AN: This is where things start to change. The ending of the Dullahan fight; you may not see coming...

Chapter 4:

Part 1:

"So, did anyone else besides me get a good night sleep?"

I don't try to hide the sarcasm in my voice as I see Megumin and Darkness emerge from the Axel Prison. I myself had only just emerged from inside that place a few minutes before..

While I hadn't had the chance to look at my reflection within a mirror lately, I could already tell that I must have looked dreadful; with bags under my eyes and my disheveled appearance.

In comparison, the girls didn't look at all bad. If anything, they looked quite well rested all things considered.

"I feel way better than you look right now."

Said Megumin, taking a moment to stretch.

Beside her, Darkness nods then says-

"The beds in our jail cell were surprisingly comfortable, all things considered."

Hearing that causes a vein to pop in my head.

"Beds? Beds? You two had beds? I'm betting you also had privacy as well, am I right?"

Both girls nod, though they were hesitant in doing so.

"You wanna know what I had? I didn't have a bed, not even a patch of straw or a blanket to act as a cushion. No, I just had the hard stone ground in my cell. And about privacy? I had none of that either. What I did have were plenty of eyes all looking at me, giving me the feeling that they wanted to get REAL friendly with the new guy in the cell block."

I then stomp the ground angrily as I shout aloud-

"And the biggest insult in all this is the fact I wasn't even at fault here. I'm not the one who wrecked the mess hall. I'm not the one who chose to indulge in a momentary urge to try out being a sadist instead of joining the attempt to stop the destruction. I was the one who was lying helpless on the ground, trying to recover from having my family jewels shattered."

Seriously, this whole thing was the reason I was an advocate for true gender equality. Why was it they received better treatment than I did; especially when I was the real victim here.

Where the hell can I go to file a complaint at?

"Calm down, Kazuma. Is it really all that bad?"

"We can't do any Quest, or earn money, OR get the discount price by eating at the Adventurer's Guild for two weeks because of what happened. I don't know about you two, but I am worried about my current savings not being enough to last till we can get back to work."

"There's also the fact it makes my long term plans even harder to achieve now."

Both girls look at each other, confused. They then look back at me.

"What plans?"

Asked Megumin.

I sigh as I rub my temples, allowing my anger born cynicism to subside before answer.

"I was wanting to earn enough eris so we can get ourselves a nice place to live before the weather turns all wintery. I've learned we got just two months before winter officially begins and I'm told we could start feeling wintry weather as early as within the next six weeks."

"There's no reason to worry about that. Once winter comes, we can just rent a room out of the Guild. If none are available, there's always the hotel option. They offer special rates for Adventurer's you know."

Darkness explains this to me, but I shake my head in response.

"I already considered that. In fact, I've been getting information relevant to that very matter during my free time. In my opinion, renting a room will be a waste of eris, both short term and long term. The price we'd be paying for one month of renting rooms could instead be used to rent an apartment for the three of us to room in for three to four months. We would do even better if we bought ourselves an actual home but that will take longer than we have to work with."

"Hearing that does make me agree with Kazuma. As someone who knows a thing or two about penny pinching in life, I can appreciate the desire in wanting to go with the best deals available. I didn't know you had been thinking about stuff like that, Kazuma?"

I shrug as I look to the sky.

"One of us needs to be doing it. Sigh Well, best not to worry about that now. We'll just have to work even harder to achieve that goal before winter comes, if possible. And for starters, I want to make a quick stop over to the bath house as I didn't get chance to go there last night. None of us did... RIGHT?"

Darkness walks up to me and places a hand on my shoulder.

"A visit to the bath house does sound lovely right now. But I have to ask; why are you so worried about getting us a proper place so quickly? I get what you meant about renting a room would be wasteful when compared to renting a proper apartment or even buying a home to live in. But the urgency that your words imply feels like your pushing yourself to hard."

I look at her and Megumin and say-

"Well, yeah. I mean seeing that the two of you joined me; formed a party with me, that kinda makes me the party's leader, right? Maybe that's a crass assumption on my part, seeing as we haven't even done a vote about that yet. But until we do have a vote, I still feel like I'm the leader here and as such, it is my responsibility to make sure you both are as comfortable and taken care of as possible. If I was still alone, then that would be a different matter but..."

After a pause, I say-

"I guess I just want to do right by you two. That's all."

Both girls give me a big smile before doing something I wasn't expecting.

They both came up and hugged me; expressing words of thanks and gratitude. Once their hugs ended-

"OK, enough with the sappy stuff. Let's go get cleaned up, then find someplace to have some breakfast, then I'll need to make a trip over to the gear shop to pick up my Adventurer's attire."

We found ourselves standing outside the gear shop, feeling both refreshed and full. I start to walk inside but I'm stopped by Darkness.

"We'll wait out here for you. Me and Megumin will discuss what to do while you're gone."

I nod then head inside the shop.

"Hey there, is my order ready?"

The shop keep looks at me and ask for my name. After my reply, he heads into the back and soon returns with my new look. He then points in the direction of the changing room. Once I had changed, and put my track suit into my pouch, I emerge and approach the shop keep.

"Question, do you do special request when it comes to making weapons?"

"Depends on the request. Why, did you have something in mind?"

I shake my head and tell him that I was just curious as I might have something in mind one day. As I go to leave, the shop says-

"By the way, I heard that you were the guy who won the lotto that was being held over at Panna's Magical Accessories? Congrats!"

I had? Oh right, that was the night me and Megumin had done our first Quest together. After I had left the bath house, I passed by the shop in question and, on a whim, tried my hand at the lotto they were doing after buying a few health potions. I had won the grand prize which was-

"Thanks. Well, I need to be getting back to my party. I'll be back around once I have the money the designs for my custom order ready."

I then exit the shop, quickly getting the girls attention. From their expressions, it was a safe bet that I was impressing them.

I was wearing dark brown boots, a dark gray pants and a dark gray undershirt. Over that was a white tunic or so one would assume at first glance. In reality, it was actually the chain mail cleverly disguised with some white fabric. A green and yellow elbow length cape finished the look.

"Wow Kazuma, you look like a real Adventurer now."

Hearing Megumin say that fills me with pride.

"Thanks for that. So, what happens now? Even if we can't do any Quest, should we still at least go out and kill some monsters and get a few more Levels?"

"About that. I'm actually want to ask for permission to head back home. With my armor gone, I can't be as effective as I could be otherwise."

"Can't you simply get some new armor here?"

I asked, looking back at the shop.

"Sure, but it'll be a waste of eris. My father was having some special armor made for me though it was going to take longer to finish than I felt like waiting around for. So I came here with nothing but some training armor on my person. That's why the armor I was wearing was so easily destroyed on our first Quest. My actual armor should be ready and waiting for me now, as well as my Crusader's sword. I want to head back and collect that stuff before we take on our next Quest here in two weeks."

"OK, looks like we'll be going on a road trip then."

Megumin cheered, obviously looking forward to a change of scenery.

