So in case people didn't get it, the whole Christmas special chapter is not entirely canon to the main story, so Kazuma and Lily aren't in a relationship... yet... Nor have the girls found him yet.


Kazuma stood in a dark forest, the sun long descended, leaving the forest to be nearly pitch black.

"Where am I?" Kazuma asked to no one in particular as he inspected his surroundings. He couldn't see anything other than trees in the darkness.

He decided to walk through the forest, hoping he could find out where he was. But as he walked, it seemed that the forest went on forever.

"This is starting to get creepy..." Kazuma muttered.

He started to worry a little, thinking he might be lost in some deep part of a massive forest. Before he could think of any other solutions to his problem, a scream was suddenly made.

"Who was that?" Kazuma asked, startled.

"...!"

"Who goes there?!"

"Kaz...!" A voice was beginning to form, which only served to worry him more.

"Kazuma!" He had recognized the voice that belonged to Lily echo throughout the forest.

"Lily! Where are you?!" Kazuma called out.

"Kazuma, help!" Lily cried out.

"Lily!" Kazuma sprinted as fast he could, trying to find the source of her voice.

"Where are you?!"

"Kazuma!"

He eventually found a clearing, but what he saw made his heart drop.

He found Lily, but she was being held by a person, dressed in a cloak with their face covered, and dagger raised over Lily.

"Kazuma! Please help me!" Lily cried out, tears rolling down her cheeks in fear.

"Who are you?!" Kazuma asked the mysterious person.

The person smirked from under their hood, before pulling it back to reveal Raze, the bandit he had escaped from before.

"You! What are you doing with her?!"

"Just a tiny bit of payback. I've seen how attached to this girl you've gotten, would be a shame if something were to happen to her." Raze said with a sickly grin on her face.

"Let her go! She has nothing to do with us!"

"Oh but she does. She protected you when we almost had you. But regardless, if I let her go, then I wouldn't be able to get my revenge." She said, lowering the dagger closer to Lily's heart, causing Lily to freak out more.

"Please... I'm begging you, don't do it..." Kazuma pleaded, tears forming in his eyes.

"... This is the pathetic display you have for me after the humiliation you put me through?! It's so sad, but also so much more worth it when I see the despair in your eyes!"

With that said, Raze swiftly raised her dagger before plunging it in Lily's chest, piercing her heart.

In that moment, Kazuma's blood turned to ice, the sight of Lily being killed.

"LILY!"


"LILY!" Kazuma screamed as he shot up from his bed.

Kazuma was panting, a cold sweat covering his body while his heart was pounding, his eyes trying to focus properly.

He looked around before realizing he was in his room, the sun shining light through his curtains. Kazuma had been asleep, experiencing a terrible nightmare that resulted in him forcibly waking up.

"Just... Just a dream?" Kazuma asked as he tried to catch his breath.

As he tried to calm down, he heard rapid footsteps getting closer to his door before Lily slammed the door open.

"Kazuma, are you okay?!" She cried as she rapidly inspected his room, worried when she heard Kazuma scream his name.

"Lily?" Kazuma asked from his bed.

"Kazuma! What happened?! You scared me when I heard you scream my name!" She said as she walked over to his bed.

When she got close enough, she noticed his state. His eyes and cheeks slightly wet from tears, sweating quite a bit, while his breathing seemed rapid.

"Kazuma, are you okay?" She asked, worried about his state.

"Y-Yeah... Sorry... I just had a nightmare..." Kazuma said as he wiped his face.

"If you're sure... Anyways, we need to get going, we should report what you found last night to the Guild, it could be important."

"Alright, let me get ready first and I'll join you." Kazuma said as he got out of his bed.

Lily left his room to give him his privacy to change, but Kazuma couldn't get the nightmare out of his head.

After some time, he finally got himself ready and the two left the mage's house, making their way to the Guild.


"Are you certain about this?"

"Yes, without a doubt it's them."

Kazuma and Lily went to the Guild to report the monsters that Kazuma had encountered at Sol. It was quite a shock for the woman at the counter to hear, but understood the situation.

