Bless This World With A Stranger

by RhineWrites

Arc 8: Konosuba Inferno (chapters 37-?)

29. A6-3: Blue-Blood Vendetta

Chapter 3: Blue-Blood Vendetta

========================{Part 1: The Duchess of Kessex}========================

Following the mandatory invitation to meet with the Duchess Belzerg Shining Spear Aberlina, the threesome of Kazuma, Megumin, and Cielo found themselves working twice as hard the day following in order to get in as much practice as they could seeing as the very next day, their training period would be cut in half as they would need to spend the entire morning entertaining the whims and fancies of the Duchess.

Hopefully, it would only be for the morning hours, and not the whole day as the Duchess wasn't always known for caring about the needs, and prior commitments, of those she summons to spend time with her.

The night before the big meeting, Darkness and Cielo had taken a little time to prepare the others on what they were likely to find themselves dealing with once the meeting began, reminding them multiple times that they all needed to be on their best behavior. In another words, none of their usual shenanigans here.

"Guess that means Darkness can't be letting herself indulge in her perverted fantasy's either, right?"

said Megumin, trying to be cheeky which only makes Darkness mad.

"Of course not. Even I know that there is a time and place for such things and this meeting will definitely fall under the 'not the time nor place' category. Remember, ALL of us need to be on our best behavior here, no exceptions."

"You guys need to understand. The Duchess isn't known for being the forgiving type. I heard one time, she stumbled just a tiny bit during some fancy party, because she hadn't been paying attention to where she was walking. A child saw it happen and laughed a little and the response the Duchess had said she wanted to have that child thrown into jail for a few years. Luckily, cooler heads prevailed there but..."

Cielo goes quiet, not sure how much more she should say here. After a moment of waiting for Cielo to continue, Yunyun finally says-

"Is she really that bad of a person?"

Darkness was the one to respond, saying-

"She's the very definition of what people think of when they think of those of noble or royal blood, of blood bloods. It doesn't help her father was also like that and, without her mother there to try to add some balance to her life, she became a person who very much holds close the ways and teachings of her father. That's why we all need to be at our best here as it will only take one screw up to see us locked away for a long, LONG time."

"As such, while we're at this meeting, let's go ahead and play it safe by referring to Darkness and myself by our proper names; Lalatina and Ciruelto. I doubt she'd understand, let alone accept our nicknames. Megumin, Yunyun; as the two of you are Crimson Demons, there's a chance that she will be fine with some antics as I sure she's well versed in your clans' unique culture, though you should still try to keep in reigned in just a little bit, Megumin."

Yunyun nods at Cielo's words while Megumin just huffs, mumbling why it was only her that was getting called out for being guilty of going a little overboard. Darkness then turns to Kazuma and says-

"Truth told, you are the biggest fear for me here, Kazuma."

"Eh? What do you mean? Why would I be the biggest fear you'd have?"

Megumin and Yunyun also were clearly confused by those words. Sure, Kazuma could be as much trouble as any of them could be, but he was also the most dependable when they needed him to be too. Even Cielo looked a little confused, so Darkness decides to elaborate on her words by saying-

"It's not that I'm worried about you intentionally causing a scene, Kazuma. Remember everyone, that Kazuma's the sole member of our party the Duchess would see in a lowly way from the start. Naturally, me and Cielo have our noble blood going for us. Megumin and Yunyun, being Crimson Demons, are seen as an asset to the kingdom so they'll likely be treated with some degree of reverence and respect."

"Kazuma, on the other hand, is neither a noble nor a special asset, but a commoner. To the Duchess, Kazuma would be seen as nothing more that the help, a servant we probably bring along to help carry the supplies. Maybe to act as a decoy if the situation ever gets rough. In other words, the idea of you being anything more than that would be an impossibility she would have trouble accepting."

Cielo then steps in for Darkness, saying-

"We know it's not fair, especially given all that you have done for us... have suffered because of us in the past. But for your sake, it may be best to keep quiet and let us do most of the talking, at least until we are able to convince the Duchess of your greater importance to our group... assuming that's even possible."

Kazuma looked like he wanted to argue about that, but upon seeing the faces both Darkness and Cielo were sending his way; a mixture of serious and genuine worry for him, he finally sighs and accepts being as quiet as he could be, at least until they could hopefully convince her of his importance here.

Megumin, on the other hand, wasn't so easily convinced.

"I don't like this. All because he's just a regular guy, that's no reason for Kazuma to be treated like that. I understand what could happen if we don't keep ourselves in line during this meeting, but if she does anything... says anything to, or about, Kazuma I don't like, then I'll make sure she understands why she shouldn't do such things, especially when in my presence!"

"Please don't do that."

They all said to Megumin pleadingly. After a little more talking about this and that, they all decided to turn in for the night as the next day was sure to be a very long and tense one, at least during the morning hours anyways.

(the next morning...)

Following them getting breakfast and getting dressed, with a bit of a debate on if they should play it safe and dress all fancy or if their usual casual attire would suffice with the casual look winning out, the team boarded the special carriage that had been sent for them to see them to the Louview Palace.

Probably a good thing too, seeing as the entrance wasn't on ground level with the better chunk of Veridae; instead, being a fair way up the mountain it had been carved out of. As they went, Darkness once again told the three non-nobles to make sure they stayed on their best behaviors while here.

The trip to Louview Palace from the hotel had taken around twenty minutes, a trip that if done by foot would have likely taken them over an hour, possibly even up to two hours at that, mainly because the path did become a little steep in a few spots which made maintaining a consistent walking speed a hassle.

Once they had arrived, they found themselves being given a decent chance to see some of the breath-taking insides of the Louview Palace as the man who had met them at the entrance, Dartango, had chosen to give them the scenic tour as they made their way to the stairway that would lead them into the royal section of the palace.

As they went, they learned more about Dartango and his connection to the Duchess. In a nutshell, he had once been the personal guard and loyal friend to the late Duke of Kessex, the Duchess's father, as well as an adviser of a sort. The Duchess kept him around as she trusted him, and because she had always seen him as an honorary uncle figure, the fun kind.

Soon, they reached the royal chambers and were shown to the meeting room where a strange girl awaited them. She was dressed in strange garments they had never seen before, possessing a very thin, angular face that seemed to scream 'always serious.' A nod from Dartango gets her to nod as well before she turns and leaves the room. He then turns to the group as they seat themselves and says-

"That there was Krydie. She... well, she serves the same role I once served for the late Duke with our current Duchess. She's a girl of very few words... in fact, I don't think I've ever heard her talk aloud before. Whenever she does speak, it's always in whispers to lady Aberlina. Don't ask me about her style of dress or where she comes from as I have never been told those things. In fact, I believe only the Duchess herself knows Krydie's secrets."

After that came the waiting game, a very long waiting game at that. When they had arrived here in the waiting room, it had been just a few minutes shy of 9am, when the meeting was supposed to begin. By the time the door Krydie had left through opened again, it was a quarter after 10am.

The group was quick to stand as Krydie entered first, going to hold the door open as another woman, one dressed in a very fancy white dress with golden frills came walking into the room, a fan held up to hide the lower half of her face as she walks forward, stopping just before the group and gives them a look over.

"Hm, dressing quite... casually for this important meeting, I see. How very... quaint, though I suppose I didn't specify the need to dress properly for this meeting. Lady Accord, lady Dustiness, I'm surprised that you both would allow this to happen."

Both Cielo and Darkness bow in an apologetic manner before Darkness says-

"Apologies, Duchess, we hoped you wouldn't mind us coming like this. Due to our duties with helping out with the forthcoming Idol Hearts performance, time wasn't on our sides when it came to looking for anything more... appropriate."

The Duchess studies Darkness for a few moments more before letting out a sigh.

"I suppose it can't be helped none, can it. No matter, I won't allow myself to be annoyed by such trifles. Now then, shall we let your three companions introduce themselves here?"

The Duchess moves over to stand before Megumin and Yunyun, giving them her full attention.

"As I'm sure you both no doubt know, I am Belzerg Shining Spear Aberlina, the Duchess of Kessex. And you two are... Crimson Demons?"

"That's right, we are, your ladyship. My name is Megumin, foremost amongst the Crimson Demons; she who wields the all-powerful Explosion magic. One day, I shall be known as the greatest mage and she who defeated the Devil King himself."

proudly declared Megumin, throwing all the pompous flair and glamor she could into her introduction, including a stylish pose she clearly had been practicing the night before. Immediately, Cielo and Darkness go into a panic mode and Yunyun starts shaking in fear from Megumin's actions.

The Duchess, on the other hand, gives Megumin a curious and confused look, which holds for a few moments before the light of realization comes into her eyes.

"Ah yes, I do recall hearing you Crimson Demons have a flair for the theatrics when it comes to introductions and other such things. To finally see it in person is rather... interesting. Yes, very amusing indeed. Now, what about you, girl?"

"I'm... my name is Yunyun, milady. I-it's a h-h-honor to meet y-you."

said a very clearly nervous Yunyun, earning her own curious look from the Duchess. Megumin takes notice of that and quickly explains-

"Yunyun here is a bit on the shy side, you see. She's something of an oddball amongst the clan though I suppose she is fairly powerful. She aspires to become the next leader of our clan though with her nerves being what they are, it's obvious she still has a long way to go there."

"MEGUMIN?"

cried Yunyun, making Megumin turn and give her a smug smile. This, in turn, makes Darkness and Cielo really start to panic. After all, the last thing they wanted or needed was for these two to forget the current situation they were in and start up another one of their duels. They'd all likely be in jail by lunch time.