"Actually, could the two of you wait here for me. It's not that I don't want you to come, but-"

Me and Megumin look at each other, then back at Darkness. I ask-

"But?"

"Father, he can be... He's a rather strict person and I'm afraid he may not approve of the two of you being my party mates. It would be better to wait on meeting with him until after we've accomplished some great feats that can be bragged about."

"No problem, we can just stay outside and explore your home village."

Megumin offers up that option to Darkness.

"Not a good idea. My father is quite well respected back home and he'd definitely find out about you guys if you came along. No, I think it might be better if I just go alone. I promise I'll take you guys along with me next time."

Something was fishy about all this. But since Darkness didn't seem like she would relent any time soon, I ended up finally accepting her words. Megumin followed suit, but only because I had done so.

We escorted Darkness to the eastern gate and saw her off. Once she was far enough out of earshot, Megumin asked me-

"Do you think she didn't want us to come because she'll feel embarrassed by us?"

"Probably worried that we'd learn something about her; something she'd probably wants to keep to herself for now. Like maybe the origins of that weird fetish she tries so hard to NOT hide from us."

Megumin agreed with my assessment. I then ask her-

"So, wanna go kill some monsters?"

"Actually, I have another idea. Can you come with me to a special place I've heard about?"

Part 2:

We had passed through Axel, leaving from the opposite western gate and had been walking along the main road for a good while; soon taking a side path that looked unused but appeared to still have been as important as the main road as the path had been just as wide.

I wondered how long we had actually been walking for. While this world had clocks, they weren't like the clocks I was familiar with. The clock back at the Guild Hall was nothing more than a a piece of long fabric that was slowly pulled from right to left. It had numbers on it and would circle around and a little bar along the middle to that helped to indicate what time it currently was in the day.

Maybe I should try to create an 1800's style clock; like a pocket watch. If I could succeed, I bet I could make a fortune.

In fact, I bet if I could recreate anything from back on Earth, I could live a quite and wealthy lifestyle.

"Say, how much father is this place? It feels like we've been walking for hours?"

I asked Megumin who looks tot the sky; probably checking the position on the sun. She then looks back at me and says-

"It's only been an hour and half. Don't worry, we're almost there."

As we continued on, I began to wonder just where she was taking me.

She had described it as a 'special place.' Just what constituted as 'special' to her?

Wait, if she was leading me out to someplace secluded, where we could have total privacy, then did that mean she might actually want to...?

"You're thinking something perverted, aren't you?"

She read my mind so easily; was this some sort of special power Crimson Demons had?

Or was I just that freak'n obvious; so easy to read?

"Yes, ma'am. Can you blame me though? I mean, why else would a beautiful young girl be dragging a healthy young stallion like myself out to the middle of nowhere, where we could have total privacy?"

She stops and looks back at me, thrusting her staff out and poking it against my nose.

"I wouldn't exactly call you a healthy young stallion. For one thing, I've seen just what a little bit of running can do to you. I wouldn't call someone who was looking like he was about to drop dead back then healthy. As far as a stallion goes? I really don't think you could even qualify as a pony. Maybe a mule or a donkey."

Wow, that hurt like a punch to the gut. I droop down, hanging my head low to match my deflated ego.

"You know, if you just wanted to say that I'm ugly, then just say the word ugly. Please don't compare my looks to that of those poor and pathetic pack animals, OK?"

Megumin laughs at me, walking over and patting me on the head.

"Relax, I was only kidding. You don't look that bad, really. In fact, you're kinda cute in your own way."

My head quickly shoots up to look at her but she had already turned away and continued walking. Was she telling the truth, that she thought that I looked 'kinda cute' or was she just saying that to make me feel better after putting me down?

Honestly, why did girls have to be so damn complicated all the time?

"By the way, thanks for the compliment."

I couldn't see her face when she said that but I was pretty sure she was probably blushing.

I pick myself up and move to walk alongside her.

"Anyways, wanna tell me why we're out here then?"

"Isn't it obvious, Kazuma. We're going someplace where I can do my daily Explosion ritual. Since we can't do any Quest for two weeks and until Darkness gets back, I'll just have to settle for doing some target practice at a place I heard about the other day."

She looked at me as she explained. I then ask her-

"If it's just doing an Explosion, then why do we need to travel so far from Axel? If something bad were to happen, help would be a long ways off."

"I have my reasons for this. Trust me, the place we're going will be worth the long walk. Besides, aren't you not wanting to spend some quality alone time with, as you called me, a beautiful girl?"

I give her a deadpan look and speak the thoughts going through me head-

"The city guards would yell at you if you fired off an Explosion near town, huh?"

Megumin's shoulders slump before she stops and turns to look at me.

"They said if I fired off any Explosion's while near town and when I wasn't on a Quest, it will net me a fine for causing noise pollution. They could even have me jailed for a few days as well if I was a repeat offender or did it to close. Those fools just don't understand. I need to do this, fire off an Explosion daily or else I'll die."

I REALLY don't think that's true but I decide to humor her and not say that aloud.

Not long after that, we arrived at our destination. Ahead of us, in the distance, was the sight of an old, abandoned castle that looked like it had seen better days.

"That will be my target, Kazuma. Something so grand and magnificent as that will surely be a worthy practice dummy for my Explosion."

"Wait, hold on a second. That castle may be old and run down looking, but are you sure no one still lives there? What if its some sort of historical preservation site? We could get in a lot of trouble if you suddenly just go blasting it from out of the blue like this."

Megumin waves off my concern as she aims her staff at the castle.

"Don't worry. I've already looked into that. No one has lived there for over fifty years and no one has said anything about it being an important site either. Besides, I think it was just a summer home for some relatives of the royal family back when it was in its prime. They would have moved all the important stuff out once they stopped using it."

"Are you sure about that? You did ask someone if it was OK to blast this place, right?"

Megumin took a moment to answer.

"Of-of course I did. Everything will be fine, trust me."

Her words do little to fill me with confidence; mainly because I knew she hadn't actually asked for permission. My gut was telling me to make her chose another target but after all that walking just to get here, I just wanted her to hurry up so we could get back. There was some other stuff I wanted to do anyways.

"Fine, I've done stupid things before and lived to tell the tale. What's one more gonna hurt. By the way, does this place have anything to do with you being late yesterday?"

"Wait, what do you mean stupid? Are you saying my... sigh Never mind, to answer your question; yes, I did come out here yesterday to see if this place actually existed. Now, can I go ahead and blow it up?"

"Yeah, sure. Do that thing you do so well... Actually, wait just a moment."

Recalling something important, I reach into my Adventurer's pouch, centering my thoughts on 'that' item. While I couldn't see Megumin's face, I could imagine she probably had an irritated look that screamed " Now what?" Finally feeling it, I latch on with both hands and pull the long object out.

Once finished, I lay the object that was almost as tall as me down onto the ground then I look at Megumin.

"Why not take this little number for a spin."

A confused Megumin stepped forward, then knelt down as she slowly opened the box I had brought out. Once she could see what was inside, her eye's lit up with excitement.

