Bless This World With A Stranger

by RhineWrites

Arc 8: Konosuba Inferno (chapters 37-?)

30. A6-4: Chivalrous Legend

Chapter 4: The Birth of the Chivalrous Legend

========================={Part 1: Premonition}=========================

It was well past nine in the morning as Lia observed Kazuma and Cielo's morning practice. On the surface, they looked like they were about as ready as they would ever be for the forthcoming show that would be happening here in three days, not counting today that is.

And yet, something felt off from Lia's point of view. The issue wasn't with Cielo, but with Kazuma. Sure, his vocals were pretty good here, a little off though that was to be expected given what had happened to him the previous day, but there was a confidence that his voice would be fully there once the big night finally arrived.

But it wasn't so much the sound of his voice, but the feeling she was expecting from his voice. Or to be more exact, the lack of feeling present. During those first two days of practice, there had been a feeling present within Kazuma's singing, a sense of two hearts connecting him and his partner.

But now, after that incident within the forest, there was no feeling being sent out by Kazuma. Sure, Cielo was throwing all the feeling she could into the song, but without Kazuma doing the same here, it made the song itself feel lacking... wanting.

'I wonder if what happened back there really had that much of a negative effect on him?'

Maybe it was just her being paranoid here, but she couldn't help but feel that something was off with Kazuma. Turning away and leaving the main stage behind, Lia makes her way over to one of the dressing rooms and knocks on the door.

"Hey Megumin, it's Lia. Can I come in a talk with you for a second."

"So long as you are alone at the moment. I don't want Kazuma to see me dressed in this yet."

Lia confirms that she was alone and after a moment, the clicking sound of the door being unlocked is heard followed by Lia helping herself in. As soon as she closed the door and locking it, she turns her attention to Megumin, finding herself feeling rather stunned by the sight of the younger girl.

The crimson red dress she was wearing looked amazing on her, alongside the black fabric that covered her hands and arms, from the tips of her fingers up to just past her elbows and the hair ornament. Now she understood why Megumin didn't want Kazuma to see her yet. If he did, he might not be able to stop himself from from trying to be all over her.

"I see you decided upon the outfit you wish to wear for your performance with Kazuma. That look definitely suites you, Megumin."

"Thanks, though I can't help but feel something is missing here. I don't know, what do you think, Lia?'

Megumin then does a slow spin around, letting Lia get a better look at her. Once Megumin was looking at Lia again, she asks if it was time for her to go out and start practicing with Kazuma.

"We'll wait till after lunch before you and Kazuma start your duet practice. Actually, Megumin... Kazuma is the reason I came by just now."

"Is something wrong, Lia?"

After a moment of hesitation, Lia finally works up the courage to bring up the matter that was on her mind.

"I was wondering, Megumin. Ever since Kazuma woke up following that incident within the forest, has there been anything... off with him? Have you felt like something wasn't right about him, for some reason?"

Her question clearly catches Megumin off guard, making her blink a few times before asking Lia to elaborate on what she was talking about.

"Well, I've been watching Kazuma and Cielo's practice and... on the surface, it all appears fine. And yet, looking beneath the surface, I can't feel any emotion being added into his sound. Since he started his practice with Cielo, I've noticed a distinct lack of heart, of a soul coming from Kazuma. Before the forest, I could very much feel it coming from him, but now...? Maybe I'm just being crazy, but I can't help but feel Kazuma never came back from that trip. What do you think?"

Megumin was quiet for a few moments, maybe even a minute as she thinks about what Lia had just said. After what felt to Lia like forever, Megumin finally spoke her piece.

"So, I'm really not the only one then. I'm glad that I'm not the only one as I've also been thinking that something has felt off with Kazuma since he woke up after that incident. I've been wanting to talk to the others about it, but I've been hesitant, thinking that I'm just being paranoid."

"Want to share with me what's made you feel something's off?"

"Well, I'd have to say the first thing was with Kazuma's strange attitude since waking up. He's been quiet, too quiet for my liking. And there's the fact he was the one who was insistent on us going to that big party. Even if it was being held in OUR honor, we had already decided we weren't going to go but Kazuma wouldn't hear of us skipping it. Sure, he told us doing so could invite trouble down on us, or at least onto him, but even so there was something that felt weird with the way he was acting."

"All that alone was enough to make me feel something wasn't right with him, but then after we got to the party itself. Kazuma was quick to disappear into the crowd, all for the sake of mingling as he put it. But for much of the party, I recalled him hanging out with the Duchess of all people, which was a strange sight to behold, given their rocky start and all. When I told the others and we confronted him after getting back to the hotel, he said he was wanting to 'bury the hatchet', as it were. Not wanting anymore bad blood to be there between them."

"Isn't that a good thing though?"

asked Lia.

"Yeah, it is... or at least it should be. I haven't had a chance to talk to the others about it yet, given how late it was last night when we got back and the fact we were wanting to get here as quickly as possible this morning for training, but... for me personally, and I know this is going to sound really weird here, but...?"

Lia steps forward and places her hand on the hesitant Megumin's shoulder, telling her that it was OK to talk with her here. Megumin shows Lia an appreciative smile and nodding before saying-

"I can't help but feel like the Kazuma we went to that party with, came back to the hotel with, and are here now with, isn't the same Kazuma we've come to know, trust, and treasure in our lives."

Lia nods as she considers Megumin's words as a thought crosses her mind, a thought she didn't like having one bit.

"Megumin, I hate to ask this question but...?"

Before Lia could say more, Megumin's body suddenly lurches hard, her hands going to her head as she cries out in pain. Lia was at her side that very second, grabbing onto Megumin who says with her voice sounding like she was in a trance.

"Kazuma... danger... water, everywhere... drowning... KAZUMA!"

Without warning, Megumin pulls herself away from Lia, making a dash for the door and nearly ripping it off its hinges before running towards the stage with Lia following after. They both stop at seeing Kazuma still on stage with Cielo, which makes Megumin breathe out a sigh of relief, albeit an agitated sounding sigh.

Their actions hadn't been noticed it seemed as no one had reacted to them. Once they had stepped back into the shadows, Lia asks-

"Megumin, what was that? What happened?"

"I... I don't know, honestly. For a second, I had this vision go rushing through my head. I saw Kazuma trapped inside a room, rapidly filling with water, crying out for help, for someone to come save him. I saw his head finally go under and I heard these thoughts echo through my mind as the vision ended..."

"… I'm sorry, everyone. I guess... this is as far as I can go... goodbye... …"

"What do you think it means, Megumin?"

Megumin shakes her head, saying she didn't know. Maybe it was a warning about some sort of future event here or something. All she knew was that they needed to focus on the moment right now.

"Lia, I'm going back to my changing room to get back into my usual attire. By the way, what was it you were going to ask me before my little freak out?"

"Never mind that for now. We can talk more about this matter later, once we can all talk privately together."

Megumin nods before turning and heading back to her changing room. Lia watches her for a second before looking back at Kazuma and thinking to herself.

'I really hope my thoughts are wrong here. Please, please be the REAL Kazuma, Kazuma.'

========================={Part 2: Rebirth, of a Sort}=========================

It had started with a trickle of water, sliding down the wall around the time the Duchess had contacted Kazuma, to explain... to gloat... to rub it in his face. Kazuma, having no proper sense of time here, wasn't sure just how much time had passed before that trickle had turned into a drip, and then into a small stream of water that grew larger and larger, faster and faster.

}'This sucks...'{

Kazuma had tried to free himself by putting all his strength into breaking the chain free from the stone ground. From the looks of the chain, how it seemed aged and possibly not all that reliable, he had hoped that maybe, with enough effort, he could pull it free of the stone and at last have a new option to work with here. Not surprisingly, this ended up not working out.

}'I don't want this to end now.'{

Kazuma tried next tried to break the shackle off of his ankle, a foolish idea to be sure. But much like the chain itself, the metal shackle also looked like it had seen better days. Maybe, just maybe, he could force it to unlock. But again, this failed to yield any results. Perhaps they were only made to look less reliable than they actually were?

}'I know I said before that I was getting tired of having to deal with all the crap this world keeps bringing down onto me...'{

Kazuma begins looking around, wondering if there could be something, anything inside this cell with him that could help him out, possibly even give him a chance at surviving. But he couldn't see anything at all. It probably didn't help that it was still dark as hell in here, making trying to see anything nigh impossible for him, even if this cell was small.

}'… but I still want to be here, to spend more time and have many more adventures with everyone.'{

There was one thing that did surprise Kazuma though. Given the personality the Duchess had shown him, he was surprised that she hadn't left him with some kind of saw or something he could use to cut off his own foot or leg as an option. As deranged as she seemed to be, it seemed like a likely thing she would do to him.

}'I want to see them again. I want to hear them laugh. I want to see their smiles and the warmth in their eyes. I... I want to be with them forever if I could!'{

The sea water was really coming in strong now, rising rapidly. Already, it was up to Kazuma's neck here.

}'I need to get out of here, I need to escape... to survive. I want... need to save them from that damn bitch. From her and whatever else could come along in the future that could try to hurt them.'{

The water was now higher than Kazuma could stand, and he was doing the best he could to swim here, to remain upon the surface for as long as he could. By now, almost all rational thought had escaped Kazuma, leaving him with nothing but panic. He tried one final time to use any of his skills, even his Lich based powers, yet nothing happened as the glyphs on the shackle glowed brightly in responce to his attempt.

}'Please, don't let me die here, not now. I don't want to go, Eris.'{

What chain there was had reached its limit and the water was now reaching the point where Kazuma couldn't keep his head up above it any longer. With one final act of desperation, Kazuma tried to yank the chain free from its connection to the floor. He tried everything he had, but it failed.

}'Entropy, if there really is a piece of you inside me, within my inner Lich. If I'm really that important to you, then please... SAVE ME.'{

But nothing happened and then, Kazuma found himself finally start to slip away as his strength slowly left him. His vision began to darken as his consciousness finally begins to fade and his body begins to calmly sink towards the cell floor.

It was here, in these last moments, that his memories of his time with all his friends, old and new, and even his family, all flashed before his fading vision, making tears begin to fall amidst the sea water.

}'… I'm sorry, everyone. I guess... this is as far as I can go... goodbye... …'{

As Kazuma found himself being swallowed by the darkness, a form took shape before him in the darkness. It was smokey, like Entropy, but not quite as much. It was by far the most humanoid he had seen it take on, definitely female in appearance.

