Chapter IV
Well hello everyone and welcome to the fourth chapter of Legends of Chaos: Dragon of Zerbst. Some of you may have deja vu at this moment, and that is apt, as it seems this chapter was removed previously without my knowledge. So as it stands, time to try again. As usual, I would like to thank my coauthors, Bakuto Masaki and TheLastNanaya, for all their help with the story. Might as well move on to the reviewer responses.
guest 1012389: I intend to do so.
JMK2: Noted.
correnhimself316: That seems to be the consensus. How very true.
Glad you find it amusing.
Well that does it for reviewer responses, not many.
WARNING: There is a lemon in this chapter. It will be marked just be aware.
In front of Tristain Magic Academy the Familiar Exhibition was underway with Kirche and "Ddraig" about to perform their act. However, their time was interrupted by the arrival of an unexpected visitor, Veronica Lautreamont.
"I have come for one simple reason. I wish to challenge the one known as Ddraig," Veronica declared proudly.
That caused the gathered crowd to gasp.
Kazuma blinked and then tapped Kirche on the shoulder. "Say…who's the blonde bombshell?"
Kirche gave a disappointed glance before explaining, "Her name is Veronica Lautreamont. She's the first crown princess of the Lautreamont Knight Kingdom."
Kazuma nodded as he processed his thoughts. "It seems there's still a lot I need to learn about this world."
"Seems like it."
Osmond gulped and asked timidly, "A-are you sure that's the reason?"
Veronica's eyes narrowed. "Are you saying that I am lying?"
Osmond waved his hands wildly in an appeasing manner. "No, no, not at all! I'm merely surprised that you would come all the way out here to fight a Familiar."
Veronica nodded in understanding. "I am always searching for new foes to test myself, and what I have heard about this Ddraig sounds rather intriguing."
Osmond nodded once more and then motioned towards the large stage.
Kazuma waved with a grin.
Veronica raised an eyebrow. "This is Ddraig?"
"In his human form at least," Osmond responded.
Veronica nodded and turned to the man in blue armor. "Glenn, keep the others back. I wish to see the extent of this familiar's strength."
Glenn nodded in understanding. "Yes, ma'am."
Veronica walked towards the stage and up the stairs, standing opposite Kazuma. "Ddraig, that is your name, correct?" she asked loudly.
Kazuma shrugged in response. "More or less. So, what does a beauty like you want with me?"
Veronica smirked in amusement. "A smooth talker, hm? I will have to disappoint you as flattery is of no use."
Kazuma chuckled in amusement. "It's more to amuse myself than anything." His smirk then instantly vanished. "So, why are you here?"
Veronica grabbed the huge sword on her back, pulled it from its strap and then swung it forward, pointing it at Kazuma. "I have come here…to challenge you to a duel."
Kazuma smirked in amusement. "Is that so? You've come all this way from…wherever it is you came from, just to fight me? Hmph, I'm flattered."
"Hopefully you maintain those good spirits after our duel."
Kazuma shrugged in response. "We'll see."
Kirche looked at him surprised. "Are you seriously accepting her challenge?!"
Kazuma chuckled. "Hey, she challenged me. It'd be rude to deny a woman who's asking. Besides, I'd say this should be pretty good way for me to show what I can do."
Glenn stood up in front of the stage, looking to both sides.
Kazuma and Veronica both nodded to him.
"Begin!"
Veronica began swiftly, rushing forward almost instantly, closing the gap between them in less than a second.
Kazuma smirked as he grabbed the blades from his necklace as they formed in his hands.
As Veronica and Kazuma's battle begun, Louise floated over to the battlefield, keeping herself invisible from the audience, watching the two curiously.
Veronica swung her broadsword at Kazuma, but he managed to use the sword in his left hand to block it, though he winced slightly from the sheer force behind the swing.
Kazuma then jumped back, Veronica chasing after him.
However, he leapt over her head as she swung and dashed past her, putting some distance between them.
Kazuma landed on the ground and slid back some before two long tendrils appeared from his back, firing blasts of black and red energy at Veronica.
Veronica effortlessly swatted the two blasts aside, causing them to explode behind her.
The crowd ducked as the explosions rocked the area, Kirche gaping in particular shock as the two's duel continued.
Veronica rushed forward swiftly and thrust her blade at Kazuma.
Kazuma smirked as their bout continued. "Wow, she's not bad. I think she might even be stronger than Gaius."
Veronica raised an eyebrow, having heard his strange ramblings and swung her sword at him, towards his head.
Veronica was shocked, however, when her blade passed right through Kazuma's body before an invisible force sent her flying back. She hissed as she slammed her blade into the base of the stage to steady herself.
Kazuma rushed forward with a smirk on his face and swung one sword down at Veronica; however she dodged to the side and then slammed an armored foot in his side, sending him tumbling away.
Kazuma landed and swept a sword ahead of him, shouting, "Demon Fang!" as a blast of blue energy shot from his blade.
Veronica slammed her sword ahead of her, destroying Kazuma's blast and sending a blast of wind soaring straight for him.
He merely put up a hand and the blast seemed to dissolve into his hand, but it provided a distraction long enough for Veronica to get close.
She swung faster than he expected and managed to cut a gash in the side of his right arm.
He smirked toothily at the wound which healed swiftly. "No way, definitely stronger than Gaius. She might even be as good as Yachiru." He pressed the two blades together, causing them to be bathed in light before the two swords became a single blade, a long, double-edged blade with a gold hilt that had a hand guard resembling golden, feathered wings, a long silver blade with several bright orange jewels, and a golden edge. "Hmph, let's see how she likes the Sword of Akasha then," Kazuma remarked as Veronica narrowed her eyes and dashed at him.
However, Veronica's eyes widened as her sword was suddenly removed from her hands, flying off to the other side of the stage and landing directly in front of Louise, startling the fiery tempered pinkette, though no one reacted to the Ghostly girl nearly getting crushed as they could not see her, while Veronica herself was wrapped up in the same tendrils that had appeared from Kazuma's back earlier, the tip of his sword aimed squarely at her heart.
The entire audience gasped in surprise.
Kirche looked at the duel in shock. 'I didn't realize that…he was so powerful…' She put hand over her chest as she began to feel heat coursing through her body.
Veronica's own eyes were widened in shock at the turn of events. "I…have been…defeated…?"
Kazuma smirked as his tentacles released her, causing her to fall to her knees as Kazuma's sword vanished and his tentacles retracted. "That was a good fight, we should do it again sometime."
Veronica was about to respond when a loud howl shot through the air as, from the skies above, a massive, humanoid, red dragon with dark red, armor-like scales with yellow markings, two large horns on its head, and a small tuft of red fur at the back of its head, landed on the ground with a loud thump.
Kazuma raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Oh great, what now?"
As the large dragon knelt down, Kazuma raised both eyebrows as a person jumped down off its back.
The person in question was an extremely beautiful young woman with long, scarlet red hair, emerald green eyes, dark brown dress that accentuated her large breasts, a long, knee-length white coat with red borders, brown pantyhose, just below knee-length, high-heeled boots with red laces, a red tie that fell between her impressive bosom, and white gloves.
Kazuma's eyes widened before he smiled widely.
Ddraig warned, 'Ah…Kazuma…I don't think that's-'
However, Ddraig's warning was completely ignored as Kazuma rushed forward and tackled the redhead in a hug, surprising and confusing everyone present, including the girl herself. "Rias! You're here!" Kazuma shouted excitedly. He stopped however as he had his head pressed against the redhead's breasts. "Wait a sec…" he pulled back and blinked curiously as he looked into the bewildered redhead's face. "You're not Rias…are you…?"
