37

Part 1

I loudly announced before the two of them.

"Thus, we'll now hold the battle conference on how to break through the heavily guarded mansion and meet Darkness. However, I already have a basic plan in mind!"

After returning home, I explained the situation to Megumin and Aqua.

I was having a war planning session together with them.

"Kazuma's really excited. So the marriage between Darkness and the landlord as fat as a pig's the talk of the town now? I know Darkness has bad taste in men, but this is really atrocious. Normally, Darkness's father would veto it. Did something happen…? I'm pissed as this is happening right now, as well as the divination of that suspicious devil coming true…"

Aqua furrowed her brows, which was a rare sight, and said while cradling her egg on the couch.

That devil did predict that misfortune would befall Darkness's house and her father.

Normally, people wouldn't treat divination too seriously.

They'd take it with a grain of salt at best.

However, magic and curses existed in this world.

"Kazuma, do you really believe in the divination of that devil? You're really doing what the devil told you, developing merchandise nonstop despite your immense wealth… He's not as bad as Aqua, but devils won't help others if they don't gain something from it. So he'll definitely reap some benefit from it if he gives you any advice. If we can return to the Crimson Demon village, we can ask a great fortune teller onee-san that I know…"

Although Megumin said that…

To be honest, I didn't understand myself either.

I felt that the words of the devil can't be trusted so easily.

But…

"I don't think Vanir said that for fun, even though he didn't say it seriously. I don't know how helping Darkness will benefit him… In fact, I'm only working hard on developing my products just in case it'll be of use for Darkness as foretold by the divination. Even if the divination fails, there's nothing bad about developing merchandise. My thoughts are that simple…"

The stupid Darkness thought she could solve the problem by sacrificing herself and acted recklessly.

That was what Vanir divined for Darkness.

If it was the prophecy of some random fortune teller, I'd have no problem laughing it off…

"In any case, it's still too early to come to a conclusion. We only heard the secondhand account that Lynn heard from someone else. We won't know the situation unless we ask the person directly. The letter only told us that she wants to leave the party, so we don't know much more than that. That landlord gave us plenty of problems too, so we need to forcibly meet with her to clear things up. Am I right?"

Overwhelmed by my eagerness, Aqua and Megumin kept nodding their heads.

In fact, that retard did say something like, 'As a prospective marriage partner, that noble's despicable and underhanded personality is just right.'.

Something happened to her father and there was also the possibility that Darkness was in agreement with the marriage– I didn't even want to consider that.

That girl would say brainless things sometimes too.

That's right, she even wanted to follow Beldia back then, and was really happy when Vanir possessed her.

On the way to the Crimson Demon village, she was devastated when she heard the news of male orcs going extinct.

Plus, she left the party after leaving just a letter behind, and has always made me worried

Anyway, I had to confirm this matter after meeting her face to face.

And ask her what the meaning of this letter was.

Going to visit with just a letter wasn't appropriate, but since Lynn told me that important titbit, I can't just leave it alone.

I sighed, it can't be helped.

And of course, I didn't have thoughts like 'taking revenge for making me worry', 'I haven't seen her for a long time, so infiltrating into Darkness's house's exciting' or 'I've a proper reason to see that woman now!'.

Hehe, just you wait, Darkness…

For some reason, Megumin smiled as I was thinking about various matters.

Aqua was looking at me as if she just saw something strange.

"Hey Kazuma, you looked really out of it recently, but seem really happy right now."

She said a little happily.

Part 2

"Yup, about time to go. Aqua, I'm counting on you."

It was about 2 a.m. right now.

We didn't go for the heavily guarded front or rear gate of Darkness's mansion, but the side that didn't have an entrance.

An iron fence surrounded the mansion.

We hid in the darkness and peeked at the mansion through the gaps in the fence.

Following my request, Aqua started chanting softly.

It was several buff spells that enhanced my physical abilities.

"Increase Strength and Improve Speed"

I didn't know if it'd be needed, but I got her to cast Enhance Defense and Enhance Magic Resistance too.

"Versatile Actor!"

Aqua cast some spell I'd never heard before.

From the faint light that appeared momentarily on my body, it should be a buff spell.

"What was that spell just now?"

"A spell that turns you into a super actor."

I silently slapped her.

Ignoring Aqua who was tearfully trying to strangle me, I took out the tool that was really useful during the fight with the Destroyer, the rope with a hook at the tip. It could be fired with an arrow.

I bound several layers of cloth onto the tip so it wouldn't make a din when it hit the roof.

"I'll go on ahead."

