Bless This World With A Stranger

by RhineWrites

Arc 8: Konosuba Inferno (chapters 37-?)

27. A6-1: Unexpected Guest

AN: I know I said the next chapter that would release would be intermission chapter 1, but I have instead decided to not do the four planned intermission chapters for this fic now, instead going ahead with arc 6 here. At the end of the chapter, I will have a second bit of author notes which will explain why I'm not doing the intermission chapters now.

Also, sorry for the month long delay with releasing a chapter here. August was a really hectic month for me and I was being kept very busy with moving.

Lastly, for the moment, this chapter (as well as all the chapters that will be in Arc 6) will be done from a third person view point. I decided to try something different here and would like to know if you all prefer this story to be a first person view point or a third person. Your words could influence Arc 7 and beyond. Anyways, let's enjoy this wicked fruit...

Arc 6: Wicked Fruit

Chapter 1: Unwanted Guest

=========================={Prologue: Inspiration}==========================

Night had long since fallen over the city of Veridae and all was quiet.

Well, except up at the Louview Palace, located well above the city, having been carved out from a singular mountain the city of Veridae had been built in the shadow of.

Lights were flaring to life and alarms blasted as the soldiers ran all over, trying to find the two intruders who had broken in and raided the castles sacred treasury.

"Hurry, this way. I'm sure I saw them heading this way."

came one of the guards as he and several of his fellows ran down one of the lit halls, passing by a turn off into one of the still darkened passageways.

No sooner had they passed, the two intruders emerged from the shadows, passing into the lit hallway, running down it a little before passing into another darkened hall and running towards its end.

Upon exiting this hall, the emerged out into the open air, a flight of stairs leading higher up being the only thing awaiting them, which they don't hesitate to run up.

Once they had reached the top, they found themselves arriving at what was known as Sky Gazers Terrace, the best spot in all of Veridae to look across the land, as well as watch the rising sun each and every day, to say nothing of star gazing as well.

The two figures run across the terrace, reaching the guard rail which they then lean against, looking out over it down at the ground below.

"Hm, looks like a good two-hundred-foot drop that awaits us. Possibly even as much as three hundred!"

said the female thief with her male companion saying after another moment of looking-

"That's a pretty big fall there, boss. Think we can survive that?"

She looks at him, giving him a thumbs up before pointing to the special item hanging from her belt, then touches the one hanging off him, a silent reminder of the special items they had been gifted for this special task.

They begin to climb onto the railing when...

"Wait... please, wait just a moment..."

came a girl's voice from behind them, making them turn back to see who it was.

Standing there was the Crimson Demon girl, breathing heavily as she looked up at them, her eyes growing wider and wider as she looked upon them, the visage of the full moon shining brightly behind them.

Never in her life had she looked upon people so amazing and cool looking as they appeared in this moment, so much so that it made her cheeks, as well as her eyes, begin to shine.

It was here, in this moment, this girl had discovered yet another source of inspiration in her life.

{Insert Image 1}

========================{Part 1: Her Crimson Fantasy}========================

It had been one week since they returned home to Axel, and with an adorable and precocious little sister in tow to boot.

Little Komekko had become the talk of Axel since coming to stay with the group. She was especially popular with Luna and all the girls and female adventurer's over at the guild.

And she was definitely making things interesting inside the mansion as well, especially when it came to the sleeping situation.

Naturally, Megumin had decided that Komekko would be sleeping with her. Understandable, seeing as they were sisters and all that. However, that's not how that worked out at all.

The first night, Komekko had snuck out without Megumin taking notice and was found sleeping beside Kazuma, who had also failed to notice, the next morning. Naturally, Megumin had scolded her little sister for doing that, not that Komekko seemed to pay attention or care.

The second night, Megumin had not only locked her bedroom door, but had also asked Kazuma to lock his as well. Despite that, Komekko somehow still managed to get inside Kazuma's room and back into bed with him again.

For the third night, Megumin had taken it a step further by connecting Komekko and herself together with a special magic item, that resembled hand cuffs, procured by Darkness for... reasons, in order to make sure she didn't go sneaking off. Yet somehow, she still managed to escape into Kazuma's room.

And so, from the fourth night onwards, Megumin decided that there was only one option left. If Komekko was going to make her way in there no matter what, then she would just accept this truth and just go ahead and join her sister in sleeping with Kazuma in his bed.

Truth told, she found herself wondering why she didn't think of this sooner. It made so much sense, after all. And, in a strange way, it was a lot of fun too. It made her wonder if this is what it must feel like for a husband and wife to be sleeping together, with their child crawling into the bed to join them.

And thus, it had been like this for the rest of the week. And now, we arrived at the eighth day since getting back.

Right now, Kazuma was hard at work on completing his newest home born item to be taken to Wiz and Vanir here in a bit.

Megumin was sitting right next to him, with Komekko sitting on her lap while Chomusuke sitting on the table, all three of them giving his work their full attention.

The others were out at present. Cielo was over at the cathedral, like always. Her training had apparently been going well, so well in fact that her training would soon be reaching its conclusion. The only training she could still receive after this would only come once it came time for Cielo to start her special training as the chosen successor for the position of high priestess of the Eris faith.

As for Darkness and Yunyun, they had just left to continue their special requested job from the guild, overseeing the early quest being undertaken by a new group of adventurers. The reason for them helping out was because the groups knight wanted to spec into being a defensive guard for his team and could use some pointers while the groups mage suffered from confidence issues, thus it was felt that Yunyun would be a great help with assisting her.

Kazuma made a few final adjustments to his latest recreation before finally smiling and he places his work tools down then picks the item up to give it a little look over.

"What did you just make, big brother?"

asked Komekko. To Kazuma's surprise, Megumin didn't rebuke Komekko over calling him big brother, like she had been doing early on. Perhaps she had either gotten us to it, felt that telling her to not do that was pointless now, or perhaps it could be because...?

Kazuma turns his attention to the two three girls, Chomusuke included and says-

"This, my dears, is the famous and legendary... 'Singing Bass!' So, what do you think?"

"Singing Bass?"

asked Megumin as she, Komekko, and Chomusuke all cocked their heads in confusion.

Kazuma chuckles as he tells them to press the button located beneath the fake fish. Megumin does as he says, only for all three of them to jump in surprise and shock as not only does the fish start to turn its head and swing its tail, but also starts to sing as well. A crappy, red neck style song he came up with, but it still counted as singing... or so he hoped.

"Oh wow, that's really cool. That fake fish can actually move and talk..."

said an amazed Komekko.

"That's incredible, Kazuma. How does it do all that? Where did you even come up with such an idea, anyways?"

asked Megumin while Chomusuke just sat there, looking at the fake fish with drool dropping from her mouth.

Kazuma chuckles as he tells them the story of the singing bass, or at least what he knew of its origins.

Once he had finished, he began to gather all the items he had made since getting back, taking a few moments to explain each and every one before placing them into his pouch. Overall, this would bring the total amount made up to thirty, or so he believed.

"Say Kazuma, what about that one?"

asked Megumin, pointing to an item sitting off to the side.

'Oh, right. Almost forgot about that. That makes thirty-one then.'

Kazuma then grabs the item before showing it to the two girls.

"Thanks for noticing this, Megumin. I would have forgot about it otherwise. Now this is quite the special item we have here. Where I'm from, this little number has been the go-to item many have relied on when it comes to seeking answers to important questions they may have. I guess you could call it our own personal oracle we can take with us anywhere and everywhere. We called it... the magic 8-ball!"

This makes Megumin and Komekko go wide eyed with amazement before they both ask him how it works.

"It's rather simple, when you think about it. All you need to do is simply ask it a question, either aloud or mentally, then give it a good shake. The answer will appear inside the little glass piece here. Allow me to demonstrate here. Ahem, will I continue to find myself getting into trouble here in the future?"

Kazuma then gives it a firm shake before looking at the glass part, seeing it say, "Do you really have to ask!"

"Wow, amazing. It really does work, Kazuma. Can I try it next, please?"

"Me too, me too!"

asked both girls excitedly, which Kazuma obliges them before saying to himself-

"Ah, it's a good thing that thing is just a sham. I remember once asking one of those if I would be filthy rich and have many beautiful girls to form a... harem... with...?"

Kazuma then thinks of his current situation, recalling he kinda is filthy rich now and as for the potential harem in his future...?

'God dammit, that thing really does work, doesn't it?'

Megumin, meanwhile, tries it out first by mentally asking-

'Will me and Kazuma be together forever?' "It's destiny!" was the reply.

'What will it be like when I start becoming more intimate with Kazuma?' "Explosive!"

Hearing that makes Megumin start to swoon, her mind racing a mile a minute with many pleasurable thoughts that were continuously being born inside her head.

Seeing that her sister was lost in thought, Komekko grabs the item away from Megumin and asked her own question.

"Will I get to enjoy many more delicious types of food from across the world?" "All that and more!"

That alone was enough to make Komekko cheer excitedly before another thought crossed her mind.

"Will big brother love me more than he loves big sister?"

This gets Kazuma and Megumin to look at her as she gives it a shake.