The girl looked at him surprised and confused with a light blush.
Kazuma immediately stood up and extended a hand to help her up.
She folded an arm under her bust in confusion. "I have to say, this is outside the norm."
Veronica merely watched in bewilderment.
Kirche frowned at the two with mild frustration, clenching her hand lightly.
The girl stepped back towards the dragon and cleared her throat before assuming a confident posture with a proud smirk. "My name is Rebecca Randall, and I'm here for Ddraig."
Kazuma looked around and then pointed to himself, as did Veronica and the rest of the school.
Rebecca blinked curiously and then looked him over. "I had heard you were the world's largest Maestro Dragon. Is that a lie?"
Kazuma tilted his head in curiosity. "Probably not…but what's a Maestro Dragon…?"
Rebecca stepped back in confusion. 'Wh-who is this person…? First he makes the first move on me…which is rather unexpected, and now he has no idea what a Maestro Dragon is…?'
Kazuma sighed and then looked up at the dragon next to her, narrowing his eyes. "So, what exactly is it you need?"
Rebecca asked, "I was told you were a dragon, was that a mistake?"
Kazuma shook his head, "No, it's true."
"I was planning on challenging you to face my Cuchulain, but not if you're just a human."
Kazuma narrowed his eyes and then smirked. "You wanna fight, huh? Fine by me." Kazuma closed his momentarily and then reopened them, his irises now red with vertically slit pupils before his body was engulfed in light that burst outward, eventually forming the shape of a dragon. When the light died down, Kazuma was in his massive dragon form.
Rebecca's eyes widened in shock. Her dragon was more than four times taller than she was, but Kazuma's dragon form was almost twice as tall as that. She stumbled back in surprise and then smirked as she hopped up on Cuchulain's back. "Now, shall we fight?"
Kazuma narrowed his eyes and, in a deep voice, responded, "We shall."
Cuchulain immediately rushed forward and shot a blast of fire at Kazuma.
The blast hit Kazuma but simply faded away, leaving no damage.
Rebecca had her dragon dive to the side but Kazuma reached out and grabbed it by the torso, before hurling it, and her, at the stage, destroying the large wooden platform as her dragon crashed into it, sending bits of wood and dust flying all over.
Louise screamed in confusion as the explosion sent her flying away.
This caused the crowd to run back, away from the stage as Kazuma lifted off the ground somewhat with his wings and rushed forward, slamming a foot down on the stage, smashing through what was left of it.
Cuchulain rose high into the air and sent many blasts of fire at Kazuma.
Kazuma merely opened his maw and devoured the flames as they approached him.
Rebecca narrowed her eyes as she stood up on Cuchulain's back, a magic circle appearing at her feet. As it rose up, her original outfit was replaced with a skintight purple and red leotard that had long, armored, red sleeves ending in gloves over her hands, a small section that came up the sides of her head, and thigh-high boots attached to the main outfit with thin straps.
Kazuma raised a scaly, hairless eyebrow as he noticed the huge lance in her right hand.
Rebecca smirked as she raised the lance in the air. She then thrust it forward at Kazuma, the spear becoming engulfed in bright light.
It smashed into Kazuma, sending an explosion out in all directions.
Rebecca smirked but then widened her eyes in shock as the lance fell to the side, and slammed into the castle below.
Kirche shrieked before jumping to the side swiftly, the lance slamming into the ground with a loud thud. "Ohhh…this is such a mess."
"Look out!" one of the other students shouted.
Kirche raised an eyebrow in confusion and looked up as a chunk of the castle fell down towards her. Her eyes widened as the fragment was too close to avoid.
The other students and spectators watched in shock as the rubble fell to the ground and sent dust and smoke flying in all directions.
Rebecca raised an eyebrow and noticed that Kazuma had vanished.
As the dust cleared, Kirche slowly opened her eyes and realized she felt no pain. She looked up and widened her eyes, seeing Kazuma standing right in front of her. "D-Ddraig…"
"Are you alright?" Kazuma asked as he dropped the piece of rubble he was bracing to the side.
Rebecca exclaimed in shock, "Wh-what just happened!?"
Kazuma stood up straight and turned to her as Cuchulain landed on the ground. "That attack nearly hit my Master."
Rebecca smiled weakly as beads of sweat fell down the side of her head. "O-oh…oops."
Kazuma extended a hand to Kirche. "Fortunately she wasn't hit so I don't need to hurt you."
Rebecca paled. "That sounds…very matter-of-fact."
"It is." Kazuma then turned to Kirche. "Are you hurt?"
Kirche shook her head. "No. Thanks to you I wasn't."
Kazuma nodded and then turned back to Rebecca with a frown.
Rebecca then paled. "Uh-oh."
Kazuma then walked towards her, swiftly returning to his dragon form. "Of course, we still have a battle to finish."
Rebecca nodded and extended a hand as her lance flew back to her grasp. "Let's finish this." Cuchulain then leapt into the air and then charged towards Kazuma.
"Of course, you almost killed my Master. So you must be punished."
Rebecca's eyes widened as Kazuma took in a large breath before sending a large blast of red and black energy rushing towards Rebecca, far faster than she could evade.
"N-no!" Rebecca shouted as the blast hit her and her dragon, causing the two to tumble to the ground.
Veronica watched the bout in complete awe. "He…defeated me in single combat and yet…still had enough power to defeat an Arch Dragonar…his power is…unbelievable…"
Kazuma returned to his human form and walked over to Kirche. He raised an eyebrow as he looked at her.
Kirche stood shakily, her breathing shallow.
Kazuma walked closer to her and she collapsed towards him, but he managed to catch her. "Hey! Are you alright!?"
"I…I don't know…" she responded through strained breaths. "I…I feel like my whole body's going to catch on fire at any moment."
Kazuma narrowed his eyes and picked her up in his arms. "Oy, pipsqueak."
Louise flew out from the pile of rubble nearby. "You almost killed me!"
"You're already dead," Kazuma deadpanned.
Louise twitched an eyebrow. "Fine. What?"
"How long has she been like this?"
"I don't know. I think after you beat Thunder Tits."
Kazuma nodded in understanding as he made his way towards the tower where Kirche's room was.
Louise tilted her head in confusion but followed after him regardless.
Veronica stood up and narrowed her eyes before walking back towards her ship, calling her soldiers to her.
Rebecca, however, merely lied on the stage disoriented.
In another area of the school, the hooded mage stood in front of the heavily sealed doors in the academy. She looked around as she heard and felt the ruckus from the exhibition.
She attempted to break the many seals on the door but was unsuccessful. "Damn," she cursed in frustration.
She made her over to a nearby window and conjured a small chunk of rock to descend to the ground softly.
As she did, the dirt beneath her feet began to move and rise up, forming into a huge golem. The golem smashed its fist into the side of the tower, to no avail.
The woman looked and saw Kazuma approaching with Kirche in his arms.
"Ddraig! Look!" Louise shouted.
Kazuma saw the large golem and snarled in frustration as he put Kirche down nearby. He then walked over to the hooded mage. "I'm going to go out on a limb here and assume you're not a student."
The woman hissed in annoyance as the golem attempted to smash Kazuma.
It was stopped as Kazuma shouted, "Susano'o!" and a black, ethereal, skeletal ribcage and right arm formed around him, stopping its attack.
Moments later Kazuma's Susano'o built itself up more before becoming a large, ethereal, black skeleton equal in size to the golem, with a pair of horns on its forehead and a pair of skeletal wings on its back.
"Wh-what the…?!" the woman shouted in surprise.
