Bless This World With A Stranger

by RhineWrites

Arc 15: At the End of the World!

46. A9-6: Fairwell to this Wonderland

{|} Chapter 6: Fairwell to this Wonderland {|}

{|} Part 1: "Because She's My Friend {|}

(3rd Person POV)

Iris opens her eyes and for a moment, she wonders what had just happened to her, wonders if she had blacked out there for a moment. As she pulls herself up, grabbing onto her sword to help steady herself with, she looks around to find that the throne room had lost its ceiling and had plenty of holes all over the place.

"Is everyone alright?"

she shouted out. One by one, Claire followed by Rain and Anna appeared, picking themselves up off the ground as well. Claire quickly hurries to Iris's side to make sure that she was OK.

"I'm fine. What about you, princess?"

"I'm good, don't worry. Maybe a few cuts and bruises here and there but... anyways. Rain, Anna, you both OK?"

"I'm fine, all things considered."

"Me too... um, I hope we won't have to pay for the repairs here. Neither me nor Kazuma have any eris on us right now."

Surprisingly, Claire chuckles as she says-

"I'm sure we can talk our king into giving Kazuma a pass on this matter."

"Kazuma... KAZUMA!"

Iris was quick to jump to her feet, running to where they had last seen Kazuma before the blast of light and noise had overwhelmed them. The others waste no time with following after her. It takes them only a second to spot Kazuma, laying on the ground unmoving.

"Kazuma, oh no... please be alright, Kazuma."

Naturally, Iris reaches him first as she quickly falls to her knees and reaches out to touch him. For a moment, there is no response which makes Iris begin to tear up. Claire and Rain stop behind Iris with Claire reaching out to place her hand onto Iris's shoulder as a means to comfort her.

Iris then begins to shake Kazuma, calling out his name in a more desperate manner but getting no response from him. Her eyes continue to water as her shaking him became weaker and weaker.

"Kazuma, no... please no... You can't have died, you just..."

"(sigh) Leave this to me."

said Anna, sounding very calm as she walks around Kazuma reaches out and places her hands onto Kazuma's shoulders then lifts him up into a somewhat sitting position. She then begins to shake him like a maniac while the other three just remain frozen from the sheer shock they were feeling.

"Hey, wakey-wakey, brother. It's too soon to be kicking the old bucket yet."

"Anna, what are you...?"

A sudden groan comes from Kazuma as his eyes finally, and slowly, open. His eyes then scan the area, seeing the gathered four, then says-

"Why is it that all the girls in my life seem to suffer from terrible bed-side manners?"

"It's because we love you THAT much, big brother."

"Oh really, terrific."

"Kazuma, you're OK. Thank Eris!"

cried Iris as she hugs him tightly. This action makes Claire have an 'irk' moment but a smile from Rain calms her down, deciding to let Kazuma have this little moment. After all, he did earn it. Claire then asks-

"So, Satou Kazuma. That was the power you used against me before. I can understand now why I lost to you. Are you going to be OK?"

"I'd like to think so, but only time will tell. Also, sorry to go asking this of all of you, seeing as I know you must be tired as well, but could someone help me with walking here. After all that, I can't seem to find the strength to move my limbs right now."

They all smile at him as Anna and Rain place themselves under each of Kazuma's arms. Once they were all up and with Iris and Claire leading the way, they begin to make their way towards what remained out the doors that opened into the waiting room but just as they reach them...

"Kazuma... Kazuma... Kazuma..."

They come to a stop and look back as they see a figure emerging from the rubble right beside where they had found Kazuma just moment before. It was the real Aqua, looking worn and ragged. Her clothes were dirty and torn her hair was looking quite the mess.

And worse, there was a glow coming from within her chest area and a similar glow flashing in her eyes.

"Is that..."

asked Rain, earning a nod from Kazuma who then says-

"Yeah, that has to be the real Aqua there. The one who had been trapped inside that sphere hanging above the throne."

"Her body... is the corruption still within her."

asked Anna. Claire then steps forward with her blade in hand as she says-

"If so, then we better end her right here and now before that nightmare begins again."

"We'll do it together."

said Iris, joining Claire in preparing to end Aqua once and for all. For Kazuma, he had mixed feelings as he could see it, something he was confident that the others weren't seeing, desperation. There was a look of desperation present on Aqua's face as she looked at him, ONLY at him.

She then begins to walk forward, stumbling with each step and yet pressing onward while raising an arm out as her hand seems to call out to him to take it into his own.

"Kazuma... Kazuma... Kazuma..."

And then, before Iris or Claire could make their move or before Kazuma could say anything about this situation, Aqua's body jerks forward; a spasm shaking her entire being, making everyone blink in surprise. Aqua, for her part, tilts her head downwards, allowing her shock filled eyes to see the blade sticking out of her chest, having not only pierced her flesh but also the source of the corruption within her being. She then turns her head back to see what, or who, had just stabbed her.

It was Ranger who says with sadness and reservation in his voice-

"I'm sorry Aqua... but this all needs to end."

{Insert Image 1}

He then pulls the blade out of her body, causing Aqua to cough up blood; something Kazuma had never thought he would ever see happen with her. Sure, she had been exiled down to the mortal real for a time, but she was still a goddess at her core.

Aqua then begins to fall towards the ground but Ranger is quick to catch her, carefully cradling her in his arms as he kneels down while letting her rest against him.

"Wait, who's that guy?"

asked Anna, making Kazuma say-

"He's Ranger; some special agent that handles important jobs from the Axel guild branch. But why is he...?"

Aqua opens her eyes weakly, looking up at Ranger. She then asks-

"Why... did you hurt me. Just who... are you?"

Ranger pulls the arm that had been under Aqua's legs away, bringing his now free hand up to pull away his hood, revealing he had long, shoulder length brown hair. His bangs were especially long and bushy looking. He then goes and pulls the mask covering his eyes off, bringing the face beneath it into full view. To say that everyone, Aqua included, found themselves intaking a breath at what they saw would be an understatement.

Ranger was Satou Kazuma. There was no doubt about it now.

Aqua, after a moment of looking and disbelieving, finally smiles as tears begin to fall free.

"Kazuma, is it... really you? Are you really... here with me, alive?"

"It's been a long time, Aqua. (sigh) Can you really NOT help yourself when it comes to getting yourself into troublesome things. You, and Megumin and Darkness, you three really are helpless without me, huh?"

Aqua begins to chuckle, surprisingly, as she nods. A happy expression forms, despite her current state, and she says-

"I guess that's true. You were the only one who... Kazuma, I'm so sorry for everything I did. For sending you to this world like I did, for all the troubles I forced onto you, and for talking Megumin and Darkness into leaving you behind for that... that..."

Ranger Kazuma sends her a comforting smile then says-

"Don't worry about it. If anything, I should thank you because all that helped me to become the person I am today."

Aqua nods then her expression shifts from a happy one to a sad one.

"Do I... really have to go now? I don't want to. I want to stay here... with you. I want us; you and me and Darkness and Megumin too, I want the four of us to go on a new adventurer together."

"Aqua, I... I would like that too... but..."

"Yeah, I know. There is no help for me now, is there. This is my fate for letting myself give birth to... that. At least... I was able to see you one more time. At least I was able to apologize to you."

"Aqua, let me tell you a little secret here. Something Eris told me before."

Ranger Kazuma then leans in and whispers something into Aqua's ear. No one is able to hear what was said there but whatever it was makes Aqua's expression change from being one of sadness to one of sheer joy. She then smiles happily while saying-

"Is that supposed to be a reward or something. To think I'll become some lazy hikki-NEET's..."

She then begins to laugh happily, one that Ranger Kazuma joins in on. They laugh for a few moments before Aqua says-

"I'll be looking forward to it."

"Yeah, we'll see you again soon, Aqua."

Aqua then hugs Ranger Kazuma which last until Aqua's arms become limp and fall onto the ground. Ranger Kazuma then uses his free hand to close her eyes then cradles her body against his own as they finally see tears fall from him as well.

"I'm sorry to ask this question now, given the circumstances, but is it over?"

asked Rain. It takes a moment before Ranger Kazuma responds.

"Yeah, it's over now. She's at peace and all those who have been corrupted should be turning back to their old selves."

Sure enough, they could see all the unmoving Axis cultist returning to the normal appearances and some were even beginning to stir from being unconscious. Ranger Kazuma then says to Kazuma-

"I'm sure you must have questions. Chris will come talk to you soon enough, I'm sure. I'll leave it to her to explain everything."