"Komekko, you shouldn't go ask it such a thing. I'm sure you won't like... the... Komekko?"

Komekko was looking at the ball with a neutral expression which made Megumin start to worry, making her reach out, placing a hand on her shoulder. Megumin goes to comfort her little sister, telling her that it would be OK when...

Komekko turns to look at Megumin, giving her a smug smile and a little snicker on top of that.

One of Megumin's eyes begins to twitch before she grabs the magic 8-ball from her sister, seeing it say, "It's destiny!" on display, which in turn, makes Megumin go to smash it before Kazuma stops her, takes the item away, and explaining the truth about the item while putting it into his pouch as well.

After Megumin had calmed down, she ask-

"So, what now, Kazuma?"

"Now, we need to head into town so I can drop this stop off at the shop. I also need to let Wiz and Vanir know that your dad's products will soon be getting much better. After that, I guess we'll come back home, have lunch, then I'll start working on making the first of the new skills I have in mind."

Megumin nods, then quickly asking if it's OK for her to watch him work, both for her own learning purposes and to offer up advice should he need it for anything while working. Just as they go to stand...

The doorbell rings out.

"Guess we'll be seeing who it is first."

Once we reached the front door and open it, they find Yuiyui standing outside with a big smile on her face. Komekko immediately runs forward and hugs her mother's leg.

"It's good to see you too, my little taste tester. Have you been a good girl while staying with your sister?"

Komekko pulls away, nodding happily to which Yuiyui smiles before looking at Megumin.

"Yeah, she's been pretty good while staying here. Real popular with the regulars over at the guild. My only complaint is when she sneaks off to sleep with Kazuma. Despite my best efforts, she was able to pull it off each and every night. It got so bad that I had to join them these last few nights."

This makes Yuiyui smile as she looks at Kazuma, saying-

"My-my, you truly are a devious man, aren't you, Kazuma? Already managing to get my two young, innocent, and vulnerable daughters to join you in bed. You're lucky I approve of this otherwise I'd have to end you right here and now!"

Hearing Yuiyui say that makes Kazuma back away nervously while Megumin yells at her mother for saying such things.

Once that moment had passed, Megumin lets out a sigh before saying-

"By the way, mom. Did you and dad spending the last week alone together go well?"

"Oh, you can say that it did. In fact, don't be surprised if you have a new little sister, or little brother, to dote on before the year is over."

"Mommy, are you gonna be having a baby? I... I don't know how I should feel about that. I mean, having to share all that food we have now..."

Yuiyui laughs at hearing that before assuring Komekko that the food issue wasn't ever going to be a problem for them again, and all thanks to her big brother.

"Anyways, it's time for us to be heading home, Komekko. Let's go say goodbye now, OK?"

Komekko immediately starts shaking her head furious, saying that she didn't want to go.

Megumin kneels down, placing a hand on her little sister's shoulder, saying to her once she had her attention.

"I know you don't want to go, Komekko. I can understand not wanting to be parted from the big sister who you idolize, but..."

"Big sister? I don't have anything like that. But big brother... I... I... I don't wanna leave my big brother."

She then breaks free from the 'devastated' Megumin and runs over to Kazuma, hugging his leg as tightly as she could.

Yuiyui tries to talk sense into Komekko but she is adamant in her refusal to relent here. Finally, Kazuma himself takes action by kneeling down and placing a hand on Komekko's head.

"I know you don't want to leave, little sprout. You're gonna miss me, that much is obvious. I'm going to miss you too. I'm also sure you are going to miss big brother's cooking, huh?"

Komekko looks up into his eyes, giving him a confirming nod.

"But think about it. If you don't return to the village, then you can never attend Red Prison Academy. If you can't do that, then you can't show everyone you are as good as your sister is and I won't be able to teach you that super awesome magic spell I want to teach you once you graduate."

"I...I know, I do. But I... I still want to..."

"How about this. What if big brother promises to come visit you in the village as often as I can. And when I do, I'll be sure to bring you plenty of yummy treats as well."

Hearing that, Komekko finally nods in acceptance before hugging Kazuma once again before running back over to Yuiyui. After giving Kazuma a grateful look, Yuiyui looks down at her current youngest and says-

"Now then, Komekko. Before we leave, do you have anything else you want to say to your big brother?"

The little girl nods before looking back at Kazuma and saying with all confidence and certainty-

"I'm going to marry big brother when I grow up!"

Yuiyui laughs heartily while Kazuma is taken aback by her declaration. He then laughs nervously as he stands before saying to Yuiyui.

"Yeah, that... could be a problem. Especially with... a certain someone here. Oh well, no matter. Komekko will probably forget about this before she reaches the legal age of marriage, right?"

"Possibly, unless she makes marrying you her big goal to achieve in accordance with her crimson fantasy. You know, just like how my first born has made her obsession with Explosions become her big goal to achieve. Speaking of..."

They then turn their attentions to the still shocked Megumin, repeating how her sister didn't see her as a sister anymore, down on the ground, unaware of anything else happening around her.

"Do you think you can help her recover here, Kazuma?"

Kazuma takes a moment to think about it, then has a 'eureka' like moment before kneeling down again beside Megumin and bringing her out of her stupor. Megumin the looks at him with tears in her eyes and says-

"Kazuma, what... (sniff) what am I going to do here? My little sister... (sniffle) she doesn't see me as her big sister anymore."

Kazuma pats her shoulder before leaning in and telling her his idea, an idea that makes her eyes light up immediately. Megumin then shoots to her feet and says-

"Mom, before you and Komekko leave to return home, please allow me the opportunity to show you around Axel. I mean, how ofter to you get the chance to see someplace new in life?"

Yuiyui knew what this was really about, letting Megumin get a little bit more time to be around her little sister, without Kazuma being present to be a distraction. Yuiyui nods then says-

"That is true. Very well, I can afford to give another hour or two before I need to be getting back. Now then, be sure to be very detailed with the tour as you possibly can. Komekko, why don't you let your sister carry you, so you won't get tired as we see the sights."

It took a couple of tries to convince Komekko but she does eventually agree to let Megumin carry her. After that, the three of them head off, though Megumin does yell back at Kazuma, telling him she'll be back by lunch time.

Once they had departed, Kazuma returns inside, makes sure he was indeed ready for his own little trip into Axel, then sets out himself to pay a visit to a couple of crazy shopkeepers to give them their newest products... and some good news relating to the future.

====================={Part 2: An Unexpected Relationship}=====================

Wiz was busy, lost in thought, as she did her daily inventory check when the ringing of the bell at the entrance brought her out of the thoughts she was lost in before walking out of the back room.

"Sorry for the wait. How can I... Kazuma?"

She said happily as she saw one of her favorite customers slash visitors.

"Hey Wiz, keeping busy I hope?"

"Trying to be. So, when did you get back from the Crimson Demon village?"

"Eight days ago. Sorry for the delay in stopping by sooner, but we have been rather busy since getting back. Playing babysitter with Megumin's sister being top on the list. Also, I wanted to finish the next set of items to deliver to Vanir. Speaking of, is that guy around here anywhere?"

Wiz shakes her head before telling Kazuma that Vanir will be gone for a bit. Apparently, one of his underlings down in Hell has tried to stage a coupe, to take control of Vanir's dominion. As such, Vanir needed to go down there to put his minion in their place.

"Vanir said he'll be back within a few weeks. He also told me that when you stop by with the next set of items to sell, just place them in the back room and he'll deal with them once he returns. Anyways, how did the the trip go?"

"I'll tell you as I put these items away. Wanna show me the place to put them in order to make sure you don't accidentally misplace any of them?"

Wiz nods as she escorts Kazuma into the back, the two of them talk about the events that they had gone through, Wiz naturally taking in every word. And then, once he was done with that, he finally gave Wiz the good news about the future products they would be getting from Hyoizarburoo.

"Is what you're saying true, Kazuma?"

"You bet, Wiz. Be prepared to pull all the current junk off the shelves to be replaced with newer, better items. The kind that actually work without the detrimental drawbacks the current set all suffer from."

Hearing that makes Wiz tear up which she is quick to wipe away.

"I guess that explains what Vanir meant when he told me to make sure to relay the good news back to him once he gets back. He obviously already knew what was going to happen. Kazuma, thank you for helping me out here."

"Eh, don't mention it. To be honest, I did it more for Megumin's family than for you two. Helping you two was just a bonus in my book."

"All the same, thank you!"

After a momentary pause, Wiz then ask-

"So, what are you going to do now?"

"Probably head back to the mansion, make some lunch, and once Megumin gets back and we've eaten said lunch, I'll begin working on creating new skills to add to the great skill pool."

"Pardon?"

Wiz was clearly confused which makes Kazuma laugh, telling her that he'll explain what he meant another time. With that, Kazuma takes his leave, says goodbye, and exits the shop.

As he began the walk back to the east gate and, by extension, back to the mansion, Kazuma has a sudden impulse to make a quick stop by over at the guild hall. He was curious if Lynn had gotten back. After all, Dust had said to keep an eye out for her as she had something she wanted to talk with him about.

