Volume Three

Prologue

When I came to the Crimson Demon village with Komekko, I thought that it would be a relatively simple task.

"These two will be your new classmates. You two, introduce yourselves."

I found myself in front of a room full of Crimson Demon schoolgirls, all staring at me as if I was a strange oddity.

I was also wearing the male version of the school's uniform.

"I am Komekko! The Number-One Femme-Fatale Little Sister of the Crimson Demon clan!"

"...I'm Revi."

"Please introduce yourself in the proper Crimson Demon custom."

"I-I am Revi, the number one, um… I don't really know."

"...It seems you'll require a lot of work if you want to learn our ways. Very well, go and take a seat."

The admittedly very sexy teacher of the class, Arue-sensei, pointed to the empty seats. I couldn't help but stare at her open blouse, at the cleavage she's showing.

How am I supposed to learn anything with those things out in the open?

Komekko-chan and I were seated together. She took the seat to the right, I sat down at the left.

I looked at Komekko-chan, and she weakly grinned back.

"S-Sorry, please put up with it for a bit longer."

Just when things were getting good with Iris back in the capital, I, Revi Elroad, got stuck in this village filled with chuunibyou.

Even though all I wanted to do was make out with Iris all day…

Chapter 1

Part 1

I almost didn't wake up on time to leave for the trip to the Crimson Demon village. The reason for this was due to a feisty princess who wanted to do all kinds of things the previous night. Not that I had any complaints about her enthusiasm on the matter.

In fact, I found myself a bit disappointed when the festivities didn't continue until the next morning.

All that said, life for this Revi Elroad was shaping up quite nicely. I was finally in a loving sort of relationship with the girl I'd been crushing on since I was a kid. Even though we haven't really figured out the specifics of what our relationship was, exactly, I was still very happy with the arrangement we naturally fell into.

Yes, for yours truly, life was good.

I carried this good mood with me as I packed my suitcase with some clothing, not expecting to be gone for too long. The trip to the Crimson Demon village was a bit unfortunate, considering that the start of my romantic, lovey-dovey lifestyle with Iris was only beginning, but I couldn't leave Komekko-chan alone, even if she was only coming back home.

Times were getting more dangerous, with the Demon King army acting up again. We couldn't afford to go off alone, in our own tasks, without accompanying one another.

Speaking of Komekko-chan…

She was at the breakfast table, consuming a lot of food, as usual. I used to wonder where exactly those calories went, until I started being personally trained by her. I started wondering if she was getting enough calories instead, with the type of workouts she subjected herself to.

"Ah, good morning, Revi! Ready for our trip?"

Komekko-chan said, smiling as I took my seat across from her. A maid set my plate and utensils in front of me, as well as a cup of coffee.

"Yeah, I think I'm ready. Where's the others? Did they already leave on their mission?"

"Yeah, you just missed them. Iris was really motivated, so they left as soon as they were ready."

Considering the fact that we made out for a long time the previous night, I wondered where Iris was getting all that energy. Perhaps that's the quality of a maiden in love.

Speaking of maidens in love…

I looked at Komekko-chan carefully.

"Hm? What is it? Something on my face?"

There was a lot of pancake stuck on her face, in fact, held together by a sugary adhesive called maple syrup, but that wasn't why I was staring at her.

I, Revi Elroad, am not a fool who doesn't notice the affections of the women around me.

I had been noticing that I was becoming god's gift to women, and that the mood between me and my female companions were changing.

Before Iris started drooling for my handsome, humble self, Komekko-chan wasn't exactly shy in showing her interest towards me.

There was that date we had in Axel, when she disguised herself with a wig, and there was that moment we had in the closet during the slumber party.

However, due to the developments I had with Iris, my attention had been solely fixed on Iris. That isn't to say that Komekko-chan became an afterthought, but my time and attention got sucked up by Iris, among other things.

This left me in a bit of a predicament.

Komekko-chan could probably sense that the mood between Iris and I got stronger, but she probably didn't know the extent of it. Otherwise, she wouldn't be happily smiling at me without a care, while pancake bits were stuck to her face.

"Komekko-chan, perhaps we should talk…"

"Hm? About what?"

Komekko-chan said, smiling innocently.

"...Nevermind."

"Oh, then I'll go back to eating."

I couldn't say anything while she smiled at me with such innocence.

Besides, she was about to take an exam that would let her skip schooling. I didn't want to distract her needlessly.

This was the excuse I went with.

"So, Komekko-chan is quite confident about the exam, yes?"

"Yup, the Devil can already use advanced magic, and even devil summoning magic. This exam will be a piece of cake."

She took a slice of strawberry shortcake and shoved it into her mouth, to prove a point.

"I don't know anything about magic. What kinds of things do you think will be on the exam?"

"I guess they'd want us to explain how magic works, like how to shoot a fireball and stuff."

"Actually, how does one go about launching fiery balls of death, anyway?"

"It comes to me by instinct, it's hard to explain."

When it came to geniuses, I guess things were so easy to them that it's a chore to explain in layman terms.

