Chapter 29: A Talk with this Moody Princess! & Extras

Editing and Proofreading: LordVTP, Marv

Part 1

The Fuwarin-san situation, a tale decades in the making, was resolved fairly easily and without much hassle.

It was a happy ending for everyone involved.

Even an unexpected and loosely connected character to Fuwarin-san's story received a happy ending.

"Eh? You're letting me go? Just like that?"

After learning about the circumstances that led to the Cream Puff Fairy Queen's conception, we decided to free her from captivity.

Let's just sum it all up to: It was that guy's fault.

"...We'd appreciate it if you didn't hold any grudges against us and try to plot some kind of revenge."

Revi said, bowing his head to the Queen.

Was it really fine for the prince to lower his head to a monster?

"That's fine… I'm content with living peacefully in my abode. If you leave me and my children alone, I won't bother you guys."

"Then let's agree on a peace treaty."

Was it really fine for the prince to offer a peace treaty to a monster?

After arranging a treaty with the Cream Puff Fairy Queen, Revi brought up the topic of Fuwarin-san once more.

He was quite enamored with her story and would, without fail, bring it up in our discussions.

"The tale of Fuwarin-san is really quite fascinating, nii-san. It's a tale of tragedy, hope and romance…"

"Please tell me where the 'romance' is? Are you implying that there's something going on with those robots and Fuwarin-san?"

"No, not at all. Nii-san is the one who brought up that disgusting scenario, so why are you the one looking at me with disgust in your eyes?"

"Hmm… Now that Fuwarin-san is free to do whatever she wants, what do you think she'll do?"

"She'd want to visit the Crimson Demon village, yes? Although I imagine that it would take some time until she can come back to her home, which is now absent of her loved ones… Until that time comes, she can stay here for as long as she likes."

Revi declared this proudly.

"How kind of Revi. That's my little brother for you. I'm so proud of you. Now, there's also the matter of the re-negotiations between Elroad and Belzerg."

"I was happy with your compliments, but nii-san was only buttering me up before bringing up the negotiations, huh?"

Our rescue of Fuwarin-san was a lovely story and all, but I didn't forget the reason we came to this country.

"Very well. I assume nii-san needs to gather everyone else? Namely, the princess?"

"No, that won't be necessary."

"Eh? Really?"

Right now, Iris was playing with Megumin, Fuwarin-san and the others.

I'd be making the same mistakes all over again if I interrupted that and forced these responsibilities on her.

I am her onii-chan. I'll take on all of her burdens.

…

…

"Nii-san, what you're asking for is impossible."

"Hah?! How could you say such a thing after we went around fighting all those monsters?!"

I was saying these arrogant things, but I ended up in a stalemate with Revi.

We had changed location to his study to conduct the negotiations between our two countries.

"Thanks to nii-san's efforts, I'm sure the citizens of Elroad will gladly agree to reinstating the previous defence funding agreement and partnership with Belzerg."

"Then…!"

"But as the ruler of this country, I can't agree to such a thing! I understand compromising on a new partnership, but why must Elroad continue to fund Belzerg for 'defense expenses' when there is no enemy we need defending from or any wars to be fought?!"

"Er, well, that is…"

So it still comes to that issue in the end.

"This wouldn't be such a problem, but like I said before, Elroad will need quite a while to reattain its former prosperity. Part of that is due to my incompetence… Hah, if only father could come back from that diplomatic trip…"

"...Is Revi sure that this scenario with his father isn't one where the father leaves to 'buy some milk from the grocery store,' but never comes back?"

"What is nii-san talking about? Rather, if you need the Princess or even Dustiness-dono to come here, just swallow your pride already and call them here!"

"I can't do that. Not after I showed off so much."

"Nii-san is oddly prideful at times."

I couldn't help but be stubborn about this.

I understood Elroad's position, but Belzerg had problems of its own.

Without the full amount of the funding, there would be more cases of ex-military personnel turning to crimes like banditry, like those people we encountered on the way here…

Hm… Wait a second…!

"Hey, Revi said that there's no need to pay for defense funds, but is Revi sure that he really doesn't need any protection?"