Once Kazuma reaches the guild, stepping inside, his eyes quickly spot Lynn sitting at one of the closer tables. But the was something strange about this scene. What made it strange was the fact that Lynn was sitting, and chatting happily from the looks of it, with Ruffian of all people.

As he quietly got closer to them, Kazuma was able to start picking up what it was they were saying to each other. While he couldn't be sure right off the bat, Kazuma couldn't help but thinking that there was something... flirtatious with one another. Did that mean...?

"Sooooo, this is quite the odd scene I'm seeing here."

His voice makes Lynn, who's back was to Kazuma, jumped while Ruffian turns his attention to Kazuma, giving him a big grin.

"Heh, looking good there, kid. Long time no see. I hope you've been staying out of trouble while I was away."

Lynn turns back to look at Kazuma, giving him a smile.

"Hey Kazuma, been a while, huh? Like this guy said, you've been staying out of trouble here lately?"

"First things first, wanna tell me what's going on here between you two? I do believe this is the first time I've seen you both together like this. Gotta say, Ruff, you never struck me as the cradle robber type. I mean, here I am, seeing you two flirting with one another and yet, isn't Lynn young enough to be your daughter?"

Lynn immediately goes red in the face from embarrassment as she practically screams out Kazuma's name, while Ruffian burst out laughing at those words.

Once Ruffian stops laughing, partly because Lynn turns back at him to give him an icy glare, he says to Kazuma-

"Funny thing you would say THAT Kazuma. I guess it's time for the truth to be revealed here. You see, my relationship with Lynn is..."

"He's my dad, Kazuma. Yeah, believe it or not, but this oversized mass of muscles is my father!"

Kazuma looks at them dumbfounded for a moment before his brain finally registers their words, resulting in him having a 'super shocked' reaction.

"Wait, seriously? You two are... but... how, when... why didn't I know this sooner?"

"What, you mean you never really knew about us? I don't see how you couldn't have known, Kazuma. I mean, just look at us. Can't you see the family resemblance here?"

Kazuma takes a moment to study them both but try as he might, he just couldn't picture it.

Luckily, Lynn decided to throw him a bone by saying-

"Try not to rack your brain to hard, Kazuma. The only thing we share in the physical sense is our hair color. Everything else you can see here, I got from my mom... thank god."

"Ah, how can you say that, Lynn. What about our eyes here? Surely, you can see the similarities here, right Kazuma?"

"Yeah... riiiiiight, I can definitely see the similarities. So..."

Wanting to change the subject as quickly as possible, Kazuma takes a seat right next to Lynn, looking at her as he says-

"Anyways, Lynn. Dust told me you wanted to talk to me about something before he left with Serena."

"Yeah, I did. But before that, can I ask you how your trip to the Crimson Demon Village went, Kazuma? I heard you guys had another run in with one of the Devil King's Generals while there."

"I'm also curious about that subject, Kazuma."

Kazuma nods before telling them of the events that went down while there. For the most part, they seemed entertained... until Kazuma brought up the revelation Sylvia had given them. When he told them this, they both became strangely serious.

"Kazuma, are you sure you heard Sylvia's words correctly? Did she really say that she was some kind of double agent, a spy within the Devil Kings forces?"

"Yeah, I did. She... or he, still not sure about Sylvia's actual gender, said that they had been sent in by some master to act as a spy within the Devil Kings forces."

After hearing that, Ruffian takes on a thinking pose while Lynn takes over, asking-

"Did Sylvia say anything about being a spy for Belzerg?"

"Not that I can recall. But, if you want my opinion, I have a strong feeling that this is going to be one of those kinds of situations where it turns out that both sides within a war are secretly being played against one another by some third power for a darker purpose."

"That sounds rather cliché, don't you think, Kazuma?"

"Yeah, probably. But in my experience, Lynn, it's always the cliché stuff that's the most likely."

They then look at Ruffian, waiting for him to finally say something.

"Thank you for telling us about this, Kazuma. Information like this is always valuable to have at one's disposal."

"Sure, no problem. So, about that thing you wanted to talk with me about, Lynn?"

"Huh? Oh yeah, right-right-right..."

Kazuma takes a moment to study the two of them as he awaits Lynn responding to his question. An idea was starting to form inside his head, an idea he wanted to test out here before he leaves to head back home.

When Lynn failed to speak after a few moments more, Kazuma decides to take the initiative and say-

"Let me take a guess here, Lynn. You want to ask me if you can join the party. Am I right?"

Lynn blinks at him, clearly caught off guard with his words before giving Kazuma a warm smile.

"Why am I not surprised that you would figure it out, Kazuma. Though I must say you made one tiny error in that guess."

"And that would be?"

"I'm not wanting to join as a full-time member, not yet anyways. Rather, for now, I'd like to ask if I could be a part timer, like Chris currently is with you guys."

After a moment to think about it, Kazuma says-

"Sure, I don't mind. I don't think the others will either. If you don't mind though, wanna tell me why you only want to do the part thing starting off?"

"I, too, am also curious, little Lynn?"

"Do I really need to explain it to you, dad? I have some... personal business I want to take care of, business I've been slacking on due to my being a full-time member of Taylor's party. Now that Taylor and Keith had disbanded the party in favor of joining the Silver Brigade, I want to make up for lost time by getting caught up with the stuff I need to take care of."

"Do you really need to worry about all that though, little Lynn? I mean, when those two made their announcement about disbanding the party originally, I can recall you being very excited with the prospect of joining Kazuma's group full time. Why the sudden change?"

asked Ruffian, getting Lynn to glare at him.

"Do I really have to explain it here, dad? You should know better than anyone what I need to see taken care of?"

Ruffian laughs heartily at her words which makes her huff while placing her arms over her chest.

While this was going on, Kazuma's eyes went from Lynn to Ruffian and back, over and over. He knew there was a lot more going on here than what his feeble brain could understand. And as such, he decides to not worry about it, instead asking-

"Not wanting to change the subject here, but I have to ask at least this question. Does anyone else here in Axel know that the two of you are father and daughter?"

Kazuma's question makes them both recall he was there with them, thus turning their attentions back to him and admitting that they doubted it, mainly because of how different they actually look and the fact they rarely interacted with one another when here.

After a few more moments, Ruffian stands while saying-

"Well, I think it's time I take my leave here. I have something important I need to go take care of. Lynn, stay safe on your return trip home. And Kazuma, do me a favor and keep my little girl safe once she gets back from her latest trip. You're the only one I feel like I can trust with this her."

Kazuma nods before taking a quick glance around, making sure no one was close enough to hear his words before looking back at Ruffian, ready to try something out.

"Say Ruff, I've been doing some thinking about this, and I've made an important decision. After my encounter with all the Generals I've met so far, minus Sylvia, I've decided that I want to meet with the Devil King... assuming he's actually known as the Devil King to his people."

Kazuma's words makes Ruffian stop from walking off, looking back at Kazuma.

"You want to... meet... Are you sure about that, Kazuma? I mean, even after everything you've probably heard said about the guy from the citizens of Belzerg...?

"And what do you mean when you said, 'him being known as the Devil King to his people', Kazuma?"

adds Lynn.

"Just because one side cause someone a Devil doesn't mean that they actually are. I have questions, the kind of question that can only be answered by asking the man directly. Do you think I'm being crazy here, you two?"

Ruffian and Lynn look at each other before looking back at Kazuma, with Ruffian saying-

"Yeah, probably. But... sometimes it's the crazy people who are the wisest among us. And Kazuma..."

Ruffian then leans in close, whispering into Kazuma's ear.

"... If you are really certain about this, then maybe a meeting between you two can be arranged here."

"Ruffian... Lynn and... Kazuma? I didn't expect to see you two here. Ruffian, don't tell me you have to leave already. I was hoping that... well, maybe..."

came the voice of Luna who had appeared out of nowhere.

Ruffian pulls away from Kazuma and says-

"Yeah, sorry about that, Luna. Something important has come up, something I need to look into. However, I promise that once I get back, I'll be sure to..."

Ruffian then leans in close, whispering something into Luna's ear which makes her blush like crazy. Ruffian then does one further by kissing her on the cheek before taking his leave, leaving Luna to just stand there as she swoons before heading off with an obvious skip to her step.

Kazuma, meanwhile, looks at Lynn and ask-

"So, tell me, is Luna your mom? Or does your mom know about your dad going around behind her back or something?"

"No, Luna isn't my mom... though judging how that scene just played out, I won't be surprised if she becomes my stepmom here, one of these days. And no, my dad isn't cheating on my mom any. My mom died when I was still little and I'm OK with dad finding a new love to share his life with."

"Gotcha. Anyways, seeing as you are the newest member of the team, want to come back to the mansion and pick a room out for yourself?"

Lynn shakes her head before standing, with Kazuma following suite.

"Thanks for the offer, Kazuma. But I think I'll wait till after I get back from this little excursion I need to take here. I should be back in about four or five days so once I get back, I'll head over to the mansion first thing and get my room set up. Then we can go do a quest together... with everyone I mean."

