May This Masked Knight Submit!

1

"Kazuma Satou! Are you there, Kazuma Satooooou?!"

Just as Megumin had warned me, Sena came storming up to the house in a

towering rage.

"Wh-what? More frogs? Or is this some other problem you want to blame me

for?"

I had to admit she was a bit intimidating.

"It's the dungeon! What have you done to Khiel's Dungeon?! All kinds of

strange monsters are showing up!" she bellowed, her face bright red.

Strange monsters? I guess I'd been hearing some rumors around town…

"Hold on, that has nothing to do with us. Yeah, I dove that dungeon, but you

can't blame me for everything that goes on just 'cause I happened to be within

a hundred yards!"

Everyone else nodded in agreement.

Well, good. Maybe that means they haven't done anything to cause this while

I wasn't looking.

Sena, however, glowered at me, clearly unconvinced.

"Say what you like. Reports indicate you were the last one to go into that

dungeon. Judging by what else has happened so far, I have to suspect you're

behind this."

"T-talk about crazy! Anyway, for once I have no idea what you could possibly

be talking about. Right, everybody? Right? We're in the clear this time?"

Everyone nodded assiduously.

Sena appeared awfully dubious, but for a moment she backed off.

"But that would leave me in a predicament. I was so sure you had a hand in

it… Instead, we'll have to hire someone to investigate…" She looked pointedly

at us as she spoke. Whatever shall I do? her glance seemed to say. If only some

person would conveniently volunteer…

"Hmm. Surely the esteemed prosecutor wouldn't be seeking help from the

people she was just accusing? Anyway, we are somewhat busy trying to clear

our own names." Megumin seemed to know exactly what Sena was thinking

and beat her to the punch.

The prosecutor bit her lip, but she didn't respond to Megumin; instead, she

turned to me.

"I'm afraid we just don't have the time, so we'll need to refuse," I said as

clearly as possible. Sena sighed, and her shoulders slumped.

"If you're really not involved in this case, I suppose I can't force you. But if you

change your mind, I would truly appreciate your help. I'll be going to the

Adventurers Guild next."

Then she turned and left.

I really didn't like her type.

Way too serious—and possessed of a good sense all too rare in this town.

"Hrm," Darkness said. "I admit I'm curious about the monsters in that

dungeon… But we have work to do. First, we need to clear Kazuma's name.

Then, we need to pay back Lord Alderp for his mansion. So far, I can't see that

we've made any progress on either front."

She was right.

"Hey, Darkness. Can I ask you…?"

"I'm not lending you any money. I feel I've well and truly done my part

already. And frankly, I think I'd enjoy watching you squirm a little more."

She looked at me, and a smile came over her face.

Hmph! So she was holding a grudge about the meeting…

…Strange monsters, huh?

"I'm gonna ask again, just for the record. None of you knows anything about

this, right? We're really okay this time?"

They all acted slightly annoyed that I kept asking.

"If it does not involve explosion magic, then I assure you, I have no idea."

"Me neither. Though I'd like to point out that, unlike these two, I'm not

known for causing problems everywhere I go."

"What?! …I admit Darkness has never been behind any very big problems. But

she has not helped very much, either—including in the fight with Destroyer!"

"Huh?! Megumin, you—!"

I let the two of them argue as I returned to the matter at hand.

"How about you? Any idea?" I asked Aqua with a twinge of concern.

"Of course not," she said. "Geez! When are you ever going to learn to trust

me?"

I breathed a sigh of relief.

"I…I thought not. You haven't caused that many problems, I guess. This trial's

just got me doubting everything…"

I apologized to Aqua. I'd been wrong to assume everything was her fault.

"You sure were! Just trust me for once. If anything, you should be thanking

me that more monsters don't show up in that dungeon! You remember the

room that Lich lived in? I really put everything I had into the magic circle I used

when I performed the rite. I bet it's still there right now, keeping evil things

from going into that room!"

…I abandoned my apology and grabbed Aqua by the shoulders.

"Wh-what did you just say?!"

"Huh? Why so panicked? It's just like I said. I worked really hard on that magic

circle, and it's probably still there, keeping monsters awa—"

I didn't let her finish.

"You idiiiiot!"

I could only cradle my head in my hands and shout.

2

We walked along a snow-covered path, making for the dungeon.

"…Sniff… It's not my fault… I swear it isn't…!"

There was Aqua, still sniffling away.

She walked behind me, and Megumin and Darkness followed behind her.

I turned toward her. "Why is it that every single time you do something

helpful, you end up doing something totally unnecessary and obnoxious at the

same time? Do you have some kind of sickness where you need to balance out

the pros and cons of everything you do?"

Though in this case, she still hadn't managed to balance out the cons.

"Now, just a minute! This time it is absolutely not my fault! Please, you have

to believe me! I mean, all I did was put up a magic circle of purification in the

boss room! That's not enough to spawn a horde of monsters! This is totally

different from our ghost problem!"

Aqua grabbed my shoulders as I made to keep walking, and she shook them

violently.

"Hey, stop that! I can't walk! Look, I don't care if you did this or not! Sena's

going to investigate that dungeon, and she's going to find the magic circle you

left there! That's the problem!"

The magic circle deep in the dungeon. Somehow I just knew I was going to

pay for not having destroyed that evidence.

We did have a device with us for cleaning up magic circles, but if possible I

wanted to settle things without needing to enter the dungeon.

Finally, all of us, the blubbering Aqua notwithstanding, arrived at the entrance

with no further trouble.

"…Huh. Those are some weird monsters, all right."

From a safe distance, we observed the creatures pouring out of the dungeon's

opening one after another.

They wore little masks, stood about knee-high, and walked on two legs—in a

word, they looked like masked dolls.

"I wonder what these strange things could be. I have never seen nor heard of

anything like them," Megumin said curiously, watching the dolls with interest.

"At a glance, they don't look like they could do much in a fight," Darkness said

disappointedly, her heavy armor clanking.

"Something about their masks just doesn't agree with me. I wonder why.

They just make me kind of sick somehow…" As she spoke, Aqua picked up a

nearby rock.

At that moment…

"Mr. Satou…! Why are you here? Have you decided to help me investigate

these monsters?"

I turned toward the voice to see Sena, accompanied by a crowd of

adventurers.

Sena herself wore no armor, just light outerwear, but she carried a tag with a

strange symbol drawn on it.

Damn. She was already here.

Well, all right. Nothing for it but to talk to her.

"When we really thought about it, we realized these monsters weren't totally

unconnected to us. And anyway, we have to protect the people of the town

who are threatened by them. That's an adventurer's duty."

"I've never wanted a magic lie-detecting bell more in my life… But all right. I

am grateful for your assistance." Sena bowed her head deeply.

Now what? My sense that I was a good person had come under serious

attack.

This woman didn't hate me. She was just very serious about her job and was

pursuing her doubts about me with maybe just a bit too much enthusiasm.

"In any case, Mr. Satou, please come this way. We don't know exactly where

the monsters are coming from yet, but it seems most likely that someone is

summoning them. If that's the case, then please take down the one responsible

and put this on the summoning circle." She handed me the tag she was

carrying.

"What's this…?"

"It's a tag with powerful sealing magic. With it, any magic circle, no matter

how powerful, will immediately be rendered useless. It is possible for a

summoning circle to continue to call forth monsters even after the spell-caster

has been defeated, so please take it with you."