"I will report this to the higher ups, if what you're saying is true then someone may be trying to rally an army of monsters to attack. Whether on the city or just towns, it's still a cause for concern. We will be raising security, and we will be sending scouts to try and find anything about this. Thank you for reporting this to us."

Kazuma and Lily nodded before leaving the Guild.

"Well that's taken care of. Now how about we grab us some breakfast?" Lily asked before looking at Kazuma, who looked deep in thought.

"Kazuma?"

"Huh? Oh, sorry. What did you say?"

"Wanna get some breakfast?" She asked again.

"Sounds good, I could do with a good meal after the stress from the quest." He said.

"Alright! We should grab us some chocolate croissants again, since we need to pick up Dale's new sword." Lily said as she walked ahead from Kazuma.

As he tailed behind her, he was still thinking about the bandits.

'Why are they showing up again, is it because I escaped from them last time? So does that mean they want revenge for last time? Could they have found me already? And if they have, what about Dale and Lily? Could they be targeting them too?'

Kazuma looked ahead, watching Lily happily stroll along, looking forward to getting their food. He recalled his nightmare, the fear and despair he felt when he saw Lily being threatened and killed by Raze.

'I can't let that happen, not to them.' Kazuma thought.

Kazuma shook his head and smiled, deciding not to worry about it too much.

As they went on their way, they passed by two guards who were chatting.

"Are you serious?" The first one asked.

"I'm dead serious, while we were out by the border, we saw a massive explosion appear deep in the forest, bigger than anything I've ever seen. We all felt it in our bones." The second guard said.

"Sounds kinda terrifying."

"It was, but imagine my surprise when we see what came to our border afterwards."

"What was it?"

"Well..." The conversation faded away as the guards got too far for Kazuma and Lily to hear.

"Sounds kinda scary, to witness an explosion of such great magnitude." Lily said.

"It's a sight to behold for sure, but as an explosion connoisseur, I've seen my fair share of them." Kazuma said.

"Really? And just how did you become an expert at explosions?" Lily teased as she poked his side.

"The Arch-Wizard I told you about, Megumin, her only spell was "Explosion", but she had some need to fire it off on a daily basis, meaning if we didn't go on a quest she would need to travel far out to blow up something." Kazuma explained.

"Huh... And you became an expert from watching her?"

"Yeah, I would always accompany her since the spell would drain her completely of her mana, which resulted in me having to carry her home everyday, even if it was after a quest."

"Ehhh, Kazuma being a gentleman and carrying a lady home everyday? I bet she must have liked you for that." Lily teased, though she did feel slightly annoyed at the thought of Kazuma carrying a girl home on a daily basis.

"More like tolerated, which is what I could say for the rest of my party. While we were friends, I mainly just tolerated their antics, while they did with me."

"I see... Well that's a relief..." Lily said, muttering the last part to herself.

"What was that?"

"N-Nothing! U-Uh, look! It's the bakery! Let's get our food!" Lily exclaimed before rushing in.

"Okay?" He said, confused, before following her in.

The two had eaten their pastries on the way to Jean's shop, with Lily marveling at the taste of the pastry again. Kazuma enjoyed the change of pace, but he still couldn't shake the hint of worry in the back of his mind. But regardless, it served as a nice distraction from his nightmare.

They had eventually arrived at Jean's shop, who was delighted to see them again.

"Hey there! I suppose you're here for the sword?" She said as she took off her goggles.

Jean stood tall, just a bit taller than Kazuma and Lily, with golden blonde hair tied in a pony tail. With her goggles off you could see her cobalt blue eyes. She had a bit of dirt on her arms and face, due to her dedication to her craft.

"Yes! I'm really excited to give our friend this sword since his old one broke."

"It's a mighty shame that his sword broke, especially if its one that he's taken great care of. But with this new baby, he should be back into the fight with a skip in his step!" Jean said, presenting the newly made weapon.

"Thank you for this!" Lily beamed a smile at her.

"Since we're here, think I could get my sword sharpened? It's probably due for one right about now."

"Sure! Want me to take care of it or do you wanna do it?"

"I think I'll give it a shot, might be a good experience to know my weapon more."

"That's the spirit!"

