Chapter Six : An interrogation for this sword loving prisoner.
Part one
Passing out was the best thing that could have happened to me.
Otherwise, the pain from having a sword stabbed through me would have made its presence known once the adrenaline left my system.
When I regained consciousness, I felt someone's hands on my thighs. I immediately got up to see Claire halfway through with pulling my panties down.
"Claire, you've gone and done it now."
"It's not what you're thinking! You've been sleeping for two days now! Someone had to change your clothes!"
She said that, but there were multiple fresh underwear laid out on the bed. It seemed like she was having fun trying on different ones, treating me like I was some kind of doll.
I had a lot of things I wanted to say, but there were more important things to talk about.
"What happened after I passed out?"
"We've successfully retrieved Calibur and captured the thief, Sonia. She's in our dungeon right now. We also managed to recover all the stolen magic swords she had in her possession. What's strange is that a lot of these weapons have been unknown to us until now. We managed to get the thief to tell us that these swords were recovered from fallen heroes, slain by the demon king army in the past."
If we hadn't captured Sonia, the demon king army would have had quite an arsenal in their hands.
They probably didn't expect Sonia to fall in battle like she did, otherwise they would have kept them.
"So she really was a demon king general… Did she tell you anything else?"
"We're still in the middle of interrogations, but we'll likely find out more in the near future."
"I'd like to talk to her, but for now can you tell me where the others are?"
"They've been taking shifts looking after you, but they're taking a break in the lounge, now. Would you like to go? I can have food brought for you, too."
That means that multiple people had chances to play with my body while I was asleep.
I tried not to think about what Revi did when it was his turn.
Claire helped me walk over to the longue while my legs recovered from their extended period of inactivity.
My party was playing parlor games at the longue. Revi and Komekko-chan were playing darts, while Regina-sama and Rori-san played pool. Serena was there as well, but she was only watching Regina-sama play and cheering her on.
"Hehe… Don't beat yourself up, Komekko-chan. I'm an Archer, of course I'll have superior accuracy."
Revi gloated as he flicked a dart while looking at Komekko-chan, and still hitting bullseye.
"...! The Devil hates losing! Devil Boost!"
Komekko-chan made a devil arm materialize, which cloaked her own arm. Half of her face was also covered by a demonic countenance, one of her eyes flaring up with a red, ember glow. Using her augmented eye and arm, she threw the perfect shot and got a bullseye.
"Yes, I did it!"
"You totally cheated…"
"What? You used your class skills and I used mine. The devil thinks that evens the playing field, no?"
"You literally partially summoned a high ranking devil just to help you win at darts. Tell me how that isn't petty, you sore loser."
I chuckled at their antics, which drew their attention.
"...! Iris, you're awake!"
Komekko-chan was the first to notice me. She ran up and embraced me. I smiled and patted her head.
"I told you it'd take more than a sword to the gut to put her down. She's always been stubborn."
Revi was joking around, but I could tell he was happy to see mbe well.
"Fufun, that was a wild turn of events we went through. I'm glad to see you well."
Regina-sama smirked as she gave me a rare thumbs up.
"Aww… I had an idea about 'transferring' Revi-san's 'vitality' to help you wake up. Why couldn't you have stayed comatose for a few more days?"
Rori-san didn't seem as happy as the others about my speedy recovery.
"I'm glad to see you're well."
Serena said, giving me a slight smile.
"Serena here, along with that Zesta fellow, were the ones responsible for keeping you stable until we arrived at the castle."
"You didn't have to mention that, Regina-sama… Although I might add that I did most of the work, not that Zesta fellow. He also had ideas about 'transferring' his 'vitality' to heal the patient."
"W-Well, thanks for your efforts, Serena."
I didn't need to hear that last part at all.
"So, Iris, are you gonna tell us about what happened to your body? You got your original, overpowered self back, even though it was only for a brief moment."
Revi reminded me about the rush of power I felt after being stabbed by Calibur.
"I don't know… I felt like I saw memories from my ancestors, the past heroes who wielded the sword."