I got it. Pretty convenient. But not necessary.

"That's all right, we don't need it. Don't worry, I've got a plan. One that

doesn't involve walking straight into a dungeon that's currently spewing

monsters… Megumin! You ready?"

"Very much so. You can count on me."

Megumin popped out in front, her staff at the ready.

Sena looked alarmed. "Wh-what's this? What are you going to do?! You can't

possibly…!"

"Ah, figured it out? Right, we just block the dungeon entrance with Explosion,

and…"

"Y-you can't! Please find out what's causing this! These monsters clearly are

not natural. And the sheer number suggests a powerful force behind them. You

might close off the dungeon, but if the summoner can use Teleport, they'll

simply escape. Consider what they're capable of. Please find them and

eliminate them."

Oh man. This is starting to look dangerous again.

This was no good. I hadn't come here to actually go dungeon crawling.

And once we were inside, we wouldn't be able to use Megumin's Explosion…

As I fretted, Aqua prepared to throw her rock at the masked monsters.

I got that she didn't like them, but I didn't think they were that bad.

Until that moment, the creatures had shown no hostility toward us, but as

soon as Aqua lifted the rock, one charged her at a mad dash.

"Hey, wha—?! Wh-what's going—? Ahh!"

And then, instead of attacking, it clung to Aqua's knees.

"What's this? I think it likes me. That mask is a little gross, but this is kind of

endearing… Hey. Hey, Kazuma. What's going on? This doll is getting warm. I've

got a bad feeling about this!"

Aqua lurched in my direction as she shouted, but I had a hunch what would

happen and backpedaled as quickly as I could.

Then…

There was the sound of a massive blast as the doll holding on to Aqua simply

vanished.

All that was left was a goddess with clothes torn and singed from the

explosion.

"As you've discovered, these creatures grab on to anything that moves and

detonate themselves. Even the Adventurers Guild is at a loss as to how to deal

with them."

"I see. That's no good, is it?"

"How can you both be so calm?! You could worry about me a little bit!

Where's the sympathy?!"

Aqua, on the verge of tears, came bustling up to where Sena and I were

maturely assessing the situation.

She seemed in pretty good shape to me.

"We're really in a bind here," Sena said. "These monsters don't appear to

have any attacks besides self-destructing, but…if you damage one even a little,

it blows up. If you don't cause any damage, it tries to find a moment when to

grab hold and blow up. It seems our only choice is to take them out one at a

time, from a distance."

As she spoke, Sena looked at Aqua, who had curled into a ball while Megumin

comforted her.

Aqua clearly wasn't well, but she had her "divine" feather mantle wrapped

around her. Without that for protection, she probably would've come out a lot

worse for wear.

Another life-threatening monster, huh…?

Maybe we could forge ahead, throwing stones as we went?

There were so many of them out here, though. I could only imagine how

many must be hiding inside the dungeon. There was no way we could deal with

every last one of them…

The problem was, we still had no idea what they wanted.

Who was letting these monsters out, and what in the world for?

As we stood there worrying about all this, Darkness approached one of the

dolls and then, without warning, wordlessly gave it a smack.

"Wha…?! What the hell are you—?!"

Everyone around me started to panic, as did I. The assaulted doll simply

grabbed on to Darkness.

Then, just like the one that had grabbed Aqua, it went boom in a big way.

And as the smoke cleared…

"Mm. This will do. This'll do just fine."

There was Darkness, perfectly in one piece despite the blast.

For the first time, Sena and the other adventurers got a taste of her

toughness firsthand.

"I'll take point to clear the way. Kazuma, follow me."

Darkness's words were more suited for a guy in shining armor.

I guess we weren't going to be Ambushing our way into the dungeon like we

did last time.

We—all the other adventurers and I—were going to mount a frontal assault.

I felt Megumin tug on my sleeve.

"Kazuma, Kazuma. I won't be any use to you inside that dungeon, so may I

stand guard out here? I will make sure I'm ready to cast a spell on the dungeon

entrance at any time—if you encounter a huge monster, please simply come

running out."

True, there was probably someone inside summoning these creatures. And

true, they were probably plenty strong. Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea to

have Megumin waiting here as our ace in the hole in case some killer beast tried

to run us down.

"Sounds great," Aqua said, brushing soot off her sleeves. "I'll be right out here

with her! Don't worry; I'll put some buffs on you before you go in so—"

"Wait a second! You're coming with us! Unlike Megumin, your abilities work

perfectly well in that dungeon!"

"Waaaaah! I'm sick of dungeons! You'll just try to leave me in there again!

And what if undead mob us again? Waaaah!"

She plugged her ears and sat on the ground, repeating, I won't I won't I won't.

I guess my almost abandoning her down there before really traumatized her.

I considered it for a moment and ended up leaving Aqua outside, too. There

was just too much chance of drawing the undead with her around. We had a

bunch of other adventurers with us this time. Even if we did happen to run into

a ghost or some other incorporeal enemy, surely someone would figure out a

way to deal with it.

"Looks like we're the only ones from our party heading in there, Darkness."

"Mm. Alone with you in a dark dungeon… Somehow I can't help thinking

you're more dangerous than the monsters."

"Hmm, maybe I need to leave you in there, see if I can traumatize you like I

did with Aqua."

While we bantered, the other adventurers seemed to have settled in to their

groups.

Some of the adventurers would stay aboveground to act as Sena's

bodyguards and clear out the monster-dolls up there. About twenty other men

and women would join Darkness and me in heading underground.

The plan was for Darkness to carve a trail up front, while the others and I

followed behind…

The light from the lantern I held played across the dim dungeon corridor.

Darkness didn't have a lantern, just in case she got blown up—she carried

only her great sword. I walked a few steps behind her, holding the light up so

she could see ahead.

The rest of the adventurers shuffled along after me.

The dungeon was as dark and dank as ever, but it was hard to feel scared with

this many people around.

Although, our goals and theirs were different.

They all wanted to find out where the monsters were coming from, but we

wanted to get rid of the magic circle in the Lich's room—destroying the

incriminating evidence.

So it was actually really inconvenient to have everyone else right behind us.

But even so…

"Heh-heh-heh-heh-heh. Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! Look, Kazuma! Look at me hit

them! Even my blade can strike these things!"

Ahead of me, Darkness swung her sword gleefully, slicing through the dolls,

which made no move to avoid her attacks.

Naturally, they responded by self-destructing, but Darkness seemed perfectly

happy with this, even as her face and armor became covered in soot.

I didn't realize her total failure to hit anything in the past had been bothering

her. If it was that big a deal, she should've just swallowed her pride and taken

the Great Sword skill or something.

Apparently elated to be fulfilling her role at last now that she could land some

hits, Darkness cut a path for us, rolling through the dungeon like a proper tank.

Despite the repeated explosions, the dungeon did justice to its reputation as

the creation of a famous Wizard turned Lich—there was no sign of anything

crumbling.

"Heyyyy! Hang on a minute—slow down!" one of the other adventurers called

from behind us.

I turned around and saw that Darkness's inexorable advance had left the rest

of the group some way behind us.

And more and more of those monsters were pouring in from the dungeon's

side tunnels.

"Wai— Oh no! One's got me! Someone, get this thing off me!"

"Yipes, stay back! Don't bring it this way!"

The blasts from the critters were pretty powerful. But even without

Darkness's toughness or Aqua's celestial gown, I figured they wouldn't kill an

adventurer in full armor.