("What are you willing to do... what are you willing to sacrifice... in order to save and protect your friends? Are you willing to give everything, even your life, if that's what you had to do?")

'Yes, if that's what I have to do for them...'

("It really is you, isn't it? Even robbed of your memories, even without knowing who you truly are. You really are... MY Kazuma...")

The humanoid figure with the smokey body moves forward and hugs Kazuma close to her and, in a strange way, he couldn't help but feel here in this moment, that he had somehow been reborn.

The next thing Kazuma knew, he was looking up at the sky, which makes him blink several times before his brain finally catches up with his current situation. He sits up, looking around to see if he could figure out where he was, finding he was laying upon a cloak, laid out on the sandy shores of a beach.

"Where am I?"

he said, preparing to stand, but is stopped by the sound of a familiar voice.

"I was hoping you could tell me that, once you had awakened, Kazuma."

Quickly turning back, Kazuma finds Chris sitting beside a fire, working on cooking up some fish she had probably fished out of the ocean. Kazuma then takes another look down at the cloak and realizes he had seen it before. It was the very cloak he had given her; the one he had found during his brief trip to the Norse kingdom.

He then looks up at the sky, seeing seagulls flying around and also taking notice that the sky had started to change color as the day enter the twilight hours. Just how long had he been gone? He turns back to Chris, who was patiently waiting for him to speak, and asked her-

"Chris? Where am I... I mean, where are we right now? What happened? Was it you who saved me back there?"

"Far eastern edge of the continent, eastern most edge of the Kessex region to be more precise. What happened was I found you practically drowned earlier this morning, inside a very well-hidden prison fortress built into the side of rocky wall along the ocean. And I guess I did save you... well, I pulled you out of there. To be honest, Kazuma. You should have been long gone by the time I arrived, but it seems like you had a little help back there as someone, or something, had put your body into a kind of stasis, froze you within a moments time, I think it was all to make sure I could save you when I did."

Having heard that, Kazuma takes on a thinking pose while Chris patiently awaits his next question.

'So, was it really you? Did you actually save me back there, Entropy? If so, then why? Just what am I to you anyways? Just... who are you?'

Kazuma, feeling Chris's eyes on him, turns his attention back to her.

"Chris, how did you find me? And for that matter, how did your trip to the capital of Elroad go also? Did you succeed in getting the Charisma Choker back from Alonzo?"

"Before we talk about that. Can you tell me how you ended up out here, so far away from Axel or even Belzerg proper? Why were you dressed like some homeless beggar? Why are you covered in scratches, some of which looking like they could become scars. And why does your right arm look so messed up? And where are the others? Please, Kazuma, what's gone down since we parted ways back in Arcenretia?"

Knowing Chris wouldn't answer him until after he answered her, Kazuma began his explanation of the past events. As he spoke, Chris's demeanor was all over the place. There was some stuff she looked happy to hear but there was even more she really didn't like hearing at all, especially the events that had befallen Kazuma since the meeting with the Duchess. Once Kazuma had finished, Chris moves over to Kazuma and hugs him tightly.

"I'm sorry, Kazuma. I'm sorry for not being there when you... when ALL of you needed me to be there. That won't happen again, I swear it."

Kazuma hugs her as well, telling her that it wasn't her fault.

"Even if you had been there, would things have been any different had you been there? Maybe, maybe not? All we can do is just keep moving forward and hope this doesn't happen again."

Chris nods as they remain in the hug for a few more moments before breaking away. Chris then reaches into her pouch and pulls out a strange looking potion which she hands to Kazuma.

"Here, drink this. A very special potion created by the goddess Eris herself. It is said it can heal any and all injuries one could suffer, as well as restore you to full strength. You'll need it for what's coming next."

"Comes next, you mean the trip back. Just how long is that going to even take us, anyways? How did you give me out of there, anyways?"

Chris chuckles as Kazuma takes the potion from her, not wasting any time to drink it all down while Chris moves back to the campfire to see if what was probably dinner was ready for them yet or not.

"So many questions, Kazuma. How about giving me the chance to answer the ones you've already asked before throwing even more at me feet here."

Kazuma scratches the back of his head as he says-

"Yeah, sorry about that. I just have so much I want to ask. Also, we need to hurry and get back there as soon as possible. While I doubt that bitch plans on hurting the others, I still don't want them to stay around her, and that doppelganger fake any longer than they need to here."

"And we will, within twenty-four hours, we'll have saved our friends and exposed that woman for all her evil deeds. But first, let's eat dinner so we'll have enough strength for what we'll need to do here. Once we're done, I'll explain as much as I can, including what happened to me after I left you guys."

Soon after, once they had finished dinner, Chris moves to sit opposite Kazuma as she begins her tale.

"OK, now for me to explain some stuff to you. Let's start at the beginning, shall we? After we parted ways in Arcenretia, I didn't waste any time with making my way to the Elroadian capital. Once there, I found where the troupe was set up, observed a few shows, and got Alonzo's personal schedule. I then made that letter for you all and sent it off while putting the finishing touches on my plan."

"So, we no longer have to worry about that guy causing any trouble with people's personal lives just because he wants a little attention lavished onto himself then, right… Chris?"

Chris had turned away, looking a tad bit sheepish when Kazuma had asked his question, prompting him to say her name, this time with a more worried and accusing tone. Chris turns her gaze away from him and starts scratching the scar on her cheek nervously as she says-

"Did you know, Kazuma. Elroad is known as the kingdom of games. Almost every major city has some form of elaborate entertainment one can indulge in. Arcades, casino's, horse races, the list goes on. The capital of Elroad has all that coming out the wazoo and more. And, seeing as my luck stat is unmatched here in the world, I figured I could allow myself a little fun for a few hours before I got to work that night, but..."

Kazuma gives Chris a stern look, making her shrink back a little, as he says-

"What did you do? Tell me the truth here, ERIS?"

"Eh? How did you... oh right, I told you about my true name and a small part of my back story before, about my life as a mortal girl on Arbel with my sister Chris and our friend Ritu."

"A story I would very much like to hear in full one day, but now's not the time nor the place. Wanna tell me how you screwed up here, little girl?"

"Little, I'll have you know that... never mind, I did screw up, didn't I. I couldn't help it, Kazuma. I only went into the casino with plans to stay there for a few hours, till night had fallen and I was confident everyone with the troupe was asleep. I would change and get to work then. But those few hours ended up lasting... five days!"

"WHAT? FIVE DAYS?"

{Insert Image 1}

Chris meekly nods as her scratching her cheek becomes faster. After a moment of fuming, Kazuma lets out an exasperated sigh before saying.

"You know, this matter is already wrong on so many levels. I feel like it should be me here who makes the big booboo's and you being the sensible one who chews me out for being stupid with losing track of time, especially when there's something far more important that needs focused on."

"I have no words to defend myself with."

"Well, whatever. Tell me this then, my little gambling addict, did you at least win a decent amount of money during those five days?"

Chris goes from looking regretful to being excited as she leans in close to Kazuma, giving him a big smile as she proudly announces-

"You bet your sweet ass I did, Kazuma. About twenty billion eris. I could have won way-WAY more there, but I decided to be generous and not cause the entire kingdom to become bankrupt. Yes, I was being generous. I definitely wasn't kicked out of all the establishments because I was winning too much too quickly for their taste."

"Wow, you're so thoughtful, Chris. So, will any of that money be shared with your good friends by any chance here?"

"Sorry, Kazuma. As a chivalrous thief, I couldn't possibly keep it all for myself so I'm going to be donating ninety percent of it to the poor and needy, as it should be."

"Ninety percent, huh? And the rest?"

"I... might play it safe and hold on to it for a rainy day. One can never tell when one will have need of some eris, am I right?"

"Truly, you are an inspiration all should aspire to be like."

said Kazuma with a deadpan tone while Chris laughs nervously.

"Moving on from your gambling addiction here, once you finally decided to focus on your main reason for going to Elroad, how did retrieving that Divine Relic go?"

When Chris doesn't answer immediately, instead going back into 'nervous Chris mode', Kazuma finds himself becoming both worried and very annoyed as he asks what else happened over there.

"Well... let's just say that maybe I should have waited till AFTER I completed my main mission before letting myself get distracted with fun. You see, when I finally went to make my move, it was already too late as someone else had beaten me to the punch and stole the choker from Alonzo before I could."

"EXCUSE ME? Are you telling me that item, one of the most dangerous magic items in the world, is now in the hands of some unknown person? Someone who might be willing to use it in ways even that Alonzo guy wouldn't use it for. Chris, you seriously fucked up here."

"I know, I know. I'm really regretful about that. I forgot that once I start playing the game, I lose both myself and time because I can never stop going for just one more round."

Kazuma buries his head into his hands as he grumbles while Chris awaits his next set of words.

"Please tell me you at least know who has it now?"

"Yes... and no. Alonzo wasn't very talkative, seeing as the person who took it used some kind of potion on him that has befuddled his mind. But I was able to get a partial description of the culprit. A girl with long blonde hair and blue eyes..."

"Which could be a lot of different people, like Darkness for example."

"I know, but we can also assume she's a member of Alonzo's family as, without taking special preparations, none save for a blood relative of the original owner can remove it from another wearer. And... I was able to get the befuddled Alonzo to speak a name that goes with the description, Cecily."

"Cecily... I feel like I heard that name before. Can't recall from were though. Never mind that for now. We'll need to find this Cecily as soon as possible, before she does who knows what with that power. And once she's been found, the both of us will be going after here together. Agreed?"

"Agreed. But for the moment, I need to finish telling you how I learned about and found you. After that failure, I returned to my... base of operations to start planning my next move, to see if I could figure out where this Cecily girl could have gone..."

'My base being my throne so I could use my godly powers to locate her easily.'

"But it's been proving far more difficult that I had expected. Somehow, she's been able to hide herself rather well so far but I'm confident she'll make a move soon as while she may be able to hide herself somehow, she can't hide the signature that the choker gives off. If she uses its power enough in one area, I'll become aware of it immediately. Anyways, a while ago, while I was working on digging up some information about her, to get an idea on how she'd use that power, I received an unexpected visitor."

(a few hours ago)

Eris was sitting on her throne, carefully going over the records she had on this Cecily girl, not exactly happy with what she was seeing herein.