"Eh? Is this a yakuza tactic?! Is nii-san saying that Elroad will have to pay Belzerg 'protection fees' from now on?!"

This young one had quite the distrustful personality.

"No, it's nothing like that. Listen, even with the strongest monsters gone, there's still a lot of powerful threats in this country, right?"

Revi thought about it for a moment.

"True… That isn't so much of an issue in the big cities and developed areas, but the rural areas of Elroad are…"

It seems that the divide between the rich and poor in Elroad is vast.

This much is to be expected from the country where the gambler's mentality of 'winners get everything and losers lose everything' is a persistent facet of their culture.

The standard of living, and even personal safety, is too diverse between the rich and the poor.

The big cities are well protected from monster attacks by the city guard knights, and, to a lesser extent, adventurers who protect these cities.

The rural and less developed communities just don't have the same security.

Even so, in regards to the protection of the big cities, the soldiers and adventurers of Elroad are several classes below those of Belzerg's.

This was due to the perception in Elroad towards those with combat-type professions.

Adventurers in particular were viewed as low-class barbarians who lost their riches in failed business ventures or from gambling, who would have to resort to fighting just to pay off their debts.

Whether this stereotype was true or not, this stigma prevented most people from considering the job of an adventurer as a viable career path.

"This is my idea, Revi. Elroad keeps paying the defense fees, and in turn, we'll send military personnel here to take care of those disadvantaged cities that need defending. This is a worthwhile investment, no? These guys can even train your own soldiers and adventurers to fight. Your fighting force will improve in the long run. What do you say?"

It also gives the unemployed soldiers from Belzerg a sustainable livelihood, which is a plus for our side.

"...! Well, that is…! It is a fact that we frequently lose whole communities to monster rampages since we can't send soldiers from the capital in time to save them…"

"We could even send our high-leveled adventurers to come here and do outreach work to try to lift the stigma around adventurers. That way, Revi can financially support Lina-san and everyone in the Adventurer's Guilds, so they can produce capable adventurers without suffering public backlash from the taxpayers."

"That's actually a good idea…?!"

I could send those Japanese reincarnates who were still dungeon raiding for me to Elroad.

I didn't really need to power-level anymore, in fact, the total amount of skill points I had leftover was starting to scare me, so I wanted them to stop already.

"I'm sure that with these communities receiving proper protection and security, they will be able to thrive. And these thriving communities will contribute right away to the restoration of Elroad. Ah, to sweeten the deal, why don't I give Revi some shares in my multi-billion-Eris businesses, the Kazu-mall and Kazu-store…?"

"Really?! Everything else was already more than good enough, but nii-san is going to give me shares of his company?! If nii-san had offered that at the start, wouldn't the negotiations have gone smoother?!"

"...Eh? Is it like that?"

And so, the negotiations were taken care of, more or less.

Part 2

The next few days were spent finalizing the deal.

The others were surprised that I had taken care of the negotiations myself.

"Kazuma actually took the initiative to solve the problem? How surprising!"

"I suppose I should take back what I said about Kazuma not taking his noble duties seriously."

They said rude things like this.

Darkness ended up taking care of the finishing touches with Revi, so I had some time to slack off with the others.

"You're a lucky man, hero-kun."

For some reason, Fuwarin-san had taken to calling me this weird nickname.

During one of those days when I was slacking off, I had the opportunity to chat with Fuwarin-san.

We were in a living area, enjoying some orange black tea and biscuits.

"Well, I guess I do have a high luck stat."

"...Just because hero-kun is hero-kun, doesn't mean you have to act oblivious."

"Oi, are you calling me dense?"

I wasn't going out of my way to act dense, but Fuwarin-san was just joking around, anyways.

"You know, you and Megumin-chan still have a lot of time ahead of you, but this is a cruel world, so make use of the time you have and don't waste any on stupid things, OK?"

She spoke with a playful tone, but I knew that she wanted me to take her words seriously.

"So go ahead and make babies with her already."

"Has Fuwarin-san been possessed by Yuiyui-san somehow?!"

