Kazuma's turn
Morning came early, and I was up to see the sunrise for probably the first time in years. I went to the local jeweler first thing after grabbing a random sample out of the bag of silver still in my apartment, and sure enough General Bitchesdina was on the level. The coins really were nearly pure silver, and by a rough guess the rest of them in that bag alone would pay my rent for a year if I could fence them quietly.
So now I was out at a local family restaurant, waiting for the deluxe lunch combo while I mulled over my options.
Iris was practically handing me a chance to be a fantasy hero, and with national support that most adventurers probably never got I could skip over most of the annoying grindy bits and get right into the actual plot. On top of that, I could shake the dust of this town off my feet for good. No more parents constantly dumping on me about why I wasn't Jiro and why I didn't have any honor as the eldest son. No more knowing I was nothing but a statistic in a spreadsheet in some government office. A nobody now and forever with nothing to look forward to and trying to bury it in games, porn, and forums.
No more living a safe, comfortable life in a country that hadn't been to war in 80 years. And no matter how fancy Iris' palace was, I'd bet every silver in that bag there wasn't anything like fiber or Wifi, I'd be lucky if they had flush toilets. Speaking of, no more being fairly certain I wasn't going to die of a horrible disease this year, Iris had admitted healing magic didn't work on infections after all.
Not even counting the whole succubus delivery service perk, I'd be lying if I wasn't really curious about that. I could think of quite a few scenarios from 'various sources' I'd love to try out in 3D. And while the general might've had a lousy sales pitch, I certainly didn't have to like her in order to like taking her money.
After lunch, I hopped the bus back to my apartment and spent the rest of the day fooling around online. Mostly checking silver prices and where I might have good odds of cashing in my pay without tax collectors or worse breathing down my neck. Between that, talking Jiro into meeting me for dinner for once, and doing a little shopping for things I'd had on my wishlist for ages I had a great time the next couple of days until my next payment arrived.
It was that evening, as I had just finished up my takeout noodles, when a raven landed on my windowsill and started pecking at the window insistently.
Shaking my head, I opened up to let it in. Instead of the message I'd half expected to find tied to one leg, it spoke with Seresdina's voice. "I have arrived with the balance of your payment. Meet me at the park three streets north of here in a quarter hour. Wear the talisman," it informed me in clipped, precise sentences. "Understood, the park three blocks north in 15 minutes," I replied and turned away, expecting it to leave after delivering its message. Instead, it only stared at my back, then cawed indignantly and fluttered after me.
"Shoo! Fuck off! I said I'm on my way!" I shouted back, batting at it as it tried to land on my shoulder. It didn't give up on trying, but I finally did and let it do what it wanted. So I pulled on my shoes and made sure I had my phone, wallet and key before heading outside looking like half an Odin cosplay. The damned raven seemed to preen while balancing on me.
Seresdina's turn
Kazuma arrived almost on time, glancing nervously around the well lit space as he approached me.
"That will do," I spoke, dismissing my familiar as he closed to a few paces away. "Turn around please," I continued. Seeing he was wearing the talisman around his neck, and had it securely clasped at the back, I breathed a quiet sigh as the tension receded from me in a wave. It was done. He would never be able to cross the void to threaten me, or us, again.
"Excellent. You've upheld your half of the bargain, so I shall do the same. Payment as agreed, in full." I picked up the satchel of silver resting at my feet, and stepped forward far enough to hand it over when he waved a hand.
"Wait, wait, I…" he let out a thunderous sneeze, followed by another. After he recovered, he pulled out a bottle of some sort. "Sorry, I should have clean hands for this. Tradition when you're doing a business deal here. Just a sec."
I eyed him carefully, but all he did was spray out something from the bottle and rub it on his hands. "Ok, good to go. Want to try some? It's got aloe."
"Thank you, no," I replied, really wanting this to be over with. I'd already burned most of a day on this between the time difference and the ritual prep, enough was enough. "If you're quite ready, here."
