"Aqua! You can't move twice in one turn!" Darkness hissed competitively, looking about ready to flip the table that she, Yunyun, Megumin, and Aqua were sitting around.

"I'm a goddess, I can do what I please!" Aqua retorted, before unfurling the instruction manual and scanning it with a scowl. "And even if I wasn't, I have the Speed Spell card, so ha!"

"Can't believe you managed to snag that. It should have been mine!" Megumin whined, inspecting her own deck of cards with much irritation. "I don't even have a single character card yet. This game is rigged!"

Yunyun, unsurprisingly, was the most quiet of the four, only letting out occasional sighs and frowns when she pulled bad cards or landed in unfortunate spaces. The game they were playing, "Heroes of Belzerg", was a board game involving character and spell cards for the occasional challenges the board presented to advancing players. It had been a half gift/half playtest product from Vanir after Kazuma had suggested creating such a game for children and families to play.

"Seems like your friends are enjoying the game thoroughly." The demon mused cheerfully, flashing a particularly wide grin as one of Aqua's distressed shrieks pierced the usual chaos. "Ah, what a lovely sound to hear on a morning such as this."

"I'm...still not completely sure what to make of what I'm seeing." Sena admitted, turning to Kazuma in bewilderment. "Is this not the very demon your mage struck down with Explosion magic, nearly killing your crusader in the process?"

"Well...it's complicated." Kazuma answered hesitantly, scratching his back as he tried to formulate the straightest path through the chaos before him. "So...this is the same Vanir that used to serve the Devil King, but he doesn't anymore. Now, he just works at a local shop in town with a friend of ours."

Sena's face was as unreadable as ever. Eventually, though, she managed to say, "And that doesn't come off as weird to you?"

"He's a demon. Isn't weird kind of his thing?" Kazuma retorted calmly, before turning to Vanir to addressing him properly. "Speaking of which, how have sales been? Haven't exactly gotten a chance to ask given the constant shit-show my life has become this past week or so."

"Oh, your products are certainly well received by Wiz's patrons, I can assure you." The demon chuckled, before his expression shifted unexpectedly to one that almost managed to look serious. "Speaking of which, I do have some private matters to discuss with you regarding our mutual friend."

Kazuma's eyes widened for a fraction of a second before he composed himself and turned back to Sena. "Do you mind if I…?" He trailed off, signaling her to give her answer.

"Not at all. I should probably make sure your friends haven't killed each other yet anyhow." Sena replied, followed by what sounded like a suspiciously muffled "God Blow!" from the kitchen followed by a slight tremor. "Right on que, I suppose."

Sena hastily made her way towards the kitchen, leaving Kazuma and Vanir in the main hall to discuss their business. There was a beat of silence, uncharacteristic for both parties, before Kazuma finally broke and spoke first.

"Alright, so, what's this about Wiz? You didn't zap her again with your Murder Ray did you?"

"Heavens, no. I'm not that cruel." Vanir scoffed, some of his usual bravado returning. "However, after your last encounter, I'm afraid Wiz has been...what's the phrase you humans are so fond of? Down in the dumps?"

Needless to say, that got Kazuma worried about the poor lich. "What's gotten her down?"

"From what I've gathered, she seems to think she has upset you in some way or another during your last...whatever you'd prefer to call it." Vanir explained, an eye roll practically audible in his tone. "While I do savor the negative emotions of those around me, they do tend to get stale in such a constant flow. That, and...I will admit to being slightly worried about her."

It didn't take long for Kazuma to connect the dots inside his head. Him running off and bailing on her like that probably didn't look too good from her end. Now she was likely blaming herself for Kazuma's avoidance behavior when it came to recognizing things he wasn't comfortable with (i.e. a close friend almost making a move on him).

"I see. Well, I'd like to come visit her, but I got a bit of a thing going right now." He stated, earning a curious look from the demon. "I may or may not have pissed off a goddess with my unfortunate common habit of...y'know...dying."

The masked demon hummed curiously before thoroughly inspecting Kazuma, making the boy ever so slightly uncomfortable. It wasn't long before he knelt down and gave a good, long look at Kazuma's ankle. Specifically, the one preventing him from stepping out of the house.

"Well, you certainly weren't lying. You really have pissed someone off to earn a seal like this." Vanir mused with a chuckle, cupping his chin and humming consideration. "However, with a bit of finagling, I may or may not be able to temporarily mask the seal's effects, allowing you to leave undetected."

Kazuma almost said yes, but he held his tongue. He knew Vanir well enough to recognize when he wanted something in return for doing a favor of any kind. "Alright, cut to the chase. What do you want from me if you agree to do this?"