Instead, the Duchess simply laughs at them, getting them all to look at her in confusion.

"I see, I see. So, this is the famous... charm I've heard you Crimson Demons possess. Simply droll, I must say. I'm confident your clan must be a delight to have at dinner parties. And now..."

Here came the big fear in the room as the Duchess turned away from the two rivals to give her attention to Kazuma. The moment her eyes fully fell onto Kazuma, there was a notable look of confusion present there. This was followed by a momentary pause before Kazuma finally spoke up.

"I... It's an honor to meet you, milady. My name is Satou Kazuma and, well, I guess you... could...?"

Kazuma's words come to a stop as he takes notice of the twitch coming from one of the Duchess's eyes when he had said his name. Already, he was wondering if he had said something wrong here.

"Satou? Did you say your name was Satou, boy?"

There was a cold, almost venomous nature now presents in her tone, something no one failed to notice in the moment. Kazuma gulps before nodding as he goes to say his full name again, only for the Duchess to cut him off suddenly by holding up her hand before walking away from him, taking a seat a moment later.

"I believe we have wasted enough time on introductions. With lunch time fast approaching, I believe we should move on to you telling me of your adventure's while the time permits it. After all, I believe you'll need to be getting back to the Amphitheater here soon to continue the Idol Hearts preparations?"

They all nod as they take seats themselves. For the next hour, the girls did all the talking about the groups many adventures together, going into great detail when it came to talking about the dealings with the Generals in particular.

However, one thing that became clear to them quite quickly was that whenever they tried to talk about Kazuma's role in things, his personal accomplishments, the Duchess would either role her eyes and clearly not pay attention or cut in, saying she's heard enough and ask them to move things along.

Naturally, this quickly started to irk everyone as they didn't understand why the Duchess was being such a bitch here where Kazuma's role was concerned. Sure, he was a commoner but even he deserved some praise and acknowledgment as well, right?

Finally, once Yunyun and Megumin had finished talking about the events that had gone down in the Crimson Demon village, both going out of their way to force the Duchess to acknowledge Kazuma's important role, to no avail, Kazuma had finally had enough as he finally said without restraint.

"What the hell is your problem, lady?"

Immediately, the whole room goes deathly quiet. The Duchess and Dartango had shocked looks on their faces. Krydie's face, at least her eyes which was all that could really be seen of her face, appeared to stay neutral though her eyes did lower just a little bit. Darkness and Cielo looked terrified, Yunyun was a mix of worry and pride, and Megumin looked like she wanted to say "Finally!"

"What did you just say to me, peasant?"

said the Duchess, her tone now low and icy sounding. Clearly, she had never been spoken to like that before. Kazuma, deciding it was too late to think about this, or back out, decides to carry on.

"I said what the hell is your problem with me, lady. Ever since I tried to introduce myself, you've been giving me the cold shoulder here. It's obvious you don't like me for some reason, given how you've been trying to avoid hearing anything about me and my accomplishments. At first, I was thinking it was maybe because of me being just an everyman sort of person. But now, I'm starting to think there's something more to your shitty attitude. So how about you tell me, tell us all, just what your damage is here, if you actually have a proper reason behind it, that is."

During Kazuma's speech, the Duchess had clearly become more and more angry with his words, her eyes narrowing dangerous, her teeth gritting, and her nails digging into the chair she was sitting in. She looked like she wanted to explode, possibly even order Kazuma's death on the very spot.

Which was probably what she was going to do as she was quick to stand the moment Kazuma finished his little speech.

"You lowly, filthy little... how dare you speak to me like that. Guards, take him..."

Immediately, Megumin and Yunyun jumped in between Kazuma and the Duchess and even Cielo and Darkness were quick to stand, having decided that playing nice wasn't worth it if their leader had to suffer any, especially seeing as it really was all on the Duchess here.

Dartango went to move, though his reason was unclear as guards littered around the room began to advance towards Kazuma, to do whatever it was they were about to be told to do. But then, Krydie herself steps forward, moving to the Duchess's side and whispering something into her ear.

While no one could hear what was being said, it was clearly having an effect on the Duchess who nods several times before turning her attention back to the group.

"If you will excuse me a moment..."

With that, the Duchess leaves the room, telling her guards to stand down for now. Once she had left the room, the tension ebbs off just a little bit as everyone returns to sitting down, taking a moment to breath in some much-needed air. And then...

"Kazuma, what the hell were you thinking back there? Didn't you realize you could have gotten yourself killed on the spot, by the Duchess's herself at that."

Yelled Darkness with Kazuma quickly saying-

"What the hell else could I do? Just let her keep treating me like she did, Darkness? I did the best I could, I really did. But even I can only take so much crap before I can't take any more. Something needed to be said there, we all knew that. I just decided I was tired waiting on you and Cielo to speak up for me."

"Kazuma's right. Weren't the two of you going to say something... anything to her about her attitude towards Kazuma? I remember what you said, but the two of you were in the best position to try to speak up for Kazuma. Because neither of you did, it was only natural for one of us to do it for him."

Darkness looked away, knowing there was truth there but also wanting to say that things weren't that simple either. Yunyun then ask-

"Would the Duchess have really killed Kazuma herself on the spot back there?"

"Yeah, they don't call her Shining Spear for nothing. It is said her skills with spear weapons is unmatched throughout the whole kingdom. She also is the owner of an enchanted spear; one she can summon to her hands at any moment. If pushed hard enough, she won't hesitate in killing anyone she sees as being offensive to her."

explained Darkness, no longer caring about the guards and Dartango still being in the room with them. Cielo turns her attention to Dartango and ask-

"Sir, do you have any idea why the Duchess would speak to our friend like she has? Treat him like she has during this whole meeting so far?"

Dartango was quiet for a moment, clearly thinking about something here, before he finally says-

"It's... likely because Aberlina believes your friend here is relate..."

Before Dartango could begin his explanation, the Duchess and Krydie reenter the room, with the Duchess once more taking her seat. After a moment, she finally says-

"Forgive me for my earlier outburst. That was... unbecoming for one of my station. Let us move past all that drama for now. Instead, I would like to turn the discussion over to another important topic I wish to bring up with you all."

Kazuma and the girls also return to sitting down, taking note of the fact while the Duchess had apologized for her previous behavior from before, she hadn't properly apologized to Kazuma specifically about the way she had treated him. After a moment, the Duchess says-

"I would like to meet with you all again tomorrow, to have you give me a demonstration of your skills and abilities; the same talents that made it possible for you all to defeat so many Generals within the Devil King's forces. Truth told, I would ask for you all to do it today, after lunch has finished, but I know you have your duties over at the Amphitheater that demand your attention as well as you all probably need time to prepare. I also need to make arrangements for a suitable testing ground for you all to work with. Lady Accord, Lady Dustiness, will there be any issues with this second meeting tomorrow?"

Darkness and Cielo look at each other, then back at the Duchess with Cielo saying-

"We'll need to clear things up with the head of Idol Hearts, but I'm sure it will be fine, milady."

"Very well, then I shall send for you all at the same time in the morning as I did today. I do hope you'll be able to give me an excellent showing, ALL of you. Anyways, I do believe lunch should be ready now."

With that, they all stand as the Duchess leads them out of the room, towards the dining area. As they walk, Kazuma can't help but feel a sense of foreboding here. Having the word 'all' emphasized like it had been worrying enough, but there was something else, possibly the look the Duchess had sent his way, that triggered a flag for him. Kazuma knew he needed to stay on his guard, for his own sake.

========================={Part 2: An Ominous Feeling}=========================

Following a rather tense lunch with the Duchess, mainly out of a fear that Kazuma's meal may have been poisoned on the order of the Duchess as revenge over what had happened before she had strangely stepped away for those few minutes.

Luckily, there appeared to be no poisoning to be worried about and they had left to return to the Amphitheater with no further issues. Despite that, everyone still couldn't help but feel nervous for some reason, especially in regard to the Duchess's desire to see them all show off their talents to her.

"So, you three will need another few hours to indulge the Duchess then, I take it?"

asked Lia, after hearing about what had happened earlier. Cielo gives her a nod, making Lia sigh out in exasperation.

"Sorry about that, Lia. We tried to explain the importance of us not missing out on any more training time during lunch, especially as I was a little rusty on the whole thing and both Kazuma and Megumin were total noobs with this kind of life, but she wouldn't be swayed on her desire to see us in action."

"She did at least promise that after our giving her a demonstration of our skills in the morning, she won't bother us again, at least until after the Idol Hearts performance goes down."

adds Darkness. After a moment, Lia sighs again before saying-

"Can't be helped, I guess. Still, I never knew she could be such a hard ass about this stuff. I mean, you would think she'd want them to have more focus on getting ready for the show, in order to give their best here. Also... how did she react to being told Kazuma was going to be involved?"

Lia's question makes Cielo and Darkness look at each other while Yunyun answers-

"She didn't look all too pleased to hear that, based on the look she had on her face. She didn't say anything, however, beyond simply saying "I see...". To be honest, her tone when she said that definitely made me worry in that moment."

"It did me as well."

agreed Darkness. After a moment, Lia asks the three girls-

"So, do any of you have any idea behind why she's being so negative towards Kazuma? Do they have some sort of history with each other?"

The three girls shrug, with Cielo saying-

"We asked Kazuma that very question as we were coming here and he said they didn't, at least as far as he knew, anyways."

