The next morning was busier than Kazuma expected, practically being wrenched out of bed by Aqua and Megumin and learning he overslept. After busting their collective asses to get themselves into a preventable state, the party managed to make it to the eloquent hall in which Iris was hosting the treaty development and signing.

Kazuma spotted Iris, along with Claire and Rain, discussing something with one of the older nobles until she noticed his presence. Politely excusing herself, the young princess approached the party with her two minions stuck to her like glue.

"Certainly cutting it a little close, aren't we?" She joked lightly, though the usual relaxed demeanor she displayed around the group seemed significantly subdued. "All the same, I'm glad you made it. It's nice to have some friendly faces in attendance for today."

"Yeah, sorry for being fashionably late," Kazuma apologized while eyeing his trio of girlfriends. "It would seem my personal alarm clocks forgot that I'm not a morning person."

"Hey, don't pin this on us! We need our sleep too!" Aqua whined in response, crossing her arms and pouting while leveling a half-hearted glare. "I may be a gorgeous goddess, but I still need my beauty sleep…"

"Sounds a little redundant if you ask me, but fine, I'll drop it for now," Kazuma relinquished, secretly relishing in Aqua's adorable little surprised face when he said that. Turning back to Iris, he said, "So anyway, how's this treaty party supposed to go down? And what's our part in this exactly?"

"Oh, I wish this could be considered a party. It'd be infinitely more interesting." Iris retorted with a wry smirk, before turning and gesturing to the long table behind her. "Really, all we'll be doing is discussing the terms of the treaty and, assuming we can settle the matter today, finish up by signing the first drafted copy, ushering in a new era of peace. As for what you four need to do...well, there's the potential that my fellow Coalition members may call upon examples of the Devil King's villainous actions. As such…you may be brought up to testify."

Kazuma sighed, "Great, I might get called upon to badmouth the warlock whose army I dismantled…Wonderful. Thanks, Iris, you really know how to make me feel welcomed."

"Hey, don't pin this one on me!" The princess defended, practically mirroring Aqua's previous motion as she glared up at Kazuma. "If it were truly up to me, you wouldn't be put in such a position. Unfortunately, not all of my allies are facing the task at hand with clear minds. Many have been lost to this conflict, after all."

"I know, I know. It's not like I was expecting the Devil King to get let off the hook so easily," Kazuma reiterated. "It's just that…well…The Daughter's likely gonna be there when/if that happens and I'm not sure if I can bring myself up to do that. W-without getting into specifics, the situation between us is…complicated."

"I see. All the same, I'll try to keep the discussion centered on the treaty and little else." Iris replied earnestly, before pausing as Rain whispered something into her ear. "Ah, it appears that the Devil King's delegation has arrived. We should be starting shortly. Hopefully, I'll see you when this is all finished, Kazuma."

As the two gave one another a small wave of goodbye, Kazuma watched on in silent contemplation as Iris hurried away. The thought of possibly having to stand up and testify against the Devil King while in the same room as…her was nerve-wracking. It was like every minute of being here was a reminder that he made a mistake in attending this meeting. The Daughter had really left an imprint on his psyche and it was going to take tremendous willpower on his part not to look bothered by her presence.

As if sensing his apprehension, Darkness stepped beside Kazuma and discreetly held his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze in the process.

"It's quite alright, Kazuma. We're here with you, you're completely safe." She assured him softly, her eyes showing restrained worry for him. "If they do call you up to testify, you can always refuse. With everything you've done against the Devil King, few would attempt to force you."

"We won't judge you for it, either," Megumin added, lightly nudging Kazuma's shoulder. "Besides, there's four of us. If they really want someone to testify that badly, we can always step in for you. No shame in that."

"Thanks, girls. It helps knowing that you're here with me." Kazuma admitted, squeezing both girl's hands as he pulled himself together, feeling a bit more confident with their show of loyalty. "Hopefully Iris is right and this whole thing is all resolved quickly. I don't like the idea of this being drawn out longer than it needs to be."

"I feel you, Kazzy," Aqua said behind him. "Besides, politics are already boring enough as is. No sense in dragging them on any longer than need be, right?"

Kazuma silently concurred with the goddess' sentiment, though no words escaped his mouth as the large oak doors at the far end of the room swung open, revealing the Devil King himself, along with his daughter, Serena, and a man that Kazuma didn't recognize but assumed to be either one of the remaining generals or a proxy stand-in.

The hall became dead silent as all the nobles, politicians, and guards stopped whatever it was they were doing to stare openly at the figures before them. Many glared vehemently at the "guests" while others became wide-eyed out of fear. The only person who still retained some semblance of hospitality was of course Iris, as she and her escorts approached the Devil King just like any other visitor.

