The Dustiness Estate was in all intents and purposes the stereotypical noble home, down to the lavish fountain, neatly trimmed hedges and a multitude of marble statues. Two figures stood in front of the entrance to the large private property, one closely familiar with the premise as their home and the other completely spellbound by its splendor.
"You weren't kidding when you said you come from money, Lalatina."
Darkness threw nervous glances at Kazuma while he kept looking at the large front gate with interest. On the short trip to her family home, she had confided in him about her real identity as high-ranking noble and got not much more than a lukewarm reaction. The most was a chuckle at her embarrassing name and his childish insistence to keep using it from now on.
"Aren't you angry with me for keeping my heritage a secret?"
"Not really," Kazuma replied and stroked his chin in thought. "We would have exploited your wealth and influence. I understand why you didn't trust us. "
Her reasoning spelled out in such bluntness made the crusader embarrassed. She truly didn't want the dynamic within their party to change and rather be seen as the masochistic meatshield than the important noble lady. Only the threat of losing Kazuma to the other girls made her consider coming clean, presenting herself fully to him in body and soul in hope for the best.
So far, her target of affection took the news rather well.
"Megumin and Yunyun shouldn't hold a grudge either. I can't speak for Aqua being cool with all this, because she's very spoiled and petty when it comes to missing out on luxury. Maybe buy her a bottle of her favourite bubbly as peace offering."
The mere mention of the blue-haired goddess made Darkness very annoyed and reaffirmed her goal for this visit. Without making a move soon, her chance to strike would be gone and taken away by the competition. Every waking moment would be spent to make him realize her charms and qualities as a potential relationship partner.
"So… how do you want me to help with your father?"
The moment of truth was here and Darkness knew the best lies were the ones who contain large quantities of truth. Everything she would tell him right now was true, albeit a bit exaggerated for effect.
"There are certain expectations set upon a noble. My father indulges my exploits as an adventurer, but he expects me to eventually follow the path of my birthright."
Kazuma's expression turned sour. "Marrying into another influential family and pumping out babies to strengthen the social standing of your house?"
"Yes, actually…" she answered, simultaneously worried and ecstatic about his shift in mood. "My father already set up a date with my potential husband."
Lord Dustiness had arranged meetings with potential suitors for his daughter, that much was true, although nothing more than tentative attempts had been made to get Darkness hitched. The notion of him forcing anything on her was almost laughable. Any accommodation came from her own sense of responsibility to the family.
"You are here to show him that I'm already taken and play the part of my romantic interest."
Every ounce of willpower was needed to keep her blush at bay. Even a pretend relationship took a lot out of the sheltered noble girl, let alone a pretend relationship to get Kazuma comfortable with the idea of starting a real one.
"Is that why you went all out with the fancy clothes?" Kazuma asked while mustering the new attire of his companion.
Darkness had changed from her usual armor into something more fitting for the occasion. He had seen her wear non-combat clothing in the past, like her casual black outfit with tight fitting blouse, skirt and stockings which was incredibly stimulating in his honest opinion.
Her current outfit, while not comparable to this sexy teacher outfit, certainly had its own charms. The stout crusader had opted for a long and frilly dress in auburn tones with an unnecessary deep neckline showing a lot of cleavage. Instead of her trademark ponytail, Darkness wore her hair open under an elaborate sunhat in matching colors to her dress.
The girl looked like she'd fallen out of a portal from the Victorian age and felt self-conscious for wearing this type of high-society clothing in front of Kazuma.
"Do I look weird?"
"No, you look stunning, Lalatina."
Warm shivers ran down her spine from hearing her real name. Uttered by him in a casual way with that smug smile summoned the butterflies in her stomach. She wanted to thoroughly explore those feelings in the days to come within the safe confines of her home.
"I usually hate people using my name, but you can call me Lalatina here to avoid raising suspicion with my father."
"Sure, it's a cute name."
The blush finally won and reached all the way up to her ears as they entered the premise.
KONOSUBA!
The Dustiness mansion was even more lavishly decorated on the inside. You could see and hear the hustle and bustle of the hired help, maids and butlers bending over backwards to finalize the preparations for the arrival of Lord Dustiness's daughter. One of them, the archetypical butler with grey hair and immaculately trimmed beard, announced their entry to the meeting room.
"Introducing Lady Dustiness Ford Lalatina and her companion Kazuma Satou."