"Fufufu… This Yuiyui is Megumin-chan's mother, correct? Well, I do feel a strange bond with Megumin-chan, as though she really were my granddaughter…"

"Hmm… It doesn't seem likely, but could it be that Fuwarin-san had actually mothered a child before she left the village?"

"What does hero-kun mean by 'doesn't seem likely?'. And no, I didn't leave any children behind. In fact, my elder sister was nagging me every day to go find a man to have babies with instead of training all day. Ah, I really miss her and everyone else…"

"Sorry for mentioning it. If it's any consolation, I sort of know how Fuwarin-san feels like."

I had suddenly been separated from my family when I died and was resurrected into this world.

We hadn't been on good terms ever since I stopped coming to school, but they were still my family.

There were times when I missed them, particularly, my little brother who I used to be close with.

...Well, if Aqua could be believed, didn't my parents laugh when they heard I peed my pants when I died, or something?

"Actually, never mind, maybe I can't put myself in Fuwarin-san's shoes after all."

"Eh, Hero-kun?!"

I was trying to cheer up Fuwarin-san, but I was the one who got depressed instead.

Part 3

After lazing about for a week or so, it was finally time to leave.

We weren't in any hurry to come back, but we had received a letter from the king saying 'Please hurry up and come back already'.

A feast was held the night before we would leave.

The next morning, Aqua had a nasty hangover, as expected.

She wanted to delay the departure for another day so she could recover, but we were all set to go.

"So cruel… Ugh…"

"How many times must Aqua relearn this same lesson? Please hold back on the alcohol consumption from now on!"

Darkness lectured her she helped Aqua stagger onto the carriage.

"Wait, I don't want Aqua to throw up inside while the carriage is moving. Hmm… Ah, let's put her inside the mobile mansion for now."

"Hey?! That was my idea wasn't it?! And you're using my own genius idea on me?! Oi, don't treat me like a P*k*mon! Stahp!"

I enlarged the mansion and had Aqua go inside. Even if she were to throw up, she could do so in the bathroom.

Then I returned the mansion back into its shrunken size and pocketed it.

"I don't really get how that works, but this is awfully convenient."

"Hey, shouldn't Kazuma have made sure that Aqua's body would have shrunken as well? Is Kazuma sure about how the magic behind that item works?"

"..."

Megumin brought this up a bit too late.

After enlarging the mansion again to make sure Aqua was fine, we started seating ourselves in the carriage.

"It was fun, nii-san. I learned a lot of things from you."

Revi and Fuwarin-san smiled at us, standing outside the open carriage doors.

When it was Fuwarin-san's turn to say goodbye, she had a seperate message for Megumin.

She leaned into Megumin's ear and whispered something.

After a minute, Megumin nodded and said,

"Don't worry, Fuwarin oba-san. I'll keep your words in mind.

"Good, Megumin-chan. You mustn't waste your youth like I did."

I didn't really know what was exchanged between them, but Megumin got all clingy and flirty during the carriage ride.

…

…

"Cruel, Kazuma, you're way too cruel…"

Aqua had this to say to me as we entered the mobile mansion after a day's travel.

"Why is Aqua so angry? She was able to leisurely live out in the mobile mansion instead of enduring the bumpy carriage ride. That's what she wanted before, right?"

"It was so lonely in here! And there were all these spooky and loud noises from outside! And when you look out from the windows, there's nothing but pitch black emptiness! Wahhh!"

While it was convenient, it seemed that this method had all sorts of psychological effects.

Aqua didn't have a hangover anymore, but she was shaken up by the experience of being shrunk and stuffed along with my luggage.

"Maybe some food will cheer Aqua up, let's see… Will Kazuma take over the kitchen duties again?"

Darkness said, as she finished placing all of our luggage inside the mansion, like the reliable (lol) workhorse she was.

"Yeah, I'll cook again."

I looked at Iris, whose mood had improved after I let her goof off with the others.

But I still wanted to make it up to her.

"Hey, why don't we make tuna mayo rice tonight?"

"...!"

Iris's looked at me excitedly.

"Really?! But didn't onii-sama say that he wouldn't let me eat such a dish since he's taking his noble responsibilities seriously?!"

I cringed as I remembered how uptight and strict I was.