Since she was this confident, I didn't need to worry about the exam. I'd be surprised if we had to stay in the village for more than a day. Maybe we'd have to stay for a couple more days if Komekko-chan wanted to spend time with her parents.

On the topic of geniuses, I asked Komekko-chan about something I was wondering about.

"Hey, Komekko-chan, I heard a lot of good things about your village's magic item craftsman. Do you think I'll be able to get some cool equipment there, like magic ammunition, or maybe even a new magic crossbow?"

"Hmm… In terms of magic weapons, they don't really make things like ranged weapons, because it's not cool and we don't have a need for them. Swords are manlier… Ah, not that I'm saying Revi isn't cool or manly! That's just the way Crimson Demons think!"

"R-Right…"

I tried not to take offense by having my weapon of choice insulted to my face.

"So the Crimson Demon clan uses swords?"

This was the first time I heard of it.

"Not necessarily in combat all the time, but since swords are cool, some of us practice and spar with them. The Devil is also talented with the sword too, you know? The Devil is undefeated in the village so far!"

She crossed her arms over her chest, nodding with a proud smile on her face.

"How impressive. You're certainly a multi-talented Devil."

"Hehe, you're really quite the honest person, Revi! It's good to always tell the truth!"

Once again, Komekko-chan proved to be an easy person to please.

Part Two

Once Komekko-chan was extracted from the pancakes, and the pancake bits were extracted from her face, we decided it was time to teleport to the Crimson Demon village.

"Ready to go?"

I nodded, as Komekko-chan held my hand and started the incantation for teleport magic,

"...Spirits of space… drag us through the veil of… something… may we end up in the destination and stuff… Teweport!"

Is that really how the incantation goes?

And I'm pretty sure she stuttered when saying the name of the spell.

I was a bit worried, but the spell ended up working correctly. We ended up in the forest outside the village.

"It's nice to be home again!"

Komekko-chan said, as she breathed in the fresh air around us.

"Ah, the mana quality in the air feels great!"

"Is there actually mana in the air that you can breathe?"

"No, but I thought it sounded cool, so I said it."

She was already behaving more like a Crimson now that we arrived in her hometown.

"Halt, intruders! State your names and your business!"

"...!"

Appearing from out of nowhere, a group of Crimson Demons came out to stop us.

"Fuu… It hasn't been long since I left you. Don't tell me you've forgotten the face of your master?"

Komekko-chan said, with an ominous voice, as she covered half of her face with a hand, one red eye peeking out.

"...! Oi, Komekko-chan, since when did you become our master? Please don't randomly add new things to our personal lore!"

"That's right, it ruins our immersion!"

"If you can't play nice, then we'll stop doing this segment with you!"

So they're admitting that this is all just an act?

"You say that you don't want the Devil to ruin your immersion, but why should a powerful being like the devil act like the role of a princess? I'm not a kid anymore!"

Komekko-chan stomped her foot childishly.

"...Soketto-san is too old to play the part of the 'Red Princess', so by default, Komekko-chan should… Gack!"

The girl who must be this Soketto-san gave the guy insulting her a chop to the head with a wooden sword.

"In any case, you must have come for your exam, Komekko-chan. Who is this guy?"

The guy who got hit pointed to me.

"This is Revi, one of my party members. Now, I want to get this exam business over with, so go ahead and play among yourselves."

Komekko-chan shooed them off as if they were nuisances.

"Sniff… Your Buzucoily-nii misses the days when you were happily following me around and saying cute things like 'The Devil wants to marry Buzucoily-nii when I'm older'!"

"...Stop making things up."

The group of Crimson Demons headed out after Komekko-chan dismissed them.

"The Crimson Demons are interesting like always."

I remarked, watching them cast invisibility magic on themselves as they walked away.

"Don't say that, or those NEETs will get excited again. Come on, let's go to

Komekko-chan led me into the village. There was a big difference from the capital, as houses in general were much smaller and there were less people crowding the street. I liked the slow atmosphere, though, having been raised in a populous area my whole life.

Axel, my second home, was still a rather busy town, despite having a smaller population than Elroad or Belzerg's capital. The village atmosphere was very new to me.

"My house is this way. The exam is scheduled for tomorrow, so we can relax here for now."

Komekko-chan pointed to a simple two-story house. It looked newer than the surrounding houses. She knocked on the door and we heard a woman calling out to us.

"Yes, one second please."

A woman answered the door. She looked like an older version of Komekko-chan and her sister, although her features were still quite young. She didn't even have any laugh lines or wrinkles. She could pass off as an older sister of theirs. The only thing that indicated her age was the housewife-look she had on, a neat apron over a casual dress.

I couldn't help but imagine Komekko-chan in similar clothes, acting like a housewife, doing things like answering the door and calling me 'dear husband'.

If she gives me the classic question of "Would you like a bath, dinner, or me?", I would answer enthusiastically, "I want to have you for dinner in the bath".

Thinking about another girl in erotic scenarios while currently in a romantic arrangement with Iris, I became quite the dangerous playboy.

"The Devil has arrived home again, mother."

"Oh, my! This is a surprise!"

"...But I told you I'd be home for my exam."