"This is interesting. Maybe that sword is the key to reverting you back to your original form? I'd like to inspect it some more, if that's the case."
I gave Regina-sama permission to study Calibur. If there were more Demon King generals as powerful as Sonia, I needed all the power I could get in case we encountered them in the future.
"The Devil also noticed that you retained all your current abilities. Does that mean you can keep your powers from both bodies, now?"
"Fufun... That was always a consideration, and one of the things I was looking for when I gave you two your temporary bodies. The transference and combination of abilities and class skills, I was interested in that subject. Heroic powers and abilities are inherited directly from one's bloodline and genetics, while skills gained from adventurer cards are kept in the soul."
I thought about what Regina-sama was saying. Was it always her goal to make me some kind of super soldier she could use for her own gain?
I don't think Regina-sama would try to take advantage of me, but she was a shrewd person. She wouldn't try to directly manipulate people, but if there was an outcome that benefited her and the other party, she'd actively try to pursue it.
"Well, more than anything, I just wanted to research it. Thanks for being my test subject."
I guess it comes down to that, in the end.
Part Two
After catching up with the others and filling my stomach with a good meal, I had Claire lead me to the dungeon.
"How's the prisoner being treated?"
"Well… We're not subjecting her to torture, if that's what you mean. She's been fairly cooperative so far, although she did keep asking for katsudon…"
The black hair, black eyes and her unique ability, [Overrule]...
All of these point to Sonia hailing from onii-sama's home country, Japan.
Although onii-sama confided in me that he didn't have a powerful ability or artifact like his fellow countrymen, all the immigrants from Japan have these traits in common.
People like Mitsurigi-san, who were famous adventurers who made a name for themselves in the capital, either had an ability unique to themselves or some kind of powerful equipment.
Also, what sealed it was the fact that she kept asking for katsudon while in prison.
Onii-sama once told me that there was that kind of custom in his home country.
"Actually, it's a bit anticlimactic how much she's cooperating. Once we got her the katsudon, she started telling us her secrets. Usually female thieves don't break that easily. We usually have to resort to torture, even the erotic kind…"
I feel sorry for female thieves.
Chris-senpai, please stay safe out there.
...Unless she's secretly into that kind of thing.
She did react strangely when I captured her.
Once we arrived at Sonia's prison cell, I found her sitting on the bed. She wasn't wearing the standard prisoner attire. She was wearing a hat with a long peak, and a long, black coat.
"...What's she wearing?"
"Um, it was one of her requests."
Upon seeing me, Sonia sat up.
"...Oi, stay away from this cell. I've been possessed by an evil spirit only I can see."
I don't get it.
When she saw that we didn't get what she was talking about, she hung her head. She took the hat off and tossed it away.
"Figures you wouldn't get it. Sorry, I've always wanted to try doing that. I even got to eat katsudon while in prison, too. I'm living the dream!"
Claire shook her head and turned to me.
"...She's been saying nonsensical things like this the whole time. Perhaps we should get one of her fellow countrymen to help us communicate with her."
"Oi, it's not like I'm talking in another language here. Why are you guys treating me like some kind of alien?"
Sonia said, letting out a sigh.
It didn't seem like it during the battle, but Sonia had a difficult personality.
"Listen up, prisoner. The princess has some questions for you. Make sure to answer honestly."
"Yeah, yeah. I've been honest this whole time, haven't I? Your lie-detecting bell didn't ring once. The only time it rang was when I asked if you were a virgin and you said you weren't."
"T-That never happened!"
Ring-Ring!
The lie-detecting bell activated after Claire denied Sonia's claims.
The record keeper jotted it down.
"You don't need to write that down, recordkeeper!"
"S-Sorry, Claire-sama, I'm just following protocol."
The record keeper totally smirked, although he did a good job hiding it from Claire.
"So? The Sword Princess has some questions for me? You're the victor and I'm the loser, so I'll cooperate."
"Thank you for making this easy for us. I promise that you'll be treated well as a political prisoner if you continue to cooperate."
