AN:Good news, everyone. In case you haven't heard yet, season 3 of the Konosuba anime has been announced. And, alongside it, an anime adaptation of the Megumin backstory LN has also been confirmed to be coming. I'm guessing both will be in 2023 as I'm sure they would have had a more exact date revealed if they were going to be coming this year.

My questions are just how many episodes will season 3 have to it and what changes will they be making from the LN source material; for better or for worse? I'm also wondering another important question too-

Will Season 3 start with volume 6 of the LN or will it start by readapting volume 5 of the LN first?

I know that may seem like a weird question, especially seeing as volume 5 was already adapted as the movie. But keep in mind; Demon Slayer saw the 'Mugen Train arc' done up as a movie following the ending of season 1 of the anime and yet, they still redid it for season 2, just with some added details tossed in to extend it.

Same thing happened with Dragon Ball Super; most of the first twenty seven episodes were a retelling of the two movies (Battle of Gods and Ressurection F).

So I, understandably can't help but wonder if season 3 will start off with them redoing the Volume 5 adaptation but with more scenes from the LN added in or if they'll just jump straight into volume 6 conent? What do you all think?

Chapter 5: A Fateful Bargain with a Devil

============================{ Part 1: Discussion }=============================

"OK, before we turn in for the night; I'd like for us to go over a few things. If you will, Walther..."

It was the evening of the night we had met Walther and old man Ignis had called the three of us into his study so that we could have a talk.

I found myself sitting next to Ignis while Darkness and Walther were sitting next to each other.

I guess those two really had hit it off with one another; having become friends after the reveal that Walther was not only a closet pervert, but a closet sadist as well, according to what Darkness had told me after they had spent those few hours talking with each other.

I doubt anyone would have seen that one coming?

I sure as hell didn't anyways-

Good for her; she had found herself a like minded soul.

We should all be so lucky in life-

Walther clears his throat; bringing me out of my thoughts as he begins to talk.

"Allow me to once again introduce myself here. My name is Alexei Barnes Walther; the son of Alexei Barnes Aldarp... or at least that's what has been officially stated by my father. Over the last few years, I have come to discover that I am, in fact, adopted."

Darkness cocks her head to the side as she ask him-

"Wait, you're adopted? How did you come to learn this, Walther?"

"While there currently isn't any official proof to support this, I believe I can offer some evidence."

Says Ignis, getting us to look at him.

"First, I can confirm that Walther was not produced by the union between Aldarp and his late wife as she died from mysterious causes not even a year into their marriage."

"Was she one of the first potential victims that would come from their interactions with Aldarp?"

Asked Darkness, getting a negative from her father.

"I don't see why as Aldarp; the Aldarp I was friends with, loved his wife deeply. Now, his father on the other hand, lord Ortis, was another matter entirely. He wanted Aldarp to marry a noble woman but he chose his own path and took a common girl as his wife instead. Following the death of his wife, Aldarp confided in me his belief that lord Ortis had poisoned his wife; killing her as punishment for his defiance and that he planned to confront his father and get the truth out of him."

"And what happened with that?"

I asked.

"Aldarp did at that; or so I can gather as lord Ortis was found dead not long after. Normally, as the one who had the strongest motive to kill him and because he has said as much, Aldarp had been the prime suspect. But it was also around this time tons beyond tons of evidence suddenly came to light about lord Ortis that revealed his true, monstrous nature. When all was said and done, Aldarp was not only pardoned for his crime of murder but was rewarded for bringing justice down upon his father."

"Wait, are you saying fath-Aldarp's father was like how Aldarp is now; a man who had performed many seedy and deplorable actions in life?"

Asked Walther, getting a nod from Ignis.

"Both me and Aldarp had ignored the rumors surrounding his father in our youth. People did like to gossip and make things up about us nobles, after all. How could someone who had all that we have possibly do such evil things spoken about in those rumors? At that time, it was all absurdity to us. Sigh We were both so young; so very stupid back then."

After a brief pause, Ignis then adds-

"It's funny; not long after the death of lord Ortis; I began to notice a change come over Aldarp. He would say things that, once upon a time, he would have never said. He stopped visiting the grave of his dear wife, just stopped talking about her in general. I even recall him saying that she had been a mistake at one point. And then; the very same kind of rumors that had dogged his father began to be said about Aldarp as well. And it was at that time that he announced the existence of you, Walther."

Walther; who had already been sporting a serious face since the meeting had begun, became even more serious now.

"What do you know, lord Ignis?"

"Well, I know that your birth mother was named Undine Radiant Sephonia; Sephy for short. As a daughter of house Undine; she had been the one lord Ortis had wanted Aldarp to marry, possibly because her family was like that of house Dustiness; one of the few noble family's to have reached tier one. Aldarp marrying into said family would have made him an Undine and thus, become a tier one noble."

Walther goes quiet for a moment before saying-

"So, I am am a son of house Undine then?"

Ignis shakes his head.

"Unfortunately, no. Sephy chose to give her heart to a commoner; an Adventurer she had met and befriended after he had saved her from a kidnapping slash ransom demand. His name was Iwatari Daisuke; a traveler from a far distant land."

Iwatari Daisuke?

He must have been someone sent here from Japan; just like I had been.

"While house Undine were grateful for his actions; saving both their daughter and, even more importantly to them, their eris and dignity as a tier one noble family, they refused to let them interacted as he was still just a lowly commoner and an Adventurer. For a lady of such high standing to have interactions with such a person would be seen as scandalous and shameful. So, Sephy did the only thing one can do in a situation like that..."

"She packed up her things and ran off with this Daisuke guy; even eloping I guess."

Said Darkness quickly, her eyes afire with passion from the story she was hearing.

Ignis nods, offering a sad smile.

"Yes; and she even had help from Aldarp himself in the escape as he had wanted her to be happy just as he was happy by simply being friends with her. Anyways, Sephy's family, upon learning this truth, disowned her and cut her off and condemned Aldarp for his involvement with the whole affair. Lord Ortis was obviously pissed but Aldarp laughed it off; taking the opportunity to marry his wife; Lenore."

"So that means Walther here is the biological son of Daisuke and Sephy then? How do you know this, lord Aldarp?"

I asked.

"Simple; because Walther is the spitting image of Daisuke and his Sephy's eyes and her hair color. He also has the weird wristband Daisuke always wore. If memory serves; Daisuke said it was some sort of powerful artifact that grants the user the ability to use any skill from any class without restriction. All he needs is to have seen a skill used once in order to create a copy of that skill and store it onto the wristband and have enough mana in order to use the skill. He also said that only he, or those who share his blood, can ever use its powers."

I see; then that must mean that wristband thingy Walther has; that came from his father, is a Divine Relic, probably given to him when he reincarnated here.

"So that's how, despite being a Knight Class; you were able to use Steal that night at the ball. I'm guessing you using that Restrict Links skill was also because of that nifty piece of arm wear?"

Asked Darkness.

Walther nods as he pulls his sleeve back to reveal the silver wristband with a emerald gem upon it.

"Aldarp gave it to me years ago; never understood why though. He was very happy when I showed that I could use its power. He told me to keep it close as it would one day serve a greater purpose. I still don't fully know what he meant by that though?"

After a quick pause; Walther then ask-

"So, are my parents... dead then? I can't imagine any other reason behind why I would be raised by Aldarp now."

Ignis nods sadly; saying-

"It was some years ago. I don't know much of the details apart from Sephy going missing and then Daisuke soon after. Aldarp then came forth and revealed you; saying that you were a child born to him and Sephy as the two of them had seemingly been involved in some secret whirlwind affair. I never believed that, personally, but I never had any proof to counter that claim either so I just moved on and forgot about it. I hate to say this but I have a tendency to do that a lot, I'm afraid."

"So, what do we do now, father?"

Asked Darkness.

"For now, we should all proceed forward as if we have not come to any conclusions on anything this night. Walther; I'm sure somewhere out there is the proof we all need to bring Aldarp to justice. You don't go committing as many crimes as he is rumored to have committed without there being some evidence lying around to confirm it. As long as you can continue to play the role of his dutiful son; then you'll be in the best position to find that evidence and we can finally have our answers."

Walther nods; saying-

"You can count on me, lord Ignis. Question, do you hope that once this search reaches its end; that you may discover what happened that changed the Aldarp you knew into being the Aldarp we all know this day?"

Ignis doesn't answer verbally but he does nod in response to the question.

I then decide to ask the question I wanted to ask him since before this meeting had started.

"Say Walther, do you know how many mansion's your da-Aldarp actually owns?"

"Yes, I've been wondering that, as well. Aldarp claims that the Stellar Coronatite that Kazuma had teleported away in order to save Axel instead destroyed a mansion that he owned. Seeing as he is currently a tier three noble and can only own a total of three mansions at once, and the fact we know both the Governor's Mansion in Axel and the Alexei private estate at the capital are both fine..."

Walther holds a hand up before shaking his head.

"As far as I know, those are the only two he currently has. There was a third; located in the ocean side city of Verloa, but that was heavily damaged three years ago by Hurricane Whiskey. After that, I believe he sold it and has never purchased another one since."

So, here in this world; do they name their hurricanes after alcoholic drinks?

"So, even you can only confirm the two. I was afraid of that. I... well, never mind that now. I believe we have discussed enough for the day. We should all turn in for the evening as there is a lot of work to be done tomorrow."

We all agreed to that as we stood and proceeded to our rooms for the night.

The next day, Walther bid us farewell as he set out to return to the capital.

Before leaving, he promised to keep both Ignis and Darkness up to date on anything he may discover once getting back to the Alexei estate.

"Lord Ignis, I thank you for your hospitality over these last few days. Kazuma, I'll see what I can do for you on my end should things continue to be troublesome going forward. And... Darkness, I hope to see you again soon."

"Likewise, Panty Raidy, likewise."

Replied Darkness, making both me and Ignis look at her funny.

Since when did Walther start calling her Darkness?

And what was up with that Panty Raidy... oh, right-

That time they had sat down and talked together; I had forgotten about that little reveal.

After Walther had departed, Darkness turns to her father and says-

"Well, father; we must be heading back Axel now too. We still have a lot of work awaiting us if Kazuma is to be pardoned of these false charges and and cleared of the debt."

Ignis nods as the two of them hug followed by Ignis taking some documents from Morris and handing them to Darkness.

"Once you two have returned; give these to the prosecutor, Sena... if you feel that she would put the information collected on here to good use. Hopefully, she can be considered trustworthy enough to trust this all with."

"I will, father."

Darkness hugs him again before boarding the carriage.

Ignis then turns to me and we shake hands.

"I am sorry for this, Satou Kazuma. For all the hardships you have endured since coming to Belzerg. I promise you I will make sure you are not punished for the crimes you have been accused of. I will go to the king himself if I have to."

"Thank you, lord Ignis... I really hope it won't have to come to that though."

"As do I, son. As do I... pause And, if I may be a little selfish here; please keep an eye on my daughter for me. I know she can be a handful at times but..."

I gives Ignis a confident smile; saying-

"Don't worry about her, Iggy. I'll make sure to keep her safe so that she and Wally can eventually fall in love, admit to it, and marry. Isn't that right, LALATINA?"

Darkness; who had been peeking our from within the carriage; is suddenly upon me as she begins to choke me to death, screaming-

"Do you want to die, Kazuma? Are you really that desperate to die now because if so, I can easily grant your wish right now."

After a few moments of getting that crazy Crusader off of me; and Ignis laughing at our antics, we say our goodbyes... again, and set off back to Axel.

Here's hoping nothing else had happened while we had been gone.

============================={ Part 2: Situation }=============================

Me and Darkness stood outside the mansion; an eerie silence covering the place.

The sky's above were gray and the wind was an especially bitter cold one.

Something wasn't right here-

"Kazuma?"

Came Darkness; placing her hand on my shoulder.

Without replying, I ran forward; practically kicking the door in as I darted inside.

"Megumin? Yunyun? Cielo? Anna... anyone home?"

I yelled out, getting no reply.