Megumin was right. I really had started to lose track of my roots.

"Forget all that noble crap! We're having tuna mayo rice and a whole bunch of other junk food tonight! I'll even make potato chips, too! And strawberry milk! And tomorrow, why don't we let Megumin catch us some 'lobsters' if we see a river or something nearby!"

"Onii-sama…! I'm so happy!"

"Fufun. Count on me, Iris. We'll catch plenty of 'lobsters' and cook the dishes that I enjoyed as a child!"

"Yay! I'm so excited!"

"With my talent as a cook, I can even make rats taste delicious, you know?"

"Please don't make me regret doing this, Megumin…"

Part 4

"Ah… What a wonderful meal…"

Iris was wiping her face with a napkin.

"The tuna mayo rice… What a unique taste. Wouldn't a meal of this quality ordinarily be served at the banquets held by nobles? And the potato chips… Who knew that deep frying those thin potato slices could produce such a tasty delicacy… Why did Kazuma call them junk food? I wouldn't have had any objections with having Princess Iris eat these gourmet dishes…"

"Are Darkness's tastebuds as defective as her head? In what world would tuna mayo rice or potato chips be considered a 'gourmet dish'?"

"...Defective?! Hey, I'm merely stating the truth! I'll have Kazuma know that my palate has been developed due to my upbringing, and I'm saying that these foods are gourmet foods, and that's final!"

Darkness stubbornly insisted on her own ignorant opinion.

"Hey, hey, I had a hand in making these too, you know? Where's my praise?."

Aqua was quick to recover, as she had helped me make the tuna mayo rice she had been looking forward to making this entire trip.

"That was really enjoyable, onii-sama. Thank you."

Iris smiled sweetly.

"Hm… If we go at a fast pace, we can probably reach the capital in a week or so, but… Well, we're not in any rush, right? Why don't we enjoy this trip while it lasts?"

"Onii-sama, you're the best!"

"...I'm glad that Princess Iris is happy, but I rather liked it when Kazuma was taking his noble responsibilities seriously."

I looked to Darkness, who lowered her head and sighed.

"Oi, I didn't say I was going to slack off and go back to my NEET lifestyle or anything. I already know that there's people who rely on me now, so as my senpai in these sorts of things, I'll rely on Darkness."

"...! You can count on me!"

Not used at all to being counted on, Darkness looked overjoyed.

So easy.

A happy Darkness offered to wash the dishes afterwards.

Perhaps there was merit in complimenting her every once in a while.

"Now then, let's have some wine for dessert!"

Aqua took a bottle from the cellar and went to the living room, not even bothering to get a glass.

She was plastered after the festivities yesterday, and yet she was still capable of this.

We spent a few hours hanging out in the living room, playing games and such.

After a while, when we started getting bored, we headed off to our own rooms.

Before Iris could leave, I tapped her on the shoulder, and said,

"Hey, Iris, can you come to my room? I feel like it's time to clear the air."

"...Alright. I'll come, onii-sama."

She understood my intentions and nodded her head.

Things have been pretty rocky between us two, mostly due to my clumsiness.

I had made the effort to make it up to her, but I still felt we needed to have a talk between us.

…

…

Iris was already wearing her sleepwear when she arrived, a matching pink pajama set.

"Onii-sama, you wanted to talk?"

Her face was steeled into an unreadable expression.

"Yeah… Come. Sit on my lap."

"...No thank you."

She declined my offer and sat beside me on the bed.

"So, did Iris like the tuna mayo rice I made?"

She nodded, a hint of excitement melting her cold features.

"Un! Onii-sama's mayo was very delicious!"

She said these particularly dangerous words while smiling innocently.

"I see, so Iris liked it. Then, are we good now?"

"...Yeah, I was being childish anyways… Pouting like that and all."

She sighed as her shoulders slumped.

"It's alright. PMS is a natural part of growing up."

"Drop that PMS thing already, onii-sama."

It had been a while since we had leisurely chatted like this.

…There was another thing, but I didn't really feel like addressing it.

"Onii-sama… There's another thing we need to talk about."

She brought up that topic after all.