"Axis cultist... rather extreme with her devotion to her faith... will do anything to bring over more believers... bisexual, but with a preference for little sister types... can be very affectionate... has little issues with getting into a person's personal space and isn't as worried about getting all touchy feely with anyone... Yep, she definitely sounds like an ardent follower of Aqua's."

Eris closed the information screen before her before sitting back and sighing. The whole 'being willing to do anything for her faith' was a little worrying as with the power of that choker, getting anyone to convert will be easy. Thank God the choker's power had its limitations here and she would have to stay in one place in order to keep the locals under her little spell.

Eris then realizes that there was a pair of eyes on her, making her turn her head up to see a figure dressed in regal looking armor and wearing a mask to hide their face, though she could make out long flowing blonde hair coming down along the figures back.

"Funny, you don't look very dead to me there, miss. Care to tell me what brings this sudden visit on... and how it is you're even here to begin with? I mean, it's not often I receive living visitors."

"Apologies, Goddess of Fortune. I had wanted to wait till you descended back down onto the mortal world before approaching you but seeing as you were taking your sweet time up here, I decided to come pay you a visit. You may call me Complex, one of the Outsiders who have been observing the events that have been happening to one Satou Kazuma. I believe your friends have already encountered my friends; Shy, Ego, and Passion... and I suppose Glutton too, in a way."

Eris recalled hearing those names before. If her memory was accurate, Shy and Ego had helped out during the Verdia incident and Passion had approached Darkness following Kazuma's trial. But this Glutton person was an unknown to her at the moment.

"I see, then what do I owe the pleasure of this sudden, and unexpected visit with me here today?"

"I'm aware that you are currently trying to find a person names Cecily, who has come into possession of a dangerous little toy. Both me and mine are also looking into the matter as it could cause more trouble for Kazuma, which we do not wish to see happen. Never mind that now. Tell me, have you taken a few moments to look into what's going on with Kazuma and the others since you last saw them?"

"No, I haven't really had the time here. Been rather busy with other matters."

"Then I suggest you do so now. I don't think you're going to like what you see."

Hearing that makes Eris become concerned as she immediately summons up a new screen, showing her an image of everyone within an amphitheater and an image of Kazuma and Cielo practicing singing together, making her wonder what that was all about.

"They seem OK to me. Wanna tell me what all the... wait?"

Eris then takes notice of something strange with Kazuma. She has the image pull in closer to him, then activated the soul filter, finding no soul light coming off of Kazuma. That thing, whatever it was, was clearly not Kazuma but something imitating his appearance and voice.

She then goes into a panic as she starts searching for Kazuma, quickly finding him... drowning, which makes her jump to her feet as Complex says-

"If getting in here was easier, I would have come much sooner to inform you of this. In truth, it really should have been Ego coming here as such trips are easier for her than for the rest of us. But that doesn't matter here. You need to hurry and save him before..."

Complex is stopped as Eris was on top of her, her eyes glowing with anger.

"If Kazuma's in trouble, then why did you need to come to me here? Why couldn't you have gone to save him. If you guys are supposed to be keeping an eye on him, then surely..."

"You think we don't want too here. Of course, I want to save big bro... I mean, Kazuma. But we have been given a rule, a restriction to follow. We can help out when needed, but not interact with him directly. Failure to stay true to this could have costly implications for us. Glutton already took a big risk back in Arcenretia when she appeared before him directly, and without her mask either. Because of that, we have to be even more careful. I'm sorry, but its either this or we won't be able to be there when he, when all of you, really need us to be. Now, are you going to just stand there and try to debate this or will YOU go save him?"

Eris growls as she balls her hands into fist, really wanting to demand some answers here. But this Complex was right in that she needed to move fast.

"Be warned, Complex. One of these days, I'm going to find you and your little group, and we are going to have words... and I will be expecting answers and if you all know what's good for you, I will have them!"

And with that, Eris left her throne, leaving Complex standing there as she clenches her own shaking fist.

"I know... I'm so sorry..."

In just heartbeats amount of time, Eris found herself appearing upon the waters of the sea, her eyes locked onto the structure that had been well carved into the side of the wall of earth and rock. An old out of the way prison from the looks of it, one she wasted no time entering.

It only took her a few seconds to find the room Kazuma was in, ripping the iron bars from the floor before diving in where an unexpected sight awaited her. Kazuma was laying upon the floor, his body was in the process of once more turning into a Lich, but that wasn't all.

All around him were little wisp of Entropy smoke, possibly being caused by that piece of Entropy that was mixed in with his Lich curse. For a second, Eris pondered what it all could mean before snapping back to reality as she quickly grabs Kazuma and blows her way out of the structure, finding a nice sandy beach to land on before placing Kazuma down onto the cloak he had gifted her.

She then used her goddess powers to revive his body, then she worked to reseal his Lich powers, placing multiple seals over it this time just to be safe. She also tried to lock out his more advanced Lich skills too but found it didn't hold for some reason. Regardless, Kazuma was safe now, and alive, and so she reverted into her Chris form and waited patiently for Kazuma to wake up and explain how he ended up in this situation.

(present)

"... I met with this visitor who warned me of your predicament, and, with the help of the goddess Eris, I was able to get here quickly and save you before it was too late. You sure took your sweet time waking up, you do know that right?"

"Not like I had a choice. So, what happens now? We head back to Veridae and save everyone while revealing just how evil that bitch Duchess really is here?"

Chris nods before looking away sheepishly, making Kazuma worry as he asked her what's up.

"Well, there's something else I want us to do while we're there, if possible. You see, I recently learned about there being an item locked away within the famed Louview Vault, said to be impregnable."

"So, I've heard."

"Yes, anyways... The item is question is a medallion that holds a stolen sacred power inside it."

"Sacred Power? You mean, like a Divine Relic or something?"

Chris shakes her head before explaining.

"Not quite. A Divine Relic is an item that naturally holds a special power within it. A sacred power, on the other hand, is something that is connected to the soul of the very user its gifted to. While the relic will remain in this world after the user dies, though it's not supposed to. The sacred power will pass on with its original user at the time of their death."

"In this case, the sacred power was Dragon Scale Skin. In a nutshell, it converted the skin of the user with dragon scales, essentially giving them better armor than any armor that could be forged. This was the cheat power given to a youth by the name of Satou Ryutaro when he was sent to this world."

"Satou Ryutaro? I know that name. He's the guy who supposedly did the Duchess dirty some years back, leading to her actions towards me, thinking I was his son or something."

"I don't know the details behind it all, but somehow the late Duke of Kessex found a way to rip that power from the body of Ryutaro, an act that killed Ryutaro, and had it sealed inside a medallion. When the Duke tried to use it himself, it caused his body to suffer serious damage, leading to his own death. One could say he got his just deserts for coveting that power enough to have Ryutaro killed for it."

Hearing all that makes Kazuma take a moment to think here.

'So, he didn't abandon the Duchess after all. He was most likely killed by her power hungry and overprotective father, and she doesn't know it. I can't wait to rub that bit of news into her face here.'

Kazuma then looks back to Chris and ask her.

"So, if you've known about this all along, why haven't you ever tried to retrieve that medallion then?"

"Two reasons. One, I've been working on a way to actually get inside that vault. The second is I've just been rather lazy about it, if I'm being honest with you. No one, aside from the late Duke, has ever been foolish enough to try wearing that medallion so it wasn't a priority retrieval. But seeing as I'm finding myself needing to come to Veridae with you to settle some matters, I might as well get it out of the way. And I'm sure you won't mind helping me out here, right... partner?"

Kazuma sighs, already figuring that was coming. Still, it did sound rather fun here, breaking into an unbreakable vault, getting to screw over that woman in the process as she would have that failure forever attached to her name.

"Alright, I'll help you out with this. But we deal with getting the others away from that fake first. Agreed?"

"Agreed. Now, about how we're going to get back over to Veridae quickly..."

Suddenly, Kazuma wasn't so sure he was liking where this was going here...

====================={Part 3: Birth of the Chivalrous Thieves}====================

Night had fallen over Veridae. Within the Veridae Amphitheater, Lia found herself alone as the rest had retired to the Lodge for the night. With only two full days left before the big day, nerves were on edge and tensions were high as they wanted to give the best performance yet to their audience.

Which was why Lia was here now, taking time to get in some of her own personal practice time. There was also the fact she didn't like training with others around, unless she was doing a duet with someone herself. She summons her Divine Relic and begins to produce music with it as she sings out-

"Wishing on a dream that seems far off,

Hoping it will come today.

Into the starlit night,

Foolish dreamers turn their gaze,

Waiting on a shooting star.

But what if that star is not to come?

Will their dreams fade to nothing?

When the horizon darkens most,

We all need to believe there is hope.

Is there an angel watching closely over me?

Can there be a guiding light I've yet to see?

I know my heart should guide me but

There's a hole within my soul.

What will fill this emptiness inside of me?

Am I to be satisfied without knowing?

I wish then for a chance to see

Now all I need, desperately

Is my star to come."

Once she had finished her song, Lia takes a moment to look up at the ceiling, imaging that she was looking into the star filled sky. That song she had just sung, she wasn't sure of its origins. Had it been something she had written before, within the past she couldn't remember, or had it been a song she had heard during that forgotten past of hers?

She wasn't sure which one was the truth, but she did know it was something important to her as it had been a constant within her mind. Something she held near and dear to her heart. She did often find herself tearing up whenever she sung it too, making her wonder what the emotional connection to it was for her as well.

'I wonder... is the coming show the time for me to finally sing out loud, solo, to the world, I wonder?'

Just as she was about to end her gazing up towards the ceiling and head over to the lodge, a sudden flash of light pops into the air, followed by the sight of Kazuma coming down right at her, alongside another girl Lia didn't recognize, all leading to a loud crash sound reverberating across the room.

Chris groans as she sits up, a hand rubbing her now sore butt while complaining to Kazuma.

"Damn it, Kazuma. When I asked you to use a focused teleportation to bring us to Veridae, I was expecting a softer landing here. Well, what do you have to say for your..."

Chris immediately blushes as she sees Kazuma, alongside an unknown girl, in a very risqué and rather cliché position with each other. Hands in places they shouldn't be, lips locked together unexpectedly. You know the tropey drill here.

After a... humorous moment and a few more for things to calm down, Kazuma was quick to introduce Lia and Chris to each other before explaining what had happened to Lia that brought him and Chris falling down on top of her. Once he had finished, Lia had a look that was both relieved and angry on her face.