Jean lead Kazuma to the back where her tools were. She had him sit down by the sharpening wheel. There she taught him the proper way to hold his sword and sharpen it without overdoing it. It did take Kazuma quite some time to figure it out, especially with a pretty lady standing so close to him. Jean paid no mind to it as she was focused on teaching Kazuma, but Lily was once again feeling a bit annoyed.

Kazuma eventually got a hang of it, allowing Jean to step away and sit by Lily who was watching from the side.

"So that sword there. You said it was for a friend right?" Jean asked, pointing at the weapon she made.

"Ah, yes! I'm sure he'll love it!" Lily said.

"Hmmm..." Jean inspected Lily closely, putting her hand on her chin.

"What is it?" Lily asked, wondering why Jean was looking at her so intensely.

"I'm just wondering, this friend of yours, are you into him?"

"WHAT?!" Lily screamed out in embarrassment, causing Kazuma to slip with his sword.

"HEY! BE CAREFUL, YOU MADE ME LOSE FOCUS!" Kazuma screamed from the wheel.

"Sorry!" The two said in unison before Kazuma resumed his work.

"So, are ya?" Jean asked, trying to bring the conversation back.

"N-No! Dale and I are just friends. Besides, if anything he sees me as more of a little sister. We've been friends for some time now, but we've never thought of each other in that way." Lily said, recalling her times with the guard.

"Really? Well that's alright then. But is there anyone you ARE into?"

"W-Well..." Lily was too embarrassed to say anything, but she did steal some glances towards Kazuma, that which didn't go unnoticed by the smith.

"Ohhh! I see now! What about him caught your interest?" Jean asked, more curious now.

"Why do you want to know?" Lily asked, wondering why this relative stranger was so invested in her love life.

"It's not often I get to do girl talk with a customer, this kind of work usually sees males or females with a more simple mind. You being more of a girl means I get to have my fill of girl talk. Now spill the beans!"

Lily gave Jean a look before deciding to tell her story.

"Well... If I had to say what about him is interesting, it's got to be just how relaxing it can be around him. Kazuma's got an... interesting... personality, being spontaneous at times and then seemingly doing a 180 on his mood, but I feel like that's just what makes hanging around him so much fun. And when we're om an adventure, he somehow manages to come up with ideas to overcome his obstacles. Sometimes they don't go as planned, but it's more than what some people do."

"Sounds like you've been analyzing him quite a bit. Tell me though, is he a massive pervert?"

"W-Well..."


-Flashback-

"Kazumaaa? Where are you? Are you doing the laundry, because I haven't take down mine from outside yet so just give me a moment to-" Lily froze in place when she spotted Kazuma holding up a pair of her underwear, staring at it as if he was trying to understand it.

"W-W-WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Lily screamed as she whacked him in the back of his head.

"Gheck!"


"Hahahaha! So there is a bit of a perverted side to him." Jean said, laughing at the thought of the event.

"He may be a bit of a pervert, but he does have his kinder side. He even gave me this hairpin when we were last in the area." Lily said as she put a hand on the accessory.

"What's so special about that thing?" Jean asked, confused.

"Well... I saw it at one if the stands in the market, and he caught me looking at it. I was gonna buy it but after I found out the price I decided it wasn't worth it, but he bought it for me regardless since he knew I really wanted it."

"How much was it even?" Jean asked, looking at the hairpin closely.

"It was a hundred thousand eris..." Lily said sheepishly.

"EHHH?! HOW MUCH?!" Jean shouted in shock, which once again caused Kazuma to slip.

"OI! YOU GUYS ARE GONNA MAKE ME GRIND MY FINGERS OFF AT THIS RATE! QUIET DOWN OR I'LL USE "STEAL" ON YOU!" Kazuma shouted in anger again before resuming his task.

"Seriously?! That much for a small thing?!" Jean said in disbelief.

"W-Well, apparently Kazuma said the vendor did say that it was so durable it could be run over by a carriage and come out without a scratch." Lily explained.

Such a statement got Jean curious though.

"Hey, can I see that for a second?" Jean asked.

"Oh, sure!" Lily said, taking off the hairpin and placing it on Jean's palm.