Inside was a brand new mage staff I had decided to give her. With trembling hands, she enthusiastically took hold of the staff and pulled it out, carefully examining it.

From what I had been told, the staff was made willow-wood which was a very good choice when making mage staffs and wands due to its superior magic channeling properties. Not the best option but it was one of the best among those choices that were easily available.

It had a smooth finish with a bit of dragon scales along the middle to act as the hand grip for the staff that felt surprisingly comfortable and insured it wouldn't slip away to easily even with sweaty hands.

Also apart of the staff were three charms; two that served as a speed booster that made the flow of mana from the user into the crystal at the top of the staff and the third charm enhanced the range that a spell could be unleashed at.

The best part was the red crystal on the staff. Unlike the blue sphere on Megumin's old staff, this reddish colored gem had more of a diamond shape to it though the edges were rounded. Its name was Crimson Magicite.

Magicite was an offshoot of Manatite that mages and priest often used. Manatite acted as a backup source of mana that mages and priest class magic users could draw from when their mana was low or as a substitute in place of using their own mana.

Magicite, on the other hand, was a magic amplifier, the color of which dictating its power. Crimson Magicite, so named as it was created by the Crimson Demons, or so I was told, was said to be the best kind of Magicite as it powered up any spell channeled through it; essentially making said spell become twice as powerful. In other words, it would be like casting two Explosion's spells at once.

In essence, it was the perfect staff for my self proclaimed greatest Arch Wizard in the world.

Well, close enough anyways.

"Kazuma... Where-how did you get this? A staff like this isn't cheap. In fact, the last time I saw one like this, the price was around two million eris."

Megumin looked at me with her eyes shining a bright crimson color, filled with warmth and passion.

"I'd wished I could say that I earned this through hard work and much sacrifice, but the simple truth is I won it as a prize. After I left the bath house on the night of our first Quest together, I stopped in at a magic potion shop on my way to the guild hall. I was able to try my hand at winning a prize in exchange for buying five hundred eris worth of products. I bought some health potions, played the game, and won the grand prize; that staff. Sorry that it wasn't anything more impressive..."

Megumin shakes her head; giving a big smile that said "I don't really mind." She then looks at the staff with a worried expression.

"Are you sure you want to give this to me, though? Something like this could be sold for quite a hefty sum."

"I'm sure. Considering your old staff looks like it could fall apart after every spell caste with it, I figured now was as good as time as any to get an upgrade. Well, what are you waiting for. Give it a go."

Megumin nods as she hugs the new staff close. She then runs forward and hugs me to.

"Thank you, Kazuma. That's another nice thing you've done for me since we've met one another. It's actually starting to feel a little weird to have someone do so much for me so soon after meeting them if I'm being honest."

"Hey, don't say that. It's not like I'm keeping score of stuff like that."

Maybe I should though? OK, once we get back to town, I'll see if I can find and buy something to act as my journal. Not for that reason of course but to keep track of various stuff in general.

Megumin finally pulls away and looks at her new staff again. She then gets a mischievous look-

"Say, you aren't really giving me this as a way to earn my forgiveness for groping me the other day, right?"

I blush as I step away; stammering out that this wasn't the case. I had planned on giving that to her once the right moment came along and now just felt like it was as good a time as any.

Megumin laughs at my embarrassed reaction.

"Don't worry, I was just teasing you. I know that wasn't your intentions back then so I'll forgive you."

She then turns her attention back to the castle. I then hear her mumble something under her breath-

"I honestly really didn't mind it, not really..."

Wait, what did she just say?

Before I could ask her to repeat herself, she holds her new staff out as the magicite begins to glow.

"Darker the black, darker than darkness, combine with my intense crimson. Time to wake up, descend to these borders and appear as an intangible distortion. Dance, dance, dance! May a destructive force flood my torrent of power, a destructive force like no other! Send all creation to its source! Come out of your abyss! Humanity knows no other more powerful offensive technique! It is the ultimate magical attack!"

"Ex-PLOSION-!"

The energy erupts from her staff, racing across the vast plane between us and the castle like a bolt of lightning. Within a split second, the castle vanished from view, replaced by a blinding flash of light and a deafening roar. It had only lasted a few seconds, but it was an exhilarating few seconds.

I look at Megumin who had collapsed onto the ground, a satisfied look written on her face.

"Ah, that felt amazing...!"

At the sight of her, a question popped into my mind-

Did casting Explosion magic do for her what the thought of being overwhelmed by monsters did for Darkness? If so, then it meant I really was in a team of freaks.

Wait, then what does that say about me?

After that, me and Megumin began what would become our daily Explosion routine. With nothing else to do really, we would come out here and Megumin would blast the old castle like it was all the rage.

While her blast didn't wipe it from the face of the earth, each and everyday saw it become more and more deformed; looking less and less like a castle and more like someone had had done some sort of weird stone stacking art piece.

In that time, I came to have a better understanding of Explosion; finding myself being able to ascertain the quality within each blast to the point that I started to give them scores. Megumin was impressed with how quickly I was adapting and came to see me as an Explosion Connoisseur.

And after each blast and rating, I would carry her on my back as she was unable to walk back herself.

On one of our return trips, she even said she rather liked being carried by me; said my back was very comforting to the point that she felt she could fall asleep when being carried by me. In comparison to that one time she had been carried by Darkness, she easily preferred my back as Darkness's back felt like resting on stone, and that was when she wasn't wearing armor either.

We both agreed to keep that to ourselves.

Apart from our Explosion routine, I had also become the owner of Megumin's old staff.

She had gifted it to me so I could use it when the day came that I finally learned Explosion though she felt bad for giving me such low quality gift, as she called it, in return for her new staff. I told her to not worry about that.

And on the subject of magic, I had made the acquaintance of an old retired mage in Axel who had taught me Basic Magic. He had also told me that most kids today who sought to master magic choose to pass over learning Basic Magic, seeing it as weak and a waste of time.

We both agreed that there was no such thing as weak magic; that even the weakest of spells could be useful if the user was smart enough to see its potential.

He also said that if I could make a name for myself, he'd teach me intermediate and advance magic too.

Soon, the last day of our temporary ban from the guild hall and doing Quest, had arrived. Darkness should be getting back tomorrow too, assuming she wasn't delayed by anything. This would be our last visit to this place for the foreseeable future.

As Megumin chanted her spell, I looked out at the castle and took notice of something odd-

It looked less damaged than it had yesterday. Had someone come around to repair it or was it my...?

"EXPLOSION."

Megumin shouted her spell; the castle once again being covered by the sheer power of the blast.

The force of the shock wave had been so strong that I almost got knocked off my feet.

"Damn, Megumin. That one was something else. The size of the blast, the sheer magnitude of the roar, the fury with the shock wave it unleashed which made my bones rattle yet leaving an almost caress like feeling racing up and down my spine to say nothing of the fact it nearly sent me flying... Now that was a NICE Explosion. Easily worth 105 points."

I give her a thumbs up which she returns happily.

"I agree, completely. It's nice to know there's someone besides me in this world who can truly understand the wonder and majesty that is Explosion."