"Sounds like a plan here. Just an FYI though, once you get back and if you find that we aren't at the mansion, just come back over here to the guild. I'll leave a message with Luna to let you know where we are, should we need to leave Axel for any reason. You can either wait here till we get back or come looking for us."

Lynn nods before leaning in close, taking a moment to deeply inhale Kazuma's scent.

"Mm, why is it you always smell so good to me, Kazuma? I can't help but wonder if the sensation I feel when I take in you scent is the same that Megumin and Yunyun have whenever you give them a little demi-mana action?"

Lynn then says goodbye as she exits the guild, leaving Kazuma standing there for a second before coming back to reality.

'Oh great, I just invited another 'junky' into my mansion and into my life. I wonder what else I have awaiting me today?'

========================={Part 3: Heeeeere's Daddy!}=========================

Upon leaving the guild, Kazuma decides to use teleport to get home quickly, as opposed to walking back. In all honestly, who wouldn't do that if the option was available to them?

As soon as the teleportation ended and Kazuma started to head into the mansion, he found himself needing to pat his stomach, as it had started to growl.

'Looks like its lunch time. Hm, I wonder if Megumin or the others will be back before I'm done making their lunch's?'

Once Kazuma had stepped inside and enter the living room, he found something that made him come to a dead stop, that being the sight of Anna floating in the middle of the room, chugging down one of the wine bottles Darkness had got for display inside the wine cellar.

"You know, Anna. I find myself wondering just how the heck you are able to drink... anything really, when you're a ghost?"

Hearing Kazuma's voice makes Anna turn her head to look over at him, though she doesn't stop her drinking. Once she was done, she floats over to Kazuma and says-

"Professional trade secret, Kazuma. Honestly, I'm not sure how I manage to avoid making a mess on the floor whenever I help myself to food or drink either. Hell, I'm not even sure why I still help myself to eating and drinking? I mean, it's not like I need to do either. Also, I find myself wondering where it all goes after the fact? I mean, it's not like I need to pee or poop here."

"One of the great mysteries of life. You know, I find it funny that you can eat and drink without making a mess on the floor and yet, you can't go beyond the outer walls that surround the mansion."

Anna deflates upon hearing that, agreeing sadly with that fact. She then perks up and ask-

"So, Kaz... wanna tell me what you have planned for the now, seeing as the little runt has been collected? Are you planning on having a little 'touchy' time with Megumin once she gets back?"

Kazuma scoffs at the idea before giving Anna a response to her question.

"No, there will be no 'touchy' time with Megumin once she gets back. There will be a little lunch time, then some skill making time."

Kazuma then passes Anna as he heads towards the kitchen but stops and looks back at her with a sly grin.

"Touchy time will be later tonight, Megumin's orders for when her sister was collected."

"I'm beginning to wonder who in this place is the biggest perv? I mean, even Yunyun has started to show certain hints to having an inner perv, from what I've seen her do in her room at night."

This makes Kazuma raise an eyebrow before walking back over to Anna and saying-

"Oh really? Then please, tell me more..."

Before Anna could go into detail, the doorbell rings, making them both complain about bad timings.

Kazuma then grumbles as he heads over to the door and opens is, revealing a man with sandy blonde hair, combed back and a short and neatly trimmed goatee. From Kazuma's point of view, he looked like someone who came from high standing, a noble most likely. One with a butt load of money, even for a noble, or so he assumed.

"Excuse me, but am I right in assuming that this is the residence of one Satou Kazuma?"

"Um... yes, it is... May I... help you?"

Almost immediately, Kazuma had wished he had told this guy no. He couldn't help but feel great danger from being before this mysterious stranger.

"Very good. And am I right in assuming that YOU are Satou Kazuma then?"

"Ah... no, I'm not master Satou. I am one of his servant boys, charged with keeping his home clean and in tip top shape. I'm afraid master Satou is out at the moment. May I ask what business you have with the master?"

'Yeah, I'm going to go ahead and play it safe and pretend that I'm not me here. Here's hoping he believes me!'

The mysterious stranger studies Kazuma for a moment, giving him a long hard stare before finally responding to the question.

"Very well, I guess I shall tell you. My name is Accord Reuentahl Daithaene, father of Accord Reuentahl Ciruelto. It is my belief that your master Satou was the one who was behind the kidnapping of my precious daughter a few months back, so I have come here to rescue her and mete out righteous punishment upon her abductor."

For what felt like an eternity, Kazuma just looked at the man before finally saying-

"Um... sorry, never heard of this Ciruelto girl?"

Which was true enough, he hadn't heard her name before, or at least he thinks he hadn't heard it before.

'… it does sound familiar though?'

"I see, then you're saying you know nothing of my precious and innocent daughter then?"

Kazuma shakes his head, all the while preparing himself to close the door quickly and make a run for it if need be.

"So, you're saying you know nothing about my daughter having been seen in the company of Satou Kazuma all around Axel, alongside other girls of various descriptions? And do you also know that you, my questionable sir, match up quite well with the description I was given to what Satou Kazuma would look like?"

Again, what felt like another endless moment seemed to pass before Kazuma finally acted.

"Never heard of him!"

Kazuma then quickly closes the door and proceeds to lock every lock attached to the door. He then presses his head against the door, hearing the sound of footsteps moving farther and farther away after a few tense moments.

Once he couldn't hear any more footsteps, Kazuma, lets out a sigh of relief before turning away and heading back into the living room.

'OK, that was... really scary. Here's hoping he's actually gone here and won't be back, at least not until after the girls get back so I can have some backup here. Still, that name he said, why does it suddenly feel famil...iar... wait...?'

Just when Kazuma was in the verge or realizing something, the front door comes exploding inwards as the man from before comes stomping inside.

"Ciruelto? Ciruelto? Are you here? Don't worry, daddy as come to save you!"

"Hey, what the hell, man? You don't just go blasting in someone's front doors like that. For someone dressed like a noble, you sure as hell don't have any manners...AHHH!"

squealed Kazuma as the stranger, upon hearing him, turns his way and immediately goes onto the attack, striking out fast and hard with his fist which Kazuma barely dodges.

Kazuma immediately hears the sound of something breaking, making him look back to find a massive hole in the wall from the punch the stranger had planned on hitting him with.

"GAHH, what's wrong with you, man? Going at me with an attack with that much power behind it. If that had hit me, I would be dead right now. And you better be ready to pay for the damages you are doing here as well."

"Ignorant fool, you think I care about a little property damage? If you wish to avoid anything more being sent at you, then I suggest you bring me my poor little Ciruelto right now or else be ready to receive my divine fisting technique."

'Huh? Divine fisting...? Don't tell me...'

"Sir, are you Cielo's dad by any chance?"

"Don't you dare call her by that name, vermin. Only those she sees as treasured friends may call her by that name!"

roared Cielo's dad before lunging at me with his first seemingly aglow with a fiery power.

Kazuma found himself dodging this way and that, barely managing to avoid taking a hit though this meant that pretty much anything and everything inside the mansion was taking those hits instead; furniture, walls, even the ceiling took serious hits. And all the while...

"Damn it, stop attacking me, you psychotic fart. If you just give me a moment to talk without the need to dodge your attacks, I can explain everything and tell you where your..."

"You had your chance before, scum. But don't worry, I will give you plenty of time to tell me everything... once I'm done fisting you into oblivion here."

There was yet another pause as the man then takes on a stance, one that was making his whole-body glow with power. From the corner of his left eye, Kazuma could see Anna hiding off to the side. At least he would be safe no matter what... he hoped. As far as he was concerned.

"Yeah... I'm out! Teleport..."

he shouts just as Cielo's father comes at him.

The next thing Kazuma knew, he had appeared outside the mansion with a series of massive explosive bangs came from within the mansion. Immediately, Kazuma makes for the gates, planning on activation Sprint the moment he was outside the wall when...

A new, and very disturbing sound from behind him forces him into looking back, watching in horror as the mansion collapses in on itself, more or less destroyed.

"My... my mansion, my beautiful mansion. You damn bastard, do you realize just what it is you have done here? And we just finished getting it all decorated in the manner we wanted here too."

The rubble of the mansion begins to shift as Cielo's father rises from beneath, no physical signs of injury on him, just some minor damage to his dust covered clothing.

"And where do you think you're going, trash?"

By now, one of Kazuma's eyes had started to twitch, badly. He then cracks his knuckles, having decided to no longer run but instead give this guy the beat down he has coming to him.

"You just pissed off the wrong adventurer here, asshole. Do you have any idea just exactly who I am here? My name is Satou Kazuma, Axel's premiere adventurer and he who has seen multiple generals of the Devil King defeated. You dare come into my house, throwing false accusations my way, then destroy my house in your ignorance? For your sake, you better have insurance here, buddy!"

Cielo's father also cracks his knuckles as he begins to walk towards Kazuma, saying-

"Oh, I have insurance, alright. I call it 'fisting insurance', son. And I hope you're ready because I am here to collect... with interest!"

What followed felt like one of those classic standoff moments between the two of them, complete with a cold late February wind blowing between them.