Ranger Kazuma then stands, keeping Aqua's body held close to him as he turns and begins to walk away. Claire then shouts out-

"Stop, what are you going to do with her remains."

Ranger Kazuma stops and looks back to address all of us.

"I'm going to take her someplace where she would be happy. A place she would love to be buried at."

"But you can't. After all she's done, you think we can just let you..."

Claire is stopped from saying more by Iris who then steps forward and says-

"I understand and I won't stop you. But please tell me, why would you do this for her after all the pain and difficulties she had made you suffer? Made all of us suffer?"

Ranger Kazuma looks down at Aqua's body, then smiles as he looks back at everyone and says-

"Because she's my friend!"

Just then Darkness comes running into the room with a worried expression on her face.

"Is everyone alright? Just a few moments ago, Mitsurugi and his sidekicks... they just suddenly..."

Darkness goes quiet as her eyes lock onto Ranger Kazuma, holding Aqua's lifeless body in his arms. A moment later, she's running over to his side, looking at him with surprise and shock as he quietly says-

"Yeah, it's me here, Darkness. This isn't a dream nor an illusion."

Darkness, perhaps not sure if she should fully trust his words, reaches out and carefully places her hand against his cheek. After a moment, she smiles as she begins to tear up as well while saying-

"It really is you, I can't... and Aqua?"

Ranger Kazuma shakes his head earning an understanding nod from Darkness as she moves her hand from touching his cheek to resting on Aqua's body. She then closes her eyes, likely saying a silent prayer for her fallen friend.

Ranger Kazuma then instructs Darkness to reach into his left pants pocket and retrieve the item there. Darkness does so, pulling an object that looks like a very stylish pen out. He then says-

"It's on loan from the goddess Eris. A rather fancy tool to help one get around. Just write your desired destination then click the end to form the portal. Can even write on the very air itself."

"Understood, but I thought you couldn't..."

"I can't travel via teleportation, which this isn't that. This is for making divine gates, going from one location to another, gods in training rely on until they master their trade. Now, I believe the Cascadian Falls will make for a lovely resting place."

Understanding, Darkness nods as she actually starts writing on the air. Once done, she clicks the pens end like she had been instructed to do which causes the words to spin and spiral around till a circular gate had formed with the visage of a majestic waterfalls appearing beyond it.

They then begin to walk into the portal.

"Lady Dustiness... Lalatina, where are you going?"

calls out Claire, reminding us that we had been quiet and watchful the moment Darkness had joined us. Darkness looks back long enough to say-

"Where I need to be right now. I'll see you all back in Axel when we're done mourning our friend here."

With that, Darkness turns back and joins Ranger Kazuma beyond the portal which then closes once she had finished stepping through.

And as for us, we just remained there a few moments more before turning back as well, making to leave the ruins of the throne room to go join with the others and make sure everyone was indeed alright.

{|} Part 2: (whisper) {|}

(Kazuma POV)

The next four or five days seemed to pass by rather quickly yet also move at a painfully slow pace. Following the victory at the capital, everyone had returned to Axel in order to get some much-needed R&R time.

Iris had her long-awaited reunion with her father and brother and had spent an entire day telling them of all that had happened during their "down time." While I had yet the meet with either myself, due to them needing plenty of rest following those events, I had been told that they were quite impressed with Iris's actions and were eager to meet with me; a meeting that would be happening in a few hours.

The Devil King... no, Yasaka Kyoichi, had finally reappeared the other day and after having a happy reunion with his daughter, had spoken with the king about things before departing with not only his daughter but many of his forces to return to their territory in order to start assessing if there was anything relating to the Calamity that still needed to be addressed and dealt with.

From what I understand, the peace between the two sides shall be maintained, at least for the time being. Hopefully, it will be a long-standing peace for all concerned. After all, I don't think anyone has it in them to go back to warring with one another after all that craziness went down.

Darkness had finally returned from her seeing to Aqua's burial the day before and after having made a report to the king about certain matters, she had sought me out and we had spent the bulk of the days remaining time talking about my life in my home timeline and about the 'her' that lived therein.

Darkness found it quite amusing to hear that her counterpart was just as shameful as she was and was curious which of them was the worse one or if they were equal in that regard. As for today, she had to attend to other matters relating to her status as a daughter of House Dustiness.

Before we had parted ways, I had asked her about my other half, as I was hoping the two of us could have a sit down so we could talk as well. Darkness had told me that while they had returned to Axel together, she had no clue where he currently was at the time as he had told her that he had 'something' he needed to go take care of though he would be in touch. Well, he'd be in touch with her.

Not sure if he would make the time to come talk with me at all.

And as for Mitsurugi Kyouya and his two hangers-on? They had been brought before the king and that meeting had not been a pleasant one to witness, according to Claire. Under normal conditions, individuals having done what they had done, that being having turned traitor of their own free will, would have warranted life in prison, if not the death penalty itself.

However, his past actions and accomplishments were also taken into consideration when it came time to be told his fate. His ultimate punishment would be permanent exile from Belzerg, something he confessed he had planned on doing anyways if given the chance as he no longer wished to remain in this kingdom or even the continent. He would retire to some other land as far away as possible.

Naturally, Clemea and Fio would be going with his as they believed their home was wherever Mitsurugi was. Claire had also said that he had apologized for the choice he made but couldn't help but feel that those had just been words; that he would do it again in a heartbeat in the reason was sound in his mind.

Also, Gram was taken from him; the reason being that sword was meant to be wielded by a true hero, something Mitsurugi was no longer worthy of being called. In this matter, he had tried to fight against but in the end, his wish to keep the blade was denied and the sword safely locked away for now.

Side note, Gram was found to be missing this morning. In its place was a message saying that the sword would be returned to where it was meant to be and was signed by the 'Silver-haired Ally of Justice.'

As for me, I was currently wandering through the streets of Axel as a way to pass the time. My meeting with the king and prince would be happening after lunch and with Iris currently having to attend to her studies, I had been left to fill my time however I so wished. Chomusuke was with me, obviously, but not Anna who was currently with Rain for some reason or another. Rain hadn't told me when she had come to collect Anna, only that it was important and that she would tell me later.

As I walk, I take time to look around to see if I could see anyone I knew... sort of know I mean. I knew I wouldn't see Darkness as she was currently with the king and prince. Maybe I'll see my other self or perhaps maybe even Lynn. If I do see either, I'll hit them up for a little talk as there are things I'd like to ask them.

With my other self, what wasn't there to ask like 'Aren't you supposed to be dead' and such and with Lynn, if we could have some alone time, I would ask her if she could tell me about 'our' relationship as well as why I saw her acting all chummy with both the Devil King and his daughter. I know MY Lynn has a connection to the Devil King and I'm guessing this one does too.

Actually, should I ask her about that if the opportunity arises or should I let that remain a secret for now as I've already been spoiled on several secrets since coming here. Maybe I should save the rest till the proper time for them to be revealed in my timeline comes?

I was so lost in thought on this debate that I failed to detect the pair of eyes on me. It wasn't until I felt a conk of something hard, a small rock, hitting the side of my head that I was drawn from my thoughts. I then started looking around, already prepared to scold whoever had just done that.

I then see Chris standing at the entrance to an alley, motioning with a hand for me to come join her. Since she was a candidate for me to talk too as well, I quickly move away and follow her until we reach a nice, secluded spot. She then turns back to look at me while saying-

"Sorry for not coming around sooner, Kazuma. I had to endure this long and tedious lecture from the higher ups about my...OWOWOWOWOW!"

Before she could finish talking, I had planted both my clenched knuckles against the side of her head then proceeded to give her the worst double burn I could unleash onto someone. She cries out in pain, begging me to stop and show her mercy, while I send her a glare while saying-

"Next time you want to get my attention, chose a better option than a rock to the head. You have any idea how much that hurt?"

Once I was done, Chris kneels down while holding her head, tears forming in her eyes. She then complains how I'm just as bad as her Kazuma, making me snort before letting out a sigh. I then say-

"So, are you going to be OK, Chris? You haven't been demoted or anything, have you."

After a moment more to recover, Chris finally stands before giving me a confident smile.

"Yeah, I'm all good here. While that lecture wasn't anything to sneeze at, I managed to get off with a warning... probably because I decided to pull an Aqua and cry and complain about everything like she does... did..."