"Sure, thanks." Kazuma replied, placing the bottle back in his pocket and extending his hands to take the bag. "Oh shit, hang on I…" he twitched like he had another sneeze coming, but before I reacted to back up a wave of red hot agony overwhelmed my eyes and sinuses, as though I was breathing inside a roaring hearth.
I heard indistinct screaming that might have been mine, or his, or even both as I found myself on the ground.
'That BASTARD' was all I could barely think, unable to even summon a spell as my tears only seemed to spread the agony around further instead of wash it away. Even through the pain I felt a massive source of magic approaching for a second before I felt the cold click of bindings around my wrists and a voice, with a smile so poisonous I could hear it, said:
"Good evening, General."
Iris' turn
Binoculars, I decided, were going to be the first thing I had my craftsmen make when I got home. Not as good as Farsight to be sure, but usable by anyone. Most of my generals couldn't access that skill in any case and would appreciate a nice upgrade from a spyglass. They brought the scene into sharp relief before my eyes as Kazuma stepped into the park about 400 paces ahead of me while I camped on the roof of what seemed to be a truly enormous general store of some sort. Though it was covered with gravel for some odd reason. As the scene played out, I tensed as Kazuma replaced the first container, the actual lotion, in his pocket and walked towards Seresdina. A second sneeze, this time the other container, and…
As the screams echoed through the stillness of the evening and the pair hit the ground, I took my cue to race in and seal the actual deal being conducted. I hopped the low wall surrounding the roof and kicked away from the front of the store on the way down. Hitting the ground three floors below with a forward roll, I was on my feet and at a full sprint before I heard the first shout of alarm from a shopper on the sidewalk behind me. A good runner could make the distance I'd need to go in about a minute, probably enough time for Seresdina to at least start recovering.
The Royal House of Belzerg stays the royal house because we've married heroes into our line enough times to produce the finest warriors with the highest stats the kingdom has to offer. I was on her in 10 seconds.
"Good evening, General." I greeted my mortal enemy with utmost courtesy as I slapped several handcuffs on her wrists and ankles before stuffing a gag between her teeth. "Do bear with me a moment." I unclipped the necklace from around Kazuma's neck and placed it on Seresdina, removing the mana storage device at her belt at the same time. Then I dragged her behind a hedgerow out of easy sight from the street once I was sure the talisman activated.
Leaving her for the moment, I hurried over to Kazuma, who looked like he'd suffered an acidic radish attack with how reddened and inflamed his eyes and nose were, and helped him sit up. I went to pour out my canteen over his face but he must have had enough sight to bat my hand away.
"Nuwwatah, nuwwatah," Kazuma moaned out. Spitting to one side, he then blew out his nose on a sleeve while keeping his eyes tightly clenched shut. Finally, he must have recovered enough to be a little more coherent. "No water, it just spreads it around," he croaked. "And it's coming from her, it won't help anyway."
Briefly, I thought about testing that idea out on the good general. But she seemed to be recovering as well already judging by the muffled, probably obscene, commentary coming from around her gag.
"Oh go to hell, and tell your two copper goddess she's next!" I snarled back. "Kazuma, can you move? We probably attracted way too much attention for this part of town."
"Yeah," he said with an awful wheeze. "Gonna have to." I grabbed him under one shoulder and raised him to his feet to hobble away, pausing to grab up the other half of the payment of course.
Judging by the higher pitch of the muffled screaming coming from the ex-general, she knew what I planned to do with her. I knew bits of her story of course, the other Kazuma had shared pieces of it at one time or another, though never when he was sober. Even he wasn't particularly proud of how she ended up.
Penniless. Powerless. Helpless. Hopeless.
And now in addition, abandoned alone in a world that she had no understanding of or place in, with no way to return.
As we turned the corner and headed for the bus station I spared a glance over my shoulder, checking my work. Seresdina was invisible and inaudible from the street as I hoped. While someone might have called the watch…or rather the police as they were called here, no one seemed to be investigating directly. With any luck at all she wouldn't be found before morning. Without the device storing mana to use her skills or power her return trip, even the death curse of her goddess would fade by then.
I nodded to myself, satisfied. A queen's duty was to remove threats to her subjects' safety by any means necessary, and she'd soon be no threat to anyone at all besides those who had to listen to her raving.