Lord Dustiness matched the splendor of his estate as the cliche of a noble from any rpg Kazuma ever played. The blonde and blue-eyed gentleman in his later years radiated nobility like high-class uranium, down to the perfect poise in his seat. They sat down on the large couch at his opposite and had tea served before their butt hit the cushion.
"I'm grateful your lordship allowed me to accompany Lalatina and welcome me into his home."
Darkness raised an eyebrow at the drastic change of tone, but her father seemed to be pleased. "The pleasure is all mine mr. Satou. Anything so I finally can meet the man my daughter can't stop talking and writing about."
"Father!"
A composed, level-headed chuckle came from the nobleman. "No need to get all shy. I'm naturally interested in the man who has caught your fancy." Lord Dustiness said with a smile, until his voice shifted to a more formal tone. "Although you failed to mention he was the spiritual leader of the axis faith."
Kazuma stiffened from that new nugget of information. It had to happen eventually and now he could be sure his name was finally out there, putting him on the world stage for all to witness. The omission of Aqua meant the goddess herself wasn't unveiled to the public as of yet.
A deity walking among mortals would have made headlines by now.
"Oh please your lordship, I barely hold the title for a week and just try to do my part."
The man was guarded in a non-hostile way, hiding his worries and preservations in a cloud of pleasantries. "Humility isn't something you usually associate with the axis church. Our family is a devout believer in the teachings of goddess Eris and I must admit the news of my daughter traveling with representatives of her rival faith made me nervous."
"The embrace of goddess Aqua welcomes all. As such, there are a multitude hurdles to overcome in integrating all the lost lambs."
Darkness was impressed by how easily Kazuma could change his manners. Despite his self-proclaimed title as shut-in, he could blend in with almost any social group without much effort. A fact that made it so strange he wasn't using this talent more often. Most of the time he didn't bother with pleasantries when there was nothing to gain or the person already knew his true character.
Today he went all out to make a good impression on her father. The way he walked, talked and carried himself oozed formality and proper procedure. Even Darkness was a bit intimidated and sat more straight beside him.
"I hope your lordship forgives my rudeness when I get straight to the point of my visit."
Sweat started to build on Darkness's forehead since this wasn't part of the plan in any shape or form. The solution for this fake problem should have been to broach the topic of their relationship slowly over the complete duration of their stay. Now he was figuratively kicking in the door.
"I'm asking for your blessing to make Lalatina my wife."
A visible crack appeared in the agreeable exterior of the nobleman. "What do you hope to achieve by marrying my daughter?"
Rich or poor, any concerned father would ask the motives of a man who wants to marry his little girl. A man she for all intents and purposes barely knows and potentially just took advantage of her title.
"I wasn't aware of her status of noble until recently. It changes little about my feelings for the woman I love." Kazuma decided then and there, that proper conduct would get him nowhere. The only way to confront a concerned parent was to go straight for the jugular by addressing his unspoken accusation. "I have more money than any person can ever hope to spend and marrying a simple noble girl pales in comparison to becoming the head of a world religion. I have nothing to gain from this besides our shared happiness."
Father and daughter relaxed in their seat for very different reasons.
Lord Dustiness even cracked a smile. "Then what made you so interested in my Lalatina?"
The young man took the hand of Darkness and the young girl's heart fluttered from the gentle look she received from her crush.
"Her amazing boobs."
The sound of breaking bones rang through the room as his hand got crushed in the ironclad grip of his furious crusader and Kazuma kept smiling at the disturbed father. "It would be disingenuous to pretend my first interest wasn't superficial. It's no exaggeration when I say how beautiful and bodily gifted your daughter is."
The maddening sound of grounding flesh stopped. No ounce of falsehood came over Kazuma's lips as he remembered how they first met in the Axel guildhall so many months ago. Kazuma used his battered hand to intertwine his broken fingers with Darkness.
"The alluring packaging caught my eye but I stayed for the content. My trusty crusader never gives up and always stays true to herself no matter the consequence. She's loyal, kind and honest to a fault, everything I'm not and might never be. Simply being with her makes me a better person."
Silence reigned among the Dustiness family and their head butler chose this opportunity to whisper something in his lord's ear.
"It appears I have other matters to attend. I would like to continue this conversation tomorrow, if you would accept our hospitality."
"Of course, your lordship."
KONOSUBA!
Darkness hadn't spoken with him since the meeting with her father concluded. It had fallen to one of the maids to show him around the mansion and prepare his room for the night.