After discussing it with them, it was decided that I'd sneak in alone. After all, I had several skills like Lurk and Night Vision, which were suitable for infiltration.

It might be the home of a noble, but it definitely wouldn't be harder than breaking into the royal castle.

I didn't plan to harm anyone, so aside from my bow and arrow, I didn't bring anything else along.

After shooting the arrow, I'll hand the bow to Aqua so she could bring it home.

"Take care of yourself. It's fine if you knock her out and drag her back by force."

"… N-No matter what, you're still a woman of the cloth. Is it fine to say that?"

"No, Aqua's right. She's stubborn and won't budge even if you tried to reason with her. It's fine to be a little rough with her, don't hold back!"

"Why are you all always so violent?"

Under their watchful eyes, I readied my bow and used Snipe to shoot the hook to the edge of the roof.

The hook latched onto the roof with a soft thud.

I observed the situation for the moment– No one seemed to notice nor did anyone come out to check.

Tying the rope to the iron fence, I whispered to the two of them:

"After I get onto the roof, untie the rope from the fence. There might be patrols, so they'll know I've infiltrated if they find the ropes. I'll think of a way to get out, so go back to the mansion and wait for now."

I tugged on the rope to make sure it was taut. The two of them nodded at me.

All right, time to do this!

Paying homage to army rangers, I got onto the rope and scaled it.

With my poor physical ability, I could never have done that without the magic buff.

After successfully reaching the roof, I signaled to Aqua.

Upon confirming that Aqua had untied the rope below, I activated Enemy Detection to detect the presence of people nearby.

Being able to confirm the presence of someone inside a building without needing to go inside made this very useful.

Finally, I found a room that was empty.

I wanted to use the rope tied to the building to break into that room on the second floor directly, but it was locked.

Now was the time for modern technology to debut.

"Tinder."

With one hand on the rope, I put my other hand near the glass window and heated it up.

With nothing to burn, the fire died out after exhausting the mana put into it. I repeated it several times.

After the surface of the glass got heated…

"Freeze."

With a soft chant, the glass was frozen instantly and made a soft cracking sound.

I was on alert for a moment, but no one came to investigate the noise.

This was a way to break glass by using thermal shock, normally done with a lighter and water.

When I was afflicted with chunnibyou, I learned this when I searched for dangerous knowledge that I didn't plan on ever using.

I thought it'd be useless when I learned about this, but to think it could be put to use now… Pressing the cracks in the glass, I peeled off the pieces near the locks piece by piece.

After the hole was big enough for my hand to reach the lock, I opened the window and sneaked in.

This was the moment I changed from an adventurer to a thief.

Yup, the infiltration was proceeding smoothly. The next problem would be finding Darkness's room.

Do I need to sneak across the corridor and check every room?

No, if there was someone on patrol, I'd be found even if I used Lurk.

At that moment…

"Did you really hear something?"

"Eh. I hope it was just my imagination…"

From inside the room, I heard this voice from one end of the corridor.

I covered the broken window with the curtain hurriedly and cleaned up the broken glass shards scattered on the floor.

With the creak of the door unlocking, I slid under the bed in the nick of time and activated Lurk.

When the door opened, I heard a resigned voice.

"See, it's nothing. Norris, it's about time you change your cowardly personality. Let's go to the kitchen and ask for some supper to eat."

"S-Sorry… I thought I heard something breaking…"

I didn't move as I listened to the door closing and the footsteps fading into the distance.

Since they were talking about supper in the kitchen, they were definitely the patrol guards in the mansion.

In that case, checking the rooms one at a time… Hmm, how about going to the kitchen they mentioned, mentioning that the young lady wanted supper, then following the servant sending supper to Darkness's room… That was too unrealistic.

First of all, I couldn't let them see my face, and I didn't have the talent to imitate the voices of the two patrolmen.

I just felt that if the multi-talented Aqua was here, she'd be able to imitate the voices without a problem.

… Multi-talented?

I suddenly remembered something and coughed dryly– One of the patrolmen was called Norris, right?

"… This is Norris here… Huh…?"

I was surprised by how good my imitation of his voice was.

What was happening, this was really nerve wracking!?

I just remembered about the super actor spell Aqua cast on me and tried it without expecting anything…!

"T-This is really amazing… Ah~ Ah~ Darkness, oh, it's Darkness…! This is without a doubt the voice of Darkness!"

I tried mimicking Darkness's voice, and it was indistinguishable from the real thing.

It'd work, this skill would work!

I needed to thank Aqua after returning to the mansion.