We reached the nearby bus station and its bathroom and I cleaned Kazuma up as best I could before paying for a ticket across town.
While we seemed to glide along at an incredible speed and smoothness compared to the common carriages I was used to outside the most important of royal travels, I smiled at the man beside me.
I'd met him in his apartment that morning, apparently learning to fry an egg by trial and a lot of error judging by the pile of eggshells and lack of anything edible to show for it.
"Good morning, your majesty." my hopefully soon to be vassal greeted me as he opened the door.
"What have I said about that?" I replied, before breezing through and slamming to a halt with a strangled squeak.
Clearly visible on the counter was an open bag of silver coins I certainly hadn't brought and an incredibly gaudy choker necklace. And that was the exact moment I started cursing myself for a fool, before turning to pin him with a glare that had made dukes sweat in the past.
"When," I asked flatly.
"Just after you left, she was probably waiting for you to go. Somebody called Seresdina if that makes any difference."
It certainly did. It would be her. "I see. And you're hoping I can out bid her. Well, out with it." I demanded, hands on hips. I could guess what a demon's lapdog would offer, calling attention there couldn't hurt.
"Ah, actually…" he began.
"A sack of gold that size would be substantial. But I hope you realize that while that seems like a lot of money for one person, it's pocket change for the royal budget. You want one of those a week? Done." I continued forcefully, not giving him a chance to regain his balance. "What else did she offer?"
"She really didn't…" he tried to hedge, but I wasn't having it.
"Do you want a competitive offer or not? Speak!"
"Fine!" he threw up his hands and hoped for the best. "She offered me that silver every month delivered by whatever succubus or succubi I had a taste for!"
There was an awkward silence. Awkward and pregnant even. Possibly with kittens.
"That…isn't out of possibility." I replied slowly, hesitantly. I was a 23 year old woman who'd gone through the usual bridal training and even been engaged at one point. But one of the really annoying things about my situation was that I was also sharing space in my head with crystal clear memories of a sheltered, barely teenage girl. Who only recently learned it took more than kisses to make babies, and who's instinctive response to her first love slipping away was GO HARDER. "We don't have succubi of course, but they only provide dreams anyway I'm told. If you want the real experience I'm sure I can arrange something…" I clenched my hands behind me and did my best to pretend I didn't have a bit more red in my cheeks than the summer heat could account for. This was REALLY not what I wanted to be discussing when he barely knew me, but I'd come here willing to open the honeypot even if my pride had demanded at least trying a carrot first.
"I have something in mind, if you're interested in hearing it," he began with as much nonchalance as he could muster. Not much, which was actually a bit of a relief. At least he hadn't become a playboy in the extra time here.
I nodded him to continue, making sure not to look him in the eyes too much.
"It's simple, I'd like to take the rest of today and go on a date. With you, doing everything I have planned for us." he said in a rush.
"Fine. I suppose the chance to see another world is once in a lifetime, I shouldn't miss it if at all possible. Especially with a guide." I agreed immediately. Thank Eris that's all he wanted, or so I told myself at the time.
"Good! Great!" he replied, and slipped past me to the box still serving as clothes storage. "I'll get ready and we can head out. Nagano is about an hour by train, but Seresdina isn't due to arrive until this evening so we've got all day to get ready for her. Plenty of time!"
"For what?" I asked suspiciously. "We can be long gone before she arrives, even with this 'date' of yours. This time I have more than enough mana in storage to bring us both over for hours yet."
"Well, I was planning to sign on with you either way, but since you upped your offer I'm feeling a little more motivated now. How do you feel about having one less general to deal with on the other side?"
A brilliant smile bloomed on my face before I could even hope to stop it. I wouldn't have tried for worlds.
-
The train ride into Nagano city was an eye opener, no matter how I tried to hide it. When he'd told me we were only an hour away I assumed it was just the next town over, but once we were aboard whisking down the rails I couldn't help turning in disbelief.
"Exactly how far are we going that something this fast needs an hour to get there? Belzerg is over a week's travel by coach, this could cross in under a day!"