"Yeah, about that... I'm sorry, Chris. I wish there had been a better way."

"Me too, Kazuma, me too. At least she's at peace now... for now at least."

"I don't like the implications of that. What's going to happen to her, Chris? Don't tell me she's being..."

Chris immediately shakes her head, letting me know that Aqua wasn't being banished to Hell for what happened. Actually, would that be a bad thing for her. I mean, she could run around the place and purify all the demons and devils. Bet she'd have the time of her afterlife doing that.

"I guess I could tell you about what's going to happen with Aqua's soul... but before that, we should talk about a few other things first."

"Agreed, like why my other half is still very much alive instead of being dead like you oh so claimed before. Guess that means I was right after all. You did lie to me."

To my surprise, Chris shakes her head. Knowing that had left me confused, she then explains-

"No, what I said before was indeed true... sort of. I did kill you, Kazuma. But I left out some details."

"And I'm guessing this is the moment you share those details with me, right."

Chris nods before stepping forward, getting very close to me.

"I could just tell you with words, but I think showing you the memory will help you understand better."

I nod, understanding what she was about to do. Chris then leans forward and presses her forehead against mine, her eyes closed which I'm quick to do as well. It only takes a moment before I...

(flashback)

OK, this wasn't what I was expecting. I had thought I would find myself seeing through the eyes of Chris and see this moment play out from her perspective. Instead, I find myself being not unlike a ghost watching a scene play out before me.

I was inside a large underground cavern. The ground was covered in many exotic flowers and there was a large underground lake inside this place as well. And standing at the edge of that lake was the other me and Chris. Chris had a look of sadness and doubt about her while the other me I couldn't quite get a read on but if I had to guess, I would have to say a combination of resignation and acceptance.

"So, I guess this is it then. My final moments before I... well, before I die."

"Kazuma, I... I'm sorry we have to do things this way. I tried to get permission to grant you mana from the higher-ups, I really did. But they've chosen to stay the course that Aqua set you on. Not because they think Aqua was in the right by her actions but because her actions made them ask the question Aqua had asked herself; that question being 'What could a Void accomplish here in my world.'"

"Hey, it's fine, Chris. I'm not complaining nor am I trying to get out of this... well, maybe I would be if I knew I could actually do it. But are you sure you doing this is going to be OK. You won't get into any trouble with those very higher-ups you just mentioned before."

"Honestly, I don't know. They never said I couldn't do this though I also never asked them either. Hopefully, it'll all work out and if not... at least I can say I tried to do something for you, Kazuma. After all you've done for this kingdom, for this whole world, you deserve a reward."

"Could have gone with the other options and become my little love slave. Would have been just as good a reward as this one, ya know."

"Don't make me divine punish you before I kill you, Kazuma."

They both laugh which helps to lower the tension in the cavern. Once they were done doing that, my other half asks-

"So, what exactly will I be gaining from my rebirth as you so call it?"

"While you will still be a Void, you will gain a greater degree of awareness with the world. Think of it being like a six sense; one that allows you to commune with the world's mana in a manner none have ever done before. You'll be more alert to what's happening around you. You'll understand things better just by look and feel. You can move in ways that others wouldn't be able to understand."

"Yeesh, sounds complicated. Can you dumb that down a bit for this poor, humble mortal?"

"Sorry, but that was the dumbed down version. Hopefully, you'll understand it all once you've reawakened. Now, once I've killed you, I will take your body into my Sacred Vessel, and I will place you into the 'waters' of my personal pool; the one I have to use to wash away all the taint of sin that collects onto me whenever I'm doing my mortal gig down here."

"Guess that explains why you brought me all the way to this spot. This must be the closest location to Axel where you can enter your Sacred Vessel. Wouldn't it be more convenient if you had a doorway to that place located somewhere inside Axel, Chris?"

"Honestly, I would have done that if the high priestess of my order had decided to make Axel the home for the center of my faith here in this world back when the decision was being made. All that was needed was just two more votes and..."

Guess that explains why the center of the Eris faith isn't here in this timelines Axel. It was all politics.

I then see my other half take on a thinking and says-

"So, these waters you'll be putting me in are your personal bath waters, using for personal purification purposes. (evil grin) You know Chris, I can;t help but think that it's going to be somewhat like me getting to be 'inside of you?'"

My other half begins to laugh maniacally while Chris goes red in the face and starts yelling at him. Once that was done, my other half says he's ready, making Chris nod before walking over to him and pulling a dagger with a mostly transparent blade. She then says-

"I'm sorry but there is going to be pain from me doing this. No way of getting around it."

"Great, now you tell me. Promise me something, Chris. If something goes wrong and I'm unable to be revived, at least make my afterlife or next life a more enjoyable experience for me... if that's possible."

"Don't worry. I already know what I'll do with your soul if it comes to that. OK, here I go..."

Chris then rests the blade against my other half's chest. It takes a moment before she uses her free hand to rest it against the back of his head before doing something I hadn't expected to see her do; she pulls my other half into a kiss. A rather deep and passionate kiss at that from the looks of it.

I didn't know they had a thing going on here, or maybe this was to make what happens next easier for other me by giving him a distraction.

The blade then begins to sink into his chest, making his body begin to jerk and spasm though she maintains both her hold and the kiss till the blade was fully within him. Slowly, his body goes still, and Chris finally breaks the kiss before lowering my other half down onto the ground.

{Insert Image 2}

She then leans in close and whispers something into his ears that I fail to hear. She then removes the blade from his body before making a motion with her hands then presses them against the wound. A moment later, his blood rises out from the wound and onto her hands and lower arms begin to turn blood red. After that, she lifts my other self up and carries him out onto the lake were a light begins to rise from below.

I then watch as Chris and my other self begin to sink down into the pool of light and then the memory ends.

(present)

I find myself back in that little secluded spot in Axel as Chris pulls away from me. After taking a moment to recover, Chris says-

"While you... well, slept, I returned to Axel and reported your death to everyone there. Partly because I wanted to sell the belief that you were dead and partly because I wanted to gauge just how many people would actually miss you or cheer you untimely demise. You would reawaken after one week and I gave you your new threads and you took on the name Ranger. After that, you came back here to Axel, we decided to tell Luna about you as she had been one of the ones whp actually mourned your loss, and that's how you became the Axel guilds little secret agent. Well, that's more or less the truth of it."

"Now I understand. So, am I right in assuming that you having your hands permanently stained with my blood was a self-choice, Chris. If so, then is it really permanent or can you wash that blood away at any time?"

"That was a self-choice because I want to remember what I did that day forever. And yes, I could wash it away, but I don't think I will. At least not anytime soon."

"Well, whatever makes you happy, I guess. Now, about that kiss you gave..."

"NOT-ANOTHER-WORD, Kazuma. That question is forbidden and will never be answered."

So, does that mean this Chris is in love with my counterpart? If so, does that mean her plan for my other half's soul would have been to keep him by her side forever if she hadn't been allowed to revive him? Guess I'll never know... at least unless Know-It-All can and will answer that question for me. I'll ask her about that later. For now, I guess I'll ask those other questions I have.

"So, was it you who broke into the governor's mansion the other night and stole Gram away?"

""What, me? Why I would never do such a thing as steal from the royal family... though as a fellow thief, I have heard that the one responsible is said to be the best in the business. Gee, I wish I could meet up with them one day so we can exchange notes."

I see what's going on. Wanting to stay silent about that just in case anyone's listening in on us.

"Oh yes, my mistake, Chris. Anyways, about the other me. Any ideas where he is right now? I would like to talk with him for a bit if that's possible."

"Yeah, that... that's going to be difficult to arrange, seeing as he's already left Axel and is on the road traveling to who knows where. And he's not traveling alone as he has a companion at his side. A little mage who once had explosions on the brain."

"Come again? You mean my other half had his long-awaited reunion with this timeline's version of Megumin? Why did I have to go miss that moment?"

Chris suddenly reaches into her adventurer's pouch and pulls out what looks like a blueberry which she then throws over to me. I catch it and look it over before asking her what it was for.

"Eat that in your free time, Kazuma. It'll show you their reunion. It's pretty cute and funny, if also a little gag inducing depending on one's personal taste. Anyways, I need to be going. I have a lot of work to do and not enough time in eternity to go around doing it in."

Chris then snaps her fingers, causing a divine portal to appear beside her. As she goes to step into the portal, I call out to her which makes her stop and look back at me.