"King Kage, I'm glad to see that you and your remaining generals were able to attend today." She greeted with all the poise and respect one could expect from a ruler, even at such a young age. "I certainly wish it were under better circumstances, however."

"On this we agree, your highness." The King supplied with a weary, weathered smile. "That said, today does promise to be a step in the right direction, yes? For both our nations and the people within them."

"I certainly hope that is the case." Iris replied evenly, before stepping aside slightly and gesturing to the nearby table. "Shall we get started, then?"

"Yes please," The Devil King practically sighed in relief. "The sooner, the better. I'm rather partial to putting an end to this miserable conflict as soon as possible. So let's not dilly-dally."

With that, the parties separated, with the King and his generals taking their open seats on one side of the long, ornate table while Iris and her attendants likewise took their own on the opposite side. After everyone was settled, an uneasy calm fell over the room as Iris proceeded to address the delegates.

"My loyal subjects, the peace negotiations between our kingdom and the Devil King's Domain are now in session," Began the princess with due diligence. "As we begin the process of forming this new doctrine, I'd like to remind all of you that today is about ushering in a new era of peace after nearly a century of war. We must remain objective in order to reach the best possible outcome for all parties."

"We've offered that monster a chance for peace multiple times, and every single one was met with either a town getting raided or innocents being slaughtered," a noble practically hissed with barely restrained anger. "So why are we accepting his offer when he's refused to listen to reason up until now miraculously?"

"Because it is an opportunity period, sir; an end to the conflict is desired above all else." Another representative piped up, one that Kazuma registered as vaguely familiar in one form or another. "Furthermore, the Devil King himself has made it quite clear that he is willing to atone for his crimes in his original declaration of surrender."

The disgruntled noble along with a small subsection of the surrounding delegates mumbled spiteful curses under their breaths but held their tongues otherwise. As much as they wanted the Devil King to be zapped into oblivion, they too were experiencing war fatigue and wanted the conflict to just end. So they kept quiet for now and allowed the princess to carry on.

"As I was saying, we are here to hammer out a treaty between the United Coalition of Belzerg and The Devil King's Empire. Any opening statements may be made at this time, after which we will begin the process of putting the treaty to paper while covering any and all concerns along the way." Iris rattled off with little pause, likely having rehearsed beforehand. "With that out of the way, King Kage. Would you like to make your opening statement?"

"Indeed I would. Thank you, your highness." The king confirmed, rising to his feet and clearing his throat in preparation to address the surrounding delegates. "Esteemed delegates, I stand here before you today, a humbled man disgusted by the unmistakable tragedy I incurred over the last decade from my position as the Devil King. I would also like to make it clear that I am not here to excuse my actions, nor to set aside blame. I fully understand it to be true that the war we have all endured is entirely the fault of my own."

Immediately, the grumbles and muted complaints started back up, with many of the delegates less than convinced with the king's words thus far. All the same, he continued.

"I don't expect forgiveness, not after so much innocent blood has been spilled in a conquest that I now realize was little more than meaningless." Kage continued, his tone dipping further in audible shame as he bowed his head slightly. "I...I have no excuse for my inaction. For years now, my judgment has failed me, and as such I will accept any and all responsibility for my sins."

"You think it's that easy?!" A man suddenly shouted, shooting up to his feet and leveling a scorching glare the way of the dark lord, who didn't even flinch in response. "You think you can justify everything you've done, all the people who have died under you reign, with a fucking apology?! You and your little band of generals deserve the noose after all you've done!"

"Representative Ambrose, that's quite enough! Compose yourself!" Iris chided sharply, rising from her own seat with a sharp glare. "I will not tolerate such outbursts during this conference! We are here to bring a decades long conflict to a close, not to instile further hostility! I expect you to act more respectable, considering your position as a representative."

The sharply dressed man scowled at the young princess, but not another word left his mouth as he silently sank back into his seat. Simultaneously, any remaining grumbling ended as Iris' gaze swept across the entire table, ending at the Devil King himself, who seemed entirely unfazed by the outburst, the only shift in his expression being a brief flicker of sadness in his weary eyes.

"Thank you for the defense, your highness. As I was saying, I do not expect anyone to turn a blind eye to the misdeeds I've had a hand in. All I ask is for an opportunity to end this horrid conflict peacefully, as I should have years ago."

"And you shall receive that opportunity in full, but we still have much to cover before we reach that point." Iris retorted, keeping her tone firm and eyes hard as she spoke, her patience clearly tested by the misgivings of her fellow nobles. "First and foremost, Royal Prosecutor. You have been delivered a list of individuals in attendance that have had some form of contact with The Devil King or his generals in some way or another. Please, summon those on said list. If this party deems it fit, we will call upon them for a testimonial."

