Chapter 33: Gifting this Festival with a Surprise Fireworks Show!

Proofreader: LordVTP

Part 1

On the first day of the Eris festival, here we see the goddess Eris spending the night in a jail cell.

And sitting beside her is her subordinate goddess, Aqua.

Meanwhile, the dark goddess Regina was enjoying their humiliation as she made her report to the police officers and Darkness, who had been assisting the under-staffed Axel police force during these ongoing festivities.

"Yes, that blue haired one hit me right on the cheek, officer."

Regina, despite some theatrics, recounted the incident without any embellishment.

The officer scribbled on his notepad while giving Aqua the stink eye.

"Officer, I have the right to remain silent."

"...I didn't ask you anything yet."

"I have the right to remain silent! How dare you keep badgering me with these questions?! I'll sue you for police misconduct!"

"We don't need even your testimony right now! There were multiple witnesses and your partner in crime over there even testified to everything!"

Chris hung her head as Aqua shot an accusing look at her.

"...This is a pretty serious matter. Aqua, Chris, even though we are friends, don't think that I'll do you any special favors!"

Darkness spoke now after a long stretch of silence. For the most part, she let the police conduct the investigation themselves.

This is getting pretty bad.

I should intervene before it's too late.

I gestured for Darkness to come closer. Whispering in her ear, I said,

"Listen, there's some special circumstances surrounding this incident. Can you convince the cops to let those two go for now?"

Raising her eyebrows and looking at me suspiciously, she replied,

"What are you up to, Kazuma? I will not change my mind. If those two are guilty, then…"

"Just cooperate already you stubborn fake-noble! You're acting so responsible and cool when we all know you're just a masochistic pervert!"

"...M-Masochistic pervert?! Kazuma, I know that I have certain, er… flaws, but I really do take my responsibilities as a noble seriously! Nothing will come above that! Even when it comes to certain f-festishes…"

She blushed as she glanced awkwardly at the police officers who were watching us make this scene.

"This girl… In one moment, you're drooling over getting captured and tied up by a bunch of bandits and then in another moment, you're acting like a proper noble! Make up your mind already!"

"Fine! You want me to make up my mind?! Why don't I have you join the others in that jail cell for impeding our investigation!"

"Hold on, Darkness, I was just joking…!"

The police officers took out their handcuffs after Darkness announced her intentions to arrest me.

"Good grief. You seem to be having problems there, boya. Why don't I help you out, hm?"

Regina stood from her seat. She waved her hand at the officers, who had already begun surrounding me.

In a moment, their eyes became cloudy. They stood, motionless.

"What did you do to them, Regina?"

"Just having them go on 'pause' for a bit. I didn't do any harm to them, so relax. You really distrust me that much, boya?"

Was it really so strange that I couldn't completely trust a goddess who specializes in manipulation?

"...! K-Kazuma! What happened to the officers?! Explain yourself!"

"Why are you blaming me? It's not my fault. It's this little girl who caused this."

"Don't blame this innocent little girl, Kazuma!"

"I'm really getting tired of getting blamed for everything all the time! And do you really think I have OP powers like that?! Oi, Regina, explain yourself already!"

Laughing innocently, Regina sat down once again.

"The boya is telling the truth, ojou-chan. I may appear to be a little girl, but I am actually a Dark Goddess… I am Regina, the goddess who presides over manipulation and revenge. Nice to meet you."

Darkness stared at Regina, who had reached her hand out for a handshake.

"I see… She doesn't have black hair and red eyes, but could this little one be a Crimson Demon?"

"E… Eh?"

Regina had a stunned look on her face.

"That delusional way of speaking… Yes, this must be a Crimson Demon."

"It's the truth! I really am a dark goddess! In fact, the others over there behind the jail cell are also…!"

"Now, now, perhaps this child is saying too much."

"Hmph…?!"

I hastily covered Regina's mouth.

"Oi, Darkness, can you let us out already?"

"Like I said, I can't just let you out, Aqua. You assaulted a child, for goodness sake!"

"Noooo! It's really not like that!"

Aqua squirmed as she grabbed and shook the jail bars.

"Darkness… Don't you trust me? We're telling the truth. There's a lot here you don't know about."

"Oh, so you're keeping even more secrets from me, Chris?"

"...! I… Yeah, I guess I am…"

Chris was in no mood to defend herself.

I leaned down to whisper to Regina.

"This isn't going anywhere. Do you think you can do that 'pause' thing on Darkness?"

"That ojou-chan seems to have some high magic resistance. I'll have to make direct, extended contact with her. I don't think she'll give me the opportunity to do that, though…"

"OK, leave it to me. Ohhh… Lalatinaaa-chaaan~~!"

"...Didn't I tell Kazuma not to call me that? And… W-What are you doing with that rope?"

Part 2

Here we see the noble Darkness with an ecstatic smile on her face as she's tied up and monetarily incapacitated.

"She's making quite the stupid face, isn't she? She looks so dopey. Hey, wanna draw on her face?"

Aqua took out a marker and started drawing on the transfixed Darkness's face.

"So, Kazuma-kun, mind explaining yourself now?"

Chris still seemed a bit distracted by Darkness confronting her earlier when she asked me this.

"Well, you see…"

I explained, in as concise a way as possible, my involvement with the dark goddess Regina.

"I knew that Kazuma has a rotten character, but you're even allying yourself with dark goddesses now?!"

"...Kazuma-kun, please practice some restraint once in a while."

Aqua and Chris weren't very impressed.

"I get that you goddesses have some history, but this is the best method we have for dealing with Maouko. Do you really think I'm the type to resist the easiest path? No, of course not. I don't care if I'm siding with a dark goddess, or whatever."

"I like your style, boya. I knew I made the right decision making an alliance with you."

Regina approved of my speech, nodding along to every word.

"Kazuma-kun, you're beyond saving now."

"It's my fault, kouhai. I was with him the whole time and yet I allowed him to get this far into the dark side."

"Don't blame yourself, senpai. I'm sure he was like this from the start."

After I explained everything to Aqua and Chris, the next thing I had to deal with was the incapacitated Darkness and the police officers.

Darkness still had a goofy look on her face as she remained unconscious. Her face was filled with Aqua's scribbles from earlier.

"Hold on, let me go get a magic camera."

"I won't let you do that to my friend, Kazuma-kun!"

Chris stopped me even though she knew full well that Darkness liked this kind of thing.

Regina had magic that could alter people's memories, but she needed time to set it up.

In the meantime, the rest of us disposed of the testimony reports and all the documents Darkness and the police gathered about this case.

"I feel really bad doing this…"

Chris was conflicted as she scrapped the witness report of her pointing her magic dagger at a child.