So, sorry guys, but—!

"That's it, Darkness! Straight ahead! Onward, brave Crusader!"

"You've got it! Oh, I've never been so exhilarated! This is the first time I've

ever felt like a real Crusader!"

She seemed to be having too much fun to notice what was happening behind

us.

At this rate we could bust right into the deepest part of this dungeon and

then be on our way!

3

Getting to the innermost part of the dungeon was almost too easy. Before

long, we had almost reached our objective.

If memory served, the Lich's room should be right at the end of this hallway.

"…What's this? Whatever that is, it's got to be the leader of those monsters."

In front of Darkness and me, a shadow sat cross-legged outside the Lich's

room, kneading dirt into dolls.

It wore a black tuxedo—a strange sight in a dungeon—and shaped the dolls

without removing its white gloves. It had a mask with exactly the same design

as the dolls it created.

The mask, which didn't cover its mouth, gave off a sinister impression.

The creature couldn't possibly have missed us standing there with our

lantern, but it paid us no attention at all, perhaps too caught up in creating.

The mask hid its face, but its body suggested it was a man.

Just as I was trying to decide what to do, Darkness strode boldly up to the

figure.

"…Hey, you. What are you doing there? I see you making that doll. That

means you're the one behind this monster scare, right?"

Then Darkness raised her great sword and took up a fighting stance, facing

the masked man.

He raised his head as if he had only just now realized someone was there.

Upon closer inspection, I realized how tall he was.

He didn't seem to have any weapons, but he was no small fry, either.

The eyes on his mask glowed red, and his mouth twisted into a sneer.

"…Oh-ho. How good of you to make it this far. Welcome to my dungeon,

adventurers! Indeed, I am he who lies at the root of all evil! A general of the

Demon King, the Duke of Hell who commands Devils! I am the Great Devil, the

one who sees all in this world—Vanir!"

I wasn't expecting a boss this big!

In the darkness of the dungeon, I started to back away. Darkness kept her

sword at the ready, but even she was intimidated by the thought of challenging

a general of the Demon King.

This was bad. I had absolutely not counted on Darkness and me facing one of

the generals alone.

On reflection, maybe we'd had a few hints.

(image Here)

Like the frogs that came out from underground as if they were fleeing from

something—maybe it wasn't Explosion that had scared them.

When Beldia had been around, the weaker monsters had all made themselves

scarce then, too.

"Darkness. H-hey, Darkness! This is too much for the two of us. We've got to

get out of here!"

"What are you saying?! How can a servant of the goddess Eris flee before a

Devil and general of the Demon King? I will end him here and now, even if it

costs my own life!"

Why does she have to be so stubborn?!

Vanir answered Darkness's declaration with amusement. "Oh-ho. End me,

you say? Me, sometimes rumored to be more powerful than even the Demon

King? But… You, girl, the one who was worried that boy over there might notice

her too-well-sculpted abdominal muscles when he saw her naked in the bath

that one time… I don't know what you are chattering about, but I have heard

that chewing on a little bone helps when you are angry. Part of my mask is

made of the bones of a magical dragon. Would you like me to break off a piece

for you?"

"T-t-too-well-sculpted—! D-don't insult me, you dirty puppet of the Demon

King! Kazuma! Everything he says is a lie! My abs aren't even that built, and I

definitely didn't worry about your seeing them!"

"C-calm down, Darkness—get your head on straight, and we'll go from there."

I held Darkness back—she had started to swing her sword around wildly in an

attempt at an attack.

Vanir paid no mind to the enraged Crusader but just sat there on the ground.

"Oh, calm yourself. I did not come here to fight with you two. I've come to

investigate something, as requested by our dear King. And I have business with

someone in Axel Town—a certain shopkeeper. One who supposedly has the

exceptional ability to get poorer every time she does anything."

At that, Darkness and I exchanged a glance.

4

Beside me, Darkness stood with her sword at the ready, prepared to attack at

any time. I, however, sat down on the dungeon floor to hear what Vanir had to

say.

"First of all, though I call myself a general of the Demon King, I am a rather

lackadaisical one. At His Majesty's request, I merely help maintain the magical

barrier around his castle. I am what might be more widely known as a Devil.

Among Devils, the most prized delicacy is the negative emotions you humans

give off, which you find so unpleasant. You are the source of what we most love

to eat, so it would be sheer folly for us to destroy or harm you. Indeed, we

dance for joy each time a human is born."

"Is… Is that right…? But doesn't a little crisis help fuel that animosity? I mean,

if we're living in peace, we don't produce that much ill will, do we?"

Vanir didn't seem hostile at the moment, but if he was a general of the

Demon King, he would be too much for the two of us to handle alone. Right

now, it would be better to talk than to fight.

He claimed to be just helping maintain the spirit barrier around the Demon

King's castle, though. Wasn't that what Wiz was supposedly doing?

Still sitting cross-legged on the ground, Vanir nimbly fashioned a mask for a

doll as he spoke.

"Well, what we consider negative emotions encompasses a wide range. And

every Devil has personal tastes. Some enjoy humans' terror and despair. Others

like to disguise themselves as impossibly beautiful women and make men fall in

love with them—then savor the bitter tears when they reveal themselves."

"I'm starting to think it would make good sense to get rid of you." I regarded

the obnoxious masked monster with some suspicion.

Apparently the Demon King had tasked him with investigating the humans

who had defeated Beldia.

"I had been passing my time taunting His Majesty's minions and feasting on

the resulting ill will. But His Majesty came to me wanting to know if I might

make myself useful, instead of simply bullying his subordinates all the time. I

accepted his request to investigate around here, thinking it would give me a

chance to visit an old friend in town. But as I was passing through, I noticed this

dungeon had no master and simply decided to set up shop here."

I wanted to ask him what happened to investigating, or meeting his friend. I

wanted to tell him that there were limits even to being easily distracted. But if

that actually put him back on task, well, it would be the worse for us.

After all, we were the ones who had defeated Beldia.

I wanted to just leave this guy where he was and go home, but there was one

thing I couldn't overlook.

"You said it wouldn't make sense for you to hurt humans, but what's with

these dolls, then? They come marching out of this dungeon and cause all sorts

of trouble for the townspeople."

"…Hmm? I have been using these toys to clear out the monsters. If they are

beginning to wander outside the dungeon's confines, it must mean there are no

more monsters within. In that case, I will cease production of my Vanir dolls and

move on to my next plan."

"…Your next plan? What exactly is it you're playing at?"

Vanir took the doll he had just made and turned it back to earth.

"Playing at is a strong phrase, young man who paced his room like a bear in a

cave, sick with worry just because your armored friend didn't come back for a

few days. As a Devil, I have a grand dream. And I have come to this land to bring

it to fruition."

"Hey, quit it. I know you said you're all-seeing, but why do you talk about that

stuff like you were right there? …A-and you, stop squirming."

Next to me, Darkness seemed downcast, her cheeks flushing just a bit as she

shot glances at me.

Sure, I'd been worried about her, but I hadn't paced around my room…much.

"I assume Devils don't yearn for anything we would consider good. Perhaps

you could tell us what this 'dream' is?"

Darkness leveled a dangerous glare at Vanir, who made an Mm deep in his

throat.