"This explains so much now. Since practice started this morning, I couldn't help but notice that something seemed off with you, Kazuma. I couldn't feel any warmth being sent into your singing, like you weren't putting your heart or soul into the performance. We all just assumed you were still a little out of it after what happened to you during that little showing off thing the Duchess had you all do. Damn it, I... we should have considered the possibility that the Duchess may have tried something like this, given how much I was told she really didn't seem to like you and all."

"Well, you know now and that's what's important. Anyways, I need to get over to the hotel so I can warn the others, as well as put that damn doppelganger out of commission before it does anything else that the others will definitely regret in the long term."

Kazuma goes to stand, preparing to leave the amphitheater only for Lia to say-

"Actually, you aren't going to find them there, Kazuma."

"What do you mean?"

asked Chris as Kazuma stops and looks back at Lia.

"Just before practice ended today, we received another message from the Duchess, asking if they would like to not only join her for dinner tonight up at the Louview Palace, but to also spend the night there as well. Cielo and the others were planning on saying no to that offer, but the fake Kazuma convinced them that doing this would be a good idea. That maybe they could get the Duchess to finally explain the reason behind her cold attitude towards you, Kazuma, prior to that big party... damn it!"

"What's wrong, Lia."

"Why didn't this click with me sooner. During that big party over at the Louview, the other you had spent a surprising amount of time around the Duchess, the two of you suddenly acting all buddy-buddy with one another. I can't believe I didn't inquire about that and I'm not sure if the others did either. I'm really sorry, Kazuma."

Kazuma shakes his head as he moves back over to Lia, placing a hand on his shoulder and tells her to not worry about it. Even if she had, even if the others have done so, the fake probably would have said something that would have explained the reason for it being buddy-buddy with that woman, a reason that probably would have sounded believable

"OK Chris, since everyone is over at the palace and all, how should we go about doing this then?"

Chris's response to Kazuma's question was to reach into her adventurer's pouch and pull out a large piece of paper. Lowering herself down onto the floor, she rolls it out to reveal a blueprint for the entire Louview Palace, including the royal suite section. Kazuma and Lia joined her down on the floor as Chris began to go over her plans with them.

"Now then, this is how I see it. The Vault is located here, within the royal suite. Not too far from where the bed chambers the Duchess would most likely be using during her stay. These rooms here... and here... and here are the most likely candidates that are being used by the others for the night. Once we get inside the Louview Palace, we'll make our way up into the royal suite and we'll check out these rooms as we head to the vault to see if the others are there. If they are, then we'll take a few moments to wake them and explain everything. If not, then we'll hit the vault before going to check out the others, as well as deal with the Duchess."

Kazuma nods while Lia carefully looks over the blueprint before looking at Chris and asking-

"How do you plan on getting inside? I've heard the Duchess runs a tight ship where security is concerned. And how did you come into having a set of blueprints for this place to begin with. I mean, you can't just simply go down to the Veridae archives office and request of copy of this sort of thing, not without getting approval from certain people who I doubt would have done so with a thief."

Chris chuckles at Lia's question before saying-

"One of the perks to being a special agent of the goddess Eris. There is nothing she isn't able to get her hands on if needed. How we're going to be getting in, on the other hand...?"

"I can take care of that one. I already found a door from when I needed to sneak in the other night that had been left strangely unlocked for some reason. Assuming no one has taken notice of that, we can make use of it again. Anyways, Chris... once we get inside, how many guards do you think we'll need to keep an eye out for? And do you know their patrol paths here as well?"

Chris shakes her head to Kazuma's question.

"Can't be sure how many guards she employs for any one shift. I do know she has around five hundred, I think. I don't have any information on their patrol paths sadly. Anyways, I think we should hurry up and get dressed for our breaking in, don't you think?"

Chris then reaches into her pouch again, this time pulling two boxes out; one she places down beside her and one she hands to Kazuma. Kazuma opens it and finds new clothes within for him to wear. He then turns his head back to Chris and ask-

"You have some clothes for me here?"

"Would you prefer to do this while still looking like an escaped fugitive, Kazuma?"

"You know what I meant there, Chris. If I didn't know better, I'd say you were always planning on getting me to join you in your late-night adventure's, am I right?"

"Just hurry up and get dressed, will ya. I need to explain how these special garments work once you're done, after all."

Kazuma sighs as he places the box on a chair off to the side before starting to strip off his current attire and put the new outfit on. As he does so, Lia and Chris just stand there and watch him, their eyes locked onto him as they blush madly, clearly drawn in by the sight they were seeing.

While not insanely muscular, Kazuma was starting to gain a rather decent build here and the healing marks on his back did have a scar like element to them that actually did add a bit of enticement to the whole package. Kazuma then stops, turns his head back to look at them, and says-

"You know, if you're going to be watching me here, then does that mean I'm free to watch you both change at least once here in the future?"

Both girls quickly turn away as Kazuma smirks before going back to it. Chris, after a moment to collect herself, goes running behind the curtain and change her own outfit while Lia keeps her eyes looking towards the ceiling. Soon enough, they were both done and standing before Lia again.

Chris was dressed in a way that was very similar to her 'war' garments she had worn during the Destroyer incident, except now she was wearing a jet black skintight outfit, black shorts and a small black top and gloves and boots and a gray colored cape.

Kazuma was wearing black pants and a black long-sleeved tunic, black boots, and a faded green scarf.

"OK Kazuma, here's how these special clothes work. While wearing them, you will find that you feel much lighter, able to easily jump from ground level onto the roof of a two-story building. You're running speed is much faster and your steps will produce no noise when walking. In other words, this is the perfect stealth outfit, created specifically for us by the goddess herself."

As Kazuma looked himself over, Lia decided to comment on the two of them.

"You both are looking really cool, I got to say. I wish there was something I could do to help though."

Chris steps forward and places a hand on her shoulder and says-

"You already have here, Lia. Now then, for one final little detail here."

Chris then reaches into her pouch again, pulling out two masks, handing one to Kazuma.

"We'll be wearing these when we work, Kazuma. While on, we will find our voices being all modulated so we won't sound exactly like our usual selves here, Also, our hair will change color as well. Your hair will take on my hair color and my hair will turn to being like yours in turn."

Kazuma nods as he goes to slide the mask on but stops as he takes notice of something curious.

"Say Chris, I can't help but notice that the mask resembles the mask Vanir wears. And here I thought you hated that guy."

"I do hate him, which is why I made our mask look like his. If, by some chance, our little team gets tracked down to being based iout of Axel, we can make Vanir seem like he's the ringleader of it all and get him to pay for our dubious, but necessary, actions from now on."

Chris then begins to cackle maniacally, making Kazuma and Lia sweat drop at the sight. Kazuma then sighs before putting on the mask, then turns to Lia and says with his now modulated voice-

"So, how do I look?"

"Well, let me put it to you this way, Kazuma. If I was playing the role of the leading lady in the story of your life here, then I would have just experienced a heart-skipping-its-beat kind of moment. You're sporting the kind of look now that will make any girl fall for you."

"Hm, then I guess I-we really do need to make sure we pay those girls a visit while we're there now. Oh yeah, Chris. There's one other topic I want to discuss with you."

This makes Chris, and Lia, both give him a confused look as he tells them what that is.

"You wouldn't happen to have a potion somewhere inside that pouch of yours that can cure amnesia by any chance, do you?"

"Not at the moment, but I can ask Eris about having one given to me the next time I speak with her. Why do you ask? Is something wrong?"

Kazuma nods before turning his attention to Lia, then back at Chris before saying-

"You could say that. Here's the thing, Chris..."

Kazuma explained the situation to Chris, with Lia telling her about the events that led up to her memory loss. Once they were done, Chris promised she would see what she could do with helping Lia remember her past. With that out of the way, it became a waiting game for night to fully fall and for the masses to enter their beds in order to sleep. And then the work of the two could finally begin.

===================={Part 4: The Unbreakable Vault}====================

Darkness covered the streets of Veridae and the full moon hung over the sky as two figures effortlessly raced across the rooftops of the city, with nary a sound being made by them as they ran, jumping from one building to the next. Soon, the had reached the last building they could use as a short cut. Before them was the uphill path they would now need to walk in order to reach the lowest entry level of the palace.

Thanks to a special potion, provided by 'the goddess' of course, the run up this hill was as nothing to the two figures, who found themselves having energy to spare as they quickly reached their destination.

"So, boss. How do you plan on sneaking past those two guards? I know we aren't going in the main entrance here, but they will still be able to see us should we try to sneak past them to that side door I was telling you about."

"You're right. I was honestly hoping that there would be some clouds in the sky to obstruct the moon for a few seconds, for us. Oh well, we'll have to go with plan B here."

Chris then quickly whispers plan B into Kazuma's ear before she moves to climb onto his back, hugging herself as tightly to him as she could before activating her Cloak skill. Thanks to the close proximity between them, both Chris and Kazuma went completely invisible, thus allowing Kazuma to see them past the two guards and safely over to the side door, where Chris feels safe to disengage the Cloak.

"Tell me something, boss. If Cloak can work that effectively with sneaking around, why not just use it to walk right past those two and get inside? And why not simply keep it active all the way up till we reach the vault while we're at it?"

"Simple, Cloak demands a lot of mana to keep active and even someone like me only has so much available at any one time. At most, I can only keep it active for about five minutes, so I'd rather save it for emergencies here. Doesn't help I forgot to stock up on manatite earlier, before starting this whole thing. As for sneaking directly past the guards? All guards here have a magic item that can detect movement if its close enough to them. So, even with Cloak, if we get too close to anyone, they'll be alerted to our presence."

"How about telling me that next time before we start a little breaking and entering caper here."

Chris playfully sticks her tongue out as she conks her head, making Kazuma sigh as he tried the door, thankful to find that it was still unlocked here. As they step inside, Kazuma thinks quietly to himself-

'You know, I can't help but think that Chris isn't taking this as seriously as she should be. If my feeling is right, then how has she not been captured in all the times she has been doing this?'

As if reading his thoughts, Chris comes up and whispers into Kazuma's ears-

"Sorry if it seems like I'm not taking this all seriously. I assure you, I am. It's just that... well, I'm just so excited as I've never done this with anyone else before. Having a partner for my secret adventurer's here is... it's a dream come true for me. And the fact that it's you, of all people here... is just a really awesome bonus for me."

"Am I really all that, Chris?"

"Of course you are. Like I told you before, Kazuma. You're the smartest man I have ever known."