"I feel bad too, kouhai, but we have to do what must be done…"

Aqua said, not at all hesitant to shred the artist depiction of her dealing a right hook to a defenseless child's face.

As we swiftly worked on this, I noticed a thick binder full of documents on top a desk.

I got curious and took a peek inside.

"..."

It was a compilation of all of Dust's penalty tickets, bail receipts and restraining orders filed against him by various women he's harassed.

I closed the binder.

…

…

"There. That should do it. When they wake up, they'll forget that this whole incident happened."

Regina said, clearly proud of her work.

"...Seems like you've been slowly regaining your powers. Tch! The higher ups should have put a more powerful seal on you!"

The animosity didn't die down one bit as Aqua was still hostile towards Regina. The latter didn't seem to mind very much as she merely shrugged.

"It's been a long time in this world. Up there in heaven, it's probably only been a few years for you guys since I was disowned, right? How enviable… While I was spending decades just hoping to recoup a fraction of my power, you guys were living comfortable lives as prominent goddesses of this world…"

Regina didn't even try to hide the envy and resentment in her voice.

"No, no, Aqua isn't that important, not really. Eris-sama is the only one you should be jealous of. I mean, this country's currency is named after her."

Chris blushed when I said this.

"What did Kazuma just say?!"

Aqua's face was also red, but with rage.

"Oi, put those fists away! It's because you're so impulsive and quick to violence that we're in this mess in the first place!"

Seeing the indignant Aqua try to punch me, Regina seemed to relax a bit.

"Well, what's in the past is in the past. I can't do anything about it anymore. And I'm repenting just a little aren't I? I'm helping you guys now. See?"

"You're only doing that because you think joining our side is more advantageous, though."

"You're still such a wise ass aren't you, Eris-chan~? The try-hard goddess Eris-chan~!"

"D-Don't tease me!"

Regina was really trying her best to rile these two up.

"Before you three start fighting again, should we start discussing our plan to fight against Maouko now? Regina was about to tell me about it, but then you two showed up and started that whole fiasco."

Chris seemed apologetic, but Aqua only scoffed.

"It's Kazuma's fault for sneaking around and keeping this to himself. If this chibi dark goddess has a plan to beat the Devil King's brat daughter, then let's hear it!"

"Well, if you're gonna insult me like that…"

"Gah! This chibi is impossible to deal with!"

"I can say the same about you, idiotic goddess Aqua-chan~!"

"...! Gaaahhh...!"

After taking care of the clean up, we left the station and found a quiet place to hear what Regina has to say.

It was already late into the night since Darkness's interrogation lasted for a couple hours. The only places open were nightlife establishments like bars. We went to a bar that I frequented with Dust and Keith.

I lead the girls to a table that was far from potential eavesdroppers, a private, V.I.P. table.

Aqua was already flipping through a menu and practically salivating at the choices.

The drinks and snacks arrived after a short wait. While we were satisfied with a glass each, Aqua went ahead and ordered an entire bottle for herself.

She chugged it down without any reservations, but I was already used to this and didn't bother complaining about it.

"Hmm… Not bad. The alcohol we had back in Noise was in a different level, but this is not bad."

"Alcohol is alcohol! As long as it makes you… burp… tipsy, I don't care what it tastes like!"

"Oh? But I drink alcohol for the taste. Take wine for example. Depending on numerous factors in its preparation such as location, weather, even the quality of the air in the area where the wine is being distilled, these can all have various effects on the end product."

Regina said, as she admired the color of her drink by raising it against the light.

"And this wine-truly, it's very delicious. I don't expect a simpleton like Aqua to understand."

She raised her chin quite imperiously at Aqua as she took a sip.

Actually, the server refused to serve Regina any wine.

She looks like a kid from the outside, after all.

She's just drinking grape juice.

I let her gloat over Aqua in blissful ignorance.

Everyone soon finished their drinks, although Aqua never stopped.

"I suppose now is a good time to talk about it, I'll tell you the information I have on Maouko's plans so far."

Regina said, clinking her glass of wine with a fork to get our attention.

"I've received intel that Maouko will start to make her move. She's been sneaking around all this time, but she's ready to put all her plans into action now."

"What does she intend to do, anyway? Does she plan to start another war with Belzerg? Even when the Devil King army was at full strength last time, they were still at a stalemate against the competent military of Belzerg."

"She's a brat, a psychotic one, too. And she's very petty. She wants to get revenge for her dead father, sure, but she's more concerned about the humiliating defeat your party gave her. She has a grudge against this country, but she mainly has her eyes set on you and your party, boya."

"Then shouldn't Kazuma-kun and the others seek protection in the capital? They already have connections with the royal family. I'm sure they're safer there than in this town of beginner adventurers…"

"I understand Chris's concern, but this is the same town in which an Arch-Duke of hell, a high level former Arch-Wizard turned Lich, a lonely genius Crimson Demon who will become the future chief of the Crimson Demon clan, a spear wielding delinquent who can tame dragons for some mysterious reason, and of course, where the party who slayed the Devil King, resides."

"C… Come to think of it, this town has quite the formidable fighting force, huh…?"

Chris said, conceding with my point.

There's also the delinquents who call me aniki who gained a lot of levels since I tutored them, and not to mention the league of Japanese reincarnates who were once unemployed.

"Then isn't it a bad idea for Maouko to attack this town?"

I said, when considering these things.

"I don't think she knows about your hidden fighting potential, boya. She's also banking on Vanir and Wiz to not interfere in this fight."

"...But when it comes to protecting the town, Wiz already helped plenty of times. I don't know about Vanir, though…"

"Oi, boya, haven't you spent enough time with that devil already? All you have to do is pay him and he'll do anything."

"It's that easy?!"

"Unless he had a sudden change of heart since the last time I spoke to him, isn't that whimsical devil still striving to build a dungeon? This rich boya over here who can buy a small country with his wealth can just bribe that devil if we really need his powers, isn't that right?"

This never occured to me. Vanir has always been a bit of an enigma, I didn't know that he was surprisingly easy to figure out.

"How much does it take to build a dungeon?"

"Well, like I said, about as much as it'd take to buy a small country~!"

"T-That's too much!"

No matter how rich I am right now, isn't that too much?

What if I had to go back to sleeping in the stables again?

I wasn't even sure exactly how much money I had right now. I should check up with Maxim and ask him.

"Does Regina know when Maouko is planning to attack?"

Regina shrugged her shoulders to my question.

"That paranoid brat doesn't give anyone the full scope of her plan. All I know is that she's building up an army, probably enlisting new demons from the military academy…"

"There's a military academy for demons…?"