After that, she lays there and awaits me to come over and pick her up, not that she has much choice there.

Just as I reach her, an idea pops into my head.

I lean down to collect her but instead of getting her on my back like I've always done, I instead opt to try out doing a princess carry, also known as bridal style, this time.

Megumin squeaks from my actions, clearly embarrassed by this.

"Kazuma, what are you doing? This is way to embarrassing. Please stop and put me on your back like normal."

Her face quickly turning a bright red; she made her command loud and clear.

Heh, she was already acting like a princess.

"Oh, come on, this isn't so bad, right? Don't all girls dream of being carried like this at least once in their lives? Besides, I wanted to try something different this time so just hold on and enjoy the ride."

"But what if people see us like this? They'll get the wrong idea... Oh, this is so embarrassing that I feel like I could die."

She buries her face into her arms.

"It'll be fine. Look, we'll switch back to our usual position once we get within eye sight of Axel. Wait, are you actually saying you've never once wondered what it would be like to be given the princess carry treatment?"

"I-Well, I can't say that I haven't... Are you sure you'll put me on your back once we get near Axel?"

I give her an affirming nod which seems to calm her a little.

"Well, I guess this isn't so bad..."

She didn't say anything after that; probably allowing herself to enjoy the moment.

Or maybe it was because she fell asleep as I had to wake her once we got close to Axel?

Who could really say which...?

Part 3:

The sound of an alarm bell ringing out across Axel caused me to awaken quickly.

Feeling confused, I sat up, yawned, stretched, and rubbed the sleep from my eyes. I then look around while smacking my lips.

What was all the noise about? Can't a guy get some sleep around here?

I was about to do just that when a voice rang out across the whole city.

"Emergency, emergency, will all Adventurer's please gather outside the Western Gate. I repeat..."

I listen to the announcement a few more times, each repeat helping me to fully awaken faster.

I really wanted to just go right back to sleep but I doubt that was an option now.

Once I had finished getting dressed, I ran to the western gate; finding plenty of other Adventurer's having already arrived.

I quickly spotted Megumin and ran over to join her.

"Hey, what's going on?"

I asked, noting that her attention, along with everyone else, was focused on a solitary figure a short ways out from the city.

"I can't believe it. One of the Demon General's... Here..."

I heard another Adventurer say this. I then give the figure my full attention.

The figure was covered in black armor that had a purple sheen, a massive sword that appeared to be even bigger than it was; and he looked to be rather big as well.

And a helmet being held in its free hand.

Wait, this guy didn't have a head on his shoulders. It only took me a second to realize...

This guy was a freak'n Dullahan.

{Insert Image 1}

This moment would actually be pretty cool if the air didn't have such an ominous feeling about it.

"I am Verdia, General of the Devil King's army; leader of the first division of his forces also known as the Corpse Brigade. Can anyone imagine what has brought me here; to this insignificant town filled with weakling wannabe heroes?"

His voice, cold as ice, sent chills running up and down my spine. Despite the distance that separated us, I couldn't help but feel that if he wanted to, he could kill any one of us, or even all of us, without even needing to take a single step forward.

No one could respond to his question; either because of fear or uncertainty.

After a moment of waiting for some one to speak had passed, he slams his sword into the ground to free up a hand so he could clench said hand tightly then begins to stomp the ground like an angry child.

"Each day, every day, every single god damn day for the last two weeks, some imbecile has been coming around and launching Explosion after Explosion at the old castle that once housed the Duke and Duchess of Lemnias. I demand to know who is responsible and demand they come forward and apologize to me at once."

Oh crap, that was us.

I look at Megumin who immediately looks away, wanting to avoid my gaze.

Around us, the other Adventurer's start talking amongst themselves; asking who could have possibly done it. They all then turn their attention to and glare at Megumin.

I'm guessing the was the likely, if not the only suspect.

"Look, I have no interest in starting any conflict here. In truth, my being here in this area is simply due to the fact that me and the Corpse Brigade have been given leave to enjoy a little R to have a vacation from all the fighting. If the one who responsible steps forward, apologizes to me for the undeserved harassment and agrees to refrain from further attacks on that old castle until after I've left within one weeks time, then I will leave it at that and allow you all to return to your cozy little lives."

The Adventurer's around us start telling Megumin to hurry up and go prostrate herself before the Dullahan.

Some were even trying to forcibly push her forward.

"Do you want me to go with you?"

Megumin shakes her head. After a moment, she begins to walk forward.

The Dullahan tilts the hand holding his head to indicate cocking his head to the side.

He was probably confused to see someone with the appearance of a child coming towards him.

"Are you saying that it was you, little kid?"

He then repositions his head to gaze back at the rest of us.

"Are you all trying to make some sort of joke, here? Sending a child playing make believe at being some sort of mage to placate me? It would be wise of you all to not stoke my wrath right now."

Megumin comes to a stop, hold her staff out before her, confidently declares-

"My name is Megumin, Arch Wizard and wielder of Explosion magic. Don't you dare look down on me."

Wait, Megumin. Please don't anger the nice Dullahan here.

"Megu-what? Are you making some sort of bizarre joke here or something?"

"I'm not joking. Geez, why does everyone who hears my name think that? I am a proud member of the Crimson Demons. If you have a problem with our names, just say it already. You should know that for us, its all the rest of you who have stupid sounding names."

Megumin huffs and puffs as she stops the ground and swings her staff around wildly.

I think I should join her after all, if only to protect the Dullahan from her...

Wait, why do I care about protecting him now?

The Dullahan was clearly caught off guard by her response and appeared to even be a little freaked out by Megumin too. After a moment, he appeared to regain his composure then he speaks to her again.

"Ah... yes, I see. You are a Crimson Demon then. I should have noticed; what with the color of your eyes and all. Sigh Look, just forget about the apology. As I said before, I'll be staying at that castle for another week. Don't come blasting it again until after and we should be good. Now, if you excuse me..."

The Dullahan goes to leave but then Megumin had to be Megumin and say something stupid.

"I refuse. I'll let you in on a little secret. We Crimson Demons have to unleash our preferred spell on a daily basis and at specific targets or else we'll die. And not just any target will do. It has to be something big and hard or else we won't feel satisfied after the fact."

She then begins to make weird motions with her body, using her staff in a way that was way to perverted, especially for a girl of her age.

The Dullahan also looks back to respond but is quickly freaked out by what he was seeing.

"Hey, stop doing that, you little freak. That's not normal and you have everyone looking at you all funny. Hey, does this brat have any party members present? If so, come quickly and do something about this... pervert already."

I curse as I begin to walk quickly out to collect her.

Megumin stops her action, the air about her becoming a serious one.

The Dullahan also becomes serious again as he holds his free hand out towards her.

"So, I take it you won't heed my warning and stop with the assault on that castle then?"

Megumin shakes her head, making me go from walking fast to running towards her.

"Sorry, but I can't. I admit that what I said before was a lie. But I do need to still do these things daily. It's in my nature, after all. It's who I am."