"Yes, but you didn't tell me you'd bring this handsome young man with you!"

I gave Komekko-chan's mother my best smile.

"Good day, madam. Is your husband home today?"

"I'm sorry, sir, I'm just the maid. If my husband owes you some sort of debt…"

She suddenly switched her behavior.

My attempt to flirt with this beautiful housewife was shut down.

Or, rather, she seemed to have a misunderstanding.

Also, Komekko-chan already called her 'mother', yet she was pretending to be the maid. If I was really a debt collector, she'd be in serious trouble.

"This is Revi, my party member. He's not a debt collector, mother."

"Oh, my! To think my daughter has such a handsome party member!"

I guess she's not the maid anymore.

"Revi, this is my mother, Yuiyui."

"Nice to meet you, madam. I shouldn't be surprised that Komekko-chan's mother is so beautiful."

"Ah, thank you very much for the compliment! Please, come in."

Yuiyui-san chuckled and stepped aside for us.

"I made lunch, so I hope you two are hungry."

Yuiyui-san led us into the kitchen. She had us sit by a round table as she took a steaming pot from the counter and placed it down in front of us. She opened the lid and revealed the lobsters inside.

"Oh…! That looks good!"

"I guess the monthly allowance from Kazuma nii-chan came in?"

"Indeed. Now, eat up you two! Especially you, Komekko. You have a big exam tomorrow."

"You already know that exam won't be any trouble for me."

"It's still good to be prepared!"

Yuiyui-san brought out saucers with different kinds of accompaniments for the lobsters. I saw melted butter and garlic, soy sauce, a sweet and sour sauce, and some lemon juice.

Komekko-chan eagerly dug into the meal, while I ate at a more refined pace.

"So, Revi-san, why don't you tell me about yourself?"

"Hmm… What do you want to know?"

"How about you tell me what your role is in the party?"

I'm the party piggy bank, I guess.

But I didn't want to give the madam the impression that I was some spoiled brat who couldn't pull his weight in a fight.

"Well, I have the Archer class and I use crossbows."

"Oh… I see."

She looked at me with disappointed eyes.

"D-Does the madam have a problem with my class?"

"Ah, don't get me wrong, I'm not discriminatory towards different classes. It's just that spellcasters do the same thing Archers do but on a better scale, yes? And plus, mana doesn't cost money like ammunition does. Furthermore, you're an Archer but you can't even use a bow and you rely on crossbows? Ah, I don't mean any offense!"

She said she didn't mean any offense, but I felt pretty offended!

"Hold on! It's not like I use normal ammunition, madam! I use magic bolts!"

The madam gave me a look of pity.

"You have to spend money to cast the most basic spells? What a pity."

Komekko-chan glared at her mother after licking the butter from her fingers.

"Mother, you shouldn't be so critical of Revi! Just because he has an inferior class, it doesn't mean you should mock him! I've been teaching him self-defense recently, so he can defend himself when he runs out of ammo."

Is that what those self-defense classes are for?!

I got a bad feeling when Komekko-chan was telling me about why the Crimson Demon craftsmen don't sell any magically enhanced archery equipment.

It turns out that Crimson Demons look down on archery in general.

Of course, as a clan who can manifest fireballs and blizzards with just a few words, someone who shoots steel-tipped sticks in battle must seem like a fool.

"Ah, don't get me wrong! Revi is really dependable when it comes to combat! He's a good secondary damage dealer, and since he doesn't need to conserve his mana, he probably deals more consistent damage than me."

"You're so nice, Komekko-chan. It's good to be nice to your teammates!"

This madam is totally looking down on me!

For the sake of my pride, I have to improve her image of me…!

"Madam, since you doubt my abilities so much, how about we have a little competition?"

"Ara?"

The madam and Komekko-chan both looked at me quizzically, wondering what I was talking about.

Part Three

"This place should be good."

Komekko-chan said, as she took us to a place in the woods, which some Crimson Demons supposedly used as a practice area for their spells. There were target marks and scorched patches of grass on the ground.

"I don't think this is really necessary. No offense, but there's no way that archery can surpass magic."

Yuiyui-san sighed. She placed a hand on her cheek as she looked at me with pity in her eyes.

"I'll make you acknowledge me, madam! Komekko-chan, you be the judge. We will both display our strongest attacks on that tree over there. Whoever does the most damage to the tree wins!"

"...You sure you want to do this, Revi?"

"Yes, I'm sure!"

I took out my crossbow and displayed it proudly.

"Impressive, isn't it? This crossbow is quite expensive…"

"But couldn't you just buy a high-grade magic staff for the same price? It'd be more effective, too."

This madam is quite hard to impress.

"Alright, I guess Revi can go first, and mother, you can go second."

"That's fine with me."

With the turn orders set, I readied my crossbow.

I loaded in my strongest, most expensive bolt. It was probably overkill to resort to using my secret weapon just to show off, but my pride was at stake.

"Fire Bolt!"

I released the magic bolt. When it hit the trunk of the tree, the bolt released a surge of fire that spread throughout the tree. Komekko-chan immediately doused the flames with water magic.

"Heh. How was that?"