There was no doubt in his mind he would have taken advantage of Darkness if her financial situation had come up earlier. Not entirely free of this bad habit now either, the young half-devil got drawn a bath by the maid and as a full-blooded japanese he couldn't let this opportunity go to waste. The massive room with a pool-sized bathtub made the luxurious amenities in his mansion look sparse.
He congratulated himself for a job well while sinking into the hot water with bliss. "I think that went rather well."
"You are the only one that thinks that."
Two sides raged war inside the young man's head after hearing the voice of his companion, the side screaming at him to turn around winning by a hair against the one fearing retribution for staring. Darkness had chosen a similar get up than Aqua for entering the bath, with only a towel concealing her naked body. A most unfruitful task since no towel in this world could be big enough to contain those curves.
Where Aqua was fittingly cut like the statue of a Greek goddess, Darkness rocked the body type of an amazon with ludicrous proportions straight out of the 80s and their exaggerated beauty standards.
She was a tall blonde with ridiculous large and firm boobs, wide hips and thin waist that couldn't exist in his old world without copious amounts of plastic. Even an artificial rack that large would usually sag quite a bit but her pair of natural mammaries defied gravity itself.
Who could blame him for being focused so much on something so magnificent?
"Turn around and stop staring so much…"
Her tone betrayed her true feelings. Being ogled and adored by Kazuma made Darkness feel squeamish and bothered in all the right ways. The obvious desire for her and the bluntness of his intentions always fascinated her about their party leader. So, his complying with her request and turning around came with a large amount of disappointment.
"Why are you here in the first place?" he asked with a shaky voice, ignoring the pitter patter of naked feet getting closer. "Your father has left for his important meeting, so we don't have to play the part of a couple if it's just the two of us."
"The maids might talk…" The blonde knelt down behind Kazuma and rubbed a washcloth along his back. "We have to be on guard."
"Right…" Kazuma replied cautiously as the woman washed him thoroughly, "I feared my approach was too blunt at the end, but honesty with a pinch of vague bullshit saved it pretty well. This talk with your father could even prove beneficial when we eventually divorce."
Darkness stopped scrubbing and tightened her grip on the washcloth strong enough to wring it bone dry. "Divorce?"
"Naturally, should you want out of the charade, simply accuse me of abuse and infidelity. After getting to know me today and my affiliation with the axis faith, he and the rest of the nobility won't question your claims."
"This would ruin your career… No… your whole life. You would lose everything!"
"Public opinion never mattered to me and I'm used to the role of outcast like a warm blanket. A fake marriage and subsequent separation is the best way to get the suitors off your back for many years."
The scary thing was how little doubt she had about him going through with this crazy idea. He would do it for her without a second thought and her heart ached from fondness and pain.
"What if I don't want it to be fake? Why can't it be real?"
He didn't dare to turn around, because his busty companion had definitely gotten rid of the towel, demonstrated by the feeling of naked breasts lathered with soap rubbing his back in circling motion. Kazuma wasn't the only one who was nervous and aroused at the same time, noticeable by the diamond hard nipples poking him.
"The front needs washing too.." Trembling hands reached around and found the stiff evidence of her effect on him between his legs. It was her first time touching a male so intimately and it showed by her awkward pumping motion.
"Stop…"
"Why? Am I not desirable?"
Kazuma turned around with a serious expression and tried to ignore the sight of a gorgeous naked woman before him. "I believe it's blindingly obvious how clueless I am when it comes to women. You think I'm this outrageous pervert, but my type of pervertedness isn't that special. I'm tame compared to most other deviants from my home. There are real sickos who could make your wildest fantasies a reality."
The voice in his head had changed to shrieking his insecurities and shortcomings at him in deafening volume. All of his thoughts drowned in the cacophony of mockery and he soaked it up like a sponge with acceptance and agreed internally with a hollow smile. "You don't want me. You want the idea of me."
"CLUELESS ASSHOLE!"
The punch he received to the face was undoubtedly the most damage he'd taken thus far, and he included the two times he was impaled by huge swords. His devil-enhanced body ragdolled backwards and skipped three times on the water like a well-thrown stone. Smashing against the wall, Kazuma crumbled into a heap on the floor and was pinned down by Darkness before he could find his bearings again.
"YOU THINK I'M THAT EASY?"
The severity of the outburst showed the anger Darkness felt, since without his devil enhancement this would have killed him ten times over. Even the voice in his head stuttered in fear while it still tried to instill doubt and self-loathing, until it was silenced by Darkness giving Kazuma her first kiss.