"That's my goal, after all. Go ahead and ask your questions, then."
"Let's start with something easy. I know that Sonia probably isn't your real name, since I'm familiar with the naming conventions of your home country. Why don't we start with you telling us your real name?"
"Ah… We never even considered that Sonia was an alias."
Really, Claire, you couldn't even get her to say her real name?
"Fair enough. My name is Fukuhara Kuroko, but I prefer Sonia. I like fitting in with the locals, you know?"
I waited for the record keeper to write her name down.
"Tell us exactly why you were stealing magic swords from Belzerg."
"Isn't it obvious? We steal firepower from you guys and increase our own. It was my duty as a Demon King army general... Well, I say Demon 'King', but technically our leader is a woman, now."
"...Did the Demon King undergo a sex change like the Axis-cult always claims?!"
Claire said, leaping into conclusions on her own.
"No, it's not that. He pretty much gave the reins to his daughter. The former Demon King was never really passionate about the job. He was mostly concerned about keeping the barrier around the Demon King castle up, and the troops under control. He was more afraid of a coup than the kingdom, that's why he kept the demons busy with constant sieges to the Belzerg capital, which always led to a stalemate."
"So what changed? If the former Demon King was content with keeping a stalemate with us, he could have kept this war going on forever."
It was kind of an open secret that both sides benefited from the war. Belzerg was able to collect 'protection fees' from neighboring countries like Elroad, who were scared of the Demon King army's advance. On the other hand, the Demon King army was able to raid resources from Belzerg, whenever they went on an assault.
For some reason, the territory of the demons seemed to be afflicted by a curse. Their crops don't grow and even their domesticated animals suffer from disease. That was why they relied on war to gain resources from human countries.
Nobody knew the cause of this curse. It was even observed that lands recaptured from the Demon King army end up turning back to normal, and actually becoming more prosperous than before. Monster infested swamps and badlands turn to fertile fields, while poisonous rivers become abundant with freshwater fish.
Therefore, it didn't make much sense for the Demon King army to actively try and claim territory, since they would just spread their curse to any land they tried to conquer. Most of their wartime efforts were focused on raiding farming villages and small towns for resources, instead of annexing cities or claiming land.
Coming back to my question of why the current regime wanted to break this stalemate, Sonia answered,
"The daughter of the Demon King… Well, she's an ambitious and idealistic one. She wants to change the way demons have functioned for thousands of years now."
"What's her plan, exactly?"
"It's quite simple. She wants to gain power and influence on the neighboring nations. She'll try and capture Belzerg, which has a strong military, but isn't rich in natural resources. She'll sacrifice this military nation and use its strategic location to threaten the neighboring countries. She'll then demand resources and tribute from those countries, using the ruined Belzerg as her hub for military operations."
Claire and I exchanged a look. We'd never heard of the Demon King army being this aggressive before.
While the plan to sacrifice Belzerg and turn it into a ruined land sounded insane, given the handicap of the demons, it seemed like the best course of action for them.
You had to break a few eggs to make an omelet, after all.
"Well, her plans have been derailed somewhat, since you captured me and my arsenal of magic swords. That sucks for her."
"...You don't seem all that concerned for your previous employer."
"I only joined because I wanted to try out the Demon King faction, for once. I always pick the good guys side in RPGs, so I wanted to try joining the baddie faction for once. I went with a 'sneak' build this time, too. I usually go for some braindead frontline class, but I wanted to challenge myself."
What the hell is she talking about?
Onii-sama got like this too, talking about 'RPGs' and 'flags', and whatnot. I never really understood what he was talking about.
"Alright, for now I'll leave you off with one more question. What's the new Demon King's name?"
"Her name's Maouko."
Part Three
After interrogating Sonia, I went back to the others to talk about our plans for the immediate future.
We gathered in a tea room, where the maids served us tea and biscuits. Komekko-chan was happy to see the spread of cream biscuits with dried fruit on them.
Rori-san instead was partial to the tea. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the strong scent of the black tea before taking a sip.