"We're about 40km outside Nagano City itself, call it two day's travel on foot. I need to find a few things here I couldn't get in time at home, so let's get some lunch when we get to the city since I just spent the morning proving I can't cook to save my soul."
Incredible. An hour to cross two days' walking. An army stationed in the capital could be at the border practically instantly, no need to station garrisons on the frontier and hope they could hold out until help arrived. A warning screen of riders to send a message back would be more than enough, and practically our full strength could be concentrated and sent wherever we needed it in one hammer blow. Other heroes had described such things but hadn't been able to provide details, only now was it blindingly obvious what sort of advantage this alone could be.
I tried not to spend the rest of the trip glued to the window watching the scenery, but it seemed like around every bend was something new to decipher. Hopefully he thought it was cute, because I'm certain I gawked like a peasant with manure still between her toes on her first city visit a few times.
We pulled into the station around the third bell at home judging by the sun, pushing through the start of the lunchtime crowd outside. It wasn't a holiday thankfully, but it was definitely tight so I was glad he took my hand and led us through to what looked like a fairly nice eatery not far from the station.
The greeter gave us a funny look as he led us to a table and I couldn't blame him. Kazuma blended in dressed in new khaki short pants and a green button up shirt, while I was in the same out of place outfit as last time.
"I guess that reminds me, we should probably get you some local clothes so you blend in better," he started off while I swirled the ice in my water glass. "I think there's a store around here, and we've got the budget."
"You'd likely be taken more seriously exchanging any silver if I did," I agreed readily. "I can't say I've ever been shopping for my own clothing though, merchants always brought wares to the palace and my governess did most of the purchases. Another new experience to add to my list," I grinned a little in excitement. "But as I'm totally unfamiliar with the food in this land I'll leave the honors to you. I'm sure my native guide won't disappoint me?"
His thoughts were plain as day. Sure, satisfy a royal palate with cuisine she'd never heard of. No pressure.
But I was planning to be kind to him. Even the food in nearby Elroad when I'd gone to confirm my short lived engagement to Prince Ravi, and later pick up the pieces when his dynasty fell, had been decidedly strange. That was part of the fun of traveling.
"Right…well I'm told the pizza is the best in town, and the lasagna is almost as good. I think if we get those we shouldn't go wrong," he decided. The waitress came and took our orders not long afterwards, and then we got down to business.
"So, Seresdina." I began, idly twisting off a bit of grilled garlic bread. "I don't mind telling you she's the most annoying of the generals to deal with. Her ability to cause whatever harm she suffers to show up on her attacker as well makes her nearly impossible to kill. Anyone who is sufficiently determined to give their own life would only trigger her death curse and doom whomever was nearby alongside her. Needless to say she takes full advantage of it, she's never been seen outside a well populated area," I finished bitterly. "That on top of her undoubted abilities as an Archpriestess."
"I knew about the injury thing, but taking out a bunch of hostages too…" he grimaced. "Just things that actually hurt her? Like if you tied her up or something you don't magically get tied up too right?"
"As far as we know," I agreed. The slice of garlic bread I'd started with had long since vanished, joined by two of its comrades while we were talking without my knowledge or consent. Maybe this was going to be better than I was afraid of after all… "But remember she is still a very high level Archpriestess, and no one who survives as a general in the Demon King's host is a fool. He has a short way with failures and incompetents."
"Makes sense. So catching her by surprise and just having you ambush her is out."
"She'd sense me coming and be able to attack or run long before I could get close enough to subdue her. We've tried before, everything from poisoned arrows to physically trapping her in a basement and evacuating."
"And here she is, like that annoying song about the cat that came back. So we need you to be far enough away that she can't sense you, and unless she's a total idiot she's not going to tell me where to meet her until the very last minute. So no putting you a few blocks away ahead of time and waiting. I'll need to tell you exactly where to be without anything obvious she might see and get suspicious about." He shrugged. "Easy enough. We'll just make an extra stop when we're out shopping."
"Your world sells items that can communicate across a city without being seen, to anyone who asks?" I replied, tilting my head in rank disbelief.