"He did say also that she did seem to get hung up on his family name, Satou. It's his personal belief that maybe she knew another person with the name Satou in the past and for some reason, sees a connection between this person and Kazuma himself. Perhaps this other Satou hurt her in some way and she's seeing Kazuma as a chance to get payback or something here."

said Yunyun. Hearing that, Lia turns to look over at Kazuma who was with Megumin doing some duet practices together. The three companions also look at Kazuma before the four girls turn to look back at each other again with Lia then asking-

"Do you guys think... that the Duchess might try to do something to Kazuma here? Cause him some kind of unjust injury in order to prevent him from performing with us here in five days? Maybe even try to..."

"If she does, then it won't matter who she is or who she's related to. She'll have several powerful noble families' and the whole Crimson Demon Clan coming after her should she do anything to Kazuma. We'll be keeping an extra eye on him come tomorrow, just to play it safe as well."

said Darkness confidently with a less confident sounding Cielo quietly adds as she once again looks towards Kazuma-

"... I just hope that will be enough."

(Axel-around the same time)

Luna had a lot to keep her busy over the last day or so, thanks primarily to the presence of several insane in the brain Crimson Demons who had come to town in order to 'repair' or 'rebuild' the Satou Mansion, formerly known as the Dawnthorne Mansion.

Mainly, she had a ton of paperwork to keep her busy as whenever they had taken breaks, they had come here to the guild itself and had made themselves quite home, creating quite the commotion with all the regulars that hung out inside the guild, both for the better and worse of it.

Thank Eris they would be finishing up their work tomorrow and be heading back to their village, or so she hoped. Otherwise, she may need to have a word with Megumin and Yunyun over certain issues once they got back from their little trip to Veridae.

Luna was also jealous, in a way, over the knowing that Kazuma and the girls had gone to Veridae for who knows how long. She had always wanted to visit the city of sights herself but life, and work, had always kept her from being able to do that. Maybe she could talk Ruffian into taking her there, one of these days.

"Luna, Luna, LUNA!"

came a familiar sounding voice which snaps Luna from her thoughts. She turns to see Lynn standing a few steps away from her, a look of confusion present on her face.

"Ah, Lynn, welcome back. I trust your trip to... where did you go off to again?"

Lynn shakes her head and says-

"I'll tell you later. Right now, you need to tell me what's going on over at Kazuma's place. Why are there a bunch of Crimson Demons there, seemingly having a field day with the mansion?"

"Huh? Oh, right... you left right before all the drama went down. You see, Lynn, what happened was..."

and the Luna filled Lynn in on all that had happened right after she and her father had left the guild and, by extension, Axel. Once the tale had been finished, Lynn lets out a regretful sigh as she says-

"I really had to go miss out on all of that. Oh boy, that makes feel a tad bit annoyed. So, any idea when Kazuma and the others should be coming back?"

Luna shrugs, saying-

"... he said it would probably be a week or so, I think. I'm sure Cielo's going to want to spend some time with her family, in order to catch up with stuff. Between you and me, Lynn. I'm a little jealous of them. I've always wanted to pay Veridae a visit within my lifetime."

"I know the feeling. Can't be helped, guess I need to figure out what I'm going to do..."

Lynn immediately goes quiet which fills Luna with confusion and concern.

"Lynn, is something wrong?"

After a few moments more, including Luna needing to reach out and place a hand onto Lynn's shoulder, giving it a little shake in order to snap Lynn back to reality.

"Sorry, I... I just had this weird feeling come over me. A dark premonition: an ominous feeling you could say. It's an annoying talent that comes from my demi-human blood."

"Is everything OK, Lynn? What do you think this premonition could have been about?"

"I don't know, but it came over me while I had thoughts of Kazuma in my mind. Maybe I'm over thinking this, but I can't help but feel Kazuma could be in trouble or will be soon."

"You're going to Veridae, aren't you?"

"If that's where Kazuma and the others are right now, then yeah. I'm going to go there, if only to quell this dark feeling from my mind. Here's hoping I'm wrong about this though..."

With that, Lynn turned and left the guild, making a quick beeline over to the transport depot in order to catch the next available carriage to Veridae.

(outside Veridae-the next morning)

After having an early breakfast, Kazuma and the girls had been picked up outside the hotel they were staying at and soon found themselves leaving Veridae via its western gate. Dartango joined up with them once they passed through the city gate, astride a horse which fell into step alongside the carriage.

"Why have we left the city, master Dartango?"

asked Cielo.

"After hearing your stories yesterday during your meeting with the Duchess, it was decided that the best place to hold the showcasing of your many skills will be a special training area. In truth, there has been an unusual rise with the local monster population coming from this area as well. It is our hope that maybe, alongside you all giving us a good showcase of your talents, you all will be able to 'thin the heard' as it were for us as well."

"I don't suppose we'll be getting paid for this, by any chance. No offense, Tangy, but this sounds something like a quest if you ask me and quest usually have eris as a reward."

asked Megumin, which makes Dartango chuckle.

"Sadly, I'm afraid there's no money coming your way for doing this for us. Instead, her ladyship is planning on holding a grand party for you all within the Louview Palace itself. Alongside the many art filled rooms, we also have quite the exquisite banquet hall inside as well. Also, the Duchess is famous for the party's she puts on. You can expect only the best food and drink will be served; the kind normally only enjoyed by the royal family."

That did sound pretty good as a reward, though not enough to make them forgive the Duchess for her treatment of Kazuma before. However, so long as she didn't try anything else against him, it would be an acceptable start to earning their forgiveness.

"When will this party be happening, Dartango?"

asked Cielo.

"Tonight, I believe. The invitations were already sent out the day before to the general populace. I hope there will be enough time for you all to find appropriate garments for the celebration, especially as it will all be for your group. Anyone not dressed accordingly, even the special guest, will be turned away at the door unfortunately."

It looked like they had something else, besides training after lunch, they had to do today. It was also likely that they wouldn't have any choice but to attend it, both because it was a party for them and the fact it was being put together by the Duchess which meant they probably didn't have the option to not attend it.

Oh well, if the choice wasn't theirs to make, then they might as well just accept that fact and go. Besides, it would be nice to actually experience a REAL party for a change. Not to say the party's held inside the guild hall didn't count as a real party, but you get the meaning here, right?

===================={Part 3: Test Within The Forest}====================

It was just past 10am when they finally arrived at what would be the section of the forest, they would get to show off their stuff to the Duchess at. From what they could tell, it appeared to be a dense forested area with some rocky outcrops rising up from somewhere within.

As the exited the carriage, Kazuma took a moment to look this place over before saying-

"Maybe it's just my nerves talking here, guys, but... I'm starting to get a real bad feeling about this."

Before anyone could respond to Kazuma's words, another voice speaks out.

"Getting cold feet, are we luggage boy?"

Everyone turns to see the Duchess coming towards them, Krydie to one side of her and two other figures to her other: one of them looking like a hardcore knight and the other some kind of mage.

"Are you saying Kazuma's a coward?"

challenged Megumin, staff in hand which she thrust out before her at the Duchess, who chuckles at Megumin's response.

"Hm, I wonder...?"

Dartango clear his throat, getting everyone's attentions onto him.

"I suggest we not waste any time on throwing challenges at one another here, especially if you five wish to make it back for your afternoon practices on time."

"Agreed. So, how is this little showcase we've been brought to do going to play out here?"

asked Darkness, getting the knight bodyguard beside the Duchess to step forward.

"Living inside this forest, there are plenty of monsters that need to be dealt with. There's also a nest of some rather strong monsters, specifically One-Shot Bears, located within the rocky outcropping I'm sure you all took notice of. Would you do us all a favor and eliminate as many of these unwanted neighbors as you can for us?"

"That won't be a problem. So, are we to keep going until we've eliminated ALL monsters that live here inside the forest?"

asked Cielo with the Knight then saying-

"To make things more interesting here, we will be giving you all a time limit of thirty minutes to do as much as you can here, to kill as many of them as you can. So please, do make sure to not let her ladyship down here and give us a showing worthy of those who have conquered Devil King Generals."

"Will you be accompanying us inside the forest, milady Duchess?"

asked Yunyun, getting the Duchess to shake her head. The mage then steps forward and says-

"In order to ensure her safety, her ladyship will remain outside the forest with us. However, we'll be able to keep an eye on all of you as you work, thanks to this..."

The mage then cast a spell, making little orbs of light appear; five in total with each going to hover right above Kazuma and the girls.

"These orbs will allow us to have a birds eye view of your actions within the forest, as well as keep track of your individual kills as well, thanks to the orbs being able to read the data from your adventurer cards. Once we get into position, I'll create little magic screens that will allow us to see the action from a safe distance."

"Now, if there are no further questions, we shall take our leave. The starting signal will be shot into the sky within ten minutes so make sure you all are as ready as you can be within that time frame. And also..."

The Duchess turns her attention towards Kazuma and says-

"Do try to be careful while in there. I've heard there are some vicious, man-eaters that live inside these woods and it would be a shame if a CERTAIN individual suffered such an unsightly end while within."

She then laughs happily as she turns and walks way, alongside the bodyguards and Krydie. Dartango stays behind, probably to make sure they didn't try to start early here.

"I really hate that woman. I mean seriously, just what is her problem here with Kazuma?"

grumbled Megumin while Yunyun looks to Dartango and ask-

"Sir, do you know why she seems to hold such contempt towards Kazuma? As far as I know, he hasn't done anything here to warrant such treatment."

Dartango sighs while rubbing his temples.

"I think that maybe... no, it's not my place to talk about this subject, at least not without getting her OK to talk about a matter relating to her past."

"You can't be serious. Even if it would force you to tell us something private about her past..."