"Ah… Getting to live like a princess sure is bliss! Hey, can we stay here forever?"
This is what I'm worried about.
"No, no, I've seen this pattern before. We have a lot of things to do, guys. First of all, we got a lot of information from Sonia. It seems the Demon King army will actively try to take over Belzerg now. We need to know what their next move will be, so we can counter it."
"Well, actually, the Devil has something she has to do…"
Komekko-chan meekly raised her hand.
"Eh? What could be more important than saving our country, Komekko-chan?! You're technically a Belzergian, too! Where's your patriotism!"
"I don't even know the national anthem, truth be told…"
I guess this is why they say 'Don't talk about politics with your friends'.
This is the first time I've ever wanted to hit Komekko-chan.
"I have a good reason! I received word that I'll have to go back to the Crimson Demon village to do an exam. If you remember, I skipped school because I'm a genius like that! Praise the Devil!"
I clapped for her.
"Whoa, impressive."
"...You don't sound very enthusiastic. Anyway, since the Devil is skipping the mandatory schooling for all Crimson Demons, I have to go back and do a final exam of sorts. I would normally start schooling now, but since I already know advanced magic and everything, it's a waste for me to go to school. If I pass the final exam, that means I don't have to go to classes and I can keep adventuring. It's more of a formality, than anything."
I knew about the Crimson Demon custom of having teens in Komekko-chan's age group receive schooling, but I never really thought about how Komekko-chan was skipping school, in order to hang out with us.
"Alright, I guess our plans will have to be delayed a bit, then. I'd like to come with you to your village, Komekko-chan, but I can't be away from the capital right now, and there's a lot of work to do here."
"The Devil understands! It'll be a bit lonely coming back home by myself, though…"
Komekko-chan made a brave smile, but she was obviously struggling to accept that she'd have to come back by herself.
I looked at Regina-sama and Rori-san. I couldn't afford to send them with Komekko-chan, since I planned to rely on their expertise in information gathering and espionage, to learn more about the new regime of Demon King army.
As for Revi… To be honest he's dispensable.
Kind of dead weight in the intelligence department, honestly.
Plus, he would just be a distraction.
With the new development in our relationship, he'd probably distract me from my work. One moment, I'd be looking over enemy movements on a map, the next moment, I'd be on my bed, shirtless, making out with him.
No, no, I couldn't afford that kind of distraction.
It felt a bit bad, but I decided to let Komekko-chan handle him for me.
"If you're going to feel lonely, how about you take Revi with you? It would make me feel better that you have a guy with you, anyway."
I just got done dissing Revi and all, but he was still a dependable guy, in the end. Sometimes.
"Hmm… But from what I remember, Komekko-chan's mother is quite troublesome when it comes to her daughters bringing men home, yes?"
Rori-san provided this useful input.
What she said was true, but her display of insight there was the reason why I couldn't afford to send her off on some escort mission.
"It should be fine! My mother isn't that desperate to marry me off yet. Our family is already set since onee-chan married into money."
...She said that, but last time, Komekko-chan was insistent on having Revi camp outside the village, since she was scared of having him meet her mother.
How suspicious.
"Hmm… While I'd like to go on a fun trip with Komekko-chan, isn't my intelligence and keen foresight needed here, in the capital?"
"OK, you two, go pack your bags. Make sure you don't leave anything behind."
I said, feeling confident in my decision to send Revi with Komekko-chan.
I wasn't blind, or anything. I could tell that Komekko-chan was really looking forward to this trip. She kept sneaking glances at him while she thought we weren't looking.
It seemed Regina-sama and Rori-san noticed, too, as they were chuckling knowingly at Komekko-chan's behavior.
As for Revi, he wasn't blind, either, but for now, he had his eyes on me. While Komekko-chan was sneaking glances at him, I caught him eyeing me more than once.
That was why I wasn't worried about letting him go on this trip with Komekko-chan.
But just for a little insurance…
After our little meeting, I asked him out on a date.