...

"You're wonderful Kazuma-sama, do me!"

I played around with the voice of Darkness and some other people and suddenly came to my senses.

Wait, crap, now wasn't the time to play by myself, I almost lost track of my goal.

I had never thirsted for a tape recorder so much before, but I should complete the mission of meeting Darkness.

Anyway, time to visit the kitchen.

After making up my mind, I activated Lurk and was planning to leave the room quietly–

I followed the patrolmen who led me to the kitchen. When I was certain they had left, I leaned toward the door.

Coughing once, I thought back on how Norris sounded.

Pretending to knock the door frantically, I said in a hurried tone:

"Sorry, this is Norris! I forgot to mention that the young lady wanted supper! I still have to do my rounds; may you please send the supper to the young lady's quarters?"

I apologized to Norris-san who I've never met before in my heart.

"Really, why are you so eccentric, Chuck? You're usually meticulous about things, but you always forget about the important stuff… Understood, we'll send it over, work hard on your duties."

I heard a reply along with wry laughter.

I said in a panicky voice–

"Thank you very much!"

And with that, I pretended to run off.

I then hid at a corner and waited quietly for the chef to come out.

Sometime later, there was finally some movement from the kitchen–

Part 3

"Young lady, I'm here to bring you supper."

After the chef said that, he knocked the door.

I peeked at him from the dark.

Good, good, I found Darkness's room.

After the chef knocked a few times, the door finally opened.

Wearing a silk negligee and with her hair a mess, Darkness rubbed her tired eyes and appeared. She seemed to have been sleeping.

The chef averted her face and said:

"Erm, Norris said that the young lady wanted supper…"

"…? I don't remember saying that."

The chef was confused, but lowered his head immediately and apologized to the sleepy Darkness.

"…? I-I'm very sorry for disturbing you so late at night!"

Darkness seemed baffled as she watched the chef run off in a panic and close the door.

Some time passed by after the chef who didn't understand what just happened passed my hiding place.

Using this chance, I knocked Darkness's door–

"Young lady, please wake up. A man named Satou Kazuma suddenly came here in the middle of the night saying he wants to meet the young lady no matter what…!"

I used the voice of the patrol guard Norris and spoke to the person inside the room.

After a while, a reply came from inside…

"… Those claiming to be Kazuma, Aqua and Megumin are to be ignored– I already said that. Really, that guy actually came at such an hour… He really is–!"

A gentle voice that was a mix of pain and happiness came from within.

"But young lady, that Kazuma man says if he's ignored, he'll spill the dark history of Lady Lalatina to the people in the guild…"

When she heard that, Darkness laughed:

"Fufu, that guy's the same as usual… Tell Kazuma to do as he wishes. Anyway, I can't visit the adventurer's guild any more…"

Darkness said a little sadly.

...

"But young lady, that man's telling very unsavory things to the servants at the main gate. He said the young lady's abs are getting more and more defined, and that the young lady's very concerned. He asked us to control the amount of protein in her meals…"

A clank came from inside the room.

"He also said that the young lady once giggled happily when she posed with a cute one-piece dress and that we should prepare more of such clothing…"

Another slam came from the room. It sounded like something dropping.

Darkness then said with a quivering voice:

"T-These, these, these are… All lies! Lies! Don't be fooled!"

...

"Eh, he mentioned something more incredible– May I repeat it to you?"

"… S-Say it."

I took a deep breath.

"He said the young lady accumulates lust within your mature body over time. Even though you're a virgin, but every night–"

With tears in her eyes and her cheeks flushed, Darkness opened the door violently and rushed out.

And locked eyes with me.

"!??????????"

Darkness's mouth opened and shut as she panted, and couldn't say anything. Her eyes were wide open.

I broke in!

Part 4

I covered her mouth with my hand and pushed her into the room.

She had yet to recover from her shock and panic, but she still grabbed my right arm with her hands and tried to push me away. However, …!

"With Aqua's support spells, I won't lose so easily!"

After whispering that into her ear, I closed and locked the door with my other hand.

Darkness shivered for some unknown reason when she heard the click of the door being locked.

To prevent Darkness from making any sound, I covered her mouth with my right hand and grabbed her right wrist with my other hand. I swiftly checked the situation inside the room.

The light wasn't on; she was definitely asleep earlier.

Only the sparse starlight lit her face and mine.

I wanted to talk after suppressing her, but didn't want to throw her onto the floor directly… At this moment, I noticed a large bed behind her.

I put my strength into the arm that was being grabbed by her hands and lifted her up.