"Of course, your highness." The strange man hummed, his voice slightly less off-putting than the last time Kazuma had heard it. After rattling off a few names he didn't recognize, the moment he'd been hoping to avoid came to pass. "Kazuma Satou of Axel is also in attendance, having fought and killed four of the eight demon generals, as well as coming to blows with another three."

Immediately, the murmurs kicked back up amongst the representatives and crowd alike, and far too many eyes swiveled in his direction, making him shrink back slightly in his seat. After a few seconds, one of the reps closer to Iris stood and nodded, and even without seeing her face, the princess' tone was enough to convey remorse.

"Kazuma Satou, please step forward."

There was a brief but tense beat of silence that soon followed, one which was eventually broken when the rumored "general slayer" responded with a hesitant, "Uh…does it have to be me specifically?"

"It would certainly be preferred, yes. You are the leader of your party, and have been privy to much of the Devil army's conflicts." Iris replied, turning to face him properly, her mask of indifference remaining intact despite the apologetic gleam in her eyes. "Once more, I must ask you to step forward, personally."

Kazuma quietly sighed through his nostrils at this. His girlfriends all eyed them, and while he wasn't the best at reading people, he could at least tell that they were silently giving him the chance to let one of them take the rep for him in his stead. He smiled at them, deeply appreciated, but made a small gesture at them to stay seated. A little confused by this, the girls remained in their seats, but still kept their watchful eyes on their boyfriend regardless.

Somehow I knew my popular phase would warrant unwanted attention in the future, Kazuma mentally groaned before standing up from his chair and awkwardly standing in place, awaiting further instructions from the princess.

"Mr. Satou, the Royal Prosecutor stated that you have encountered several of the Devil King's generals, and even slain four of them personally." She rattled off a moment later, seemingly reading off what Kazuma could only imagine were pre-planned questions. "What can you tell us about these experiences, particularly regarding the Devil King's forces?"

Already, Kazuma felt his antisocial heart beating like crazy as this whole setup felt like public speaking class all over again. Nothing he could say about his experiences with the Devil King's generals could make him look good! Unless, of course, he stretched the truth a little here and there to make his encounters sound more heroic and embellished. But something about lowkey lying to a group of people that would inevitably decide the fate of an entire nation didn't sit well with him. If one of them caught on to his fibbing, he'd potentially be responsible for setting back an era of peace for hundreds of thousands of people. Would he seriously risk doing that just to make his story sound less embarrassing and pathetic?

"Well, in all honesty...my encounters with the demon generals was little more than a string of bad luck." He answered after a moment, having weighed his options carefully and electing that honesty, while embarrassing, would save him more hassle in the meantime. "They were efficient and ruthless enemies, and I suppose I only beat them due to the combined efforts of my party members and an inkling of luck from Eris herself. Point is, the generals were no joke at the end of the day."

His answer seemed to satisfy the representatives, who began to discuss amongst each other. A brief bubble of relief rose in Kazuma's as he considered that fact that he might have been off the hook...until one of them addressed him directly.

"And The Daughter? What did you make of her?" A silver haired woman inquired, her question tinged with genuine curiosity rather than the spite or resentment of her fellows. "She's reported to be the most ruthless of the eight, and yet you managed to do what several cities full of adventurers and guards couldn't. How did you best her, Mr. Satou?"

Immediately taken aback by the question (and not wanting to start a riot due to miscommunication), Kazuma said, "What? B-best her? What are you talking about? I didn't best her at anything. In fact…well, um, it's a little more accurate to say that she bested me, really…"

Twice if you count the mental reconditioning! Spoke that small, dark voice that liked to linger in the back of Kazuma's mind. He quickly smothered it, partially to not remind himself of that but partially because he didn't want to complicate things further by bringing that incident up. He assumed they were merely referring to The Daughter's failed siege on Axel.

"I'm not sure I understand. Reports came in after the attempted siege of Axel City that you were the last one seen battling The Daughter before her hasty retreat. Furthermore, your party reportedly besieged a Devil King outpost not a month later, one under her apparent control." The noble continued, eyebrows furrowed in genuine confusion. "If you have not bested her, then why is it that twice over you have been the key cause of setback in her campaign, that I once again must state, has been previously impossible under our own attempts."