Lord Accord then goes for Kazuma again with his raging fist, though Kazuma counters with Specter, letting lord Accord pass through him before becoming solid again. Kazuma ignores the pain that races through him as he then spins around while pulling his best mythril cord from his pouch, then using Bind on lord Accord as he himself turns to go for another attack.

With Lord Accord now restrained on the ground with the unbreakable cord, Kazuma approaches him, once more cracking his knuckles. He then looks down at Cielo's potential father and says with a dark and serious tone.

"This is over, old man. You lost to me here, accept that fact. And now, I'll incapacitate you with Drain Touch, then I'll take you to the Knight Guard so they can lock you up. And then, I'll go get Cielo so she can properly chew you out before you compensate me for the damage you caused."

Kazuma had expected to see Cielo's dad start to sweat here. Instead, he grins while chuckling in an ever-growing louder way, making Kazuma give him a confused look. And then...

Lord Accord snaps the mythril cord like it was nothing before quickly getting back to his feet.

"You were saying, you overconfident punk?"

"EEK?!"

shrieked Kazuma before doing the only other thing he could do in this moment, he activates both Sprint and his demi-mana in order to make it help him move even faster, as he tries to make an escape back to Axel.

But, to his horror, he finds lord Accord having little trouble keeping up with him, his eyes aglow like fire.

'Damn it, damn it, damn it. I need to get to the Erisia Cathedral and find Cielo before this lunatic can get his fist on me... or IN me!"

(Axel; outside the Cathedral)

Megumin had to cover her eyes as the light that enveloped her mother and sister shined like the sun before they vanished from sight. Once the light had faded, Megumin allowed herself to look at the spot they had just been at before letting out a sigh.

'I need to really thank Kazuma for this idea, once I get back to the mansion. With him not being in the picture, Komekko finally remembered that she has a big sister and started treating me as such.'

After a moment, Megumin allows herself to let a smile form on her face. While she was going to miss having her sister around, she was also looking forward to her not being around as well as there was a little something she had been wanting to do with Kazuma since they had gotten back.

That being the continuation of a certain something she had really come to enjoy with him. Question now she had to ask herself is would she want the two of them to do this in private or should she go ahead and invite Yunyun to join in, as Kazuma had told the both of them they would continue 'that moment' together once they had gotten back to Axel.

Hell, maybe they could even turn it into a bit of a rival battle, to see which one of them could last the longest there. The thought of that makes Megumin start to giggle with a sinister tone as she begins to walk away from the cathedral when...

"Hey, Megumin... wait up!"

Megumin stops and turns back to see who it was that had called out to her, quickly finding that it was Cielo. Once Cielo had reached her, Megumin asked-

"Already done for the day. That was sure fast, your training I mean."

"Everyone is saying I have a natural talent for the healing arts. Even mother Clerica was caught off guard with just how fast I've been progressing here."

"So, does that mean your training has been completed then?"

"For now. The only things left for me to learn are the things relating to the job of the high priestess and mother Clerica said I won't need to start learning any of that for a good long while, assuming I still wish to succeed her as the next high priestess by the time that comes up. Anyways, do you have any plans for this afternoon?"

Megumin nods before telling Cielo of her intention to watch Kazuma at work with the creation of these new skills he's 'bringing' over from his homeland for them to add to the skill pool.

"... By the way, why do you ask, Cielo? Was there something you were wanting the two of us to do together? Or was there something you needed with Kazuma, or both me and Kazuma?"

Cielo shakes her head then says-

"Not especially. I was just asking because I was hoping we could have a brain storming session after lunch and come up with some sort of group activity we could do together. But if Kazuma's planning on getting to work on that new side project of his, and if you're planning on watching him, then maybe I'll join in too. After all, I've always been curious about how..."

BOOM! POW! KA-BOOM-BOOM!

The sudden loud noises make the two girls jump and even Chomusuke, who had been sleeping on Megumin's head, looks up in surprise. They all then start looking around, trying to find the source of the disturbance and quickly spot clouds of smoke coming from the eastern areas of Axel.

"Megumin, any idea what that's all about? I mean, those blast, they sounded like mini-Explo..."

"Those aren't Explosions, Cielo. Not even close. But whatever it is does feel like it would belong within the Detonation series of spells; possibly upper beginner to mid-adept level here."

"Should we go check it out then? See what's causing it?"

'Yeah, we probably should... but... I'd rather not get involved with anything troublesome without Kazuma there to make sure we can get out of said troublesome event.'

Just as Megumin was going to turn those thoughts into words to speak to Cielo, Chomusuke sudden rises up on alert before hopping off Megumin's head and making for the source of those blast.

"Eh? What's going on? Why did Chomusuke sudden...?"

"I don't know. But something tells me we need to get over there as quick as possible."

(back with Kazuma)

"Create Water... Freeze... Lightning."

shouted Kazuma as he tries to use his magic to either stop, or at least slow this insane guy down some.

The water hits him easily enough, as does the ice attack, but being frozen only stops him for a split second before he breaks free without effort. And when Kazuma had sent the lightning shooting at him, lord Accord just punched it and sent it flying right back at Kazuma, who just barely managed to dodge being hit.

'Holy crap, this guy is strong enough to counter lightning with his bare fist? Just how OP is your family, Cielo? For that matter, just how OP will you be getting by the end of all this... this battle to save the world I mean?'

By now, Kazuma was getting desperate here. None of his plans seemed to be working and using demi-mana to empower all the spells he had been sending back seemed to do nothing against this guy. Was he really that much more powerful than the norm?

Sadly, Kazuma couldn't try using any ranged attacks as his bow was back at the mansion, buried beneath the rubble, possibly even destroyed. The only thing he had left were his Lich skills.

Specter was out, of course. While it would allow him to avoid taking any hits, he could only maintain it for a few seconds as he currently was before auto switching back (or so his test since getting back to Axel has shown) and furthermore, he would be left in intense pain for a few seconds after which would leave him vulnerable, which wasn't good here.

Drain Touch was an option, but his gut tells him he'd most likely be taken out before it could even start taking effect on lord Accord. And Bone Scythe couldn't even be used at present, again thanks to those tests he's done over these last few days for alerting him to that.

There was only one thing left to try here. He just hoped his eyes recovered quicker than lord Accord can...

Kazuma stops, turning back to face Cielo's dad with his head hanging low, making lord Accord laugh.

"So, are you finally giving up then? Too bad as this little game of our has been quite fun, for a morning workout. But I suppose it is time we..."

"APATHY!"

said Kazuma as he turns his head up to look at Lord Accord, his most dangerous Lich skill hitting the man hard, sending him crashing and sliding along the ground.

Almost immediately, Kazuma collapses onto the ground himself, his hands covering his eyes as he shouts out from the sudden intense pain blasting through his head, mainly his eyes. Yep, that really had hurt like hell.

'Damn it, I better not go relying on that too often, otherwise I could find myself going blind eventually. Shit, I can barely see anything at the moment through these crying eyes of... wait, why can I make out red on my hands? Please don't tell me I have blood coming from my sockets here?'

As this new discovery made Kazuma panic a little, at least he felt he could take comfort in knowing Cielo's father had been...

BAM! A sudden blow to his face sends Kazuma flying back into a wall hard enough to create cracks. As he sinks down onto the earth, Kazuma already knew he had suffered a dislocated shoulder, a broken nose, and possibly a few cracked ribs from that attack. He then feels a shadow come over him.

"I must say, villain. That last technique of yours was truly amazing. If not for all this power pumping through my veins right now, I might actually have been left vulnerable for a good while. But now it's over. Prepare yourself for I shall now unleash up you..."

"KAZUMA?"

came a shriek, Megumin's voice which makes Kazuma send a prayer to Eris for sending him a savior.

Lord Accord turns to look at Megumin, cocks his head, then ask-

"You know this man? Then that means you must be one of his underlings. Very well, watch as I put this devil to the fist for his crimes. Then, I will expect you to answer the questions he has failed to answer. Now cur, as I was saying... I shall now unleash upon you a punishment by the Infinite Fisting!"

Lord Accord goes to start pounding poor Kazuma into oblivion when...

"Kazu... DAD?"

As soon as Lord Accord heard Cielo's voice, he immediately jerks before turning back to see his precious baby girl standing beside Megumin. He tears up as he moves away from the broken Kazuma, holding his shaking arms out as he says-

"My daughter... my daughter, at last I have found you, my precious..."

"DAD..."

said Cielo in a low voice, having already seen what her father had done to one of her best and closest friends. She grits her teeth, clenches her fist as tight as she could, then shoots at her father before sending a fist slamming into his jaw with all the force she could muster.

"... YOU... STUPID... PARENT!"

{Insert Image 2}

================={Part 4: Enough With These Road Trips Already!}=================

"Kazuma, are you feeling OK now? Any more pain or discomfort anywhere?"

Kazuma groans a little as Cielo, along with Clerica and a few other healers, work to fix him up following his being bashed around by lord Accord, who was sitting off to one side, not looking very regretful over his previous actions and Megumin, who was sitting beside Kazuma, her eyes locked onto lord Accord to make sure he doesn't try anything else here.

