I'd rather she'd get drunk than cause an upset at a shrine."

"You have a point. Although, sneaking into a forbidden area and discovering its secrets doesn't sound too bad."

Darkness sighed and then quickly stopped. "Wait a minute. It's forbidden. That means it carries consequences if we're found." I could hear her becoming excited. "Hey, Megumin, what do you think they'd do to the people who broke that taboo?!"

On second thought…

I sighed in reply. "I wouldn't like to find out. Plus, Kazuma's been at the inn for most of the day. He probably hasn't eaten anything, right?"

"Hm, you're probably right. I suppose we should head back then."

-Back at the inn

"I'll take Aqua to the room," Darkness said.

"Ok. I'll go give Kazuma his gift."

"Sure."

*Knock* *Knock* "Kazuma?"

I opened my eyes. Megumin?

"Kazuma? Are you in there?"

I sat up and looked over the edge of my bed. The human-like figure was still present; this was the predicament. Because I couldn't trust myself to hold back my impulses, I ended up just lying on the floor. Now Megumin had returned. If I opened that door and she saw another girl lying on my bed I was done. I could have the best excuse in the world and it wouldn't matter.

*Knock* *Knock* "Kazuma? Are you ok? You're not sleeping, are you? Well...I'm coming in."

As I heard the knob turn, I jumped up and opened the door slightly, just enough to completely block her sight.

"Megumin, you're back."

"Um...yeah," she answered with a bit of confusion. "Everything alright? How's Chomusuke?"

"Yeah, yeah, everything's alright. Chomusuke's...a-ok. She's um...sleeping right now, so I don't wanna wake her. I think I'm also gonna turn in early so why don't you come back later, alright?" I replied, closing the door as I did.

But Megumin stopped me and held the door open. "What's going on?! Why are you acting so strange? What is Kazuma trying to hide?!"

"Hide?! I'm not trying to hide anything," I retorted, trying my best to gain control over the door. "I'm just tired."

"Hmmm. Ok. I understand." Megumin let go. "I'll come back later."

I let out a silent breath of relief.

Then she tackled the door open.

"It's over. I'm actually dead. Why do I have to be met with so much misfortune?" I thought, my eyes closed.

"So, she was sleeping," Megumin said.

I opened my eyes to see her holding a black cat in her arms.

"Reooooow." Chomusuke yawned.

"She seems a bit better. Did you give her anything?"

"Uh… Um, w-well, I gave her some of the smoked fish we had."

"I see, so she actually had an appetite. Good."

I cleared my throat and got up. "Now do you see why I didn't want you to come in? I wasn't lying, you know?"

"Umu. Sorry. Actually...I came here for another reason."

"Another reason? Wait! Could it be? Did she come here because she's in the mood? I managed to relieve myself but maybe Megumin hasn't been able to."

"Umu. I actually wanted to give you something as a gift for doing so much lately."

"Oh? A gift, huh? I guess in a way we can call those kinds of acts a 'gift'."

Megumin placed Chomusuke on the floor and then grabbed something from behind her back. "Here it is," she said, holding out a fairly thick book. "I'm glad it didn't fall out."

"What's this?" I said, grabbing it.

"It's a gift from all of us. Like I said, we're grateful for how much you've done in the past weeks, so...we got you this. Do you like it?"

I stared at the cover: A Book on the Foundations and Principles of Magic: Volume Eleven. "A magic book?"

"Umu. Isn't that what you wanted? I remember you saying you wanted to learn about magic."

"Ah, right. I did say that, didn't I?"

"Hmmm." Megumin stared at me suspiciously. "Do you really like it or did Kazuma want something else?"

I smiled faintly. "Nah, it's fine. This'll do. Thanks."

She smiled in return. "I'm glad you like it then. Keep in mind, this is just stuff to get you started, it's not a replacement for me teaching you, ok?"

"Well, you sure that's necessary?"

"Of course! Nothing beats hands-on learning."

"Well, you have a point."

"Alright. Now that that's done… Has Kazuma eaten?"

"Uh, yeah; I went out to grab some snacks a bit earlier."

"Just snacks? You haven't had a full meal?"

"Well, no. I um...was preoccupied with...with Chomusuke, you know?"

"Umu. Well, I'll look after her now, you can go get something. You're probably hungry, right?"

"Well...sure, I guess I am a bit hungry."

"Go on then. I'll stay here."

"Eh, you sure?"

"Huh? Of course, why wouldn't I be? I mean, you're not gonna be gone for a long time, are you? You've taken care of her by yourself nearly the entire day, so what's a few minutes? Or are you saying I'm incapable of something that menial?"

"Relax, relax; that's not what I'm saying. Alright, I'll be back."

I placed the book on the nearby desk and then left the room.

"What the heck was that? Chomusuke turned back? Why? *sigh* Why am I even asking? Thank God she did! That being said...I wonder if she'll turn back into a girl at some point?"

"Oh, Kazuma?" I looked up and saw Darkness. "Did you see Megumin?"

"Uh, yeah. She just visited my room. Thanks for the gift."

"Don't mention it. Megumin was the one to propose it, anyhow. Were you on the way somewhere?"

"Yeah, was just gonna get some food; haven't really had much to eat this entire time."