"Ehh… I guess it's stronger than the ordinary Tinder spell? It's not as strong as the Intermediate level Fireball, though. And it probably cost you a lot of money, right?"

I couldn't argue against her.

"T-Then let's see what the madam can do!"

"Hmm… The tree is wet, so it'll be hard to set it on fire. I guess I can't use fire magic. Oh, well. Disintegrate."

She pointed at the tree, and then it vanished, reduced to atoms.

"..."

"Ah, that isn't good. We should be kind to the environment. Nature Growth."

The tree grew before my eyes, as if nothing happened to it. Yuiyui-san wiped sweat from her brow.

"W-Wah…"

I couldn't believe how broken magic was compared to archery!

Out of the long ranged classes, magic users are the superior option, while archers are pretty much people who can't use magic!

Look at what archers have to do to mimic even a fraction of their power!

"Phew… Using two high-level spells in a row is quite exhausting. Let's go back now."

"Y-Yes…"

Komekko-chan gave me a sad look. She placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Don't take it personally, Revi. There are only a few select Arch-Wizards, and I'm pretty sure almost all of them live in this village. I'm sure that you'll perform evenly compared to a normal spell caster."

I guess that compared to this clan full of unfairly broken mages, anyone else looks irrelevant.

"Ah… I feel bad now for teasing Revi-san too much. Us Crimson Demons get too competitive sometimes."

"I understand, mother. The blood of the Crimson Demons flows strongly in our family."

We started heading back to the house. Komekko-chan was reassuring me the whole time.

When we returned, I looked around again and noticed that Komekko's father really wasn't home.

"...Where's your husband, madam?"

"My husband is a magic item craftsman, and he's testing an extremely dangerous magical component and needs to be away from society for a while…"

"So, you guys had a spat again, huh?"

Komekko-chan immediately deciphered her mother's cryptic wording.

We went into the living room, where Yuiyui-san served us some after-meal tea.

"So, what has your party been up to recently, Komekko-chan?"

"Fufu. Well, recently, we fought against a Phantom Thief who has a collection of legendary swords."

"Oh, so a panty thief stole your panties when you hung them up to dry? That sounds awful."

"No… I'm not trying to make an elaborate fantasy story like you just did, mother. That's actually what happened!"

"Oh, so did I get the story wrong? Did your Kazuma nii-san finally cross the line and steal your panties…?"

"No, but that scenario does seem pretty realistic, so I don't blame you."

If I wasn't scared of this Kazuma nii-san, I'd give him a stern talking to.

"So, Revi-san, how about you tell us how you met Komekko and how you formed the party?"

Yuiyui-san changed the subject, since it wasn't going anywhere.

Maybe I can redeem myself a little here by telling her about how our great party started.

"Well, you see, me and the other original party founder, the princess of this country, encountered a dark goddess who wanted us to go on this quest. She gave us these fake bodies we could use while we went on that quest of hers, so people wouldn't be able to identify us. Along the way, we then recruited Komekko-chan and a succubus to assist us on our quest…"

"Oh, my! I see you've picked up on our speech patterns! How impressive, Revi-san!"

"No, that's actually what happened. I can switch from my real body to my fake body, look."

I changed over to my green haired form.

"Oh, wow! So you can cast illusion magic! Maybe you should focus on illusion magic from now on instead of archery!"

For the first time since I met her, the madam actually looks impressed.

"It's not an illusion. I can really switch bodies…"

"Oh… I see. Then do your transformations give you any new abilities or powers?"

"No, not really. It just changes my hair color I guess."

Iris's case was different, though.

"Then what's the point of having an extra body?"

"I guess it acts as an extra life in case I'm in danger."

"I guess archers have to worry about that kind of stuff, huh?"

This madam is too cruel.

I heard that Komekko's family was poor before, but after Kazuma-san helped them, they were now living in a decent house and even eating lobster for lunch.

I doubt she'd be impressed if I took out some Eris and showed them off.

Oh, I know…!

"Madam, I might as well tell you this, but I'm actually Revi Elroad, a prince of a prosperous neighboring kingdom…"

"Ah, another prince has come to send a marriage offer for Komekko? We've been getting a lot of those recently…"

She wasn't impressed at all.

And I understand that Komekko-chan is quite the catch, but are there really so many foreign princes trying to woo her?

I hung my head in defeat.

Komekko-chan came over to comfort me, patting me on the head.

"Mother, Revi really is a great guy! Stop being so critical of him!"

"Ah, I really don't mean to! I'm sorry, Revi-san…"

She was apologizing to me, but my ego was already wounded.

Part Four

We spent the rest of the day in the house. Komekko-chan and the madam spent some time catching up. I went to the guest room assigned to me and unpacked the light luggage I brought along.

I didn't think that my first impression with Komekko's mother would turn out that badly.

With my pride in shatters, I decided that I needed a drink. I went out to the living room, where Komekko-chan and the madam were still talking.

"...Madam, is there a bar somewhere in this village?"

"Ah, we do have one. It's called the 'Succubus Lingerie Pub'. Are you planning to go there, Revi-san?"