"Understand that I have existed for countless eons. For some time now, I have

been conceiving a most extraordinary way to meet my end. I shall feast on the

greatest acrimony of all and then go gloriously into the night… I have nursed

this aspiration for so long that I can no longer remember when I first imagined

it. But how could I obtain the tremendous rancor I seek? I had an idea…"

I swallowed hard at the smirk that came over his face.

"First, I needed a dungeon. Then, I would station my Devil minions in every

room of it and fill it with the most terrible traps! The most renowned

adventurers would come to challenge it! Again and again they would try

themselves in my dungeon, until at last one of them reached the innermost

sanctum!"

He had begun to gesticulate wildly and speak with real passion, perhaps

inspired by his own excitement.

"And in this deepest place, I myself would of course be waiting. Then I would

say to them, How good of you to make it this far. Now, strike me down, and

claim for yourself vast riches…! And then the final battle would begin! After a

mighty struggle, the adventurers would best me at last. As I crumpled to the

earth, a tightly sealed treasure chest would appear behind me. And as my

consciousness slipped away, the adventurers would work it open…!"

Darkness and I both found ourselves swallowing now, but we kept silent.

"...Within would be a scrap of paper with a note that says, Sorry, please play

again. Seeing the empty look on their faces as they read it—that is how I wish

to meet my end."

"Aww, spare 'em that. It's just too heartbreaking."

"Listen, Kazuma. I think we'd better get rid of this guy now."

Vanir chuckled at the two of us and said, "My friend runs a shop in this area. It

was my intention to work there to earn money, and then with those resources

and my friend's power build the great labyrinth I dreamed of. But then I passed

by this place and noticed it had no master. I thought perhaps it would do for my

needs, and I settled here."

"That's a pretty dumb reason for sitting in a dungeon. But what do I care? I

know what you're doing here now. And it sounds like you'll stop making those

dolls, so I don't really have any beef with you. My friend and I just have some

business with the magic circle in the room behind you. In fact, we came here to

get rid of it."

"Wha…?! Kazuma, this Devil is more important than any magic circle! Are you

going to just walk right by a general of the Demon King?! An enemy of all

mankind is sitting right in front of you!"

She wasn't necessarily wrong, but what did she think the two of us alone

could do to him?

I stood up, intending to dispel the magic circle and get out of there.

"…A magic circle? Oh-ho. You are going to dispel this magic circle, which even

I struggled with? How kind of you. I don't know what troublesome meddler set

it up, but I've been totally unable to go in that room thanks to that despicable

design, and it's been quite frustrating. If you can indeed remove it, I shall

present you with a special handmade Vanir doll that cackles in the middle of the

night."

"Th-thanks but no thanks. Actually, that circle's a problem for us, too. Once

we get rid of it, we'll be heading home. You can do whatever you want then."

I nonchalantly explained that we would be getting rid of the circle and

heading back, but Vanir asked: "In what way is that circle disadvantageous to

you? Just a moment, let me take a look at your past…"

He sounded very interested, and also treated looking at my past like it was no

big deal for him.

…Hey, wait a…!

"...…Bwa-ha-ha!"

Vanir seemed to have found something before I could stop him. He cackled in

a dry voice.

Darkness moved in front of me as if to cover me from this strange new turn.

"Bwa-ha-ha-ha! Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! Bwaaaa-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-haha! If irony were as delicious as animosity, I would be feasting! It was your

Priest friend who created that troublesome circle! To set up magic even I

cannot penetrate—this Priest must be immensely…"

This was bad. I didn't quite get what was going on, but apparently he was

really into it now!

Vanir stood lazily, his eyes glowing red through his mask. It wasn't the red of

the Crimson Magic Clan. The color was definitely devilish—a hue that played

upon an ancient human fear. The color of blood.

"Oh-ho… I see, I can see it! Up above! I can see that Priest indolently drinking

tea at the entrance to this very dungeon!"

Was that true? If that was true, I wanted to head back up there and ask Aqua

just whose fault it was that we were going through all this. And maybe give her

a smack for good measure.

Vanir glared through his mask.

"Now, young woman who lost a bet with that man and has been most fretful

wondering what awful thing he will do to her, waiting anxiously for it, hoping

for it—and young man, who is nervous with having to decide what he will do to

this young woman after all this is over. I ask you to step aside! Don't look so

worried; you know I shall never kill a human. And I shan't. I shall not kill

any…humans. But I shall exact my revenge for this bothersome magic circle!"

"I'm not fretting—and I'm not anxious—and I'm not hoping! Stop making stuff

up! J-j-just stop saying anything at all!"

"Y-yeah, she's right! I'm not nervous, either! T-totally not!"

We somehow managed to endure the mind games of someone who could see

right through us. Vanir made to take a step forward.

A Devil who sees all had just made a point of saying he wouldn't kill any

humans.

Did that mean he'd already realized Aqua's true identity…?!

Darkness held her sword out toward Vanir as he began to close the distance

between us.

"If you mean Aqua harm, then I will never stand down. As a Crusader in the

service of Our Lady Eris, I shall not let you pass!"

"I see your head is even harder than your abdomen, girl. If I wanted to, I could

bury you both without a second thought. But I have no desire to kill you

humans. Not least because I have no way of knowing which of you might one

day help me obtain the greatest bitterness. Scurry home and get on with that

'awful thing' you're both so excited for. I, the all-seeing Devil, promise you: If

you leave now, all will go just as you wish. No one shall bother or interrupt

you."

Wh-why, this guy…!

"Don't listen to him, Darkness! He's a Devil! He's trying to mislead us!"

"Wh-who's being misled?! There's a time and place for these things,

Kazuma!"

Wait, what? I'm this tempted by him and she…isn't?

Some all-seeing Devil. Here I'd assumed Young woman who has been most

fretful with wondering, waiting anxiously, hoping…was all actually true.

But when I stole a glance at Darkness, I saw her cheeks were slightly flushed,

and the trembling tip of her sword betrayed a hint of inner conflict.

"Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! Ahh, sweet cowards. Not uninterested in each other as

man and woman but unable to cross that line as members of the same party.

Now, out of my way! Once I've gone, you shall be quite able to enter your

precious magic-circle room. You can spend as much time there as you like—and

then go home!"

What a Devil! Had we ever run into an enemy who'd set such a devious trap

for us?

"Kazuma, don't be taken in! How could we go on living under the same roof if

we were in such a weird relationship?! Stay focused!"

"Huh? R-right, stay focused, me! This is Darkness we're talking about! Nice to

look at and definitely my type, but you know what she's like inside! Don't get

confused by some passing lust!"

"H-hey, you'll pay for that later…!"

Man, this girl is so complicated.

"Ho-ho! Not going to be led astray by my temptations, are we? Well, well,

what to do now? Many of my abilities are so powerful as to be practically

cheating. For example, consider my Vanir Death Ray. It is a death ray, so if it hit

you humans, you would die. Even if it didn't hit you, you would die. There's also

my Vanir Eye Beam. That skill, however, has the drawback of burning my own

eyes if I use it, so I have yet to try…"

"Th-that's enough! I feel like I might go crazy talking to you! I won't let you

reach Aqua and the others! If you want her that bad, you'll have to go through

me!"

Darkness seized the initiative and leaped at Vanir.

5

Vanir laughed joyfully as he dodged one of Darkness's attacks after another.

"Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! Your strikes are as inaccurate as they are spirited,

girl! …Hmm? Where did your friend go? The one who seems to be all talk and

no action?"