"Yeah. Demon society isn't completely barbaric, you know? The army is well taken care of, too. I heard the benefits and pension is pretty good."

"...I don't get why something as filthy as a demon should deserve any kind of benefit or pension."

Aqua said, slurring her words after already having drunk half of her bottle.

Regina just ignored Aqua and kept on talking,

"I don't have the exact timeline for when they'll attack. All I can tell you is that it's soon. Maybe she'll even take advantage of the confusion of the festival to ambush us."

"So we should get ready, then…"

"Ding! Ding! Correct answer, boya! And to do that, why don't you meet with my minion tomorrow? You can help her on her very important mission…"

Part 3

The next day, I ignored Aqua's requests to help her with the stall again.

I went to Wiz's store to talk to Serena, who Regina said to meet for some kind of important mission or other.

Vanir was at the counter. There was the smell of something burning. That was probably Wiz, who had just been attacked by Vanir, and was now resting in the back room.

Serena wasn't here in the front counter, but I could hear her voice from the back room.

"Please hold on, Wiz-san! You're fading away, but you can survive this…!"

"Just give me some sugar water and I'll be fine…"

Let's ignore this depressing conversation for now.

I turned to Vanir instead.

"Hey, Vanir, I'm assuming that you already know about what we talked about yesterday…"

"Moi does not! Doth thou expect moi to be able to use moi powers with three goddesses present around thee last night? The mere fact moi knows that thou was with those three troublesome goddesses already shows how powerful moi's divination is!"

"I don't know how you can sound so confident even when you're talking about your limitations…"

He was like Aqua in that regard.

"Thou just thought something very rude. Hmm… Ah, moi can see now. Moi can see the events of last night by peering into thou's mind…"

"You really don't understand the concept of privacy, do you?"

"Thou should consider it a favor that moi does not peek into thou's requested fantasies from that certain store where moi underlings work…"

"Thank you for that, Vanir-sama!"

I bowed to Vanir for his kindness.

"Hm… Having the rich brat pay the expenses for my dungeon… Thou has considered it, but moi is a devil, one who values contracts and deals made between humans…"

"Vanir wants me to make a contract with him, right? Just like when I sold you the rights to those items from Japan? I just want you to help us with the fight against Maouko, and in exchange, I'll buy you a dungeon."

I still didn't know if I could afford to buy a dungeon yet, even with my riches, but I should be barely able to afford it.

There was also that new deal I struck with Elroad. Now that Revi is a major shares owner with my company, my reckless financial decisions could affect him as well.

But right now, the threat of Maouko surpassed all those concerns.

Leaning back in a peculiar pose, Vanir tilted his head back. I suppose this was a devil's version of a thoughtful pose.

"Brat, doth thou know that moi can't provide any direct harm against the Devil King? It might just be by name only, but the Devil King is the Devil King. Long ago, the devils and demons of hell have formed a contract with the first Devil King, and this contract applies to his descendants. Moi can't do as thou wish, to unleash moi powers on this new, upstart, Devil King brat and get this whole war over with before it even starts. Even if thou buys moi a dungeon!"

"I'm not really asking Vanir to just nuke Maouko with a Vanir-style death ray, or anything! Well, maybe I did think that, but I'm not seriously expecting Vanir to do that!"

Realistically, all I wanted Vanir to do was protect the town, should anything happen.

Reading my thoughts already, Vanir said,

"Moi can certainly do that, but then the contract between thou and moi would be very one-sided indeed! Devils are allowed to trick humans into unfair contracts, but there must be a sense of balance! Moi cannot have moi buy moi a whole dungeon in exchange for performing some grunt, guard duties!"

"That's true… Then how about I just pay you some Eris?"

"Moi would normally agree to that, but now that thou hast brought up the purchasing dungeon, moi can't help but push for it…"

Vanir said, his eyes glowing demonically under his mask.

Regina's plan backfired on me.

I didn't need to get Vanir a whole freaking dungeon, knowing him, he would have accepted the job if I paid him handsomely...

"Hm, wait, who says that I have to give Vanir the whole dungeon?"

"Hmm…?"

Vanir returned to a normal standing position. He looked at me questioningly.

"Vanir's dream is to be a dungeon boss of sorts that messes with the hopes and dreams of adventurers, right? Then why do you need to own a whole dungeon? What if I buy the dungeon for my own personal use, but hire Vanir as the guardian of the boss room? I can even give Vanir a salary."

"This brat…! Art thou a genius?!"

I didn't really think it was that creative of an idea…

Back in Japan, my mother used to work as a real estate agent.

She'd tell me that normally, when people buy homes first the first time, an average family can't afford to pay for the property upfront. Of course they'll have to take out loans and mortgages for it.

This arrangement was sort of different, but it's the same logic.

"Hold on, Vanir, I have to consult with my business partner before signing anything."

"Thou should not fret or hesitate! Thou must not have any doubts when making a pact with this devil! Thou can trust moi!"

A contract was immediately produced out of nowhere and shoved in my face.

With Vanir saying things like 'this is a limited time offer!', I was strong-armed to sign a contract with an Arch-Duke of hell.

Part 4

After being delayed by the business with Vanir, I finally did what I came to Wiz's shop to do in the first place.

Serena had just been taking care of the enfeebled Wiz when she came out to meet me.

I asked her about this mission Regina tasked us with.

"Our job is simple but time-consuming. I'm glad Kazuma-san is here to help. Here, please take this."

I was given a box full of Regina plush dolls.

"...Are you trying to recruit me to sell these at some booth, like what Aqua is doing with her jams right now?"

"Err… Well, yes."

"What part of this is an 'important mission'?!"

"Please don't be mad! And please stop tearing out that Regina doll!"

As I lost my temper and tore the head of a Regina doll, I found something inside.

"What's this?"

"It's a talisman marked with a protective rune. These will serve a purpose in the upcoming battle with Maouko…"

These dolls actually had a use after all. I felt a bit bad for thinking that Regina just wanted to use me to make a profit.

"We're also hoping to increase our funds and public image by selling a lot of this… Wait, please don't tear the limbs out, too!"

…

…

"Regina doll~! Buy your cute Regina doll here! And if you want to build your own Regina doll, please line up there!"

Here I am at a stall, selling these suspicious looking dolls.

At least they were cuter than the dolls Vanir sells.

Regina sold the pre-made dolls while I worked at the 'Build-a-Regina' station.

There were mostly couples and young girls buying our merchandise.

"Huff… Huff… Let me build my own cute loli doll… Huff, Huff…"

There were some strange dudes, too.