"?"

Darkness probably never expected that the weak me could lift her up with one arm.

Perhaps because of Aqua's strong desire to bring Darkness back, her support magic was very effective today.

After lifting Darkness up, I used the momentum to push her down to the bed.

With a gentle pomf, Darkness's body sunk into the bed.

I placed my body between Darkness's legs to prevent her from kicking me and held her down.

Good, now we can talk without any interruptions. Right…?

… Darkness released her hold onto my arm and laid weakly onto the bed.

Blinking the tears in her eyes away, her face was beet red.

I could see her blushing face under the faint starlight.

Because I was covering her mouth with my hand, I could feel her fast breathing coming through my fingers… Hmm?

Wasn't this situation really bad?

Hey, resist a little, it'd be hard for me to go on if you give in like this!

With the full support of Aqua's buffing spells, I don't think I'd lose to Darkness in strength.

However, there were all sorts of problems if she was defenseless like this, as if she had given up…!

I whispered in the dim room:

"Hey, hey Darkness, don't misunderstand! The situation's weird now, but I don't mean it that way. I just came to talk to you, so don't think that this as a night raid… Ah, hey! Don't close your eyes as if you're resigned to your fate! Stop! The atmosphere will become weirder! Stop, this is bad, bad in all sorts of ways!"

As for what was bad, that'd be me of course.

Even if I told them I just wanted to talk to Darkness and went with the flow because Darkness looked very lewd, I would definitely be hit by their combo of Explosion and Resurrection until their anger was appeased.

With my hand on Darkness's mouth, I started trembling.

"Hey, hey listen to me! I sneaked in here to ask you what happened! Look, don't scream when I remove my hands, all right? I'm here to talk to you!"

Darkness opened her eyes a little and nodded.

All right…

I was more nervous than I was during all the battles I experienced.

"I'm letting go now. Don't scream, all right?"

After seeing Darkness nod, I let go of her, and got in position to cover her mouth again if she screams.

Darkness averted her face a little shyly.

"Erm… Kazuma, can you lie beside me when we talk. If you ride on top of me and stick so close, it's a bit…"

I turned my face in the opposite direction from Darkness.

"Oh, yeah, right. E-Excuse me, I didn't mean to ride you! … And you too, why did you write such a letter…?

When I let down my guard and wanted to continue the conversation.

"Thief…! I'm about to be violated… Ugh…!"

Damn, this bitch was trying to pull a fast one!

I was careless!

It was too late when I covered Darkness's mouth again. Sounds of footsteps came from the corridor.

Someone was heading this way.

Oh no, what should I do?

Darkness whose mouth was covered while being pressed down by me had a triumphant and provocative look.

She must be grinning in her heart.

Damn wench!

"Is something the matter, young lady? Pardon me, I'm opening the door now!"

After saying that, the lock creaked open…!

Shit, Darkness's cocky victorious expression made me want to beat her up.

But, don't think I'm done here…!

"Don't open the door! My appearance's indecent right now! Sorry, I was too excited with my intense game just now and yelled by accident!"

Darkness opened her eyes in surprise when she heard me.

That's right, I was speaking in Darkness's voice.

"Is that so…? However, this humble one has yet to confirm the young lady's safety… And playing games in the middle of the night's a little…"

The servants were doubting me.

That was natural, Darkness might be saying that because an intruder was threatening her.

"Intense game means the type of games that adults play alone, don't make me say it, it's embarrassing."

"Young lady…?"

Baffled voices came from outside the room.

At the same time, Darkness held onto my right wrist with both hands.

"What, you might be saying that you want to confirm my safety, but in actual fact, you just want to see my indecent appearance, right? You pervert, ahhh!"

Darkness glared at me fiercely with tears in her eyes. She strengthened her grip, as if she wanted to break my right arm.

When they heard me scream from the pain, the people outside panicked.

"What, what's the matter?"

I endured the pain from my right arm being twisted and said:

"N-Nothing! I just forgot to turn the indecent magic toy off, ahhh! Ahhh, it, it's breaking! I'm turning strange! I can't hold it in anymore! I'm really going to break!"

"P-Pardon me! I-I'll leave at once!!"

The sound of footsteps running away could be heard.

There seemed to be a lot of people who came after hearing the commotion, but they'd scattered after hearing what happened.

Enduring the pain in my arm, I smiled deviously at the tearing Darkness who was trembling all over.

Part 5

Darkness poked at my hand that was covering her mouth.

She was probably signaling that she wouldn't scream anymore.