"An excellent question. Normally, I wouldn't be swayed so easily with my bargaining, but for now, I'll settle for a 75% share of our respective earnings this month." Vanir replied swiftly, smirking evilly at the young man. "After all, what is a bit of eris when friendship is on the line?"

"Why you rotten little…!" Kazuma forced himself to suck in his words and restrain himself. Despite Vanir being a cold, calculating bastard, he did sort of make a point at the end there: his friendship with Wiz could very well be on the line. He wasn't going to risk throwing that away over money.

Still, fuck that conniving demon. He thought bitterly to himself before ultimately accepting his offer. "Alright, fine. Sounds like a deal."

"Splendid!" Vanir hummed pleasantly, before he created a small ball of red magic and cast it in the direction of the monitor. The device glowed red for a split second before becoming obscured once more, now with the slightest amount of interference visible to the naked eye. "Alright, that should do the trick. Oh, and now that our deal is completed, I should warn you that I've never actually cast such a spell before, so I'm not certain it will work."

"Am I gonna blow up if I walk out of the house?" Kazuma deadpanned, absolutely fed up with the former Devil King General at this point.

"No, no. Nothing so drastic!" Vanir assured him, though the demon didn't seem particularly invested in his answers. "Just try not to attract too much attention to yourself, yes?"

Good thing that's what I do best at, thought Kazuma, before carefully shaking his leg to see if the bracelet would electrocute him or something similar to that effect. When nothing happened, he took it as a sign that he was in the clear.

"Hey, Aqua! I'm gonna try an experiment!" He called out, starting for the front door and bracing himself mentally. "If you hear screaming, I might need you to heal me!"

Whatever the goddess shouted in response was drowned out as Kazuma stepped outside into the raging winter storm, making his way towards the edge of the property slowly. He arrived at the gate, opened it, and with a final inhale of preparation, took a step out onto the snow shrouded path…

...and promptly found himself back in the kitchen.

He blinked once, then twice. It took a few seconds to register where he was, and once he did, he was immediately distracted by a chorus of voices as his party members, who had been standing nearby, seemed to all speak at once.

"Kazuma!?"

"Where did you come from!?"

"How did you get there!?"

"I WIN!"

"...Huh. So that's what that does." Kazuma remarked aloud, almost disappointed. He was kinda expecting something more...exciting? Still, it got the job done, and...wait a second. "Hey, Vanir! Your fucking spell didn't work!"

"Ah, well. You win some, you lose some." The demon remarked smugly, having peaked in from the hall before offering a playful wave and backing away. "I'll let Wiz know that you'd like to see her in person and that you're currently indisposed. Ta ta for now, my foolish business partner!"

Like a magician, Vanir slipped out of sight before Kazuma could unload a backlog of obscenities his way. Sighing, he turned back around to see the girls all staring at him while they crowded over a messy board game.

"So, who ended up winning?"

Immediately, Aqua and Megumin began to bicker back and forth about who had been declared the winner before the game was interrupted, while Darkness and Yunyun seemed more or less resigned to their current positions on the board, though the latter did seem particularly disappointed in her failure. Sena spared Kazuma a sympathetic smile before moving away, like to procure herself a cup of tea, leaving the young adventurer to take a seat beside his friends and enjoy the show unfolding before him.

Wiz was fidgeting nervously as she approached Kazuma's mansion, mentally warring with herself as she paused just outside the property line, enduring the surrounding blizzard as she debated in her mind.

"No, Wiz, you've already made it this far," she talked to herself, working up the nerve to cross the property line. "Nothing good will come from turning back now."

Steeling herself, she continued past the main gate, arriving at the front door before the slightest waiver of confidence could sway her. She knocked on the door politely, and waited patiently as her thoughts continued to whirl in panic and uncertainty.

Luckily, she didn't have to wait for very long as the door swung open to reveal a surprised but welcoming crusader friend.

"Wiz! It's wonderful to see you again!" Darkness greeted pleasantly, ushering the lich inside with little pause. "Let's get you out of the cold."

"It's good to see you too, Darkness. And I actually don't mind the cold that much, being undead and all." Wiz remarked with an anxious chuckle, wringing her hands nervously. "Where might the others be?"

"Well, right now, Aqua and Megumin are on opposite sides of the house. We were playing a game and things got a little heated," the blonde knight explained. "Sena is with Yunyun in the living room and Kazuma excused himself to his bedroom. Oh, I probably should've mentioned that we have two other visitors with us at the moment."

"Really? I'm surprised others are willing to travel in such weather." Wiz remarked, before shaking her head and collecting her thoughts. "You mentioned Kazuma was currently in his bedroom. Where might that be? I have some matters to discuss with him."

A worried frown soon etched itself onto Darkness' face. "Is everything alright?"