His head turned this way and that, trying to see where I had disappeared off

to.

…Sorry I couldn't do something flashier. I'm trying to make do with beginner

skills, here!

"What are you looking at?! I'm right in front of you!" Darkness exclaimed.

"Where did that underhanded little boy get to? I have an inkling he is far

more dangerous than any muddleheaded Crusader. I still sense him, but

where…?"

While Darkness kept Vanir busy, I had set my lantern on the ground and was

using Ambush to sneak around behind him.

Underhanded—well, what did he expect? Who would be stupid enough to

fight one of the Demon King's generals head-on?

"Keep your eyes on me when we're fighting, alreadyyyy!" Darkness took a

sweeping sideways swing at Vanir.

Vanir, in turn, took a big leap backward—his rear directly facing me.

I stopped using Ambush and threw all my weight into a kick squarely at

Vanir's spine.

"Gurgh?! You knave! When did you—?! H-hrk…?!"

He stumbled forward, returning into the path of Darkness's blade.

Darkness may have been clumsy, but she had strength in spades. Her sword

cleaved straight through him. His left arm went spinning through the air; his

torso sported a gaping, critical wound. He fell to his knees…

"Impossible! To think that I…! I underestimated you…! Who knew that such

worthy opponents as you lay concealed in this beginner town? Hrr…

Impossible…that I should…be destroyed…here…"

With that, Vanir's body, tuxedo and all, crumbled to dust, leaving only his

mask.

The lantern, which had been knocked on its side, dimly illuminated the scene.

The only sound was Darkness's ragged breath.

"No way… Did I really just…defeat a general of the Demon King?"

Darkness couldn't seem to believe it herself. She stood with her sword in

hand, still shaking from the thrill of battle.

"Usually, if you say Did I really do it? or whatever at a time like this, it means

you haven't really done it. But Vanir seemed pretty surprised to be cut in half,

too. Maybe for once we actually accomplished something."

"All as I expected," a voice said suddenly, as if in reply. It seemed to be

coming from the mask lolling on the ground.

The dust of the dungeon floor began to rise up in the shape of a body. Soon

that body was clad in a tuxedo, in the exact state it had been a few minutes

earlier.

"Did you perhaps imagine you had defeated me? I'm sorry to tell you that you

didn't even damage me! Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! Bwaaa-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!

Ahhh, your ill will! Exquisite!"

Aww, man! I'm gonna kill this guy!

"What, your body is actually made only of dust? The Demon King's generals

just keep getting crazier and crazier!"

"Ohhh… I thought we beat him… I thought one of my attacks finally hit and

beat a general of the Demon King… I thought maybe I'd finally made up for not

doing much during the fight with Destroyer…"

Darkness's sword trembled as she muttered dejectedly. Vanir, however,

laughed merrily.

"Bwa-ha-ha-ha! This is a false body made by my magic—the mask is my true

form! Strike my body however you will—it will only return to dust! And then I

will feed on the abundant magic in the earth, petals shall dance, and butterflies

shall fly…"

"You're not making any sense! Talking to you gives me a headache! Dammit.

Darkness, what do we do? Time for a tactical retreat?"

"Never! He has mocked me, to my shame as a Knight! I must repay him…!"

It happened as Darkness made this forceful declaration.

"Mm, I see, I see. I haven't much time to entertain myself with you. But I have

a special ability for moments just like this! Observe: I shall not harm anyone, but

I shall have all your enmity!"

Vanir took his mask in his right hand.

"Hey, Darkness! I don't like where this is going! Get away from him!"

"You're too late! Tough-bodied Crusader! I will borrow that sinew of yours!"

Vanir bellowed, and then he thrust the mask at Darkness…!

6

"Darkness…? H-hey, Darkness! Answer me!"

Darkness had taken the mask full in the face, and now she stood there

wearing it, gazing at the ground, her sword hanging limply. She wasn't moving.

I didn't like this at all.

Judging by Vanir's words and the way Darkness looked right now, I could only

assume he had possessed her.

Vanir's former body had crumbled into dust when he launched the mask.

Darkness swayed slightly, mask and all, then raised her head…

"Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! Bwaaaa-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! Now hear me, you impudent

rogue! By my power— (What should I do, Kazuma? He's taken over my body!)

What now, you insect? Can you bring yourself to attack this—? (I don't care!

Attack us! Attack us now! This is the best possible situation!)"

A practically incomprehensible stream of words came from Darkness's mouth.

"…What are you two talking about?"

"What in blazes? What is this (beautiful!) girl? …Stop interrupting! What is

going on? Such a resolute spirit she has… (It's like I'm the model Crusader!) You

are growing most tiresome!"

Gosh. You'd think this would be a real crisis, but Darkness seemed to have

things pretty under control.

In fact, she kind of seemed to be enjoying it.

"How can this girl be so strong as to resist my control? (Aww, go on…) But the

longer you resist me, the more piercing the pain of the struggle shall become!

(Wh-what?!) Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha! Let us see just how long you can endure! …

What's this? You show no animosity. In fact, you might be feeling something I

like very little… Joy…?"

Since Vanir and Darkness didn't appear to be going anywhere, I decided to

take this opportunity to do what I'd come here for in the first place. I walked

into the Lich's room and used the magic-cleaning equipment to make short

work of the magic circle.

Even as I worked, I could hear: "(I… I shall not bend to this pain…!) Your

determination is admirable! But to attempt to endure further is to invite the

destruction of your very spirit…! …Don't tell me you're enjoying this…?!"

Vanir sounded downright confused.

I finished cleaning the magic circle and went back to where the two of them

were still battling for control of Darkness's body.

"All right, Darkness, all done! Now we just need to get back to the surface.

Then we can collect Aqua and beat our retreat!"

I had been walking toward Darkness as I spoke, but I found her great sword

pointed at me.

"Not another step, boy. (Don't worry, Kazuma! Leave me here and go on

ahead!) Surely you don't think things will go so easi— (Ahh, I've always wanted

to say that!) This girl you do not dislike, surely you don't wish to see her

harmed? (?!) If she continues to resist my power… (K-Kazuma! Did I hear

correctly what this self-proclaimed all-seeing Devil just said?) Now, if you wish

to prevent this, then explain to her that— (I'm really happy. I'm happy, but—

our social standing is too different. And we are members of the same party…)

Will you shut up?!"

"Both of you, shut up! Seriously, could you please take turns talking? I have

no idea what either of you is saying!"

Vanir and I were both bellowing, but the top of my lungs was higher than the

top of his.

"Hrr… It seems this body was a mistake. (Hey, that's a rude thing to say

about someone's body!) Again I implore you to be quiet! I'm leaving, already,

so just keep silent!"

It seemed Vanir couldn't control Darkness's iron will and had decided to

leave.

I was pretty impressed—our resident perv had outlasted a general of the

Demon King.

Vanir's shoulders slumped wearily, and he raised a hand to take off his mask.

Then something occurred to me.

If Vanir got his power back, wouldn't that be a bad thing?

After all, as long as he had that mask, he could just make himself a new body

any time he was in trouble. Plus he'd boasted about having those nasty rays or

beams or whatever. I wondered if he could use those skills while he was in

Darkness's body.

If Vanir got serious, Darkness and I wouldn't be able to stop him from heading

to the surface.

But what if we kept him trapped in Darkness's body?