Komekko-chan and the madam stared at me, waiting for me to answer.

W-Why is the pub named like that?!

If I say yes, even though I don't really want to go to a nudie bar, they'll still look at me in a judgemental way!

I just want a drink!

"A-Are there no other drinking establishments in this place?"

"I'm afraid that's the only one in the village. So, do you plan to go to the 'Succubus Lingerie Pub'?"

She didn't need to repeat it.

"I-I'll be back before supper…"

I decided to man up and walk out the door with dignity.

...In any case, the name 'Succubus Lingerie Pub' caught my interest a little bit, I won't lie.

I imagined Rori-san and a bunch of other succubi serving me drinks, while wearing sexy lingerie.

W-What a glorious image.

However, when I went inside the pub itself…

"Burp! Hey, Nerimaki-chan, can I get a refill on my beer? Burp!"

"Ugh, my wife keeps nagging at me today. Burp!"

"Buuuurrrp! Oh, wow, that was the loudest burp I had today."

The pub was filled with drunken, middle aged Crimson Demon men.

Even though the name provoked expectations of a nudie bar, the 'Succubus Lingerie Pub' was just your ordinary pub that you could find anywhere.

Granted, the girl behind the bar was very cute, she was also the only female to be seen in the pub.

The long-haired girl saw me come in and smiled.

"Welcome to the Succubus Lingerie Pub! We don't get a lot of outsiders. Please, come in!"

If I leave now, I'll probably make a fool of myself.

I sat down with the other guys.

"I'll have a beer…"

"Sure thing!"

One of the middle aged men smacked me on the back, surprising me.

"Hey, lad, did you walk in here expecting some kind of nudie bar? Bwahahaha!"

"N-No, since I'm an outsider, I wasn't even aware of the name before I walked in."

"Even though there's a giant sign outside? Come on, be honest! They really do run a nefarious business strategy here. If you have some money, maybe you should sue."

"Hey, stop giving the outsider these strange ideas. Besides, aren't I cute enough to warrant the false advertising? In fact, I'm much better than a bunch of succubus dressed up in lingerie, right?"

She winked at me and struck a pose.

I gulped down the beer that she gave me.

"...You're a pretty nee-san, but I don't think you can compete against a whole group of succubi wearing lingerie. You're not even wearing any lingerie yourself!"

"Oh? How can you tell? Maybe I'm wearing some underneath?"

She smiled, while pulling her top down slightly in a teasing way.

"...!"

"Haha! This Nerimaki-chan might not be a succubus in appearance, but she sure acts like one!"

"I bet this new kid over here is already in love! Bwahahaha!"

Fuu… Maybe my past self would have fallen in love with her right then and there.

But I'm much more experienced now. I shook my head and took a sip of beer.

"Oh? This lad has some resistance to Nerimaki-chan's charms, huh? Do you already have a girlfriend, or something?"

I smirked, sitting up straighter. Since the madam destroyed my ego, I took this chance to restore it a little bit.

"Yeah, and she's really hot, too."

"Hoh! Interesting! And have you done it with her yet?"

"Y-Yeah. Multiple times…"

We hadn't gone all the way yet, but they didn't need to know that.

"Let me guess, we don't know her since she lives in another country, right? Bwahahaha!"

They think I'm making her up…!

Nerimaki shook her head and gave me a friendly smile,

"Now, now, he's a handsome guy. It's not strange for him to have a beautiful girlfriend."

At least she's on my side.

"You're Nerimaki, right? I'm Revi."

"Nice to meet you, Revi! Do you want another drink?"

"There it is. Nerimaki-chan's signature move. Comforting some poor schmuck and making him empty his wallet!"

So it's like that, huh?!

While the middle aged men were laughing at me, the door opened. I saw a familiar looking person walk in. I recognized him as one of the people who greeted us before Komekko-chan and I entered the village. He called himself Buzucoily.

"Hoh, if it isn't Buzucoily? How's that girl of yours treating you?"

"If it isn't the 'Number One Luckiest Bastard of the Crimson Demon village'. I still can't believe you managed to get the most beautiful girl in the village to date you."

"If it isn't the 'Number One Normie who should just blow up', the enemy of all single guys in the village. How are you, Buzucoily?"

This Buzucoily, who seemed to be quite the controversial figure, took a seat among the men. He had a smug smile as he ordered beer from Nerimaki.

"Hah, still jealous after all these years? Perhaps I should teach you guys how to pick up hot women? Ah, but my pick-up artist lessons will come with a price, of course."

"Just tell us which devil you sold your soul to for that insane luck of yours."

"Tsk, tsk. You should be thankful that a guy with such a beautiful girlfriend like myself even hangs around here… Wait, who's the new kid? Oh, aren't you the boy who came with Komekko-chan to the village?"

Buzucoily noticed me as he sipped from his drink.

The other guys looked at Buzucoily, then at me.

"Wait, this outsider came home to the village with Komekko?!"

"That girlfriend you were talking about, is it Komekko?"

"Ah, no, not really…"

I wasn't talking about Komekko at all.

"No, this kid is being humble. I could tell that there was something going on between them…"

Buzucoily said something with a confident grin, even though he was way off the mark.