"I see; that is unfortunate to hear. I had hoped it wouldn't come to this but you left me no choice..."

A dark flame erupts around the Dullahan's hand. It holds for just a second before being blasted at Megumin who could only stand there, unable to move due to shock.

"Megumin" I yells, knowing I wouldn't get there in time.

"GGAAHH."

The scream hadn't been from Megumin, but from the person who had suddenly appeared from the side to push her out of the way, taking the hit herself.

It was Darkness. When had she arrived?

And how the hell could she be faster than me with all that heavy looking armor on?

"Darkness..."

Cried Megumin, rushing over to join our Crusader who had collapsed to her knee's.

"Are you alright, Megumin... huff huff?"

She asked with labored breathing; either from being hit by that attack or from the running. Or both?

"Who are you? I guess it doesn't matter. Based on your attire, I can guess you are of the Knight class?"

Darkness looked at the Dullahan and gave him a smug smile as she pulled herself up, using her new sword as support.

"I am a Crusader. My name is Darkness. How dare you attack my comrade in such a way."

"A Crusader? Hm, you do indeed look the part. Your action's though are more fitting of a Paladin. Either way, you shown yourself to be a true follower of the honorable path and for that, and as I to was once one who walked that path, you have my admiration and respect."

Darkness growled as she made a wave of her hand. I finally joined them as well.

"Enough of that. You didn't answer my question. Why have you needlessly attacked my comrade?"

"Needlessly? You say that after all that she has been doing...? Perhaps you don't know? Very well, I shall repeat myself just this once. She, as well as another, were involved in a heinous and unprovoked attack upon the castle me and my minion were staying at for our vacation. For that, I simply came here for an apology and a request that she abstain from any further attacks until me and my men had moved on which would be in one weeks time. She refused my offer, instead threatened to keep it up so I decided to give her a fitting punishment for her stubborn defiance."

Darkness looks at Megumin then to me; giving us both a look that asked "What have you two been up to since I left?"

The Dullahan then turns his attention to Megumin and points at her.

"Listen well, Crimson Demon. Because of you foolishness, your comrade here has been cursed by me with the Fire's of Death. In one weeks time, her body will be overwhelmed and consumed by said fire. The days leading up to this with see her suffer from an ever increasing hellish pain that will drive her to the brink of insanity, possibly even a desire to ask for a quicker death."

Hearing this causes Megumin to drop her staff, looking at Darkness with eyes that were filled with remorseful regret.

"In truth, this was a punishment meant for you, little mage. But thinking about it, perhaps this is an even better punishment for you. To watch and see what your actions have brought onto a friend is a far more effective teacher, I think."

He then looks at Darkness and adds-

"I do regret doing this to you. As I too was a Knight once, know that your suffering will haunt me greatly. So much so that I'm willing to make you three a deal; an offer to save you from this fate. To be free, all you have to do is come..."

"You want me to come back with you and submit myself to your perverted desires, am I right?"

"Yes, that's it ex-Wait, that's not what I want."

Darkness suddenly steps forward, bringing her face dangerously close to that of the Dullahan's who looked perplexed.

Well, I assumed he would be looking that way if I could see more than his one glowing red eye beneath the helmet.

"Yes, you want to have me chained up and made to be a play thing for both you and your undead minions. Did you hear that, Kazuma? He wishes to defile and disgrace me before the ever watchful eyes of lady Eris. I will try to resist of course but after being abused and dirtied in a never ending orgy of undead, even my defenses will break and I'll have to give in his wild perversions and lose myself in his strong embrace."

She then somehow says with her blushing cheeks and heaving bosom and adds-

"But know this. While you will eventually break my body, you shall never claim my heart... AHH"

":...THE HELL, WOMAN. PLEASE JUST SHUT UP. YOU'RE GIVING EVERYONE GATHERED HERE THE WRONG IDEA ABOUT ME."

"I AGREE, DARKNESS.. DO YOU REALLY HAVE NO SHAME?"

Both me and the Dullahan scream at her while the Dullahan quickly begins to back away.

"Darkness, seriously. Even I'm started to feel bad for the Dullahan now."

Megumin says this as the Dullahan takes a moment to recompose himself.

"Anyways, if you want to save this... thing; then come to the castle and face me in battle. Remember, you have just one week before she dies."

With that, the Dullahan turns to leave.

I quickly look over at Megumin and Darkness, the former trying to talk the latter out of her sexual overload.

If we went to the castle, could we even make it to the boss room and face this guy?

Could we even win if we did? As we are now, there was no way in hell we could.

So what then? There had to be something we could do? Something I could...

I sigh as I step forward, getting my two party mates to look at me.

"You said your name was Verdia, correct?"

The Dullahan stops short of passing into a dark portal he had created to look back at me.

"Yes, I did. Did you have something you wish to add?"

I nod before doing something I never thought I would do against a being like him-

I came to stand between him and my team. I then got down on my hands and knees, bowing as low as I could.

"Please, lift the curse from my friend and forgive my other friend of her actions too. As we are now, we likely wouldn't even make it to you, let alone beat you in a proper, honorable fight. Please, I'll do anything you'd ask in return."

"Kazuma..."

Both girls say together, looking at me in surprise but also with new found respect as well.

The Dullahan looks at me and ask-

"You would do anything I ask, make any sacrifice for them?"

I look up and give him a nod.

"Why waste time doing this, saying this? You do know that I am a Dullahan, correct? We aren't known for being merciful to others."

I return to my prostration upon the ground.

"I know that. I also know that you said you were once an honorable Knight. A fact you have already shown me and everyone else here when you said that all you wanted was just an apology and to honor a request to not attack that castle again for another week. If you were truly a creature of evil, you would have just attacked Axel and either killed or cursed everyone there."

After a pause, I add-

"If you release Darkness from the curse, I give you my word that Megumin won't bother you again. That no one will bother you. I'll make sure of it."

Obviously, I couldn't guaranty that last part but I had to say something to drive my request home.

The Dullahan is silent for a moment then finally gives me his answer-

"Despite your weak appearance, I can tell you have a strong will. Clearly one would need such a thing in order to keep those two in line. Very well, I will grant this mercy you have asked for. But know this, if you fail to keep to this, I shall return and this place will know the fear that others have felt when faced with the Corpse Brigade and the General who commands them."

With those words, the Dullahan's one exposed eye glows momentarily.

Darkness body jerks a little as black smoke rises from her, taking on the shape of a skull. Once the skull was completed, it shatter into nothing leaving a much more composed Darkness to finally stand.

"It is done."

I turn back to look at Darkness.

"How do you feel?"

Darkness takes a moment to feel herself over then says-

"Pretty good though I'm not sure if I'm actually happy about this turn of events."

I sigh, shaking my head. I guess Darkness will always be Darkness after. I prepare to turn back to look at the Dullahan-

"KAZUMA?"

Both girls suddenly scream out my name as I suddenly feel a sharp and intense pain race across my back.

My vision immediately begins to blur as I find myself falling to my knees then falling sideways towards the ground.