"Wait Chris, I have one more question. Before, my other half said something to Aqua just before she died. It was something that looked to both annoy her and made her happy. Any idea what he said?"

"Hm? Oh right, that. It wasn't anything special. She's just going to eventually be reborn as our Kazuma and Megumin's daughter one day and will become the first archpriestess of the Crimson Demon clan."

"What, seriously?"

"Yeah, seriously. Also, my Kazuma and Megumin are heading back to the Hidden Crimson Village to live out the rest of their lives... but they won't be heading straight there. They'll be taking a longer, more scenic route which will allow them some much needed and desired alone time together. I'm sure I don't need to explain the reason why. Anyways, maybe I'll be seeing you around... Satou Kazuma."

With that, Chris steps into the portal and I find myself being left alone. After a moment, I look down at the blueberry like item Chris had given me and I figure there's no time like the present. I then plop it into my mouth then quickly take a seat on the ground as a scene begins to play out inside my mind.

{|} Part 3: "Yuck!" {|}

(flashback; 3rd Person POV)

'Why did I allow myself to be talked into coming back here by Soketto again?'

Megumin was walking down the busy streets of Axel; having finally made her first visit to this town in nearly half a year. Being here after so much time was causing her to have conflicting feelings.

On the one hand, she was glad to see the place hadn't really changed. On the other, she was feeling very alone and isolated in the moment. There had been a time when she had seen Axel as her home, even more so than the Crimson Demon village and she could have seen herself living the rest of her life here.

Until THAT day came along; the day when she was told the very thing that had shattered her whole world forever. The day when she had learned that Kazuma had...

Megumin shakes that painful memory from her head, instead recalling the words Soketto had told her before. She had said "You must go to Axel, Megumin. If you do, you shall have an encounter that will change everything for you and set your life onto a newer, happier path."

'I can't believe I fell for those words so easily. Seriously, why did I even listen to her to begin with? Was I just that curious to see what that was all about. Once I get back, I should have my head examined.'

At present, Megumin had been walking the streets for about two hours with the only clue Soketto had given her was that this 'encounter' would happen before noon. Megumin stops walking and looks into the sky to check the position of the sun. If her estimate was correct, there was still two hours left till then which makes her sigh.

'I really want to use teleport to return home now but I'll humor Soketto by staying till noon but not a moment longer.'

Yes, that was correct; she had indeed learned Teleport as well as Intermediate level magic. Those had been her final action with her adventurer's card before destroying it when she had decided to stop being an adventurer and return home. Doing that had been proof to herself that she really had gotten over her foolish obsession with Explosion magic.

As she continued walking, having decided to stop by the guild for old times' sake, Megumin begins to wonder if she should try to look up Darkness; see if she's even here in Axel right now. Unlikely, given she went to join prince Jatis's personal guard but maybe she had come to visit her father.

It would be nice to catch up with an old friend.

Megumin is drawn from her thoughts as she feels eyes on her. Looking ever so carefully, she notices several guys eying her up. At present, she was wearing the special ninja attire that had become the norm for members of her clan to wear for combat and outside travel and it was very form fitting.

In fact, there was a time she might not have worn such an outfit, even if it had a stylish sort of cool about it, but these clothes, much like her beloved kimono, had been made for her by Kazuma before his... Suffice to say, this outfit was a dear treasure to her, one that she would never forsake.

Luckily, those guys didn't make a move to do anything to her, not that they could, making her breath out a sigh of relief. She continues on her way until the guild finally came into view. She stops for a moment, debating on if she should go ahead and step inside, when her eyes spot Dust coming into view just inside the door.

"Yeah, not going inside there now."

she mumbled under her breath. The last thing she wanted was for that guy of all people to spot and recognize her.

The relationship between Megumin and Dust was a tense one to say the least. If you asked Dust, he would probably say they were friends or at least on friendly terms with one another. Megumin, on the other hand, would say she doesn't like Dust all that much. She doesn't trust him and perhaps even hates him. The reason for that was for two very specific reasons.

One was because Dust was a hardcore pervert. During that leader switch event, when Kazuma and Dust had changed parties, she was sure Dust had been groping her butt the entire time he was carrying her back. Probably felt it was his compensation for all the trouble she, as well as Darkness and Aqua, had caused him.

She wasn't entirely sure as her head had been all hazy following that Explosion, but she had never allowed him to ever touch her after that. There was also that time she had caught him peeking into the girl's public bath and had been looking right at her when she had emerged from the waters, making her feel disgust. She didn't want any guy to see her, or touch her, in intimate ways except for...

And that's actually the second reason she didn't like Dust. She was worried he was being a bad influence on Kazuma. Trying to turn him into a degenerate, gambling addicted, sex obsessed pervert. Well, maybe she didn't mind if Kazuma became a pervert but not THAT kind of pervert.

He was always trying to get Kazuma to join him in doing things that could get him into trouble, something that would be especially dangerous given Kazuma's status as a Void and how everyone treats Void's. And he would likely leave poor Kazuma with the bill if given the chance.

Megumin then feels a wetness rolling down her cheek, making her realize that those thoughts she had of Kazuma mixed in with her thinking about why she didn't like Dust had triggered a tear or two. Quickly wiping that tear away, she quickly turns to start walking away from the guild...

And immediately runs smack into someone after only taking her first step mid-turn.

Megumin quickly backs up a few steps and quickly apologizes for not looking where she was going. Once upon a time, she would have been yelling at the person she had just collided with, telling them stuff like "Watch where you're going" or "Were you just trying to sexually harass me there." The kinds of things that would be normal from her, given her personality type at the time.

But now, she just didn't want to cause a scene. She just wanted to get someplace away from the eyes of others. Megumin then bows, planning on walking away quickly but before she could start walking away, her eyes can't help but take in the sight of the person she had collide with.

He was tall, perhaps twice her height which wasn't saying much as she had always been a little on the short side. He was dressed in all black; black boots and pants, a black long-sleeved shirt and hooded cloak, black gloves and a stylish black mask that covered his upper face save for his eyes. He was also in the process of growing a beard. Not much was there but it was just enough to make him look rugged.

All in all, he looked incredibly cool; easily earning her personal approval when it came to his sense of fashion. Not that she could admire his fashion choice as there was a problem Megumin was experiencing.

She could feel her cheeks heating up with an intense blush. She could feel her heart staring to race. And she could feel a tingling sensation happening down within her most private region. Just one moment, a single sight, had triggered such a powerful reaction that she didn't know how to deal with it.

"I... I... I..."

"Yes?"

he said, his voice low and strong and filled with a confident cool that Megumin nearly swooned from the sound. But she quickly shakes her head to knock the adult thoughts she had sudden begun to have from her mind then says-

"Once again, I'm sorry. I should have been more careful. I... I'll be going now."

She then bows again before quickly walking away, wanting to make as much distance between herself and this handsome mystery man before her body betrays her and makes her do something she was sure she'd regret later. She reaches the entrance to an alley and quickly steps inside...

Only to find that there was no exit beyond turning back and leaving the way she had come. All it led to was a small and empty lot, perhaps no bigger than her parents living room. She sighs in annoyance before turning around to leave, only to find that guy had followed her into this dark and secluded spot.

Megumin curses, lambasting herself for choosing to try making use of the alleys to escape this curious man. She should have just stayed on the main streets. She then takes on a defensive pose as the man just looks at her. She tries to make herself sound as tough and dangerous as possible by saying-

"Listen you... strangely enticing guy. My name is... you don't actually need to know that. Just know that I'm a member of the Crimson Demons and if you even think of doing anything perverted to me, my entire clan will make you suffer big time so please don't force me to ruin that cool look of yours by..."

"You're looking good there, Megs. Have you and your sister been eating well?"

'Megs? Did he just... but no one knows that nickname. No one except Darkness and Aqua and Yunyun and...'

Was it possible? Did she dare hope beyond hope here? Her hand naturally rises up, reaching for this mystery man as she quietly says-

"Ka...Kazuma...?"

The figure brings both his hands up and pulls his hood back, revealing long shoulder length brown hair and bangs that partially covers his eyes. He then reaches up and removes his mask, making sure to keep his eyes hidden until he was ready for her to see his face in full and when she did, tears began falling fast as Megumin brings both hands up to cover her mouth.

Ranger Kazuma smiles at her and says-

"Don't worry, Megs. This isn't some dream or illusion. I can assure you that I am very much real."

"Kazuma (sniff), it's you. It really is you, isn't it."