"Say, is it really fine if just young girls and… a few certain males are the ones who'll receive this protective talisman? Why don't we just spread the talisman as is?"

If the goal is to protect the citizens of this town, I didn't understand why we were targeting such a select demographic.

"It's fine as long as they spread around the town, and young girls and the couples buying these are more likely to scatter throughout the town during the festivities. And, um… this also helps with promoting Regina-sama's brand if trendy young people are the ones who buy it, hehe…"

"You guys better not be planning anything suspicious…"

"We're not! Please have some trust in us! Regina-sama will need all the power she can get. Even if she's not worshipped as a goddess, she can get a power boost just from having people recognize her visage…"

I was still pretty suspicious, but I decided to take her word for it.

After we finished the 'important mission', Serena left to do something else. I had free time to wander around the stalls again.

I've already seen most of the food stalls, and the game stalls didn't really interest me too much. Due to my high Luck stat, most festival games end up being entirely too predictable.

I went to one of the kiosks the town set up around town. There were free brochures, and town maps available for guests. I took a brochure and read up on the upcoming events one could look forward to in the festival.

Yesterday, on the first day of the festival, there had been a traditional Belzergian song and dance performance, but we missed it because Chris and Aqua nearly spent the night in jail.

It's unfortunate I missed it, but today there is a beauty pageant, which is supposedly a very big deal.

Additionally, tomorrow, on the last day, the festival will conclude with a fireworks show.

There was a big event scheduled for each day of the festival. No wonder why Darkness was so stressed out.

The beauty pageant was scheduled to start at the end of the day, which gave me time to burn until then.

With nothing to do, I headed to the area where the beauty pageant will be held to see how the preparation was proceeding.

The event was to be held in what was informally considered as Axel's town square, an empty lot often used as a common area or meeting space. There was a stage there now, which looked a lot like the stage Vanir used the other day.

I spotted Darkness among the people busily working.

The last I saw her, she was in an unconscious state when I left her in the police station, and yet she was already busying herself with other matters.

I felt a pang of guilt knowing that we inconvenienced her yesterday, when she was just doing her job.

"Oi, Darkness. You seem busy there. Need some help?"

Darkness looked up from a clipboard she had been focused on before I broke her concentration.

"Kazuma is willingly lending me his help? ...Is Kazuma sick?"

"No, no, nothing like that. Is it really so surprising that I want to help a friend out?"

"Are you feeling guilty about something? What did you do? If you apologize now, I won't hold it against you."

She was right on the money but there's no way I'd admit that.

"C-Come on now. It looks like Darkness can use all the help she can get! Just let me help you already! Please!"

"Fine then! Just calm down already, Kazuma! Um… We could always use some more assistants. Please go to the participants and ask them if they need anything."

"The participants? As in the beauty pageant participants? Darkness… Having a man like me who is already in a relationship enter a den of temptation is…"

"If it's too much for you then just forget it!"

After calming Darkness down, I went to where the pageant participants were staying while they prepared for the competition.

"What's this? How come there's only a few people here?"

There were only a few girls in the waiting room. They were practicing their individual routines for the talent portion of the pageant. Some of them were dancing and one of them even brought an instrument with her.

"There are a couple others who signed up, but they're not here yet. Still, we're quite at a deficit this year…"

"Not only the police, but even the beauty pageant is short handed? This festival sure does have some organizational issues."

"Kazuma doesn't need to tell me that! I should have been working on the planning last night but for some reason I passed out and can't remember anything when I woke up the next day…"

I averted my eyes guiltily.

"Sigh… At this rate…"

Darkness blushed as she gazed down at herself.

I looked down at her outfit. Compared to the OL outfit she had on yesterday, she was wearing much more feminine, high class, lady-esque clothes.

"Don't tell me… Pffft!"

"We're shorthanded! I-I didn't want to do this, Kazuma!"

A flustered Darkness waved her hands as if to dispel any misunderstandings.

"It's alright, it's alright. Darkness will do fine! After all, even though Darkness is an insane masochist who once sprayed a suspicious perfume on herself to attract the attention of high levelled monsters, she's a beautiful ojou-chan on the outside… On the outside."

"You didn't need to repeat yourself! I'm really self-conscious about this, so would it hurt Kazuma to give me some encouragement?!"

"Well, what kind of encouragement do you want?"

"...Give me honest compliments. Wait, you're laughing already. I'm being serious here!"

"Hmm… What can I do to compliment Darkness?"

I circled her like an expert appraiser.

"When it comes to that 'blonde hair and blue-eyed look', at first I was fascinated by Darkness's features when I came to this world… Er, I mean this country. You see, most of the people in my country had black hair and black eyes. Some people dyed their hair brown, though."

There were also half-breeds and gyarus, but Darkness wouldn't understand what I'm talking about.

"So at first I thought to myself, "Wow, what an exotic beauty!" But then as our party got more popular, I've been seeing those features more and more to the point that I'm actually getting tired of seeing a bunch of power hungry, ass kissing nobles all in one place."

"W-Wah?!"

Darkness was stunned into silence as I provided my honest assessment.

I still felt guilty for the mind wipe, but I'm not the type to hold back if someone asks me to tell them the truth.

"Hmm… What's Darkness's other selling point? The whole noble lady thing was enticing at first. But what's enticing about high-class ojou-chan is that they are innocent and pure about worldly matters. However, Darkness is even more tainted than your typical low-class barbarian. There's no gap moe there, either. A rotten noble isn't moe, it's just disappointing! Albeit, Darkness is getting better at reigning in her 'Trash-ness' counterpart. But when you compare Darkness to other girls with high-born lineage, doesn't my innocent, pure and very cute Iris-chan surpass Darkness in that regard?"

"...You've obviously given this a lot of thought."

There was an ominous aura coming out of Darkness, but I was in too much of a roll to stop.

"And in terms of your figure, I do admit that Darkness has a very sexy body, but Wiz has got you beat in terms of that, and even Yunyun is coming close. You saw Yunyun in a black dress back in the Crimson Demon village, right? Yes, she will soon surpass this Lewd-ness whose only selling point is her eroticism. And even then, if I'm the one who has to make a judgement, I already have Megumin. Even if I had once lusted over Darkness's lewd body and sometimes imagined myself licking every inch and corner of it, it's not like I can do that now. Yes, I'm already taken. So to me Darkness is just... Oi, Darkness, why are your hands wrapping around my neck?"

Darkness's eyes were dilating and her forced smile looked demonic.

"I'm not going to kill Kazuma. After all, I did say I'm going to need all the help I can get. So, get to work… Or else."

"S-Sure, whatever you say, Darkness. Haha…"

I could only nod my head.