Feeling his patience wavering ever so slightly, Kazuma felt just annoyed enough to speak a little more freely and succinctly. "I don't know, okay!? And I'm tired of pretending like I do know! Now look, I'll concede, I was involved in a fight with The Daughter when she attacked Axel, that I can confirm. But you gotta understand: it was literally a textbook case of me being in the wrong place at the wrong time, same as with all the other generals. Not only that, but I lost that fight. She probably would've killed me if my party hadn't found me on the verge of passing out. If you want more info on what happened that night, you'd be better off asking them. Hell, they do most of the real work, anyway. I'm just…kinda there for the most part. I don't do much except give the occasional good advice in do-or-die situations…"

Another wave of murmurs capped off his irritated response, and the representatives seemed to be momentarily uncertain of how to respond. Eventually, however, they seemed to brush over his retort, electing to continue whatever tirade they had planned.

"Regardless of your capacity in these conflicts, you've still managed to survive two encounters with the Daughter, despite her reputation for being merciless and cruel." One of the far reps chimed off, far less forgiving than the first one, and equally as tone deaf. "Whether you see yourself as a hero or not, Mr. Satou, you above all else would be able to tell this assembly just what kind of monsters we are dealing with."

Quietly mumbling restrained curses under his breath, Kazuma held himself back from fully unloading on the oblivious politicians and continued to answer to the best of his ability.

"Look…I don't know what you people want me to say here. I know next to nothing about this war's history. I barely finished my education back home, I'm what they call a dropout. All I can say is I keep stumbling into trouble when I don't mean to and that I keep getting lucky. Or unlucky depending on how you view it. Half the time, I don't even realize I'm picking a fight with a general because A.) I have no idea who they are and B.) they weren't doing anything to begin with! Now do you see why I'm not qualified to be here? That's literally all I've got to contribute!"

Once more, Kazuma's defense only seemed to irritate the majority of the representatives. Apparently, his testimony wasn't going quite as well as they had expected it to. The far rest once more rose and nodded to Iris, who barely seemed to keep the relief out of her tone with her next words.

"This assembly has no further questions for you, Mr. Satou. You may be seated."

"Thank you, your highness," Kazuma all but sighed in relief, genuinely thankful for Iris' intervention. The young man quietly took his seat, crossing his arms and shaking his head in clear irritation. He eyed his surrounding girlfriends and whispered, "It's like they expected me to know everything. I'm just a kid, I don't know shit."

"They're looking for an opportunity to damn the King and his generals. Apparently, you weren't able to provide them with one." Aqua whispered back, eyes narrowed dangerously on the entire cast before her, with a stern vibe that usually eluded her. "I'm no fan of the King, but even I can tell this whole thing is rigged to high heaven...pun not intended."

Kazuma chuckled slightly at Aqua's accidental lame joke. "Well, I guess being clueless can have its advantages after all. Maybe now everyone will stop being an entitled baby and end this damn war already. I feel like they're just stalling for time at this point."

"Their delegation is certainly lacking. It seems like a majority of Iris' allies would rather stoke the fires of conflict rather than douse them." Darkness agreed, equally as disappointed with the behavior of what they had expected to be a respectable alliance. "It fear things are only going to degrade further from here."

Sure enough, Darkness had barely finished speaking when a sharp uproar started over from the table, with four of the representatives out of their seats and practically shouting out each other, ignoring the princess' demands for order.

"This is completely unacceptable! These barbarians have been slaughtering our people for years! They deserve to be rightfully punished!" One of them hissed with audible hatred, slamming her fist down onto the ornate table and pointing at one general in particular. "The Daughter alone besieged my city and killed nearly a hundred of my citizens! She's a damn monster, they all are!"

Suddenly, The Daughter slammed her own fist down on the table and responded to that particular representative with equal amounts of hatred. "I only did what was necessary to bolster my kingdom so that I may better protect it, and subsequently my family, from you people! You all believe yourselves to be so innocent in this conflict, yet you seem to forget that it was your coalition's own assassins that tried to kill my father in his sleep! He had only been the Devil King for five measly years at the time; hadn't even made an attempt to pester your precious little kingdom until you made the first act of aggression! So don't play dumb on who really started this war in the first place…"

The silence that followed her outburst was deafening. Everyone fell silent, including the representative that had been the main target, her formerly red face having paled significantly as she inched back, farther away from the harsh glare of the King's daughter. After a moment, Iris managed to speak up, her tone still holding firm with what seemed to be thinly restrained anger.

"I wasn't made aware of any such attempted assassinations, King Kage. Nor did I make any orders regarding the deployment of such underhanded tactics." She replied earnestly, being the only one in that room that could meet the king's gaze at that moment. "Clearly, there is more to be discussed regarding this event."