I could just barely make out several sounds coming from above me as my mind and world went dark and everything faded into nothingness.

Part 4:

At first, I wasn't sure if I was returning to consciousness or not as I could feel my eyes opening, but the world around me was almost to dark to see in.

I go to move, to readjust my current position only to be met with a sharp blast of pain from my back.

Except it wasn't actually pain; at least I didn't think it was. It was more like an intense chill that was sent pulsing through my body.

It took a moment before it passed and another few before I continued moving my stiff feeling body.

I finally sat up, my mind finally fully returning to consciousness. I then took in my surroundings.

I was in a cell, a rather dark and dank cell at that.

At first, I wondered if everything that had happened before had been a dream or not?

I push that thought away quickly. While I was in a cell, this one made the one in Axel look like a five star hotel.

This cell had no window to let any light in. It was small; cramped actually and their was a putrid, pungent stench in the air too.

I hope to god that smell wasn't because of me.

Seeing a metal door with a small bared window a few feet before me; the only source of light coming through that offered just enough illumination to keep things from being completely dark in here, I struggle to get back to my feet though I find my body quite resistant to the idea.

"Have you woken up yet?"

The familiar voice of the Dullahan comes from beyond the door, making me freeze. This is followed by the sound of metal hitting the stone ground in a repeating pattern. I then hear the sound of screeching, made by the door as it was opened from the outside.

There he was, standing beyond the now opened door, his head being angled to look down at me.

"How are you feeling, boy?"

"Oh, you know, pretty good all thing considered. Sure, I mean I was attacked from behind, fell unconscious, and then find myself waking up in a small cramp cell in an unfamiliar place..."

I had wanted to jump up before saying the next part but seeing as my body was still being difficult, I opted to just glare while shouting as loudly as I was able.

"How do you think I'm feeling? I'm understandably confused and really pissed off right now. I mean, what the hell, man? What is wrong with you? I thought you were once a Knight; adhering to the code of honor and shit? You were willing to play that card just a moment before, so why the sudden change?"

The Dullahan sighs while reaching behind his body and producing a potion he then tosses it my way.

"First, drink this. It shall help get your body working again. At least in a ways you can work with."

I catch it with my hands, look at it, then I look back at the Dullahan.

"After what you've done, do you think I'm dumb enough to just drink this?"

"Drink it or not, that's entirely up to you, kid. I've already done more than enough to you already so doing more isn't needed. That potion will simply allow you to move properly. If you'd prefer, you can toss it and wait for another few hours for your body to recover on its own."

I think about it for a moment. While this was probably a bad idea, his claim that he had no reason to do more did make sense. I'll probably regret this later but as I've said before, it wouldn't be the first time I've done something stupid yet I was still here to do it all again.

I drink the potion and, after a moment, my body did start to feel better; well enough to finally allow me to stand at least.

"So, mind telling me where I am, what you've done to me, and where my friend's are at?"

"First, allow me a moment to reintroduce myself. I am Verdia, a General within the armies of the Devil King and leader of the Corpses Brigade. Before this, back when I was alive, I went by the name Beldia and was a honorable Knight in the service of the Kingdom. I had been assigned here, actually; a protector of the Duke and Duchess that, at the time, oversaw the people who lived in this part of the Kingdom."

(K) "If you use to be an honorable Knight, then how did you become a Dullahan? And why the change in names?

(V) "One day, while the Duke was away on business; trying to convince the Eris sect to expand holy Erisia outwards to form an entire city around the Cathedral, thus being the origins of what we now know as Axel, I found myself on the receiving end of a seduction attempt by the Duchess. I refused her, multiple times, though I did confess to her that I was tempted as any man who saw her would be. I had thought she would understand my reasons behind why I couldn't, we couldn't, give into having and affair. I thought wrong."

"Upon the Duke's return, she claimed that I had tried to rape her. Given how the justice system works in this world, it was immediately assumed that I was guilty. While I was put on trial, it was just for show. All the evidence brought against me had nothing to do with her actual claim. Rather, it was just the minimum amount required to check off that they had done that. I wasn't even given the chance to defend myself. Once that sham trial was over, I was immediately executed within the very court room."

Geez, that's just what one would expect from one of those stupid middle ages court systems I've read about.

I really hope I'm never on the receiving end of one of those here in this world. [Foreshadowing]

"I had thought for sure that would be the end of me but a voice came upon me in the dark embrace of death as my soul journeyed into the hereafter. It asked if I wanted revenge. Since honor doesn't really exist for those who are dead, I said yes and the next thing I knew, I had been returned to this world as the being you now see before you. I cast off my old name of Beldia and began using the name I had always wished I had been given following my birth, Verdia. I returned here, brought ruin to this place, then I wandered the world until I met the Devil King. The rest, as they say, was history."

Having heard that, I found myself feeling conflicted. On the one hand, I did feel empathy for what he had gone through; feeling what he did was justified.

On the other, he did attack me and bring me to this place which made me want to say some very choice things to him too. So I did the only thing I could think of; I told him all that and more.

Once I had finished my rant, he sighed before he continued explaining my situation.

"OK, let's talk about you now. For starters, you are in the prison area of the very castle your little mage friend was so obstinate about attacking."

"Both she and the Crusader are fine, by the way. After I struck you down, they naturally came at me with well understandable fury. I ended up using my Dark Paralysis spell to immobilize them. I then told them that if they wanted to save you, they should come here and face me in battle. After that, I collected you, tossed your weapon and pouch towards them, then returned here and placed you in your cell."

"So I guess all that stuff about you being an honorable Knight wasn't true after all?"

Verdia laughs before wagging a finger at me.

"Ah, don't forget, I'm not an honorable Knight anymore. What I did at your request was out of respect for you and your plea to me as well as the fact I don't like punishing the innocent, even now."

"What I did TO YOU specifically, on the other hand, falls in line with what I am now. Like it or not, you did aid the mage in her assault on this place, even if you were just a spectator as my eye in the sky saw you carrying her in a very romantic way after that last attack. By the way, have I caused you two to put any sort of romantic development on hold?

No...I mean, yes? Wait, just what was our current status even, really? I mean, we only just met not even a month ago and yet we've already done this and that with...?

Damn this guy, saying that to me has now sent my head into a tailspin of thoughts and possibilities.

Probably seeing my thoughts written on the facial expressions I was making makes Verdia laugh.

"Now, let's get serious here. Make sure you listen close, boy. About what I did to you...?"

Hearing him say that helps to push all those thoughts from my mind; allowing me to give him my full attention.

"My attack against you wasn't just a simple slash against your back. I had channeled another curse into my blade and my strike caused that curse to pass into your body."

"So now I'm the one who has that one week till my body is consumed by that hellfire curse; is that what you're saying here?"

Verdia shakes his head before continuing-

"It would be great for you if that was the curse I had used on you. It would mean your suffering would end quickly despite the agonizing pain. No, the curse I used on you is way worse than that."

Ah dammit.