Part 5

"Even with Kazuma's help, we failed."

This was the end result.

Without the opportunity to plan the event beforehand, we had to improvise as we went along.

Unfortunately, for an event as big as this, such half-assed methods proved futile.

"We'll just have to postpone the beauty pageant and hold it tomorrow."

"Wouldn't people be disappointed if we don't hold a big event tonight, when they're all looking forward to one?"

"...The timing will be a bit weird since it's normally reserved for the end of the festival, but we could hold the fireworks show tonight and just postpone the festival until tomorrow. The fireworks show doesn't require much planning on our part. An out-sourced company does the job for the town."

I was impressed by Darkness's quick thinking.

"But this out-sourced company, won't they have the same problems as us since we're springing this on them unexpectedly?"

"No, they said that they're ready to do it anytime. That's why you have to respect pros."

I wiped my brow as this crisis was narrowly averted by Darkness's quick thinking.

"I'm impressed, Darkness. You're actually really reliable."

"I-I do this kind of thing everyday. This is what it means to be a noble. Perhaps Kazuma will follow my example and take his role seriously."

"...Yeah, I guess you're right."

"Eh? Kazuma is agreeing with me? Seriously, are you sick or something?"

"I'm not! Hey, let's go take a lunch break. My treat."

Darkness was still suspicious but went along with me anyway.

We grabbed some sandwiches from a stall at found a table inside the eating areas. There were families and couples around.

As we were eating, I brought up a topic that's been on my mind earlier.

"Yesterday, Chris was telling me about the changes she noticed in us. Particularly, me and you."

"Oh? What did she say?"

"She said that you became even more obsessed with justice and your duties as a noble, while I got a bit more responsible, too."

"Why are my changes so extreme, but Kazuma's seem so laid back and natural? I'm not really as much of an obsessive freak as people think I am…"

"Well, maybe I exaggerated her words a bit."

"Why you…"

I held a hand up to stop Darkness from getting riled up.

"A-All I'm saying is that, well, you don't have to worry about me taking my role as a noble seriously, I know what we mean to this country now. I'm not promising that I'll go out of my way to do great things, but I'll at least try to do what I need to do when it matters most."

Darkness's features relaxed. She even smiled.

"I know. Kazuma's always been the type of guy you can count on when it matters most. That's probably the main thing Megumin likes about you. Oh, are you blushing?"

I didn't expect to be teased by Darkness, of all people. Usually this goes the other way around.

"Say, as part of the support group, I noticed that you two haven't been progressing lately. Why don't you use tonight's fireworks show to light some kind of spark between you two? Er… No pun intended."

Megumin did seem like the type to enjoy a fireworks show. And that kind of event had a romantic type of atmosphere.

"I can even give you two a VIP spot, so you two can watch alone."

"As expected of the captain of my support team. Keep up the good work."

"I'm the captain now? I'm sure Aqua will complain about that…"

"Aqua is currently limiting my festival time with Megumin with that jam stall of hers, so she's more of a saboteur than a supporter."

"If Kazuma isn't being mean to me, he's being mean to Aqua…"

Darkness said, even though she seemed happy about her promotion.

Part 6

Megumin said she would help Aqua again, so I knew where to find her.

I didn't understand why Megumin would rather help Aqua at a stall all day instead of enjoying the festival.

When I got there, I saw that Yunyun was at the front of the line. It looks like she just purchased a bunch of sweet bread from Cecily's stall, where Megumin was assisting today. Aqua was working alone at her jam stall.

"Why is Megumin working here the whole day?! It would be nice if we could hang out…"

It looked like Yunyun and I were on the same wavelength.

"We owe the Axis-cult quite a bit for helping us out before, Yunyun. It's only natural to help them during important events like this."

"That's right! Instead of participating in this horrid Eris church festival, it would be better if Yunyun-chan helps the Axis-cult instead!"

Cecily's eyes were glowing much like the Crimson Demon girls before her when they got excited.

"U-Um… Well, if Megumin is going to be spending her time here, then…"

"Yiiiis, yiiiis, join us…!"

Cecily rubbed her hands together as she tempted Yunyun to join the Axis side.

As I watched from a distance, Aqua, who was at the next stall over, was somehow the first one to notice me.

"Kazuma, you finally showed up! We could always use more help! I heard that Serena and some other bastard were selling some kind of Regina doll earlier! Not only do I have to compete with the Eris church hags, but even Regina and her lackey are trying to compete with me!"

"I'm not here to help with the stall. I just want to chat with Megumin.

Megumin finally noticed me after Aqua called me out.

"If it isn't Kazuma. Are you done flirting with other girls behind my back?"

"N-No, I've just been hanging out with Darkness..."

"Oh, if it's just Darkness, that's fine."

Now that I think about it, I spent a good part of the day doing things with Serena as well. I also spent a lot of time with the beauty pageant contestants after Darkness asked me to help.

Basically, I've spent the whole day surrounded by pretty girls.

Meanwhile, my girlfriend is here working in some suspicious stall.

"Megumin, let me buy you something nice for a change."

"Kazuma, that's the line of a cheater."

"I haven't cheated or anything, but I still feel bad for some reason."

As I tried to get Megumin to come with me, Aqua's sharp hearing was at work once more as she yelled at me from the next stall.

"Oiii! Kazuma, you better not be trying to steal one of my workers! It's about to get dark, so I need to maximize all the time I have left! We need to make as much profit from these walking money bags as possible!"

The walking money bags in question shifted uncomfortably at Aqua's words.

The quality of the jams were such that the purveyor could hurl all sorts of abuse at her customers, and still retain their interest.

"You have Yunyun here to help you during the closing hours. Let me grab Megumin real quick. Oh, by the way, there's a change of plans with the festival schedule. The fireworks show will be held tonight instead of the beauty pageant. Make sure to show up at the lake tonight, or Darkness will cry."

"I guess I have to go with the Kazuma who's hungry for my attention. I'll be taking an early leave, Aqua."

"Wait…! Megumin, don't leave meee!"

As Aqua called out for the employee who was deserting her, Yunyun began following us.

"Um… I'll be going now."

"Wait, Yunyun-chan."

"Eep!"

Yunyun was grabbed by the quick hands of Cecily.

"I can't afford to lose two Crimson lolis. You must stay here!"

"Ehhh?! I'd rather not!"

Megumin and I took this opportunity to ditch the stalker, Yunyun.

…

…

"If it's a fireworks show, yukatas are the best, after all."

I did say that I'd get Megumin something nice. We headed to the clothing stalls and found one that was selling yukatas and other typical festival accessories, such as elaborate hair pins and festive coin purses.