Megumin now understood why Soketto had told her to come to Axel this day. What reason would be so important for her to do so. As Megumin moves her hands from covering her mouth to resting them, clasped together, over her chest, she sends a silent prayer to Eris, thanking her for bringing him back to her.

'That's why my body had such a reaction just a few moments before. It knew, before my brain had figured it out, that I was standing before Kazuma. Megumin's sniffles turns into full blown water works as she begins to cry hard, running as fast as she could over to Kazuma and hugs him tightly.

"Kazuma-Kazuma, I've missed you so much."

"Yeah, I know. I've missed you too, my little mad bomber."

Ranger Kazuma then hugs Megumin and the two of them remain in that embrace for what felt like forever until Megumin finally breaks the hug and takes a few steps back. She then says-

"Where have you been all this time? Do you have any idea how much I've been missing you. How much I've been regretting so many mistakes I made back then. You better have a damn good explanation for all this if you want to earn my forgiveness, Kazuma."

In response to that, Kazuma says-

"So, are the clothes I made for you still fitting alright, Megumin? Also, got to say I'm loving the long-haired look. I knew it would be a good fit for you."

"Yeah, these clothes fit perfectly, and I only grew my hair out because of you. Honestly, I'm glad I... quit trying to change the subject, Kazuma. I want answers and I want them now."

Megumin then begins to huff and puff which makes Kazuma laugh at her, making her fume even more.

"Alright, alright, I get the picture. I'll tell you everything. But first, there's something I want to do here with you. Something I promised myself I would do on the day we reunited with one another again. Do I have your permission to do that before we talk?"

"I... well, I guess that's OK but what exactly was it you promised..."

Before Megumin could finish talking, Kazuma had closed the distance between them, leaning down before pressing his lips gently against Megumin's. For a few moments, Megumin just stood there with eyes wide as Kazuma continued to kiss her.

Finally, Megumin's eyes slowly closed as she allowed herself to become lost in what was her first kiss. Her hands came up and rested against Kazuma's chest as he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her in closer. For Megumin, this was how she always imagined her first kiss would feel like and even better was the fact the person giving her that first kiss was Kazuma himself. How she wanted it to last forever.

But it didn't as something suddenly happened that made her push against his chest to break the kiss. She then takes several steps back before looking at him and saying the most unexpected of things.

"Yuck."

"YUCK?"

Not wanting him to misunderstand, she quickly explains her words and actions by saying-

"I'm sorry, it's just that...that beard you've decided to start growing is really ticklish."

"Our first kiss made you say YUCK!"

The shocked and incredulous tone in Kazuma's voice makes Megumin giggle happily. She then holds her hands out before herself in an inviting manner, a warm and loving smile forming on her face. Kazuma looks at her for a moment then lets out a sigh before smiling a goofy smile himself.

{Insert Image 3}

"Can't be helped, I guess. Should have known that's how our first kiss would play out."

Seeing that Megumin was still waiting for him, Kazuma walks forward and the two embrace in another, deeper and more passionate kiss. Megumin lifts herself up as much as she could while wrapping her arms around his head while Kazuma's wrap around her lower back.

Their kiss lasted a lot longer this time and perhaps maybe there may have even been a little tongue going on as well and when they next broke apart, they both knew that they would never leave the others side again.

{|} Part 4: "So Long for Now" {|}

(present; Kazuma's POV)

"Thank you all for coming today. As you all know, these last few months have been a time of difficulty for everyone. However, my daughter went on a journey, one that saw her traveling to an entirely different timeline in order to find us a ray of hope in these dark hours. And today, we shall recognize that very hope she managed to bring back to save us."

After having returned to the governor's mansion and having lunch, the time had come for the long-awaited awards ceremony. Honestly, I wish we could have avoided doing all this as I was starting to feel really uncomfortable and self-conscious about the whole thing.

Anna, on the other hand, was going gaga over the whole spectacle.

We were standing just off to the side of the main entrance to the large room we were in. All around us were plenty of people, mostly nobles if I had to guess. I could see Darkness and her father positioned near the king, the prince, and Iris.

The King was an older man; probably in his late forties if I had to guess. His hair was neatly trimmed, and he had a thin well-kept beard as well as some gray along the sides, just above his ears. The prince had longer hair, done up in a ponytail and a small tuft of chin hair on his otherwise clean-shaven face.

"Satou Kazuma and Satou Anna, please step forward and come before me."

Despite nerves being in full force, I begin to walk forward with Anna just a single step behind. As I walk, I take a quick glance off to the side to see Rain holding Chomusuke for us. Standing beside her was Claire who had a complicated look on her face. But she did seem content with what was about to happen, so I guess that was good enough.

I come to a stop before the artificial steps that had been set up to create a temporary rise that the throne like chairs had been positioned on. I then kneel down onto one knee with Anna following my action almost immediately. In truth, she had been the one who had told me how one does these sorts of things when in the presence of royalty. Guess it was something she learned during her educational days.

The king then stands tall and proud before saying to everyone gathered.

"I must apologize for holding a ceremony such as this in this location. Normally, such important matters would be held inside the castle but given its current state... oh well, no matter. Let us begin, shall we."

His majesty then steps forward a few steps till his was standing directly over us. He then starts to unsheathe his blade but stops. He then takes on a look of consideration before a smile forms on his face.

"Actually, I have a better idea. Iris, dear daughter, I think you should be the one to do this."

"Huh? But father, I..."

"What, are you telling me you don't want your first knighting ceremony to be done with these two? Come on, daughter. I can see the desire to do this yourself in your eyes. Well, will you do it or shall I?"

The king's sudden action had caused the gathered audience to start chattering with one another. Jatis clears his throat, reminding them that their current conduct was a little out of character for their noble status. This gets them to settle down which makes Claire, Rain, and Darkness smile.

Iris had a doubtful look on her till she looked at me. I guess the look I had on my face gave her a confidence boost as she sends me a nod before she comes walking over. The king smiles before stepping back to allow Iris to stand before us. Iris then pulls Calibur out and holds it out and up before herself.

"Kazuma... Anna, on behalf of the kingdom of Belzerg and its many citizens, I, the princess Belzerg Stylish Sword Iris, hereby extend to the both of you my most humble thanks and eternal gratitude. What you've done for us... what you've done for me; that is a debt we can never hope to repay, not that we won't at least try to repay it. To that end, I grant you both new titles and honors..."

Iris then brings Calibur down, resting it on one side of my shoulder then the other.

"Sir Kazuma..."

She then repeats her actions with Anna, touching her blade to both sides of her shoulders.

"Lady Anna."

Iris then extends Calibur out into the air above us.

"Now rise, both of you. And may your lives continue to be rich, long lived, and full of joy."

With that, the audience begin to clap as Anna and I both rise and quickly shift to looking nervous as we scratch the back of our heads. Anna then leans in close and quietly says to me-

"If I'm being honest, I really don't feel like I deserve this, big bro. I mean, all I did was take out that evil Serena. Compared to what you did, I really didn't do anything at all."

"That's not true, lady Anna. like you just said, you were the one who ended that dangerous woman and saved both the princess and your brother. That alone is more than enough to make you worthy of this honor."

said Rain as she had walked over to join us and, having heard what Anna had said, decided to put her mind at ease with those words. Anna smiles and thanks Rain for those words. Chomusuke then jumps over to me and begins to nuzzle my neck.

"I must confess Kazuma... forgive me, sir Kazuma. When we first met one another, I never could have imagined this day coming. You really are full of surprises."

"Be nice, Claire."

said Claire and Darkness respectively as they also joined us. A few hours later, we were having an early, and more private, dinner party and Iris was doing whatever she could to stay glued to my side. It was cute, in its own way, if not for the fact that it was making Claire revert into her jealous tsundere mode.

"So, is the food to your liking, big bro... I mean, sir Kazuma."

"Yeah, it's pretty good. Must be nice to have food like this on a day-to-day routine."

"True, but I still think brothers cooking easily tops this without question."

"Yeah, I wish I could keep brother around so I could have him cook all my meals for me."

said Iris, smiling happily.

"Funny, I thought you had only one big brother here, Iris. Since when father adopted sir Kazuma into the family?"

"Indeed, I don't recall having welcomed a second son into our fold. Though if that's what you really want, my daughter, I guess I could consider..."

"Dad... brother Jatis, when did you..."