During the Fuwarin-san incident, in a fit of passion after hearing Revi call me 'nii-san', Iris said something about 'losing the contest of affection' that she had with Megumin.

No matter how I thought about it, it could only refer to that.

I couldn't blame this pubertal, emotionally vulnerable young girl for developing these sorts of feelings.

I'm practically the only guy she is close with.

"It's alright, Iris can tell me."

"...I like onii-chan!"

Why did she have to say 'onii-chan'?!

Those earnest, tearful eyes of hers made my heart hurt, knowing what I had to do next.

I really didn't want to reject Iris's honest feelings, but there was no way I could accept them, either.

...And to think I wished for a harem before.

Real-life relationships don't work like those wish-fulfillment otaku works I enjoyed back in Japan, not at all.

"...I'm flattered, Iris."

"Un… Onii-sama doesn't need to respond… I already know the answer."

She smiled ruefully.

"Um… I don't really have the right to say this, but I'm sure that Iris will find someone to fall in love with again."

"I'm a princess who is already engaged to Prince Revi. I don't have the freedom to experience things like that."

She said, hanging her head in defeat.

"Well, it's not like you're engaged to him anymore."

"...Eh?"

I gave her a reassuring smile.

"We had to renegotiate the contract between our two countries, right? We reinstated the defense fundings, but other diplomatic stuff like Iris's arranged marriage are now discounted. Revi didn't remember to bring the arranged marriage up during negotiations, so that means it doesn't count anymore, right?"

I couldn't stop myself from smiling smugly.

"Eh?! But surely such a thing isn't…?!"

"It's as simple as this: your arranged marriage was written in the old contract, but in the new contract, Darkness and I intentionally left it out. That Revi still has a lot to learn if he was duped so easily."

That brat who falls in love so easily had surely developed a crush on Iris.

He was probably already having lewd thoughts about having her as a bride.

Well, not on your nii-san's watch, you brat!

"But still, even if it's not Prince Revi, It's not like I have a choice on who I will marry…"

"Just let your onii-sama take care of things like that. Listen, I know it hurts now, but… First loves don't usually work out. Trust me, I know."

A fleeting memory of the childhood friend who'd dumped me surfaced.

"...But it works out, eventually. Sometimes, even, with someone you'd least expect."

I mean, I needed to reincarnate into another world to find the girl I'd end up liking.

...It's not like I want Iris to die and reincarnate into a different world to eventually find a boyfriend, though.

Thankfully, there aren't any tractors or truck-kuns in this world.

"...I'll trust onii-sama's words. From the start, it's not like I was very optimistic about this. I was aware all along that what I felt for onii-sama was just a little girl's childish first love. Sigh…"

"I'm actually glad I was Iris's first . If it was some sleazy noble brat, that would have been terrible…"

"Isn't onii-sama known as 'Scum-zuma' or something like that? And isn't onii-sama nobility himself, now?"

"T-The ceremony hasn't been performed yet, so I've yet to become a sleazy nobleman..."

"What a weird excuse. And it was onii-sama's shameful stunt involving Claire and Lucie that delayed the ceremony in the first place."

"...Why is Iris roasting me now?"

"I'm savage AF, onii-sama."

"Ah, I've totally corrupted this one…"

The rest of the night, we chatted about random things.

Part 5

Iris and I were closer than ever after that talk.

As promised, we played around plenty during our trip back.

I didn't impose any rules or restrictions, and even Darkness was pretty lax about it.

"Look, big boss! I caught a baby lobster!"

"Good job, my minion. Keep hunting."

For some reason, Iris had taken to calling Megumin 'big boss'.

And Megumin was treating the princess like some kind of underling.

Well, I already decided to drop that princess stuff, at least whenever she was hanging out with us, so I let it go.

"I also found this dead creature over here, too!"

"A thorough boil will kill all the germs, so let's bring it back as well."

"Roger, big boss!"

...But stop making her hunt strange things already.

While we were at it, we also let Iris run free and fight any monsters that obstructed the road.

"Sacred Lightning Blare! Muwahahaha! Dieee!"

...I hope she can go back to living as a dainty little princess after this.