No, actually, maybe he wasn't that far off.

But in any case, the one I was talking about was Iris, and yet these men were looking at me as if I had descended from the heavens.

"A god… There's a living god among us!"

"Tell us your secrets! If you can manage to get an S-tier girl like Komekko, you probably know how to get any woman you want, right?!"

As the men were causing a ruckus, Nerimaki took that opportunity to cut in.

"Now, now, he can't talk if he's still sober. Why don't you fellas treat him to some drinks, hm?"

"Good idea, Nerimaki! That will loosen him up!"

"Hehe…"

Is this another signature move of hers?

Part Five

I was quite drunk when I came back to Komekko's place.

I staggered to the front door and knocked.

When Komekko-chan came to answer me, she was surprised to see the state I was in.

"Wah… How many drinks did you have?!"

"It's not my fault... hic! They kept pouring more and more down my throat…!"

"That doesn't mean you should go along with it! Let's head inside…"

Komekko-chan helped me inside, lending her shoulder to me.

The madam looked at me curiously from the living room. She and Komekko were enjoying some after-dinner tea.

"Oh my, already drinking and getting wasted at your age… Is this really the kind of guy you were talking about, Komekko?"

"Urk…"

I had a feeling that the madam's impression of me was worsening.

Komekko-chan gave me a bit of an exasperated look as her mother watched us judgmentally. Komekko-chan helped me down onto the couch and took out some food from the dining table. I tried to alleviate the effects of my drunken spree with the beef stew she gave me.

"..."

I just learned this about myself at that moment.

That I got horny as hell when I was drunk.

As soon as I sat down, my son stood straight up, greeting the two women before me.

"..." x 2.

Awkward silence fell on us.

Having a babe like Iris to make out with and take care of my basic needs as a man is a double-edged sword.

Yes, it's nice and all to have a beautiful girl like her who can help me release my stress, especially when my son gets all aroused like this. However, after the many times I fooled around with her, it came to the point where I couldn't get satisfied with my ex-girlfriend, my hand.

As I was laying there with an attentive son greeting the world with a friendly wave, I already knew that I would have quite the rough night trying to get it to go away.

At this point, Komekko-chan wasn't providing any excuses for me anymore. The madam seemed like she had arrived at a silent verdict. She stood up and smiled at me.

"Well, then, since you seem so comfortable on that couch, why don't you sleep there for the night?"

"...Yis, ma'am."

I was given the mustiest of blankets and the lumpiest of pillows. I can't say I've ever slept on a couch like this in my whole life, but I chose to accept my fate.

Komekko-chan pouted as she watched her mother toss the blankets and pillows at me.

"Mother, the night is still young, the devil wants to play a little more! Why are you sending Revi off to sleep so early?"

"Now, now, you have your exam tomorrow and we wouldn't want any mistakes to happen. And I'm not talking about the exam."

"T-That's rich coming from you! I remember what you were like when onee-chan brought home a man!"

"And that man has already given us a comfortable lifestyle. So far, this man… no, this boy you came home with has only brought disappointment and another mouth to feed."

"B-But look at him. He's in a lot of agony. I was thinking of helping him…"

"Sleep"

Just like that, I felt very sleepy all of a sudden and I was unable to follow their conversation anymore.

I did hear Komekko-chan scream,

"Moooooom! This is so unfair! I hate youuuuu!"

With a screech every teenage daughter has made at least once in their lives ringing in my ears, I fell asleep.

…

…

Or so I thought. However, I ended up waking just in the middle of the night.

I felt refreshed from my little nap, which I felt thankful for after passing out through most of the unwanted symptoms of having at least eight pints of alcohol circling around my system.

However, waking up in the middle of the night posed its own problems. I was the type who either passed out for twelve hours straight, or woke up during that stretch and could never go back to sleep again.

When I couldn't sleep, I often wandered the palace halls or went down to my monster collection and admired the exotic creatures I had captured. Let's forget the fact that those exotic creatures were extravagant purchases that had no practical purpose, and were procured using taxpayer money.

I considered going out and enjoying the sight of the village bathed in moonlight. However, before I could do such a thing, I felt one of the leftover symptoms of having an excessive amount of alcohol in my system. I went upstairs to look for the toilet.

I walked quietly up the stairs, which was quite an easy task, as I had decently high dexterity and agility stats as an Archer. The madam could poke fun at my class all she wanted, but it did have some uses, like sneaking up a stairs to avoid earning more judgemental looks from your party member's mother. Then again, someone with the Thief class could probably do a better job at that.

As I snuck up the stairs and entered a hall that had two rooms at each side, I realized quickly that I didn't know which one of these rooms had a toilet in them. What if I mistook a bedroom for a bathroom and accidentally relieved myself on the sleeping madam? No, such a scenario could never happen. Since a lot of things were going wrong that night, my mind was coming up with all sorts of paranoid scenarios. Perhaps there was still a trace of alcohol in my system, too.

In my quest to look for a toilet, I saw something flickering in the darkness that almost made me relieve myself right then and there. Tracing a red light in the darkness were two floating red orbs, looking like flaming Will-O'-Wisps in the dark.