"What do you want to see it for?" She asked curiously as she watched Jean walk over to a table that had many tools on top of it.

Jean placed the hairpin on the table before picking up a hammer from the table.

"I just want to see if it really lives up to it's claims." Jean said, raising her hammer above the hairpin.

"What?! Hold on, wait!" Lily said as she tried to stop her, but it was too late.

Jean swung the hammer down onto to the hairpin, causing a loud sound to be produced.

"JEAN!"

"What's going on now- OI, THAT HAIRPIN COST ME A FORTUNE! YOU BETTER BE READY TO- Huh?!" Kazuma was about to yell at Jean, until she raised her hammer to reveal the hairpin sitting completely intact, not even a scratch on it.

"Seems like you got yourself quite the accessory there young lady." Jean said as she picked up the hairpin and tossing it to Lily.

"So that merchant wasn't lying, it really is durable as hell!" Kazuma said, glad that he didn't just get scammed out his money for a cheap hairpin, only for it to be destroyed.

"Seems like it. Anyways, have you finished what you were doing?" Jean asked Kazuma.

"Yeah, no thanks to you..." Kazuma grumbled.

"Oh lighten up! Least your partner there is now sharper than ever! And that's gonna cost ya a thousand eris for using my wheel."

"Fine..." Kazuma said, giving her the eris.

"Pleasure doing business with ya!"

Kazuma and Lily left Jean's shop, heading towards Dale's house.

"I can't wait to see the look on Dale's face when he sees this sword!" Lily said, excited to give the guard his new weapon.

"It sucked that his old one broke, but hopefully this one will do him well." Kazuma said as he looked at the wrapped sword.

As the two walked, Kazuma noticed that Lily was stealing a few glances at him.

"Is there something on my face?" He asked.

"Eep! Sorry! I was just- ah- Well I- Oh! I wanted to ask you something!" Lily said, once she collected herself after being caught.

"What is it?"

"Well, earlier I saw you staring off into the distance again, just like last time. Are you okay?" Lily asked.

"This again? I said before I'm f-" Kazuma stopped when he saw her staring at him with a serious look, indicating he wasn't going to get away with just saying everything is okay.

"I'm... Worried." Kazuma admitted.

"About?"

"The bandits... The fact that I've run into something related to them again makes me worry that they're up to something, and part of that involves getting even with me."

"And what about this morning?"

"In my nightmare, one of their members captured you, they threatened your life. And even though I begged for them to release you, they still killed you." Kazuma said, the memory of the nightmare event popping in his head.

"Oh Kazuma..."

"I'm sorry... But I'm worried that by getting close to you and Dale, I've probably put you both in danger. I get it if you both want to stay away from me." Kazuma said, turning his back to Lily.

A moment passed as Lily processed just what he was saying. On the one hand, he was right. If the bandits were after Kazuma, and they are as powerful as both he and rumors say, then she and Dale would be in danger. So running away from him would be logical. But on the other hand...

Lily walked up to the young adventurer and wrapped her arms around his torso.

"Idiot... We're a team now, you, me, and Dale. We're not going to abandon you that easily." Lily said.

She couldn't see his face, but she could feel his slight trembles.

Kazuma was crying.

To get that kind of confirmation that his team has got his back, the thing that was severely missing from when he was originally arrested, to hear that Lily and Dale got his back mad him really happy.

Kazuma wiped his face of his tears before turning to Lily.

"Anyways! Let's go see Dale!" Kazuma said, voice devoid of any worry he had earlier.

Lily giggled, happy that Kazuma was feeling better.

The rest of the walk was in peace, Kazuma was in higher spirits now. When they got to Dale's house, they knocked on the front door and waited for a moment before he opened up.

"Hello? Oh, hey guys! What brings you here?" He asked the two.

"Well, remember when your sword broke after that dungeon?" Lily asked.

"Of course, damn thing basically shattered. My poor partner..." Dale said, sadly remembering his old sword.

"Well, we thought why not get our pal Dale a gift, so we went and got you a brand new one!" Kazuma said while Lily presented the sword to him.

"Wait, seriously?!" He asked in disbelief.