Megumin tries to argue in favor of being told what her grievance with Kazuma was, but Dartango interrupts her by saying-

"... For now, let's just say milady... Aberlina, wasn't always like this. In her youth, she was much nicer than the person she is now."

"Then what happened to make her become the person she is now?"

asked Cielo. After a pause, Dartango finally says-

"She was betrayed by someone who meant a great deal to her... although, I don't think she..."

A sudden alarm sound goes off, signifying the start of the showcase, which makes Dartango say-

"That was a lot quicker than I was expecting. I don't think it's even been ten minutes yet?"

Perhaps it hasn't been ten minutes, not that it mattered as they had worked to do. The five quickly move to stand together as Darkness says-

"OK, if she wants to see us in action... sort of, then let's give her a show that will knock her socks off."

"Agreed, buts lets also make sure we let Kazuma get as many kills as he can here, if only to show the stuck-up woman that he's so much more than just a pack mule."

"I don't think she called me a pack mule, Megumin."

"Maybe not but the implication was there. She was probably thinking it, at least. Anyways, let's make sure we give Kazuma a chance to show her just what it is he can do here."

said Megumin with Yunyun quickly adding-

"And make sure we keep Kazuma close as well. Maybe I'm being too much of a worry wart here, but I can't help but think she might try to arrange a little 'accident' to befall him should we let him out of our sights while inside the forest."

Everyone nods before turning their attention towards the forest. After another moment, they run inside the forest. Once they had faded from view, Dartango, who had heard all their words spoken, allows himself to show a worried expression as he says-

"Be careful in there, you five. It's very easy for someone to get lost while inside this place."

Inside the forest, as they ran deeper and deeper within, the girls decided to have Kazuma dead center with them acting as a circle, all to make sure they all didn't get separated from them and they from him. It wasn't long after that they started to encounter their first set of monsters, large body wolves.

Large wolves, who were nearly as big as regular sized bears with an extremely keen sense of smell and hearing, quickly picked up on their approach and moved to counterattack them. Darkness shot forward, grabbing hold of two of them by their necks, strangling them with her bare hands while Cielo and Yunyun dart around her to begin taking out the others they could see.

Kazuma then rushes forward as well, pulling Chunchunmaru clear from its sheath and cutting down the two wolves Darkness was keeping at bay. As more wolves came onto the scene, the process remained the same' Darkness would hold down a couple for Kazuma to kill while Cielo used her special gloves to blast punch her targets to death and Yunyun used various advanced spells.

The only one not getting to do much, beyond cheering, was Megumin. But she didn't mind as she already knew she was being saved for the One-Shot Bears which she was fine with. Just when it looks like the wolves were finally being taking out, a large body goblin suddenly came onto the scene from above.

Its large body was rather plump and heavy looking at first glance as it came falling towards them, forcing Darkness to use her repulsion shield to counter it and send it flying back up with Cielo jumping skyward, slamming her fist into its gut to send it back to the ground while Yunyun using Light of Saber to slice its limbs off. Despite this, it was still alive upon landing, which led to Kazuma freeing its head from its body to finish the job. Darkness then steps forward, examining the body then says-

"Geez, this goblin is almost as big as an ogre. I didn't know Goblins came in such sizes?"

"It may have something to do with this forest. Did anyone notice these wolves are also much larger than what is the norm here."

suggested Yunyun; her idea is one Megumin agrees with as she says she can't help but feel something strange about this place.

Before anyone could comment further, they notice another large body goblin, this one having a leaner build like one would expect to see a tracker would have, looking at them before turning and heading deeper into the forest.

"Crap, we need to kill that one before it can reach its buds, otherwise we'll be up to our ears with goblins, alongside who knows what else we'll find hanging out inside the forest alongside those One-Shot Bears."

said Darkness, already chasing after the goblin with the others quickly following as well.

It was probably due to the intensity of the moment, but Kazuma found himself bringing up the rear as the girls had all been closer to where they had seen the goblin than what he had been. Luckily, he had Sprint to make sure he didn't fall be...

Suddenly, Kazuma hears a strange sound which was instantly followed by ripples moving across his vision. Before he could react to it, Kazuma found himself tripping and falling hard onto the ground, his equilibrium going out of whack for a moment which the girls, to focused on chasing after that oversized goblin, failed to notice as they went deeper into the woods, leaving him behind. It took him a few moments before the sudden feeling faded and he was able to get back onto his feet.

"Damn, what the hell was that? Hey guys, did anyone... see...?"

No longer able to see the girls anywhere makes Kazuma swear. Didn't they all agree to NOT let him leave their sights while in here, just in case the Duchess was planning on trying something funny. And now, after that strange thing that had just happened to him, he was feeling very confident that something foul was in the air here.

"Great, this is just fantastic here. Now what should I..."

"Kazuma, this way..."

came Megumin's voice, making Kazuma turn to his left to see a barely visible Megumin waving at him from just beyond the tree line. Nodding, Kazuma follows after Megumin who turns and heads deeper into the dark forest, a devious smile forming on her face Kazuma was unable to see.

(...elsewhere...)

On the magic screen she and her two bodyguards were using to watch the events playing out within their 'containment grounds', the Duchess allowed herself a moment to smile as she saw Kazuma following after 'Megumin', away from the route his betters were currently heading down.

"That's right, Satou. Keep following your 'friend' further and further into the darkness, towards your greater end. Good work with the special addition to his observation orb, Gilda."

The mage turns to look at the Duchess, allowing herself a happy smile as she liked it when she was praised for her work, something she rarely ever got in life before meeting the Duchess.

"It was a simple matter to do, milady. It is my hope that one day, all in the kingdom will come to know that you don't have to be born a Crimson Demon in order to be seen as a master mage."

"Indeed, indeed. Make sure you continue to serve me well and I will personally see to it that your skills will be remembered as not be an equal to that clan's, but far-far greater than theirs could ever hope to be."

The Duchess was lying about that, of course. Sure, this child was rather skilled, but the Duchess doubted her mage could ever truly surpass even the weakest of the Crimson Demons. But for now, she would continue to let Gilda believe what she wanted her to believe, at least until the Duchess could enact her next important plan which involved those four girls.

"A question, milady. Is this particular action here really necessary?"

asked the knight, making the Duchess look at him and ask what his meaning was.

"I mean, the whole separating him from his friends. All the specially bred beast here in the forest are under our control. Couldn't we have just had them focus their attacks onto that boy, let him die in front of them in order to break their spirits which you could then step in and piece back together."

"That could have been the plan here, if I hadn't already made several mistakes during that first meeting with those four. Not to worry though as this method may be an even better way to go about gaining what I want here with them. And I'll finally get some much-needed satisfaction... at seeing THAT man's son pays for his father's betrayal..."

(… with the girls...)

The camp of Goblin's is brought to attention as one of their lookouts came flying into the camp hard, colliding with several of brutes with enough force to knock them off their feet. Moments later, chaos erupted as Darkness, Cielo, and Yunyun came upon them like a nightmare, having so much fun with slaying these strange, oversized beasts that they could barely think of anything else in the moment.

Safely back away from the action, Megumin had already begun to chant out an Explosion, preparing to take out the One-Shot Bears the moment they came onto the scene, which didn't take long as all the commotion from within the Goblin camp was enough to stir them from within their cave, making them emerge to see exactly what was going on outside.

Now, any adventurer with a lick of common sense would have found themselves wondering why Goblin's and One-Shot Bears would be living together peacefully, especially seeing as Goblin's usually stayed within the company of the Rookie Killer family of monsters and One-Shot Bears were not known for being friendly with any other family of monster in general.

Perhaps these particular Goblin's had somehow been able to domesticate the One-Shot Bears, using them as mounts or something? It was a strange symbiotic relationship to see indeed, but the girls were just too focused on their killing spree to really think about it.

"Megumin, hurry up and kill those guys before they get too close to us."

yelled Yunyun, getting a complaint from Darkness as she was hoping she could have a few minutes to enjoy being 'played' with by those bears. Instead, both Cielo and Yunyun broke away from their remaining Goblin's, grabbed onto Darkness, and forced the kicking and screaming girl out of the blast zone as Megumin fired off her spell.

""Explosion... EXPLOSION!"

Perhaps she was just wanting to be furrow here... nah, she was just making up for not having been able to fire off an Explosion over these last few days, but Megumin had decided to shoot off a second within seconds of firing off the first. Once the spectacle of these two blasts had subsided, Megumin allowed herself to collapse upon the ground, a look of satisfaction on her face at her work.

The other girls got back to their feet, looking around to see most of the monsters had been taken out, but a few still remained, laying on the ground with serious injuries present upon them. Some even still looked to be somehow still alive, albeit barely, which makes them go around to finish off any survivors.

"Hey guys, take a look at this?"

yelled Cielo, getting Darkness and Yunyun to walk over to her. Cielo then points out a strange looking symbol branded onto the body of the monster she had just killed.

"What is that?"

asked Yunyun, getting a reply from Darkness who says-

"It looks like the crest of Kessex. I saw one on that bear I just put out of its misery. Strange, why would these beasts be branded like this?"

"We'll have to ask the Duchess about that once we meet up with her. Hey, Megumin, I think we're done now. Let's hurry up and get back so we can get back to Veridae."

shouted Cielo. Megumin tries to get back onto her feet but finds she may have put a little more mana into the second Explosion than she should have, more than her mana reduction ring could do its job with. She couldn't help but smile though as it meant one thing for her.

"Say, Kazuma, it looks like I'll be needing you to piggyback me here. I'm sure you must be... Kazuma?"

It was then Megumin realized that something was missing here, namely Kazuma which starts t send her into a panic as she yells out to the others about their missing leader.