Part Four
After raiding Rain's hidden casual clothes wardrobe, I headed into the city with Revi in tow.
"A..a..a date!? I'...please treat me gently!"
He's surprisingly uptight, almost like it's his first?
Odd.
"Relax, you're spoiling the mood already."
To be brutally honest, this is the first time I've been able to wander freely around the capital.
Claire's not looking for me.
No guards chasing me down in a panic.
No overriding business to mind.
I'm actually free…
"C'mon, let's go!"
I take his hand, and take off on a run smiling, exploring the city I grew up in but was always walled off from. Revi's surprised but soon matches my pace just fine. Just when did he become such a good runner anyway?
"Hah, hey, where are you taking me? Oi, I don't know this town at all!"
"Neither do I!" I said, laughing as we ran.
We ducked into random shops, window shopping, gossiping, freely killing time.
"Ahh…."
Revi averted his eyes….oho.
Before us is the female undergarments section of this store.
Giving him a teasing smile, I get closer.
"Hey...pick something out… I'll wear it for you."
He blinked, wide eyed...then gulped audibly.
Getting a knowing smile from the female shop attendant, we perused the selection.
I had expected him to choose something brazenly erotic, but looking across the selection, his eyes landed on a surprisingly simple set.
I nod and smile, taking them to the counter.
I suppose he really can learn.
Humming as we walked out, I made him carry the bag.
He's so easy to read. Blushing, thinking about what's in the bag, and what I'll do.
Keep behaving, and you'll get your reward, lil puppy.
"Wana catch a bite?"
I ask, breaking him out of his obvious thought pattern.
"Ahh...well…what's good?"
That look…
Yes, I'm drawing this out. I want this puppy well trained.
If I can actually get this prince house trained, the future might be-
I need to learn control.
I'm a royal, a princess.
I can't allow myself to be led around by hormones and a few kisses.
That's what boyfriends are for...
We went looking for something to eat.
We went a couple blocks when something caught my eye.
"Oiiiiiiiiiiiii, I've heard of this before! Let's check it out, k?"
The place I saw is called a Manga Cafe.
I heard onii-sama talk about these stories with illustrations called Manga, which were popular in his homeland. He often talked about establishing some of these Manga Cafe, where customers could read manga while enjoying the comforts and services of a typical cafe.
I took Revi's hand and led him to the Manga Cafe. Inside, we were greeted by a cute girl wearing an equally cute waitress outfit. She smiled and greeted us.
"Welcome to the Manga Cafe! Please take a seat anywhere and we'll come to take your orders shortly! Feel free to view our selection of manga! If you don't know what a manga is, please read this statement from our founder, Satou Kazuma-sama!"
She gave us a pamphlet with an explanation for what mangas are, written by onii-sama himself.
We looked around and saw a bunch of couples like us, sitting on comfortable looking plush chairs set up around the cafe. There were proper tables, too, but a lot of the couples decided to cuddle on the plush chairs.
"This is strange…"
"Hm? What do you mean?"
"Onii-sama said that manga are normally for loners who can't get girlfriends, but why are there so many couples here?"
"Well, new types of businesses like this tend to attract trendy young people. Maybe that's why?"
I looked outside and I saw some shady looking guys walking past the Manga Cafe, clearly interested in checking it out, but once they saw the couples inside, their faces turned sour and they turned away. One of them even spit on the ground.
I predict that this place will be popular for the first couple months or so, but once the novelty wears out, then onii-sama's true intended audience will come in and become the main customer base.
I feel sorry for these cute girls in the service staff. Right now, they're enjoying the lovey-dovey atmosphere of cute couples flirting. There's beautiful girls and handsome guys sharing cakes and staring into each other's eyes. In a couple months from now, this place will smell like sweat and overweight dudes.
On the other hand, the servers will probably receive a huge uptick in tips from desperate guys who want to impress them.