"Unfortunately, your highness, I'm afraid I have little insight to provide on the matter. My daughter likely knows more than I do." The King replied, a genuinely uncomfortable expression briefly gracing him. "All I remember about that night was waking up after the attack and declaring formal war on your Coalition. Everything before that is...flashes, I'm afraid. I wasn't exactly in control while I was defending myself."

Iris nodded sympathetically, a gesture which deeply perturbed some members of the Coalition, and turned to The Daughter with a soft expression. "I apologize for possibly reopening old wounds right now, but could you please expand upon the incident regarding these unauthorized assassins of ours? I understand if this is not a topic you are comfortable in divulging with the public. However, I must make clear that the information you hold about that night could be crucial in getting a clearer picture on this war's already muddled history. Would you kindly?"

"...Very well, your highness." The Daughter agreed with seemingly begrudging respect, her temper having simmered after her snap. "I was only eleven at the time, but I recall the incident in question without fail. In the dead of night, four adventurers entered my father's castle and made their way to his bedroom. I followed them, naively ignorant of their intentions, and interrupted them before they could kill my father in his sleep. I screamed, he awoke, and...he subdued the threat. Swiftly. There weren't any answers left to receive, aside from the patches on their armor emblazoned with the symbol of your Coalition. "

Hushed yells were passed around to every representative, noble, delegate, and politician in the room regarding this…disturbing revelation. Even Kazuma was taken aback by The Daughter's confession. Of course, they still didn't excuse the whole kidnapping and attempted brainwashing bit, however he'd be lying if he said his perspective of her hadn't changed somewhat. It would appear as though there was more to this already convoluted conflict than it originally seemed.

Iris raised her hand, and after a moment the room had calmed once more, allowing her to speak again, addressing both her allies and the Devil King's. "Clearly, things are not as clear cut as this assembly believed them to be. I declare a brief recess to allow this revelation to be properly verified and considered by the appropriate parties. If you are not representing one of the Coalition's cities, please exit out into the main hall."

As several members stood up to take their leave, Kazuma took that as his cue to leave too, and he got up from his chair to stretch his aching muscles. He also happened to notice Iris, who was staring intensely at certain individuals who he assumed to be representatives of her Coalition. He almost felt bad for what fresh hell was waiting for them behind closed doors.

Keyword being "almost".

"Sheesh, that's...really not what I was expecting." Megumin admitted as they emerged out into the main hall, with the four moving to the end next to a large window while the rest of the spectators moved further the other direction. "Do you think she's telling the truth? If the Coalition really tried to assassinate the Devil King...it doesn't justify everything, but it makes a lot more sense."

Kazuma listened intently as he stared out the window, admiring the scenic view as he spoke his mind. "Yeah, I personally always felt something was a little off about this war. At the risk of sounding pseudo-intellectual, I sort of adopted this perception that the generals were playing more of an aggressive defensive position. You know what I mean? With Beldia, we instigated the attack. With Hans, it was the Axis cult that was harassing him. As for Sylvia…Megumin, didn't you say your village had a telescope that Crimson Demons used to peep through The Daughter's bedroom window? Maybe that had a play in the constant raids on your village?"

"It's definitely not impossible. I guess I never really considered that to be instigating." Megumin admitted with a soft hum, eyebrows furrowed in surprise. "It's weird how we never even considered the fact that these guys weren't going all out! I mean, The Daughter is the only one who ever really went out of her way, and even then, Axel is basically the home base for most adventures, or at least the starting point."

Kazuma hummed in consideration, taking a moment to stare out at the sprawling city outside as he mulled over the possibility that Megumin was right. It was bizarrely sobering to consider that the Devil King wasn't the all encompassing manifestation of evil that everyone seemed to expect. His actions didn't line up with his reputation, that was for damn sure. Still, there were too many unknowns.

"I guess despite being ruthless warlords, the Devil King and his generals were still willing to show a modicum of restraint in spite of all the unwarranted hostility thrown at them," Kazuma spoke mostly to himself before addressing his party more directly. "I'm not necessarily defending their actions by any means, I'm just saying it's kinda surreal to see this…human side to them, y'know? Sorta like when Wolbach wanted to join our party even though that flew in the face of everything we knew about the generals."

"Indeed. It seems as though there really is more to the king and his minions than we could have anticipated." Darkness concurred, seemingly just as conflicted as her boyfriend. "While I also refuse to speak in defense of those dark forces after all they've done...I would be lying if I said I wasn't curious about what else the Coalition might have done in the course of this war."