"What? Kazuma's not here, but he was right with us... damn it."

growled Darkness, realizing they must have been separated from him when they started chasing after that one Goblin.

"No-no-no, this is bad. We said we wouldn't let him leave our side; how could we have let this happen?"

wondered Yunyun aloud while Cielo thinks about it, then realizes something.

"You guys, does anyone here think we became rather aggressive since we started killing the monsters here in the forest, far more so that what is normal for us? Could that have possibly clouded our judgments here?"

Darkness nods and says while Yunyun takes it upon herself to carry Megumin in place of Kazuma.

"I think you may be right, but why and how could we have been... wait..."

Darkness turns her head upwards to look at the observation ball, an idea forming in her head, one she was about to voice to the others before Megumin says-

"Who cares about that right now. We should hurry up and find Kazuma before something happens..."

Her words come to a quick stop as they hear a scream of pain fill the air, the scream clearly having come from Kazuma which makes their blood freeze before the rush of in a panic. Kazuma's screams become louder and louder, letting them know they were heading in the right direction, until...

There was dead silence as the screams suddenly stop, filling them with even more fear and dread as they somehow managed to pick up their pace. And then, they emerged into a small clearing where a horrifying sight awaited them.

Kazuma was laid out on the ground, unmoving, with blood all around him. And, standing to his side, was some kind of strange gremlin like creature with exceptionally long claws; claws that were dripping with blood as it turns its head to look at them, giving off an annoyed screech upon seeing them.

"KAZUMA?"

"DAMN YOU. I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!"

roared Cielo and Darkness as they charged at the creature, but it easily jumps clear of them then darts into the forest. While the wanted to chase after it, to make it pay for what it had done, there was more important matters that needed attending her, namely Kazuma.

They turn back to see Yunyun letting Megumin down, both calling out to Kazuma and begging him to say something to them. Darkness and Cielo quickly join them with Cielo wasting no time with using her healing powers on him.

"Cielo, is he... please say he's going to be OK."

begged Yunyun, her eyes already leaking tears.

"I... I think so. We got here just in time, I think. He's lost a lot of blood though and I'm not sure if I can fully heal these scars that strange creature gave him either."

"Damn it, what the hell was wrong with us back there. And after saying we weren't going to let him out of our sights here, too. Kazuma, I... we're so sorry for leaving you alone like that."

said Megumin, tears running down her cheeks as she reaches out and takes Kazuma's right hand into her own. Darkness once again turns her gaze up at to the observation orb, then back to the others and says-

"I think we may have had a little help with being forgetful back there..."

Before they could ask her what she meant by that, another voice rings out, drawing their attention towards it.

"Oh dear, did that POOR boy there suffer some terrible injury. Oh, I do so hope that he will be able to make it through this little mishap."

said the Duchess as she and her entourage came walking onto the scene, her tone filled with mirth and condensation which makes the girls send glares her way.

"How did you find us and get here so quickly?"

asked Yunyun, getting the mage named Gilda to explain that the orbs also can be tracked by her while the knight says they had set out to meet them once they had finished off the goblins and one-shot bears. The Duchess then looks down at Kazuma, unable to hide the slight smile from forming.

"So, exactly how long does he have to live here?"

That question was enough to set Megumin off as she charges at the Duchess which is stopped as Dartango appears, grabbing onto her and holding Megumin back as she struggles and demands to be let go while the knight and mage move to stand before the Duchess, who's slight smile turns into a frown. Yunyun and Darkness also stand as Megumin shouts out-

"You... it was you that arranged for this to happen with Kazuma here, didn't you? You better tell me the truth here or so help me..."

"OH? Do you really think it wise to threaten me over this matter, little girl? I assume that you have proof that his bad luck... and poor ability are all my fault? Instead of trying to find someone to blame for his own obvious weakness, perhaps you should be more focused on other matters. Gilda, please be a dear and use Teleport to send them directly back to their hotel for me. Let us be generous and help give this poor boy something more comfortable to rest and recover than on the forest floor."

Gilda nods as she begins to chant her spell while Dartango releases Megumin who, despite wanting to continue going after the Duchess, instead opts to rejoin the others before being teleported away. Once they were gone, the Duchess turns to look towards Krydie who finally arrives to join them.

"So, plan A suffered some setbacks. Unfortunate, so let us see if plan B will bare better fruit here?"

===================={Part 4: Different Worlds}====================

The first thing that Kazuma took notice of upon waking up was all the pain he was feeling, coming from all over his body too. Pain that grew by several magnitudes as he tried to get up, an act that took several minutes before he was finally successful.

He tried calling out for some help, but he guessed that no one could hear him; not surprising seeing as his voice was a little off and weak sounding. He hoped this wouldn't be an issue beyond this day, otherwise he may not be able to help Lia out with her Idol Hearts gig, something he was surprised to admit to himself that he was rather looking forward to doing at this time.

Once he was sitting up, he looked around and quickly determined he was inside his room and the inn, a room that was bathed in darkness save for a single glow manatite which was acting like a night light for him. He reached over to the little table beside his bed, retrieving his pocket watch that was laying there, and looked at the time. Around 8pm which meant he had missed out on today's practice.

'Here's hoping Lia won't be mad with me.'

The growl of his stomach makes Kazuma decide he needed to get some food into his system, as well as talk with the girls about what had happened to him. The last thing he could recall was chasing after Megumin, who suddenly vanished from his field of few, then being attacked by some strange creature whose body seemed to be able to change its shape and form, being knocked to the ground where it proceeded to cut into him then everything going dark.

Once Kazuma was standing on his wobbly feet, he made his way over to the mirror and looked at his reflection, not liking what he was seeing being shown to him.

"Geez Kazuma, it was bad enough to let your right arm become all covered in scars because of your fight with Medusa, but don't you think this is going a bit too far here? I mean, sure. You want to believe in that old saying that states that girls like a man with a few scars on him, but don't you think this is a bit much now?"

he said to himself, noting the running along his face and chest area. He also twists his body around, seeing even more scars that had come to join the scar left upon his body by Verdia back in the day; the sign of him being infected by that Lich curse. Luckily for him though, all these new scars had been covered with that special healing salve Cielo had started to carry with her. If he really was as lucky as his adventurer's card would have him believe, then those scars would be gone within the next few days.

'Well, enough looking at myself like I was some kind of narcissist here. Better go grab me something to eat and check in with the girls about what happened to me back there.'

Once Kazuma had thrown something on, so he wouldn't be walking around with nothing but his shorts, he quickly left his room and made his way towards the kitchen. He did take a few moments to stop at the rooms his teammates were using, knocking on their doors but got no response from any of them.

This left his confused, of course, but Kazuma assumed that maybe they were down in the dining area, eating their supper. But upon getting there, he found no sign of them, neither in the dining room nor the kitchen. This made him start to worry so he makes his way over to the reception desk in order to ask the girl sitting there-

"Excuse me, but do you know where..."

"By the mercy of Lady Eris, what the hell happened to you, sir?"

"I had a bad day, a... really bad day. Anyways, do you know where the Accord/Dustiness party are at right now? I can't seem to find my friends here, anywhere and..."

"Hm? Oh yeah, them. They left about a half hour ago to attend that fancy party that's being held up at the Louview Palace. I heard it was being thrown in their honor too. Man, they're so lucky. I wish I could have gone tonight as well, but I have to be stuck here with stinking work."

As the girl continued to complain about how all the big fancy parties always seemed to happen on her workdays, Kazuma was left to ponder in confusion over what he had just heard.

'I don't understand. Why would they still go to that while I'm back here, all injured and stuff? I mean, sure... it supposed to be a mandatory invite and one that's being done in our honor here, but I can't see any of them caring, giving the circumstances. I better go and find out what's up myself.'

Kazuma turns away from the girl, leaving the inn as quickly as he could. No sooner had a left, the girl seems to recall something as she says absentmindedly to herself-

"Wait a minute, didn't I see that guy leave with those four girls earlier? Strange, must have been my imagination?"

Kazuma made his way through the streets of Veridae as quickly as he could, which wasn't easy as he found himself suffering from shortness of breath and exhaustion; understandable given his current condition. There was also the fact he hadn't gotten anything to eat yet as well.

The real challenge was the walk up the hilly road to the main entrance of the Louview. It was becoming easier and easier for Kazuma to see why people used carriages to make the trip back and forth as the walk was killing him, and he was sure it would be killing him even if he was in perfect health here.

'On the plus side, I'm sure exercise nuts must love running up and down this path. Probably pretty good for their cartio or something.'

Once Kazuma had reached the entrance to the Louview Palace, and taking a moment to catch his breath, he used his sleeve to wipe the sweat he had accumulated from his brow before approaching the guards and asking to be let in.

"Do you have an invitation, sir?"

"Um...invitation? N-No, I don't have anything like that, but I'm one of the guests of honor so if you'll just let me pass by, I..."

"No invitation, no entry sir."

"Look, if you just go bring either Darkness or Cielo... I mean, lady Ciruelto and lady Lalatina and bring them here, I'm sure they will vouch for me and..."

"Sir, please leave at once. Judging from your appearance, you look more like a street urchin, probably wanting to beg for table scraps."

"Now wait just one damn..."

"Sir, this is your last warning here. Either leave of your own free will or we will make you leave... with excessive force, as ordered by the Duchess herself."

Knowing that they weren't going to budge here for him, Kazuma growls before turning and walking away. Once he was out of sight, he turns back and considers his options.