Kazuma did remember her saying that to him, back when she was convincing him to use his brain to figure out a way to save Axel from being destroyed. Recalling that particular memory brings a smile to Kazuma's face followed by him asking-

"OK, so what do we do now, boss?"

"Activate Lurk to help us stay as hidden as we possibly can be here. I'll take the lead as I have the layout for this place memorized. Be on the lookout for any patrolling guards and be ready to take any out if need be. Anyways, let's get moving."

The Louview Palace was rather creepy at such a late time in the night. Plenty of long shadows and the feeling that the paintings and statues would suddenly come alive and start attacking at any moment was a very potent feeling the two of them were having.

Nevertheless, they continued on, getting around various patrols and making their way up several flights of steps till they had reached the royal chambers. As they proceed deeper in, they allowed themselves the check the rooms along the way, finding either empty rooms or rooms with guards within. Luckily, the rooms with guards didn't get them exposed as the guards were focused on playing games as opposed to doing their jobs here. Not long after, they were standing before the massive Vault. Chris takes a moment to give the large metal door a look over before scowling.

"Damn it, this is going to be a lot harder than I was expecting to get this baby open. Not impossible, but very time consuming here. Guess there's a reason why no one has ever breached it in the past."

Kazuma was also studying the door before an idea comes to him. He looks at Chris and ask-

"Say, do you think there's any way this could be opened from the inside? You know, as an emergency I mean, just in case someone was locked in there by accident?"

"Yeah, I think so. All vaults here in Belzerg are designed to have such a feature as a just in case... why do you ask, Kazuma?"

Kazuma gives her a cheeky grin before activating Specter and easily passing through the metal door, leaving Chris standing there blinking in surprise for a few moments before a big smile crosses his lips.

'Kazuma really is the perfect partner, isn't he? I am so glad I couldn't lock away that particular skill right now.'

After a tense few moments of waiting, the door slowly begins to open till there was just enough room for Chris to squeeze herself inside with. Once inside, she is greeted by Kazuma who ask-

"So, how do you like MY way of doing things, boss?"

"I am so hot for you right now!"

"Really? Then maybe we should close that door here and spend a few minutes helping you find some relief from that 'hotness', boss?"

Chris laughs softly as she flicks his forehead while walking past him. She then says in a playful manner.

"Watch it, side-kick. You're asking to have divine punishment to be brought down upon you."

"So long as it's you that dishing out the punishment, then I don't think I would mind it, boss."

Chris turns to look at Kazuma, planning on scolding him, but doesn't upon seeing he was giving her a playful grin of his own, one she can't help but find charming in a way.

"Just try to keep it in your pants right now, side-kick. Like the old saying goes, business first, pleasure later."

"Sigh, as you wish, boss."

Kazuma shrugs before joining Chris with her search for the desired item, the medallion with the captured sacred power. Kazuma had thought... hoped, that this would be both quick and easy here. Sadly, it looked like it was going to be anything but easy as the inside of the vault was massive, packed fairly full of valuables, and not all that well organized from the looks of it.

"By the way, just what exactly is this particular medallion supposed to look like anyways?"

"Hm? Oh, right... from the image I've seen of it, it should look very distinct here. A dragon with wing spread and a crystal set upon its chest, glowing as if there was a fire raging within it. If you find it before I do, don't touch it. Let me know and I'll handle the rest. Better to be safe than sorry, right sidekick?"

"Sure thing... changing topics here, that's four times you've called me sidekick here, boss... I think. Don't you think I'm deserving of a better alias, like partner?"

"Are you worthy of having a better calling card than sidekick? Yes, yes you are. Now then, let's hurry up and find this thing while things are still nice, quiet, and peaceful here, sidekick."

Kazuma grumble something to himself as he turns his attention to looking for the medallion. As he went, he couldn't help but feel a desire to help himself to some of the shiny stuff he was seeing lying around the massive corridor like room.

'You know, seeing as I am owed some compensation for all the crap the Duchess put me through, would it be wrong of me to help myself to some of the treasure in here as proper payback?'

Kazuma can't help but snicker as he goes to take hold of a few little trinkets when...

"Don't forget, we're here for one item and one item only. Don't waste time with anything else."

"Yes, ma'am."

Chris was right, letting his inner greed out and helping himself to some of these riches wasn't what they were here for. Kazuma couldn't help but feel a little bad now as he shakes the thoughts of helping himself to some of this stuff out of his head. Besides, he didn't have his adventurer's pouch on him right now. It was either back at the hotel or in that fake's possession. He didn't have anywhere he could put this stuff even if Chris did say it was OK, seeing as his pockets were already full of mission items.

After a few more minutes of looking around, Kazuma's eyes finally found the prize. Floating via magic just above a podium, with some light glowing around it, likely a security thing, was the medallion. Smiling, Kazuma turns back to tell Chris he had found it but deadpan when he sees what she's doing.

"Ahem, I thought we were here 'for one item and one item only', Chris? Why are YOU helping yourself to all that loot, especially after you told me not to help myself here?"

Chris immediately freezes upon hearing Kazuma's words to her, turning to look at him with a nervousness not unlike that of a kid having been found raiding the cookie jar without permission. She then laughs nervously before saying while scratching her mask, over the spot where her scar would be at.

"I... um... well... I-I'm not taking any of this for me, sidekick. Yeah, everything I'm taking is to be given out to the poor and needy here, Yeah, that works... right?"

'You are so full of shit.'

Kazuma had wanted to vocalize that thought to Chris aloud, but instead sighs and tells her to get her butt over her and grab the damn medallion already. Chris makes her way over, after stuffing her pouch with a few more items then began to study the light surrounding the medallion closely.

"Hm, yes... yes... This is going to be quite the tricky retrieval indeed. You see, Kazuma. This here light is like a security thing. If we try to take it from this pedestal without first taking the necessary precautions, we see all the guards within the palace being alerted to our presence."

"Really? That would be bad for us. So, any ideas on how to get around this little problem? And why does it look like this item is the only one with the special security in here?"

Chris begins to study it more closely, saying as she does so-

"Probably because the Duchess sees this as the most important item in here, more so than all the other treasure. I doubt she knows the truth behind it. More than likely, she probably sees this as some special item that belonged to her father. A family heirloom, if you will... ah, got it."

"You know how to get it without setting off the alarm?"

Chris nods while looking at him, lifting the mask up long enough to show him her great confidence here. She then slides the mask back on, turns her attention back to the pedestal and, after a moment, sends out a kick to knock it over while grabbing the medallion as it falls. She then says confidently while Kazuma just stares at her with a shocked and dumbfounded expression-

"Mission accomplished. Let's get out of here, side-kick."

"Wait a minute. What the hell did you just do? What about the alarm, boss? Didn't you just..."

"Oh relax, worry wart. I was only messing with you about that. That light was simply there to make it float above the pedestal. Geez Kazuma, you are one easy guy to prank here, you know. I mean, think about it. This is the most secure fault in the world here, said to have never been breached before in the history of its existence. Why would they feel a need for any additional security measures here?"

Kazuma growls while clenching his fist at Chris.

"Once we get back to the mansion, I'm taking you over me knee and giving you a serious spanking here, little girl. That reminds me, I still owe Megumin one of those as well when we get back home too."

"Ah, don't be like that, Kazuma. Tell you what. Once this is all over, I'll go out and buy you something pretty to make it up to you, alright?"

said Chris as she walks past Kazuma, tracing a line across his chest as she does so that really makes him mad here. He stomps after her, saying-

"Don't think you can just buy me off with the promise of nice things here. What do you take me for, some kind of cheap date or something?"

Chris giggles at his response as they make their way outside the vault and on to the other activity for the night.

========================={Part 5: Time to Cheese It}=========================

Once Chris had made sure the vault was securely closed, she begins to lead Kazuma towards one of the three halls in order to proceed with the next part of the plan, finding the others and alerting them to having spent the last day with a fake Kazuma, then going to deal with that fake and the Duchess.

"You know, it's too bad we can't leave any signs that we were here tonight, sidekick. I mean, to have our names etched into the annals of Belzerg history as the first people to breach that which was said to be unbreakable... what a legacy for us to have here, don't you agree."

"Don't be saying that boss, you're likely to raise a..."

Kazuma and Chris's whispering to one another comes to a dead stop as they turn into the hallway and come to a dead stop as they see a ton of guards awaiting them. They then feel more arriving, turning to see additional guards coming into view from down the other two hallways.

"... flag here. So, you were saying something about that light NOT being security back there? That it was ONLY to make that damn thing float, boss?"

"Uh... you know, this is all your fault, sidekick. Having you with me must have messed with my impeccable good luck here. I've never been caught in the act before."

As Kazuma and Chris began to argue and debate this whole matter with one another, the guards coming arriving from the other two hallways arrive, effectively cutting off any escape paths. This was quickly followed by the room they were in, as well as the three hallways lighting up with a red glow while a low alarm sound began to ring out across the whole Louview.

And then, from the first blockade of guards stepped Dartango into view, taking a few steps forward before confronting the two thieves.

"I must say I find this to be quite unexpected. It's not often we find ourselves entertaining guest so... late into the night here. Tell me, what do we owe the honor of this sudden visit?"

Kazuma and Chris's response was to huddle together, talking with one another before looking back at Dartango with Kazuma saying-

"Would you believe us if we told you we took a wrong turn on the road to Zanzibar here?"

"Cute, very cute sir. Serious time though. Tell me why you are here, and within the same room as the Vault no less?"

"Isn't it obvious, chief? We heard this vault was said to be unbreakable and wanted to try our hands at being the first to break into it. Turns out, it was way easier than one would think it would have been."

Dartango gives Chris a curious, questioning look here as he says in response-

"I assume you have proof that you managed to get inside there, miss? After all, anyone can make a claim towards achieving such a feet even if they really didn't."

"Indeed, that is true. Tell me, is this not proof enough?"

Chris then holds out the medallion, the sight of it making Dartango go rigid. After a moment to regain his composure, he asks them why they would take that out of all the other treasures there in. Kazuma had wanted to point out that Chris had helped herself to a few other items, but instead elects to say-

"Just taking back an item that was stolen from Satou Ryutaro originally. Something as dangerous as this shouldn't be left in the hands of the unknowing, don't you think."

"Wait, just how do you two...?"

Before Dartango could finish his question, an image of the Duchess appears in the middle of the room, looking none too pleased with having her beauty sleep disturbed most likely.