"Man, this is why I hate politics!" Aqua cried in a half-serious manner whilst draping herself onto Kazuma's shoulder like a drama queen. "It's all messy and confusing. Plus, everyone's always lying to each other for one reason or another. In fact, now that I think about it, this is reminding me too much of those awful Council meetings back up in Heaven. I was never a fan of those."

"I certainly must concur with the former. I never quite had the stomach for politics myself." A new voice chimed in, making the four adventures jolt slightly, eyes going wide as they turned to face the interjector, who stood only feet away, flanked by his daughter and Serena. "Unfortunately, fate clearly had other plans for me, so here I am. Just the way the cookie crumbles sometimes, yes?"

On instinct, Aqua, Megumin, and Darkness all huddled closer to Kazuma while maintaining steady eye contact on their newfound "visitors". As for Kazuma himself, well…while getting up close to the Devil King himself was certainly intimidating, it was really his daughter that triggered an almost primal fear within him. Taking his therapist's advice to heart was proving to be difficult when the person who kidnapped and attempted to recondition him was trying to initiate contact. The troubled teen decided to remain quiet as a means of not drawing too much attention to himself.

"You've got some nerve, approaching us like this." Aqua practically growled, fists clenched with barely restrained fury. Megumin and Darkness seemed equally as tense, both allowing their hands to drift to their respective weapons. "I don't know what you think you're doing, but I can assure you that it stops here."

"You're absolutely right. It does stop here. All of it," Kage agreed, doing his best to show he wasn't a threat using slow movements and speaking in a soft tone of voice. "Not just the war but also the damage I was indirectly responsible for because of it. Case in point…Akarui? Serena? Isn't there something you two should be saying right now? It's the very least you could do after 'you-know-what'."

Both generals seemed simultaneously cowed and vexed as they hesitantly stepped forward, withstanding the unflinching glares of the three adventurers as they addressed Kazuma directly, with Serena speaking first, her voice lacking the previous bite that Kazuma was accustomed to.

"There's really no easy way for me to say this," bluntly stated the dark human priestess. "Regardless, I will try my best to get it out. Kazuma, I…ugh, apologize. Apologize for casting that death spell on you and apologize for aiding my commanding officer in your kidnapping. It was…wrong. I don't expect you to accept my apology and, quite frankly, I don't need you too. So long as you know that our rivalry has ended, then that is all that matters. Henceforth, we have no further business in each other's meddling. Good day."

"...we had a rivalry?" Kazuma murmured earnestly after a beat, only to receive a light scoff in response as Serena crossed her arms and turned away, prompting him to look at the Daughter with no small amount of unease and fixing her with a long, awkward stare. "So...are you doing the whole apology thing too, or is this just for posterity's sake, because I honestly don't think any of this is registering in my brain."

"The short answer is yes. I am truly, deeply sorry for my actions, Kazuma. I don't imagine you'd be open to accepting an apology. I certainly can't blame you either. Frankly, my father seems to have yet again misjudged just how much words can fix." The Daughter grumbled, sagging a bit more as her father shot her a look and motioned for her to continue. "But yes, for the sake of posterity...I'm sorry. For attacking you, for locking you in that dungeon, for lying to you...all of it. I know I'll never be able to make up for my actions, so just...there."

Kazuma continued to eye the woman cautiously from behind his improvised, girlfriend blast shield. Eventually, he managed to get out, "…uh, okay? Not everyday my kidnapper's father makes her apologize but…sure, why not? Just promise to stay away from me and I'll accept that as your form of apology. Same goes for my supposed rival. Deal?"

"Deal. After today, you'll never have to see any of us again." She confirmed, before turning to her father and crossing her arms, clearly just as ready for the moment to pass as Kazuma. "There, are you happy now? I told you apologizing wasn't going to make a difference, and it didn't. Now, if we're quite finished, we should prepare for whatever comes of this treaty."

Kage sighed tiredly, "We're going to have a long talk later about the importance of courtesy, young lady. But, for now, you make a valid point. We really should prepare ourselves for the outcome of the treaty. I imagine the Coalition will try their damnedest to give us the short end of the stick. Come along now, pumpkin. And you two, Serena. We have preparations to make…"

And with that, the trio departed just as quickly as they had appeared, leaving Kazuma and his girlfriends alone once more. As soon as the three were out of ear shot, Kazuma released a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, shaking his head and allowing a small, embarrassed chuckle to escape his lips.

"That...could have gone so much worse…"

"They probably knew better than to piss off your literal goddess of a girlfriend," Aqua commented adamantly, squishing her cheek right up against her boyfriend's and continuing to glare at the trio just as they rounded the corner. "If they had so much as tried to touch you, I'd have cast Judgement on them the likes of which this world has never seen!"