'I doubt Lurk will work here on them, especially as they're positioned so close to the entry doors that I'm doubtful I could sneak past them without being spotted. There has to be another way inside this place...'

Kazuma begins to look around, soon finding a smaller door that was unlocked for some strange reason. Stepping inside, he finds himself within a food cellar, meaning that door must be used to allow food and drink deliveries to be brought into the palace. Still, he wondered why the door had been left unlocked. Probably a serious oversight and one he was truly grateful for.

Kazuma activates Lurk, moving through the dimly lit hallways carefully, soon spotting a brighter light which he follows which was luckily the right call as he soon emerged into a balcony that overlooked the grand ballroom in which the party was being held in. To either side of Kazuma, were stairs he could use to descend down into the party itself but before he did that here, he wanted to first see if he could find his friends within the impossibly massive crowd of people.

It took him a bit of 'Where's Waldo-ing' here, but he soon spotted them. Darkness was standing beside Cielo's father, the two of them chatting about something from what he could tell. Cielo and Yunyun were standing next to Lia and several other girls, they appeared to be talking to each other as well.

Megumin, not surprisingly, was off at one of the many tables set up with plenty of food she was going to town on. Kazuma couldn't help but chuckle, being thankful Komekko wasn't here either, otherwise all the food would probably be gone between those two. Kazuma's eyes do narrow as he sees Aqua, a bottle of wine in each hand and looking clearly drunk while some girl with pink colored hair, who's back was to Kazuma, was yelling something out at Aqua.

{Insert Image 1}

It was then a strange feeling came over Kazuma, a feeling of recognition as his gaze towards the pink haired girl lingered.

'Why... even though I can't see her face, why does just looking at her back make me think of you, Erika?'

Kazuma shakes that though from his head, once again turning to look at each girl in order to memorize their current positions. He also couldn't help but notice just how drop dead gorgeous they all looked in their dresses. Even from this distance, they each stole his breath away.

And once he had managed to find out why the girls had gone ahead and came here to this party after all, without him or at least leaving him a message, he would go introduce himself to the pink haired girl over by Aqua and give her a fair warning about the company she was keeping. After allowing himself a moment more to admire them from afar, Kazuma finally moves to head down one of the two stairs when...

"Satou Kazuma? What are you doing up here? And what's with those clothes? Shouldn't you be down there with your companions?"

Kazuma stops and turns to the voice, seeing Dartango entering from the same hall Kazuma had just come from. While he wanted to continue heading down to join the others, Kazuma decides to take a few moments here to go talk with the older man, hoping to maybe get some questions answered here.

"I'm up here because I only just now arrived at the party. Sorry about my current appearance, I didn't exactly have time to go find myself anything nicer to wear. And yeah, I should be down there, with my friends, but for some strange reason, they left me back at the hotel we're staying at when it came time for them to come here."

"Truly? Hm, that's rather curious. I was told that...?"

Dartango's words trail off as he begins to quietly mumble to himself. After a couple of moments, the feeling of having Kazuma's awaiting gaze upon him brings the older man back to reality. With a shake of his head, Dartango says-

"Sorry about that, son. Old habit of mine. Anyways, I'm surprised to hear all that, especially as I was told you HAD come here with them. I must have been mistaken. Do you suppose the reason they left back at the hotel was due to the injuries you suffered earlier this morning?"

"Possibly, but that just raises a few questions here if true. One is why didn't they at least wake me up to let me know they were coming here anyways, or at least have left a message either in my room or with the receptionist inside the hotel lobby."

"Another question is why would they come here tonight anyways? I know this party was being done in our honor and all, to say nothing it being mandatory for us to be here, given what I've heard on how the Duchess does things. I'm just surprised they would care at this point as I have no doubt, they feel what happened to me was all planned by your boss lady from the very start. Honestly, I feel the same here."

Dartango nods as he listens to Kazuma's words, understanding why he would think that way, given how Aberlina had been treating him, and without proper cause or reason at that. Once Kazuma had finished talking, Dartango inquiries about what exactly did happen to him, as he hadn't been there to watch events unfold via the visualization screen that was connected to the observation orbs.

"I was following after the others when this weird feeling came over me, like my whole equilibrium was going out of whack, making me fall. It only lasted a few seconds, but it was still strange. After that, I realized the others hadn't taken notice of what had happened to me and was starting to panic a little when I saw Megumin who called out to me to follow her."

"Despite my best efforts, including asking her to slow down a little, she continued pulling further and further away till she was gone from my field of vision. And then, just moments after I lost here, some black panther like beast comes lunging at me from the very spot she had been at just moments before."

"I did my best to defend myself, but it was just so fast, way more than anything I had faced up till then. Before I knew it, I was being pinned to the ground by it as its claws tore into my back, making me scream in pain. I managed to get free from it somehow only to be knocked down again onto my back, hitting my head hard in the process. As I found myself fading out, I could have sworn I saw that monster that was attacking me shift its appearance, going from being an oversized cat into looking like a goblin or gremlin or something. And then, the last thing I before eveything went dark, was it getting beside me, smiling like a devil as its huge claws began to tear into my chest and rake my face."

Once Kazuma had finished his explanation, Dartango takes a moment to recap those words inside his head, quickly taking note of the fact the beast that had attacked him had seemingly shifted its appearance during the attack, which could only mean one thing, something Dartango didn't like.

"Say, is there any chance you could now finally tell me why your boss lady has such a dislike for me while we're here, alone like this? I doubt she can be a man hater, otherwise you and that knight wouldn't be allowed to stay close to her side here."

After a quick pause, Dartango says-

"Why does she hate you, you ask? Truth be told, it's not YOU specifically that she hates. Rather, her hatred, unjustified that it is, is all centered around the believed actions of a single man from her past, one for whom she was willing to sacrifice everything to be with before he..."

"What was that man's name?"

"He... his name was..."

"Ah, there you are uncle. Why are you... what are YOU doing here, baggage boy, and dressed so lowly as well. Don't you know this party is meant to give honor to the heroes that have saved this kingdom from several of the Devil King's high ranked minions?"

The Duchess, seemingly from out of nowhere, had come to join in the conversation between Kazuma and Dartango, wasting no time in taking control with her crass and uncompromising attitude.

"Ah, yeah. That's why I'm here. Look lady, whether you like it or not, I am one of those heroes for whom this party is being held for. It was my strategy that saw the Dullahan defeated. It was my strategy that saw the defeat of Vanir, to say nothing of taking a big risk with my life in order to insure Dark-Lalatina didn't have to risk her's. I'm the one who ended the life of Hans, though that was more of a mercy killing. And it was my strategy to allowed Megumin and Yunyun to defeat Sylvia and I was the one who took down Medusa right after, nearly dying in the process. So, tell me, how is this party not as much for me as it is for my friends here?"

It takes a moment for the Duchess to respond, going from a neutral, uninterested face to that of an amused one, with her giving Kazuma a smirk before saying-

"I suppose I could tell you, though I doubt your lowly inferior brain could understand my explanation."

"OK, that does it. Just what exactly is your problem with me, lady. I'm getting sick and tired of being on the receiving end of some obsessive grudge you seem to have towards someone yet feel the need to take it out on me here. I'm assuming it has something to do with my family name, given how you reacted to me saying it during our meeting. I think I have a right to know the truth, don't you?"

The Duchess, surprisingly, appears to consider Kazuma's words for a moment before letting out a sigh.

"Very well, if you'll follow me, please."

With that said, the Duchess turned and left the giant ball room, heading deeper into the darkened hallway. Kazuma hesitates for a moment, wondering why they couldn't talk right here, but finally sighs, grumbles, then followed after the Duchess. Dartango, meanwhile, turns his attention back towards the party and looks down at them, wondering if maybe he should follow those two in order to make sure nothing goes wrong.

'I truly feel bad for that boy. I don't know what it is Aberlina is going to say to him, but I doubt she'll let him come back to join his friends. It is strange though; I could have sworn that...'

Dartango's thoughts freeze as he takes notice of it, a person who looked exactly like Kazuma had come into his field of view down below, well dressed and groomed for a party such as this. This other 'Kazuma' was now talking with the shorter arch wizard girl who was hanging around one of the food laden tables. Dartango then looks back in the direction Kazuma and Aberlina had gone, just barely able to make them out in the darkened halls, then back down at the other 'Kazuma' before...

'I see, so that's what is up here. Aberlina... you really have become like your father, haven't you!'

As the Duchess led Kazuma deeper and deeper into the dark halls, Kazuma was beginning to become anxious here, wondering if she was leading him to someplace more remote so she could send assassins at him, possibly to finish what had been started back in the forest earlier. Just when he was about to ask her exactly where it was, she was leading him too...

"Tell me, have you ever wondered if you're meeting with those four girls was really the best thing that could have happened to them?"

'Eh?'

That was such a random question to ask someone out of the blue like that. The Duchess must have realized that as she was quick to follow it up with these words-

"I remember being told how their meeting you went down. How the little arch wizard was saved from starvation by you. How lady Lalatina found a party that would accept her, despite her 'curious' quirks, whatever those may be, thanks to you. How lady Ciruelto was saved from being a prisoner of the Devil King's general by you. And how that other Crimson Demon girl found a true friend in you. All admirable actions to be sure, worthy of praise and honor... if there weren't any selfish undertones hidden beneath that is!"

"While I believe you were a benefit to their lives, it is my personal belief that even if you hadn't come along when you did, those four would have been fine. I have no doubt someone else would have come along to save them from their various issues, someone who would have been a far better fit for them than you could ever hope to be. But because you came into their lives, interfering with their destinies and fates, you have denied them the proper experience of a true friend and ally, one that would have been, without a doubt a far better one than you could ever hope to be."