On the bridge of her ship, Veronica raised both eyebrows as she saw Kazuma beginning to fight the golem. "Just…how much power does he have?"
Kazuma grabbed the golem by the arms with his Susano'o and ripped the golem's arms off, causing it to howl. Ethereal skin and muscle tissue started forming from the Susano'o's eyes and wrapped around its body, covering the Susano'o in a supernal skin, giving it the appearance of a muscular man with shoulder-length, wiry hair, red eyes, and dragon-like wings on the back.
The woman snarled angrily. "I won't be stopped by you!" she shouted as she chanted a spell and sent several spikes of stone flying from her golem.
They impacted Kazuma's Susano'o and merely shattered harmlessly.
Kazuma's Susano'o reared up a fist encased in flame and thrust it forward as Kazuma shouted, "Fire Dragon Iron Fist!"
The woman jumped up as the flaming fist slammed into and destroyed her golem, but she then immediately sent a large boulder slamming into the back of Kazuma's Susano'o.
"Shit!" he cursed as he fell forward, the fist of his Susano'o slamming into the tower wall and busting a hole in it.
The woman smirked and ran along the arm of his Susano'o and into the room, grabbing an ornate box.
Kazuma's Susano'o reached out and attempted to grab her but she fell through the floor as she turned it to sand. "Dammit!"
"Ddraig, we will handle this!" one of the guards shouted as he approached Kazuma.
Kazuma nodded before sighing in frustration as his Susano'o disappeared. He then grabbed Kirche and vanished as a vortex appeared from his right eye and sucked the two of them inside, Louise rushing in right after them.
Back at the exhibition, everyone present is panicking as they had just seen part of Kazuma's battle against the hooded woman's golem.
Henrietta, concerned, turned to Agnes. "What's going on here?"
Agnes huffed angrily. "I have no idea, but I'll go check it out."
"No, please, stay here for now. We need to get these people to safety."
Agnes looked at Henrietta annoyed for a moment but then nodded and began issuing orders to the other soldiers that had accompanied her.
The woman produced another golem as she exited the tower and began to leave the academy.
However, as she let, Glenn and several of the soldiers with him surrounded her.
"You should surrender now. You can't possibly hope to defeat six Arch Dragonars," Glenn warned.
The woman smirked and swept her wand in front of her, sending a cloud of purple dust flying out in all directions.
Glenn noticed a strange smell and then narrowed his eyes. "Damn! This is…!"
Suddenly all of their dragons began behaving strangely before falling out of the sky.
The woman immediately used the chance to escape, breaking through one of the walls.
Shortly after the commotion died down, Osmond and several members of the faculty made their way into the room the hooded woman had broken into. Osmond looked around and then noticed a message on the wall that read, "Fouquet the Crumbling Dirt has taken your Staff of Destruction."
Osmond grumbled angrily before noticing the hole in the wall.
Outside, at the destroyed exhibition, Rebecca finally sat up, slightly disoriented. "Wow…that was a good hit…wait…did I lose…?" She looked around and saw the destruction as well as the many people running around.
"About time you woke up," someone remarked.
Rebecca turned to the side and saw Tabitha standing next to her. "You are…?"
"Tabitha."
Rebecca stood up and was about to introduce herself when she saw Cuchulain lying behind her. "Oh no! Are you alright!?"
Tabitha watched her silently. Rebecca then asked, as she was checking her dragon, "What happened here?"
Illococoo, in her human form, walked up to the two and said, "Ddraig beat you up and then fought some weird person in a hood."
Rebecca blinked curiously.
Kazuma appeared from another vortex inside Kirche's room, Louise popping out after he stepped out of the vortex, and set Kirche down on her bed.
Louise shook her head roughly. "Yeesh, what was that weird place?"
"I'll explain it later. I've got to take care of Kirche," Kazuma explained as his hand was enveloped in a green light as he passed it over her body.
Kirche's breathing continued to increase in brevity and continued to get shallower.
"This…it has to be…" he remarked before Kirche suddenly sprung up, wrapped her arms around his shoulders and pulled him down. "Wh-what?!"
As the two fell over onto the bed, Kirche ended up on top, straddling Kazuma.
"K-Kirche?" Kazuma asked surprised.
"I…I don't know, but…this simply…feels right…" Kirche remarked through shallow breaths.
LEMON BEGINS HERE
Kazuma narrowed his eyes as he raised a hand to her cheek with a small smile. 'So it seems I was right.' Kazuma waved a hand off to his side, causing a silencing barrier to cover the room, before pushing himself up and pressing his lips against Kirche's.
Louise blushed lightly and phased through the door, out into the hallway.
Kirche gleefully invited him in, allowing him to explore and feel every spot in her mouth.
Kazuma felt her breath hasten as his tongue massaged a spot near the back of her mouth, he could also feel her whole body tremble as he did. He moved a hand up to her blouse and slipped it in underneath her top and her bra, feeling her stiffened peak rub against his hand as he grasped the luscious orb tightly.
Kirche pulled away from him to moan loudly.
"I take it you like that?" Kazuma asked with a smirk.
"I…I…yes!" Kirche responded breathlessly. 'What is this?! It…it feels like my head is melting…'
As Kirche fell back on the bed, Kazuma reached down and continued his exploration of her mouth, his right hand dutifully kneading her breast.
Kirche arched her back as more tremors of pleasure rocketed through her body before Kazuma reached down between her long, smooth legs.
He pulled back slightly as his fingers pressed against her panties. He smirked lightly as he could feel her arousal coating the fabric.
"D-don't look at me like that," Kirche remarked, abashed.
"For someone who likes to act so lasciviously, you certainly embarrass easily," Kazuma teased. He pressed two fingers against the thin, soaked fabric hiding her mound and began tracing a line back and forth, causing Kirche to shiver and moan. He increased the sensations as he pulled the clothing over her bosom down and continued kneading one with his right hand and cupped the peak of the other with his lips.
"Aaahhhnnn!" Kirche moaned loudly as her body began to heat up from the multiple pleasurable sensations hitting her at once.
Kazuma stopped his tracing on Kirche's nethers momentarily and pushed the fabric hiding her entrance to the side and pressed his fingers against it. Pulling his face away from her pink-tipped orb momentarily he said with a smirk, "You seem to be approaching your limit faster than I expected."
Kirche attempted and failed to respond coherently, mindless pants and gasps being the only communication she was capable of.
Resuming his grasp on her peak, Kazuma slipped his fingers inside the quivering folds of Kirche's mound, feeling her insides wrap themselves around him tightly. He stirred around inside her with his fingers, while he kneaded and massaged one breast with his hand and sucked and fondled the other with his mouth. Soon Kirche belted out a loud, powerful howl as Kazuma felt her fold constrict on him, throbbing around his fingers.
Kazuma sat up and pulled himself away from her, releasing her mounds and pulling his finger out from her sopping hole. He looked at the fluids dripping off his fingers with light amusement. "Looks like you've already finished."
Kirche tensed before suddenly, to Kazuma's surprise, she sprung up and forced him onto his back.
Kazuma raised an eyebrow as he noticed her normally brown eyes had turned to a bright, deep red. After a moment's pause Kazuma's armor vanished from his body in a flash of golden light.
Kirche remained motionless for a moment as she looked over his toned body before her gaze landed on his expectant member. She smiled slyly before moving herself positioned over it, pulling away her panties and tossing them to the side.
"Well you certainly seem excited," Kazuma remarked with amusement.
Kirche seemingly ignored him as she lowered herself and slowly began to swallow his length inside, wincing as it spread her walls further than she expected. She stopped as his member was prevented from reaching further by her maidenhead.