I then entered the living room and was quickly stopped by the sight of Sena; sitting on the couch but facing me, a wickedly devious smile on her face.

"What are you doing in MY home? And where are the others?"

I demanded, making her chuckle.

"Ah, poor mister Satou. Gone away for a few days, and without even saying goodbye to me before going too. You really shouldn't have left so abruptly like you did. Perhaps things could have gone differently for you... and for THEM too."

Without a thought crossing my mind, I was right up against her; the Bone Scythe Lich skill having activated and the edge of the blade pressed against her neck so closely that I could see blood.

"Where are they? Tell me now."

I roared.

Despite her current situation, Sena just smiled even more.

"First, I should inform you that the court has ordered this property be transferred over to lord Aldarp's ownership; a small bit of compensation for the trouble you caused him."

"Screw that, Sena. I want to know what had happened to my friends? WHERE ARE THEY?"

She then chuckles again, making me increase the pressure of the blade against her neck which she doesn't seem to take notice of.

"Right after you ran off, I came to collect you. Seeing as you weren't here; I decided to take the girls in instead. Lord Aldarp was gracious though; allowing them to be locked away in the governor's mansion... with him to keep them entertained until you got back. IF you came back that is."

"WHAT?"

"Oh, you should have been there, Satou. All of them calling out for you to save them as lord Aldarp escorted each of them into his private chambers; their screams of pain quickly fading into screams of ecstasy. Oh, how I was jealous of them to have experienced such hospitality... and pleasure."

Sena then began to cackle happily; the sound filling the empty mansion.

Unable to restrain myself any further; I lopped her head off right then and there.

Moments later; I had breached the front gates of the governor's mansion and wasted little time using Specter to pass through the doors; only to find a horrible scene awaiting me.

Megumin, Cielo, Yunyun, Chris, and even Anna who strangely looked alive were all dressed in maid attire albeit the skimpiest most revealing attire one could imagine.

And behind them, standing tall and proud, a big evil smile on his face, was Aldarp.

"Kazuma, we've decided to stay and serve lord Aldarp now."

Said Cielo.

"Why weren't you here to save us, Kazuma?"

Asked Chris.

"I thought you were my friend... how could you?"

Cried Yunyun.

"Funny, and here I thought being around YOU could help me feel alive again, Kazuma."

Said Anna, in an amused tone.

Megumin then steps forward and slaps me hard; then saying with bitter words-

"I HATE YOU, KAZUMA!"

Before I could respond; I feel something powerful and hard smack the back of my head, making me fall onto the ground and unable to move as guards were quick to restrain me.

I then see Darkness again, now dressed in the same maid outfit as the others, as she walks over to Aldarp and hugs herself against his fat body.

{Insert Image 1}

"Sorry, Kazuma; but master Aldarp here was always a better man than you."

I then see Aldarp and Darkness enter and deep and perverted kiss.

The next thing I know, I find myself back in the courtroom with the headsman standing over me with ax in hand.

To the side, I could see everyone; the whole of Axel, Mitsurugi and his hanger-on's, Eris and that water goddess, and even my own parent's, little brother, and Erika as she had looked when I had last seen her years ago, all there watching-

And laughing at me; the same laughter I had to endure day in and day out back home in Japan before I had locked myself away and became a shut-in.

"For the crimes of debt, perversion, treachery, murder, and the greatest crime of all; merely existing, I pronounce Satou Kazuma guilty as charged. Now, die and rid life of your cursed existence."

I try to struggle, try to say something in the hopes that someone would step forward and save me-

But all I could do was cry aloud a scream of pain as the ax came down and my world went dark...

"GGGAAAHHH!"

"Kazuma, Kazuma? What is it? What's wrong, what happened?"

Came the voice of the frantic Darkness as I finally awoke from my nightmare.

I quickly look around; asking her in a desperate tone-

"Where am I? Where am I? Where are we right now?"

Darkness was taken aback by my frantic nature; possibly because of how erratic I was being.

"Kazuma, it's OK. Just try to calm down now. You're here, with me in my family's carriage. You fell asleep and I'm guessing you had a nightmare or something. Anyways, everything's fine. See, I can see the south gate of Axel right now. We're almost home."

I quickly push her away; going to look and see that she was right.

Axel's south gate was quickly closing in with our fast movement speed.

However-

"I-I-I have to go; need to make sure the others are OK."

I think Darkness tries to say something to me but I didn't take the time to hear her as I immediately jumped out of the carriage, activated Sprint, and ran like a mad lad away as I made a beeline for the mansion.

I must have been moving like a bat out of hell as I found myself traversing the distance very quickly; reaching the front gate outside the mansion within minutes.

Without wasting a moment; I shot through the front door into the living room where I found-

"Kazuma, you're back. Hey, everyone. Kazuma's...?"

Cielo, who I had seen sitting on the couch before the fire, quickly got up after hearing my loud entrance.

Instantly, I ran over to her and wrapped my hands around her in a tight hug.

"K-K-K-K-K-Kazuma? W-W-What are y-y-you doing?"

Cielo shrieked out as her whole body began to shake violently; then I found myself being launched back across the living room; slamming into the back wall hard.

"That... really hurt... but it was worth it just to know your safe..."

I managed to say despite the near agonizing pain I was feeling from her backlash to my hugging her.

Cielo didn't respond, her eyes wide as her brain registered what had just happened; but then-

"Ah, Kazuma... I-I'm so sorry; I didn't mean to..."

"Cielo, did you say... Kazuma, what are you doing?"

I managed to turn my head; seeing both Megumin and Yunyun having finally joined us.

Despite the sheer pain I was feeling at that moment; I still somehow managed to get to my feet, run over to the two of them, and wrapped them both into a strong hug..

They both began to stammer from my sudden actions, but I didn't care as I said to the two of them-

"You're safe, you're all OK... thank god."

I couldn't see their faces but judging from the fact they started to return my hug must meant that they had both just accepted it.

"Wow, didn't think this would be the scene awaiting us once Kazuma got back."

Came Anna; who I probably would have hugged too if it was possible to actually hug her.

After a moment, Cielo came over and joined in the group hug as well, though she did avoid touching me as best she could..

Finally, when the hug had finally ended, Yunyun ask-

"Kazuma; while I'm sure none of us hated that; quite the opposite as its rather nice to know you care about us that much, but I'm sure we're all understandably confused by your actions."

"What Yunyun is trying to say is 'what's the deal with you all of a sudden, Kazuma?' You're acting all weird now."

Said Megumin as Darkness; who had either followed me, which would be rather impressive given the weighted armor she was now wearing, or because she had directed the carriage to give chase, enters the mansion.

"Perhaps I can explain, everyone."

After that, we had all sat down and Darkness had told them about me having a nightmare.

I had then stepped in and elaborated on what exactly I had dreamed about that had so effected me.

"Geez, no wonder you got all touchy feely emotional with us. I didn't know you could be such a wimp to be overpowered by a dream?"

Joked Megumin; though she was quick to stop the following laugh as everyone gives her an annoyed look.

"Megumin, this isn't the time to make a joke out of this. Kazuma was really worried about us. I know I for one am touched that he cares that much about our safety."

Says Cielo, getting a nod from Yunyun.

"That's real funny coming from you, Megumin. As I seem to PAINFULLY recall; didn't a certain someone here have a pretty bad reaction upon waking up from a 'not so bad in comparison' dream?"

I said to her; reminding her of that awkward morning down at the guild when she had attacked me right after waking up from some magic item induced dream.

Megumin looks down before apologizing for her words.

"I know, I understand all that... I was just... never mind, I really should think before I speak."

Darkness then places a hand on Megumin's shoulder and says to her-

"Well, let's forget all that for now. Has anything happened while me and Kazuma were away?"

"Yeah, that's right. We still need the two of you to tell us how the meeting with Aldarp's son went too."

Said Anna.

Before anyone could say anything-

"Satou Kazuma, is Satou Kazuma here?"

I let out a sigh; a sentiment everyone else quickly agrees with.

"Oh shit, here we go again."

============================{ Part 3: Below }================================

Night had fallen as the five of us made our way out to the 'poor man's' cemetery.

To be honest; none of us wanted to be out here right now.

Well, I know I for one didn't and judging the looks the others had on their faces; neither did they.

So exactly why are we out here again?

Oh right, it was because of that pain in my ass prosecutor, Sena.

Long story short, some weird gnome sized creatures had been spotted around the graveyard.

One adventurous soul must have been feeling daring as he followed the little guy when it had left the cemetery and found plenty more like it hanging around the old mausoleum nearby.

The same mausoleum that Megumin had destroyed not to long ago with her Explosion following me and Chris running afoul of some mysterious smoke creature.

Luckily, Sena seemed unaware of THAT little detail, thank Eris.

I don't want to imagine what kind of trouble I'd be in if she learned about that event.

And, on a side note, I still haven't been able to learn anything about that strange creature either-

Not even a name.

But, for some weird reason, I felt as if a name for it was awaiting being said by me, like it was resting just on the tip of my tongue.

Think, think, Kazuma, think; you somehow know this even though you shouldn't-

That name... it... I think it was... En-

"Look, we've reached the cemetery."

Said Cielo, making me mentally curse as the name slipped away from memory.

"I don't see that prosecutor woman anywhere? Did we show up a bit early?"

Asked Yunyun.

"We probably got here before her. She did say she was going to see if she could hire another team or two to back us all up here. Failing that, then she would speak with the Captain in the hopes he would spare her a few men for this task. Anyways, lets go ahead and proceed to the crypt."

Said Darkness.

We continued on, arriving at the spot the mausoleum had once stood at.

While it was indeed still gone; a pathway leading down into the crypt had been made since we were last here by someone-

And emerging from that opening were the weird looking gnome creatures.

"They look like dolls."

Said Cielo.

"Oh wow, those mask they're wearing look really cool; don't you think, Yunyun. Definitely of a style we Crimson Demons can agree with."

Said Megumin proudly; her eyes glowing with the light of admiration.

Yunyun, on the other hand, didn't look quite so taken by them.

"I don't know, Megumin. They look rather creepy if you ask me."

"Idiot, I'm not talking about the doll things; I'm talking about the mask they're wearing specifically."

"Oh, well I guess then... I guess those mask do look sort of cool..."

Yunyun's words didn't sound all that impressed if you asked me.

She was probably just saying that in order to avoid getting berated by Megumin again.

"So, you've already arrived, Satou Kazuma."

Came Sena from behind me; keeping her voice low and quiet.

Behind her was another team; one that I had seen around the guild before but only rarely.

From the look of them; I was guessing that they must have been one of the more advanced teams that probably went on long term quest; perhaps in preparation for taking the 'graduation' quest.

Apart from them, I saw the two royal guards that had accompanied Sena that day when the drama had first started and a few of Axel's Knight Guard as well.

Sena came to stand beside me; kneeling down as well to hide herself.

"Have you learned anything so far?"

I shake my head at her; telling her that we had only just arrived here ourselves.

The leader of the other party then joins us and says-

"From the looks of it; these guys are coming from crypt."

Sena nods at him before turning back to me and saying-

"So tell me; did you encounter these creatures when you're party was last here?"

I still wanted to know how she knew about that as I was certain the only persons apart from us that did know was Wiz and old man Dawnthorne.

Maybe he had told her?

Anyways, I shake my head and say-

"Not these things, no. The only thing me and Chris encountered when we came her at the behest of Dawnthorne was this weird smoke creature."

Sena cocks her head to the side before asking-

"What do you mean by 'smoke creature'? And what is this about a Dawnthorne? That family died out forty eight years ago? Actually, we can talk more about that later. For right now, we need to determine the source of these things and if they are dangerous to the citizens of Axel or not."

"So, what should we do then? Seeing as you're in charge of this quest; how do you want us to proceed?"

Asked Darkness.

Sena was quiet for a moment before asking me-

"Satou Kazuma, would you be willing to do a little reconnaissance work and investigate the crypt for us?"

Eh?

You want me to go down there?

"Why me, if you don't mind me asking?"