"Still a little bit of both, if I'm being honest here. Gotta say though, if today is any indication of how the next week is going to be going for me, then I think I'm gonna just go ahead and hide myself away from the world till the week has passed because I really, really don't have the energy to deal with more of this shit."

Megumin then looks at him, reaching out to run her hand through his hair to comfort him. Meanwhile, Clerica and the healers finish up their work, saying there was nothing left they could do here, that the rest was up to Kazuma to take it easy, relax, and let time take care of the rest. They then excuse themselves.

Cielo finishes up as well before turning her attention to her dad.

"Dad, I think it's time you apologize to Kazuma for nearly killing him, don't you think?"

"I see no reason why I need to do that, little one. Sure, he may not have been the one who kidnapped you, but he failed to see you safely back home either. As far as I'm concerned here, that means he's just as guilty as that Dullahan guy."

Lord Accord then crosses his arms over his chest in defiance. When Cielo yells at him to stop acting like a brat, funny when you consider its the child telling the parent such a thing, his response was to simply turn away with a huff.

"You say it was my job to see her home after rescuing her. How do you figure that one, old man? I mean, Cielo isn't some little kid, but a young woman. She was more than capable of seeing herself home if she wanted. If she needed help, then all she had to do was ask me and I would have done what I could to see her safely back then."

"Kazuma's right dad. It wasn't his job to bring me back, nor did I ever ask him to do so. Seeing him as a co-kidnapper just because of that...? It makes me all the gladder I left home to come to Axel to begin with."

"Cielo, isn't that going a little too far...?"

"How could you say that, especially to your own father? Don't you understand how worried I was over you? And you boy, stop calling her by that name. Only people she sees as her closest, personal friends may call her by that nickname."

Lord Accord's words makes a vein bulge on Cielo's forehead as she snaps at her father.

"He calls me Cielo because I gave him permission to, dad. Kazuma here is a close friend of mine, a very close friend at that. And how dare you say you were worried about me when it took you months to even realize I had been kidnapped. Tell me, dad, just how long did it take you to notice I was even missing? How long till you read the ransom note Verdia sent to you? Well, I'm waiting..."

Lord Accord then begins to fidget nervously, making Cielo glare at him with even more intensity here.

"That's... not important right now. I confess I took a 'little' longer to become aware of your situation and for that, I am regretful. Even so, that is still no way to speak to your father. What, has being around this... person really eroded your mind so much in the short time you've known him. I thought I had raised you to be more sophisticated with your words and thought than this."

"You only just found the ransom note for me the other day, didn't you. What's your excuse for this one. Did it get thrown into the trash like it was spam mail? Did it get treated like 'new business' and placed to the side till it was time to deal with the 'new business'? ...Did it fall under your desk, like so many other letters have?"

Cielo's deadpan tone made her father 'urk', which causes her to sigh while shaking her head.

Off to the side, Kazuma and Megumin just watch it all, unsure on what they should be doing here, wondering if maybe they should leave the room and give the two some privacy right now.

"Ugh, last thing I want right now is to be here, listening to all this drama. Can I just retreat to some nice comfy bed. I really want to do nothing else but sleep right now."

"Then let's back to the mansion so you can do just that. Hey, Cielo. I'm going to take Kazuma back to the mansion so he can get some proper rest, OK?"

Cielo gives Megumin the OK while both Kazuma and lord Accord go stiff from hearing that, for very different reasons, to be sure.

Kazuma scratches his cheek, knowing what he was about to say was only going to make Cielo madder.

"Actually, there's a problem there. You see, Cielo, your dad... he kinda..."

"Quiet, boy. There's no need to be bringing up such pointless topics at this time."

Cielo and Megumin were clearly confused by those words, their attentions going back and forth between Kazuma and lord Accord. Finally, Cielo ask-

"What's going on? Dad... what did you do?"

"Nothing, nothing at all. There's no problems, right...boy?"

Kazuma didn't fail to notice the way lord Accord adjusted his hands, moving them into fist to let him know he wasn't afraid to go at him again if he were to talk. Kazuma, for his part, found his anger rushing back to him as he doesn't hesitate to tell all.

"Right, there's absolutely no problem at all here, sir... apart from the fact you destroyed the mansion!"

"WHAT?"

shouted both Cielo and Megumin, their heads jerking from looking at Kazuma to lord Accord.

"Oh, don't be thinking any bad thoughts here, daughter. It wasn't that bad. All I did was... put a few holes in the wall."

"... Followed by him demolishing the whole place. We don't have a mansion to call home anymore. We have a pile of rubble now. And like I said before, you better have insurance because it's all on you to see our home rebuilt."

"OVER MY DEAD..."

"I WILL PERSONALLY ARRANGE THAT DAD, IF YOU SAY ANOTHER WORD HERE!"

Lord Accord was about to come at me again but is stopped as the look of killing intent from Cielo was enough to make even, he cowers in fear. After another moment of trying to be obstinate, he finally huffs again before agreeing to pay Kazuma to have the repairs done on the mansion.

"You'll pay him DOUBLE the cost to rebuild, right dad?"

"What, you can't be... fine, I'll give him double."

"And you pay for their rooms at the hotel they'll need to stay in as this is going on, right?"

"... If that's what you want, my daughter. I shall see it done."

Judging from his tone, lord Accord was clearly not fine with any of this. Luckily, it seemed Cielo was able to get him to relent somehow. Maybe she had him wrapped around her little finger, even if she wasn't aware of it.

Megumin lets out a sigh before getting up.

"Well, I better go see what's left of our home, see if anything survived. I'll be back in a bit."

"Megumin, while you're out, make sure to stop by the guild as well. Let Luna know about our current situation so she can pass the news along to Yunyun and Darkness once they get back from their special quest."

"Also, let them know we'll be staying at the Gold Standard Hotel till the repairs are done too."

Said Kazuma and Cielo. Megumin then asked about the hotel.

"The Gold Standard? Isn't that the most expensive hotel in all of Axel?"

"Sure is, which is why I'm sure father won't mind getting all FIVE us of our own private rooms to stay in for a few weeks, right?"

Lord Accord begins to sweat a little but agrees after a few moments of hesitation.

Once Megumin had left the room, Kazuma finds himself wondering about one little detail.

'I wonder if those two have already gotten back by now? If so, I hate to think what they're gonna be thinking if they see the current state of the mansion before Megumin can fill them in on things.'

(...with Darkness and Yunyun)

"Well, this has been an interesting few days."

"Indeed. It was also a nice change of pace, as well. Teaching newbies the ins and outs of adventuring."

"I did feel bad about turning down their offer to not stick with them full time, but there's no way I can see myself leaving Kazuma... I mean the party."

"Are you sure, Yunyun? By the way, did you notice how the leader kept looking at you during these last few days. To be more specific, looking at your chest. Pretty sure he was thinking dirty thoughts the entire time. He was also looking at me with the hungry lustful eyes. I wouldn't leave the party either but having such a beast around me twenty-four seven sure made me feel tempted though."

"Sure... yeah... hahahah..."

Yunyun didn't have the heart to tell Darkness that the knight class guy was scared to death of her, due to her masochistic nature.

"Anyways, Darkness... what should we do once we get back?"

"Hm? Don't know about you, but I want to take a long bath here. While today wasn't to hard here, I did still manage to work up a sweat."

"A nice long bath does sound good. Maybe I'll...?"

Her words stop as they reach the main gate, seeing the state of the mansion beyond. The two just stand there for a few moments, processing what they were seeing before-

"WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO THE MANSION?"

(back with Kazuma and Cielo)

"Well, seeing as we're going to be staying at a hotel for the next while, might as well head over there and get our rooms in order."

said Kazuma as he goes to stand but has some trouble with doing so. Cielo then moves over, placing her arm around Kazuma to help him up, supporting him all the while.

Lord Accord watches all this, his eyes narrow and threatening before saying-

"Just because she has her arm around you doesn't mean you can try anything here. Remember that boy, if you try to touch her in any way as she's...she's touching..."

Kazuma and Cielo take note of the sudden change in lord Accord's voice, getting them to look at him.

"My little Ciruelto, you are... touching a guy? You're actually touching someone of the opposite gender here? But how... I thought you had Androphobia?"

"That's right, father. I do have Androphobia. But it no longer seems to activate whenever me and Kazuma touch one another. While I still have a ways to go here, I can at least say I've made some progress with overcoming my mental condition."

Hearing that sends lord Accord into a panic, for some strange reason. You'd think he'd be happy to hear that, but...

'My daughter... she can actually touch a male without issue? No, it can't be, not after all my careful planning and hard work I put in here too..."

"What did you just say, dad?"

"Um... Cielo, I can't believe I'm saying this, but... I don't think your Androphobia was an accident now. I think your dad may have forced it into being."

Hearing Kazuma say that makes lord Accord jerk back, shocked that he had figured it out so quickly.

Cielo had a look of disbelief on her, looking back at her father with a hurtful expression.

"Father... is that...? Why, why do that to me? Do you have any idea how hard my Androphobia has made my life? How many guys, nice guys at that, I've hurt without meaning to because of this condition? Why would you do this to me, your own daughter?"