With word of the beauty pageant being delayed and the fireworks show replacing it, there were other girls who had flocked to the clothing stall district to buy themselves a yukata.

"These look kind of uncomfortable to walk around in. And won't I look like an idiot if I'm the only one dressed like this and Kazuma is wearing street clothes?"

Megumin had a slight frown as the stall owner showed her an assortment of fabrics.

"I've seen Megumin wear dresses before and you did mention that you liked wearing girly things from time-to-time, so what's wrong with wearing yukatas once in a while?"

"Dresses and cute outfits are one thing, but I've never worn one of these before."

"Don't they have festivals in the Crimson Demon village? You guys held one when the king came to visit."

I could never forget that disaster of a festival.

"That's true, but since I was a child, I've always been helping with the family stall during such events."

"This poor girl…"

"That feels nice, but please stop patting my head so condescendingly. If it really means that much to Kazuma, I'll wear one of these, but Kazuma will have to wear one, too."

"Hah? No way. I've never worn one of these."

"Isn't that what I just said?!"

We ended up buying one for everyone in our party.

I bought some extras, too, in case Chris and the other girls, like Yunyun, wanted to wear one.

We headed home with our new purchases to change into them. There was still some time until the show starts, but it was already getting dark.

"Hm? Kazuma, Kazuma, Chomusuke is doing something weird."

"Is she bothering the ground pixies again?"

We were passing through the front yard when Megumin noticed something strange with Chomusuke.

The cat was running around in the front yard, but she didn't seem to be harassing our resident ground pixies.

"Nyaaa~! Nyaaa~!"

She'd run in circles, then stop, look up into the darkening night sky, and then start running again.

"Maybe she's in heat?"

"Maybe you're in heat."

Megumin narrowed her eyes at my pervy comment.

We tried to take Chomusuke inside, but she seemed content to do whatever it is she was doing.

We decided to chalk this up to some weird feline behavior, even though we both knew that Chomusuke wasn't just some ordinary cat.

In just a few hours, we'd regret how we failed to see the signs.

Part 7

"Darkness gave us a good spot."

I said, as we sat down on our VIP blanket area.

"Fufufu… The other mortals look like mere ants from this view."

We looked down from our vantage point up on a hill, overlooking the lake. Beyond the lake, on the other side, was a protruding stretch of peninsula that jutted into the lake's still waters. That moderately wooded peninsula is where the fireworks technicians made their preparations.

The lake at night was beautiful and the manatite lanterns surrounding it illuminated the dark waters.

There was a sense of excitement among the crowd, who were mostly filled with couples who wanted to enjoy the romantic atmosphere. As such, there were many girls carrying the Regina dolls that Serena and I were selling earlier.

I've gone to see the fireworks show in a local festival when I was a kid, but when I grew up and became a NEET, I had to make do with watching glimpses of it from my window.

Megumin was busy eating the snacks we bought from nearby stalls, and didn't seem to share any of my bittersweet reminiscences.

"Get your jams and Alcarentia-style sweet bread here! Don't watch the fireworks without it!"

I heard Aqua's loud voice even from on top of a hill. I used the Farsight skill to locate her. She was pushing a trolley along the beach area surrounding the lake. Cecily was following along with her own trolley. Yunyun had been dragged along as well. They were all wearing the yukatas I got for them.

"...We'll have to apologize to Yunyun."

"Don't worry about her. I'm sure she's happy to have people to hang out with."

"You should really be a bit kinder to your best friend."

"W-Who said she's my best friend?"

It amazes me just how long this girl can keep up the tsundere act towards Yunyun.

It was easier getting her to acknowledge the romantic feelings between us than it is to have her admit that she's good friends with Yunyun.

As we waited for the show to start, I took a minute to admire the yukata I picked out for Megumin. She insisted on a simple design so I got her a pink Yukata with flower patterns on it. She also had matching flower shaped hairpins tucked into her hair. She was carrying a fixed hand-fan with a bakuretsu calligraphy printed on it.

"Kazuma, why are you smiling?"

"At first, I really didn't expect to land on the crazy explosion girl's route, but it's not so bad so far."

"What you don't realize is that I'm probably the only girl who can deal with your scumminess and host of flawed traits. And I didn't expect to end up liking Kazuma either, and yet here we are."

She took a bite of cotton candy and smiled.

Just then, Darkness's amplified voice carried through the area.

She stood at the lake's shore and was using a voice amplifying magic item.

"Um… Thank you all for coming last minute! I know that a lot of you were looking forward to the beauty pageant today, but there were some time constraint problems… For that I apologize!"

There was an encouraging spatter of applause from the crowd who knew that Darkness was just doing her best.

"We know you're doing your best, Lalatina-chan~!"

"You're really cool when you're not acting like a complete perv, Lalatina-chan~!"

"We look forward to seeing you on stage tomorrow, Lalatina-chan~!"

There was still the usual teasing from the adventurers in the guild, though.

"S-Shut up, you bastards! Er… I mean, um, p-pwease enjoy the show…"

She stuttered after stumbling at the end there and quickly made her escape.

"Darkness isn't really that good at public speaking, is she? If it were me, I would have extended that speech by at least half an hour."

"I'd rather listen to Darkness stumble and stutter for two minutes on her opening remarks than listen to whatever chuuni babble Megumin can potentially spout within a thirty minute period."

After Darkness left the shore, she took out a device and flashed a signal to the other side of the lake. There was a responding flash of light.

An excited murmuring arose from the crowd as the sense of anticipation grew.

Those murmurs changed into cheers as the first flare darted into the sky, then branched out into the first firework of the night.

The crowd erupted into applause as more flares appeared, branching into individual colors, shapes and sizes.

Megumin and I watched with our mouths open.

"Uwaa… Pretty. They're not as deadly and powerful as my explosions, but they're really pretty. I wish I can fire off as many explosions as that."

"...I'm enjoying this, so please don't scare me like that."

"Uuuu~! I can't hold it in anymore, Kazuma! I need to release my explosion!"

Megumin suddenly said, as she rose from our picnic blanket and raised her hands to the sky.

"Hah?! Are you actually insane?!"

I pulled on Megumin's Yukata sash and dragged her back down.

"Che… Fine, I'll restrain myself for now. But after the show…"

I let out a sigh of relief as it looked like Megumin had calmed down.

"Pffft…!"

Only to do a spit-take when I saw a bolt of orange energy streaking up the air.

That wasn't any ordinary fireworks flare.

I've seen that spell enough to recognize it at first glance.

"Oiii! Megumin, you did your quick-cast didn't you?! You promised that you wouldn't do it, but you're still doing it!"

When I saw Megumin's eyes, though, she seemed to be equally surprised.