"You have some thief skills, do you not? Skills like Lurk that can allow you to move around down there without being spotted."

Megumin and Cielo then jump in; with Megumin saying-

"Wait, are you trying to get Kazuma killed or something? We don't even know if those things can be fooled by Lurk, to say nothing of their boss."

"Yeah; surely he can't be expected to do this alone at least. Does someone from the other team has thief skills as well?"

We then look at the leader of the other team who can only shake his head in response.

I then sigh before saying-

"Damn it; I really wish you had gotten back by now, Chris. Man, guess I have no choice here."

I go to stand before I feel Darkness placing a hand on my shoulder to stop me.

She then looks at Sena and says-

"Are you seriously going to send him down there alone; especially when we don't know what may be waiting for him inside? I'll go with you, Kazuma."

"I'll go as well."

"Me too."

Said Cielo and Yunyun.

I look at Megumin; seeing her look at me with eyes that said she wanted to come to but knew that she would only get in the way if she did.

I shake my head at them.

"Sorry, guys. While I appreciate all of you for wanting to come along... I really really appreciate it, honestly; but we all know I'll do better without needing anyone to keep hold of me as I move. I'll be more free by myself. Well, I'll be back I guess."

As I go to move towards the hole that led down into the crypt, I hear Sena say to me-

"Satou Kazuma, I... I thank you for your help here."

I didn't respond as I made my way forward.

As I walked, I kept my eyes on the weird creatures as they looked at me then continued on their way.

Either they didn't notice me, which I doubted; or they didn't see me as a threat... yet.

Either way, I made my way down into the crypt; activating Lurk the moment I reached the first level.

I then began to quietly move through the room towards the stairs that led deeper.

As I walked, I was sure I saw a few of these weird doll things stop and look my way; possibly at me.

But they never approached me or did anything to impede my progress so I moved forward.

The second lower level was about the same as the first; no monsters apart from these strange dolls.

I did notice something else though; something rather curious.

Since the last time me Chris and I had been down here, someone had placed glow manatite around the room.

While not well lit; it was still just enough that I didn't need to activate Night Eye.

Soon, I reached the lowest level and was quick to notice a few things.

First, there was none of those weird particles floating around; the ones Chris had said that could dispel mana to some degree.

The second was, much like the previous floor, there was a few glow manatite placed around the room though only half the amount seen on the previous floor.

I began to carefully look from under-croft to under-croft; seeing no sign of either that smoke beast nor anything that could be the source of these doll things.

Well, at least as far as the smoke monster goes, that was a good thing as I definitely didn't want to ever come face to face with that again.

It was then, as I turned from one under-croft to another; I finally spotted a figure up ahead.

It was a man, dressed in a dark suit with dark hair; sporting the same mask the dolls were wearing, sitting down on the floor with legs crossed.

{Insert Image 2}

He must be the master of those guys though, from the way he looked, he didn't seem all that dangerous.

In any event, I should return above and report what I found.

"Going so soon; boy who doesn't believe me to be of any serious threat?"

I freeze mid walk; turning back to look at the figure as he stands.

The well dressed person then laughs; making an exaggerated gesture with his body as he does so.

"Still, Moi must show some gratitude towards thee for thinking Moi is well dressed. Thus, allow me to introduce myself-"

He then does a gracious bow before saying-

"My name is Vanir; master of foresight, one of the Dukes of Hell, and currently a General within the Devil King's army. And now, Moi must offer an apology to thee, boy."

Before I could ask what for; he rushes towards me and lands a powerful blow into my stomach.

"At the behest of the Devil King, there are a few things Moi needs to do with you..."

=============================={ Part 4: Mask }==============================

(Darkness POV)

"It's been nearly twenty minutes since he went in."

Said Yunyun who was resting on the ground as Megumin walked nervously around her in a circle.

"He's taking to long, he's been down there to long. Why is he taking so long?"

Mumbled Megumin as her pace quickened; which was making Yunyun look all dizzy as her eyes followed Megumin as she continued to circle her.

"Lady Sena, do you think this Satou Kazuma person may be the mastermind behind these things?"

Asked one of the guards beside her; which makes Megumin stop circling Yunyun and run over to them.

"You say that again, even suggest it; then I'll make you regret your words."

Yunyun was quick to grab her and try to pull her away while begging Megumin to not make things worse.

I finally sigh before stepping forward.

"Alright, I'm going in."

Everyone looks at me as I begin proceed towards the opening in the ground.

"I'll come with you."

Said Cielo, running over to join me.

"We all will."

Adds Megumin as she and Yunyun quickly run over to join us.

I shake my head at them and say-

"Megumin, Yunyun; I want the two of you to remain here for now. Cielo, you can come but be ready to return if I tell you too. I don't know why, but I feel you're priestess magic may come in handy down there."

Cielo nods as Megumin begins to complain about being left out.

Even Yunyun didn't seem to be happy about being left behind but she at least accepted my words.

After a little rant about how this was all unfair, Megumin finally relented as well but made me promise that we would return safely... and she meant ALL of us.

I nod before me and Cielo began our descent into the crypt.

Once we reached the first level; I scanned the area and saw a few of those weird doll things remained.

After taking a few steps; one of them took notice of me which triggered the rest to also look at me.

Perhaps they had some sort of psychic link with one another or something?

"Darkness, I don't like the way those things are staring at us."

"Don't worry about it. Just stay behind me and let me deal with them, alright."

I told Cielo this before proceeding forward.

After my fifth step; the nearest dolls ran forward and lept onto me, surprising us both when it then started to give me an affectionate hug.

"Oh, that's actually rather cute. Perhaps they aren't actually..."

Cielo's words get cut off as the dolls touching me suddenly explode.

"Darkness?"

I heard her cry.

A moment later, the smoke clears; allowing her to see I was still standing and allowing me the ability to look myself over, seeing that I had suffered no injury from the blast, only a little singe markings on the spots the dolls had been touching.

"I'm good. They don't really pack a lot of damage with their attacks. Of course, that may be because of my high defense stats. Either way, let's play it safe and leave me to take the lead here."

She gives me a nod as we proceed forward.

As we pass from the first level down into the second, more of these dolls try to attack me but I was easily able to endure their blast.

To be honest, I was a little disappointed by how weak they were.

A few tried to get past me and go for Cielo but I was surprised to find my sword attacks could actually hit them which sent a surprising elation coursing through my body.

One did manage to sneak by my but Cielo punched it away before it could latch onto her.

Just as we reached the second set of stairs; guarded by a bunch of these things; they all suddenly broke down into dirt and mud onto the ground. Leaving us both confused.

"What the heck just happened?"

I asked aloud to no one in particular.

"They just... broke apart suddenly. Do you think that maybe Kazuma...?"

"Possibly; if it was Kazuma though, I wished he could have waited a few more minutes. I was having so much fun with them."

I hear Cielo let out an exasperated sigh, one I sort-of agreed with.

Though, to be fair, her reason and mine were probably very different.

Once we had reached the third, and final, floor I believe, we didn't see any sign of those dolls anywhere.

We did, however, see Kazuma; standing in the middle of the long hall way with plenty of side rooms along either side, his back to us and his head slightly tilted upwards.

Something was wrong, though.

The air around him felt weird, different; and it was triggering an alarm within my head.

"Kazuma, there you are. You had use worried when you didn't come back. Just what are you..."

Said Cielo as she tries to run past me,over to Kazuma.

I just barely manage to stop her and pull her back behind me.

"Cielo, wait a moment. Something isn't right here."

"Something... isn't right?"

Came a voice; from Kazuma but it didn't sound like his voice.

We then watch as Kazuma turns around and brings his head down to look directly at us.

It was then that we saw it; the black and white mask covering his eyes with little crescent shapes where his eyes should be, little star shaped marking right beneath the eyes.

He then begins to laugh a pompous and arrogant sounding laugh.

"Kazuma, what are you...?"

"That's not Kazuma, Cielo. Something has possessed his body."

Vanir laughs even more now, arching his back a little to fill the room with his merriment.

"You are correct; Crusader with an ocean of perverted thoughts flowing inside her head. Please allow Moi to introduce himself. Call me Vanir; Duke of Hell and a General of the Devil King's army. Leader of his fifth division; also known as the intel division."

Hearing that makes me take a step back as I quickly bring my sword to the ready.

Behind me, I hear Cielo say-

"Devil King's General... Vanir; then does that mean you were an ally to Verdia?"

"That is correct; curious girl with a fear of men yet wishes to touched all over by this one..."

Hearing that makes me look back at Cielo who begins to stammer as her face turns a bright red.

Realizing I had my eyes on her makes her look away and cover her face with her hands as she tries to deny what he had just said.

"Ah, such dark emotions coming from you both. Truly delicious for one such as Moi who feeds on such dark feelings."

"Enough, Vanir. Let our friend go and tell you why you're here?"

I yelled as I took a few steps towards him.

"And why would Moi want to do that? This boy, while not the strongest of bodies Moi could control, more than makes up for that shortcoming with a a never ending buffet of dark emotions born from memories originating from his far away home. It is like that of being in the kitchen of a master chef and being able to partake in all his best meals as soon as they are done."

"And as for why Moi is here? Moi has two that can be shared."

Then, to our surprise, this Vanir fellow makes Kazuma's body sit upon the ground.

As he does this, I take a quick glance behind me again; getting Cielo's attention onto me as I give her four quick blinks followed by another two.

She nods, understanding what I wanted her to get ready to do here.

"Are you done sharing some sort of secret plan with one another?"

We both look back and see Vanir giving us a devious smile.

Damn, did he know what we had planned?

"Indeed Moi does, my friends. As the Devil of Foresight, Moi knows all that's about to happen but please, don't let that stop you from trying anything. Things will get boring if you just give up without even trying."

"Enough, Vanir. Just tell us why you're here."

"And give Kazuma back to us."

Added Cielo.

Vanir was quiet for a moment before he finally started to speak with us.

"First; Moi was sent here by order of the Devil King himself. The mission given to Moi was to determine the fate of Verdia who has failed to maintain contact with us and never returned after his vacation period came to an end."

Damn, we should have considered that would happen.

Verdia was a General to the Devil King's army as well so it would only make sense for someone to be sent in order to check in on him.

"And second; Moi was asked by the Devil King himself that, while here in the area, to find and check in on a certain person Verdia had found who could be a potential recruit."

I could feel Cielo tense at the words; was she the one Vanir had been sent to...no, it had to be...

"Ding, ding, ding; you are both correct. This boy, who Moi is currently in control of, was that very person Moi was asked to look in upon. In his last message to the Devil King; Vanir spoke of a boy who was turning into a Lich and Moi was asked to find and determine his fate. Moi never could have imagined, even with my gift of foresight, that Moi would find him so soon and so easily."

I grit my teeth as he begins to laugh happily.

Behind me, I could tell Cielo's fear and uncertainty were quickly being replaced with anger.

Vanir then stops and looks at us again with glee.

"Moi must confess to being curious as to why Verdia was assuming that adding another Lich to our ranks was so important; seeing as we already have so many. But now Moi understands. This one has actually gained the Lich skill Apathy which is very very rare to awaken. So, his being recruited is no longer an option but a necessity really. Moi must be sure to take him back once finished here."

Cielo then runs past me; getting between me and Vanir as she shouts-

"Who says I-we will let you take him from us?"

Vanir laughs again before giving her a curious look.

"Ah, the new wave of dark emotions coming from you; oh so sweet to feast upon. Moi can see your truth as well, MULTI-CLASS. Moi must tell you that you were also mentioned as a possible candidate to join us. What do you say, come with us and you can stay beside the boy you have begun to develop affections for due to all he's done for you."

Despite the situation, I quickly turn my head to look at Cielo again who was blushing even more by the sudden reveal from Vanir.

"Cielo; is what Vanir saying here true? DO you really have feelings for...?"

"I-I-I-I-it isn't true... well, I mean I guess it is true that I... but not like that. He's a friend and... well...?"

Vanir laughs again; probably from the newest wave of dark emotions he had succeeded in getting out of Cielo.