Kazuma watched as she strained to sink herself further. He put his hands on her round, shapely hips and offered with a smile, "Why don't you let me help a little?" He lifted her up slightly and pushed himself down and then pulled her down and thrust up with a small amount of force.
Kirche gasped as Kazuma moved past her hymen and further inside her. Her expression of surprise quickly turned to pleasure before she began moving on her own, placing her hands on Kazuma's broad torso to steady herself as she moved up and down on the portion of Kazuma's hose imbedded in her, plunging it deeper inside herself with each drop of her hips.
Kazuma grasped his hands tightly around her firm bottom as he decided to put in some effort as well, thrusting himself upward in rhythm with Kirche's own movements.
Kirche's moans of pleasure slowly melted into mere gasps as her pace on Kazuma's length quickened as more and more of it dug its way inside, spreading the depths of her womanhood as it went, soon pressing up against the entrance to her deepest part.
As Kirche smiled widely with pleasure Kazuma also began to notice his own sensations strengthening as he stirred Kirche's insides, moving with slightly more force in each thrust, feeling the resistance in Kirche's innermost wall lessen with each movement.
Soon, Kirche began to gasp louder as the entrance to her womb began to open before Kazuma made his way in, the end of his shaft moving in and out of her deepest entrance before entering fully as more of him filled her.
Kirche's gasps grew louder and sharper as both her and Kazuma's pace quickened and Kazuma pushed deeper into her until she had swallowed him to the base, their mixing arousal splashing around them until finally Kirche dropped herself down sharply as she reached her limit. "Aaahhhmmm!" she cried in ecstasy as her walls tightened around Kazuma.
Kazuma grunted as the newfound, pleasurable pressure caused him to burst inside her, filling her womb with his seed, making her abdomen swell slightly.
Despite the second climax, Kirche looked down at Kazuma with glazed eyes and her lascivious smile still deeply etched onto her face.
Kazuma smirked slightly. "If you want more then more you'll get."
Kirche smiled as she continued rocking her hips on Kazuma's member, their movements now stirring the semen filling her womb, a small amount slipping out as the two moved back and forth from each other with greater speed and voracity than ever.
Kazuma reached his hands up and began massaging her bosom as it rocked and swayed from her movements. Kazuma smiled as she moaned loudly before gripping his fingers tightly on her bust and making one last thrust. "Here I come!"
Kirche howled in lust as Kazuma thrust as deep as possible, her walls contracting wildly around him as more of his seed poured out into her, swelling her abdomen to where she very nearly looked pregnant before the excess burst out from her entrance and splashed onto the bed. Kirche's head falling back, her tongue falling out as her mouth hung open and her eyes rolled back, her body twitching lightly before she went limp and fell back, dismounting Kazuma and allowing the large amount of semen from Kazuma to pour out of her and onto the bed, her abdomen shrinking to normal as it all flowed out around her, Kirche trembling momentarily before finally losing consciousness.
LEMON ENDS HERE
Louise slowly peered through the door and gaped at the mess in the room. However, her eyes focused in on the small pool of semen that was collecting on the floor as it dripped from the bed.
Kazuma glanced over curiously as Louise, either unaware he was watching or unconcerned, stuck a finger in the small puddle before sticking said finger in her mouth.
Kazuma raised an eyebrow in thought as he watched the pinkette. He then sighed as he laid back on the bed and closed his eyes before drifting off.
However, he noticed a familiar sensation as he drifted to sleep.
He opened his eyes and saw a massive, scaled, red dragon with green eyes sitting on a pedestal, chains extending from nowhere restraining his movement, which was perched on top of a massive tower, at the base of which was an endless sea of black of flames.
"So, called me here again, have you?" Kazuma asked.
Ddraig shook his head in response. "No, he did."
Kazuma turned around and saw a tall man with unkempt brown hair reaching just past his shoulders, a small, scruffy beard, and narrow dark eyes hidden behind an angular pair of sunglass along with a red-black, flowing cloak covering most of his body, with an upturned white collar with frayed edges. "Ah…Zangetsu. I can only imagine what it is you want."
The man, Zangetsu, narrowed his eyes in response. "What exactly are you planning to do at this point? You've made no effort to get back to the human world, or, Midgard as you call it. I'm curious what you're plans are at this point."
Kazuma shrugged in response. "Don't really have any. I'm just kind of enjoying dicking around here on Vanaheim for a while."
Zangetsu sighed heavily. "I suppose this is what you will be doing for a while, is it not?"
"Of course. Did you not just witness the past few minutes?"
Zangetsu huffed. "I try to separate myself from your escapades. I have to keep aware of him after all."
Kazuma narrowed his eyes in annoyance. He then turned to the side and saw a grinning figure standing nearby before he vanished from the area.
Kazuma was awakened from his light slumber by a loud, repeating, thumping sound.
He slowly opened his eyes and looked around. The first thing he noticed was that both he and Kirche were still naked as the day they were born. The second thing he noticed was that Louise was lying nearby, curled into a small ball, clutching her ghostly tail between her arms with a content expression on her face.
However, the third thing he noticed was unusual, the bed was completely dry, it didn't seem to show any ill effects from the previous night's escapades.
His curiosity at the cause was interrupted when the rhythmic pounding filled his ears once more.
"Ddraig! Are you in there?!" the voice of Veronica Lautreamont demanded on the opposite side of Kirche's door.
Kazuma twitched an eyebrow. "Ah, wait just a-"
However Veronica did not wait for Kazuma's response and merely forced the door open. She took a momentary glance at Kazuma and Kirche's naked form before noticing Kazuma's footlong. She blinked and then remarked in an even tone, "Impressive." She then turned to look him in the face and said, "Since you are awake-"
"That's too fast!" Kazuma shouted.
"Pardon?" she asked curiously.
Kazuma sighed as he stood up and snapped his fingers, his armor covering his body in a flash of light. "Nevermind. What are you doing in here?"
"I merely wish to see your living conditions," Veronica answered.
"Well I hope you realize this is not my normal situation. This is…unusual."
"Is it? I had merely assumed you were sleeping with one of your concubines."
Kazuma face-faulted. "C-concubine…?"
"Yes. Is that incorrect?"
"Nevermind. Look, I'm rather busy so I'd appreciate it if you'd leave."
Veronica nodded and left the room.
Kazuma scratched his head with a sigh. "What on Niffleheim was that about?"
'Not a clue,' Ddraig responded.
'Perhaps just more of the nonsense this world seems to have,' Zangetsu remarked.
Kazuma sighed and then turned to Louise. He narrowed his eyes curiously before looking at Kirche. He lightly shook the tanned young woman's shoulder. "Hey, it's time to wake up."
Kirche mumbled lightly before her eyes fluttered open. She sat up with a yawn and stretched before she froze. She then looked down in confusion. "Uhm…what happened…?"
"You don't remember?"
Kirche shook her head and then moved to stand up and get dressed but immediately lost her footing and fell, though Kazuma caught her before she hit the floor.
"Wh-what?" Kirche remarked in shock and confusion. "M-my legs feel…so weak and wobbly…"
Kazuma looked off to the side with a weak smirk. "…Yeahhh…let's just say last night got a little…energetic…"
Kirche looked at him in thought before her eyes widened in realization. "I had my first time and I forgot?!"
Kazuma slumped his shoulders. "Is that…really the issue here?"
Kirche then pouted in disappointment. "I guess at the very least it was something special if my numb legs are anything to judge by."
Kazuma helped her sit back on the bad and nodded. "You could say that."
"Could you give me my wand?" Kirche requested.
Kazuma nodded and flicked a finger, causing her wand to be hit by a small gust of wind and float to her hand.