"Sure, for a low monthly fee," he agreed cheerfully. Our salads arrived about then, and I shrugged and agreed to let him handle it.
"The other issue is subduing her long enough for me to arrive. I assume you're not conveniently secretly a master of unarmed combat?" I asked, forking up a bit of 'Caesar salad' and crunching into it with a pleased noise. It hadn't even tried to fight back, which was a bit disappointing in a salad, but the taste was good.
"Ah, no. Not at all, ever," he agreed. "But I have some ideas about that. I'll show you what I mean at the next store."
The waitress arrived with our entrees not long after, and thankfully whoever recommended this place didn't let him down. The pepperoni and sausage pizza was just right, especially once Kazuma showed me the best way to attack one. Meanwhile the lasagna was much like certain casserole style dishes at home, though just different enough to be interesting.
"I'm adding these to the palace kitchen's recipe list, and Claire can go jump in a lake if she doesn't approve," I decided after the second pizza and lasagna helping. "It's a shame I don't seem to be getting any XP from them, but I'm considering that a small price to pay."
"You get experience points for eating things?" Kazuma asked in confusion. "Even if you didn't kill it?"
"We do, it's how upper nobility are able to be capable warriors or adventurers at a young age. I believe the Crimson Demon Clan does something similar. I was level 10 before I turned 12 because of that. It's one of the few reasons we've been able to stand against the demons for so long."
Kazuma hmmed agreement, lost in thought a moment. "I guess the only other thing to worry about is that talisman. I didn't dare touch it, and all Seresdina said about it was that it would prevent anyone else from summoning me to Belzerg."
"Oh it does that, I'm certain," I growled back. "Say what you will about the demons, they hold their contracts sacred. I doubt she told you a single outright lie."
"But they can 'from a certain point of view' you so much it doesn't matter," Kazuma nodded. "So what else does it do?"
"That one in particular, I'm not sure. I'm no wizard or priestess, after all. But others like it have embedded themselves in and bound the wearer to any command they receive, or sealed their skills or abilities. Forever, until it can be removed or the enchantment broken. There's no way to be certain until it's worn and active." I shrugged. "Either way, she's certain to insist you wear it before closing the deal or even approaching you."
"So is it just latch it around your neck or wherever and it turns on, or how exactly does it work?"
"That and skin contact with wherever it's intended to be worn. It's just as well you didn't touch it, but it would likely have been safe as long as you didn't actually place it around your neck. If it attached to the first skin it contacted it might bond to the giver after all. That's one reason lower necklines and tighter tailoring on dresses or other noble attire and the like has been fashionable in recent years. It makes such objects difficult to hide."
"So I just need to prevent it from touching my neck directly. Ok, I think I can work around that." At my questioning look he explained, "Performers and other people in costumes sometimes wear a skin tight, skin colored bodysuit under their clothes. With a little work it should be pretty convincing, especially in evening light."
"You're taking a terrible risk. If this 'bodysuit' doesn't block the talisman from activating you'll be doomed to stay here under an unknown compulsion. I do appreciate your willingness to risk yourself, but this is too much," I argued, shaking my head firmly in negation. "It would be far safer to continue the date, because I truly am enjoying it, and then return directly to Belzerg."
He blushed and smiled adorably at that, but immediately replied "I'm already signing on to risk life and limb as soon as we cross over. It might make things safer for me later by taking her off the board. I'll have to deal with her one way or another." He held up a hand "Either way, let's go to that store I was talking about and I'll show you what I have in mind. If you really think it's too dangerous after that then I'm not about to risk my life any earlier than I have to."
I agreed, and we turned to the dessert menu.
I'd been entirely serious about adding those recipes, whatever my attendants and factors said. Rain and especially Claire had fought a long and bitter feud against any exposure to 'peasant swill' for as long as I could remember to protect my royal dignity and prevent any scandal. Part of my reason for sneaking out of the palace regularly as a girl had been sheer curiosity at what could be so horrible that she derided it so much.