This makes Kazuma come to a dead stop, saying with no small amount of anger present in his voice-

"Are you implying that I had selfish reasons behind my actions with each of them? That my intentions back then were less than pure? And are you saying I should have just kept my nose out of their issues and gone on with my day instead of helping them as well?"

The Duchess stops and looks back at him, a smile present on her face.

"Didn't you? Well, seeing as I wasn't there, I suppose I can't say anything for or against that logic. As such, I will humor you here and say there wasn't any hidden or selfish intentions behind your actions. And I'm not saying anything of the sort. All I was doing was speculating. Offering up and alternate take on those events and asking if things could be even better for them now, had you not come into their lives, or would it have been worse for them? Something I do believe should be considered; don't you think? Now then, allow me to tell you what I do know, rat."

Without warning, she takes a few steps forward, coming in close to Kazuma before leaning forward, probably wanting to make sure he could hear every word she was about to say to him.

"The world you were born into and the world those four were born into are very different worlds. As different as night is today. With Lalatina and Ciruelto, it's obvious due to them being blue bloods like myself. Crimson Demons, while not born noble, are still important enough to the kingdom that one could argue that they are honorary blue-bloods within the eyes of those who true matter."

"You, on the other hand, are a simple peasant, boy. I'm sure I don't need to explain to you why that is. Anyways, I think it says a lot about those four that they would give one such as you the time of day here, even going so far as to lower themselves down into your world just to accommodate you."

Kazuma growls, giving her as evil a glare as he could, which only makes her smile widen.

"What do you know about me, lady? Nothing at all, beyond my exploits since coming here. Perhaps I was a prince back in my homeland, perhaps I too am a blue blood as well? Did you ever consider that one, I wonder?"

Those words make the Duchess pull back, laughing hard as she says that the very idea of him being anything like that was amusing, hilarious even. Kazuma really wanted to give her a taste of true gender equality right here, right now; but he opted to stay his hands, if only for his friends' sakes.

Once the Duchess had finished with her laugh, wiping the tears she had released away, she becomes serious again before looking at him and saying with all confidence-

"Here within the next few days, the day after the Idol Hearts show is set to go down on, I plan on approaching those four and making them an offer, an offer to relocate her to Veridae and become part of my special entourage. Of course, this offer won't include you in it, I'm afraid."

"No offense lady, but I'm glad I'm not being included as I would be turning you down right here, right now if I was. And I hope you aren't deluding yourself into thinking they are going to accept your offer here either. With how you've been treating me, and the fact I'm not being given that offer here, there's no way in hell they're ever going to accept it either."

"Hm, so confident. Your arrogance is almost praiseworthy. But I'm not worried one bit here. I have a good feeling they will accept my offer, boy. Never forget, while they may have lowered themselves down into YOUR world, they belong to a greater one and here soon, I will offer them the chance to ascend to an even greater one beyond that. How could they not accept my offer. And besides..."

"Besides?"

asked Kazuma as the Duchess sudden holds her right hand up into the air and snaps her fingers, the sound echoing through the halls and rooms. Within moments, a group of heavily armored guards had surrounded them.

"Never mind that for now. Guards, please escort this unwanted filth outside and see him on his way for me. I don't want to see him back here again, understand?"

After getting an affirmation from her men, two of them were quick to grab Kazuma, lifting him up by his arms to make sure he didn't try to escape from them. As they turn and begin to walk towards the entrance, Kazuma hears the Duchess call out to him, saying-

"By the way, if you really want to know what my 'problem' here is, why not return home and ask your father that question, SATOU Kazuma!"

Kazuma tried to yell back, asking what she meant by that, about his father, but she never responded to him. Once he was outside, the guards weren't very gracious as they tossed him onto the ground like he was trash. While he wanted to sneak back in, find the others, and tell them what had just happened, Kazuma felt like that would be impossible now. So, instead, he'll wait till they get back to the hotel later and speak with them then, including the part about how the Duchess was confident on her being able to talk them into leaving the party, leaving him, and coming to work for her here.

As Kazuma made his way back to the hotel, her words began to play out inside his head and as much as he tried to push those words away, they refused to be pushed as they came quickly back to him.

"Would they have been better off if I hadn't come into their lives? I doubt that... but still. Maybe when I next see Chris, I can ask her if she knows if Eris has the ability to see an alternate version of a person's future, to see if they would have been better off if things had been different, if only to quell these damn doubts that bitch is tossed into my head."

Kazuma then stops as he allows himself to look up at the near full moon present in the sky. If he was right, tomorrow would be a full moon. He had never noticed it before, but the moon of this world was much closer than the moon around Earth. He then sighs as he does acknowledge one little detail here.

"She was right about one thing, though not her meaning behind it. The world I was born into was indeed a different one that what they were born into, in the most literal of ways here. Maybe it's time I had a sit down with them and tell them the truth about me, about how I..."

Kazuma's words come to a stop as he feels eyes falling onto him. Turning his attention away from the moon, he finds the Duchess's two flunkies from earlier, the knight before him and the mage behind him, looking ready to throw down here, making him chuckle then sigh as he prepares to defend himself.

"I see, so this is how you plan on doing things, lady. Fine then, if you want to dance, then so can..."

A sudden prick like sensation comes over Kazuma, making him reach up to his neck and pulling a little dart from his neck. He examines it for a moment before realization comes over him, but it was already too late as his vision begins to blur and he finds himself falling onto the ground.

The last thing he sees before blacking out is a third figure, Krydie from the looks of it, approaching him from the side. It looked like he wasn't making it back to the hotel anytime soon here, after all...

===================={Part 5: No Escape, No Rescue For You}====================

Wherever he was right now, it was cold. Very, very cold as Kazuma was already shaking like crazy as he returned to consciousness. The floor he had been resting on was about as hard and unforgiving as you could possibly imagine here as well. And there was something hard wrapped around one of his ankles, rather snugly at that.

It also didn't help that the room was near pitch black, the only source of light he was getting here came from directly above him, about twenty of thirty feet to be exact, filtering through metal bars located directly dead center on the ceiling. From what Kazuma could guess, it was still nighttime here, wherever it was he was at right now.

He then takes notice of the fact his clothing felt different, less comfortable with an added feeling like they hadn't been washed in weeks or if ever, and he also felt like there wasn't very much of it covering him here either. In fact, this uncomfortable outfit felt like it was only covering his chest and crotch.

He goes to move, preparing to stand before the sound of chains clacks against the floor, making he reach down and feel around the strange feeling his ankle was feeling, not surprised to find a large and thick feeling shackle on him.

Wanting to test something, he tries to use several of his skills, finding nothing working while taking notice of the fact the shackle had symbols that appeared on it whenever he tried to use his mana for anything here. In other words, he was essentially a prisoner with no viable option available here.

"You know, between me and myself here, I am REALLY getting sick of all the crap I've been having to put up with since coming here to this world. Sure, life back in Japan wasn't all fun and games either, but at least back there, the worst I had to deal with was the over expectations of my family, being shunned and laughed at by my peers, and one simple betrayal from my closest friend...

Elsewhere, the pink haired girl going by 'Harp Song' suddenly sneezed while sleep, a hand coming up subconsciously to rub her nose while mumbling out 'Someone must be talking about me.'

"... but I at least could lock myself away from that annoying life and find a proper escape through doing stuff online. In other words, my life back home, shitty though it may have been, was still far and away better than what I've been dealing with since coming here. Nearly dying multiple times, torture, kidnappings, the list goes on. I'm beginning to think I should just run away from it all, find someplace nice and quiet to hide out at, and spend the rest of my days avoiding life in general... assuming I escape from this mess that is."

With nothing else to do, Kazuma goes from either sitting or thinking to exploring his new home, finding it to be rather small in size. Not nearly as small as the cell he had been held in during his time with Verdia, but he guessed the cell was an eight by eight-foot size.

With nothing better to do, he gazed up at the barred opening in the ceiling, assuming that was the sole way in and out of this cell, and wondered how long he'd have to wait till the others were able to come find him and get him out of this latest mess he found himself in.

And he pondered on what exactly he was going to do once he had escaped here as well. After all, there was no way he wasn't going to be paying that bitch Duchess a little visit once this was all over now and give her a piece of his mind... and a taste of his steel by way of Chunchunmaru, consequences be damned.

After an unknown amount of time here, Kazuma hears a noise that sounds like stone moving, making him sit up to see a glowing crystal coming into view upon the wall which helped to illuminate the room a bit, allowing Kazuma the chance to see more details about his prison. And then...

Light begins to project out from the crystal, taking the shape of the Duchess, dressed in some kind of regal night gown and with a very smug and triumphant look on her face.

"Ah, so you have woken already. Such a pity as I was hoping to make use of another of the shackle you bare special functions... oh wait, I can still do it anyways."

A sudden blast of electric energy surges through Kazuma's body, making him howl in pain as his body plops fully back onto the ground in painful spasms. This goes on for a few moments, all the while the Duchess laughs happily, before the shocking finally comes to an end.

"Ah, now that was a fun experience for us to share, don't you agree?"

Kazuma, once he had managed to recover, pushes himself back into a sitting position before sending a glare towards the Duchess.

"While I would love to play a little more with you, Satou. I'm afraid time isn't on our side here you see. We really must get down to business before the morning tides start to roll in."

That didn't sound in anyways good to Kazuma as the Duchess continued.