No peck on the cheek this time, a full-blown smooch on the lips in an aggressive and demanding manner.
"Don't you think it would be easy for me to find somebody who would fulfill any request? I'm rich and powerful enough to have everything I want."
Deep down, her masochism manifested for the same reason as why she became an adventurer; a way to rebel against her boring and sheltered life. The status as noble heir made others protect and watch after her nonstop, so as a child, it was all about getting into danger to feel excitement.
The sexual aspect came much later with her blossoming into a woman. In fact, it only manifested in the current intensity since she met Kazuma. Before him, all the depraved scenarios she imagined were just that, figments of her imagination without any real possibility of actually happening. Furthermore, her mind turned to those old fantasies less and less, focusing instead all on their party leader in various scenes and she enjoyed the imaginations with a romantic theme the most.
"Kazuma, I only want you to explore those kinds of depraved depths with me. It has to be you, because you're the only man I love and trust to that extent."
She repeated the part that had him stumped. "I love you Kazuma Satou."
"I…"
She kissed the petrified half-devil again, a lot more gentle this time and he reciprocated in kind. In this perfect setup of warm lips melding together, Darkness had to admit something she rather not. Her honor dictated to come clean about the others before going further.
"We all love you in our own way, so we will figure something out to make this work."
Kazuma had become so much for each of them. He was their leader, champion, familiar, explosion connoisseur, chaperone, drinking buddy and councilor among dozens of other things. Darkness understood that for him to choose one title would mean robbing them of all the others and erasing what made him Kazuma.
The implication of her words settled in like a gut punch. "Are you suggesting, what I think you are suggesting?"
His doubt was well placed. It wouldn't be easy and Darkness was determined to make it work for the sake of them all. "The subject came up only briefly before our departure. There's a long discussion with three girls waiting for me."
Kazuma's throat became dry as sandpaper. "Why?"
Darkness shifted upwards to smother his face between her chest while she lovingly stroked his hair. "Why not? Or do you like none of us?"
The tone of her question was intended to be playful but the concern couldn't be banished from it completely. He wrapped his arm around her naked body and used his strength to flip Darkness on her back, drinking in the sight of the exposed woman underneath him.
"You are the most important part in my life."
For a single, glorious moment she allowed herself to think he only meant her instead of their whole group and shuddered in delight. "Then let me be selfish and prove it."
The voice in his head stayed dead silent as he laid on top the naked blonde and deepened the loving hug. Tentative pecks on the lips turned to a full-blown tongue kiss, fueled by their growing lust and inexperience. The same lust which sparked Kazuma's hands into action to touch, grope and stroke every inch of her erotic body. He liked to tease the crusader with quips about her hard muscles, but the softness his senses experienced right now would make this kind of teasing impossible forever.
A nicely groomed strip of blonde pubic hair sat above her dripping wet entrance, which made any further foreplay unnecessary. Both felt that way in their eagerness to start, Kazuma putting his erection on her small patch for emphasis and Darkness tentatively spreading her legs in an almost maidenlike behaviour.
"Are you sure?" Kazuma asked as Darkness eyed the hardened seven inches rubbing her with nervous excitement before parting herself open with delicate fingers.
"Make me yours."
He took the invitation and plunged into manhood with one deliberate push. Darkness winced from the foreign feeling of being stretched apart and simultaneously filled with pulsating warmth. It hurt and for once in her life she didn't revel in the pain. Kazuma realized it wasn't only his lost virginity, showcased by the small trickle of blood staining their connection.
"For such a hardcore pervert, you react surprisingly pure and innocent."
"Shut up you-" Darkness protested and was silenced by another kiss.
"Show me more of your cute and vulnerable side, Lalatina."
Their first time played out like you would expect. A lot of awkward thrusting, groping and kissing without rhyme or reason, which was so good that they couldn't stop anymore once started. Drunk on each other's smell, taste and feel, their naked bodies writhed in the throes of pleasure.
"It doesn't hurt anymore... move faster..."
With this final confirmation, he forewent all caution and the growing familiarity also grew their boldness. Their rhythm increased in intensity, inhibitions lessening with each slap of flesh against flesh and muffled grunts became full-blown moans.
"You feel way too good.. I'm getting close…"
"Me too... don't stop!"
Those pleas were music to Kazuma's ears when he gave everything in a last burst of frantic thrusts to make it worthwhile for the woman underneath him, his half-devil strength coming in handy while pistoning into her to the last second before pulling out.