Kirche looked at her hand in thought for a moment.
"Something wrong?" Kazuma asked.
"How did you do that just now?" Kirche asked.
"It's magic that I know. It's called Spirit Artes. Why do you ask?"
Kirche narrowed her eyes in thought and then looked up at Kazuma. "I want you to teach it to me."
"You what?" Kazuma asked, surprised.
"I want you to teach me that Spirit Artes."
Kazuma folded his arms with a sigh. "I hope you realize what you're asking. That's not something you can learn that easily. How about this: you get dressed and we'll talk about it."
Kirche blinked curiously and looked down at her nude form. "Yes, that's probably a good idea." She then turned to Kazuma. "You know, I'm going to need your help to get to class."
"What?" Kazuma asked.
"Well, because of our rather…impassioned night, or so you say it was, I can't really walk that well. And so I think acting as my crutch is acceptable punishment for making it so good I can't remember it."
Several beads of sweat fell down the back of Kazuma's head in exasperation. "R-right…"
After getting dressed, with some small amount of help from Kazuma, Kirche made her down the hall towards her first class, her arm wrapped tightly around Kazuma's as she slowly limped forward.
Kirche chuckled weakly and then turned to Kazuma. "I've never really felt this exhausted before."
"If you really feel that weak perhaps you should stay for today," Kazuma suggested.
Kirche sighed heavily. "Perhaps I should, but there's no guarantee that won't dip my grades even lower."
"What?"
"Let's not get into too much detail."
"I see…"
Kirche looked ahead as she saw Tabitha walking towards the two of them. "Oh, good morning Tabitha," Kirche greeted happily.
Tabitha nodded before noticing how Kirche was holding onto Kazuma for support and how she was limping. After a moment of thought her eyebrow twitched before she lowered her staff parallel to the ground.
"T-Tabitha…?" Kirche asked confused and concerned.
"Pervert," Tabitha bit shortly before a sudden blast of wind shot from her staff.
"Crap…" Kazuma muttered before the blast of wind sent him flying out the nearby window to the ground below, slamming into it hard.
"Ah!" Kirche gasped as she stumbled before tumbling down, though Tabitha caught her before she fell. "Tabitha…what was that about…?"
Tabitha shook her head and frowned out the window before helping Kirche to her classes.
Kazuma sighed after he pulled his head from the dirt.
"Do I even want to know what that was about?" Kalawarner asked as she looked at him curiously.
Kazuma grumbled as he sat down and propped against the wall. "To tell you the truth I don't know myself. Kirche's little mini-me showed up and then punted me out the window with some wind magic."
Kalawarner looked at him incredulously.
Kazuma tilted his head and raised an eyebrow. "What's with that look?"
"Knowing you, I'm sure you did something to deserve it."
Kazuma looked off to the side.
"What did you do…?"
"I…" Kazuma trailed off, "Might've pounded that redhead into unconsciousness."
Kalawarner sighed heavily. "Unbelievable. Do you have any self-control?"
"No. But that's beside the point."
Kalawarner looked at him confused and mildly irritated. "What do you mean?"
As the final class for the day came to a close, Kirche flexed her legs with a grumble. "Ugh, I think I might've preferred when they were numb. Now that the feeling's coming back they hurt like hell." Kirche groaned before slumping her shoulders in frustration.
Louise opened her eyes as she finally woke up from her rest and stretched. She then put a finger to her chin. "Is it weird that I'm a ghost and yet I need to sleep…?" After a moment of thought she shook her head and then looked around. "What? Ddraig? Kirche?" She floated into the air somewhat and looked around the room. She didn't see them anywhere. "Where'd they go…?" After a moment she flew out the window and out into the rest of the school in an effort to find the two.
Kazuma stood near one of the pillars outside as Kirche walked out of the tower. She walked unsteadily towards him before stumbling.
He caught her as she lost her footing and helped her standing. "You still seem to be rather weak in the knees."
"Hmph," Kirche grumbled, "It's all your fault I hope you know."
Kazuma waved a hand dismissively. "Yes, yes. I know. Come with me."
Kirche blinked curiously. "What for?"
"You said you wanted me to teach you Spirit Artes, I've found a spot where we should be able to train in peace."
"Train?" a new voice interjected.
Kirche and Kazuma turned as Colbert walked up to them.
Kazuma nodded. "Yes. Kirche has asked me to train her in the form of magic I use."
Kirche nodded in agreement. "Yes, it's quite impressive. He's able to use it without needing a wand or staff."
Colbert looked at the two in thought as they walked away. He furrowed his brow and then walked away as his thoughts stirred. 'Magic that doesn't use a wand or a staff…does such a thing exist…? Wait…' he suddenly stopped. 'There is such a magic but…it is only used by…the elves…' "He couldn't be…"
Kazuma and Kirche made their way to a small clearing a short distance away from the school.
Kirche looked around curiously. "What are we doing all the way out here?"
"I wanted to make sure we were training in a place no one else would see us. If this morning taught me anything it's that some people have no sense of personal space."
"What…?"
Kazuma sweat anxiously somewhat. "Uhm…nevermind. Let's move on."
Kirche looked at him unsurely. "Right…"
Kazuma outstretched a hand and passed a small, clear-blue crystal to Kirche.
"What's this?"
"It's a crystal that reacts to mana. The first thing we need to do is get you used to utilizing your own mana. I've watched how your wand-based magic works a few times. It does most of the legwork for you. It acts as a sort of filter, reacting to incantations and motions you make to perform spells, pulling mana from your body and then directing it outwards. This form of magic however, requires you to control your mana yourself."
Kirche looked at him bewildered.
Kazuma pinched his nose in frustration. "You didn't understand a word of what I just said, did you?"
Kirche sighed. "N-no…"
"Do you at least know what mana is?"
"Yes I know what mana is," Kirche huffed.
"Just had to be sure. The type of magic I use works by me controlling the flow of my mana through my body to where I need it to use different spells and then sending it outward. Your type of magic works by using motions in the air and incantations to form a sort of invisible magic circle that does all the mana flow automatically, without you needing to think about it. So before I can actually start teaching you any magic I need to teach you how to consciously control your mana flow."
"Is that what this stone is for?"
"Precisely. It helps to draw your mana out and can also help to practice control over the flow of mana since, if you flow too little mana, it will flicker or, if you flow too much mana, it will explode."
"Ex-explode…?"
"Yes."
Kirche gulped in concern.
"Now, let's begin with the basics and move from there."
Kirche nodded in agreement, albeit apprehensively.
In another area of the school, Louise continued flying around the hallways, invisible to all other people, in an attempt to find Kirche and Kazuma. "Ohhh, where are they!?" she shouted irritably.
After having no luck finding them within the school she decided to check beyond the school's walls, in the opposite side of where Kirche and Kazuma were.
She looked around the area in frustration before the ground below her darkened. She turned around and her eyes widened.
Kirche grumbled in frustration as the gem in her hand emitted a miniscule blue light that flickered weakly. "Is there something I'm doing wrong?"
Kazuma shook his head. "No, there's not. It'll just take some time to-" Kazuma suddenly stopped as he looked off to the side tense.
Kirche looked at him confused. "To…to what?"
Kazuma raised a hand slightly. "Stay here." He then vanished in a burst of speed.
"Whoa!" Kirche exclaimed, unable to tell where he went.