In truth, I wanted to tease her now too but business before pleasure as they say.

Still, once this was all over, I should probably advise her to strike while she can before Yunyun builds up the courage to say anything or Megumin stops living in denial.

Hm, I wonder if Chris was even a contender too?

I'll have to ask her when I next see her... anyways, back to the task at hand.

"Ah, all those emotions have given me quite the meal. Should keep Moi satisfied for a few weeks. Now then; serious time. Moi shall now apologize Crusader for I really must be going with the boy here. Shall I bring you along with us as well, conflicted girl?"

I quickly reach out and pull Cielo back again; placing myself between the two of them.

Vanir chuckles by my action before saying-

"Do you really think you can stand against Moi? Even if his body is rather weak, he still has some interesting skills that can be unleashed. Moi can even remove the locks on his more powerful Lich skills which can make things even easier for Moi in escaping."

"Even if you do get past us, we aren't the only ones here. Escaping won't be as easy as you'd think."

Before Vanir could reply; I rush forward and bring my sword swinging around hard which he easily dodges.

I continue my barrage of assault against him while he continues to evade each and every swing of my blade.

"Fwahaha; does thou seriously plan on striking me while Moi possesses this boy's body. You must be very confident about your friends ability to heal his injuries."

I smirk before replying-

"Healing him shouldn't be necessary; NOW Cielo."

I then duck down as Cielo unleashes her Purification magic at Vanir; enveloping him in light as he cries out in pain before the light consumes him.

Once the light had faded; all we could see was Kazuma laying motionless upon the ground-

And the mask he had been wearing laying alongside him.

"Kazuma? Are you OK? Hold on, I'll heal you right up here in a second."

Said Cielo as she goes to run past me again; I once again stop her from following through.

"Darkness...?"

She says, looking at me as I step forward, kneel down, and pick up the mask.

"Cielo, it's not over yet. Despite us saving Kazuma... I hope, I can still feel that guy's presence lingering in the air. I want you to get back up to the surface and warn the others about what's happening."

"But what about you?"

"I'll be along with Kazuma in a moment. I want to make sure we really got him first."

"Then I should go ahead and take Kazuma back up with me then."

I shake my head before saying-

"Are you confident that you can even touch him now, in his current state? If I was confident of you being able to to that, I would have asked you to take him with you as you go. Don't worry, I'll be along in a moment... with Kazuma."

Cielo looked like she still wanted to object to my orders but she ultimately sighs before turning and running towards the stairs; stopping to look back just long enough and say-

"You two better be right behind me or I WILL be coming back down here for you two."

And with that, she was gone.

I smile towards the spot she had just been standing at before returning to being serious as I glance around the room.

"OK Devil King General; just where is your real body hiding at in here?"

"Moi is closer than one would think."

Came a voice, making me turn quickly; my eyes darting in ever direction.

"So you are still here. Come out and face me, coward."

"Moi says... look down..."

As I hear that, I notice a red glow coming from... from the mask.

My eyes widen from the realization that comes over me.

Vanir said he was a Duke of Hell.

If memory serves; Hell Dukes technically can't physically manifest their true bodies into the mortal realm, something about a law agreed upon between them and the host of Heaven as written in the tomes said to have been penned by Eris herself.

To get around this little rule, they can send an item into the mortal world that can act as a medium for their essence to inhabit.

They would barely have access to half their full power but they could walk among the mortals and do as they pleased within reason.

I should have realized it sooner; realized that the mask-

"Fwahahaha; thou is correct, Crusader who lets herself lose focus so easily. This mask is my medium into the mortal world. Moi must thank you for helping me take notice of all the fighters awaiting me topside. You are correct in your assumption that the boy's body would not be up for a confrontation with them... but your body however-"

I curse my mistake as I try to drop the mask but it was to late as it suddenly launches itself forward; attaching itself to my face, and I could feel my mind and body being invaded by Vanir's will-

Which, I hate to admit, was getting me really aroused in the moment.

I really do need to find a new hobby-

============================={ Part 5: Conflict }=============================

(Yunyun POV)

"Have you had a chance to write home recently?"

I asked Megumin who was standing a few feet before me; practicing different poses; some relating to future self introductions and some for her to use when she's chanting before an Explosion.

"A few days ago; I didn't want to write anything to my family until I had something good to write about. What about you?"

Said Megumin as she continued to do one pose after another without glancing my way.

"Not since before I decided to return to Axel. I can't wait to write home and let everyone know what has happened. I'm sure they'll all be surprised to hear that I finally joined a party. And even more so, that I have actually made friends too."

Megumin finally stops doing her poses and turns to look at me.

"You know nobody is going to believe that, right? Sure, you're parents probably will... maybe. But the other girls from school though, you'll have to bring Kazuma, Darkness, and Cielo back home and have them confirm it themselves to the others before they'll even consider believing you."

Hearing that makes me sigh; mainly because I knew Megumin was right.

Back home, growing up; I was always a loner though not by choice.

I ate alone unless I was able to convince others to sit with me for longer than a few seconds.

I was always alone on my birthdays because no one would show up even if invited.

Really, the only time anyone wanted to have me around is when they wanted something and they saw me as a means to get it without having to pay for it themselves.

Oh god, my childhood was horrible, wasn't it?

I shake those now formed depressing thoughts from my head and only allow present day thoughts any place for existing.

Darkness, while I still haven't had much of a chance to get to know her, seems both strong and dependable though there was something curious about her I still hadn't quite picked up on yet.

Cielo was kind and friendly; able to handle many different task handed to her; her only weak point being her fear of men, something I'm sure the others back home could relate to-

Though for different reasons as Cielo at least had an actually reason for her fears while the others was simply due to ignorance as girls and boys were largely kept separate back home until after graduation.

I should really change that detail about us Crimson Demons once I become chief.

And, then there was... Kazuma; he is... Kazuma... and he's...

"Yunyun, why is your face turning all red? Is something wrong? Are you coming down with something?"

Asked Megumin; making me shake my head furiously to push those sudden and rather... interesting thoughts that had suddenly invaded my mind out before it made me say or do anything weird.

"N-no, I'm f-fine. I... um, I was just thinking once we help Kazuma and all, perhaps we should take a trip back home. You know, we could bring the others with us and introduce the party to everyone. I'm sure seeing the two of us in a party together as well as with others would shock them all, don't you think?"

Megumin looks at me suspiciously for a moment before closing her eyes and thinking about what I said.

"Hm, I suppose so. It would give the others a shock; no question there, especially seeing you with actual friends. Still, I'm worried about how my parents would react to Kazuma. In hindsight, maybe I should write a follow up letter back home before we go; let my parents know that what I had wrote to them before was lacking in context, needing proper clarification to properly explain things."

Huh; context, clarification?

Just what do you mean by... oh no, please don't tell me you...

"Everyone, we have a serious problem down there."

Yelled Cielo as she came running out of the hole in the ground.

I was immediately on my feet as the other party and the Knights that had accompanied the prosecutor were all quick to go on alert.

"Please explain what you mean."

Said the prosecutor.

"Where's Kazuma and Darkness, Cielo?"

Said Megumin; her voice becoming frantic.

Cielo then turns back to the hole and says-

"Down there, in the lowest floor. There was Kazuma... he-he's been taken over by a General of the Devil King. Darkness is trying to..."

"Being controlled or is he actually the General all along?"

Said one of the Knights, making us all turn to look at him.

"A good question to ask, to be sure. We will find out once we capture him. Everyone, prepare to..."

"What? You actually think Kazuma's a General? Just how stupid can someone get? You all wait here while we; his PARTY go down there and get the truth. And when we get back, you will apologize to him and begs for forgiveness."

Yells Megumin before walking towards the hole.

Me and Cielo both smile and nod in agreement as we go to follow her.

But the three of us stop as we see Darkness emerge from the hole; carrying an unconscious looking Kazuma, tied with rope, over her shoulders.

"Darkness, you're OK. Does that mean you managed to save Kazuma from that General?"

I can see a smile form on Darkness's lowered face, followed by a chuckle which sends me onto high alert.

"Darkness, what's wrong? Why are you laughing like that?"

Asked Megumin as Darkness then does something weird; she uses one hand to lift Kazuma off her shoulder and then tosses him like a rag doll off onto the ground without a second thought.

We all cry out from both the action and the powerful way the impacted sounded.

We then turn back to Darkness as she lefts her head up; finally revealing a weird mask adorning her face.

"Wait... NO... everyone, that isn't Darkness. That's the General controlling Darkness's body."

Cried Cielo; shocking everyone here, as Darkness then begins to laugh hard.

"Fwahahahaha; indeed for it is Moi; Vanir of the Devil King's army. General and Duke of Hell; yes, that Vanir the master of foresight"

Behind me; I could feel the prosecutor take a step back, clearly she must have known of this foe.

"Wait... are you really THE Vanir that serves the Devil King? Why are you here? Have you come to receive intel from your ally you-that you just treated so... roughly?"

Darkness... no, I mean Vanir, laughs again before forming an evil smile on Darkness's face.

"Oh-ho-ho; indeed Moi is a General for the Devil King. And may Moi ask you what you mean by ally? Are you talking about the boy here? There is no need to answer though for my foresight can see all. You should know; foolish girl who shows great pride for the law yet is so easily deluded by its unfairness, this boy is not an alley to us."

Sena, taken aback by this, says-

"But, during his trial, he..."

"He confirmed his innocence; but a little bit of... hm, curious. It seems someone was being naughty with using a curse to sway your mind from recalling the truth. Here, allow me to correct that detail."

Before any of else could react; Vanir rushes forward past us to stand before Sena and presses his index finger against her forehead which makes her cry out for a second.

As the finger is pulled away; a wisp of dark energy follows suit as if stuck to the finger.

Sena collapses onto her knees; breathing heavily as Vanir is quick to hop away as the Knights and the other party quickly move to protect her.

Vanir then looks at the dark energy and says to himself-

"Hm, a memory manipulation curse. There are only three Dukes of Hell that could have done this or created a Devil Artifact that could have been given to or found by a mortal. This will need looking into later, once Moi has some free time."

He then pushes the dark energy into the mask; probably a means of storage so he could examine it later.

He then looks back at Sena and says-

"So, is the truth coming back to you now; foolish woman?"

Sena, who's hand had been resting against her head shakes before saying-

"Truth, just what are... you... Satou Kazuma, h-he did prove his... Oh god, what did we do that day? What were we about to do to him?"

Vanir laughs again; getting all of us to focus on him once more as one of the Knights helps Sena to stand again.

"Anyways, going back to your question. Moi was sent here to determine what happened to our ally, Verdia. Moi was also tasked with trying to find the boy Verdia believed would make a great addition to our forces; that boy there to be exact."

He then points to Kazuma.

"There's no way he'd join you. Kazuma isn't the traitor type."

Shouts Megumin which is quickly followed up by Sena; surprisingly.

"I shall concur with her assessment. I acknowledge I judged him poorly and in doing so, have caused him much grief and turmoil. But after what he has done for Axel; like saving everyone from the Destroyer, I believe he would never side with your group."

"Fwahahahaha, do you actually believe that? He has done so much for this city, for its citizens, for this whole Kingdom in fact; and how has his actions been repaid? He is shunned and looked down upon because of gossip going around born from many a misunderstanding about things. He was forced to be put on trial under false assumptions and was nearly executed as a result. All his hard work to make himself look acceptable in the eyes of the masses being undone in an instant because of these events. The list goes on and on. The point is this; after all he has suffered since coming here to this kingdom, why wouldn't he want to come join us instead when all he has seen would make any think this kingdom is the true bad guys here."

Vanir then looks at Megumin and adds-

"And you, crazy Crimson Demon girl with a head full of Explosions and unrealistic dreams; are correct. The boy is no traitor... why would he need to be when his own party has filled that role quite easily on several occasions."

Wait, what did he mean by that?

I look at Megumin and Cielo, seeing them looking down with faces full of anguish and regret.

Just what has happened between them and Kazuma before I came onto the scene?

I really need to find out here soon.