Revi and I selected a couple of plush chairs to sit on. They were in the shape of two Giant Frogs. We smiled at each other as we sunk into the soft chairs. The close proximity sets up a romantic atmosphere, but I couldn't help but imagine the future customer base sitting in these cutesy chairs designed for couples. I imagined two greasy guys sitting in these cute plush chairs, their hairy arms rubbing against one another.
...Why am I obsessed with these hypothetical losers?
I already have my own loser right here. I should focus on him.
After a short wait, one of the waitresses came by and gave us a menu of things to order. I picked a melon flavored iced neroid with vanilla ice cream and Revi chose a peach cream iced neroid.
"Great! Your orders will be with you shortly. Now, can I interest you in any of these manga?"
"Do you have any suggestions? We haven't read any manga before."
The waitress took out some manga from the shelves with unexpected speed and presented them to us, her eyes twinkling in excitement.
"I'm glad you asked! This one here is about a Demon King who turns into a girl and has to join the Hero's party, while pretending to be a normal girl! The Demon King is all tsun-tsun at first, but then she comes to love the hero. Kyaaa~! Oh, this one is about a peasant girl who happens to resemble the royal princess. The royal princess gets sick, so the peasant girl is tasked to become her double, otherwise it will cause political unrest. However, a foreign prince falls in love with the disguised peasant girl, and the Demon King falls in love with her, too! Kyaaa~!"
The waitress blushed hard and squealed as she talked about the plots of these stories.
"Um, no offense, but it seems that these manga are aimed more at girls. Is there anything a guy like me would like?"
Revi said, while not looking very interested in the titles the waitress recommended.
"Oh, sure! There's lots of manga aimed at boys. A lot of them have very muscular men that spend a lot of time beating each other down with their muscular bodies and yelling really hard. The characters also tend to not have any interest in the female romantic interests, and are more interested in their muscle-bound rivals."
"Oh, wow! Yeah that's not aimed at women at all! A guy like me will enjoy that for sure!"
Revi picked a manga with a cover art filled with shirtless guys staring at each other.
"There's some more of these manly manga on the shelf over there, if you'd like to check them out!"
After picking out a pile of manly manga to read, Revi sat down next to me.
We sipped our drinks and enjoyed the manga we picked out.
We rested our shoulders against each other as we read in peace.
I enjoyed the companionable silence as we rested against each other.
It wasn't the most eventful date, but I liked the quiet time I spent with Revi.
I needed a little downtime after all the excitement.
"Wow, that was enjoyable. It was so romantic how the peasant girl still married the prince, even after he found out her real social status."
I turned to Revi. He was staring at the pages of his manga with a distraught look on his face.
"What is it, Revi?"
"...These manga are about shirtless dudes who don't pay attention to any of the female protagonists. They only have eyes for other shirtless dudes. Almost all of the chapters have at least one guy stripping off his clothes and showing off his muscular body, while staring deeply into another half-naked guy's eyes. They spend a lot of time yelling each other's names while grunting and groaning."
"That's the kind of thing you like, isn't it?"
"No?! Why would I want to see a bunch of half-naked dudes screaming and punching each other?! I want that!"
He snatched my manga from my hands. How rude.
The waitress came up to us and offered to refill our drinks.
"Are you two enjoying your stay?"
"Yeah, I like the atmosphere of the place. I wish there was a bit of privacy, though."
The store was packed with couples flirting. The waitress smiled and said,
"If you're interested, we do have private booths. They cost an additional fee, but if you'd like privacy, you can rent them."
Revi and I glanced at each other.
"Sure, we'd like to rent these booths."
"Then please follow me!"
The waitress led us to an area with a lot of privacy booths installed. She opened one of them for us and showed us inside. There was an empty shelf to place manga in, a table for drinks with a menu on it. Instead of plush chairs, there was a leather loveseat.
The waitress set a bell down on the table.
"If you need help or if you'd like to order, please ring this bell. Well, then, please enjoy yourselves."
The waitress bowed and left us in the booth. I noticed that there was a latch on the door, for increased privacy.
Revi sat on the loveseat and sipped his drink. I joined him. He coughed and picked up the manga he snatched from me.