When lord Accord fails to respond, Kazuma decides to make a guess and voices it aloud.

"If I had to guess, I'd say he was being an overprotective father here. He probably feels that there is no man out there good enough to be your partner, your lover and as such, he wanted to make sure you would have a safe, and distant, relationship with guys, am I right? I can understand that line of thought though I feel you may have gone more than a bit overboard with the protecting Cielo shtick."

"But you still understand, right? I can at least take comfort with that, boy. I mean, why wouldn't I want to safeguard my precious daughter? And as far as I'm concerned, there is no man out there who would be worthy of her. Still, to think you have started to unravel all that I did to..."

Lord Accord's words are cut off as the entire room we were in is filled with a dark, oppressive aura; all coming from Cielo whose eyes seemed aflame with dark energy.

"Father... how dare you do that. I don't care how badly you wanted to protect me, what you did went way to far here. And to say that there's no man out there that's good enough for me? Who gave you the right to make that call, huh? My life is MY LIFE here and only I have the right to make such a call."

When lord Accord stubbornly looks away from her in defiance, Cielo decides to do something here, something her father couldn't ignore. Cielo then turns to Kazuma, wraps her arms around him, and pulls him kiss.

This makes lord Accord look back with a stunned look, his eyes practically bulging from their sockets. Kazuma, for his part, was confused for a second before getting what Cielo was doing here and decides to return her kiss with his own.

"You...you... YOU DAMNED DEVIL! It has become clear to me now that you have corrupted and brainwashed my daughter. Prepare yourself to face my wraith."

Instead, Cielo takes one of her hands, balls it into a fist, then sends it slamming down onto her father's head as he tries to lunge at Kazuma, the force of which sends him crashing straight down, unconscious. All the while, Kazuma and Cielo continue to kiss for a few moments more before finally breaking apart.

"Ooo, now that's what I call a 'fisting', right Cielo?"

"Shut up, Kazuma. Sorry about... doing that without warning, here... and, thank you for that, too."

"I aim to please. We... should keep what just happened a secret from the others though. Last thing we need to to give Darkness anything to tease us about. Or get Megumin all huffy or Yunyun all... whatever it is she would do."

"Agreed."

After that, they look down at lord Accord and Kazuma ask-

"So, what should we do about your dad?"

"Eh, he'll wake up in a couple of moments and we'll take it from there."

(a few hours later, evening time)

True to Cielo's words, lord Accord had awoken not long after and, after a threat from Cielo in which she said that if he tried to hurt Kazuma again, she would do a LOT more with him than just kiss. In other words, he would be getting his first grandchild a lot sooner than he would want.

It was all a bluff, of course, or so Kazuma assumed. Regardless, Cielo then took the time to finish explaining how Kazuma saved her and everything that had happened since she had arrived in Axel. Lord Accord finally, properly apologized to Kazuma and thanked him for all that he has done for Cielo.

After that, lord Accord took his leave as he needed to pay Aldarp a visit, owing him an explanation as to why parts of the east side of Axel had been damaged. He would also make arrangements to have some people go out to the mansion in order to determine the cost of rebuilding.

With her father gone, Kazuma and Cielo made their way over to the Gold Standard, renting not five rooms, but the King Suite itself which was located on the top floor and had more than enough room for the whole team to stay in for the time being.

Not long after, Megumin arrived with Darkness and Yunyun and the five teammates, after taking some time to enjoy the 'royal' treatment here, finally sat down to discuss things.

"So, any ideas how long it's gonna take to get the mansion restored?"

asked Cielo. Darkness takes a moment to think about it before saying-

"I'm no architect here, but judging by how it looks and all, I'm going to say at least a month tops."

"A month? Jeez, I knew the construction scene outside the clan was slow, but I didn't think it would be that slow? Hell, just one of our people could probably get it done in a day or two. Still, if staying here is the price we have to pay for that month, then I wouldn't mind if it took forever."

said Megumin, getting agreeing nod from Kazuma. A moment later, Yunyun has a idea she was quick to voice.

"That's a great idea, Megumin. We should write a letter home and ask for help with rebuilding the mansion."

"That is a good idea, but I feel my father shouldn't get a pass after what he did."

said Cielo though Megumin was quick to add-

"And he won't. We'll still have him pay us the full amount he owes but insist that we'll handle hiring the construction crew. We can then bring in some clan mates to handle the rebuilding. We'll get a discount, maybe even get it done for free if we're lucky. Either way, it'll save us both time and eris which we can pocket for future uses."

Hearing that makes Kazuma, Cielo, and Yunyun nod in agreement. Darkness then decides to add-

"Well, if we're going to have some Crimson Demon craftsmen come handle the rebuilding here, then why just settle with restoring the mansion to the way it was. Why not make it even better?"

"What do you mean, Darkness?"

asked Megumin, Cielo, and Yunyun.

Darkness then explains what she meant, making the mansion even bigger, adding more rooms like a basement which could have storage, a proper wine cellar, and even dedicated rooms for Kazuma's item creation and skills making projects, along with a few other surprises as well.

This gets all the girls chatting amongst themselves as they begin throwing idea after idea about. Kazuma, after trying to offer an idea or two of his own, finds himself being quickly shooed away by the girls who ask him to use the 'royal suite's' kitchen to make them some dinner, though Kazuma does ask why they couldn't just have the hotel kitchen make them something instead.

Despite that, Kazuma still found himself making dinner for them. By the time he was done, the girls had finalized their plans and had even drawn up the new blueprints too. Darkness had even managed to go retrieve the old blueprints for the mansion from the Axel Archives and return for them to use for their new blueprints in the time it had taken him to cook everything.

After dinner, Yunyun quickly went to make the letter to her parents, including the new blueprints and had taken off to deliver it to the post office. Everyone else was waiting for her to return, as well as lord Accord who should be back at any time.

"So, we're really going to be staying here for a few days, huh?"

said Darkness. Megumin, who was lounging on one of the large sofas in the room, says-

"I personally wouldn't mind this being our new home. It's already better than the mansion as it originally was and will probably still fail to compete even after our requested modifications."

"Speaking of, just what exactly did you guys decide to ask for there?"

None of the girls respond to Kazuma's question. After a moment, Darkness looks to Cielo, seeing that she was lost in thought.

"Cielo, is something wrong?"

"Hm? Wrong? Oh, no... nothing's wrong. I was just thinking... seeing as it'll take a few days before the mansion is back up, I was wondering if you guys would be up for taking another little trip?"

"What? Haven't we already done enough road trips this year, and we aren't even in Springtime yet!"

complained Megumin. Kazuma, while he agreed with Megumin's opinion, was still curious as to what Cielo had in mind.

"Where would we be going, Cielo?"

"Well, I was thinking... maybe we could take a week-long trip to my hometown. I can promise it won't be like our trips to Arcenretia and the Crimson Demon village. My hometown is not only peaceful, but also a rather beautiful place to visit."

Darkness, who was still getting over her failure at realizing that Cielo was actually Ciruelto, first daughter of the Accord family and a fellow noble, takes a moment to think before her eyes light up and she excitedly says-

"Kazuma, Megumin, we need to accept this idea and visit Cielo's home."

Darkness's words clearly confused us, making us ask why.

"Because the Accord noble family calls the most magnificent city in all of Belzerg... no, in the entire world, their home. The City of Sights... Veridae!"

========================{Part 5: The Paris of Belzerg}========================

Lord Accord had gotten back from his meeting with Aldarp not long after the decision had been made for us to spend the next week in Veridae and while he was happy to have Cielo coming back with him and was fine with the other girls coming as well, his disposition changed significantly when told that Kazuma would be coming as well though he did ultimately agree to see them all there.

The following morning, Yunyun had taken a quick trip out to the ruins of the mansion to give Anna the four-one-one on what would be happening over the coming week. Anna wasn't happy as she was getting tired of always being left behind, not that there was any choice in the matter as she was currently unable to go beyond the mansion grounds.

It also didn't help that she would be forced to stay outside as there wasn't any mansion left for her to play around in. Yunyun did tell her that Kazuma was more than aware of her frustrations where that matter was concerned and was actually looking into a work around that would allow her to actually leave the mansion grounds and explore the larger world. He... they, just needed time here.

Kazuma had taken a quick trip over to the guild, alerting Luna of their current situation and asked her to pass on a message to Lynn, should she get back to Axel before they returned in a week or so.

Soon enough though, everyone had gathered together at the transportation depot, where lord Accord's personal carriage awaited. It was a tad bit larger than the usual carriage though Cielo was quick to explain why that was.

"Long story short, my father likes his space so he can stretch out, and lay down, whenever he wants to."

Yunyun peeks inside the carriage, then looks back at everyone and ask-

"While the inside is indeed bigger, will there still be enough room in there to fit all of us?"

Lord Accord counts up their number then examines the inside of his carriage as well before saying-

"There should be just enough room, I think. If not, then we can have the boy sit in the back alongside the luggage. I'm sure he wouldn't mind, right boy?"

"Fuck that shit! I'm not doing that again, no way in hell. Last time that happened, all the girls got brainwashed by some third-rate street magician into believing they were his devoted fan girls and I got about as short end of the stick as one could get."