He would be in the body of a human he wasn't used to, and he would have

Darkness making his life miserable.

…So we keep him bottled up in Darkness, take her to the surface, and have

Aqua do something about it.

That was it. He wanted to meet Aqua, and we would make sure he did.

I approached Vanir as he went to take off his mask. I took the sealing tag Sena

had given me and slapped it right on his face.

"What's the matter, boy? …? What's this? …I can't touch it… Why, you—

What is this tag? When I try to touch my mask, my fingers are repelled. (Hmm,

it sparkles right in front of my eyes, and it's kind of annoying… Wait a minute,

Kazuma. Isn't this…?)"

The two of them struggled valiantly to remove the tag, but the person it was

placed on couldn't break the seal.

"It's that tag Sena gave me. Okay, Darkness. We're taking you and that seal up

top. Just keep Vanir inside until we get to Aqua. She'll purify him right out of

you!"

"(Wha—?!)"

Their mutual exclamations were in perfect harmony.

7

Enough of the dolls had been cleared out of the dungeon that they didn't get

in our way.

"Boy! This girl is in constant agony from her attempts to resist me! The pain

will surely shatter her! So you had best hurry up and remove this seal, for

otherwise… (You heard him, Kazuma! I'm in dire straits here… Ahhh, I've never

felt something so intense—he really is a general of the Demon King! I don't

think I can…stand it much longer…!)"

Maybe it was the pain that caused sweat to run down Darkness's neck and

her breathing to get heavy.

Apparently she was winning the battle for control of her body, at least for the

moment.

On our way out, we ran into the other adventurers who had come in with us.

They goggled at the masked Darkness, but we didn't have time for them.

"Just a little farther, Darkness! Hang in there! As soon as we get back up, the

hard part will be over!"

"Hnnn… How did I succumb…to this bizarre twist…? (Don't worry about me!)"

...

"What did you just say?" Vanir and I found ourselves asking at the same time.

I admit I had some doubts about bringing the general to the surface.

But just think about the body we were keeping him in. Darkness wasn't just a

little clumsy. If she took five swings at a hay bale, one of them would miss.

Sometimes I wanted to ask how she could have made it this far with such poor

aim.

But with her as our opponent, the adventurers on the surface would almost

certainly be enough to restrain her if there was any trouble.

"Great job, Darkness! Aqua can handle the rest. You just let the other

adventurers hold you back, and—"

I was interrupted as sunlight met my eyes.

"…Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha! Bwaaa-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! Just whom are you talking

to?"

He didn't sound like he was struggling with Darkness anymore.

No way…

"My takeover is complete! You've underestimated me, boy! I was holding

back until this moment. I knew your friends would let their guard down if I

approached them in this guise. Just wait until I'm face-to-face with that Priest of

yours! I'll get her before she can say hello!"

As he shouted all this, Vanir leaped up the stairs, moving faster than me

despite being clad in full armor.

Oh man! This was not good at all!

He was after Aqua. And no one was likely to try to stop Darkness, even if she

was wearing a weird mask.

"Darkness, open your eyes! I know you've got more in you! Are you going to

let some Devil beat you?"

"Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! It's futile, boy! Whatever this girl may 'have,' after a

certain level of agony she— (N-noooo!) H-hey, hey you! Enough with the

strange interjections!"

Damn—I guess our perv couldn't hold out anymore.

Vanir had full control of Darkness now.

"Now for a joyous reunion! Everyone will be so happy to see their

companions emerge from the dungeon unscathed! And then, my obnoxious

age-old enemy, you will discover I possess your friend! And what will you do

then?!"

Shouting, he bounded up out of the dungeon…

"Sacred Exorcism!"

"(Ahhhhhhh!)"

…and was immediately enveloped by a white flame from Aqua, who had been

waiting at the entrance.

8

Vanir was fried as he came out of the dungeon. He collapsed to one knee.

"D-Darkness!"

Still in Darkness's body, of course.

I rushed out of the dungeon and ran over to see if she was okay. But her body

didn't show a single scorch.

"B… Bwa-ha-ha… Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha… Bwaaaaa-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!"

In fact, for having taken a direct hit from Aqua's magic, Vanir seemed pretty

perky, too.

"Hey, watch it, Aqua! What do you think you're doing, slamming Darkness

with magic like that?! You're gonna give me a heart attack!"

Aqua seemed totally unfazed by my scolding.

"What are you talking about? That magic has no effect on humans. I sensed

an evil presence, so I just thought I'd try it…"

"(I-is that right…? Just as well, then. But it sure was surprising… Maybe give

me a little warning next time…)"

Darkness's consciousness had surfaced, meaning the attack must have

weakened Vanir's hold over her.

"Hey, Aqua! A general of the Demon King is possessing Darkness! We're up

against a Devil! This kind of thing's your specialty, right?!"

"A-a general of the Demon King?!"

Sena, watching from afar, responded even before Aqua did.

Aqua knitted her brow in annoyance and walked up to Darkness.

She abruptly held her nose.

"Yuck! That smell! This is definitely the stench of a Devil! Unclean, Darkness!

Unclean!"

"(Whaaa—?! I—I don't think I smell that bad…?!)"

Tears beaded in her eyes behind the mask.

"Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha… (Kazuma, give me a sniff. Let me know if I stink!) Bwa-haha-ha-ha, bwaaaa-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! (And even on the off chance I do, it's only

because we were just running all over a dungeon.) That's enough out of you!

This is my moment of truth, and you shall be silent!"

The additional scolding from Vanir only made the tears bigger.

"Bwa-ha-ha-ha! First, allow me to greet you, O Priest who bears the same

name as that repugnant and notorious water goddess. I am Vanir! Duke of Hell

and general of the Demon King. Vanir, the Great Devil!"

Maybe Vanir had to work to get all those words out of his mouth, because

Darkness seemed to be the one with control of the body. The whole time Vanir

was making his grand proclamation, her body was kicking rocks disinterestedly.

Wait a second. Had he just called Aqua a "Priest who bears the same name as

the water goddess"?

So he did know what she really was.

"Hitting me with demon-exorcism magic before you've even introduced

yourself—quite a greeting! Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha! This is why nobody likes the Axis

Church! Have you no sense of etiquette?"

"As if! You're nothing but a Devil; what's etiquette got to do with it? You're

even worse than undead, and they go against the laws of the gods! But you

Devils are just parasites who need human animosity to live! Pfft-hee-hee-hee!"

Then both of them fell silent for a second…

"Sacred High Exorcism!"

"As if!"

Aqua had tried to take Vanir by surprise, but he dodged to the side.

"Aww, Darkness! Why'd you dodge? Just hold still, please!"

"(Even if you ask me to do that, my body just—!)"

As Aqua and Vanir set to battling, Sena and Megumin came over to me.

"Kazuma! Kazuma! What's going on here?! Why is Darkness wearing that

mask? It's not fair! I want a mask, too! Such a mask stirs the heart of a member

of the Crimson Magic Clan!"

"Stuff it! And don't be stupid. Darkness's body is possessed by one of the

Demon King's generals. That mask is his true body—think you can do anything

about it?"

"Mr. Satou, how in the world did this happen? I've seen that creature on

wanted posters. It's Vanir, general of the Demon King, a Devil said to possess

great powers of foreknowledge and prophecy, seeing all. What is such a serious

threat doing here?!"

Sena was pale as the grave and seemed near the end of her rope.