Now, as a mature adult, I believed that my nobles' and subjects' concern for me was bringing victory, or failing that at least preserving their and their loved one's lives for another attempt, not what I ate or even who I ate it with. Still, it was nice to be proven right, good food could be found no matter how humble the dish or surroundings.
We settled the bill with the waitress, and went to our next stops. With me wearing a knee length sundress in blue with white accents on the hem and some matching low heeled shoes, a local jeweler proved completely willing to take a double handful of silver coins for their metal value. Minus a handling fee, of course.
With our new war chest, we then went to the clothier's Kazuma suggested might have the bodysuit he mentioned and a makeup kit to enhance the effect. With some wrapping hidden under the prop from a roll of gauze bandages to prevent any 'burns' that the shopkeeper suggested, I grudgingly gave my permission to try his plan.
The communications device proved just as simple, much to my disappointment. It truly was just a matter of buying one and paying a fee for the first month of service. I felt obscurely cheated, somehow. Perhaps I've spent too much time consulting with the Crimson Demons in the course of the project of late.
The final component was at a store catering to hunters and other outdoors activities. He bought a spray canister of a truly vile combination of spices that put even my poison resistance to the test from a direct hit. After disguising the wretched thing to resemble a mere container of hand lotion we bought later, we were ready.
Begging Eris' blessing, and her forgiveness if our plan failed, I set off with him to the train station in the mid-afternoon. The temptation of having Seresdina out of commission was simply too great.
Jiro's turn
I leaned my head back on the squeaky blue vinyl headrest of my desk chair, rubbing my eyes under my glasses. I'd started my third year of high school this spring, and the academic treadmill was already winding up into a sprint. I'd always tried to do well in school. First because it kept my parents off my back, they only really paid attention to either of us to make sure we weren't embarrassing them. Anything else to do with us was beneath their notice. Second, because it was my best ticket out of this family and this town and I wasn't about to hide from reality the way my brother had.
At least he seemed to be doing ok when we'd met for dinner the other day, I'd been really worried about him when I left that night he moved in. Like he'd just given up, and nothing mattered anymore. But he'd been just as much a pain in the ass as always, talking about what game release he'd seen announced or rating the waitress bringing us coffee. I'd never admit it, but I was glad to see him seeming to bounce back. He'd been awfully cagey about whether he'd applied at the arcade like I'd suggested, or anywhere else though.
Like I'd summoned him, my phone rang, the custom tone being the opening theme from a game he'd recc'd me months ago and then hounded me into finally trying. He'd been insufferable the day he first heard it play.
"Hey, are they home?" he asked.
"You're joking right? You know it'll be two hours yet. Why? Did you run out of cup noodles already?"
"No, but I need to talk to you and I don't want to deal with them. Meet me outside in 5, it won't be long, I promise."
"You can come up, you know, it's not like they're here to gripe."
He was quiet for about half a minute. "Kaz? You there?"
"Yeah, yeah I'm here. No, it's better if I don't. Come meet me downstairs, I'll make it worth your while."
With that, he hung up. Frowning at my phone, I tossed it in one pocket of my track shorts and headed downstairs. It had sounded like he was already at the bus stop a block over, so 5 minutes was probably right. Sure enough, as I was stepping out of the elevator and pushing through the front doors of our apartment building Kazuma and…a really nice looking blonde were waiting for me.
"Hey," I waved as I trotted down the front steps. "You didn't say you had company." I eyed the woman, probably Kazuma's age, with a bit of suspicion. I didn't want to think he was paying her for the privilege, but knowing him it was hard to see what else she'd be doing at his side. "And what in all that's holy happened to you!? There's more blood in your eyes than white, man!" I exclaimed in horror at getting a better look at him.
"That… is a story, little one."
"I'm taller than you."
"Shut up, only by a centimeter!" He cleared his throat, and I noticed he sounded a little raspy. "I found a job, but it means I'm going to have to leave town. Probably for a long time."
"Doing?" I prodded, now even more suspicious. "And I don't think we've met." I added to his 'friend'.
"Iris Belzerg," she answered with a small bow and a surprisingly posh accent. "And I believe the word you use here would be a 'troubleshooting consultant'," she turned to look questioningly at Kazuma.