"What is going on here? Why have the alarms been raised?"

When Dartango fails to respond, another figure steps forward to the image of the Duchess, her knight bodyguard from that little trip to the forest and explains everything to the Duchess in Dartango's place. Once hearing the explanation, the Duchess becomes furious, and she practically screams out-

"Don't just stand there, any of you. I want those two captured and brought to me at once. And get my father's beloved treasure back as well, not matter what."

With those orders coming from the Duchess herself, the army's worth of guards began to advance forward, moving past Dartango who was still standing there motionless, lost in thought most likely, while Kazuma and Chris find themselves being pushed back towards the vault.

"Damn, this isn't looking so good here, sidekick. Do you have any ideas on how we can get out of this one?"

Kazuma shoots Chris a glare, hoping that maybe she would see the nasty look he was sending her way despite the mask. After all, it technically was her fault for raising that flag just a moment ago, so it really should be her coming up with an escape plan here. But, seeing as it always ended up being his job to come up with something to save the day, he decides to go with the first one that comes to mind.

"Look... fellas, do we really have to fight it out? Can't we just go down to the local tavern and have ourselves a little drink instead? You know, talk this over or something?"

The guards continue their advance, now starting to draw their weapons. Chris flashes Kazuma a look behind her mask, hoping that wasn't his only idea. Kazuma, for his part, had a feeling that wouldn't work so had already started preparing for his actual move to get them out of here.

"Last chance to accept my offer here, guys. …I take it that's a no? OK, you asked for this..."

Kazuma then pushes both arms out before himself, silently unleashing a powerful geyser like stream of water from his open hands. With a little demi-mana added in to give it a little extra oomph here, the stream of water slammed into the guards like a runaway train, sending them all falling onto the ground hard.

Not wasting a second, Kazuma then kneels down, sending a blast of electricity surging across the ground at them by way of a Shock Palm and a trail of water towards the guards, who get one hell of a shock thanks to both being all wet and wearing armor that clearly hadn't been shock proofed.

And then, to add one final measure, Kazuma freezes the ground as well, right after, effectively trapping them upon the ground. Sadly, not all of the guards had been taken out by this action as all the ones further back had been spared thanks to their friends ahead of them taking the hits for them. But, from the looks of it, most of them had been rendered immobile from Kazuma's actions.

The few that were left hesitated for a moment before they heard the Duchess roar at them to do something, less they receive the same punishment as these intruders. The remaining guards then charge forward but Chris, now feeling confident here, smiles beneath her mask as she steps forward and, using curious fighting moves, easily takes out the rest.

"OK, that was pretty amazing."

said Dartango, getting the Duchess to yell at him, telling him to do something. Before he could though, Kazuma was on him, using Drain Touch to weaken him beyond the ability to do anything here and then, just to play it safe, used Bind on him as well.

"Sorry, friend. But I can't go easy on anyone who would work with that woman, especially after she's tried to kill me several times over the last few days."

Chris yells as Kazuma, telling him to hurry up so they could make a run for it while the opportunity was there. As Kazuma leaves his side, Dartango just stares at him, looking on as he realizes he knows who that guy that just immobilized him is. Despite it all, he couldn't help but smile to himself here.

Just as Kazuma and Chris come close to reaching the stairs back down to the lower level, they spot even more guards coming into view, confirming that escaping the way they came in here probably wasn't going to work now. Instead, they turn to see the image of the Duchess looming over them.

"There's no escape, you insolent whelps. Give up now and I might be merciful here. Return my father's treasured memento and I might be lenient with you two."

"Yeah, I doubt that lady."

said Kazuma as he and Chris going running past the image, hearing the Duchess scream out at them as they do-

"You won't escape. I have many more guards waiting down ever corridor. I will have satisfaction here."

"Oh, I'm sure you will, ma'am. But until then, we, the Chivalrous Thieves, shall bid you adieu."

said Chris as she turns around long enough to make a bow before continuing on after Kazuma. As they ran down the halls, they did indeed encounter plenty more guards they had to deal with, but in much smaller, more manageable numbers than the initial encounter had brought onto them.

"So, what now boss? It's obvious the planned escape route is out of the question now. So, what's our back-up route here?"

"Well, I can tell you that you aren't going to like it."

"Terrific. You know, I should have just hung back there with Lia and let you do this all by yourself. Oh well, at least this night can't get anymore..."

Kazuma stops as they turn a corner and come to a stop, seeing a few familiar faces awaiting them.

"And here you were complaining to me just a few moments ago about raising flags, sidekick."

"I feel like kicking myself, yes. Once we get around this little obstacle here."

Standing before the two of them were their friends. Megumin, Darkness, Cielo, and Yunyun blocking their way and looking ready for a fight. There was no sign of the fake Kazuma though. Was he-she hiding somewhere, waiting to launch a surprise attack on them?

"Stop right there, thieves. We can't allow you to proceed any further here I'm afraid."

said Darkness, her sword already drawn as Cielo tugs on the ends of her Blast Fist gloves, making sure they were securely on her hands.

"The Duchess has asked us to stop you, intruders. Sorry, but we do have our duty here after all. Please, don't force us to get rough with you both. It won't end well for either of you here."

"It won't end well for you, you mean."

said Chris, trying to sound confident though in truth, neither she nor Kazuma were wanting to engage in this fight, not against their friends and comrades. Kazuma, obviously not wanting to have this fight either, says-

"I recognize you lot. You're the guys who've defeated multiple Generals in the Devil Kings army. But I can't help but notice you're missing someone here. I heard your team had a strong and dependable leader, with an eye for strategy. I'm not seeing him anywhere?"

Darkness and Cielo look at each other, with Darkness asking-

"Wait, do we have someone like that on our team?"

"Well, it is true that we do have someone missing here, someone who we technically see as our leader. And yeah, he has been rather dependable but..."

"Yeah, he is dependable, but I wouldn't go out of my way and say he's strong. And his strategies... they're alright, I guess... I mean, we're still alive so I suppose his ideas haven't been all that bad..."

Kazuma immediately wanted to go off on those two, wanting to yell at them about how they really see him in their minds. Maybe even ask them what it is they say about him whenever he isn't around, but Chris manages to stop him by placing her hand into his.

Yunyun then speaks up, saying-

"Guys, don't be like that. I know you're both a little upset with Kazuma over what he said earlier but we need to take it easy with him. He's had a rough these last few days, right Megu... Megumin?"

They girls turn to see Megumin, her knees shaking and her eyes wide and filled with wonder. They all ask her what was wrong, and her reply was-

"So-So cool, those two look so cool, don't you think, Yunyun. Their sense of style here is impeccable. And their mask... it is definitely a look worthy of being considered a Crimson Demon. I don't know if I can fight against someone who can pull off such a cool look here."

Well, at least Megumin wasn't going to be an issue from the looks of it. Yunyun herself, having taken another quick look at Kazuma and Chris, began to agree with Megumin's words, but still felt that they shouldn't just let them escape because of good fashion sense.

Kazuma, for his part, was now becoming worried and even a little angry. Just what had that fake done to make Darkness and Cielo become upset with him? Just as he was about to reveal his face to them, to tell them what was going on, Chris gives his hand a squeeze before quietly saying-

"I know what you want to do here. But we can't be making rash choices right now. We'll deal with all of this in the morning, I swear. But for right now, we need to..."

"Don't think either of you will be escaping from us. Even without our leader present, we're still more than capable of dealing with some second-rate thieves here."

Now it seemed Chris was about to say something, probably wanting to tell Darkness she should know better than to call her a second-rate thief. But a return squeeze from Kazuma calms Chris down enough to make her think straight. She then uses her free hand to reach into her pouch and pulls a small capsule out.

"So, do you have any ideas here because I really don't want to fight them."

"If you don't want to fight us, then surrender. I promise we'll make sure you two get fair treatment here."

said Cielo as she and Darkness begin to advance on Kazuma and Chris.

"Sorry, but we can't do that, not when the Duchess is going to get involved. As much as we'd like to explain what's going on to you four, we really don't have the time here."

Chris then throws the capsule onto the ground, the impact making it shatter immediately and causing the hallway and surrounding rooms to be filled with smoke. Chris then guides Kazuma down another path while saying back to the girls-

"If we ever meet again, I promise we'll tell you everything then."

As they head down the hall, they could hear Darkness shouting something out though her voice, as well as the voices of the others were quick to fade as Kazuma and Chris ran from one hall to another, ultimately hiding themselves to avoid the approach of more guards, whom they had been alerted to thanks to their now working Enemy Detection skills.

"So, any ideas on how we're getting out of here now, boss?"

"We're close to the back-up exit I had in mind. All we need to do is wait for those guards down that hall to pass and, assuming they don't turn to head down this one, we can make a straight beeline for exit, and freedom."

And so, they waited, patiently and quietly. One of the guards did stop and peek down the hallway. But just as he was getting closer to where Kazuma and Chris were concealing themselves with Lurk...

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

The voice of another guard rang out, making the approaching guard to turn back and rejoin his comrade as they ran off to join up with the voice. With the guards now gone, Kazuma and Chris emerged and, after a quick peak, continued heading towards the back-up exit.

After another few minutes, they emerge into the open air of the outside, they quickly began to make their way up a long flight of stairs, prompting Kazuma to ask-

"Say, why are we going upwards here? Shouldn't we be heading down instead?"

"And we will be... just not in the fun sort of way. Oh yeah, better clip this onto your belt."

Chris then pulls two items from her pouch and tosses one to Kazuma, who naturally ask what it is as Chris attaches the one she still held onto her belt.

"Once we jump, make sure to click in the button on the device. So long as we land on our feet here, we should be able to survive the fall without worry."

"Excuse me?"

Chris doesn't answer as they reach the top of the stairs, arriving at Skyview Terrace, said to be the best spot in all of Veridae one can go to see the whole of Veridae itself and the land beyond in all the glory both deserved. A spot that the Duchess had been hogging all to herself since coming to stay at the Louview Palace.

Once they had reached the guard rail on the far side, and Kazuma had finished clipping the item Chris had given him to his belt, takes a moment to peek over the side before looking to Chris who says to him as she herself gives the fall awaiting them a goo looking at-

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

"That's a pretty big fall there, boss. You sure we'll survive that?"

"It'll be fine... I think. Just remember to press the button on the item I gave you once we're in free fall and everything will work out... maybe..."