Vanir then begins to laugh again; bringing us all back to looking at him.

"Ah, those dark emotions Moi is getting from you all is so refreshing. Alas, as much as Moi would like to stay here and savor these delectable flavors, I'm afraid Moi must be going now, to return and report my findings to the King. Do not worry about your Crusader here. Moi will release her shortly. However, Moi is afraid the boy must be coming with me though. His addition to our forces is to great to simply leave him now. And judging from his thoughts and feelings Moi experienced before while controlling him; Moi doesn't think it will be to hard to sway him to our side now."

As Vanir goes to turn towards the still unmoving Kazuma; the three of us quickly move to stand in-between the two of them.

"Like we're going to just stand back and watch you take him away."

Yells Cielo.

"And if you try to force your way past us, I hit you with an Explosion spell."

Add Megumin which makes me and Cielo panic just a little.

"Wait Megumin, we can't just be attacking recklessly here. After all, we could hurt Darkness if we aren't smart with our attacks."

I quickly say; making Megumin realize we were in a rather tough spot right now due to that fact.

Vanir laugh again at our new conflict.

"Indeed; that was one of the reasons Moi took this one as a temporary body. So what will three all do? Try to fight back against Moi and risk hurting thy friend or stand aside and left fear stop you while Moi takes the boy and leaves. Or, you could just join us as well..."

"Don't worry about me, guys. Do whatever you have to in order to save Kazuma and defeat him. Don't forget, I've put all my skill points into defense so I'm confident I can take any attacks you throw at me and survive."

Comes the voice of Darkness; catching all of us by surprise.

Even Vanir it seems, judging by what happens next.

"Hm, that was a curious event that just happened. Did the Crusader actually...? Never mind, as Moi was saying..."

"Don't just stand there; attacking him already. Like I said, I can take it... I want to take it so give it to me, all nice and hard like huff-huff."

Darkness then begins to huff excitedly, which makes everyone start at her in disbelief.

Even Vanir, once it was obvious he had regained controlled, looked puzzled.

"Strange, Moi has never encountered this event before. Is the will of this Crusader really so strong that she can overpower even one such as Moi, if only for a few moments? Perhaps Moi should take her back with us as well, so Sylvia can examine her in detail."

"I won't let you."

Yelled Cielo as she suddenly rushes forward, then jumping into the air before bringing her fist down at Vanir who just barely manages to dodge.

It seemed Cielo had been the first to find her resolve in attacking; an action I was quick to join as I unleashed blast after blast of Lightning at Vanir who also manages to dodge those as well..

We are quickly joined by the other Adventurer party as they also go on the offensive while the Knights pull Sena back and away from the conflict to protect her.

Vanir laughs as he begins to more and more effortlessly dodge each strike sent at him.

"Impressive, truly a amazing display of skill from you all. But have you already forgotten? Moi is a master of foresight which means Moi already know what attacks are coming before they are even used which makes them all easy to avoid."

"Don't let his words detour you from acting, everyone. He says that but Cielo and Yunyun's initial attacks did catch him by surprise as he wasn't focused. That must mean there's a limit to his ability. Just keep attacking him all at once and I'm sure one of those attacks will get through."

"Be quiet, woman with weird thoughts and feelings coursing through her being; stop telling them things they don't need to hear."

And thus this was how it went for us over the next few moment; we all try attacking in different ways while our target continues to avoid each attack; some more easily than others.

And all the while, we could clearly hear the back and forth banter coming from their shared mouths that further proved that this Vanir didn't have full control over Darkness and that Darkness was a really really weird person when she wasn't being serious.

And then suddenly, a dome of dark energy shoots out and send us all flying back.

As we recover; I look and see Vanir huffing and puffing as sweat began to drop down.

"Impressive; it has been a long time since Moi had to use that skill. Moi has forgotten the side effect of using it while in my current state. Moi must not allow myself to forget that again."

I try to get up, to resume my magic attacks but find that my body felt heavy and unresponsive.

Looking, I could see the others were in the same boat.

In fact, the only ones still standing were Megumin, Sena, and the Knights.

"Hey, what did you do to us?"

Yelled Cielo.

"Don't worry, multi-class girl. Moi just hit you all with a weakness inducing curse. It won't last no more than ten or so minutes though you may be able to cut its effects on yourself down to half that time with your priestess skills. But, before that happens..."

Vanir then turns towards Megumin and begins to walk towards her.

"Now, what should Moi do with you, crazy Crimson Demon who is lamenting her own stubbornness in this moment. Will you finally find the strength to take action or will you just stand there while Moi takes the boy you so care for?"

I could see Megumin shaking; was it because of fear of hurting Darkness or from anger; anger towards herself with having been forced to realize now that her choices in the past had locked her into being unable to contribute more in this moment?

"Megumin..."

I start to say but Cielo then cuts in and yells-

"Don't just stand there, Megumin. You have to do something otherwise..."

"I know that; I do... but I..."

"Fwahahahaha, those dark emotions you are feeling right now, so enjoyable. Now, what should Moi do with you? Perhaps bring you along as well, seeing as the one you have been searching for has joined our numbers and would make for an interesting reunion."

Megumin's head snaps up from hearing those words, making her shout-

"What did you say-urk..."

Vanir then punches Megumin hard in the stomach, making her collapse into a coughing fit.

"Megumin?"

Shout both me and Cielo while we hear Darkness regain control long enough to shout out-

"Damn you, Vanir. How dare you hurt my friend like this. That's it, I won't let you use my body like this any..."

The eyes on Vanir's mask then began to glow; stopping any more words from coming out of Darkness's mouth.

"sigh Moi must really bring this whole game to an end, I'm afraid. It would seem the Crusader is somehow finding the strength to resist Moi's control over her body. Guess Moi must begin the final act now. Sorry, crazy Explosion loving brat, but this is where the game must end..."

Vanir then raises Darkness's sword up; making ready to bring it down upon her.

We all cry out, begging him to stop as the blade goes swing down-

"VANIR!"

Kazuma then comes tackling Vanir; sending all three of them into the ground and knocking Darkness's sword away.

============================={ Part 6: Believe }==============================

(Megumin POV)

Seeing Kazuma pick himself up quickly then placing himself between me and Vanir filled me with both relief and shame.

Relief at seeing that he was OK; knowing that he would find some way to get us all out of this mess.

And shame because I hated being a burden; being some damsel in distress and all that because of my stubborn pride.

"Hey, you still with us, Dynamite?"

He asked me as he spared me just a momentary glance.

That smile he showed me; one that was both cocky yet confident at the same time, made me feel at ease.

Somehow, I already knew he had come up with a plan to save Darkness and defeat Vanir.

I just knew it.

"Yes, so what's the plan, Kazuma?"

"The plan? Yeah... um, well... make sure no one dies for one thing."

He looks away from me; probably wanting to hide the sheepish look I had seen forming on his face.

Damn it, Kazuma, don't take away my faith in you now.

"Well, well, boy. That caught Moi off guard just now. Tell me, just how did you free yourself from being all tied up, anyways?"

"What's this? Didn't you say you were an all seeing devil or something to that effect back down below? That you have the gift of foresight? Surely you don't need me to explain how I did anything just now... right?"

Vanir laughs merrily; something that both creeped me out and worried me at the same time.

"Fwahahaha; thou is quite correct there. Moi has already seen everything that has happened and will happen already. There is nothing that will transpire that Moi doesn't already know. Moi was just asking you so that you could explain it to these simple minded fools."

"Does that include me? Are you talking about me, here? Kazuma, don't listen to this guy. Show this devil just how much of a dirty fighter you are."

Yelled Darkness; momentarily regaining control before the eyes of Vanir's mask start glowing again, even brighter than before.

"Such a stubborn woman. Moi has never before encountered a mind quite as... interesting as her's."

I couldn't help but smirk; thinking that if he thinks he's experienced all that Darkness has to offer, then he'll be in for a serious surprise.

"Darkness, once this is all over, me and you are going to have a serious talk about my fighting method. Anyways, after waking up and seeing you all distracted mask boy here, I used Tinder to burn the ropes binding me up enough so I could escape and take action when I saw an opening."

"By the way, Cielo; I'm gonna need some healing when all this is over. You know, the old number FOUR treatment would be just perfect."

Said Kazuma, making me understandably confused.

I glance over at Cielo; seeing her look just as confused as I was... at first-

And then I see a slightest hint of a smile forming as her body begins to sparkle; signifying that she was using Heal to undo the effects of Vanir's last attack.

But why was she ever so slightly smiling and what did Kazuma say the number four like he did...?

Of course, battle orders when saying a strategy aloud wasn't an option.

While I keep a worried expression on my face; I was smiling on the inside.

I then look back at Kazuma; finally taking notice of something I had failed to notice before-

In his left hand; being held tight, was some weird magic item I had never seen before.

I knew he had a plan after all.

"Fufufu, just tell me what was all that about? Do you actually have some sort of secret way to pass messages along to your friends?"

Asked Vanir.

"Who knows; you're the mind reader after all. And tell me, Vanir; can you see what's about to come next from me?"

Kazuma then rushes forward; right up to Vanir before jumping to the right while using Sprint, darting around Vanir to keep him off guard as he turns quickly from one side to another in an attempt to keep up.

"A very curious tactic indeed, boy. Are you hoping to make me dizzy with this action? Sorry to tell you this but devils such as Moi can't suffer from such a mortal problem. The perverted woman I'm borrowing, however... ugh, Moi would appreciate if you would stop making her want to puke now."

To my surprise, Kazuma does stop but has a smile on his face as he says-

"Sure, I don't mind stopping that and trying to getting a grip from a different angle. Don't you agree, Cielo?"

"WHAT?"

Said both the voice of Vanir and the voice of Darkness as Cielo suddenly jumps up and runs behind Vanir's back.

She then quickly takes hold of both of Darkness's arms before jumping and planting her feet hard into Darkness's back; somehow keeping herself perfectly placed to maintain her hold.

"Your turn, Kazuma."

She yells as Kazuma rushes forward; grabs onto the mask and tries to pull it off.

"Oho, so this is what thou were planning with the multi-class girl. Most impressive but I'm afraid it won't work as it will take far more than your measly strength to pull my mask off her."

"Amazing; simply amazing, Kazuma. I never would have guessed I'd was again find myself being double teamed by you. I never would have imagined Cielo being your partner for this perverted game."

"Darkness, shut up and keep quiet. I don't want the others to know about that?"

My eyes locked onto Kazuma; giving him a suspicious look, one I was sure everyone else was giving him now too.

"Kazuma, what does Darkness mean by that?"

I asked him.

"Everyone, it's not what you think. It was all her fault me and Walther did that to her anyways... never mind that right now. I... damn, I can't pull his mask off."

Seeing that, I run over and try grab on to Kazuma; adding my strength to Kazuma's pull.

Yunyun, having finally also recovered; joins in right after with Sena and the Knights adding their strength as well.

And all the while, Vanir just continued to laugh at our seemingly meaningless attempt.

"Kazuma, I don't think I can keep this up much longer."

Hearing that; I hear Kazuma sigh before he tells us to let him go.

Once we had, Kazuma himself lets go and takes a few steps back before saying-

"I was hoping I wouldn't have to go with this option, if only because it can be so unreliable in these matters. But might as well give it a shot."

I then see him raise his right hand up before him and I understand immediately what he was going to do.

We then hear Vanir's voice say-

"I see; that could possibly work... if you're lucky that is?"

Oh, he is lucky all right?

In fact, Kazuma's luck is the highest I have ever seen anyone have before-

Though you wouldn't know it from all the bad luck that seems to come his way.

I can hear him mumble the words "the mask, the mask, the mask" under his breath before he stares at Vanir and shouts out-

"STEAL!"

In his hand appears a pair of sunflower yellow panties; followed by a shriek from Cielo.

"Kazuma, what are you doing? Why did you steal my..."

"Damn it; god damn it. Every single fucking time. Why does this always happen when I use Steal on a girl? Is this your doing, Eris? Do you make this happen just so you can have a laugh at everyone's embarrassment?"