"He came to find out who defeated the Demon King's other general Beldia.

He's got a few more unpleasant things in store, too, but that can wait. For now,

I used the seal you gave me to trap him inside Darkness's body."

Sena's jaw nearly hit the ground.

"Trapped him?! Inside your friend's body?! You're just—! You are simply—!"

"…It would appear we find ourselves in a difficult way. That Devil seems able

to survive Aqua's exorcism magic. It may be precisely because he is in

Darkness's body. Darkness is a Crusader, a holy Knight who serves the gods. She

has an especially strong defense against Light magic. Let us remove the seal and

set that monster free for the time being."

After listening to Megumin, I observed Vanir, who was busy dodging Aqua's

magic.

He made good use of Darkness's normally klutzy body, easily avoiding Aqua's

attacks despite being in heavy armor.

Geez, and here I'd thought shutting him up inside Darkness would make it

easier to beat him!

I'd had no idea her body had so much latent potential.

"Set him free? As long as he's trapped in Darkness's body, he can only attack

with her sword, but he said something about having a death-ray attack or

something. Letting him out would probably make him a lot more dangerous."

Somewhere along the line, the other adventurers had joined in the battle,

trying to hold Vanir still so Aqua's magic could do its work.

"Th-that is troubling… At this rate…"

"It d-doesn't look good for us, huh…?"

I followed Megumin's gaze to the ongoing battle again…

"Damn! Who knew Darkness had this in her?!"

"I can't hit her! She just parries everything! And she's got some serious

attacks—and so fast! We're lucky she's not going all out, or we'd be done for!"

"Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! This body is quite capable! Strong muscles and great

endurance! And to top it off, it readily resists that noxious divine magic! (Ooh…

I hate to be causing so much trouble for my fellow adventurers, but I am

somehow happy to realize I can hold them all off…)"

Well, gee, I was glad someone was happy.

"Come on, Darkness! Hold still already! We're trying to help you! Don't you

want our help? Could it be that you secretly kind of enjoy beating up on the

adventurers who usually make fun of you?"

"(N-n-no, I don't!) Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! Cubs and fledglings, all of you!

Don't be shy—test yourselves against me!"

Vanir's taunt didn't help Darkness's case much. The adventurers around her

looked more and more threatening.

"Darkness! You think you're all that just because a couple of your attacks hit

something?!"

"Here I always thought you had it more together than anyone else in

Kazuma's party! And now you…!"

"Surround her! Everyone circle up on this quack Crusader!"

"(I-I'm not the one who taunted y—) Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-haaa! Not even a

swarm of you small fries would be a match for me! (Ahhhhh…)"

Vanir spoke in Darkness's voice, so the adventurers weren't sure whether it

was Darkness or the demon cackling at them. They just got angrier and angrier

at Darkness, until they started aiming their insults at her instead of Vanir.

"I cannot stand to see Darkness so vigorously slandered when she is merely

being controlled by the enemy! Is there nothing we can do?!" Megumin tugged

hard on my sleeve.

I looked at the battlefield. There Darkness was, overpowering a crowd of

adventurers under a relentless torrent of put-downs.

"(Oh… Those I normally converse with so happily now look at me with such

scorn…!) You feel…happy? What is going on?"

...…

"I don't know. She seems to be having a pretty good time."

"S-still, we must help her! Don't you have any ideas?!"

Megumin could ask as many times as she wanted. But in her current state,

Darkness was a lot to handle.

The reality was, I didn't have a good way to bring down that Devil.

Even Aqua's magic barely had any effect. What was I supposed to do…?

"Will you just give already?! I'm getting awfully tired of you!"

"You think you are weary? Human wave tactics—a dirty trick! Don't think I

will waste my time with you lot forever just because I have said I won't kill

anyone!"

The battle between Aqua and Vanir continued.

The adventurers had realized that Aqua was Vanir's target, so they formed a

wall to protect her. Aqua kept flinging exorcism magic from behind them, but

neither combatant showed any sign of winning.

Vanir, though, finally crushed the precarious balance.

He must have been getting used to Darkness's body, because he hefted her

massive sword easily and began to smack away the adventurers' weapons.

If nothing else, Darkness was probably leagues ahead of her opponents in

sheer strength and endurance. Combined with the battle experience the Devil

had collected over a vast lifetime and the agility he granted her, the formerly

quack Crusader was taking on ten people and more at a time.

"Hey, is it just me or does she look kind of happy today? Sort of radiant…"

"Cut the chatter and help me… Huh?!"

One of the adventurers finally failed to block Vanir's attack and took a great

sideward sweep of Darkness's sword. The battle line began to crumble.

Megumin let out a little yelp at the sight.

"Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! The time to exact my payment has come, O my old

enemy! And I shall collect it with the hand of your own friend. What could bring

me greater joy?!"

"Hey, hey, Darkness! I believe in you! You're stronger than some Devil, right?

Y-you're okay in there, right? Darkness! Can you hear me?!" Aqua called out as

she danced farther and farther back, but there was no answer from Darkness.

Now that the delicate balance between Vanir and the adventurers had been

decisively upset, it was only a matter of time before he reached the back row

and started targeting Aqua directly.

"Mr. Satou, are you not going to join them in battle? That Priest and that

possessed Crusader are both your friends, aren't they?! Are you just going to

leave them there?!"

Sena sounded absolutely at her wit's end, but what did she want me to do?

"Well, as you know, my class is Adventurer. Everyone out there is stronger

than me, and they're getting their butts kicked. How exactly do you think I could

help?"

"Why, you—! You impossible man…!"

Sena's face twisted in horror as she drew away from me. Meanwhile, one

adventurer after another was being rendered powerless.

"K-Kazuma! Does this count as a crisis? Isn't it pretty much the worst crisis

we've been in?!" Aqua called out, on the verge of tears. Beside me, Megumin

held tight to her staff and turned to me anxiously.

Well, she could look all she liked. I was still just too weak…!

Face pale, Sena watched another adventurer take a knockout blow, and I

could feel her eyes on me, too.

I wanted to take this opportunity to lecture the official. To point out how I

hadn't caused this, how I was a victim who got dragged into these things.

…Geez. And they say I've got good Luck. Look what I get caught up in.

Some Luck, I said to myself.

"Kazuma! Kazumaaaaa!"

It was Aqua's cries for help that finally pushed me over the edge.

"…I guess I've got no choooooiceeeee!"

More than a little desperately, I drew my sword and charged in, hoping that if

my Luck was really as good as all that, everything would work out somehow.

9

Darkness had completely succumbed to Vanir.

"Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! Bwaaaaa-ha-ha-ha-ha! Are you prepared, ancient foe

of mine? Even I did not foresee that the day of your destruction would come

here, in a place like this! …What is it, boy who is the weakest of all the

adventurers here? I see all that you are. Shall I then offer a prophecy?"

Vanir spoke as I faced down Darkness.

"I say to you, who seeks peace and stability, do not overthink it and simply

turn a blind eye to this scene. Your great Luck is rendered null by the immense

Unluckiness of your friends. Good fortune will come from changing your party

members, which I suggest for your own safety. If you do so…!"

As Vanir blathered, I wordlessly swung my sword at his mask.

He dodged it easily. I didn't know what I was expecting.

"Boy whose own life is most important to him, what brought on this change

of heart? Whatever you do will not avail you. Desist, and I shall give you a Vanir

doll and a mask that matches my own. I advise you to take them and go home."