Kazuma reappeared in a different area of the school, atop a tree branch when he heard a loud, frightened shriek. "Louise!" He turned and saw Louise running. He then looked behind her and saw a giant, green, ape-like creature with four arms, black markings on its back, a hole in the center of its chest, and a white, broad, flat, human skull-like mask with two large flat sections pointing up and two spikes jutting from the lower jaw and red eyes. "Dammit," Kazuma cursed as he outstretched a hand. "Come to me: Zangetsu!" Suddenly, a zanbatou with a straight blade, beige hand guard and hilt with red fabric laced over the hilt and two light blue tassels appeared in his hand.
The beast reared up a fist to slam it down on Louise, causing Louise to bring her hands up defensively. She looked to the side in confusion as the monster's arm fell to the side, severed from its body.
Kazuma landed on the ground, holding Zangetsu, and turned to Louise. "Are you hurt?"
"N-no…what is that thing?!" she demanded.
Kazuma stood up and turned to the monster. "It's called a Hollow. And it seems it's hungry."
Louise blinked curiously and then gaped. "You mean it wants to eat me?!"
"Yes."
Louise merely trembled.
"Che, a Soul Reaper, eh. Wait, no, a devil, or, actually, what the hell ARE you?!" the Hollow asked in irritation.
Kazuma raised Zangetsu, parallel to the ground and pointed to the side as mana began collecting and swirling around the blade. "As far as you're concerned? I'm death incarnate."
"I guess that just makes you a meal!" the Hollow shouted as it prepared to strike Kazuma.
However, in the blink of an eye, Kazuma went from standing in front of the Hollow to aloft into the air above it.
The Hollow turned slowly to look at him before its mask cracked right down the middle, with a split trailing down its entire body. "…Damn…" The beast then disintegrated and vanished as Kazuma landed back on the ground in front of Louise.
Kazuma stood up, dispelled Zangetsu, and turned to Louise. "Are you alright?"
Louise looked at him shocked before tears began collecting at the edges of her eyes. She then jumped up and reflexively wrapped her arms around his torso, cryin.
Kazuma chuckled lightly as he put a hand on her head. "It's alright, you don't need to get that emotional, you're okay now." Kazuma tensed as he suddenly felt a strange sensation. "Wh-what…?"
Louis sniffed slightly before looking up at him. She was about to ask him something when her eyes widened as her arms began phasing inside of his body. "Wh-what's happening?!"
"Louise!" Kazuma shouted before a force seemed to pull her as she sunk into his body and vanished. "No! Shit!"
Ddraig laid quietly, the chains around his body rattling as he snored, before something caused him to snap awake. He looked up and gaped as Louise fell from the endless sky above him, shrieking as she fell. "Shit!" he cursed as he reached out as much as he could to try and grab her, but missed as she fell past him towards the sea of flames.
Ddraig sighed in relief as Zangetsu floated up towards the stone path, holding Louise, who know had a fully human form with two legs and was dressed in the magic academy's uniform with a brown cape, in his arms before he set down on the path and put her down.
Louise looked at him shocked and scared and then turned and gasped as she saw Ddraig.
Zangetsu looked up and said, "Kazuma, she is safe."
'That's good,' Kazuma's voice reverberated through the area.
Louise looked around in confusion. "Kazuma?"
Kazuma sighed. 'Look, it's a long story. I don't know how but now you're inside my mindscape, or, I guess, my soul.'
Louise flattened her expression. "It's creepy in here."
'If you knew my history that wouldn't be surprising. I don't really have the time to explain it all. But, it's very, very dangerous for you to be in there, so I'm going to tell you something and I need you to listen to every word, got it?'
Louise frowned in concerned but nodded. "Okay, what is it?"
'While you're there, stay close to Zangetsu or Ddraig and NEVER leave their side. Ever.'
"Who?"
'The red dragon is Ddraig and Glasses Guy is Zangetsu.'
"Oh, okay."
Zangetsu twitched an eyebrow.
Kazuma continued, 'Second, and this is the most important. Do not under any circumstances come near me. If you see me there and, for some reason you aren't with Zangetsu or Ddraig, RUN. Run as fast as you can. Try to find Zangetsu or Ddraig as quickly as you can and stay with them. I don't care if I tell you it's safe stay as far away from me as you can.'
Louise frowned fearfully. "Uhm…o-okay…"
'If you can do both of those until I find a way to get you out of there I'll explain everything. But I have to reiterate, stay as far away from me as you can.'
Louise nodded in frightened understanding. "Okay…if you think it's so important…"
Zangetsu put a hand on her shoulder and nodded.
In another area of Kazuma's mindscape, a figure sat on a small rock before smirking in amusement.
Kazuma, out in the real world, sighed as he put a hand on his head in exasperation. "Grr…fuck!"
"Ddraig?" Kirche asked as she walked over to him. "What's going on?"
Kazuma sighed heavily. "It's hard to explain. Let's just say I'm having an internal conflict."
"Uhm…okay. What happened to our training?"
"Unfortunately it's going to need to be postponed. Something else came up. We should return to your room."
Kirche frowned in disappointment but nodded in understanding.
As the two returned to their shared room, Kalawarner saw Kazuma approaching and put a hand on his shoulder. "We need to talk."
Kazuma raised an eyebrow and nodded. He then turned to Kirche. "I'll be there in a bit."
Kirche nodded and walked into her room.
Kazuma walked into Kalawarner, Sheele, and Siesta's shared room, which he noticed Siesta was not in, and closed the door. "What is it?"
"First, what happened with that Hollow?" Kalawarner asked.
Kazuma raised an eyebrow.
"We were both able to sense it right before it disappeared," Sheele explained.
Kazuma nodded. "Right. It tried to attack Louise and I killed it."
"Louise? That's the girl that died one year ago, isn't it?" Kalawarner asked.
Kazuma nodded again. "Yes. She's become a Ghost and has been hanging around the academy doing pranks."
"You certainly do seem to attract weirdness."
"Yeah. Unfortunately, that's the worst of our problems."
"What do you mean?" Sheele asked.
"After I stopped that Hollow from killing her, Louise wrapped her arms around me and then inadvertently possessed me."
Kalawarner raised an eyebrow and widened her eyes. "No! That means-!"
Kazuma nodded. "Yes. It means she's currently in there with him. I've instructed her to stay with Ddraig or Zangetsu at all times but even their power only extends so far. I need to figure out a way to pull her out as fast as possible."
Kalawarner put a hand to her face in exasperation. "Unbelievable. And I thought what I was going to tell you was bad."
"What do you mean?"
"The palace wants to blame Princess Henrietta for the theft."
Kazuma narrowed his eyes. "What…?"
"They're pinning the theft of this Staff of Destruction on her because some of the guards were pulled away to help protect her. Her advisers even told her it was a bad idea to return to the castle, but she did it anyway."
Kazuma sighed angrily. "That's bullshit and I'm sure we all know it."
Kalawarner nodded in agreement.
"If this Staff of Destruction or whatever is so important to these clowns then I'll just get it back for them."
Kirche then stumbled through the door. "A-ah, whoa!"
Kazuma and the others turned to her as she fell to the floor. "I was wondering when you were going to stop hiding."
Kirche brushed herself off and then stood up. "You can't be serious about going after the Staff."
"I am."
Kirche's eyes widened. "That's insane! You encountered the thief that took it, she outdid you!"
Kazuma hissed in frustration. "I'll admit that she did. However, I merely miscalculated and was hit in the back by a boulder. It didn't hurt me at all, but it's still the reason she was able to get the Staff. Regardless, I refuse to let those worms blame this on Henrietta. At worst I'd be the one most responsible since it's my blunder that allowed her to grab the damn thing in the first place."
However, their meeting was interrupted as Colbert walked up to the doorway. "Pardon me for interrupting, but Miss Zerbst, Ddraig, please, come to Osmond's office immediately."