"Well...I am unsure of that myself." Wiz admitted, some of her anxieties resurfacing as she began to explain. "I was worried that I had offended Kazuma with my behavior the last time he visited me in town. I didn't hear from him for two days, and then Vanir approached me this morning and said that he wanted to speak with me in person. Since then, I've been terribly nervous of what exactly this meeting is going to entail."

"That's...certainly odd, to say the least." said Darkness, growing more confused by the second. "Do you know what did you do to make him think you offended him?"

"Our last visit ended so abruptly; he practically stormed out! He could barely even meet my eyes when he bid me farewell." Wiz mused sadly, resuming her previous fidgeting.

With the lich's talk of Kazuma's odd behavior, Darkness had to admit that her leader had been acting very out of the ordinary after his incident in the guild hall. Something about his overall body language had come across as...stand-offish. More so than usual, anyway. Could his last meeting with Wiz have something to do with it, perhaps?

"What exactly occurred during this visit of yours that you suspect had him so upset?" She inquired, immediately surprised as a luminescent blush rose on the lich's face as her mouth fell open in apparent surprise. "Wiz?"

"I-I don't think I'm supposed to tell you." Wiz admitted meekly, averting her gaze hurriedly. "It's a personal matter that he came to me to discuss in confidence. I'm afraid I can't reveal any of the fine details to you."

Darkness wanted to give her friend the benefit of the doubt, truly, she did. However, the reaction she received from the shopkeeper made her blood boil for some reason. But, being raised as a noble from a very young age, she learned to control her emotions and put them to one side for later. Besides, she was not one to intrude in private affairs, and she had to respect Wiz's wishes.

"I understand. In any case, I'd be more than happy to escort you to his room." She relented, the relieved sigh the lich released further increasing her concerns. "I assume this is a dual purpose visit as well, given the events that transpired at the guild hall?"

Wiz cocked her head to the side and asked, "What happened at the guild hall?"

Darkness blinked, nearly stutter stepping in surprise as she turned to face Wiz, expression bewildered.

"I'm shocked you haven't heard. Two of the Devil King's generals intercepted Kazuma and attacked him in the hall. He was killed again, but he was delivered to Aqua in time to-"

"WHAT!?" bellowed Wiz, her once reserved expression now morphed into fury incarnate. "WHO!? WHO WERE THE TWO MOTHERFUCKERS BEHIND THIS!? I'M SURE I KNOW THEM!"

Darkness did that time, thoroughly shocked by not only Wiz's raised voice but the unfiltered fury her words carried. She'd never heard the woman so upset, not even during their battle with Hans. It took her a moment or two to gather herself enough to answer the seething lich's question.

"S-serena and Wolbach. They were the ones in the hall."

The crusader feared that her answer would only further set Wiz off. Thankfully, however, the undead woman's rage seemed to fizzle out, though not completely. She still had an uncharacteristically spiteful look on her face as she crossed her arms.

"I should've known it would be them," she muttered hatefully. "They were always the worst of the bunch…"

"Truly? Even compared to Beldia, Hans? Even Slyvia?" Darkness question, tentatively stepping forward and laying a hand on the lich's shoulder. "While it's not my place to say, I can't help but believe your emotions are clouding your judgment."

Wiz insisted, "No, I'm sure. With all the other generals, I was always able to see that little bit of good in them. But with Serena and Wolbach?" The lich merely shook her head softly before resuming her walk with the crusader. "There's a reason why they serve directly under the Devil King's daughter."

"The Daughter herself?" Darkness practically gasped, the very mention of the strongest general enough to surprise her "I suppose they would be a vicious group...did you ever work with her?"

"I was only a general in name, so I never actually got involved in any of her military campaigns. But I have heard all the rumors, and I can confirm that most of them are true."

Even Darkness had to shudder at the implications. While she may or may not have inclinations towards a certain degree of punishment and humiliation, stories of The Daughter's exploits and battles made her stomach turn in discomfort. Cruelty and ruthlessness weren't mutual, and no one better personified The Daughter herself.

"Ah. It appears we've arrived." Darkness announced quietly as she came to a stop outside Kazuma's room, casting Wiz a final, sympathetic look. "I hope your talk goes well."

"I hope so too," she admitted, shyly waiting for Darkness to excuse herself before bracing herself to knock. After a couple of passing seconds which felt like days to Wiz, the door opened to reveal Kazuma in his tracksuit. His face paled ever so slightly.

"Oh. Uh...hey, Wiz!" He greeted awkwardly, pasting on a smile to the best of his ability. "Didn't expect you so soon, honestly. How've, uh, how've you been?"

"Oh, I've been...alright," said Wiz just as awkwardly. She hadn't really prepared anything in particular to say other than "I'm sorry for almost kissing you". Now she was at a loss for words. "A-and you?"