"Yes! We went to a smith's shop in the northern part of the city to get it made."

"Wait, the northern areas?! But those places are crazy expensive!" Dale cried out.

"Don't sweat the details, just look at you're new weapon!" Kazuma said.

Dale looked at the two before looking down at the sword. He shook his head before he started unfurling the cloth that was covering it.

Underneath was a sword that was resting in its dark grey scabbard. He unsheathed the sword and was immensely surprised at his new weapon. It didn't have the white and grey look of a standard irons sword, rather it was a grey blade, with a hilt comprised of a black guard and pommel, with a grey handle in between. The blade too seemed as if it was sharpened to the maximum. And the weight of it all felt very familiar, as if nothing had changed from his old one.

"Guys... This is perfect! I love it!" He said before giving the both of them a bear hug that could nearly snap their spines.

"Glad you like it. You can give it a try next time we go on a quest, or-" Just as Lily talked, she was interrupted by the sharp ringing sound of some speakers being turned on.

"EMERGENCY! EMERGENCY! ATTENTION ALL CITIZENS OF LORM. A MASS WAVE OF MONSTERS IS MAKINGS ITS WAY TO THE CITY FROM THE WEST. ALL COMBAT CAPABLE ADVENTURERS HEAD TO THE WESTERN GATE AND PREPARE, NON COMBATANTS PLEASE PREPARE FOR EVACUATIONS. THIS IS NOT A DRILL!"

Just as the announcement was made, chaos broke out in the city. Many citizens were running to their homes while the adventurers and guards went to the designated area.

"Looks like you're gonna get to try that sword sooner than later. Let's grab our gear and meet there!" Kazuma said.

"Roger!" The other two said.

Kazuma and Lily ran through the crowd, eventually making it to Lily's house. Kazuma already had his sword on him, so he needed to only grab his bow, quiver, and satchel while Lily grabbed her staff.

The two ran to the western gate where they met up with Dale who was dressed in his complete guard armor. There was a massive crowd that gathered at the gate. A large army, but would it be enough for what's to come?

As Kazuma looked around, he spotted the lady that they talked to this morning at the Guild, working with others to setup tents.

"Hey! What's going on?" Kazuma asked her.

"Oh! It's you! After you told us about the monsters, we sent our best scouts out to see if there was any trouble coming from either near the village or from the forest beyond the border. They returned in quite a panic, saying they witnessed a large army of monsters coming from the forest, making their way to the city."

"Damn it! They're already on the move?!"

Before anymore could be said, another voice called from above. A guard was standing on top of the wall, a telescope in hand.

"THEY'RE COMING! PREPARE YOURSELVES"

Everyone looked outwards. At first there was nothing, but eventually monsters began to appear over the hills. Just as the Guild employee said, it was a massive army. Monsters of all different kinds, big and small, moving as one big unit towards the city. Even in the air, a bunch of monsters with aviation abilities dotted the sky. But the biggest worry was the red dragon that hovered above it all.

"What the hell is that thing?!" Kazuma cried out.

"It's a crimson dragon. It comes from deep within the Devil King's territories. But what is one doing all the way here?!" Lily asked.

Kazuma had a bad feeling about everything, so he activated his "Farsight" skill to see the monster army more clearly. It definitely made him uneasy, seeing all the monsters. But he tore his eyes away from them, looking up at the dragon. Just as he had suspected, standing on top of the dragon was none other than the leader of the "Blood Eyed Bandits" himself, Anak.

"No... He's here, they're here for me..." Kazuma said disbelief.

"The time has come! I will burn down this city and I will find Kazuma, and make him pay! Once I am done with him, I'll find those girls and kill them all! GO MY ARMY, ATTACK THEM, AND KILL THEM ALL!" Anak commanded the army.

The monsters roared in response before they picked up their pace, running towards the city.

Just as Kazuma seemed to have given up already, Lily and Dale put a hand on his shoulders. He looked at them in confusion before they smiled and gave him a thumbs up.

Kazuma smiled before he gave them a thumbs up as well.

With newfound confidence, he unsheathed his sword, as did Dale, while also preparing his shield, and Lily readied her staff.

"Let's do this."