"Good, good, my minion. Now, we'll show you how to skin the monster and then gather the materials."

"So adventurers have to do stuff like this, too…"

No, actually we just let the guild do that stuff for us.

"Ah, I used to do these things with Komekko. How nostalgic."

"Why are you looking back at such terrible memories with such a satisfied expression on your face?"

Maybe I should send some more money over to Yuiyui-san.

...

We tried to let this little trip of ours last as long as possible, but even as we stalled and delayed, we returned to the borders of Belzerg after two weeks of travel.

Hearing news of our success with the negotiations, we were greeted by thunderous applause from the people.

"Kyaaa! Satou-sama! We believed in you this whole time!"

"We of the Satou Kazuma fanclub will always stand by you!"

Among the crowd, there were beautiful women cheering my name.

Ah, right. Such an organization existed, didn't it?

Megumin glared at them and then at me.

"Hey, I admit I was happy about such a fanclub existing, but I am a faithful man, don't worry."

"...Jiiiiii."

She didn't need to stare so suspiciously like that.

I'm not that carnivorous, you know?

I don't care for other meat. As long as I have Megu-meat, I'm happy. Rawr.

"What a great reception… It makes our efforts feel worthwhile."

Darkness was moved by the cheers of the citizens.

"Thank you! Thank you! I don't mind the praises, so keep giving them to me! Ah, I feel so inspired! Here, I'll show you a trick! Nature's Beauty!"

"Uohhhhh!"

Oi, stop riling them up, or we might have a riot in our hands.

Extra # 1: The Descendants of the Legendary Crimson Demon!

"Hey, mom. I want to play."

Komekko-chan tugged on my apron as I made our lunch.

Thanks to the frequent donations of a certain man my eldest daughter is dating, we can afford to make meals more luxurious than lightly salted bean sprouts over rice.

Fufu~ Now all I need is for that daughter of mine to hurry and give me a grandchild.

"I'm cooking right now, Komekko-chan, so please find a way to entertain yourself."

"I guess I'll play with Buzucoily-nii, then."

"Ah, maybe there's something that Komekko-chan can play with in the storage closet?"

"Alright. I'll take a look."

And thanks to the money we're receiving, I don't need to work as many part-time jobs.

I can now closely monitor Komekko-chan's growth.

This means I can keep her from interacting with suspicious people.

I'm only fine with suspicious people like the certain man my eldest daughter is dating, as he is a reliable person.

And he also happens to be very rich.

…

…

I called Komekko-chan over when the food was ready.

"It's hamburg steak today. I'm very happy! Thank you for the meal."

She placed a black book down on the table and started eating.

"Komekko-chan, what's that book?"

"This? I found it in the closet."

I was curious about it, so I asked Komekko-chan if I could borrow it in exchange for some pocket change.

After lunch, Komekko-chan took the money I gave her and went out to buy some treats.

I made tea for myself and took the book to the couch with me for an afternoon read.

The paper only showed a little age, but as Crimson Demons can use preservation magic, this book may be decades older than it appears to be.

When I started reading, I noticed that rather than a book, it was more like a diary.

Of course, the contents were written in the code used by Crimson Demons.

Dear Diary,

Today, my little sister has left the village on a journey.

I will miss her terribly, but it appears that she has a great destiny she must fulfill.

That Fuwarin who we all called 'the NEET who does nothing but fight monsters in the woods all day' actually became a big shot, huh?

And to think that the Legendary Crimson Demon of myth actually exists…

...Are we sure that the Moguninin who evaluated her is not just broken or something?

Ah, I shouldn't cast doubts on my own little sister's talents, I guess.

I mean, in the end, didn't she prove us wrong?

She kept talking about the 'Legendary Crimson Demon' this and 'heroic trials' that.

She was really addicted to trials.

She even kept proposing during village meetings that the title of village chief should be earned after one has been deemed worthy by a trial.

Even for the behavior one expected of a Crimson Demon, she was especially… err… 'passionate'.

...Still, I do miss her a lot.

It has been a few weeks already. Will she ever come back?

I was intrigued by contents of this journal, but the next few pages had been corroded by age.