"The cursed I placed upon is called the Rebirth of Lich curse. Over the course of the coming week following being cursed, your body will be transformed; your soul trapped and made a prisoner. In other words, you will become a Lich, never again to live life as a human."

Yeah, that was way worse than the other curse.

"Now, as for what you can expect over the next week. Sorry, I mean the next five days as you've already slept through the first forty eight hours of the curses life cycle."

"Wait, what was that?"

"For the first forty eight hours after being cursed, you will stay within a deep slumber as the curse properly spreads out over your body in preparation for what's to come; the signs becoming clearly visible as it does so. If you want to know what I mean by that, just look at your hands and arms."

I did as he asked, finally noticing the slightly green glow running from my hands up my arms like veins. The sight sends me into a mild panic attack, forcing me to take in deep breaths in the hopes of calming myself.

Once I had regained some degree of composure, Verdia continued.

"Once this process of spreading has finished, again needing forty eight hours, you will finally be allowed to awaken so you can experience the rest first hand. By the way, that's the reason you didn't have to wait for me to be summoned as I knew you'd awaken around this time."

"So, what happens next?"

I asked, failing to hide the fear in my voice.

"Over the next thirty six hours; or moving halfway into fourth day of the curse, you will find yourself losing the feeling of warmth within your body; not that you can probably feel much warmth right now, given where you are and all. Your senses of touch, sight, and sound may also begin to change to better match those had by a full Lich. All those are random in their happenings. All I can say it that by the thirty six hour mark, the only thing you will feel is the cold and nothing but the cold."

Oh, that's just great. Why couldn't this be happening during those summer days when things would be at their hottest? At least then this might be acceptable.

"After that, going from the second half of day four all the way to the end, your body will finally start to undergo change. Your skin will start to thin, eventually giving way to reveal the bones beneath. Your bones will emit an eerie, unearthly glow, and your senses will detect things, see things, in a way no human could ever hope to experience otherwise."

"And during those final twenty four hours, you will find your memories starting to fade, replaced by new thoughts and feelings that are more becoming of a Lich. You can probably guess the rest."

Well, that's just great. Real peachy like.

"I should also let you in on this as well. Once your body begins its transformation, you may find yourself gaining access to some Lich skills. You could wait till you fully become a Lich before they would be naturally learned, or you can use your Adventurer's card I've kindly allowed you to keep hold of to learn them early."

Wait, what was that?

"That's rather kind of you. Mind telling me why you're saying this to me?"

Verdia laughs before answering.

"It's not a kindness, really. Rather, its a warning from me to you. First off, there's no saying what skills could actually appear before you've fully transformed into a Lich. Even if you are lucky and gain a skill that could help you escape, you should know that using that Lich skill while in this state your in will cause your transformation into a Lich to accelerate. The longer its in use, the faster it'll go. Look at your left hand."

I did as he asked, suddenly noticing a set of glowing numbers just above the skin.

"That will allow you to keep track of just how much longer you have left."

"Thanks for letting me know but I don't think it'll be an issue for me. Knowing my team, they're probably already on their way here and when they arrive, they make you and your minions wish you had just walked away with my offer."

Verdia laughs again, much to my surprise.

"Perhaps you didn't hear me before. I said you've been asleep for two full days already. Don't you think they would have already come to save you by now? Just so you don't have to ask, they haven't been here yet. I'm not so cold as to keep someone believing in a false hope."

"They're probably working on making sure they're fully prepared for this; trying to get as many allies as possible to come with them as I'm sure you wouldn't make getting to you easy for anyone coming for a fight. They'll be here, I know it."

"I admire your confidence, boy. Perhaps you're right; they still have five days after all. I've already posted sentries along the road to alert me once they see anyone coming. If they do finally show up to save you, I'll be sure to come let you know. Otherwise, we won't speak again until you have reached your final forty eight hours. Until then, don't do anything I wouldn't do."

Like I was really in a position to do anything right now.

He then closes my cell door; the sound of his foot steps walking away fills the room.

"What about me?"

A small, soft voice rang out, making me jump; the voice of a girl coming from another cell in this room.

"Has there been any reply to the ransom note you sent to my father?"

"None so far though I have confirmed that it has been delivered. Like with your neighbor here, I'll return with an update for you once it comes or when I next visit within three days."

With that, Verdia continues to walk away, his steps growing fainter and fainter till they couldn't be heard at all.

Part 5:

"So, I'm not the only one to be enjoying that guy's "gracious" hospitality, huh?"

I said to the girl in the neighboring cell loud enough to hear.

"So it would seem. How did you end up in your situation, anyways?"

I tell the girl about the days events, how Verdia had shown up in response to Megumin's daily Explosion's against this castle, how she pissed him off when all he wanted was an apology and a promise of abstaining from further attacks. How Darkness had taken a death curse for her, and how I pleaded with Verdia for his clemency and getting it only to be stabbed in the back, literally.

And getting my own personal curse placed on me to top it off.

"What about you? How did you end up in this situation you're in?"

Her story was surprisingly worse sounding than my own. She had come from a rather "well-off" family though she didn't go into to much detail about them.

Being the first born of her family, she was raised for much of her life as if she was a boy by her parents as they had wanted her to be a boy. She was forced to wear boys clothing, have a short, boyish haircut, and was expected to act is if she were a boy.

She had also suffered from constant bullying from other kids in her home town. All of this having had a rather negative effect on her though she didn't elaborate on that part.

She did have a single friend who tried to help her out but that was not enough to stop her from finally running away from home.

She had decided to come to Axel, to become a priestess within the Eris sect. She had always had a strong affinity with healing magics despite the fact her father spent day after day hammering it into her mind the ways of their family; namely the fighting style of the Monk class.

During the trip, they had encountered Verdia who wiped out the caravan she was traveling with after one of the other patrons said something to piss him off.

Everyone was killed except for her.

While she had never been a fighter at heart, she had still taken to her father's aggressive training regiment and managed to smash up a good chunk on Verdia's soldiers. This ended up earning her being spared by Verdia, instead he took her hostage and she's been here ever since.

"You really have had it rough, huh?"

"It wasn't as bad as you would think. Despite being a General of the Devil King, and an undead, he's been a surprisingly gracious host all things considered... If you can look past being locked within a cell in a dark, dank, castle that is."

We both laugh, feeling some of the tension get washed away.

I think she was feeling more relieved than I was; especially seeing as my situation was a little more time limited.

"When my Arch Wizard started doing her daily Explosion attacks against the castle, did it scare you in any ways? If so, then I'll go ahead and apologize now on her behalf."

"I was a little scared, I'll admit. But these cells are underground or so I was told so they weren't as in danger as the rest of the castle. If anything, I found myself wondering if my dad had arrived. Back home, he's know as 'Blast Fist' by everyone as a single punch from him can make anything explode."

"I hope I'm never on the receiving end of his fist then." [again, foreshadowing]

After we laughed again followed by a pause, I ask-

"So, what's your name anyways? I'm Satou Kazuma. You can just call me Kazuma if you want."