I let my hand go and Darkness sighed.

I looked at the hand that was Darkness grabbed and saw a dark purple, hand shaped mark on it.

If Aqua didn't buff my defense with magic, it'd probably be broken.

Darkness said with resignation:

"… Seriously, you actually went that far? The servants are going to address me as the perverted young lady in secret now… Ughh…!"

Darkness suddenly quivered.

"You must be thinking 'that isn't too bad'."

"No I didn't."

"Yes you did."

Even in such a situation, this girl was still…

"Hey, what in the world happened? Why'd you leave the party, the rest are worried about you too. At least explain the situation, we're…"

Comrades, right? – Before I even said that, I felt embarrassed for saying such a line.

"Some things can't be said because all of you are my important companions… Well, it's nothing serious, just some problems in my home. Actually, my house owes money to that landlord and father said he'll pay it back by instalments… But my father's health's ailing recently, so that landlord came to rush for the payment, questioning if my father can repay the debt within his lifetime and making things difficult… I heard that the debt would be forgiven if I marry him. It's that simple."

What the hell.

"Your house owes that much money? Isn't your dad a grand noble in this nation, wouldn't the king help him out? And this…"

I stopped mid-way.

This seemed like…

"That's right, it's coercion through loaning us money… However, this is the norm for nobles. A daughter from a noble family marrying another noble– that's all it is."

Darkness casually said that as if she wasn't involved.

She continued after seeing my face.

"Don't make such an expression, Kazuma. You know my taste in men, right? That landlord seemed really eager to make me his. That lusty pig-like landlord won't even wait for the wedding night before rushing into my room and pushing me down. Hehe, he'll probably ravage me for days without anything to eat or drink, how exhilarating…!"

She casually laughed after saying all these, as if she was trying to hide something.

… If that was so, why do you look so sad?

"That's why you wanted to defeat the Hydra with just the few of us… Erm, sorry for getting so many people to join in, the path to hell is paved with good intentions… How much did you owe, I'll pay for it–"

"Don't put it that way, Kazuma. I'm a noble. My duty is to protect the people. Rather than using the hard earned money of the citizens to pay my debt, I'd rather sell my body… And your assets won't be enough to clear the debt."

She cut me off and looked at me straight in the eye.

At this moment, I finally had the chance to look at Darkness properly under the starlit sky.

Her pure and strong eyes stared right at me.

Her hair spewed on the bed like golden threads, faintly reflecting the starlight.

She struggled with her mouth covered moments ago, so she was still panting with sweat on her cheeks.

With each deep breath, her chest covered by her thin negligee undulated, giving off a strong sense of presence.

And when she struggled with me earlier, Darkness's negligee had slid off her shoulders and flipped up her skirt. Darkness whose whole body was emitting heat turned a light shade of red–

. 

--------------->

. 

I started chanting spells that could clear my head.

'Old lady lying half-naked in the living room…

The panties of the grandma filled with unknown expectations…

Dust's butt inside a red lace underwear–!

May my heart be as still as water!!'

The spell worked and my heart was absolutely serene.

Good, no problem, I could definitely tide over this.

Darkness, who was looking straight at me from below, gently smiled and said after I regained my composure:

"… Instead of giving my precious virginity to the landlord… Hey Kazuma, how about becoming adults together…?"

The spell I cast was suddenly ineffective.

Calm down Satou Kazuma, think it through.

Darkness only said that because her mind was set on marrying.

She'd given up and thought she won't meet us ever again.

But how could I let this happen?

That's right, I won't give Darkness to that fellow so easily, and I'll definitely stop this.

In that case, it'd be awkward if we did it here.

Becoming lovers with Darkness?

No! Satou Kazuma, why'd you come here in the first place?

While I was trying to convince myself, Darkness gently gripped my right hand.

And pulled it toward her body…!

She probably didn't have the courage to let me caress her breasts right away, so Darkness simply grabbed my hand, not knowing where to place it.

Seeing her uneasy expression, I considered it for two seconds…!

Screw the consequences and enjoy the moment.

I placed my right hand that was grabbed and placed it on her abdomen.

Darkness shivered intensely.

And gently closed her eyes.

I thought about saying something romantic as I caressed Darkness's white skin on her stomach…

"… Your abs are getting really defined."

Part 6

Under the faint light of the stars, Darkness and I faced off against each other in the middle of the room.

Before me was Darkness who lost all her earlier lewdness, her fists tightly clenched with bloodshot eyes, ready to attack.