Even with the preservation magic of the Crimson Demons, the pages had become like this.

This journal must be very old.

I went to the storage closet where Komekko-chan found the journal.

"..."

She had made a mess and didn't even bother to clean up after herself.

Perhaps a spanking is in order…

I sighed and started cleaning up Komekko-chan's mess.

That was when I found another black book.

It fell out of a box filled with memorabilia from my husband's side of the family.

Things like jewelry and wedding rings from his ancestors were stored in it.

If we had pawned this, we would have made a considerable profit, for sure.

But my husband refused and said it was a tradition of his family to hold onto such keepsakes.

I couldn't tell him to sell them even if I wanted to.

Well, I was tempted once or twice, but enough about that.

I opened the book, and while the handwriting was a bit shaky, it undoubtedly belonged to the one who wrote the first journal Komekko-chan found.

I had found another journal by that person.

I wiped the dust that had clung to my body, and returned to the living room.

I took a seat and started reading.

Dear Diary,

Ah… It's been many years since I last wrote one of these. The last one was… after Nobushin-kun's wedding, wasn't it?

Ara… I'm really getting old now. Even my youngest son has gotten married, huh?

Well, I can't really complain.

I already have grandkids, and my youngest son has gotten married.

Even if I croaked tomorrow, I would have no regrets…

Well, maybe I can wait for Nobushin-kun's child to come first? Fufun…

As expected of that child who admired his father, he will name his first son after my husband.

So, I will live long enough to witness the birth of Hyoizaburo-kun.

...Then, I will have no regrets.

No, I do have one regret.

Fuwarin, my little sister. Even after all this time, we haven't heard from her.

Where could she be, and what had become of her?

Many things have changed in the village since she had departed.

She would have been glad to know that the miniature statuette that was made of her a long time ago has been turned into an item of worship, of sorts.

She would have surely said something along the lines of 'This much is only to be expected from the great me, the Legendary Crimson Demon.'

From time to time, I look at the statuette and think about Fuwarin.

...The statuette resembles her closely, but I must question the cat ears the visiting hero had added on it.

And it was also wearing some kind of weird, revealing bodysuit, too.

Even if I try to forget, the presence of my little sister is felt everywhere in this village.

Her way of introducing herself has caught on. Even the baker introduces himself grandly.

The secret code we used as children to pass messages to each other is now gaining popularity too.

Ah, I had been using this code on all of my diaries over the years, haven't I?

Oh, and the process to determine the village chief is now held through a trial, like she had suggested long ago.

Aside from finishing the trial, there is a separate option for one to defeat the Bomber Majin Moguninin roaming the woods to prove their worth.

This is a tribute to how Fuwarin was chosen by the Moguninin that was guarding the village at the time.

There are also many more young men and women who choose to become NEETs and spend their days fighting the monsters in the woods, just like Fuwarin used to do.

...Maybe that last part isn't really a good influence, though.

Yes, Fuwarin… You've made an indelible mark in this village.

Thanks to you, things will be very interesting and fun in this village for generations to come.

…

…

By the time I had finished reading the other diaries I managed to find in the closet, my husband, Hyoizaburo, had arrived home.

He brought Komekko-chan, whose face was sticky with sugary treats, with him too.

"Dear, have you read these before?"

I showed my husband the diaries I found.

"Ah, those belonged to my grandmother, Norishiyo oba-san. Yes, I have read them."

He looked fondly at the diaries.

"Komekko-chan dug them up earlier."

"Ah, is that so? Hmm… You know, Norishiyo oba-san died peacefully, but she did ask us to look for the whereabouts of her little sister, who disappeared when they were both young ladies… She wanted to meet her again before she died, but we couldn't find anything about her…"

"This Fuwarin-san was mentioned a lot in the diaries."

"Yes… Not a lot of people know about my family's contributions to this village, but we're related to the Legendary Crimson Demon, you know? We should be proud! And not only that, but we have Megumin-chan to boast about too!"

"Yes, dear. Fufu…"

"Oh, yes, by the way, we received a letter from that same Megumin-chan. I found it in the mailbox just now."