"I'm Reuental Akkord Ciruelto. I know that name can be hard to say for some people as my one friend, Lia, had trouble saying it, so if you want to, you can just call me Cielo."

"Yeah, I'll do that. Nice to meet you, Cielo."

"You too, Kazuma."

For the next two days, we talked about anything that came to mind, if only to pass the time as there really wasn't anything else to do, really.

As Verdia has told me, my ability to feel heat and warmth had all but faded, leaving my feeling nothing but the cold. Honestly, it wasn't nearly as bad as I had expected it to be.

It still felt weird though.

Finally, the fifth day had arrived and Verdia came to see us again.

"So, how are we doing, boy?"

He asked me as he opened the door then looking at me as I stood before him.

"Well, the thinning has begun I see. Just how much of your right arm has been changed?"

I pull the sleeve covering my right arm up, showing that it had spread from the tips of my fingers to being just above the elbow. I also gave him a better look at my left hand which had also thinned but not nearly as much as my right.

"I see... You probably can guess this already but I'm afraid your comrades still haven't shown any signs that they're coming for you."

I'd be lying if I said that his words didn't sting me a little. It had been five days, according to this guy.

Were they really leaving me to hang here? I can't believe that; I refused to believe that.

I mean, they wouldn't... Right?

"To give you at least a little peace of mind, I think I know the reason why they haven't come yet."

Hearing that snaps me from my faltering thoughts; giving him my attention again.

"From what a scout I sent out has learned, it seems the current Lord who governs Axel has ordered that ALL city gates be sealed until he receives word from the Royal Guard that's being dispatched from the capitol have either eliminated me or find that I have vacated both the castle and the area."

"So when are these Royal Guard guys suppose to arrive?"

I asked.

"Three days from now which isn't an issue as we'll be pulling out in two days."

After a pause, he continued.

"Back to what I was saying. Since all the gates have been sealed, no one can enter or exit the city under any circumstance, not even Adventurer's. I suppose your friends could try scaling the walls surrounding the city and leave that way but..."

"They'll come for me, just you wait."

Verdia chuckles at my sudden declaration.

"Who are you trying to convince, ME? Or YOURSELF?"

As much as I wanted to, I couldn't think of any retort.

Verdia turns to his right and says aloud-

"There has been nothing concerning you as well, little multi-class girl."

Multi-class? What was that about?

"Let me ask you something, Verdia. Assuming no one does come for either of us, what do you plan to do with us?

I asked the Dullahan, getting his attention back onto me.

"With you, I shall take you to meet my master. I have no doubt you'll be a fine addition to our growing army. Hell, dare I say you might even be worthy of becoming a General as well."

He then turns again to look towards Cielo's cell.

"As for you, my dear. I guess I'll bring you along as well. You are a rare find, after all. I'm sure my master would very much like to meet you; to make you an offer to possibly join our crusade as well."

"And if I refused any offer he'd make?"

Asked Cielo.

"Then he'd probably let you go. Despite what the rumors about him claim, he's not as evil as you would think he'd be. If anything, I'd say he's more compassionate than most people."

I go to ask Verdia another question but he suddenly noticeably stiffens.

"Has something happened?"

Had my friends finally arrived?

"Don't get your hopes up, boy. We do have a visitor, one sent by my master; probably wanting an update on the current situation. It's best not to keep him waiting for a reply."

With that, he closes my cell door and I hear his foot steps growing fainter and fainter.

"I shall return once it becomes time for your rebirth as a Lich. Please don't start without me."

There was nothing about 'or when your friends finally arrived.'

It was obvious he didn't think they would be coming for me now.

Honestly, I couldn't blame him as even I was starting to have my doubts.

Some friend I am, huh?

"Kazuma, what are we going to do now?"

Cielo asked me from her cell.

"Honestly, I really don't... Wait?"

I recalled something Verdia had told me when he first explained my situation.

I pull out my Adventurer's card and examine the skill page.

Three new skills had appeared; Specter, Bone Scythe, and Apathy.

I read the descriptions of each and, finding they didn't cost any skill points; probably because I was getting close to becoming a full Lich thus having them would be natural once fully transformed, I decided to go ahead and learn them.

I select all three and press confirm. I mean, why not at this point.

With that done, I step forward and activate Specter; my body turning all ethereal, all ghost like.

I press my hand against the door, seeing it pass through easily so I then step through, emerging from the other side. Recalling the warning Verdia had given me, I quickly deactivate Specter.

I look around, seeing only one undead guard in the room who turned to look at me.

At first, I though he would attack me but he just stared at me for a moment then turns back to doing what he was doing, which wasn't anything to be honest.

With it seemingly not a threat, I move over to Cielo's door and open it up.

Oh, the cells couldn't be opened from the inside due to the lack of door handles, by the way.

Once the door opened, I finally saw Cielo for the first time as she stood up, surprised to see her door opened by me.

{Insert Image 2}

She was a short young girl, maybe around the same height as Megumin or just a tad taller.

Her hair was also short with a honey blonde color and green eyes similar to mine.

She wore a dark green sleeveless dress with a white bow and a black obi, alongside a green robe with long sleeves and exposed shoulders, which his how I know her dark green dress was sleeveless.

Finally, she wore gray pantyhose and a black/green wellies.

To be honest, I thought she was really cute.

Could she be the main heroine that I had been looking for in this world?

Or would she be like Megumin and Darkness and have a little quirk that could make things a pain?

"Kazuma?"

She said my named, unsure if it was really me or not.

"Come with me, it's time to escape."

Not quite the same line from those Terminator movies, but close enough.

At least I tried to sound cool while saying it.

She takes a step back, making me realize I was holding out my skeleton right hand.

"Uh... Sorry, I know I must be looking rather scary right now but I promise I'm still me inside."

She shakes her head, then says-

"Sorry, it's not that. I... you see, do you remember what I told you about my past? That thing's in my life had caused a negative effect on me."

I nod. She then continues-

"I developed a phobia; Androphobia to be exact. It's basically a fear of men. I find myself freaking out if any males get to close to me and if I'm touched by a guy, my body will immediately go into a self defense mode and I'll punch them without meaning to. Only my family members are safe from my uncontrollable outburst, if only because they have the skills to counter my assaults."

So much for her being my main heroine, huh?

I mean, she still could be but it would be hard for us if we couldn't touch each other without her punching my light out.

I guess my search continues.

I retract my hand, then say-

"Well, in any event, we should get out of here while we can."

You think we'll actually make it out?"

I shrug as I walk towards the only opening that leads out from the room.

"Not sure, but we have to try. Staying here any longer isn't going to do us any good. By the way..."

I pause for just a moment before I look back at her and ask-

"What did Verdia mean when he called you a multi-class?"

Next time: We travel back in time a few days; to find out what Megumin and Darkness have been doing while Kazuma was with Verdia. Will the make it in time to save him? Can they even escape Axel? And will they have allies with them or have to do this alone? Find out in the final chapter of Book 1 of this fic.

Image 1: Verdia, standing proud with his sword in one hand and his head in the other.

Image 2: A shot of Cielo; holding one hand over her heart.