"Um...I've had some ups and downs, admittedly." Kazuma chuckled, still attempting to look casual and failing miserably. "I'm sure you heard about the other day, and what happened at the guild hall."

Bad choice of words on Kazuma's part as that made Wiz visibly grimace in discomfort. "Y-yeah...I've heard."

It was an awkward standoff between the two at this point, both sides silently daring the other to say something first. Eventually, Kazuma broke first.

"Ok, clearly neither of us are really gonna get past this until we bite it in the ass, so...here we go I guess." He sputtered, taking a deep breath and meeting Wiz's eyes. "I'm sorry for running out on you. I misread the situation and acted like a real asshole. You're an awesome friend for being nice enough to listen to my problems, and I should have thought better of you. I'm sorry."

Sighing, Wiz forced herself to lock eyes with the young man before saying, "No, Kazuma, I'm the one who should be apologizing. What I did back there was wrong. I crossed a line I shouldn't have crossed and I broke your trust as a result. I'm so sorry, Kazuma, I-I don't know what came over me, I…" She trailed off, choking back her tears.

"Whoa, whoa! Wiz, it's ok!" Kazuma insisted, surprised with how upset the lich had become in a matter of seconds. "You didn't break my trust, you just...surprised me. I mean, hell, you were just being your usual friendly self and I had to go and make it all awkward."

"Kazuma...I almost kissed you on the lips...That's not something friends do!" she cried.

Kazuma...kinda froze off that last part. His brain didn't really register the words; couldn't physically compute their meaning. There was no possible way that Wiz just admitted to wanting to kiss him. It just wasn't in the cards. He had to be misinterpreting this somehow.

Although, there was one part of her message his brain could latch onto: That's not something friends do…

That...that was true. Friends could have benefits, yes, but intimacy like that was different. It was a significant change to form...one that would be noticeable. If it happened too quickly, it'd stick out like a sore thumb. Like it was out of place...or out of character.

I knew it, he thought. I had my doubts, but what Wiz said confirms it. The girls must really be controlled by someone or something. Why else would they want to get...i-i-intimate with me? That's not something friends do, Wiz said so herself! She's an emotionally intelligent girl, she knows what she's talking about!

"Wiz, look at me please." He muttered softly, just loud enough to catch the woman's attention before flashing her the most reassuring smile he could muster. "It's alright. Mistakes happen, I get it. Whatever happened that day is in the past, and we don't need to worry about it. I know that you'd never...y'know, so it's fine! I forgive you, we're all good."

Wiz sniffled, still unsure of his words, "A-are you sure, Kazuma? I don't feel like that's something one can easily brush off..."

"Wiz, it's fine. Really! Nothing to worry about in the slightest!" Kazuma insisted, stifling the panic rising inside him and keeping his tone lighthearted. "You said it yourself, we're friends! So why bother making a big deal out of it, right? I trust you, you trust me. What more could friends ask for?!"

After wiping her eyes with her sleeve, a small, grateful smile eventually wormed its way onto the undead's face. "You're right, Kazuma. If you're willing to put this behind us, then it's only fair that I should do the same. But I promise, from now on, I'll work hard to be the best friend you could ever have! One that you can trust!"

"I don't doubt it, Wiz, and I'll work to do the same." Kazuma assured her, still smiling despite the maelstrom of emotions inside him raging on. "So, with that settled, was there anything else you wanted to talk about?"

"Um, no. I suppose not. I'm just glad we got this sorted so easily." Wiz admitted, releasing a content sigh before startling slightly. "Oh! There was one more thing, actually! When you do get the chance, please swing by the shop. I have a surprise for you!"

"Huh. That's a bit hard at the moment, I'm kinda on house arrest after the guild incident." Kazuma mused, before shrugging his shoulders lightly. "Maybe I can get permission to go with Aqua or something. Either way, I'll try my best to get by as soon as possible."

"Wonderful! I'll see you then!" Wiz chirped happily, now seemingly back to her normal, peppy self as she opened Kazuma's door, pausing before she exited. "Thank you again, Kazuma. I won't let you down."

With those final words, the lich exited the room, a bright smile blossoming on her face. Little did she know that on the other side of the door, Kazuma was scrambling to retrieve a journal from under his bed, flipping it open to the latest page before tearing out his pen and beginning to write frantically.

Goddamn it, I think whatever got my party got Wiz too! FUCK! Whatever force or entity this is, it's strong enough to infect an ex-DK General! Wiz was the strongest magic user I know and now she may be a lost cause! What about Sena? Or Yunyun? Chris? Is EVERY girl in Axel being mind-controlled!?

Eris-sama, I know I was never the religious type, but please, lend me your strength! You said you have faith in me, but I don't! I don't know what I'm doing anymore! Fuck, I hope I'm not being watched right now.

Eris...I'm scared…