"Kazuma; how dare you imply lady Eris would ever do such a thing? Ah, to steal Cielo's panties even during times like this. You truly are shameless, perverted, lech of a man aren't you. So impressive..."

Said Darkness; making all of us switch between giving her and giving Kazuma a disbelieving look.

Off to the side, I hear Sena say in a disappointed tone-

"This... this really is how these things go for you all, isn't it? I have so questions about the relationships you all have with one another, to say nothing of your sanity."

The sound of Vanir clearing his throat makes all return our attentions onto him.

"Well, this has certainly been an... interesting evening. But Moi must confess that all of this is starting to become boring. So, if you have any other ideas you want to try, Moi suggest you do them now."

Before anyone could respond; Darkness once again speaks out; saying-

"Everyone; there's only one thing left that has any chance of working. Megumin; hit both me and Vanir with an Explosion spell."

Wait, what did she just say?

Use Explosion on her just to save her?

"I-I can't, Darkness. I know how powerful my Explosions have become recently. If I use it on you now, even you won't survive it."

We then hear Vanir speak out to us, saying-

"Hm, a curious suggestion indeed. Moi understands why you are suggesting this course of action. You believe your defense is powerful enough to counter the clearly fatal maneuver. So what will you do, crazy Crimson Demon girl? Will you go ahead with this clearly foolish action or watch as I win this fight."

"We don't need to use Explosion. I'll use Light of Saber and slice that mask clean off."

Shouts Yunyun, already bringing her wand to the ready as the manatite crystal begins to glow.

"Wait, Yunyun. That won't work. Vanir will surely counter Light of Saber. In fact, I know he will even if I try to restrict his movement for a moment. And besides; he also has a high defense power against magic. No, the only thing that can possibly work is Explosion which can largely ignore defense."

Said Darkness as she turns her head to look at Yunyun.

I look to see Yunyun look upset at hearing that; something I don't blame her for feeling that way.

She then looks back at me and says-

"Do it, Megumin. Use Explosion on me and save everyone, including me."

I once again shake my head; refusing to accept this plan for any reason.

And then, I feel Kazuma place his hand on my shoulder.

"Megumin; prepare to fire off an Explosion."

"Kazuma... I-I can't do that. You know I can't do that. In fact, why are you even..."

Sena then approaches us and says-

"Satou Kazuma; do you know what it is you're asking her to do? What you are asking all of us to bare witness to here?"

To my; and I'm sure everyone else surprise, simply nods at Sena before saying-

"Yeah, I know what it is I am asking for. As such, I want you to be my witness here, Sena. If this goes in any way wrong, then I will take full responsibility for everything."

The seriousness in his tone was surprising.

I don't think I have ever heard him be so serious before; not even when we encountered the Dullahan or the Destroyer.

Sena looks at him for a moment more before giving him a nod.

"Kazuma, thank you for this."

Says Darkness before turning and walking a good ways away from us.

I look at Yunyun and Cielo; seeing both their eyes filled with fear and uncertainty.

I then look back at Kazuma to find he was looking at me and I say-

"Kazuma, this-you-I-I just can't do..."

"Megumin; don't worry. Darkness will be fine, trust me. She won't even suffer a scratch from your Explosion; I swear."

You say that, but-

Perhaps reading my thoughts or more likely he just knows me that well, he adds-

"You know what I'm going to say next; don't you? Believe in the Kazuma..."

"... who believes in me. You know, that's starting to become really annoying, Kazuma."

His confident smile fills my heart with warmth and hope.

He then place a hand on my shoulder; adding more reassurance.

My eyes once again wander to his other hand; again taking note of the weird object he was holding.

It was then my Crimson Demon intellect made a realization-

That object; that strange small cylinder like thing, it was surely part of whatever it was he was planning, why else would he be holding it.

I finally nod before turning back to Darkness and begin to gather mana for the spell.

Kazuma then says-

"Are you really going to just stand there; let Megumin here blast you with her Explosion? You do realize it could end you, right?"

"Moi isn't afraid. If anything; Moi finds this to be a rather intriguing turn of events. Even my powers can't see how this will go. And it's not like Moi will actually die here. As a Duke of Hell, my true body is there. The loss of the this mask will only mean Moi won't be able to act out in the mortal realm for a time."

"Well, if your certain. Megumin, whenever you're ready..."

I nod; still uncertain about this but I do trust Kazuma too and I will continue to do so forever.

"Explosion."

============================{ Part 7: Partnership }============================

(Kazuma POV)

Pain and discomfort welcomed me as I finally regained consciousness.

I try to sit up but the sudden blast of new pain racing through my body quickly puts a stop to that.

I'm at least able to move my head; somewhat that is.

I look around and after a moment of thinking; I realize I was within a healing chamber located within the Erisia Cathedral.

This room was meant for those who had suffered injuries so great that one would say it was a miracle to have survived them.

So why was I here again?

Oh right, I remember now.

"Man, I must be life's biggest idiot, huh? Yeah, a real glutton for punishment. I need to have my head examined or something."

Just when Megumin had fired off her Explosion; I had activated the magical tool I had bought from Wiz's.

This too; which worked in a similar way to the Cover skill possessed by Paladin's, allowed me to switch places with Darkness, making her come to stand beside Megumin while I found myself being at the center of the Explosion, wearing Vanir's mask.

What happened after that I honestly couldn't say.

Question now is; just how did I know that would even work?

"I see you are awake now, Kazuma."

I'm drawn from my thoughts by the voice of mother Clerica who enters the room.

"Yeah, kind of wish I wasn't though. Still really hurting all over, you know."

Clerica nods as she helps me to sit up then offers me a potion which I take.

"Drink that, it should help you take the worse of your pain and discomfort away."

After I had finished drinking the potion, I look at Clerica and ask-

"So, are the others here? I have a few questions I need to ask them."

She nods then ask-

"Do you feel up for talking with them now?"

"Not really, but it would be cruel to not let them see me somewhat OK with their own eyes, right?"

She gives me a warm smile before excusing herself to go get my friends.

Once I was alone again; I return to my previous thoughts; about how I knew it would work?

After a moment, it all comes back to me; my brief talk with Vanir before Darkness and Cielo arrived.

Vanir had just rushed forward; punching me in the stomach-

But I was surprised to find that his punch didn't have much power behind it.

"At the behest of the Devil King, there are a few things Moi needs to do with you..."

He had said before pulling away from me.

I rub my somewhat sore stomach before turning my attention to Vanir and saying-

"Funny way you have with starting a conversation there, friend. Unless this is how all Devil King Generals or Devils start off with each other?"

Vanir's reply was to simply look at me with a sly grin.

"Well, whatever. Just what is it you want to do with me? If you are here to ask me to come join the Devil King's army, then I will have to politely refuse... though I'll admit that I am more open to the idea here as of late, given all that has gone on since I arrived in Axel and, by extension, this kingdom."

Vanir shook his head before saying-

"No; Moi wasn't sent here to recruit you. The Devil King knows your feelings for this kingdom haven't yet gone that far down the toilet. Instead, Moi is here to offer you a bit of aid in your time of need."

"And what, pray tell, is this aid that you so speak of? 'pause' And just so you know, I'm actually already of the mindset that I would leave this kingdom in a heart beat if I was still going alone here. The only reason I'm choosing to stick around at the moment is for THEM; my friends. Nothing more."

Vanir chuckles, then says-

"Curious, despite how you present yourself out on the surface; Moi can see that deep down you are a good person. It's admirable really; if a little bit naive. Moi can see that you see yourself as weak and worthless though you refuse to say that aloud, but know that you are a better person than you'll ever admit too."

"Try telling that to all the people from back home. Even my own family never had that much faith in me; the fact they shipped me off to some private school in another city and never kept in touch while I was there said their true feelings loud and clear. Anyway, can we get to the point already."

Vanir gives off a sigh then he does as I ask and gets to the point.

"The point, impatient boy, is that the Devil King, despite all that's said about him, isn't as evil as some would say. He has actually surprised Moi by just how king he actually is. You would think calling himself the Devil King would say all one would need to know about his nature, but he has told us General's that the name is more of a fear tactic than anything else. Plus, he just likes the sound of it."

"Anyways, word has reached him, somehow, of your predicament and he wishes to help you escape this kingdom's cruel justice system. And so, Moi was sent here in order to aid you in achieving that goal. And, in exchange, he will grant me leave in pursuing my own goals and interest. In other words, an early retirement if you will."

I thought about his words for a moment before asking-

"And why would he want to help me? And how exactly can you help me get out of my current situation?"

Vanir shrugs.

"Your guess is as good as mine behind his reasoning for wanting to help you. Maybe he's wanting to get in some brownie points with you for a possible future request to join his side in the war; who knows to be honest? As for how Moi will help you in clearing your name? Judging from what Moi knows about you and your teammates, perhaps..."

Vanir then stops as he looks past me; his gaze now aimed at the stares before looking back at me.

"It would seem our time to discuss this matter as is has run out. Moi shall relay the full scope of Moi's plans directly into your brain after doing this..."

Before I could ask him what he meant by that, his mask begins to glow before jumping from his body, which immediately turns to earth which breaks apart and falls onto the ground, and appears on my face.

I then found control of my body being taken from me as I feel Vanir's presence within my mind; scanning through all of my memories with precise ease.

He then quickly went over the plan and explains why it is the only one that will work here.

I couldn't help but groan from hearing that as it meant I was so going to be hurting when all was said and done-

And I had been very right about that; given my current situation.

I am pulled from my thoughts again as the door to my room opens and my friends begin to enter.

First was Darkness, followed by Cielo then Yunyun with Megumin coming in last.

I was surprised as I had honestly expected them all to come rushing in and hugging me; telling me how worried they all were.

But that didn't happen as they simply came in slowly; their faces looking surprisingly serious-

Perhaps even angry too?

Maybe it was because of where we were that was making them act like this?

Yeah, like that was something I could believe was the case.

Once they had gathered around me, I sheepishly and nervously asked-

"So, good to see you all here. I'm OK, as you can see so... is something wrong?"

There was only silence as a reply at first and then-

"Kazuma, you idiot..."

Yelled Megumin before she slaps me hard against my cheek; the smack ringing out loudly in the room.

I bring my hand to my face; wishing she had at least gone for my other cheek as the one she had slapped was one that had a healing bandage on it.

In fact, I tell her that very fact though that didn't seem to quell her anger.

"Kazuma, what the hell did you do back there?"

Asked Cielo.

"Yeah, how did you switch places with me like that? Why would you even do that to begin with?"

Said Darkness.

Yunyun, having tears falling then says-

"Do you realize how worried we were about you? Seeing you lying there in that Explosion crater; all burnt while your breathing was all weak and ragged sounding."

"Well, we're waiting."

Said Megumin; tears also present in her eyes though she was just barely keeping them from falling.

I sigh before saying-

"Geez, don't you guys understand the concept of bedside manners at all? You don't start by berating the patient by assaulting them with questions... and by hitting them in an area that's still recovering. You start by hugging them and asking if they're fine. You wait till after they're on the mend, if not fully recovered before doing an interrogation."

My words didn't change the looks they were giving me; it actually made them look more angry if anything.

I sigh again before relenting and telling them everything... well, almost everything.

I decided to leave out certain parts of mine and Vanir's conversation.

I explained about the magic item I had bought from Wiz's shop before we had gained the mansion.

I explained Vanir's plan to get me out of being suspected of being an ally of the Devil King.

And I explained why having Yunyun use her magic to destroy the mask hadn't been an option-

Mainly, it was because nothing less than self sacrifice would appease Sena's warped idea of truth and justice in this matter.

"Um... actually, Kazuma. When Vanir was controlling Darkness, he pulled out some sort of curse core energy from Sena which helped her recall the truth behind what happened that day with you and the bell. You kinda had already earned her reprieve and such without needing to go through all that."

Sheepishly said Cielo; both herself and the others then looking away nervously.

I just sit there for a moment; letting her words sink in before screaming out while holding me head with my hands-

"FUCKKKKK!"