"I was in the wrong! I admit I was in the wrong, okay? It was a slip of the tongue! Sorry, I couldn't help it!"

"There are times when I blow my top too! Damn it, how dare you toy with a woman who's offering her body, you'll pay for this! I'll cut you into pieces!"

"Young lady, please don't use crude terms like 'cut you into pieces'! …What, so you like me, is that it? Then just say it straight!"

"Who'd like a dumbass like you? I'm seriously pissed off right now! And don't call me young lady!"

Darkness yelled as she pounced at me.

With my speed enhanced by buff spells, I easily dodged.

The sound of footsteps came from the corridor once again; someone was charging this way.

"Hehe, what now Kazuma? My servants are here! You're done for if they find you. You broke into the bedroom of a young lady; you'll lose your head without my help! If you prostrate yourself before me now, I might just forgive you!"

She probably became angrier because of my nimble dodging, which made Darkness look more furious than ever.

In the end, a whole crowd of people gathered outside and the door was banged heavily.

"Young lady! We're opening the door now, young lady!"

When she heard their voice, Darkness opened her arms wide and jumped in an attempt to catch me.

I could dodge this easily under normal conditions, and now that I've Aqua's buffing spell, it was a walk in the park.

I suffered a lot of hardships to get here, not to mention how worried I was all this while.

How could I back down now?

"Bring it on! Lewdsader whose only strong points are your erotic body, stamina and arm strength! It's time to see you cry a river after losing to the weakest job! Have a taste of the real power I showed in the capital!"

I answered using Darkness's voice and took on Darkness who pounced on me, pushing against each other with our hands.

"D-Don't mimic my voice!"

"Y-Young lady? What are you playing at?"

Confused voices came from behind the door.

They must be baffled since Darkness and I spoke with the same voice.

The door then opened with a creek.

I turned my face toward the door…!

"Don't open the door~ Lalatina's naked right now! I'll be seen~!"

"Huh? P-Pardon me…!"

My voice acting made the door opening sound stop.

Using this chance, I used Drain Touch to siphon Darkness's stamina.

But Darkness's stamina was on a totally different level from the capital's knights and was unmoved by Drain Touch.

Forcefully grabbing onto me, Darkness said with a blushing face:

"Don't say that with my voice! Hey, come in quick! It's an intruder who can mimic my voice with magic!"

"Ah, okay, right away!"

The sound of the lock opening started again.

Damn it!

"Hahaha! It's my win, Kazuma! After so many battles with you, I'm satisfied that we can finally resolve this!"

Darkness said cockily as she endured my Drain Touch.

She even said 'final', how can I lose now?

I relaxed my strength and Darkness who was leaning forward while saying her victorious lines lost her balance.

Using this chance, I pulled my left hand from her and put it on Darkness's back.

I shouted with my original voice:

"Freeze!!"

"Ahhh!"

Darkness yelped when the ice attack hit her back and shivered.

When Darkness fell onto her knees with her face flushed and body quivering, I pulled my right hand out.

"Young lady!"

I faced the door that opened with a bang and raised my right hand.

"Create Earth!"

This was the ever effective beginner spell that blinds people.

When she saw the dirt on my hand, Darkness realized my intentions and warned…

"Everyone, cover your…!"

Eyes– Before she could finish–

"Wind Breath!"

I cast my spell–!

Part 7

I'm Kazuma.

An Adventurer from Japan.

My dream was to live a carefree and willful life without any want for money.

With such a simple dream and living a simple life, I–

"Have you found him yet? He's not in the shadows here! That guy has the Lurk skill, don't overlook places that seem empty either! Don't let him escape! With the name of house Dustiness on the line, I want that fellow captured and brought before me!"

"Yes, young lady!" x3

I'm thinking about how to hide from the pursuit of the furious Darkness.

"Kazuma! Where are you? If you come out now, I'll forgive you after punching you at full force ten times! But if you get caught by me, I won't let you off so simply!"

The raging Darkness roared behind my hiding place.

While listening to the cries, I crouched and sneaked through the corridor.

Darkness was completely lost in her fury right now.

I won't be able to talk to her like this, so I'll withdraw for now.

Or rather, I might really be murdered by Darkness if she catches me. She knew Aqua could cast Resurrection after all.

In order to escape from the mansion, I tried breaking into a nearby room.

Luckily, the door wasn't locked.

All right, I just need to get out through the window.

I approached the window while thinking that…

I suddenly heard a faint voice from the middle of the room, where the bed was.

"… Is someone there…?"

It was Darkness's dad.

Even though the room was dark, his thin and pale face was obvious to me.