"They weren't here to fight, Aqua. They seem to be in the business of amends." Darkness retorted, relaxing slightly, though her expression remained conflicted. "Truly, the Devil King isn't what I expected at all. He seemed genuinely kind...unless he was putting on a façade, of course. Still, it seemed real to me…"

"I don't know what to expect anymore," Megumin said with a light shake of her head. "It's like my whole world view is being turned upside down, just like when I ventured out of my village for the first time. Shit's crazy…"

"Definitely crazy." Kazuma muttered, mostly to himself. Another few minutes passed with idle chatter, the tense atmosphere easing bit by bit as they waited to be let back into the main chambers. As they waited, however, one thing shifted in Kazuma's mind. An inkling of a thought, one that grew with each passing minute.

A seed of doubt had been planted, intentionally or not, and it was blossoming.


Eventually, everyone was allowed back into the main room, where Iris and the rest of her associates were waiting. Naturally, the representatives seemed significantly subdued this time around, allowing Kazuma to indulge in a light chuckle imagining just how badly Iris had scorned them.

Hate to be on the receiving end of her wrath, he thought to himself before he reclaimed his seat nestled closely to his girlfriends while everyone else sat down. Once everybody had gathered back around, Iris cleared her throat and resumed the session.

"After some discussion, the members of this assembly have come to an agreement regarding the Devil King's account of this attempted assasination." She announced her usual poise, despite a smidge of what Kazuma could imagine was pride in her tone. "Clearly, neither of our alliances have entirely clean hands in this conflict, and, as such, I would like to extend a sincere apology to King Kage regarding the treatment he and his generals have had to endure through the previous proceedings."

While nobody dared to grumble (lest they invoke the ire of the princess), it was still made evident to even someone like Kazuma that many were none too pleased with this outcome. While he understood they had many legitimate grievances against the Devil King, he'd be lying if he said their continued behavior wasn't starting to get on his nerves. Don't these people actually want the war to end without any more bloodshed?

"I humbly accept your apology, your highness, and I'd like to personally assure your associates that I have no intention of taking their mercy for granted. All I wish to achieve is an end to this horrible conflict." The Devil King replied, his civility and patience still surprising Kazuma to a degree. The guy really didn't seem like much of a devil at all. "With that in mind, I do hope that we shall continue with the drafting of this treaty to usher in a new era of peace."

"Indeed we shall," Iris answered, a shimmer of optimism bleeding through the cracks of her professionalism. She motioned for the nearby Claire to hand her a scroll that she unrolled in between herself and the king. "All that's left to do is to go over the terms outlined in this treaty and, once both parties have come to a mutual agreement with the proposed conditions, we can sign the dotted line, officially ending the war between our two kingdoms!"

And with that declaration, the next four or so hours became dedicated to just that. Truthfully, Kazuma spaced for a majority of the discussion, mostly because it remained fairly civil. There were no outbursts of shouting this time around, only polite interjections. As such, things actually seemed to end up pretty well for both sides in the end version of the treaty. At least, he assumed as much. Again, he hadn't caught many specifics, but when he finally snapped back to reality, both Iris and the Devil King looked quite pleased.

"Well, I believe this turned out quite nicely," Kage hummed thoughtfully. "I will humbly accept these repercussions for my actions. Again, I must thank you personally for allowing me to retain sovereignty over the lands I presided over before my conquest. To be honest, that was the only thing I could ever hope to ask for in this treaty. Even having just a little bit of land is better than having no land at all."

"Of course. I must agree that I find the end product very satisfactory." Iris replied with a controlled smile, clearly just as pleased as the dark king that things finally seemed to have wound down to a peaceful ending. "Well, I do believe that we have covered all the possible revisions suggested. Are you ready to finalize this treaty, my lord?"

"Indeed I am, your highness," Kage replied with a soft smile, raising his feathered pin and dipping it in a small chamber of ink. "To a new, prosperous era for our kingdoms!"

Despite himself, Kazuma felt the slightest sense of satisfaction seeing the king sign the partition, recognizing that he and his friends were finally in the clear. No more accidental boss fights, or getting involved in political shlock. Finally, they had the opportunity to live out a peaceful life. Everything seemed to be going their way.

And then the doors to the chamber exploded.

The guards stationed close to the doors had very little time to react before they were knocked out by non-lethal incapacitation spells. The rest of the royal guard immediately took defensive positions around Iris as the remaining politicians took to ducking cover underneath the table save for a small handful who carefully stood up from their seats. When the dust finally settled, a small mob of armed nobles, adventurers, and even a few guards stepped into view.