To my surprise; this makes all of them giggle before the air in the room becomes lighter-

And then all finally come closer and hug me one by one; saying they're sorry and how glad they were that I was alright.

Once that was done, and they had pulled away, I ask them-

"So, what happens now?"

"Now, we'll have to leave so Clerica and the other healers can come in and do some more work on you."

Said Megumin with Yunyun quickly following up by saying-

"We were told that if all goes well; you may be able to leave the cathedral and come home tomorrow."

"I need to send word to Sena; who had to return to the capital for some reason, so that she can come back and talk to you in person."

Said Darkness.

I look at her nervously and ask-

"Um... will it be a good talk or a bad talk once I see her again?"

They all laugh as they turn to leave; making me yell out that I was being serious here.

They never gave me any comforting words as a reply-

But, true to what I had been told; I had been allowed to finally leave and return home though I was far from being healed.

The fact that the whole of my right arm and other parts of my body; mainly my chest, still needed to have healing bandages on them and would likely remain so for a few weeks.

In fact; mother Clerica had told us, under no uncertain terms, that I was to refrain from doing any Quest or anything Adventurer related for the next month.

Hey, if having to suffer some aches and pains here and there meant I could kick back and relax for a full month; then you won't see me complaining.

Life back in the mansion didn't change much as I still found myself cooking our meals each day.

At least the girls were finally willing to do the dishes though I wondered how long that will last?

I had hoped one of them, every now and then, would ask if I needed help with the bath; joining me I mean.

That never happened though I wondered if Yunyun, at least, had considered it but had been stopped slash talked out of it by the others?

Maybe it was just me but I couldn't help but thinking that maybe Megumin and Cielo had considered doing it as well, judging from the looks they sometimes sent my way?

Looks that quickly vanished the moment they saw me looking at them.

Anyways, a few days after coming home, we received a letter from Sena, telling us she would be returning in a few days.

A few days to finally learn what my fate would be; I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous.

After all, it was more than just having my name cleared here; there was also the debt to consider too.

Which is why the girls, now with Darkness in tow, had started leaving each day to continue the quest her father had set up for them to do not to long ago.

It was during one of those days that they had stepped out; the day before Sena was return to be exact, that I decided to head into Axel and meet up with Wiz-

To see if she had managed to procure a manufacturer for the items I had brought to her to sell.

Once I reached her shop and saw the 'Open' sigh hanging up, I walked inside and said-

"Hey Wiz, it's me. Have you had a chance to..."

I stopped dead as I see a familiar figure; now wearing a frilly pink apron.

I then say to him with a deadpan tone-

"Aren't you suppose to be dead?"

"Fwahahahaha; did you really expected that to be the end of me, foolish boy? Don't you recall hearing me say Moi wouldn't die as my true self was in another place entirely?"

"Oh yeah, good point. Let me rephrase my question then. How is it you are still here when your mask, the item that allows you to have a presence in the mortal realm, was destroyed during Megumin's Explosion?"

Vanir laughs again; a loud and prideful laugh before pointing at his mask and asking me if I noticed anything different about it.

I look and quickly spot the number two being present.

"That is correct, now annoyed boy who's dark emotions are like candy to Moi. Before you had arrived, Moi had already produced a back up mask that Moi could use as a replacement once mask number one was sacrificed for your freedom."

"Oh, TERRIFIC. I'm SO happy for you. Anyways, is Wiz here? I need to talk to her about..."

Just as I say those words, I see Wiz emerge from the back room as she says-

"Vanir, do we have a cust-Kazuma, I'm so glad to see you. I heard about what happened when you and the others encountered Vanir. Is everything alright? Have you been cleared of those false charges against you yet?"

I shake my head then say-

"Eh, I've been better but I've also been a lot worse too. I'm healing and will hopefully be back at one hundred percent here soon. As for the charges? Sena is suppose to be coming back to Axel tomorrow so I'm hoping that will be the end of that matter. That will just leave the debt to be taken care of. On that note, have you found someone to produce the goods I brought to you yet?"

Wiz then gives me a sheepish look before saying-

"Yeah, about that... um, how do I explain this...?"

Vanir groans before looking at me and says-

"Ignore that useless shop keep. Moi shall take over all business deals from here on out. Someone has to as she keeps wasting all her eris on buying useless junk from that 'to proud to admit his wares are garbage' Crimson Demon idiot. She even forgot to look for someone to produce those goods you made."

Why am I not surprised?

Vanir then continues and says-

"That is a good thing though as Moi can provide an excellent supplier for this endeavor. Furthermore, Moi is also will to offer you a deal. Sign an exclusivity contract with me that says that we will hold co-ownership over the items you create and Moi will have produced so that Moi and the useless shop keep will sell. For one hundred items offered, including the three thou has already made, Moi can give you... three hundred million eris."

I felt as if my heart had stopped at hearing those words.

Three hundred million eris?

Both me and Wiz repeat that sum several times before asking Vanir-

"You just said you'll give me three hundred million eris if I sign a contract with you, right?"

He nods before saying-

"That is correct, boy. Moi will give you said amount for creating one hundred items for us to sell... well, ninety seven Moi should say as you have already produced three of them so far. Once the one hundred had been delivered, if if the sales are acceptable, we can negotiate for the next one hundred items you can produce for us. So, do we have a deal here?"

He then holds out his hand to me; awaiting my response.

What do I say, what do I say?

Hell yeah it what I say as I take his hand and we both shake on it.

"Then we have an accord. Note that it will take Moi a few weeks to get the eris together to pay you with. Until then, Moi hope you can add a few more items to the production list for Moi to sell."

I smile brightly at Vanir; taking note that Wiz was still standing still and muttering the deal over and over to herself.

I had a feeling she was going to be like that for quite some time.

"A few weeks, you said. I'm sure I can bring the number up to at least ten by then. Anyways, I better get back to the mansion before the girls get back. If they find out I took off without telling them, they are really going to chew me out."

Vanir nods as I turn to leave only for him to add one final thing.

"Before you leave; allow me to use my foresight to see your immediate future. Hm, Moi can see you going away for a little while. No doubt this will hurt their feelings but do not fear acting as it will help you come to terms with certain choices thou has made and they will forgive you... in time."

"Good to know... I guess. Oh, Vanir. If you would, please don't tell anyone about what you saw inside my head; the stuff relating to my old life I mean. There's... things about my past I don't want them to know about, at least not until I am ready to talk with them about it."

Vanir gives me a nod before I finally leave the shop and return to the mansion.

============================={ Part 8: Partings }=============================

The following day, we had all left to pay a visit to the Guild and were now standing before Sena and her two guards.

Around us, mainly in the mess hall, were plenty of other Adventurer's, like Taylor and his party, who were watching with bated breaths in regards to what was about to happen here.

Sena takes in a deep breath before finally breaking the tension with her words-

"Satou Kazuma; on behalf of both the city of Axel and the Kingdom of Belzerg itself; I would humbly offer to you this letter of apologizes as well as written proof that the charges of treason and being allied with the Devil King have been dropped and your good name cleared."

"In addition, we would also like to inform you that the rewards for your role during the Destroyer incident which had been unfairly withheld from you and your party in addition to the reward for killing the General Vanir have been used to clear you debt with Lord Aldarp,"

"Factoring all things together, including what had been successfully paid off so far; the remaining amount of one hundred thirty seven million has been transferred into you personal account as of this morning. Again, I deeply apologize for all the wrongs and hardships done unto you during this time."

Sena then bows as the assembled Adventurers and Guild staff all cheered.

Even my own party began to celebrate along with them.

While I tried to put a smile on my face, to show that I was just as happy as they were-

My heart, honestly, just wasn't in it right now.

As the others, save Darkness, left my side to go order themselves a meal, Sena places a hand on my shoulder and quietly adds.

"On a personal note, Satou Kazuma, I am so sorry for everything I did to you and your team during this time. If there is anything I can do to repay you, please tell me and I will do it."

"Work to change the system then. I know, back during the trial, I was told that we weren't in my homeland but in Belzerg, and here things are done differently. I'm aware of all that which is why I can honestly say it all needs to change because of what I had to endure, what others who are innocent have to endure, if this is the norm around these parts, then it becomes easy to ask a simple question; who's the real bad guys in this war? The Devil King or the Kingdom and Belzerg..."

"Because from what I've seen, what I've experienced so far since coming here; I'm honestly leaning more towards Belzerg being the villains of this little story I have found myself in. And it makes one wanting to defect to HIS side seem so easy and appealing too."

With that, I turn and walk away.

I wasn't sure what effect my words had done to Sena, or Darkness for that matter as she hadn't followed after me, and I honestly didn't really care right now, either.

I sat down next to Megumin; who was to busy having an eating contest with Yunyun for either of them to even acknowledge me.

I order a neroid drink as I honestly didn't feel like drinking a beer right now.

In fact, I don't like drinking beer period; especially after seeing what it did to my aunt that one time she became very depressed.

As I drink the neroid, I look around and see Cielo talking with Lynn and a few other female Adventurers about something, I couldn't hear them well enough to be sure of what was being said.

I then look to see Darkness was still talking with Sena, and Luna from the looks of it as she had joined them following my walking away.

I let out a loud sigh; wanting to see if either Megumin and Yunyun took notice of it, and of me.

They didn't so I decided to follow through on my next course of action.

I get up and quietly made my way outside the Guild, take a quick look around, before activating Teleport, and then finding myself standing outside the mansion.

Once I was inside, I quickly made my way up to my room then check to make sure I had everything I believed I would need for the trip.

I then grab the note I had written, and rewritten, a few times and give it a final read-over before heading downstairs.

As I enter the living room, I spot Chomusuke; making me kneel down and rub her around the ears.

"Keep an eye on everyone for me, OK Nia. I'm gonna be gone for a few days so make sure they don't do anything stupid now."

"What do you mean by that, Kazuma?"

Asked Anna as she comes into view.

I then stand and walk over to the table beside the couch and place the letter down upon it.

"I wrote everything that needs to be said done on this, Anna. Make sure the others see it when they get back."

I then turn to leave but only get a few steps away before I hear Anna say-

"Kazuma... what is this? Are-are you leaving everyone?"

I look back and see her hovering over the letter; her eyes locked onto me.

"Did you read the full letter or only just a part of it? Like I said, I explained everything in the letter. I-I just need some time to think, some alone time. Make sure you tell them that I WILL be back in a few days. And then, all of us can figure out what comes next."

I then continue on outside where I take a few moments to look to the sky before I finally say-

"Be home soon, everyone..."

And then I preform and random teleportation and see where the fates will lead me now.

=============================={ Part 9: Awaiting }============================

(Cielo's POV)

As I finished my talk with Lynn and a few other female Adventurers-

The topic of discussion being about a series of female only quest that would be coming up here soon and if I would like to be involved along with the others, save Kazuma of course.

I took notice of a sudden change in the air of the room.

Unable to place a finger onto the why, I returned to the table and joined Megumin and Yunyun-

The former celebrating another victory while the latter going between grumbling about her loss and complaining over the fear that she might puke from over eating.

I smile at Yunyun as I reach over and rub her back for her which seemed to help a little.

I then spot Darkness talking with Sena and Luna before breaking away from them and walking over to join us.

"So, did you have anything to say to those two?"

I asked her as she sat down beside Megumin; getting both her and Yunyun to look first at me then at Darkness.

"Yes, actually. Before Sena left, I wanted to share with her the evidence I and my father had been able to gather about the Aldarp situation. As we were talking, Luna joined in as she had something she needed to share with us as well."

"Like what?"

Asked Megumin.

"From what we have been able to learn, Aldarp only has two estates he currently hold ownership of; his family's estate in the capital and the temporary ownership he has on the Governor's mansion here in Axel. Other than that, he has no other legal holdings on the books."

"Also, father believes he has confirmed where the Stellar Coronatite was teleported to when Wiz sent it away. Evidence shows that it ended up going off somewhere within the Ibexia Forest, if local reports from a nearby town about a loud noise and weird smoke coming from the forest on the day and time in question is to be believed."