"Ah, it's you… What are you doing here in the middle of the night…? I see, my daughter has a bunch of good comrades…"

Darkness's dad said with a weak smile.

He seemed to have guessed my goal after seeing me here at this hour.

As expected of the noble known as the treasured sword of the kingdom.

However, he didn't have the same vigor as the first time I met him.

Her father that was so energetic then was now smiling so weakly.

Just what kind of illness can ravage a man in such a short time?

The sound of people running echoed from the corridor.

"Old man, sorry for visiting you when you're not feeling well, but your daughter's raging in the house right now. Could you calm her down?"

When he heard that, the uncle happily smiled in his blanket.

"Is that so. My daughter that was so depressed recently actually got that angry?"

Old man, this is no laughing matter.

… Oh right.

"Old man, I heard you owe that landlord some money, but I don't think someone like you'd borrow from him. Also, this doesn't look like a house that's troubled over money. Why are you troubled over debts then…?"

I expressed my doubts.

It wasn't appropriate to ask this with him being ill, but Darkness wouldn't tell me the details, so this was the only way.

"… Yes, Kazuma-kun, you really are bright. I'll leave my daughter to you. Sorry, but can you elope with her…?"

What was this person trying to say?

I was asking about the debts, so why'd he talk about eloping?

"No, I refuse, no freaking way. Also, your daughter's chasing me all over the house and yelling for my blood right now. If you'll allow me to be frank, your daughter's really refined."

"Haha, you're right, she's a virtuous and gentle girl. Pure, shy and hates to trouble others."

I wanted to retort with 'who the hell's that?', but decided to hold my piece.

He accepted my sarcasm straight and started praising his daughter.

I don't know what disease it was, but it probably got into his brain.

Uncle might be feeling weak, but he still looked straight at me with unwavering eyes.

"Please don't mind the details. My daughter only owes money because of her own actions… Don't worry, once you elope with my daughter, I can sell the house. I'll get a large sum then. I'm thinking of some other way to wipe away the debt too."

Wipe away the debt…? In other words, an unjustifiable debt?

Anyway, this competent father will definitely think of some way.

"However, my daughter wanted to settle the problem through marriage. I'm willing to give anything to stop her… Kazuma-kun. As a father, I can tell that my daughter really likes you. I might be shamelessly promoting her but– She's really a good woman… How about it, would you take her hand…?"

"You ask me how about it…? Your daughter just said she wanted to turn me into mincemeat…"

On top of that, the most important thing was…

"That's right, old man, just where does it hurt? I've a good… Eh, an Archpriest that's only good with magic in my team. She can even use Resurrection. I don't know where it hurts for you, but if I bring her here, there should be a way to help."

In an exceptional case like this, that useless bum would be of help.

But he merely smiled when he heard me.

"… No, it's futile. Healing magic can't heal me either. And Resurrection won't work if I die from sickness. That'd be considered a natural death. Those who die a natural death can't be woken by the miracle of the gods. No matter the cause of death, those whose time has come should return to the heavens. This is something we should be happy for… So, don't make such a sad face."

It seemed my feelings was shown on my face without me realizing it.

"Can you let the Archpriest in my party diagnose your illness? For uncle to fall sick at such a time is a bit…"

"Like I've been poisoned by the landlord, right?"

Uncle said what I was thinking out loud.

… That's right.

From how obsessed that landlord was over Darkness, he probably would do anything to get his hands on her.

However, …

"I already investigated. No, this is the first possibility I checked. I wasn't poisoned."

That's true, Darkness's dad was a competent noble.

He was definitely more thorough in his investigation than me.

"Have you still not found him? Come out, Kazuma! And explain to the house help how you mimicked my voice, and clear up the misunderstanding!"

Darkness's voice came from the corridor.

Uncle smiled wryly.

"Hey… I leave my daughter to you."

T-This was bad…

"Can't you discuss this with the king or someone about this? Uncle's a grand noble in this kingdom, right? If the debts were forced onto you by the landlord through unscrupulous means…"

Closing his eyes, he shook his head slowly.

"Even if I did so, my daughter will still marry. She's really stubborn, I wonder who she learned that from. Even if I asked the king for help, she'd say, 'Don't use the tax money of the people on something like this' and sacrifice herself… Sigh, why's my daughter so witless."

That's right.

Absolutely right.

As her father, you should do something about your daughter's stubbornness… At that moment, the door opened with a bang.

Outside the room the panting Darkness stared at me with wrath in her eyes.