"Eeeek?!"

I barely held it in as I saw the spectral sight. Is this place haunted?!

This presence saw me and scurried over in frightening speed, the two floating orbs trailing a crimson streak down the halls. Soon, it was upon me and I felt myself being silenced, hand pressed over my mouth.

"Shhh! What are you doing? You'll alert my parents!"

Up close, I could see that those burning specters belonged to Komekko-chan. I let out a sigh, my shoulders dropping as the tension left them.

"...What are you doing, Komekko-chan? Looking for the bathroom, too?"

"Erm, yeah, sure."

However, something about her words and mannerisms struck me as strange.

First of all, why would she need to look for the bathroom? She surely knew where it was, since this was her house.

And second, she said that she didn't want me to alert her parents, not wake them, meaning that they were already awake to begin with.

Just as I was about to question Komekko-chan about this, I heard a distinct sound.

"Hnnn~!"

It was the unmistakable sound of female moaning.

I instinctively found myself doing an odd crabwalk of sorts, as I drifted over to the source of the noise.

I came across an open crack in the doorway. When I peeked inside, I saw a room covered in pale moonlight. I also saw two adults, naked, doing what two adults would do when they are in such a state of undress.

"..." x 2.

Komekko-chan attempted to prevent me from seeing such a sight, or more like, she wanted to stop me from figuring out what she was doing late at night.

From outside the door crack, the sounds of a creaking bed and muffled grunts and moans was very much audible. The man of the house was absent earlier, but his arrival was certain now, you could even say that he had come.

I glanced at Komekko-chan, who shied away.

Watching her parents going at it at night, her eyes blazing a hot red while in the process of doing so…

More than making me feel disgusted or disappointed in her, it only made me nod in understanding.

There was also a part of me who found this situation incredibly arousing. To think that Komekko-chan had this hidden side to her.

As someone who, in their younger days, which really meant before I went on an adventure with Iris just a few months ago, I too had the secret habit of spying on my maids as they dressed.

This hobby could be dated back to when I was a wee lad going through the pains and trials of puberty, all on my lonesome, with a bunch of cute maids in even cuter maid outfits all around me, who, for some reason, chose to wear the most extravagantly cute underwear, despite being servants who were taught to be chaste and pure.

It left me wondering who exactly they were wearing those underwear for, and who they were trying to impress, until I remembered who exactly was paying their salaries. After cursing my lucky bastard of a father, I proceeded to spend many hours spying on the maids who would give me an unintentional show, as they stripped out of their maid uniforms and revealed the various garments they had on underneath.

So, in a circular way, I guess what I'm trying to say is that I found Komekko's secret hobby quite relatable. I expressed this feeling of kinship by giving her a reassuring smile and a thumbs up.

She blinked twice, the now diminished glow of her eyes disappearing in the darkness as she did so, leaving lingering afterimages in my vision. When she didn't get the message right away, I held her shoulders and eased her to the wonderful crack in the doorway, leading her back to that magical, moonlit sight that lay beyond.

Of course, I also took position behind her, watching over her shoulder.

Part Six

The next morning, a peculiar sight greeted the madam and her husband that morning, during breakfast.

Even though they were the couple who were going at it for a total of two hours, forty seven minutes and fifty three seconds ever since I arrived to join Komekko in her surveillance of them, it was Komekko and I, not them, who had a sort of honeymoon mood between us. We shared conspiratorial glances and occasional giggles, keeping our secret moment of voyeurism between ourselves.

Without any idea why we were acting in this manner, the madam only eyed us suspiciously as she served breakfast, but chose not to comment on the matter.

"So, your name is Revi-kun, yes?"

Komekko-chan's father, and a man who I had come to respect greatly despite never having exchanged a conversation with him before, turned to speak to me.

"Yes, I am. It's an honor to finally speak with you. I'm a great fan of your work. Your endurance and persistence is admirable."

"I-It's rare to meet a fan of my magic items!"

"Yes, it was certainly a magical experience to behold. Oh, yes, the madam did mention that Hyoizaburo-san is a magic craftsman, yes?"

"...Y-Yes I am."

He admitted it as if he were ashamed of the fact.

"Can I perhaps see the kind of items Hyoizaburo-san is working on right now?"

"...! It's rare for someone to take interest in my work! You must be an angel sent by god!"

If only a girl told me that line. I couldn't be too happy with a middle aged man saying it.

Yuiyui-san frowned when she saw the exchange between us.

"Dear, please don't forget what we just talked about. You promised to make the next batch of magic items actually marketable, didn't you? It's a bit embarrassing having to ask our son-in-law to send us money every time. By the way, Komekko, make sure to tell your nii-chan that his mother-in-law would like another of those luxury moisturizing creams."

"Got it. I'll add it to our wishlist for the month."

Komekko-chan took out a surprisingly long list and added a line into it.

Hyoizaburo-san gave a pout, but it seems that the lovemaking session from last night he had with the madam was still fresh in his mind. Instead of complaining, he closed his mouth. The madam probably held off on 'giving it to him' during their spat. He didn't want to lose his shared bed privileges. I suppose this is what they call a 'whipped' man.