"Eh, close enough. Short answer is, I'm going to be working for her for a while, more or less doing whatever she tells me to."
"Speaking of which. Jiro, it's been a pleasure, but I really must begin preparations. Kazuma, come find me when you've finished," Iris ordered him, before she took the larger of the two satchels and strode off with a click of her heels on the sidewalk towards the old dog park across the street.
"Ok, seriously. Level with me. What in heaven's name have you gotten into?" And where in the world did you meet a girl like that, I very carefully didn't say.
The jerk must have read my mind, because he just gave me his patented most irritating grin in reply. "You'll never believe me, anyway. But first, did they fix the camera in the lobby by some miracle in the last few days?"
I laughed in spite of myself.
"Great, then this is yours." He handed me the other two bags, which I nearly dropped. "That's about 20 kilos of silver, yours free and clear. Two different jewelers gladly took those coins, so no worries there." He added cheerfully. "Though I would make sure to spread that around when you cash it in, a little at a time. Make some day trips of it even. Spend it in good health and all that."
"You just happen to have enough LITERAL SILVER on you to buy a car. Ok, enough BS. What is going on? Now." I dropped the bags on the ground, and sure enough they did make a jingle like something out of a pirate story.
For a second, I thought he was going to keep yanking my chain, and I might have to resort to beating him with one of the bags. But then his shoulders slumped, and the smile he'd kept pinned to his face slid away.
"I'm not lying, Jiro. Iris really did hire me, and I really am going to be leaving for a long time. Maybe forever. So this really is goodbye, and I thought it would be easier to just breeze through it and be off on my way. For both of us."
"For you," I countered.
"Maybe so. That cash is my way of making things right as best I can. I've been a lousy brother, and a lousy son and we both know it. You wouldn't have gotten half as much pressure if I'd only nutted up and at least graduated. I can't fix that, but I can make your last year here better. Give you an escape hatch at least."
"And so you, what? Robbed a bank? What am I even supposed to do with all this? Have you lost what's left of your mind?!"
"Mom always said I was a disappointment, but this would shock even her," he grumbled. "Come on, Iris is probably finished. I'll tell you a bit about how I managed to go from 20 years without so much as jaywalking, outside that one time, to assault, armed robbery, probably tax evasion, aiding evasion of immigration and border controls, hell maybe even treason, all in an evening."
So he did. And as he finished up we rounded a shoulder high wall around a sand pit to find Iris crouched behind it, tinkering with some sort of emerald colored sphere about the size of a softball placed on a concrete slab about 3 meters square, leftover from who knows what.
"For the record, you probably aren't guilty of treason," she began as she worked. "At least not under Belzerg law. I'm an agent of a foreign power, but we're not hostile to Japan and you haven't acted against Japanese interests, committed adultery while married to royalty, or revealed state secrets. The rest I can't help you with though."
"We did leave Seresdina here," Kazuma seemed to remind her, and she frowned agreement. Then he turned to me. "And whatever you do, don't go near her. Maybe stay at a friend's tonight even. She didn't try her charm thing on me, but there's no telling what she'll do if she feels desperate and manages to get loose. Give it a few days and let whatever magic she's got left bleed out before you go home or to school. Hide that silver in a coin locker somewhere, and if anyone asks about any of this, you don't know a thing."
"I'd be mostly telling the truth," I had to agree. Whatever Iris was working on, it now projected what screamed 'arcane magic circle' to anyone who'd so much as ever glanced at a fantasy novel cover.
"Done," Iris snapped, before standing. "Kazuma. Now or never."
My brother stepped close and after a moment took my hand in both of his for a second. "Good bye, bro. And good luck." Then he let go and stepped inside the circle.
A moment later, they were gone, device and all. A bright white circle in the concrete pad where it had apparently taken the top millimeter or so of it along for the ride all that remained.
I spent a long time, staring at that spot. I couldn't tell you how much.
But then, I bowed to it, and clapped twice to call for whatever blessing the gods might be able to grant my idiot brother in his new world.
And left to go find a locker.