Kazuma looked at Kirche who shook her head in confusion.
As the two arrived in Old Osmond's office they saw Tabitha was also in the room, waiting for them.
As they approached the desk, Kazuma asked, "Kana, why'd you and Sheele come too?"
"Kana" turned to him and folded her arms. "It's not like we've got anything better to do."
Kazuma shrugged. "Fair enough." Kazuma also noticed at least half a dozen other mages in the room as well, including Tabitha. 'Whatever's going on here must be big.'
Osmond silenced the confused lot by stamping his staff on the ground. "Now listen closely everyone. The palace has ordered that we retrieve the Staff of Destruction immediately."
Kazuma folded his arms with a huff.
"Something wrong, Ddraig?"
"No, but this just gives me an excuse. I was planning on doing that anyway."
"I see…" Osmond responded unsurely.
Longueville then spoke up. "I spoke with several of the people in town who all said they spotted a strange, shadowy figure in the forests just on the edge of one of the villages."
Kazuma narrowed his eyes as he activated his Tenshigan. He frowned in annoyance as he looked at Longueville.
"The villagers say that the figure has been entering and leaving a rundown shack in the forest repeatedly," Longueville continued. She then handed a sketch to Osmond, who then showed it to the group.
No one else made a sound but Kazuma nodded. "Yeah, that's Fouquet. The woman I fought with."
"Good," Colbert remarked, "I will send a messenger to the palace immediately and have soldiers ready to arrest her."
Osmond nodded in agreement. "On that note, it is imperative that we apprehend her. As such, I am requesting volunteers to go after and pursue her."
After several moments of silence Kazuma sighed in annoyance. "Well you already know I'm going."
"As am I," Kirche added.
Tabitha also picked up her long staff as well.
Osmond narrowed his eyes for a moment but then nodded. "Good. Then I suppose you will be the group to pursue Fouquet. It is especially good that you are in the group, Ddraig. As you have one-on-one experience with her abilities."
Kazuma nodded and glanced at Longueville again.
The woman shrunk back slightly, feeling discomfort.
"Also, Tabitha is a Chevalier, a knight who surpasses each of you," Osmond remarked.
Kazuma raised an eyebrow. 'That little thing is a knight? Well, I guess I shouldn't be too surprised, considering that little Ururu was about the size of a half-pint and hit like a semi-truck.'
"Not to mention Kirche comes from a distinguished military family," Osmond added. "And as for you, Ddraig. Well, I think we've already seen what you can do."
At that moment the door to Osmond's office opened as Veronica walked in.
Osmond and the others looked at her curiously. "Uhm…can I help you?" Osmond asked confused.
"I will be going as well," Veronica explained.
"What for?" Kirche asked.
"I must follow my husband always."
"Husband!?" everyone asked in bewilderment.
Veronica nodded plainly and walked up to Kazuma. "Yes."
Kazuma looked around and then pointed to himself. "Er…me…?"
Veronica nodded plainly, once more. "Yes. It is only natural. You bested me in single combat, and not only that, you then defeated an Arch Dragonar and then still had enough power to contest an Earth Mage. I will accept no other as my husband. And you will present no arguments."
Kazuma twitched an eyebrow. 'This is like Esdeath all over again.' He then sighed and remarked, "You know, I don't think it quite works like that."
Veronica frowned in disappointment. "Do I not meet your standards?"
Kazuma flinched as he suddenly felt all eyes on him. 'D-damn her…not only pulling out a question like that but…that expression…combined with that body and her normal expression…dammit…' Kazuma sighed in response. "No, no. That's not it. I'll explain later but for now we've got a thief to catch."
The others nodded in agreement.
"I'll guide you to the location," Longueville offered.
Kazuma nodded in agreement.
The group left the academy in a wagon, Longueville taking the reins, Kazuma sitting up front next to her.
The other girls weren't pleased when Kazuma asked Kalawarner and Sheele to join them on their hunt for Fouquet.
Kazuma folded his arms and glanced at Longueville. He then asked, "Longueville, tell me something, if you don't mind."
"Hmm?" she responded.
"If this Fouquet can use magic and all, why does she need to steal? Aren't all mages considered nobles?"
Longueville narrowed her eyes, noticing Kazuma's biting emphasis on "Fouquet". "Well, all mages are considered nobles. However, sometimes nobles can get removed from their position, not always for valid reasons. So some will often take up other professions to make ends meet."
"Is that why you're working for Osmond?" Kazuma asked.
Longueville nodded. "It helps that Old Osmond isn't particularly picky about who works for him."
"What got you demoted?" Kirche asked.
However, before Longueville could answer Veronica butted in. "It is rude to pry into a woman's personal matters."
Kirche looked at the busty blonde with a deadpan expression. "Are you really the person to be talking about that?"
"What do you mean?"
Kazuma gulped as he saw proverbial, and possibly literal, sparks fly between the two.
Kirche then sighed and leaned on the edge of the cart. "Ugh…this is boring…"
"Why did you come in the first place?" Veronica asked.
Kirche frowned in annoyance at her. "I'm Ddraig's Master. It's only natural he and I go to the same place."
"I, his wife, do that just fine. You are unneeded baggage."
"What was that?!"
Kazuma then pushed the two away from each other. "Okay, that's enough! I seriously don't need you two bickering at each other!"
Kirche frowned but Veronica responded simply, "Very well. I shall hold my tongue while we are here."
Kazuma nodded in appreciation. "Thank you. I've already got a screaming headache as it is."
Kirche twitched an eyebrow.
Inside Kazuma's mind, Louise walked behind Zangetsu as he moved through the halls of the massive tower.
"Uhm, what's with all these cages?" Louise asked apprehensively.
Zangetsu responded plainly, "They act as barriers between different parts of Kazuma's mind. His emotions, his memories, his fears, his desires. In order to prevent his mind from crumbling under the weight of them all he's partitioned them all into separate areas."
Louise raised an eyebrow. "That doesn't make any sense. Some of them have people inside them."
"In some cases that is appropriate."
Louise frowned in annoyance. "Hey, where are we going?"
"There are some on the lower level I need to keep an eye on."
Louise tilted her head in confusion.
Eventually the group made their way to the cabin Longueville had told them about.
Kirche, Longueville, Tabitha, Veronica, Sheele, and Kalawarner stayed back while Kazuma, turning invisible, made his way towards the cabin.
Kazuma looked around and saw that no one was around. He turned visible and signaled the others over.
"We should check for traps," Kirche recommended.
Tabitha raised her wand to check but Kazuma remarked, "There are none." Tabitha looked at him with a mildly surprised expression, noticing his Tenshigan right as he deactivated them.
Kazuma turned to the others and said, "Sheele, Veronica, on me. The rest of you keep watch out here."
The two women nodded and flanked him while the others spread out outside the cabin.
Kazuma, Veronica, and Sheele worked their way inside the cabin, searching around.
"Now Sheele, try not to-" Kazuma began but stopped when Sheele shrieked as she tripped on a broken board and fell face first into a pile of boxes. Kazuma sighed heavily and reached out a hand with a smile. "What am I saying? If there's a way to fall down you'll find it."
Sheele frowned as he helped her up. "That's mean…"
"It's also true."
Sheele frowned further and then began crying waterfall tears. "I'm sorry I'm so useless!" she wailed.
Kazuma hitched and then patted her on the head with a warm smile. "Now, now, you're not useless. Just clumsy."
Veronica watched the interaction interestedly before noticing a strange box in the corner.
Kazuma turned and noticed it as well. "That's the box Fouquet took." Kazuma picked up the box and took it outside the cabin, the others seeing him holding it.