"Hey, did you think I rented this booth just to read some manga?"
I smiled mischievously, as I placed a hand on his knee. I heard him gulp. He set the manga down.
I looked closer at his side-profile and noticed something.
"...You changed your hair?"
I noticed that he had changed his hair.
"Yeah, I got a haircut from Komekko."
Komekko-chan was really good at grooming. I bet she and her sister have never paid for a haircut in their lives.
"With your height and pale skin, and with the new style… You're legitimately a pretty boy now, you know?"
"R-Really?"
"Yeah, you're really hot. A girl might get turned on looking at you…"
"...!"
I leaned in and nuzzled his neck. My hand that was on his knee drifted down to his inner thigh.
"Iris…!"
He hissed out my name as I smiled into his neck.
"Don't worry. I'm not blue-balling you this time. We're gonna be away from each other for a few days so… I'm gonna take good care of you."
"Oh gods…"
"Did you just…?"
Part Five
When we got back, everyone was stunned at the change in Revi.
Ever since our make out session, he had a focused look in his eyes.
Calm, confident, and thoughtful.
A deep thinker…
Just who is this guy!?
"Iris, looking at this map-"
We were all in our little war room in the castle. After taking the intel Sonia had given us and updating troop dispositions, we were trying to discern our next move.
"Hmm, what?"
With his calm demeanor and his new look, Revi seemed like the kind of ikemen that girls would fawn over.
Normally, he was a hyperactive kid who acted awkwardly around girls, but now he seemed in control, with a sense of confidence and maturity in him.
I know that this feeling wasn't limited to me, now that I'm in a new kind of relationship with him. I caught the other girls, even Claire, sneaking glances at him.
It was a good thing I decided to send him off with Komekko-chan. I'd just get distracted if he stayed around.
These feelings could actually be problematic!
"Is Iris not paying attention? I said, looking at this map, the current lines and locations of our forces and the known demon king forces...and these caches Sonia pinpointed for us... I think we need to look…..Here!"
He pointed to a spot on the map with a small rod.
There doesn't seem to be anything significant there though?
"The lines as they have been? The supply caches we knew about? Those are a feint. The main body of the DK Army has withdrawn with only a skeleton force to keep our attention."
"Hah, how can you possibly know that?!" Asked Claire.
"Fufufu, perhaps our little prince should 'release' his burdens more often. He's like a wise sage now."
Regina-sama's intuition about the source of Revi's intuition was a little too on target.
I turned to see if Komekko-chan had anything to add, but she'd been staring starry eyed at Revi since we got back.
"Earth to the Little Devil, Earth calling! Oi, you got anything to add?"
"Revi is fine….I mean, the devil means, His answer is probably right! A stash of food there would provide for a lot of marching troops."
Claire came over and looked over our suspicions.
"I'm not really convinced, your highness. And we really don't have any extra personnel to go scout such an out of the way location."
"Well, that's because you're looking at them."
I stated confidently.
"Myself and Rorisa shouldn't have any issues getting through enemy lines. We can also get around without attracting too much attention, unlike an official military force."
Claire looked unconvinced though, but then Regina-sama chimed in.
"Ah, It's true Rorisa's skills lend themselves to the task, and If my servant and chief spy goes with you, child…"
Serena stepped forward and nodded.
Ah.
Between her little underwear flashing trick and Rorisa's illusions-
"We'll be invincible!"
"Fufu. As for me and Revi, we can go back and join you guys after a few days. This exam business will be a piece of cake for the devil!"
Komekko-chan was arrogant about the exam, but none of us could fault her. She's probably one of the only real geniuses in this country. That exam shouldn't be more than a formality.
"By the way, Iris, I'll need to head back to Axel immediately. Your brief transformation back to your original form gave me some ideas with my experiments. All my equipment and materials are back in our base."
I realized that this was the first time our party was splitting up, ever since we formed.
I didn't want to get too emotional, so I tried to smile through it.
In order to distract myself from the thought of splitting up with the others, I excused myself and wandered down to the dungeon. I thought that I could clear my head after getting some more information out of Sonia.