Lord Accord gave Kazuma a curious look, clearly intrigued by what he had just heard.

"Really? That settles it, then. You are definitely sitting in the back now, boy."

"The hell he is!"

screamed all the girls, making lord Accord jerk back in shock.

In the end, what they ended up doing was letting lord Accord have 'his' seat, so he could be comfortable, not that he could given the sight of he was forced to watch for parts of the trip.

Darkness had chosen to sit the single person spot along the front. Kazuma was sitting opposite lord Accord with Megumin, Yunyun, and Cielo sitting with him. The problem was the seat they were using was only really meant for two people, not four.

As such, the three girls found themselves alternating with their spots. One girl would be sitting along one of Kazuma's sides, the other along the other side, positioned so close that it looked like they were hugging themselves against his arms. And the third girl would be using Kazuma's lap as a seat.

Obviously, lord Accord found Kazuma's relationship with these girls to be a rather curious one, but it really, greatly irked him whenever it was his daughters turn to sit on Kazuma's lap. And what made it worse, Cielo made damn sure to look like she was enjoying it in her father's eyes, just to further spite him for his continued obnoxious behavior where Kazuma was concerned.

And as for Kazuma himself? Well, he definitely had no reason to complain here. Quite the opposite, in fact. During the entire trip, he maintained the smuggest grin he could muster, especially whenever Cielo was on his lap. For him, this was HIS personal revenge against the old man.

{Insert Image 3}

The trip to Veridae ended up taking them nearly three days. The first night saw them staying at an inn in some small town whose name was the kind one usually doesn't bother to remember and the second night had them staying at the capital before setting out on day three, reaching Veridae by early afternoon.

"Thank god, this trip in nearly over."

said lord Accord as the outline on the wall that safe guarded Veridae finally came into view.

The outer wall, from what they could make out, was pure white in color and appeared to have intricate carvings etched into the wall just beyond the equally artistically designed entry arch, the design of which reminded Kazuma of things he had seen in books from around the world.

"Amazing, just the outer wall looks amazing."

said Yunyun with Cielo quickly adding-

"If you think the outside here impressive, just wait till we get inside the wall."

Darkness looks at the gate longingly, saying absentmindedly to herself-

"It's been quite a few years since I was last here with father, but I can still recall the beauty and majesty that's awaiting us inside."

Soon after, they finally reached and passed through the stylish arch and what they saw beyond was indeed far and away more impressive than anything they had ever seen before.

First were the buildings, built using white marble, probably the same as the city walls. There were also special colorized stones mixed in at the edges and windows while the roofing made use of fancy looking tiles with colors that matched the special stones.

Figuring they would ask about it, lord Accord went ahead and explained-

"If you see green or yellow secondary, then it means that the building contains a type of business within. If you see orange, red, or blue colors, then its a residential home with the colors indicitive of the occupants social standing."

"In other words, how much money they spent to buy said home."

added Cielo.

They then took notice of a few other things here. For one thing, many of the buildings had interesting designs to them, looking like smaller, more compact versions of castles and palaces. And many others had elaborate designs etched into the walls as well, much like the outer walls, but even more impressive looking.

And another detail they were quick to notice was the stones that had been used to pave to road they traveled upon. All the stones were a bright red color.

"Incredible, the ground is... Are all roads here in Veridae red in color? And why red?"

asked Yunyun. Cielo answers by saying-

"Only the main roads, if memory serves. I think all the side roads, like the sidewalks, have a more traditional grayish coloring. And as for why they chose the color red..."

"It was to give travelers the sense that they were being given the red-carpet treatment whenever they come to Veridae."

explained lord Accord. Megumin, who by the way was currently sitting on Kazuma's lap, quickly turns her attention onto him and says-

"Kazuma, Kazuma, we should pack our things and move out of Axel over here to Veridae. I know we only just got here, but it's already obvious that this place would be an amazing place to live. And, on a personal note, the road alone greatly appeals to my personal sense of style."

Darkness chuckles at hearing that, getting the other girls to look at her.

"You may want to rethink that, Megumin. While it is true that Veridae would be an amazing place to live in, due to all the art and beauty this place offers. The downside to moving here is the cost. Correct me if I'm wrong here, lord Accord, but isn't Veridae the most expensive city in the kingdom to live in?"

"Indeed, it is, Lalatina. Just buying the cheapest home available would cost you around the same amount as a small mansion back in Axel, despite usually being far smaller in size. Essentially, being no bigger than what would be considered a normal sized family home. Then there's the clothing and food; also costing far more than what you would pay anywhere else. On the plus side, you'd be guaranteed a true five star return on anything and everything you could buy here. After all, we do have an image to maintain."

They all nod before returning their attentions back to admiring the city. Soon enough, a new sight caught their eyes.

"And there it is. Veridae's most impressive sight; Mt. Louview and the Louview Palace!"

Before them, off in the not too far off distance was a massive rise of stone erupting from the earth. And carved out, midway up the rising stone was the Louview Palace, without question the most breathtaking sight of them all.

They could also see the red stoned road people could walk up in order to reach the Palace.

"Louview, said to be the most beautiful of all the kingdoms wonders ever created.:

said Cielo, a sense of awe present in her tone. It was clear that even now, after probably having seen it countless times in the past, the sight still left her filled with wonder.

"Originally, Mt Louview was much bigger but the bulk of the marble within was minded and used to fashion Veridae itself, leaving only the central core of the peak to continue on forever with the palace carved out of it."

explained Darkness with lord Accord following after by saying-

"Most of the inside of Louview Palace is, in fact, one giant art museum: holding nearly all of the kingdoms most famous pieces. There is also a massive ballroom located within as well, where the kingdom holds pretty much all if its big party's. The upper most sections of the palace, known as the royal chambers, is considered off limits to the general public unless invited within."

"Originally, the Royal Chambers was used sparingly by the royal family; a sort of vacation spot if you will. However, for the last ten or so years, I believe the Duchess of Kessex, who is the king's cousin, has been living therein, right dad?"

asked Cielo, getting a nod from her father.

"Correct. It is a little strange, having the Duchess stick around as long as she has. I mean, many have pondered behind the why of it, especially seeing as she has duties back in Kessex she surely needs to return to overseeing. However, it appears she has been able to manage to keep up with those demands despite being here as well as she, as far as we know, hasn't been chastised for her long term stay by either the king or the council so we can only assume there is no problem with her actions."

"Lord Accord, is it also true that many of the greatest treasured within the kingdom are sealed within the famous Louview fault?"

asked Darkness, getting a nod from him.

"That is correct, Lalatina. The vault of Louview is said to be the most secure in all the world. In the entire history of Veridae, none have ever successfully breached it, an achievement no other vault anywhere can claim."

This makes Megumin and Yunyun send out an impressed whistle. Megumin then realized that Kazuma had been strangely quiet during this whole exchange, making her turn her attention to him.

"Kazuma...?"

[Floating beyond time, is a city on the wind]

[Please, dear, take me there.]

[Where dreams draped in white flowers, come true!]

said Kazuma, speaking in Japanese absentmindedly to himself. The flow of his voice made it seem like he may have been singing a little ditty to himself while being lost in the moment.

Kazuma then becomes aware of several eyes on him, bringing him out of his inner world to look back.

"Hm? Oh, sorry about that. Guess I got lost in the moment there. Did you say something, Megumin?"

"I just noticed you had been mostly quite since we got here. I was wondering what your thoughts are about this place?"

"My thoughts...?"

Kazuma thinks about it for a moment before saying-

"I... feel like I've found myself coming to Paris. Well, either that or someplace within Italy!"

Obviously, no one else understood anything about what Kazuma was talking about here.

Not long after, they finally arrived at the estate of the Accord noble family...

============================{ to be continued... }============================

Image 1: An image of a man and woman, wearing mask, standing on some railing with the full moon shining behind them.

Image 2: Cielo sending her fist slamming into the face of his father, which sends him flying.

Image 3: Lord Accord's disturbed face and Kazuma looking at him with a smug look as Cielo sits on his lap while Megumin and Yunyun both hugging Kazuma's arms; their faces neutral.

XxXxX

AN2: As stated in the above authors notes, I have decided to handle the planned intermission chapters differently. In case anyone is wondering, the intention behind the four-part intermission chapter was to reveal the origin of Entropy.

Even though I won't be doing the four intermission chapters now, I will STILL be doing the Entropy origin here within the series, I'm just going to wait until the truth behind what Entropy is and why it's doing what it's doing is revealed in story then have the next chapter either be entirely about its origin or have a part of the chapter dedicated to it.

What had been originally planned for the four intermission chapters was this. Part one would have been the incident that would see things begin to fall apart, part 2 would have been the consequences to what happened in part 1. Part 3 would have seen Entropy's birth and the final part would have dealt with the why it seems to be after Kazuma, or perhaps the soul hiding out inside Kazuma, or both.

Anyways, like I said, we'll still be getting this reveal. It just won't happen till the final arc or be done up in one chapter before we begin the final arc. Anyways, until next time...