Both the king and prince begin to laugh happily as did Darkness and Rain. Claire hesitates before laughing as well though hers felt a little forced. Me and Anna look at each other before we join in laughing, leaving only Iris who chooses to make a pouting face as she probably felt she was being teased.

Once the laughing had stopped, the king then looks at me and asks-

"So, sir Kazuma, what are your plans now if I may ask."

"Well, your majesty, I think it's time for me, Anna, and Chomusuke to see about figuring out how we should go about getting back to our timeline here."

"Good point, brother. We've been here for well over a week now and the others have surely gotten back from their special quest. Odds are they must be going seriously crazy trying to find you by now. Perhaps they may be wondering where I am as well. No doubt they've already torn Axel apart in their search. Knowing Megumin, she's probably caused plenty of widespread damage in her worry."

Oh crap, I hadn't thought about that. My vast fortune... I'm probably already back in debt if Megumin is acting as her personal nature dictates.

"Then we need to hurry up and find a way back home. Otherwise... I don't want to even think about it."

"Kazuma... do you really have to go away now?"

We all turn to look at Iris, seeing that there was a sadness that had come over her. Jatis then walks over to her and says-

"We can't ask him to stay here with us, sister. While having someone like him stick around would be a comfort, to ask him to forsake his home, his friends; that's something we just can't do."

"I... I know, I just wish that I..."

To everyone's surprise, Claire was the one to step forward and places a hand on Iris's shoulder.

"If it makes you feel better, neither Kazuma nor Anna can go anywhere until mister Palastori actually bothers to show up and see them returned home. That means that for now, you can spend as much time as you want with him."

I then hear her mumble "I can't believe I just said that to lady Iris" quietly to herself. The king scratches his chin as he was clearly thinking of something. He then says-

"Speaking of that man, has there really been nothing from him sense his initial visit? Did he really not leave us with a way to contact him once sir Kazuma's role had been concluded here."

"No father. Now that I think about it, what if he..."

"What if he never bothers to return to see Satou Kazuma back home?"

The sudden voice makes everyone jump before quickly turning to find a new arrival had sudden appeared on the scene. He had the appearance of a young man, either in his late teens or early twenties. Albino white skin, bushy azure colored hair, and eyes of black gold color.

The new arrival was busy helping himself to some food from the looks of it.

"Lord Palastori, when did you get here?"

asked Claire, making him finish chewing on the pastry he had in his mouth, then swallowing it before finally speaking-

"Just before that knighting ceremony Kazuma and Anna were given. With how many people were present, I guess no one took notice of me."

"And the reason why you didn't approach us after?"

asked Jatis.

"I figured I'd let the princess have a few more hours with her hero here before it was time to send him home. Besides, how could I possibly NOT stick around long enough to enjoy all this amazing food sitting out before us all. It's not all that often that I find myself getting to enjoy a kingly meal such as this."

"Then, I guess this is going to be goodbye... huh Kazuma?"

said Iris, getting everyone to look at her. She had the most depressed look I had even seen a person have on her face. It was also obvious she was fighting back tears. I guess these last ten or so days saw her really taking a liking to me. I wish there was something I could do for her but...

"Hey Rain, should we go ahead and tell them now?"

"I believe so, lady Anna. I believe this is the right time to bring this subject up."

"What are you two talking about, Rain?"

asked the king, getting us all to look at Rain and Anna. Rain then explains-

"A few days ago, after having learned how Anna was able to defeat the death priestess Seresdina, I took her to see Sylvia to examine her body to see if we could learn anything that could help guard against such powers in the future. In doing so, we learned something else. Something unexpected and amazing."

Anna then cuts in and says-

"Good news, Iris. This may not be a forever kind of goodbye. Sylvia believes she may be able to use the data she gained from examining me to create a means of traveling from your timeline to ours in the future."

So that's what those two had been doing these last few days; hanging out with Sylvia. Can't say I approve. I turn my attention to Iris, seeing an excited and happy look come over her as she says-

"Really? Are you absolutely sure about this."

Rain shrugs before saying-

"Nothing is one-hundred percent certain here, but we're talking about Sylvia so I'm sure she'll manage to get it done. Could take weeks or months or maybe even years but I have a feeling she'll succeed in creating a bridge to connect our two timelines eventually."

Hearing that makes Iris nod happily before closing her eyes and resting her hands over her heart. Jatis, instead, turns his attention to Palastori and asks-

"Tell me traveler, is such a thing possible? Can Sylvia actually create a means to travel between our two timelines?"

"Don't know. I mean, I guess anything is possible, especially as I wasn't always able to travel from one timeline to another either. It'll won't be easy but if she works at it and is truly committed to the task, then yes. I believe she'll be able to do it. Perhaps, if time permits in the future, I'll pay your timeline another visit and off up some assistance if she's still working on that project."

A sudden beeping sounds rings out, making Palastori pull back the sleeve on his left hand to reveal what looked to be a wristwatch. He then sighs before looking back at us all and says-

"Sorry to hurry things along but I'm afraid I have to be getting back to my personal duties here soon. In other words, it's time for us to get going."

Palastori then produces a key from his pocket, walks over to a door and whispers something while holding the key close to his mouth. He then inserts the key into the door before opening it, revealing a glowing portal in place of room that should be beyond the door.

I then turn to everyone and say-

"Well, looks like this is going to be goodbye... at least for now. Your majesty, prince Jatis. It was an honor to meet you both."

"The pleasure was all ours, Satou Kazuma. And once more, I say thank you for everything."

said the king as both he and Jatis bow before us. I then turn to Claire, Rain, and Darkness.

"The three of you better take care of yourselves as well. I don't want to hear about you lot getting into any trouble when we meet again... especially you Darkness. Oh yeah, Chris told me my counterpart is going to be hanging out with the Crimson Demons, going to live with Megumin. Just so you know where to find him."

"I had a feeling that was the case. Once time permits, and I learn the village's new location, I'll be sure to head on over and pay them a visit."

"Good idea. Make sure they aren't getting too carried away doing you know what together. Claire, continue doing what you do so well though maybe quit being such a mother hen with Iris. Let her have a chance to live a little, alright. Rain, I'll be counting on you to make sure Claire doesn't go overboard with her."

"Wha... how dare you, Kazuma. I'll have you know that I've never..."

"Don't worry, Kazuma. I'm sure everything will be fine."

I turn away from the angry Claire and smiling Rain to see Anna and Iris hugging. When Anna breaks the hug, she runs over to hug Claire and Rain while I approach Iris and the two of us just look at each other. Just as I go to speak-

"Sorry to hurry this along but the portal won't stay open for long."

said Palastori before passing into it. Anna says one final quick goodbye before jumping after him. Me and Iris then walk over to the portal but stop as we once again look at each other.

"I guess this is goodbye, huh Iris."

"Yeah, I guess so... for now, anyways. I'm going to miss you, Kazuma."

"I'll miss you too. But yeah, we'll be seeing each other again so maybe instead of a goodbye, we should instead say 'so long for now' or something."

"Agreed. Nia, make sure you keep on eye of Kazuma for me."

We both laugh while Iris reaches up to rub Chomusuke's head, earning a happy mew in response. I then notice the portal flicker followed by a tug on my sleeve from Iris who motions for me to lean down which I do. She then whispers into my ear-

"That reminds me, I still haven't given you your special reward yet. How about I give it to you on that day when we finally see one another again."

"I thought being knighted was the special reward. Well, if you want to do something else for me, I guess that's fine. Alright, until then..."

Another flicker of the portal tells me time was running out. Iris then hugs me which I return. When we break apart, I say while preparing to step into the portal-

{Insert Image 4}

"I'll see you again someday, princess Iris."

"Yeah, see you soon, big brother..."

I then step into the portal and into the unknown.

{|} Part 5: "We'll Be Ready for Him" {|}

My exit from the portal wasn't a pleasant one if I'm being honest here. I groan as I feel a shadow come over me, that shadow being Anna as she extends her hand to help me off the ground.

"You OK there, big bro. You hit the ground pretty hard back there."

"Yeah, I think so. Would have been nice to have a little warning there."

"Yeah, sorry about that. I always forget to warn people about the landings."

said Palastori, looking rather sheepish as he scratches the back of his head. I send him an annoyed look before check to see if I could tell where we were at. Wasn't all that hard, seeing as the familiar sight of the mansion was standing to our left. Guess he had brought us straight back to our front yard.

"So, are we really-really back home. This is OUR timeline and not a similar looking one?"

asked Anna; asking a question that was honestly on my mind as well.