"Wouldn't that mean Aldarp had a place located within the forest then?"

Asked Yunyun.

Darkness shrugs before saying-

"If he does, then it is illegal dwelling as the Ibexia Forest is a national preservation spot and as such, no human dwellings of any sort are permitted to be there. If it turns out Aldarp does have a secret estate built there, then it would mean BIG trouble for him; enough to have his noble status stripped from him not to mention restore the five hundred million eris Kazuma had to pay him for damages."

Megumin's eyes go wide; obvious to what that could lead to.

"Then Kazuma could get his eris back then as well as that fat creeper finally get what he deserves. That's great news. I didn't realize you had been thinking to look into things like this, Darkness."

Darkness shakes her head, then telling us-

"To be honest, if it wasn't for Passion cluing me in on doing this with his or her words, I wouldn't have even thought of looking into the matter."

"Who's Passion?"

I asked, getting a 'oh, right' look from Darkness in response.

"Sorry, I forgot to tell you all before. When I left that evening, following Kazuma's trial; I found myself meeting an individual that went by the name of Passion who claimed to be an ally of Ego and Shy. Remember those two, Megumin? We met them during the Dullahan incident."

Megumin nods while me and Yunyun both ask who they were.

"We'll fill you all in later. Anyways, Passion was the one who suggested I look more deeply into the matter and I'm glad I did. Aldarp may think himself untouchable, but I believe his petty little gripe towards Kazuma may very well be the act that will finally see his evils revealed and his crimes finally brought into the light and him into facing justice."

We all smile at hearing that before Yunyun ask-

"And Luna, how does she fit into all this?"

"As me and Sena talked, Luna joined us with even more revealing information. It seems the kingdoms high council may have scammed Kazuma, and us by extension. According to Luna, who's information came from Ruffian and some ally of his, it appears as if the old castle the Dullahan was using as a base wasn't being prepared to be renovated. Rather; the Belzerg war chest is running near empty and because our party is still young and unknown at the time, they pulled a fast one over us to not only avoid paying us for the deed of slaying the Dullahan but actually added on a bill to recoup the losses the war has brought onto the kingdom."

Megumin slams her fist onto the table, then saying rather loudly-

"But they can't do that. I mean, that's- that's..."

Darkness sighs as she places a hand on Megumin's shoulder to calm her; then tells us-

"That is exactly something the high council would do to Adventurers like Kazuma if they felt they had a good reason. Know this; the membership of the high council is made up of many people, and many of them are less than honorable individuals. Some of them could even give the nobles a run for the eris."

"So what's going to happen with all this now, then?"

Asked Yunyun.

"Sena said she's going to look into all these matters for us. She feels really guilty over her actions since coming to Axel originally. As a strong believer in justice, she wants to make everything right with Kazuma, and I believe her about that too."

Speaking of, just where is Kazuma anyways?

He isn't sitting here with us.

I then quickly look around the room; saying-

"Hey, has anyone even seen Kazuma since getting here?"

This makes the others start to look around frantically too; all of us calling out for Kazuma.

Finally, a female waitress, who kinda looked like a female version of Kazuma, walks up to us and says-

"I'm not sure, but I think I saw him leave a few minutes ago."

Hearing that, we quickly pay for the food and drinks we had and left the Guild.

After a momentary look around, we all decide he must have returned to the mansion so we run back there as fast as we could.

Once we had arrived and entered; we call out for Kazuma again-

Getting no reply until Anna appears before us.

"Anna, is Kazuma here?"

Asked Darkness; getting a sad look from Anna in response.

"He was here, but... you may want to read the note he left you all."

Hearing that causes all of us to start panicking as Anna led us to the note.

Megumin was the first to reach it; taking hold and reading it out to us-

"To my friends and teammates; by now you probably know that I have taken off without telling any of you that I was going to do so beforehand. I'm so sorry about that, you guys. I really am. Please allow me to explain my reasoning as to why I just took off as I did and not telling you all in the process."

"During the whole 'needing to prove my innocence' and 'getting the money to placate Aldarp', my mind had been focused on achieving these two goals as well as protecting you all in the process. Now that both have been achieved, I find my mind returning to having darker thoughts; thoughts focused on my growing disdain for the kingdom and for its people, if only for their ignorance and willingness to ignore the obvious unfairness and corruption present within the system."

"Because of that, I have decided that I need a few days away; to be by myself in order to think, really really think about all that's happened and what it it I want to do going forward. That includes if I even have it in me to continuing to serve the needs of this pathetic kingdom."

"So, why didn't I talk to you all beforehand? My reason was simply because I knew that if I did tell you, you all would first try to talk me out of going and then, failing that, would ask to come with me. And I know if you all did ask to come with me, I would have let you all. That is something I don't need at this moment as I fear you all being there with me will cloud and influence my final decision, even if doing that wasn't intentional on all of your parts."

"And so, I have left but I promise you all; I WILL BE BACK. I come back in a few days and I will then tell you all of my decision on this matter. That is why, while I'm gone, I need you all to think on an answer to give me when I come back; an answer I will ask to hear if I decide I do want to leave the kingdom. Will you all come with me?"

"Well, I better get going before you all realize that I've gone all MIA on you and come looking for me. Stay safe while I'm gone and... see you all soon-"

Once Megumin finish's reading the letter; she looks towards the ceiling and says-

"Kazuma... you damn stupid idiot. I'm so going to chew you out when you get back."

Strange, she didn't sound all that mad to me; maybe more amused than anything though perhaps that was simply a reactionary mechanism to help her deal.

I then look at Darkness and ask her-

"So, what should we do now?"

"Well, for now... I guess we keep ourselves busy till that idiot comes back. And while we're doing that, we can brainstorm about how we can punish him when he gets back. And I already have a few ideas."

Yunyun then ask-

"Shouldn't we at least try to find him first? He must still be close by, right?"

Megumin then places a hand on her shoulder as she shakes her head at Yunyun.

"My guts telling me we won't find him even if we do go looking around. I doubt anyone back in Axel will have seen him either. So, for now, we'll wait and once he gets back, we'll hug him and welcome him home, then scold him and punish him for taking off like he did, and then we'll probably go do a Quest together."

Megumin then gives a cheerful smile as she adds-

"Not necessarily in that order..."

============================{ Epilogue: Origin }=============================

The teleportation had been a success; or so I assumed as I had closed my eyes prior to activation.

The first thing I noticed once the sensation of being teleported had faded with the sudden warmth present in the air.

This was immediately followed by the smell present in the air; the scent of the sea.

I finally opened my eyes and confirmed what my thoughts had been thinking of based on these facts.

I was standing on a beach; looking upon a bay that opened into the wider ocean.

I say bay due to the fact I could see a rock formation; this impressive site taking on the form of a protective wall, along each side at the end of the bay with a decent sized opening out into the greater ocean beyond.

I then following the mountain of rock from the right where it began; seeing it go on and on around the whole area before coming back to then end of the rock formation on the opposite side of the bay.

I was sure that if I could fly high into the air and then look down; I'd see this wall of rock taking the shape of a horseshoe with some parts near where it opens being water, a small section in the middle as the beach, and the bottom being a series of open fields and a woodland mixed together.

I could also see a pathway of earth that led far back; leading to an opening far back within the wall of rock at the furthest point from me, possibly leading deeper into this strange new land I find myself in.

I then turn back to the water; looking beyond the wall to the ocean and it was then I see it.

Far out, beyond the ocean past the bay, I see another wall-

A wall of clouds that was divided into sections.

One section was moving clockwise; then next counter clockwise.

Each section going on and on endlessly.

I look to the sky and see this same strange event high above-

It was like this place I find myself in now was being covered by a dome of moving clouds.

I also take notice of many weird diamond shaped rocks floating in the air as well.

Just what was this place fate had brought me too?

{Insert Image 3:}

"Well, here I am; a stranger in another strange land. Just where the hell did I end up anyways?"

Unknown; though one must admit that the scenery is both beautiful and serene

I nod at those strange words; coming from a familiar sounding voice.

"Yeah, I guess that's... wait?"

My head immediately jerk my head to my right; seeing a very familiar figure floating beside me-

"Eyeball? Wha-what are you doing here?"

The floating drone beside me tilts to one side; the motion implying confusion.

Query, master; was it not your intention to send me here originally?

"Honestly, I didn't have time to choose a place to send you; especially when my knowledge of this world is so limited. So, I did a random teleport and hoped for the best. Wait... if you're here then that must mean Vah Rudania is here too."

Eyeball tilts forward before turning and looking up at the top of the rock wall.

My eyes follow suite; gazing upwards and scan along the top till I finally spot the Divine Beast, it's form just barely being visible to me.

Guess I can be forgiven for not noticing it before, right?

"Well, that's one worry I can push from my mind now. I was afraid I hadn't been able to save you."

Oh, that's so sweet. If I had the capability to do so, I would vomit from so much sweetness

Oh, right; this guy had a 'funny side' to him.

"Um... yeah, anyways; how long does Vah Rudania need in order to be fully repair itself again?"

Six days; fifteen hours, twenty two minutes, and...

"Wait, wait, wait, Eyeball; just a little over six days? I thought you said something about needing seven or so months when I last asked you?"

It was eight months, actually. That assessment was true before. However; the mana particles that fill the air in this place are far more potent than outside the Cloud Maelstrom that surrounds this place. Because of this; the atmospheric mana Vah Rudania is currently drawing in has a potency nearly on par with that created by the Stellar Coronatite that once powered myself

Having hearing that; I then took notice that simply being here did make me feel better than I had ever felt in my entire life.

Wait; what did Eyeball just say?

"Say, what exactly is this Cloud Maelstrom anyways? And just where are we while we're at it?"

To answer my question; Eyeball's... well, eyeball begins to glow, projecting an image into the beach and water before me.

It was a holographic map of the world... sort of.

"I take it the eastern continent is where the Kingdom of Belzerg is located?"

Correct; allow me to highlight the kingdom's borders for you

With that, most of the southern portion of the map changed to the bluish color it had before to being green.

I then asked where the location of Axel was at and a dot appeared along the middle south of the kingdom.

"OK, so where are we exactly? And why is the rest of the map all fuzzy?"

A dot then appears upon the far north of the map; which shifts from being flat into being a proper spherical shape with the dot being revealed to be this world's north pole.

I can guess at what you're thinking, master and you are indeed correct. The Cloud Maelstrom covers this world's north pole which means we are literally at the top of the world

"And the reason why the rest of the world outside the eastern continent is all fuzzy?"

Because the rest of the world is currently not yet explored; due to the lack of ships capable of traveling the distance between the current known continent and any that may exist beyond if any actually do exist at all

I nod at its explanation as I look at the dome of clouds moving around atop the world.

"So, anything you can tell me about where we're at right now?"

Very little, I'm afraid. While the Cloud Maelstrom is a force that is known across the known world, very little is actually understood about it. Many have tried to breach the wall of clouds and all have failed. As far as I am aware, only we have every made it beyond the barrier

However, I believe this land within the barrier may be the holy land spoken of in this world's creation myths; as told by the Eris and Aqua religious sects. Would you like for me to relate to you the tale, master?

"Sure, I have time after all. How about you tell me this creation myth as we explore this place."

Very well, master. I shall begin by telling you of the name given to this holy place-

Empyria!

Arc 4: Kazuma finally returns but will he find a warm welcome waiting for him; especially when he realizes he was gone a 'little bit longer' than planned. But soon enough; he and the girls set out on a new adventure in order to recover a new power that could aid them in the future and, along the way, encounter another of the Devil King's Generals. But that may not be the biggest concern as something else has come; a dangerous beast that has set its sights on Kazuma with an unknown intent.

Image 1: Megumin, Yunyun, Cielo, Chris, Anna, and Darkness in skimpy maid attire with Aldarp looming large and imposingly behind them

Image 2: Vanir sitting on the ground, looking towards Kazuma

Image 3: A behind shot of Kazuma; gazing off into the distance as he stans on the mystery beach