Then again, considering the vigorous, passionate and skilled technique the madam showed the previous night, perhaps I didn't have the right to judge Hyoizaburo-san for his reluctance in defying his wife.

I gave Hyoizaburo-san a comforting pat on the shoulder. I said,

"Don't worry, Hyoizaburo-san. I'd still like to see your current project."

"Oh, do you now! Then, please follow me to my laboratory!"

Hyoizaburo-san smiled widely and grabbed my arm, pulling me along to this laboratory of his.

It turned out that the area he called a laboratory was nothing more than a shed that existed in the edge of the property, almost like an afterthought. The shed, unlike the modern style of the main house, consisted of old wood, rusted nails and an ever-present layer of dust that covered every solid surface.

When he opened the door and activated a magic lamp that illuminated the area, golden motes of dust flew in the air, in a swirling vortex around the light.

"Here we are, here we are!"

Hyoizaburo-san gestured to the odd devices inside the shed, stored inside wooden crates. The crates had labels on them, but their meanings didn't make sense to me.

I took out an item on one of the crates. It was a tube-like item with several crystals embedded on it.

"What's this?"

"Ah, that's a magic item that stores mana and lets the user take it back later on."

"Oh, that seems useful!"

"But the item only gives back 10% of the mana that was stored in the item."

I put it away.

"And what's this?"

I took out a squishy looking item.

"Ah… I use that when the wife doesn't let me… You probably want to put that away."

I dropped the item and wiped my hand with a handkerchief.

"So, what's the current project that the madam mentioned?"

"It's this right here…"

"...!"

Hyoizaburo-san pulled out a crate full of archery related items. Bows, crossbows, all kinds of ammunition. I could tell that they weren't ordinary items, either. They were enchanted with a powerful kind of magic.

"You see, archery is looked down upon here in the village, so I'm getting a fair bit of ridicule for making these."

Hyoizaburo-san sighed, setting the crate down on a worktable.

"I found out as such from the madam. She strongly disapproved of my class…"

"Oh, Revi-kun is in the Archer class? That's perfect! Can you please try out my new items?!"

I wanted to try them even if he didn't offer. I eagerly nodded my head.

Hyoizaburo-san took me out to the backyard again and set up some target dummies. While he did that, I took out a crossbow from the crate and some bolts. It looked like an ordinary crossbow, except for the runic markings and the large manatite crystal embedded in the bow.

Once he was done setting up the targets, he came over to me and started explaining the features of the crossbow.

"You see, this crossbow is modelled after a certain weapon that is kept in this village. That weapon was instrumental in defeating a Demon King general named Sylvia…"

He tapped at the manatite crystal. It was previously a dull red before, but it started glowing brightly as he poured mana into it.

"This crossbow absorbs raw mana, but it can also absorb spells. Watch this."

He created a fireball in his hand that lay suspended above his palm. Then he pressed a switch on the crossbow. To my surprise, the flames of the fireball were absorbed by the manatite crystal.

"Go ahead and fire the bolt…"

He said, proudly grinning. I nodded my head and took aim at the target.

When the bolt landed, the dummy was engulfed in a ball of fire, transferring the effects of the Fireball absorbed in the manatite crystal through the bolt.

"It's amazing isn't it?!"

"Indeed! You've outdone yourself, Hyoizaburo-san!"

I was impressed by the technological marvel of this weapon. However, it seemed that madam was watching the little display from the doorway, and she didn't seem impressed.

"I don't understand. Why don't you just skip the unnecessary steps and just shoot a normal fireball?"

She charged up a fireball of her own and launched it at the burning dummy. The flames neutralized each other.

Hyoizaburo-san's mood dropped as the madam criticized his work.

"B-But it will surely sell with the outsiders! Mages are rare, after all!"

"But you need a mage to properly use that weapon, right? And if you have a mage with you, then what's the point of having them store their spell in the crossbow when they can just attack on their own? In fact, wouldn't the crossbow user earn the experience points instead of the mage who provided the spell? So why would a mage intentionally miss out on experience points when they can just attack themselves?"

"Urk…"

Hyoizaburo-san couldn't find a way to counter the madam's criticisms.

However, I felt like there was a use for the spell. And besides, this is the opportunity for me to flex my money.

"Ahem. I'll take your entire stock, Hyoizaburo-san."

"E-Eh?! You will?!"

"Indeed. In fact, I want to sign a contract with you. I want you to create these items exclusively for me and Elroad, no one else."

I fully intended to monopolize this magic item. Elroad needs a dramatic boost in military power, anyway.

The madam raised her eyebrow.

"Sigh… It seems weird for me to say this, but are you sure you want to waste your money on my husband's projects? His products have a bad reputation, you know?"

"Urk!"

Hyoizaburo-san kept receiving damage from Yuiyui-san's scathing remarks.

"No need to worry, madam. I'm an experienced businessman and I know a great investment when I see it."

I took out a blank check and gave it to Hyoizaburo-san.

"Name your price, sir."

I confidently smiled as I looked at my new weapon.