"Don't worry, this is indeed you're home alright. I've never made a goof on this matter before... well, not since I got the hang of this sort of thing. Anyways, I must thank you for doing what you did for those people in their timeline. Not a lot of folks would have been willing to risk themselves in that manner."

"Not like we had much of a choice, given how we ended up there to begin with. Oh well, no matter. I would have given in and gone anyways as I've never been able to truly turn a cute girl down. Anna, head inside and see if the others are here. Need to make sure of things before we go to start looking for them."

"On it."

Anna then turns and heads into the mansion while I look back at Palastori and ask-

"Question, why did you make it possible for Iris to come here to recruit me for a timeline saving mission when it was my counterpart in said timeline that was destined to do the real saving."

"I have my reasons though I can't disclose those to you...YET. But even though you weren't the destined hero when all was said and done, don't think you didn't contribute anything at all back there. Truth be told, your counterpart was only able to do what he did because of what you yourself did first."

I guess that's true. Even if the other me had managed to make it to the throne room without being noticed, would he have been able to destroy the corruption without having to face off with Corruption? Could he have survived that encounter with it? I wonder if Know-It-All can answer that question.

"Looks like they're not here, Kazuma. Guess that means they must be out looking for you."

says Anna as she comes running back over to us. I sigh while scratch my head.

"I was really afraid of that. Sorry Palastori, but you wouldn't happen to have the power to tell us where our friends are currently at, would you? Maybe even send us straight to them."

"Yes, I have that ability but there's no real point to it, given you two have only been gone five days here."

"Eh?"

both me and Anna say as Chomusuke hops off my head and heads inside the mansion before the front door could finish closing.

"Oh right, I forgot to tell them all this when I first met them. The other timeline moves at an ever so slightly faster rate than your own. To be exact here, ten days over there is worth five days here, give or take an hour. No one has noticed you, or Anna and Chomusuke, being MIA yet. As for those girls of yours? I believe they'll be back within the next two days. (chuckle) Let's just say their special quest had a fair number of setbacks to it."

"Oh, like what?"

asked an excited Anna though Palastori just shakes his head.

"Why spoil the surprise. I'll let them tell you all about it once they get back. Anyways, I need to be going here. I wasn't joking before when I said I had other duties I need to be getting back too."

Palastori then approaches the front door and inserts his key into it, creating a new portal for himself. He then looks back and says-

"Well, I guess this is goodbye here. Once again, I thank you both for your efforts and I hope that maybe our paths will cross again in the future."

"Before you go, Palastori, any chance you can tell us about this Rubrikt guy?"

I asked, making Palastori stop. He considers my words for a moment, then nods.

"Rubrikt is... he's dangerous, to say the least. While a scholar at heart, he is obsessed with knowledge and information and will do anything to obtain more. I do not know what his ultimate end goal is, but I know he's taken an interest in you specifically, Satou Kazuma."

"Why would he be interested in my big bro?"

"Because of Entropy. For some reason, Entropy has become obsessed with you and will stop at nothing if it means getting her hands on you. Because there is a connection between Rubrikt and Entropy from the past, it wanting you has made you a target for him as well. I cannot fathom what he may do in the future where you are concerned Kazuma but know he will do anything he feels is necessary to further his knowledge, even including coming in between you and your friends' relationships, if that's what it takes."

"Then he better be ready to deal with me and them in turn. If he's really smart, he won't try anything funny as I know one girl who will explode him without a second thought if he does anything she doesn't like."

"I can imagine."

"So, do you have any idea where this Rubrikt guy even is right now?"

asked Anna. Palastori closes his eyes for a moment then says-

"I don't know his exact location, but I do know he's somewhere here within your timeline as he's the reason the Duchess of Kessex went missing."

So that's what happened to that psycho woman. I wonder if...

"Anyways, I really have to go now. Like I said, be on your guard in the future as I'm sure he'll be making his move against you soon. I have no idea what he will do but you can assume it will involve your friends in some way. After all, I've never known him to go with a physical attack unless it can't be helped. He's more of a psychological fighter; attacking you mentally and emotionally."

"Thanks for the warning, Palastori. No matter what he does, we'll be ready for him."

"Good to hear. It may be a while before it happens, but we will also meet again one day and perhaps when we have our next meeting, I'll be able to offer you more information on Rubrikt. Perhaps even help rid him from your lives."

I nod as I watch Palastori turn back and walk into the portal which quickly closes along with the door. Me and Anna look at each other, determined looks on our faces before heading into the mansion in order to have some much-needed rest.

{|} Part 6: "This Star of Fantasia" {|}

"No matter what he does, we'll be ready for him."

Those had been the final words Satou Kazuma had said before I had stepped through the portal.

As I emerge from the other side, appearing inside my private chambers, I walk over to the nearest window and look out and down at the city below. I always love this view of the capital during the twilight hours. Everything always looks so beautiful and peaceful.

I then repeat that boy's words a few more times in my head as I smile ever so slightly. I then say quietly to myself-

"No, you won't be ready... not for what's coming."

Just then, a knocking sound fills the room. I remain quiet for a few moments until I hear a voice call out from beyond the door that led out into the hallway.

"Chancellor Rubrikt? Excuse me sir but are you present?"

That's right. I am Palastori Rubrikt; grand chancellor of the kingdom of Belzerg and at the moment, the man in charge of everything.

I go to speak but I stop quickly, recalling my voice would sound too youthful if I did. I bring a hand up to my throat, making some quick growls and grunts till I was sounding like I should. I then look back towards the door and respond.

"I'm here. Please allow me a moment before you enter."

I then focus my mind onto the shift, ripples of air appearing all over me as my appearance changes from how I had once looked in my youth to the forty something year old man I normally appear to others as. Once done, and taking a moment to confirm my correct appearance, I turn to face the door and tell the person just beyond to enter.

A young woman, this timelines version of Rain enters and is quick to say-

"My apologizes, Chancellor. We've just received an update from master Mitsurugi."

"Thank you, Rain. I'll read over these now then have you deliver my response with swiftness. Please wait outside till I call for you."

"Understood, sir."

Rain bows before leaving my room. I then drop the papers onto the floor, having no reason to read the report as I already knew what it would say, as well as my response to that report. Instead, I walk over to a cabinet and open it to reveal the glowing diamond shaped crystal within.

"You did well back there, Satou Kazuma... but not as well as I had hoped. While I had originally planned on giving you a little breather until the Eris Festival arrived, I'm afraid I must change my plans for you. Hm, let me think... ah yes, you and that one Crimson Demon girl will soon be performing her trials together, won't you. I believe that will make for some fun for everyone. Both you and her..."

"And this Star of Fantasia!"

{|} Part 7: "We'll Never Leave Your Side Again" {|}

It was morning of the next day, and I was currently sitting on the couch, enjoying the much needed down time with a simple thing that had never really been my jam in the past but was starting to become part of my new norm in life; that being the enjoyment of a relaxing book read.

This was probably because there was no TV or video games or Internet available to act as an alternative.

Chomusuke was sitting nearby, happily taking her time with eating her breakfast without a care in the world. I look over at her and smile while reaching out to rub her ears, making her purr happily before going back to her meal. As I return to my reading, I hear Anna speak up from behind me.

"Morning Kazuma... Nia. So, is breakfast ready yet?"

"Breakfast has been ready for over an hour now, lazy bones. Yours is waiting over in the kitchen but be warned, you'll likely need to warm it... Anna, I can't help but notice that something is rather off with you at the moment."

I had turned back in order to better look at her and had quickly taken notice of the fact the Anna was currently back in her ghost form. She gives me a curious look before understanding what was up with me. She then comes in close, explaining her current lack of a body.

"Long story short; when I was being given those examinations from alternate Sylvia, she discovered that I have the ability to actually leave my new body whenever I want. Good thing about that is that I can do some serious spy and scouting work for you all in the future. Bad news is that if I leave my new body when outside the mansion grounds, I have a time limit of fifteen-minutes to return to my new bod or else I'll be making that long overdue trip to the afterlife."

"Hm, I've been wondering about that. Vanir never said if you getting the new body was a permanent thing or not or if there was any risk involved. I guess now we know. So, why are you out of your body right now?"

"Uh... reasons."

I send her a deadpan glare, feeling that the reason was because she wanted to 'sleep with me' last night without me taking notice. I then let out a sigh before turning back to Know-It-All and continue my reading. Anna then peeks over my shoulder and asks-

"So, I'm guessing you're taking a chance to read up on the life your counterpart was living over in Alice's timeline? Anything of interest I'd enjoy hearing?"