"Ah, then let's read it without delay. Let's see… Dear mother and father… During my trip to Elroad, I inherited the title of Legendary Crimson Demon from a fellow clansman named Fuwarin… Eh?"

Extras #2: A Change of Heart for this Goddess of Puppetry!

"Kyaaa! Satou-sama! We believed in you this whole time!"

"We of the Satou Kazuma fanclub will always stand by you!"

There was a crowd of people ready to welcome the heroes from their trip to Elroad.

I was among a group of girls who were yelling things like 'Satou-sama, please look over heeeere!'

This is the Satou Kazuma fanclub.

And I was one of this club's members.

"...Please look here, Satou-sama."

In order to fit in with my fellow members, I raised my own cheer.

"Hey, Serena-san, you need to be more enthusiastic! And why are you wearing your priest robes? Didn't we agree to wear our 'I wuv Satou-sama' t-shirts today?"

"Ah, those are in the wash, unfortunately."

"Liar. Serena-san wore her priest robes even when we took a group picture of everyone in the club and sent it to Satou-sama."

Like hell I'd let myself be seen wearing an embarrassing t-shirt like that, much less have my photo taken wearing it.

"Ah, Satou-sama is looking over here! He looked at me, didn't he?!"

"No, you bitch! He looked at me!"

I stepped back as these girls started clawing at each other.

Oi, your beloved Satou-sama is acting as if he never saw anything.

As I sighed to myself, wondering how long I'd have to keep up this charade, I felt an incoming message from the one I serve.

"Yoohoo… Is this thing working? There's a lot of people there, so the reception is weak... Serena, can you hear me?"

A voice that sounded like it belonged to a young girl, but had a weirdly mature inflection and tone to it, filled my head.

"Yes, I can hear you, Regina-sama. And I don't think these messages from a goddess would be hindered by something like interference…"

"Serena can't take a joke. Please lighten up. Anyways, I called you 'coz we have a change of plans. Good news, you don't have to seduce that Kazuma-kun anymore."

I unintentionally let out a huge sigh or relief.

"Thank goodness…"

"...Oi, I'll feel bad for Kazuma-kun if you're that relieved about it. Give a more tsun reaction, why don't ya?"

"Oh, no. What a shame. Not like I care or anything. Baka."

"...You're an uncute child, you know that?"

Regina-sama is as playful as always.

"Aside from that, Regina-sama, is there a reason for this change of plans? Maouko-sama told us that we had to…"

"Oi, I don't give a shit about that Maouko-chan anymore. A message was sent to our HQ here in Norse a few weeks ago. At first I thought that it was a glitch in the system, but I confirmed that it was real… It seems that Kazuma-kun's little girlfriend is far more of a threat than that Maouko-chan ever will be…"

...Regina-sama was serious about this. She wasn't playing around like usual.

"So, does that mean we are to betray Maouko-sama?"

"I mean, she should have expected something like this, right? It's not like I'm known for being loyal or anything, you know? I'm the Goddess of Puppetry and Revenge, not the Goddess of Trustworthiness and Comradeship or anything like that… Ah, but Serena can trust me, OK?"

"Very well. So, what must I do next?"

"Maouko-chan doesn't know we're using Norse as our HQ and it's not like that pesky diviner of hers can read the actions of a goddess like me. And I gave you a shitload of wards and artifacts to block his annoying powers, too. For now, Serena should escape and hide somewhere to… Hm… Actually…"

Uh-oh. Regina-sama was scheming something.

Hey, maybe Serena will have to seduce that Kazuma-kun after all?

"...Eh?"

"Well, you know that old saying. 'The enemy of my enemy is my friend'. Why don't we just switch sides? I'm sure Kazuma-kun will gladly take us in if we give him all sorts of info. Like how Maouko will mobilize soon with that Wolbach-chan leading the charge..."

"...I understand Regina-sama's logic, but what does that have to do with me needing to seduce Satou Kazuma?"

"Well, Serena is always hard at work. When was the last time you properly got laid? Oi, don't cut off the transmission on me…!"

I cut the transmission.

Chapter END

Next Chapter: Scheming with this Double-crossing Devil King Army General!