"You found it?!" Kirche asked excitedly as Kazuma set the box down.
As the others made their way toward the group Tabitha heard something to the side and went to investigate.
"So…how do we open it?" Kirche asked.
"Why do we need to?" Kazuma retorted.
Kirche frowned in disappointment. "Come on…you don't want to find out what's inside?" she asked, pressing her bosom together.
Kazuma twitched an eyebrow before an explosion interrupted their conversation.
They all turned and saw another Earth Golem behind them, holding an unconscious Tabitha in its stony hand.
"Tabitha!" Kirche shouted. She extended her wand and sent a blast of flame at the golem, but it merely dissipated ineffectually.
Kazuma narrowed his eyes as he activated his Susano'o, the full black skeleton with wings forming. A giant version of the sword Kazuma used to fight Veronica formed in the Susano'o's hand as Kazuma used it to slice off the golem's arm.
The golem howled before its arm regenerated.
Kazuma punched the golem in the center of its body with the Susano'o, shattering it to pieces as it crumbled to the ground. He then shouted, "I know you're there! Come out!"
Kirche ran over and grabbed Tabitha before getting swiftly out of the way.
After a moment the thief that had broken into the school, Fouquet the Crumbling Dirt, walked out of the brush.
As the skin and muscle of his Susano'o formed, Kazuma looked down at Fouquet.
"So, what will you do with me?" Fouquet asked she raised her wand.
A sudden, loud, bang was heard as Fouquet stumbled back, before falling to her knees as blood seeped into her clothing from a hole in her chest before she fell to the ground.
Everyone gasped in shock and looked up to see Kazuma holding the Longtomb Special, smoke flowing from the barrel.
"We were supposed to catch her, not kill her!" Kirche shouted.
As Kazuma's Susano'o dispelled, he dropped to the ground. "Except for special circumstances I find taking prisoners to be a waste of time. We've got the Staff of Destruction back, so why don't the rest of you return to the school with it?"
Kirche looked at him apprehensive and curious and asked, "What are you going to do?"
"Dispose of Fouquet's body, what else?"
"That's…morbid…" Kirche remarked.
"Why not simply do so now?" Veronica asked.
"I want to see if her corpse leaves any information behind. After I've determined whether there's anything useful or not I'll destroy her corpse and return to the academy."
Veronica nodded in understanding.
Sheele picked up the Staff of Destruction but took nary a step before tripping and dropping the case on the ground, hard, causing the lock to break and the box to open.
Kazuma raised a confused eyebrow as he saw the "Staff of Destruction." "Now I'm confused," he muttered. He picked up the "Staff" and examined it. "This…this is a rocket launcher."
Sheele moaned as she stood up. "Did I break something again?"
Kazuma shook his head. "No, take a look at this."
Sheele blinked curiously. "What's that doing here?"
"Not a clue," Kazuma rebutted. "It's probably best we pack this thing up before anyone gets any funny ideas."
Sheele nodded in agreement.
After the "Staff of Destruction" was safely packed back in its box and the others had departed, Kazuma took Fouquet's body and rested it lightly against a tree, tying it up. He then snapped his fingers.
After a moment Fouquet twitched and then coughed furiously. She opened her eyes and then gasped when she saw Kazuma in front of her and tried to escape. She reached into her pocket but snarled after a moment.
"Looking for this?" Kazuma asked, holding a small silver wand.
Fouquet grit her teeth angrily. "So…what will you do with me? Kill me? Turn me in to the authorities?"
Kazuma stood up and shook his head. "I can't turn you in. Otherwise my master would be charged with being complicit in a criminal faking her death. I'll either let you live or kill you. That depends on how you answer my questions."
Fouquet trembled angrily.
"My first question is, what's your real name, Longueville?"
She froze as Kazuma flipped back her hood, revealing "Fouquet" to actually be Longueville, Osmond's assistant. "How…how did you know…?"
"I can see mana. And I saw that yours was identical to Fouquet's. That, and you have the same hair and same cup size."
Longueville's face reddened before she shouted, "Wh-what's that got to do with anything?!"
"You asked how I figured it out. Now, answer my question. I'm fairly certain that your name isn't Fouquet or Longueville. What's your real name?"
She frowned in defeat and lowered her head angrily. "My…my name is Matilda de Sachsen Gotha."
Kazuma put a hand to his chin in thought. "Based on what I saw on a map of this world, that means you're from the continent called Albion, correct?"
Matilda nodded in return. "Yes, it does."
"Now, next question. The things you told me, about having your position as a noble revoked and your sister, how much of those true?"
Matilda bit her lip and then sighed. "All of it. Well, partially. I used to be a noble."
Kazuma narrowed his eyes. "Now is not the time to scrimp on details. It could make the difference between that paint bullet being all you've been hit with or me shooting you for real."
Matilda winced angrily. "Fine…if you want to know so badly. I was born in the town of Westwood on Albion. My father was viceroy to Archduke de Albion, one of the highest ranking officials in all of Albion. My father was framed for crimes that the Archduke himself committed. As a result, my father and all of his family, including myself, were stripped of our ranks and reduced to mere peasants."
Kazuma sat down opposite her. "Alright, fair enough. So why did you take up stealing? Does it have something to do with this sister of yours?"
Matilda nodded. "Yes, though, she isn't actually my sister biologically. During my father's many meetings and visits with the Archduke I met with the Archduke's half-elf, illegitimate daughter." Matilda smiled nostalgically as she continued. "I grew close with the girl through all of our meetings. However, she was eventually pushed out when the Archduke's power became threatened when it was revealed he had an elven mistress, forcing my surrogate sister from her home and into the forests around the city. During the time that I still had access to the money and resources of my father, I spent a lot of time travelling to the cottage she lived at, giving her food and money to help her live off of and take care of the orphans she cared for. But that all stopped when my father was stripped of his power."
Kazuma nodded in understanding. "So, what's the connection to her?"
Matilda frowned in irritation. "You're not going to let me go with anything being unsaid, are you?"
She froze when Kazuma put the barrel of his pistol against her forehead, his eyes darkening in disinterest. "I'm giving you a chance to save yourself. Acting obstinate and not giving me adequate information would be poor choices."
Matilda gulped and then nodded in understanding as Kazuma lowered the weapon. "As I'm sure you've figured out, I took up this stealing so that I could continue getting money and supplies to her, so that she didn't go without. She's too precious to me to let that happen to her."
Kazuma kept his face stern in thought. "So…I'm going to assume you're not alone. As I doubt you could get all the information you have for all the crimes you've committed on your own."
Matilda grunted angrily.
"Since I'm assuming whoever it is you're working for has an iron grip on you I'll offer you this trade off. You give me every scrap of information that you have on these people, you stop stealing from anyone, and you act under my orders and with loyalty to me, and I guarantee that this sister of yours, once I know who she is, will have all the money and food she could ever need."
Matilda's eyes widened.
"I have vast amounts of wealth, far beyond even that of a large nation. I will dispense portions of it to her on a regular basis, along with food, and whatever else she may need. I will also keep your name out of the records and keep your personal record clean. I will not blow your cover at the academy and you will keep working as Osmond's secretary. You fulfill all of those conditions and I will ensure that you and this sister of yours are well taken care of."
Matilda stared at him in conflicted thought before answering.
And there you have the fourth chapter of Legends of Chaos: Dragon of Zerbst. If you enjoyed it, be sure to leave a review saying so. If you were confused or unsure on anything, let me know with a review and I will do what I can to address it. If you did not enjoy it, post a review if you must but might I suggest doing something you enjoy? That aside, until next time, buh-bye!