"What is the meaning of this?!" Iris instantly demanded, seemingly free of fear despite the apparent rising tension around her. She stared down the apparent leader of the attack, an unfamiliar armored man standing at the forefront of the group. "As the princess of the kingdom of Belzerg, I order you all to stand down immediately!"

"I'm afraid that won't be possible, your majesty," the man replied coolly, face unflinching at the princess' rising tone. "We're here to put an end to this war for good. That means tying up every loose end. A simple piece of paper isn't going to be enough of a deterrent to prevent that homicidal demon from going back on his word at the drop of a hat. There's only one true way to make sure to end this conflict…"

Off the end of his words, three of his group stepped forward, leveling crossbows on the demonic trio on the far side of the room. Instantly, the Devil King stepped in front of his daughter and remaining general, a fearsome snarl that gave much more validity to his title rising on his face.

"You dare? We were on the cusp of peace, of finally bringing this pointless war to an end, and you jeopardize such an opportunity in the name of three more bodies?" He practically growled, dark energy swirling around his hands as he leered at the front man. The noble merely smiled, and with little pause, drew his own crossbow and nailed the forgotten sorcerer, who had been attempting to slip away in the chaos. The man fell to the ground with a hollow thud, dead instantly.

"Well what do you know? Looks like a demon general can bleed after all," the armored noble commented sadistically, seemingly in his own little self-righteous world. "Guess magic can only do so much to stop a fucking arrow to the back. One monster down, three more to go."

With all the attention of those remaining in the room centered on the intruders, the Devil King, and Iris' guards, Kazuma had the strangest moment of introspection as time seemed to slow ever so slightly. They had been seconds from finally being free of so much stupid bullshit. So many people, on both sides, were going to have completed a years-long struggle for peace.

And one bundle of assholes had rolled in like they were the kings of the universe, and shut it all down for the hell of it.

And that alone made him positively fucking livid.

With a throat-tearing, "STEAL!" Kazuma stood up and used his most valuable spell to subsequently steal what he considered to be the most valuable possession on the noble's person. In this case, it was his armed crossbow. There was a bright flash and before the man could fully comprehend what exactly was going on, Kazuma had already procured the weapon for himself and aimed it right back at its previous owner with shaky hands. His girlfriends collectively gasped, woefully unprepared to witness their lover commit and act that would undoubtedly stick with him for the rest of his life. Thankfully, Kazuma had just enough self-restraint left within him to not immediately pull the trigger and waste the sick bastard for good.

Because for as much red as he saw in that very moment…he was still deathly afraid of killing another human being, even if he felt they deserved it for ruining everything.

"Are you FUCKING KIDDING ME?!" He hissed, practically hysterical at this point, with every single one of the attempted assassins now locked onto him instead of their original target. "I don't like the Devil King! I like Iris! I didn't even want to be here, and yet here I am! Sticking up for the righteous pricks on either side of a conflict that I couldn't give less of a fuck about because an entitled, smarmy, dickhead noble and his dipshit entourage decided that MURDER was the correct solution to finding world peace! CAN ANY OF YOU UNDERSTAND HOW MUCH THIS ENTIRE SITUATION PISSES ME OFF?!"

In spite of this…unexpected variable, the man in charge of the operation glared darkly at the seething teenager in front of him, his men still training their weapons on him. "Listen kid, the universe doesn't give a mole rat's ass about you or your opinions. You aren't special, you're just an idiot who's making a big mistake. Now, are you going to lay down the crossbow, or are you going to die in a war you so claim to not care about? I suggest you choose wisely…"

"Oh, I've made my choice. As much as I dislike both of these guys, at least they're sane. They're willing to compromise. They're not batshit crazy, and considering you and your merry band are the only ones making a fuss, I think that the real choice is left up to you." Kazuma replied, a dark certainty entering his tone, even if his hands still shook slightly. "Either you and your asshole friends drop your weapons and let Iris' guards arrest you, or kill each and every one of you. And before you ask how I'd manage that, I think there's something that you should know about me; I've died nine fucking times. You really think I'm scared to enter double digits?"

While the main noble's face merely curled up in irritation, a few of his followers took precautionary steps backward, unsettled by the young man's apparent confidence. Of course, with all eyes on Kazuma, none of the usurpers noticed the silent advance of the Devil King until he was right beside the boy, laying an armored hand on his shoulder, making him jump.

"You're a fine young man, Mr. Satou. While you may not care for me or my daughter, I must thank you for standing up for us nonetheless." He intoned calmly, his eyes pitch black as a menacing smile crept up his face, his gaze locked on the startled noble with malicious intent. "With that in mind...I must ask you to step back. I'm afraid this conflict must be resolved...with a personal touch."