"Actually yes, I have been doing exactly that. Plenty of interesting things have happened to him, as well as Megumin, Darkness, and even Aqua. The real juicy parts on what Know-It-All believes will be their likely futures going forward. We can talk more about this subject later, after lunch. Right now, I should hurry up and head downstairs so I can get back to work on that special project our recent adventure has inspired me to do."

"Oh, so that's what those designs are about. Planning on making Megumin and Yunyun some ninja attire, are we? Perhaps even introducing the ninja lifestyle to the whole Crimson Demon clan?"

"Might as well. Being honest here, I'm disappointed that I didn't come up with the idea myself though I guess knowing that there's a version of me out there that did have that idea is a comfort."

Anna gives me an agreeing nod while I stand. I then begin to walk towards the stairs with Anna floating right beside me when Chomusuke sudden jumps into action, making a quick beeline for the front door. This makes me and Anna stop before we both smile.

"Looks like the others are home."

"Guess so. Wish they could have waited one more day before getting back though as I had come up with a sure-fire way to get you into helping me experience a few more first I wanted to put into action today."

"Please, let's not get started on that who schtick again. It got old pretty quickly. Anyways, let's go see how everyone's doing."

I then walk over to the front door and immediately catch the sound of whimpers and crying. Becoming concerned, I quickly open the door and find...

"Do I even want to ask?"

All the girls were here, thankfully. That said, they were in a terrible state. Their clothes were badly torn and the pieces that remained were incredibly dirty. They had scratch marks all over and their hair was a frazzled mess and they smelled like they hadn't bathed in a few days. The areas of clothing that was heavily damaged seemed to have been repaired using foliage they had likely found in the area.

"KAZUMA!"

cried Megumin and Yunyun who had immediately jumped me, hugging me tightly as they cried onto my shoulders. Lynn and Cielo were right behind them, each taking my hands while hovering very close. While I would normally enjoy all this closeness, their stench was seriously making me want to gag.

Anna finally speaks up, saying-

"You guys look like total shit right now. What happened? Find yourselves having a run in with a lost colony of male orcs; becoming their personal playthings for a few days?"

Hearing that makes me go rigid. Please don't tell me a bunch or smelly and ugly beast actually stole their innocence because if so, I'll have to go on a personal kill quest... for their sakes, of course.

Darkness, who was looking the most like herself as well as calm and composed says-

"No, nothing like that happened to us... unfortunately. What happened to us was..."

In a nutshell, they had been attacked by a colony of Rookie Killers and had been forced to make a run for it which ended up getting them lost. Then they had fallen into a sink hole that delivered them to some underground cave system that no one knew existed. What was even worse about this place was the fact there was something in those rocks that made up the inside of the cave that negated the usage of both magic and skills.

They then spent several days wandering around as they try to find an exit, being harassed by many of the locals, mainly giant bats and slimy monster slugs. They finally found an exit just a short while ago and Yunyun was quick to bring everyone back once her magic kicked back in, leading to this very moment.

After hearing that, I let out a sigh, saying-

"Seriously, can you girls really NOT HELP with getting yourselves into trouble whenever I'm not there. It's times like these that make me debate if I can trust you all to be OK without me being present."

"You're right; you're absolutely right, Kazuma. We need your good luck to help balance out all our bad luck."

"What Yunyun's saying Kazuma is that we'll never leave your side again."

said Megumin as both she and Yunyun increase the strength of their hold on me. Cielo and Lynn nod in agreement with that as well while Darkness just smiled. I sigh again before saying-

"You guys really had it rough these last few days. How about I get the bath ready for you all and I make you something nice and hot for lunch while you all soak."

"Or he COULD join us for this bath? What do you all think?"

To my surprise, none of the girls objected immediately. Did that mean they were OK with me joining them for the bath? I then led them back into the mansion, debating if I should go to the regular bath or if I should go ahead and confess to them I knew about the secret hot spring they hadn't told me about.

Of course, it was then Anna just had to go open her mouth as she says-

"Sorry you five had a hard time this week. Want to guess what happened with us while you were gone? Well, for one thing, Kazuma spent the night with an underage girl in his arms."

ANNA, you little... I'm so going to kill you when you're back inside your physical body. Assuming, of course, I survive four raging girls who are now out for my blood and chasing me all over the mansion while Darkness and Anna start acting like commentators.

{|} Epilogue: Road to Yunyun {|}

(Yunyun POV)

We really need to stop overreacting and give Kazuma a chance to explain things with proper context before we let ourselves get carried away like we did earlier. Especially me. I mean, I'm usually the voice of reason during those times... well, at least one of the voices of reason to act as a balancer to Megumin's chaotic nature.

I'm just glad we didn't rough Kazuma up to badly before we gave him the chance to tell us his side of things. He was even willing to make us both lunch and dinner after all that though he had locked himself away down in his workshop for most of the day following out return. Anna told us he was busy working on some secret project but wouldn't tell us what it was about.

We'll definitely need to work together in order to come up with something that will serve as a proper apology later.

Currently, it was late into the evening, and I was laying back in my bed, holding the letter I had received from back home in my hands. According to its contents, my long-awaited Crimson Trials would be held in the next five days so both me and Kazuma, assuming he would still be my partner, would need to arrive in the village in four days so mother and father could properly explain to us the full nature of what awaited us once it had begun.

There's just one little problem; that being Megumin. Maybe I'm making a false assumption here but my guts telling me she'll veto letting me bring Kazuma along for this experience as it would be just the two of us alone over the course of several days. In fact, she'll probably use that silly myth of the Bomber Majin that only she believes in as her reasoning for why Kazuma shouldn't participate as my partner.

While going behind her back didn't sit right with me, it was also the only option I have to keep Kazuma as my partner for this. The question is how do I sneak Kazuma out to the village with me without Megumin being none the wiser? I honestly have no idea, but I have a few days ahead of me in order to come up with something.

I just hope I actually can.

{|} Arc 9 end {|}

Image 1: Aqua being stabbed from behind by Ranger Kazuma, smaller panel of Kazuma, Iris, Anna, Claire, and Rain with surprised and shocked expressions.

Image 2: Alternate Chris kissing Ranger Kazuma while pressing the divine dagger into his chest.

Image 3: Long-hair Megumin smiling while holding her arms out before herself invitingly while Ranger Kazuma smiles with a goofy grin.

Image 4: Kazuma and Iris sharing a final, goodbye hug with one another with the portal glowing behind them.

AN: And so, we reach the end of another arc. So, what's the next arc going to be about? The above epilogue has probably given you all a good hint to that, but I'll go ahead and tell you the arcs name: The Crimson Trials of Yunyun! Please note that the next chapter will be released the first Monday of March as I've decided to give myself a one-month break before getting started on the next arc, for the sake of avoiding potential burnout. I'll be releasing the next chapter of Nice NEET's Finish Last sometime next week but I probably won't be releasing anything else till March but who knows? Maybe Arc 10-1 will come in late February.

Now, before I sign off, here's some details you may find interesting. For the ending of this arc, I had so many ideas on how to end it that I wasn't sure which I was going to go with until literally the final day of writing as it was the last thing I actually did before the spellcheck. There was one ending where Iris made a split second to join Kazuma and Anna and would have been the cause behind the girls getting mad at Kazuma. There was an ending where Anna stays behind to help aid Rain and Sylvis with making the device that would allow a future return of Iris, and one where Anna stays behind and Iris follows after him.

Hell, I had an idea when writing chapter three of this arc that if I had come up with early, I probably would have gone with it. This idea was that Anna and Iris would have been revealed to be identical in appearance. This would create a 'Prince and the Pauper' like situation for the two of them which would have ended with them switching places in the end. Anna would have stayed behind, to live out her princess fantasy I would have established if the idea had been thought of early enough, while Iris is the one to return with Kazuma though Anna would have shown up again before the end of the story.

There were several other ideas, but you get the basic gist of my mindset. Well, enough gabbing. Time to get Nice NEET's chapter 9 finished so I can begin my one-month vacation and then return to give you a Yunyun slash possible Kazuma x Yunyun fluff arc (you'll understand when reading it). Oh, quick side note to anyone who's worried about that. Stay calm as arc 11 is all about Megumin and will have its Kazuma x Megumin moments. Till then...