"N-No, it's not me! Do you really think I'd unleash my explosion among this massive crowd without a bit of threatrics…?!"

"If it isn't Megumin, then…"

As we were talking, the orange bolt reached its peak, reaching high above the fireworks show below it.

Then it descended upon the shore.

"It will hit us…! Eh?"

Well, at least it was about to.

As if impeded by an invisible forcefield, the explosion was halted far above us. A great ball of fire enveloped the night sky.

I looked down at the crowd to see if anyone was harmed.

The people were frightened, but everyone seemed to be fine.

On closer inspection, the Regina dolls were glowing…!

I see...

That forcefield I saw earlier must be the work of the protective talismans inside the Regina doll.

Regina really did tell the truth when she said she had an important mission for me!

Seeing that we were safe, for now, Megumin and I stared at the spectacle in awe.

"I'd give that a 100, that was the perfect explosion."

"I'd give that a 100 as well… Wait, that's not what we should be focusing on!"

There was a confused commotion from the crowd. Darkness returned to the shore.

"Err… Please calm down everyone! We will apprehend the suspects immediately! Megumin, Kazuma, come down here this instant!"

"Why are they already blaming me?!"

This was just the natural assumption, but Megumin seemed very offended.

I used my Farsight to sweep the area, looking for a suspect.

After glancing around the shore, I looked at the peninsula.

"...!"

With my night vision, I saw a cloaked figure standing among fallen bodies.

The cloaked figure was looking up at the sky. And then there was a flash of light and the figure vanished.

Serena would later explain to me that this was the Devil King general under Maouko's mind control, the one she had warned me about.

Wolbach, the goddess of Violence and Sloth.

Extra #1: Gifting this Shape-shifter a Wonderful Bounty!

I am Ragcraft, a spy operative of the Devil King army.

My previous assignment was to infiltrate the kingdom of Elroad, however, when I heard about the death of the Devil King, I ceased operations, fearing that my secret identity would be compromised.

After going into hiding and using my spy network to stay in the loop, I soon heard that the Devil King's daughter, Maouko-sama, has taken over her dead father's throne.

I feared the consequences if she were to find out how I deserted my post, so I immediately reported to her.

"If your disguise ability weren't so useful, I would have killed you on the spot for losing your hold over the wealthy nation of Elroad, you coward."

These were the words she had for me upon my return.

If I'm only being kept alive for my usefulness, then let's be as useful as possible to Maouko-sama.

That is why I'm now currently acting as her spy in the town of Axel.

I disguised myself as a pilgrim who is visiting the annual Eris festival.

I have been given the task to scout the town's defenses.

While I'm at it, I might as well enjoy the festival, I thought.

I have been trying my best everyday to prove my usefulness to Maouko-sama. I deserve a break every now and then.

I arrived somewhat early, so most of the stalls are still setting up.

The stills that were open were soon filled with a line of festival-goers.

I was lucky to find one stall that didn't have a line yet.

"Excuse me, is this stall open?"

Just when I approached the stall, I recognized the people running it.

These… These are the heroes who killed the previous Devil King!

Although I was panicking on the inside, I somehow managed to keep my expression neutral.

This is a great opportunity to spy on these heroes.

I didn't know why such famous heroes were running a dingy stall like this, but let's not think about that for now.

"Can you come back later? I was about to tell the story about how I first learned explosion magic…"

A black haired, red-eyed young girl spoke to me. Since she mentioned explosion magic and she had those unique features, she must be the Crimson Demon Arch-Wizard who used explosion magic to kill the Devil King.

"We can hear your continued explosion story another time, Megumin. Welcome to the Axis cult stall, sir. Would you be interested in these amber berry jams?"

This average-looking young man who doesn't really look like much of a threat must be the leader of the party, Satou Kazuma. I heard that even if he's hailed as a hero, he is just as brutal as the former Devil King was in his prime.

Wait, did he mention Axis-cult?

I heard rumors that there was an Axis-cult follower in the heroes's party, but is it actually true?!

In many ways, the Axis-cult is the main enemy of the Devil King army.

After all, one of the main reasons why the Devil King started a war with the country of Belzerg was due to the ceaseless harassment he received from the Axis-cult.

They slandered him and spread baseless rumors about the Devil King, telling lies about his supposed promiscuity and how he had strange tastes.

I heard that the Crimson Demons who would constantly bombard the Devil King fortress with their magic, and peep on Maouko-sama with their magic telescopes, was also to blame for the Devil King's wrath.

"A-Axis cult?! Er… Actually, maybe not…"

My confidence began to waver. I can handle the presence of heroes, but the Axis-cult is too much…!

"My first customer! Goddess bless you! Welcome to my fabulous stall! I suppose you were attracted by Megumin's exciting banner?! By all means, please look at our goods!"

"I couldn't really read the banner from afar since the writing was so esoteric… Now that I look closely… G-Goddess Aqua?! So this really is an Axis cult stall?! What's an Axis cult stall doing in the Eris festival?!"

I was really starting to panic now.

I took deep breaths to calm myself.

"That's right! This is the stall of the benevolent Axis cult! Now, please take a look at these jams. Look at this wonderful blue color that glows like a gem when light hits it. Don't they resemble the glowing eyes of an Axis cultist when they spot an undead?"

"...That's a weird analogy, but they do look pretty."

A blue-haired girl gave me a jar. I couldn't help but admire how it seemingly glowed.

"Yes, yes. How about a taste test, dear customer? You're an out of towner, aren't you? I can tell because your clothes look weird! Here, say ahn~!"

She guessed that I was an out-of-towner. This blue haired girl is pretty observant.

"Um, I'm a devout Eris follower and heard the festivals in Axel were very grand so… Mph?!"

Just as I was reciting the fake backstory I had prepared, the blue haired girl shoved a spoonful of jam into my mouth.

This is… It's delicious!

"... A-Amazing! There's a pervasive sweetness that melts in your tongue! It tastes… Sort of like honey. Then when the sweetness subsides, you get the mild taste of the berry's jellied juices…!"

"Fufun. Is this not an impressive product? This jam was grown from the magic seeds of ground pixies, you know?"

"S-Such a rare thing! I'll buy it! Please let me buy it!"

I took out my wallet and poured all the Eris coins I had into the blue haired girl's waiting hands.

I bought as many jars as I could with the money I had on my person.

They gave me a large box to carry all of it.

...Later on, I went to our base, a campsite just outside the outskirts of Axel.

"Ragcraft, there you are. Hm? What did you bring with you?"

Wolbach-sama had humanoid features, she can move around without raising suspicion as long as she hides her horns, but since my abilities were better suited for scouting, it was my job to snoop around during the day.