"N-no thanks… Hey, Darkness, what are you doing in there, anyway? Are you

just going to let any Devil who comes along dominate you like this? I didn't

know you were such a pushover."

At my taunts, Vanir responded:

"Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! It is useless. As you can see, I have already— (Why,

you…! Who's a pushover?! And he's not dominating me! I'm just really

enjoying the emotional turmoil of being under this Devil's thumb…!) So your

words cannot reach…your… Hmm. I had not expected such iron will. In all the

eons I have lived, I have never encountered one I was unable to control."

Naturally, our test-of-endurance-loving Crusader was still conscious and well

in there.

"All right, Darkness, listen up. I'm going to take the seal off his mask. Then I

need you to get back control of yourself. Just for a second is plenty. Pull off the

mask and throw it away. Then…"

Once Darkness was rid of it, Aqua could handle the rest.

But Vanir must have been able to read those thoughts, too.

"Hmph. Not a terrible strategy, but you have one problem. How are you, a

weakling, going to reach this seal when I can deploy my host's full strength? It

turns out I'm quite happy to fight my old enemy like this. I may let you break

the seal…after I'm done with her. (Hrm, I admit I'm disappointed to hear you

underestimate me. Right now I could take on the world!)"

Suddenly, Vanir said…

"Y-you fool. Are you even now prepared to stand against me?"

All around us lay the unconscious adventurers who'd taken the blunt side of

Vanir's great sword.

And there was Aqua, casting restorative magic on them as Vanir and I squared

off. She came over and stood behind me.

"Kazuma, I've got your back! With my support magic, you can take down that

Devil just like a real hero!"

Easy for her to say.

"Heh-heh! I've got a pretty good streak of Luck myself. All right, Kazuma. It is

time for you to awaken the power within you. You don't have to hold back

anymore. Take back Darkness from that Devil!"

Easy for Megumin, who had joined us, to say.

So what was this power I had within me?

For that matter, why did Aqua and Megumin think I could face down Vanir

head-on and get that seal?

Vanir took up a stance.

"Bwa-ha-ha-ha! Shall you force me to yield? (You think) you can take this

(seal)? I'd like to (see you tr—) Shut up, shut up! Those are my lines!"

"You were both so unhappy about that seal earlier. You want it off or not?"

While I jumped into their argument, Aqua prepared her exorcism magic.

"You are planning something, boy. The shining aura from that despicable

creature behind you prevents me from seeing exactly what. But I know you do

not mean to cross swords with me… Hmm. Some kind of skill, then? (It's Steal!

That's his favorite trick!)"

"Wh-what the hell is wrong with you, giving away my ideas!"

She sounded so proud of herself, too. Vanir smirked at me.

"Kazuma, my magic's ready!"

"Great, leave the rest to me! All right, Darkness, here we go! How about

another bet? Just like at the training grounds. If I win, I'll add something

absolutely unbelievable to that 'awful demand' you already owe me. If you win,

you can do whatever you want!"

"(Ahh! To mmention that h-here…!) H-hey, you! Don't be distracted by that

boy's sweet nothings! Show no weakness—bring your heart to bear! Raise your

magical power; prepare yourself to resist Steal—!"

Vanir's hold on the conflicted Darkness weakened as her body came to a stop.

Behind me, I suddenly heard Megumin begin to chant Explosion.

I whipped around and found her focused on the dungeon entrance.

The adventurers who had gone underground with us were dashing out,

Vanir's dolls hot on their heels.

Vanir had noticed the same thing. The eyes of his mask glowed weirdly, and

the dolls pouring out of the dungeon ran pell-mell straight at us.

They were going to take out Megumin.

"All right! It's on, Vanir! And Darkness, you fight back—keep him from

moving!"

And then I reached out toward his mask…!

"If you think the Steal of a mere Adventurer will prevail against me, you are

profoundly mistaken! To those who resist, I show no mer—"

"Kindle!!"

The spell incanted at the top of my voice wasn't Steal but the fire-starting

Kindle.

There was no special need for me to steal the tag or remove it by hand.

Burning it off would do just fine…!

"…Bwa! Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha! Bwaaaa-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! (Ahhh! No fair, Kazuma!

You suck!) I must say I am somewhat impressed, boy! It is rare for anyone to

deceive the all-seeing Devil!"

The tag stuck to his mask burned away, leaving nothing to connect Vanir and

Darkness.

"Okay, Darkness, show us what you're made of! Rip off that mask!"

The Crusader grabbed the mask and…

"(…! I… I can't take it off…!)"

Vanir was still fighting to keep the mask stuck to her face.

And his dolls were still heading for us with murder in their eyes.

The adventurers who had come out of the dungeon formed a wall between

them and us. They seemed to have intuited that we were fighting a boss

monster and tried to hold off the smaller enemies.

"Kazumaaa! What now? Can I go ahead and use my magic?" Aqua called.

"No, wait, the mask is still attached to Darkness! If you use your spell now,

her defense will just—"

But then…

"(Don't worry about me. Do it.)"

Darkness spoke briefly, her hand still on the mask.

Do it? But it wouldn't have any effect…

"(If Aqua's magic won't work, then… Don't worry about me. Explode me and

the mask.)"

Wait…

What did she just say?

"You idiot! I don't care how tough you are, you can't survive Explosion!"

"(Only one way to find out!) Now, there's no need to rush. Let us talk."

At Darkness's words, Vanir finally sounded like he was starting to sweat.

Behind me, Megumin had finished preparing her spell.

"(Aqua! If I get the mask off, don't hesitate! Use your exorcism magic!) Well,

this has been fun. How about we call today a draw? (If I don't, then use

Explosion…!) A draw with the Duke of Hell, a general of the Demon King. Quite

an achievement, I'd say!"

"I—I hear you, Darkness! When you get rid of that dumb thing, I'll be right on

it!"

Aqua watched the mask, hardly blinking, ready to fire off her exorcism at any

moment.

"Kazuma, Darkness is not in her right mind! Even she cannot withstand this

spell!"

Megumin was about to burst into tears.

Everyone—the dolls that had been heading our way until just a moment ago,

Sena, and the other adventurers—kept their distance from Darkness, frozen.

And in the middle of it all…

"(…Hey, Vanir. We didn't have long together, but I kind of enjoyed it. So…I

want to give you a choice. You can get off me and be purified out of existence.

Or we can be blown up together. Take your pick.)"

"Get destroyed or get destroyed"? It didn't seem like much of a choice to me.

"…I am a Devil," Vanir said grimly, "one of the enemies of the gods. Never

shall I let one of them purify me. Bwa-ha-ha-ha… In a strange way, I am meeting

my end exactly how I wished. I quite enjoyed possessing you."

Explosion it was, then.

Hearing this, Darkness and the mask took a few steps away from us.

"(All right, Megumin!)" Darkness demanded harshly. Megumin gave a small

shake of her head, not able to bring herself to do it…

Sena took in the entire scene with a vacant stare. I patted her on the

shoulder.

"If anything goes wrong, I want you to testify that I gave the order. I'll take full

responsibility. Again."

Sena nodded, her face white, and swallowed heavily.

Our Crusader was the toughest around.

The toughest in all Axel.

"Megumin, do it!"

I said the words. A moment passed.

And then a massive explosion rocked the field in front of the dungeon.