"I'm sure that by now, you must be wondering where exactly you are at the moment. Well, I can say you aren't anywhere in Veridae, or even anywhere close to Veridae to be exact. In fact, you are presently just barely within the limits of the kingdom's lands. A nice, quiet little place along the sea. Quite remote in fact, a place very few even know about to begin with so if you're expecting any sort of rescue to be coming your way, forget it as no one will ever come this far out in their search, nor will they ever find the place you're at even if they did."

"You seem really confident about that, lady. But I think you underestimate the tracking skills my friends have at their disposal. Once they realize that I'm MIA, if they haven't already, I'm sure I'll be out of here before the end of the day."

Of course, Kazuma didn't believe that for a second though he wanted to make her think that was a possibility here. It may take a few days, but he was sure he would be found, either by the skills of the Crimson Demons or by Darkness sending a prayer to Eris for a little divine help here.

"Hm, perhaps you're right about that, Satou. After all, I've heard the Crimson Demons are good at finding lost things with their magic. But you see there's just one little hitch to your words there. In order for a search to be started, you would first need to be absent, missing. And, as you can see... you are very much still right here in Veridae."

The image of the Duchess then steps aside, allowing another figure to come into view, that figure being Kazuma himself.

"... Oh great, now we're getting copy-cats in this little story that is my life. Fan-fucking-tastic!"

"I prefer the term doppelganger, if you would be so kind."

said the other Kazuma before 'his' body begins to shift, revealing the figure of Krydie before shifting back into looking like Kazuma again. 'Kazuma' then steps away, allowing the Duchess to once again take center stage here.

"As you just found out, nobody is going to be looking for you, not now nor anytime soon. Why would there be a need to look for you when you are already here with us?"

Kazuma growled as he clenched his fist for a second before allowing himself a moment to smile again.

"You may be able to fool everyone with that doppelganger for a little while, but do you really think you'll be able to keep the act up in the long term. Seeing as you don't know a whole lot about either me nor my individual relationships with those girls, it's only a matter of time before the start to notice that there's something off with that 'Kazuma' they're with. What are you going to do then as, naturally, you'll be the prime suspect when the truth comes out."

Kazuma's words make the Duchess lose her smile as she becomes serious for a second, then she smiles at him again.

"That is true, Satou, quite true, actually. However, I'm only going to need my precious Krydie here to play the role of 'Satou Kazuma' for a few weeks at the most. Now, allow me to be ever so kind here by telling you how things are going to play out."

"First, I'm going to have her stand in for your role within the upcoming Idol Hearts performance. This way, I won't need to fear your presence sullying Idol Hearts good name here. After that, I will have a little meeting with those four girls where I will make them an offer to come not only live here in Veridae, within the walls of the Louview Palace itself, but to stand at my side as my new special entourage, as I recall telling you before."

Hearing that makes Kazuma snort out a laugh, making the Duchess ask him what he found so funny.

"Oh, nothing really. Just the idea you of you thinking they will ever accept any kind of offer you'll be making them. In case you've forgotten, lady. Your conduct towards me over these last few days hasn't exactly endeared you to them. If I'm being honest, I think you'd have a better chance convincing the Devil King himself into becoming one of your lackey's before they will."

The Duchess, surprisingly, seems to consider his words there for a moment. As Kazuma awaits her response to his words, he begins to hear a new sound, making him look around to see water was beginning to trickle into the cell from the ceiling from one of the four walls. The Duchess then begins to speak again, making him turn back to look at her.

"You do have a point there. I haven't done myself any favors with how I've been acting these last few days. But now that I will be interacting with Krydie as she pretends to be you, I'm confident my attitude and conduct will improve greatly from here on out. Plus, my now becoming friendly with 'you' here, I'm feeling very confident that when I make the offer, I will have 'your' backing with the offer seeing as it will include 'you' as well."

"Are you really sure that will be enough though? What will you do if, even after all that, they still turn you down? Either way, how long do you plan to keep Krydie playing me here? I said this before, and I'll say it again. You don't know anything about me and my relationship with those four, to say nothing of my relationship with everyone back in Axel should there be a need to go there when all is said and done. Tell me, just how exactly how long do you think she'll be able to keep this ruse up? My girls aren't stupid, you know. They'll figure it out sooner or later, maybe they'll even figure out this very day during the practice sessions."

"They didn't notice the difference last night, when my Krydie took your spot with going to the party with them. In fact, it was all because of my Krydie, using your face and voice, that convinced them to even go to the party to begin with, just in case you're wondering. It was easy enough for her to sneak into your room as well, given she can also adjust her size though anything too big or too small can only be maintained for a few moments before she needs to change back. That said, you do have a point..."

The Duchess goes quiet for a moment as Kazuma takes a moment to again look at the water that was pouring in, seeing it start to collect upon the floor.

"... This ruse of our won't last forever, you're right about that. For that reason, this is how things will go down. Should they accept, I will have Krydie play at being you for a few weeks, two or three at the most before you'll go suddenly go missing on us. If they don't accept my offer, then she'll join them in returning to Axel and, at the first opportunity, will go missing. In either event, it'll be made to look like you were either killed by some random beast or were kidnapped by the Devil King as revenge for all the trouble you've caused him. I haven't decided which one I'll go with here. I guess that will all depend on the state your body is in once I send someone to retrieve it. Speaking of..."

The Duchess then grins the evilest of grins here as she adds-

"As I'm sure you must have taken notice of by now, your little cell has started to fill with water, sea water I might add. I could explain the how and why behind it all, but I am a busy person here and would like to get in a few more hours of sleep before the new day dawns. All that needs to be said is that over the next few hours, your prison will slowly fill with water till it's completely full. I'm sure you can guess what that means for you, Satou."

"So, you really have it in you to kill me then, huh? Guess I shouldn't be surprised."

"But I won't be at fault for your death, Satou. It will all be on your shoulders, for not doing anything to save yourself here, like trying to bite that foot off yours off so you can free yourself from that shackle."

Kazuma looks down to his foot then back at the Duchess.

"Seeing as I'm probably going to die here, mind going ahead and telling me why you're doing this? Just what do you think it is I did to you to deserve this fate?"

"You... you really don't know, do you? Didn't your father ever talk about me, about his time in Veridae?"

Those words catch Kazuma off guard, making him blink several times before saying-

"My father?"

"That's right, your father... Satou Ryutaro!"

"Satou... Ryutaro? But my father's name isn't..."

"Spare me your feeble attempt at a lie now. I know you're his son. You and he look so very much alike after all. If I'm being honest here, I would rather it be him there where you are right now but seeing as I don't know where your father is at right now, it falls to you to suffer for his great sin against me. However, if you tell me where he is, help me bring him to justice, then I'm willing to forgive you for being his little spawn and allow you to live out the rest of your days, wallowing in your dumb ignorance."

'So, you mean to tell me that all this time, she's been giving me shit all because she has some hard on for vengeance against some random guy who has the same family name as me, and thinks I'm related to this guy for that very reason as well? Oh, you're definitely getting it once I get out of here, lady.'

"I take your silence here as a no then? Very well, take your father's place for all I care. Either way, I shall have some satisfaction at last."

"Geez lady, you are a special kind of stupid, you do know that, right. Thinking I'm the son of this Ryutaro guy and all because we have the same family name. Just a little FYI, my father's name is Satou Kazuhiro. One day, you'll learn the truth and I sincerely hope you'll suffer a lot from your guilt when you do."

"Exactly the kind of words I would expect from his spawn. Well then, I guess I'll be taking me leave now. My precious Krydie has already left to return to the hotel so as to make sure you aren't missed any. In case you're wondering, it is nearly five in the morning. If I remember correctly, you'll have about five or so hours before that cell of your's has filled with enough water to drown you here. Please enjoy the time you have left and don't worry, I'll help those four during their time of grief, just as I'll help them forget about you once all is said and done."

"Your plan isn't going to work. No matter how confident you are here, it's all going to blow up in your face. No matter what, your actions here will be exposed, and you will be brought to justice."

shouted Kazuma, getting a laugh from the Duchess.

"You sound so confident about that, Satou. However, I'm afraid I WILL get away with this. I learned my lessons well from my father on how to remove any unwanted vermin. You are not the first nor will you be the last. And now, I bid you goodbye..."

And with that, her image fades away as the crystal goes dark and the stone that had concealed it before returns to hide it again. Kazuma screams out at the top of his lungs defiantly. After a moment to calm himself down, he looks to where the crystal was positioned and says to the empty air.

"Calm down, Kazuma. You know she's not going to get away with this. I mean, for one thing, there's Lynn who will expose that fake for what she is once the two cross paths thanks to Lynn's love of smelling my scent. And then there's Chris who will be told about what happened to me should I actually die here by Eris, making her take action. Not that I'm planning on dying here and on that subject matter, I need to start using my head here and come up with some kind of escape plan. Think-think-think..."

And think Kazuma does, quickly coming up with his first idea here, grabbing hold of the chain that connected him to the floor with both hands and pulling on it with all his might. Kazuma hoped that maybe, just maybe, the bolts that kept the chain connected to the floor would be weak enough to break off with enough effort.

"Cielo, if you could hear me here, I'd have to point out how you were so wrong about this trip. There is nothing peaceful nor relaxing about this at all. Damn it, if I somehow get myself out of this mess and make it back to Axel in one peace, I'm locking myself inside the mansion and never going outside ever again and that's a promise!"

And thus, Kazuma's latest struggle to survive in this insane world begins...

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

Image: Several panels, one of Darkness talking with Cielo's father, one of Cielo and Yunyun with Lia and her idols, of one Megumin having at the food laid out on a table, and one of a drunk Aqua with a back shot of 'Harp Song' berating her.