"Your confidence here leaves me feeling wanting, you know that right."

said Kazuma with a deadpan tone as Chris gives him a less than encouraging thumbs up here. Kazuma then sighs as he joins Chris with climbing onto the railing when...

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

They turn back, seeing Megumin having arrived. None of the others were with her from what they could see which means Megumin had somehow managed to track them all the way here. An impressive skill to say the least.

"Well-well, this one has potential, wouldn't you agree, side-kick?"

asked Chris, making Megumin turn to look at them with eyes wide, and sparkling with admiration.

Kazuma doesn't respond, instead keeping his gaze locked onto Megumin who, taking notice of his gaze, finds herself blushing intensely.

'What's going on? Why is my face becoming so hot from that guy's stare. And my heart...? I've never felt like this before... except whenever I'm around..."

Megumin shakes that though from her head for now, instead asking them-

"Tell me, who are you two? Why did you come here?"

"We are the Chivalrous Thieves, a group that exist to protect the people of this world from evil. I wish we had time to explain it all in detail, but we do not. But know this, we out allies of justice and will make any personal sacrifice needed to see the people kept safe."

"Boss, we've got more company coming our way."

said Kazuma, already detecting the approach of actual threats. Chris nods before turning back to Megumin and saying-

'Should we ever cross paths again, I promise we'll explain everything to you then, Megumin."

"Huh, how did you know my name?"

"How do we know? Sorry, but that's a secret for now. Anyways, until next time..."

Chris then gives Megumin a little wave before jumping. Kazuma lingers a moment longer, saying with as much cool and confidence as he could while saying with his modulated voice.

"We'll let you join us with having a little fun next time, Dynamite!"

"Eh?"

said a surprised Megumin as Kazuma falls backwards, doing a series of spins while activating the item Chris had given him. As she watches them fall, Megumin can't help but keep her eyes locked onto the guy specifically. Guards arrive where she was at, several also looking over the side before saying to get guards down there to capture those thieves. As they leave to alert the other guards, Megumin is left by herself, her thoughts being focused on one little detail.

'He-he called me Dynamite. That's the nickname Kazuma... just like how I was feeling before. Was that... was that really you there, Kazuma?'

Down below, Chris and Kazuma land on the ground, though the landing was a little of the rough side though they didn't suffer any injuries from the fall. Still wasn't a pleasant landing though. Once they had recovered, they quickly break into another run to make as much distance as they could with the palace here.

"Sorry Kazuma, I know you were wanting to talk proper with the others tonight, but I promise we'll let them know what's up when we see them at the amphitheater in the morning."

Kazuma didn't respond at first but when he finally does, his tone was a more serious one.

"Yeah, about that Chris. Given the current situation, and what Darkness said back there, there's something I want us to do here. Something I think I'm going to need your help with."

Chris looks at him, feeling the seriousness he was sending her way, making her nod.

"What do you need me to do here?"

=============================={Part 6: Threat}==============================

"I can't believe it. I don't fucking believe it. Someone actually managed to raid the Louview Vault. An act said to have been impossible. And what's even worse here? It's the fact it all happened under MY watch, no less. Do you have any idea what this will mean for me here? My reputation is ruined. I'm going to be a laughingstock. I bet even now, my family members and the other nobility are looking down on me, probably even saying how a peasant could have done a better job here."

ranted the Duchess, clearly not too happy about the situation. Also, in the room where the girls, looking rather unsettled by her outburst as they were seeing a side of the Duchess they had never seen before. Off to the side was Dartango and the other two bodyguards from the forest trip. For some strange reason, they had yet to see any sign of Krydie here. Kazuma was also absent as well. Something that made the girls worry about him as it was nearly time for them to go.

"I understand your concern here, milady. But please, if you just calm down here, I'm sure we can think of something to..."

Darkness's attempt to calm the Duchess down was met with her giving Darkness a hard glare, one that quickly shuts her up.

"Calm down? Calm down? What right do you have to say that to me, Lalatina. You know, I had expected more from you four. Why wouldn't I, after hearing how you managed to best half of the Devil King's own top minions, his fucking Generals. To think, just two worthless little thieves could manage to do what a General in the enemy's armies could not. Oh, woe is me here. Just what is this damn world coming to here?"

"Hey, we did the best we could, given the circumstances. What more can one expect from anyone. Besides, didn't your famed guard also get taken out by these two thieves?"

argued Megumin, making the Duchess turn her attention onto her.

"Oh yes, you are so right. All my loyal guards showed me just how inept and worthless they truly are last night. But you know what, at least they did something other than just stand around. At least they were trying to put in some effort there. What about you? Don't think I don't know how you four's confrontation with those two thieves went down. I know you all just stood there, giving them enough time to create a distraction to escape with. And as for you specifically, you damn midget. I was told you had them backed into a wall yet did nothing while letting them go. What do you have to say for yourself?"

roared the Duchess while Megumin just turns away from her, not from shame but rather defiance as she didn't really care to entertain the Duchess's anger any. Cielo then speaks up, saying-

"Please, that's enough milady. What's done is done. We can't change the past here. All we can do is be thankful no one was hurt, and the amount stolen was rather minor. Barely worth batting an eye all things considered."

"How dare you say that to me? Like you could ever understand. You should be very thankful I don't have the power to strip a noble family of its ranking otherwise I would demote the Accord family down to being nothing. The fact that anything alone was taken is already bad enough as it is. But it's made even worse by the fact that a most valued heirloom passed down to me from my father, on his death bed no less, was among the few items taken. And to think, I was planning on asking you all to come work for me full time once the Idol Hearts performance was over."

Darkness, having enough of this, stands as her face shows her anger now.

"Like we would ever accept such an offer from someone like you."

The Duchess was about to respond to this when Kazuma finally entered the room, getting everyone to turn and looked at him as he returned their gazes with a look of confusion.

"Did something happen last night?"

"Oh, you could say that you worthless piece of shit. And to think I was trying to be the better person by being nice to you over the last day and a half. What a waste of effort. Guess I shouldn't be too surprised here. Trash is trash after all, and it seems having to carry your worthless ass must have seriously degraded their minds beyond repair. Again, such a sad and pathetic waste."

This gets the rest of the girls to stand in anger, clearly ready to go at the Duchess while the two bodyguards move to protect to the side of their boss, ready to protect her while Dartango remains standing off to the side, his eyes watching these events play out closely.

"I don't care what you say about us, but don't you ever talk like that about Kazuma again..."

"Because if you do, I'll have the whole Crimson Demon clan come here to make you pay."

said Cielo and Yunyun, which sets the Duchess off big time here.

"GET OUT! ALL OF YOU. DON'T EVER SHOW YOUR FACES TO ME AGAIN, GOT IT."

"Gladly,"

said all the girls, already turning to leave but stop as they realize Kazuma was not following them. They turn back as Megumin says-

"Kazuma...?"

"You guys go ahead and wait for me out front. Before I go, there's a few things I want to say to the Duchess here."

They look at Kazuma for a moment before looking at the Duchess when she says that she'll allow it. She then tells Dartango to escort them outside. He nods before moving over to the girls who, after a moment's hesitation, follow after him albeit with great reluctance. Once they were gone, the Duchess collapses back into her chair before rubbing her temples with her fingers.

"Sorry about that just now, Krydie. I needed to make sure I was being believable here. Just so you know, I am not mad with you. I know the nights are when you have to enter your regenerative phase in order to regain energy for the next day's activities. I'm just... really angry right now is all."

Kazuma simply does a short bow in response before asking the Duchess-

"I take it the plan to recruit those four isn't happening now. Having said that, how do you want me to proceed here with them?"

The Duchess thinks on it for a moment, then says-

"Go ahead and stay with them for the remainder of their time here and return to Axel with them. Give it a few days, then fake that boy's death. I don't care when or how. Just make it believable. Once done, return to me and we'll move on to the more importance task of finding those thieves and getting my father's precious treasure back."

"Understood... a question, if I may?"

The Duchess gives Krydie a curious look as it was very rare for her to ask a question when everything had been made quite clear to her. Still, it was her most loyal friend and ally here so...

"What is it?"

"Concerning Satou Kazuma. Being around those girls has caused a question to emerge within my head. I was wondering. If a day ever comes where it is discovered that he was indeed unconnected to Satou Ryutaro, do you think you could see yourself feeling guilty over having him killed as you did?"

"What's gotten into you, Krydie. You know I never follow through on a plan without knowing I will never regret it. Even if I ever did learn such a thing, I still stand by my decision. That boy was clearly a blight on this kingdom... this world. Look how being around him for just a few months has eroded the minds and sensibilities of those four. The way I see it, I did everyone a service by ridding the world of his tainted existence. Now I have a question, what would even make you ask me such a thing here?"

Instead of answering her, Krydie begins to walk around in a circle, clearly thinking about something here, all the while mumbling aloud-

"I see... I see... And here I was hoping that maybe somewhere within you actually beat a heart that was capable of love and regret. Such a shame, that is..."

Krydie then stops as she sudden pulls two wires out from her pants pocket and shouts out-

"Bind."

Immediately, the knight and the mage find themselves being tied up tight, falling onto the floor with a loud thud sound, shocking the Duchess as she looks at them then back at Krydie and says with an angry voice.

"What? Krydie, what are you doing? Have you gone mad?"

Instead of an immediate answer, the Duchess gets a laugh as the figure before her brings a hand up to cover his eyes while looking towards the ceiling.

"Boy, not that quick on the uptake, are you? And here I thought you royal types are supposed to be well educated here."

"Say what, just what has gotten into... you? YOU, you aren't my Krydie."

"No shit, Sherlock. Nice of you to finally have figured it out."

said Kazuma as he finally turns his gaze back onto her.

"What have you done? How did you escape? And what did you do to my Krydie?"

"Hm, oh... simply really. What I've done is get myself back to where I belong which is beside my friends. How did I escape? Well, I was confident that you wouldn't get away with this, wasn't I? It helps when you have a goddess of fortune as a good friend watching your back. And as for your little toy? I was planning on leaving her tied up and bound back in her room but after receiving some important Intel about doppelgangers, I decided it would be for the best if she wasn't around to cause anyone else any trouble, so I took the initiative and killed her... I mean it, seeing as it doesn't have an actual gender."

"You what? How DARE you take my favorite weapon from me."

Kazuma scoffs at the Duchess's words before saying-

"Listen to yourself. You just called her your weapon, not your friend. Now I feel even less guilty about killing her off here. Anyways, I think we're done here, Duchess. If you'll excuse me here, I really should be on my way before my friends start to worry about me."