"I bought these delicious tasting jams! Here, have a taste!"

I took some bread and spread jam on it, then gave it to Wolbach-sama to try.

"...! Delicious! And… Isn't this Amber Berry jam?!"

"Yes, they are!"

Wolbach-sama studied the jars closely.

"This is a little known fact, not many people know about it. As you know, Amber berries are grown from magical seeds infused by the nature mana of Ground Pixies. This part is relatively common knowledge, but people don't know that when processed or preserved, for example, if the berries undergo the jamming process, one can extract the latent magic power in amber berries. Ragcraft, you just got us what essentially equates to a box full of high-quality manatite!"

"...!"

I did such a useful thing?!

Wolbach-sama gave me a congratulatory smack on the back.

"With this, imagine how many explosions I can cast! Wait, hm?"

She tasted the jam again.

"...It's diluted with water."

"Eh?"

"The person who sold Ragcraft this jam only put about 30% of the amber berry jam and diluted it with water and fruit juice… You got ripped off."

...I should have expected as much from an Axis-cultist stall.

With obvious disappointment, Wolbach-sama placed the jar back into the box.

"My mana capacity is too high for these to make any difference, but our general troops can make use of this. Distribute these among our men."

"Y-Yes, ma'am!"

"I guess it's too good to be true, suddenly acquiring a bunch of pure amber berry jam. Where did you buy this, anyway?"

"Oh, um…"

I might get in trouble if I tell her that I came across the heroes, but didn't collect any useful information about them.

I was too distracted by that jam.

"Just a random stall. Haha…"

Wolbach-sama raised an eyebrow about my awkward response, but didn't think much of it.

Extra #2: A Second Chance for this Devil King Daughter's Revenge!

I set down my crystal ball after failing to learn anything useful, again.

That's the thing about diviners. They're only useful if the targets weren't aware of your presence or abilities.

But now, everyone seems to have a measure for blocking my scrying.

The whole town of Axel… Actually, most of the cities in this kingdom have already installed anti-scrying measures.

I can't imagine that it was cheap to install wards in every city.

...They're too prepared for us. I think we have a leak.

Even Maouko-sama suspects this, and we both have a hunch.

"It's Regina, isn't it, Feydrick?"

"I suspect her too, Maouko-sama."

We don't have any evidence to suspect the dark goddess, but she was a fallen goddess who was known to betray people, after all.

She's the opportunistic type who would switch sides whenever it suited her. The Devil King army has always been powerful, so we were never in danger of losing her loyalty, but the army's state is now pitiful compared to what it once was.

"What should we do, Maouko-sama?"

My red haired liege sat on her throne. She was wearing an alluring red dress. She had her legs crossed as she bit on her nails, a habit of hers she does when she's in deep thought.

"Let's take care of Regina later. We'll just be wasting resourcing trying to capture her, she's too resourceful. We'll proceed as planned. All we need to do is take out Kazuma and his party. Once they're gone, we can start recouping our forces and convince the others to send us reinforcements, and then go to war with Belzerg once more. Before Kazuma and his party showed up, our army had the advantage over Belzerg's military. It was considered a stalemate, but we were steadily pushing them back."

It might be an over-exaggeration to blame it all on one party, but history shows that all it takes is one band of heroes or the overwhelming power of one Devil King to shift the tides of war.

"Did we receive any news from Ragcraft?"

"According to Ragcraft's latest report, the beauty pageant scheduled for today will be postponed and the fireworks show will take its time slot tonight."

"That's an unforeseen development. I don't want to rush our attack, but we have to take this chance now. Have Wolbach prepare for an attack tonight."

"Yes, Maouko-sama. And what about our general troops? Are we still positioning them for a pincer attack?"

"...I'm not going to make the mistake of being overconfident, as I did last time. Once we're sure the explosion attack actually took out Kazuma and his party, we'll retreat. Only send the general troops as a clean-up crew if Kazuma, or any of his party members, survive the attack due to luck, which, knowing them, could be a possibility. And tell Wolbach to be cautious. If her explosion somehow fails or misses, have her use Teleport and retreat immediately. I don't think our attack will fail, but if Regina really has betrayed us, then she might have taken measures to stop us."

"Yes, Maouko-sama…"

It seems to me like Maouko-sama is starting to doubt herself.

It's fine to use hit-and-run tactics, but isn't she playing it too safe?

I'm starting to think that she lost a bit of her edge.

"Oh, and Feydrick? Don't you think that Ragcraft is proving more useful than you in terms of information gathering? After all, you divination has been rendered useless lately…"

"Urk! ...I-I'll be sure to work harder from now on, Maouko-sama!"

Nope, she's still really scary.

"Mah, mah, Maouko-sama. You're still as ruthless as ever, mm?"

In that moment, a man emerged from the shadows. He had wings like an angel, but there was a malevolent aura pouring out of him.

"...It's you."

Maouko-sama said, squinting her eyes at this man.

"Um, sorry, who are you again?"

"Err… It's Duke? The fallen angel? You interviewed me for the Devil King general position two days ago…"

"Oh, right. The intern. But why were you talking as if you've known me for a long time? We've only just met two days ago."

"Um… I was just trying to go along with the serious mood I guess…"

So he just wanted to look cool while emerging from the shadows.

"Well, nevermind. I got an intern but what should I have you do?"

"I didn't sign up to be an intern. I wanted to replace the former Devil King general, Wiz. I'm a proficient spell caster, and…"

"I guess you can make us some coffee, for now."

"...Yes, ma'am."

Maouko-sama completely dismissed the fallen angel named Duke.

He seemed quite powerful, so I felt a bit sorry that he's been reduced to an intern who goes on coffee runs.

He makes some pretty good coffee, though.

...

...

A/N: Many of you may have already heard about the Kyoto Animation studio fire, and the thirty-three staffers who died due to the despicable actions of an arsonist. The reason why I got so invested in anime in the first place is mainly due to 'The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya', a genre-defining series which KyoAni produced. That show was my gateway drug into anime. It's also what started my hobby for fanfic writing. The first fanfic I wrote and uploaded for this website was a sappy 'Kyon x Haruhi' shipping fic, which I wrote under a different pen name (so don't even bother looking for it). For introducing me to the medium of anime, and for spurring my interest in writing, I'm grateful for KyoAni's influence.

If you find it in your heart to donate, please go to the 'Help KyoAni Heal' go-fund-me page. I can't post a link since this website will mess with it. I dedicate this chapter, which is coincidentally the thirty-third chapter of this fic, to the thirty-three people who unfairly lost their lives.

-BoringBone