As I headed down to her cell, I thought about my decision to split the party up.
There's a few people I look up to in life. One of those people is onii-sama, then there's big boss Megumin and Chris-senpai.
There's also someone else that onii-sama used to tell me about, a girl called Dark+Angel that he used to be in a guild with, back when he was in his homeland of Japan.
She was onii-sama's disciple and learned a lot of tactics from him that let her become a prominent member of his 'MMORPG' guild.
I still don't really get what an MMORPG is but onii-sama had a lot of good things to say about Dark+Angel. She resonated with me after all the stories he told, and I had been looking up to her since then.
"I wonder what Dark+Angel would do in this situation…?"
I said to myself aloud, my thoughts spilling out.
As I said that, I was already in front of Sonia's cell without noticing. Sonia looked up from the katsudon she was eating and looked at me in surprise.
"Dark+Angel… Where did you hear that name from?"
Oh, right. Since Sonia was from Japan, maybe she'd know a prominent figure like Dark+Angel?
"My onii-sama is from the same country as you, Japan. He told me that he was part of an MMORPG guild. I don't really know what an MMORPG is, though. Anyway, he said in this guild that there was this girl named Dark+Angel…"
"No way… Even across an alternate world, I can't escape my dark past! Gahhh!"
Sonia hollered and grabbed her head, as she seemed to remember a painful memory.
"Tell me! Which one of those thirsty simps from the guild told you about this?!"
She then went up to the bars and shook it, demanding me to answer.
"Erm… my onii-sama's full name is Satou Kazuma."
"...Satou… as in XxX_JackpotSatou777_XxX? Known as the luckiest bastard to even play an MMO in history? The gacha god? The loot king? The #1 Raid leader?!"
There were stars in her eyes. She seemed to respect onii-sama a great deal. I understand completely.
"Yes, that is the onii-sama I respect. So his stories are true. Wait, so do you mean to tell me that you are the same Dark+Angel that onii-sama talks about, Sonia?"
"...Yeah, but please don't call me by that embarrassing name ever again."
I thought the name was cool, but I respected her wishes.
"To think that Satou would end up reincarnated in this world, too. You call him onii-sama, so is he a big deal here, or something?"
"Well, he did beat a few Demon King generals while he was an active adventurer, but that was quite a while ago. It doesn't surprise me if you haven't heard his name as a Demon King general…"
"...I do remember some demons talking about a terrifying Kazuma-led party. So that's him, huh? Why did he retire if he's that effective against the Demon King army? Don't tell me he got injured?"
"No, um… He got married and he has twins now."
I glanced away, not eager to talk about that part.
"W-Wow. Hearing about one of my peers marrying is kind of sad. Not only am I single, but I'm a political prisoner now, too. This is just like attending a school reunion and finding out all your classmates are married and own property, while you're still living with your parents."
She seemed to have a thoughtful look on her face.
"..Say, Iris. In terms of looks, how is your onii-sama? I've always wondered."
"He's dreamy!"
I'm not biased at all.
"Since he has a wife, I guess he must have some looks, huh? I always thought he was a virgin hikiNEET from how his voice sounded, but I guess that's not the case."
"Now I regret not hooking up with him while I was back in Japan. I didn't think he'd be this much of a catch. Well, he's married now, so it's not like it matters."
"Sniff… I understand, Sonia. As part of the girls that were left behind, I understand."
"No, that's not what I meant. I don't know why you're looking at me as if I'm your comrade, but please stop."
The rest of the night, Sonia and I talked about onii-sama, while she told me more about Japan.
It helped me take my mind off the party's eventual split, and I also got to know more about onii-sama's past.
With my worries fading away, I was ready to face what the uncertain future held for me and my friends.
Hoisu!
I'm putting extra um...special bits (as in greater then T rated) in a separate location "Special Parts Archaic Records of this Bastard Goddess!"
It's Rated M, you have been warned!
First but being an extension of the scene in the manga cafe!