Kazuma turns and begins to walk towards the door while the Duchess clenches her fist and grits her teeth while unimaginable rage comes over her face. And then, she summons her famous spear into her right hand before roaring all her rage out, charging at Kazuma with her intent being on killing him right here and now. She came at him quick as Kazuma turns back towards her, eyes closed at first before they open wide with-

"APATHY!"

With a clatter, the spear hits the ground alongside its master as Kazuma steps forward while blood falls from his eyes like tears, kicking the spear well off to the side before using the last of cord Chris had loaned him to doubly wrap the Duchess up in a Bind. As she rants and rages at him, mainly over him daring to touch her, he lowers himself down onto his knees to get a little bit closer to her, preparing to say something when...

"Lady Aberlina... what's going on here?"

asked Dartango as he made his return, much sooner than expected. He was about to move to defend the Duchess, but stops as Kazuma looks back at him, the look Kazuma gave him being enough to stop Dartango from acting.

"You... you really are still alive, boy?"

"So it would seem, old man. Like I told your boss lady here, when she tried to have me killed. She wasn't going to get away with this."

"You think this is over, Satou? Don't be so naive, peasant. Just because you somehow got a little lucky with escaping somehow doesn't change your fate none. If you had been smart, you would have disappeared and never return. But now, once I'm free from these binds, I will make you pay for what your father did to me. Dartango, incapacitate this trash then free me from these..."

The Duchess's words are cut off by the sound of Kazuma laughing, getting her to glare at him while Dartango and the other two bodyguards just give him a confused look here.

"Oh yeah, your revenge against me for something my 'father' did to you way back when. Funny thing about that little story. It seems you have it all wrong, milady Duchess."

"Oh, and how do you figure that one?"

Kazuma tells her, and the other three, everything he learned from Chris about that tale. How Ryutaro had been killed by the late Duke and how his special power had been ripped from his body, being stored within the very medallion that had been stolen just a few hours before. When he had finished, the Duchess stared at him blankly for a few seconds before shouting out-

"That's a lie. You damn animal, don't you dare come in here and lie to me about my father. He..."

"Aberlina, everything he said is true."

came Dartango, getting everyone to look at him, with the Duchess being the most shocked, saying to Dartango that he had to be joking with her here. Dartango simply shakes his head sadly before finally telling them all the tale.

It seemed the late Duke was a very obstinate and high opinion of himself kind of man. He believed he should have become the king instead of his nephew but was passed over because of his more brutal and unforgiving methods, especially his ways of treating the lower class, in favor of his deceased sister's son becoming the current king.

So cruel and unforgiving was the Duke that he even had his wife murdered, by way of poison, after she had given birth to Aberlina; her death being because she was way to vocal about her disdain for his way of doing things. The Duke wasn't known for being the sort to compromise and forgive.

As for Satou Ryutaro, he never liked the guy, seeing his budding relationship with his daughter as a threat to HIS royal legacy. When he had learned of Aberlina's intentions to run away with Ryutaro, he was quick to arrange a little 'test' for him to undergo in order to prove himself worthy of Aberlina's hand. He accepted, if only because he didn't want to be the reason for any estrangement between father and daughter.

The test, of course, was all a sham. Once Ryutaro had exhausted himself, he was attacked by an assassin, brought to the brink of death but forced to live long enough for the mage who served the Duke to use a forbidden spell to rip the sacred power from Ryutaro's body and store it within the medallion, an act that claimed her life. Ryutaro then died and his body was disposed of according. Once he had finished, Dartango looked to the Duchess, seeing her shake her head back and forth, obviously not wanting to accept what she had just heard.

"That's not true... it can't be true. That was a lie, it has to be... Dartango, you must have been brain-"

"It is true, all of it, Aberlina. I know because I was the assassin in that tale. I served your father in the same manner that Krydie serves you now. If you have any doubts, just look to the reason your father died. After I returned the medallion to him, he tried it on to see if he could use Ryutaro's power. His plan was to kill his nephew with it and install himself as the new king. While it did work, he was also cursed with bodily degradation as that power was never meant for him. His death was a sort of divine punishment for a lifetime of evil deeds when you think about it."

Despite being told this, the Duchess still didn't seem to want to believe it. Off to the side, the mage seemed rather distraught at what she had heard. Turns out it had been her mother who had served the late Duke and now knowing why her mother had died suddenly was making her question a lot of things. The knight beside her was also question his future loyalties now as well.

"I refuse... I will never accept these obvious lies. My father... he was a good man, a proud man. All he ever did... he did for the betterment of everyone in the kingdom, no... the whole world."

As the Duchess continued to talk her delusional crap, Kazuma stands and walks over to Dartango, giving the older man a look, which earns him a reply-

"It seems my old friend really did a number on his daughter. He has warped her mind so much that she can't possibly conceive of anything negative about him being the truth."

"Do you think you could ever get her to accept the truth here, old man?"

"I... want to believe so, but I know his way of brainwashing people can be quite effective. If only I could have been the man I am now back then, maybe then all of this could have been avoided. For my part, I am so sorry for my part in all of this, Kazuma. I knew what was coming yet I did nothing to stop it..."

"YOU, FILTH. Don't you dare go walking away from me now, damn it. You think you've won here? Oh no, not even close. Just wait until I get myself free and then not only will I kill you with my bare hands, but I will make those foolish girls suffer for associating with you too. Just you...GAHH."

Moving fast, Kazuma was back at the Duchess's side, activating Drain Touch and sucking the mana out of her, rather savagely at that, until there was almost nothing left. Once he let up with her, seeing she was nearly unconscious, Kazuma grabs her, bring her close so he could look her in the eyes as he says-

"I'm only giving you this one warning here, lady. You EVER do anything to harm my friends, or me for that matter, or if you ever try to come in between us at any point in the future, you will regret it. You think you're all powerful, untouchable, just because you are a royal? Know that all the armies in the entire world combined won't be enough to protect you from me if I feel the need to meet with you again. Wanna know why?"

The Duchess responds by spitting into Kazuma's face, a rather commoner move for a royal to do, one would say. Kazuma uses his free hand to wipe the spit off his face before activating Specter. The sight of the ghostly Kazuma causes the Duchess to shriek, while the others just look on in shock, and even a little fear.

""Because I will let my inner Lich out to reap terrible dread upon you. Don't ever forget that."

"Monster, you... you really are a monster..."

{Insert Image 2}

Kazuma cancels his Specter, feeling the rush of pain coming over him which he ignores as he goes to stand. The Duchess was now looking at him with absolute fear on her face. In fact, she was so afraid that she had seemingly pissed herself, as denoted by the sudden dark coloring growing around her crotch area. Kazuma then walks back over to Dartango, who had regained his composure, and says to him-

"I meant what I said. If you care about your Duchess here, I'd make sure she doesn't cause me any more grief, nor tries anything funny with my friends. If she does, then..."

"Don't worry, as long as I live, she will never bother you again. One last thing, what was that... just a moment ago. Just what are..."

"What am I? Nothing really. Just a stranger from an even stranger world, one who found himself being cursed and now has to live with that curse for the rest of his life. As such, I might as well see if I can turn that curse into a strength, right? Also, I... well, a friend of mine, one you all haven't met, killed that doppelganger girl. She has this rather nasty dislike for demons and devils and I'm guessing she sees doppelgangers as being either one or the other. When they met, my friend didn't stop her assault till there was nothing left but specks of dissolving goo everywhere inside her bedroom."

Dartango nods as Kazuma walks past him, into the hall. As he goes, Chris emerges from one of the side halls, were she had been hiding, and joins him with his walk towards the stairs.

"Are you sure about this, Kazuma?"

"With letting that woman live? Yeah, I'm sure. It's probably a stupid thing to do as she'll most likely will try something here to get her personal vengeance against me, but I don't want to have her blood on my hands if I can avoid it."

"I meant your decision with the others. Are you sure you don't want to tell them about the whole doppelganger switching places with you for about thirty-six hours?"

"They already have more than enough guilt over the whole thing with Alonzo weighing on their minds. I don't want to add to that weight here, Chris. Not if it can be avoided. As far as they need to know, I was just a little out of it these last few hours. Hopefully, I can tell Lia about my decision before she says anything to counter my plans here. Anyways, what's your plans for the moment?"

"Hm, think I'll head back to Axel. Spend a few days inside the mansion, assuming its rebuilding has been completed. I'll then see the medallion safely to Eris so it can be properly dealt with here. Beyond that, I don't know?"

"You should stick around, take in a show. I hear the upcoming Idol Hearts performance is going to be one to see here. I even heard that it was going to feature a cool guy doing some singing with the girls."

"I'll bet. Maybe I will stick around for that? In any event, I'll be seeing you all later... of, and Kazuma. Please keep the reason I didn't retrieve the choker from Alonzo a secret, OK? I have a feeling the others will lynch me if they ever find out it was because I was too busy gambling."

"Sure, but when you do find the person who has it now, we both go together to get it back. Agreed?"

Chris nods before breaking away, going to use another exit in order to avoid the girls. Soon after, Kazuma exited the palace, finding the girls waiting anxiously for him.

"Kazuma, are you OK? Did anything happen back there with the Duchess?"

asked Yunyun, making Kazuma shake his head.

"Yeah, everything is fine now. I just... needed to get something off my chest with her."

"Are you really, really fine, Kazuma?"

asked Megumin, making Kazuma reach out and give her a surprising head pat before saying-

"Don't worry about me, Dynamite. Things are back to the way they should be here."

Megumin comes to a stop while Kazuma and the other girls continue walking. Her eyes remain on Kazuma's back as he continues walking further and further away, her mind remembering the night before when that one thief had called her Dynamite as well. After a moment, Kazuma stops and looks back at her, asking if anything was wrong. Megumin's responce was to shake her head while a smile forms on her lips as she runs to catch up with the others.

While she couldn't be one hundred percent sure yet, she had a strong hunch here that she had learned the indentity of her masked hero. All she needed was to find that cool mask of his and then there would be no doubt at all.

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

Image 1: Kazuma yelling at Chris, who looks rather sheepish while a bubble hangs over Chris's head, showing her going to town with gambling while looking super excited.

Image 2: Kazuma, in his Specter form, looking almost like a proper Lich glaring hard at the Duchess, looking truly terrified at what she was seeing.