"Ah, so her guess was right, after all."

"You going for some food too?"

"No, I was just going to grab something from the carriage."

"The carriage? Did you forget something?"

Darkness grinned. "Just one of the tools I use for training."

"..."

Tool. Right, no one who knew this Crusader's perverted mind would actually take that description at face value.

"Hey, by the way," I went on, "where's Aqua?"

"Oh, she's in the bedroom; I um, had to put her to bed."

"You had to put her to bed? The heck's that mean? She get tired?"

Darkness let out a slightly nervous chuckle. "She might've had a bit too much to drink."

"That idiot drunk. Did she cause any trouble?"

"Luckily, no."

I let out a sigh of relief. "Well, as long as she doesn't cause any issues, she's free to drink herself under a table."

"Anyway, I should let you go get your food. Enjoy your meal, Kazuma."

"Umu, and uh, I guess...enjoy your...um...training?"

"I certainly aim to," Darkness replied with a confident smirk.

After grabbing a meal and satiating my appetite, I headed back to the room. As soon as I opened the door and walked in, it slammed shut behind me.

"Kazuma." The voice of a small and angry Crimson Mage rang out. "What is this?!"

I turned towards her and had a piece of paper shoved in my face. "What are you… Ah."

"Umu."

"It's just a letter," I said, quickly grabbing it. "What, am I not allowed to write those?"

"I have no problem with you writing letters—even to Iris. What I have a problem with is what you wrote on it!"

"What about it?"

"What about it?! How about all the flowery expressions you chose?! And the complete failure to acknowledge all the stuff we've done on this trip?!"

"What are you talking about? I mentioned you guys. You see? It's right here at the end."

"That's barely a single line! I demand you write this over! Let me tell her how pivotal I've been during this trip!"

"Now you're saying you've been pivotal when you were just crying about how useless you felt just a little while ago?"

She looked away. "That was then. I've reacknowledged my role in the party and am comfortable with providing that much-needed OOMPH when required."

"You say that but you're just gonna let off another Explosion when it's inconvenient, aren't you?"

She looked away once again.

I sighed. "Where's Chomusuke, by the way?"

Megumin pointed to the bed. "She fell back asleep after I played around with her a bit."

"I see. Well, I'm done eating, so you can go off to your room now."

Megumin frowned. "Why are you trying to get rid of me so desperately?!"

"Cause I'm tired...and I'm gonna take a bath, so...no point in you being here."

"Ah… Umu. I-, I see. Well then, I suppose I should leave then."

Even though Megumin stated such a thing, she remained in the same spot.

"Oi."

"I-I'm sorry! I actually wanna stay."

I raised a brow. "I'm taking a bath so...I don't know what you're planning to do."

"It's fine. I'll just wait for you out here."

"I mean, what's the point of that? You wanna sleep together? If that's the case, why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"Th-That's not it! Although...I don't really mind. I'm just a bit excited to teach you some magic."

"I haven't even read that book yet. Isn't it a bit early to start lessons?"

Megumin cleared her throat and then stuck her chest out proudly. "Don't worry, Professor Megumin will be here to teach you the material step-by-step. It's far better for me to be here while you read so I can answer any questions you may have immediately."

"That's nice and all but I wasn't planning on reading that stuff now."

"Huh?!"

"Didn't I just tell you I'm tired? I plan to take a nice bath and then fall asleep."

"Then let me read it to you!"

"What?"

"I'll go ahead and read the book to you," Megumin restated. Then she threw up a confident grin. "I'm sure being read to by a girl is one of Kazuma's hidden dreams, isn't it?"

"Well, you're not wrong but also"—I stared at her with a sense of longing—"there's a few settings off with your idea."

⸻!⸻

"You just stared at me like I'm not good enough, didn't you?! You're trying to say I'm lacking certain features, aren't you?! Go on and say it then! I dare you!" she yelled, her eyes glowing.

I glanced at her and then silently shifted my view away.

⸻!⸻

"You!"

Without another word, she pounced on me.

-The following morning…

"Everything set?" Darkness asked as I climbed onto the carriage.

"Yeah."

"Another letter to Iris-sama, I assume."

"Yup."

"Nothing egregious, I hope."

"Never."

She started at me with palpable skepticism and then quietly whipped the reins.

The horses began to trot down the road.

"Now where?" she asked.

"What do you mean? North; like we were supposed to from the beginning."

Aside from the noises of the busy avenue and the day-to-day, the ride was fairly quiet.

"I'm gonna miss this place," Darkness said, breaking said silence.

"Well...there were a bunch of things wrong with this trip, but it had its moments. I think I'll miss some of those aspects as well."

"You know, Kazuma, I feel a little odd."

"Feel? You're definitely more than a little odd."

Darkness grimaced. "That's not what I mean. I mean, our group feels...a little lighter."

"Ah. I see what you mean."

"Gren-san and Ferris...I think I'm going to miss those two."

"Umu. But it's not like we won't ever see them again, you know?"

"No, you're right; I suppose we can come and visit when we're free."

Suddenly, she stopped the carriage. Standing in front of us, at the gate, were the two people in question plus one.

"Gren-san?" Darkness said in surprise.

She smiled. "I hope you didn't think this was the last you've seen of us."