A plan she thwarted by crossing her legs around him and locking him down.
"No stay inside!"
Rational thought pierced through the fog of pleasure clouding his mind. "Let me pull out or you might get pregnant!"
"I want your child," Darkness cooed with a dangerous twinkle in her eyes, hands grabbing his buttcheeks and assisting the thrusts by pushing. "Maybe a strong boy to follow in his father's footsteps as an adventurer?"
The rational part of his mind continued screaming at him how dangerously reckless the situation had become, only for his hips to deny listening to reason anymore. A beautiful woman wanted to bear his offspring and he couldn't think of anything more powerful as a statement of love.
"Or a cute little girl to spoil rotten and protect..."
Darkness also ground herself harder into his pelvis with a dazed look. Both minds flooded with visions of a possible future inhabiting a girl bearing their resemblance. Blonde hair like her mother, deep green eyes like her father.
"Daddy, come and play with me!"
"How do I look in my dress, Daddy? Am I pretty like mommy?"
"I love you Daddy! You are the best!"
The movement of Kazuma became more frantic, just shy from bursting and determined to plant his seed. "Our little bundle of joy... give it to me... have my baby, Lalatina!"
"Kazuma!"
The sweet release climax came simultaneously too soon and not soon enough, overwhelming the two lovers with its waves of pleasure running through.
Fingernails from the spasming woman under him buried painfully in his back, her legs twitching and raised in the air like getting shocked. Kazuma was spent as well, collapsing onto Darkness with a shuddering breath, listening to her racing heartbeat while resting between her heaving chest.
After making sure that every drop reached its destination, Kazuma rolled down from her and the liquid evidence of their lovemaking pooled in a sticky puddle on the tiled floor. The ebb of adrenaline brought clarity and new perspectives on several issues. Issues like him deflowering his party member in the bathroom of her family home and might making her pregnant during their first time.
The joy of losing his virginity took a backseat to the worry of becoming a father with sixteen. Kazuma didn't regret sharing this experience with Darkness, despite anything they might endure as consequence afterwards. Impregnating Darkness out of wedlock could be an unmitigated social nightmare and a shame for her whole family.
He took her hand between both of his and kissed it gently with a look of determination. "I will take responsibility. For you and our child."
The intended tender moment from his promise was ruined by Darkness staring at him with an embarrassed look before uttering something quietly under her breath.
"What was that?"
Staring at the ceiling was suddenly very interesting for the blonde lying besides him. "I'm on contraception. It's standard procedure among female adventurers."
She avoided his intense stare as it drilled into her to the point small droplets of sweat appeared on her face. He wanted to know why this stupid world scoffed at the notion of a bra and yet practised widespread birth control.
Another question had priority though. "Then why did you say all that stuff about having my baby?"
She snuggled into his chest and looked at him cutely with upturned eyes "I liked the thought of you impregnating me and got carried away in the excitement..."
"I see..."
And just like that, his demeanor had stabilized to his natural state of quiet acceptance. It was just Darkness playing out her lewd fantasies, something Kazuma should have expected from her but the nagging sense of disappointment growing inside of him confused the young man.
"Are you alright?" she whispered in his ear as he was now avoiding to look at her.
"I'm just overwhelmed by the afterglow…"
"Kazuma…"
"I... already picked a name… how weird is that?"
Kazuma's hand firmly blocked the view to his face. The deep chuckling from his throat sounded suspiciously shaky at places and Darkness stilled as she witnessed this new side of their party leader. A raw moment of weakness he allowed himself while the emotions became too much.
Kazuma accepting to be the father of their child warmed her heart and widened the space he had in it. In the not so distant future, Darkness had no doubts she would mother his child. For now, she wanted to take his mind off the heavy subject altogether.
"You know, I still have to finish cleaning you up."
The warmth of her body besides him moved away and he couldn't check where she went due to the continued effort to hide his blushing.
"We just bathed. The only thing filthy is my... ohhh." Another type of warmth and wetness enveloped little Kazuma and startled its owner enough to throw his head back from the sudden resurgence of pleasure. Completely blindsided, he felt around with closed eyes until his hand found long blonde hair to run his fingers through. He recognized the mumbling between licking and slurping sounds as a question directed at him.
"Yes I do forgive you!" Kazuma said with a moan and dared to make eye contact with the woman perched between his legs, blushing from the erotic sight and received more mumbling in return.
"Don't speak with a full mouth. Where are your manners…? AND DON'T BITE!"