"Hehe… So you're here, Kazuma, hahaha! Let's see how you'll…"

"Hey, there's a sick person here, don't make a din opening the door. Calm down, I only came as a representative for everyone who's worried about you…!"

The angry Darkness ignored my explanation.

"Shut up! To think you can shatter the reputation of the target you're worried about in such a short time…! This is a matter between nobles, a commoner like you shouldn't interfere! Go back to the mansion and farm some strange crops should be enough for you!"

This woman!

"Forget about the debt! Let's run away together and start over in a new place! You should know that if I return empty handed, those two will–! Especially Megumin, she'll do something reckless! Like blowing away the venue of your wedding or something!"

"Do it if you've got the guts! I'll definitely have you arrested as the mastermind! If you don't want to go to jail, rein them in! I won't run! Even if I do, someone else will be implicated! … And first of all…"

Darkness charged at me as she said that.

So she wanted to conclude the last match before her marriage?

Oh no, I'll die!

I turned and sprint for the window.

"You, witless stubborn woman! Enough, do what you want! I won't care no matter how much you cry after this!"

After spitting out this line, I flew toward the window with a flying kick…!

"If you want my help, you can apologize to me anytime! Say, 'I'm sorry for making everyone worry, I need Kazuma-sama's help'… Uwah!"

The glass on the window was harder than I imagined. I didn't break the glass with my kick and my entire body crashed into the window.

Instead of a kick, the window was smashed open with my body slam and I fell out of the window with the shattered pieces onto the ground.

Even though it was just the second floor, without anything to break my fall, I rolled on the ground in pain.

Darkness came to the window and looked down at me–

"A-Are you all right, Kazuma-sama? If you say, 'Sorry Darkness-sama, please save me!', I won't mind giving you first aid!"

Her shoulders were shaking as she said that.

Pushing my pain-struck body, I climbed over the iron fence to flee from the guards that came running because of the noise…!

"D-Damn it… Darkness! I won't help you even if you come to me crying! – Don't fucking come here! Create Water! Freeze!"

After cursing out at Darkness who was watching me excitedly, I cast my spells on the guard chasing me and escaped back to the mansion.

Part 8

"Uguuu…! Aqua! Aqua!! Heal me! Heal me quick!!"

After making it home, I walked toward Aqua who was dozing off on the couch in the living room with an egg in her arms.

Darkness probably thought it'd be awkward to meet Aqua and Megumin, so she didn't pursue me.

"… Hmm? … Hey, what happened to you Kazuma, you're wounded all over! Did you see Darkness? Why are you hurt so badly? Did you say something dumb again?"

Aqua kept asking such questions as she healed me with her spell.

And why do you seem so happy to see me wounded all over?

Hearing our commotion, Megumin, who was sleeping on the same couch woke up.

"Kazuma, you're finally back. What happened? Did you shoot your mouth off again? Did you convince Darkness?"

Now I know just what exactly am I in the eyes of these two.

Despite Aqua healing my wounds, I still felt hurt.

Unable to expel that feeling in my heart, I headed to my room on the second floor alone.

"Don't get involved with that girl anymore! Leave her be! Unless she comes crying for help, leave her alone! I don't want to suffer anymore, so take care of the rest!"

Aqua and Megumin looked at each other when I showed my attitude of resignation.

"Eh… Darkness even promised to build a small pet house after this kid hatches…"

Aqua lowered her gaze disappointedly with the egg in her arms.

As for Megumin–

"Kazuma, I don't know what happened, but now's not the time to throw tantrums! And why must Darkness marry anyway?"

She asked while facing my back that was walking up the stairs.

I stopped.

"She owes money! Her family owes a big sum of money to the landlord! I heard the debt will be forgiven if she marries the landlord!"

"Ugh… Debt, huh? I don't know how much she borrowed, but I just sent money back home and don't have much on me…"

Megumin said as she flipped through her purse that was full of shopping point cards and coupons, and sighed.

"It can't be helped. If she really needs money, I'll break my tiger-shaped piggy bank then."

Aqua proposed a useless idea with an egg in her arms.

I didn't know the exact sum, but it was big enough that a grand noble like Darkness had to sell herself off.

Megumin and Aqua's spare change would just be a drop in the ocean.

With my back toward them, I headed to my room.

"She already made up her mind! Just let her be! Unless she comes to me crying and apologizing, I won't do anything about it!"

Megumin shouted at me.

"Kazuma, is this the time to vent your anger? Darkness's going to be married off! Are you fine with that?"

Tell that to that stubborn girl instead!