Part 1
After being sent to the capital through 'Teleport', we arrived in front of a familiar castle.
The two guards standing in front of the castle looked at us with dubious gazes.
"Halt! Those who do not have business here may not enter! This is not a place for adventurers!"
I handed Iris' letter to the two oppressive guards as if I was showing them an insignia.
"I am the Satou Kazuma, an adventurer from the town of Axel. We have taken a request from princess Iris. Is there a problem?"
Seeing the royal insignia on the envelope, the faces of the two guards turned pale, and they imdiately readjusted their posture.
"E-, Excuse my manners…! I will imdiately go and call my superiors, so please wait a mont! May I be entrusted with the envelope?"
"Mm, I suppose that's fine."
As I showed a slightly overbearing attitude towards the two frightened guards, Darkness poked with her elbow.
The guard that was confirming the contents of their letter, slightly tilted his head.
"Huh, the letter inside is rather damaged. This is…?"
"My, please don't mind it! You know, a lot of things happen when you're an adventurer right? You get it? Monsters and stuff you see!"
"Ahh, I see… Well then, please wait a mont at the waiting room over here."
There's no way that I could tell them that I ripped a letter from royalty to shreds out of rage. I ekly followed one of the guards to the waiting room.
As everyone was getting themselves seated as they liked, the eyes of the guard that brought us here began to shine. He inford us about the rumor that was spreading through the capital.
"—With regards to Satou Kazuma-dono, your na has recently beco famous in the capital you see? I heard that, you lent your aid to the fortress at the very front line, which had co under the leadership of Dustiness-sama, and led our forces to victory in a seemingly trifling series of battles. It is often said that; Carrying tact, cleverness, and a countless number of skills, is the leader, Kazuma-dono. Together, with the crusader, Dustiness-kyo, a lovely arch-wizard whom carries an amazing amount of magic power, and finally a plasterer, your group is an amazingly skilled party."
"Hey, I just wanna say that you left out the existence of the lovely archpriest."
In any case, we were also the party that laid to rest the greatest number of demon king army generals.
Rather, it's weird that our na wasn't well-known until now.
"Although only the nas of Kazuma-dono and Dustiness-kyo could be determined, could it be that the person over there is the rumored great magician that uses explosion magic? Despite having played an amazingly active role in the incident, for so reason, her na is still unknown. As a result, it is rumored that she is a humble and mysterious person that refuses to stand in the spotlight…"
Hearing what the guard said, gumin's face turned slightly red, and her jaw dropped a teensy bit. However, in order to preserve her image as a 'discreet magician' she answered in a soft voice.
"…Hm, is there a rumor like that? Well, I suppose it is true to say that I am humble, after all, I give all the money we earn from our adventures to Kazuma."
"Hey, I just want to say that my na isn't there either. My na isn't there despite how worldly famous I am."
There were probably other reasons that gumin's na didn't spread, but I suppose that, she was ecstatic that she was called 'humble and mysterious. Well, it seems that her mind had already soared off in that direction.
Seeing gumin's attitude, the guard's eyes began to glimr as though he was deeply moved.
"A-, Amazing, are you saying that you have no interest in wealth or fa!?"
"Fu… My only desire is to reach to limits of the true essence of magic. When the leader, Kazuma, requires my power, I tell him this: 'What I desire is the minimum food and other small expenses, and also, a place where my power can be brought to proper use'…!"
"OOOOHHHH!"
This girl, when I was about to kick her out of the party, she cried and begged , saying that 'I'm fine with just food and other small expenses, so don't forsake !' with tears in her eyes.
It was then—
"Ahh! He actually ca!"
A pained cry erged from the doorway as the doors to the waiting room were swung open.
Standing there, was a familiar magician that wore a large hood.
It was the noble lady that was entrusted with Iris' education and protection, Rain.
"It's quite cruel of you to say 'he actually ca' isn't it? I ca all the way here because I was called by Iris you know? Generally speaking, wouldn't it be better to have a nice night banquet to congratulate the party that defeated yet another demon king army general?"
"Um… T-, That is…"
Rain slightly averted her gaze in an uneasy manner. It seems that she understood this as well.
However, that only lasted a fleeting mont, as she pulled Darkness by the arm and left the room. She took a few glances at , and they began to whisper amongst each other.
'Dustiness-sama, didn't you say that you would find so way to make 'him' reject this request!? If we leave that person in charge of Iris-sama, foreign relation problems will definitely arise…'
'I understand. Despite my efforts, his resistance was unexpectedly strong. However, the good thing is that 'that person' believes that I won't do anything more, and has lowered his guard. I'll drug him when we arrive at the capital of the neighboring nation, so that he will be asleep for the duration of Iris' stay there.'
'OOOH, as expected of Dustiness-sama! If that's the case, then I will rest assured!'
…What exactly were those guys scheming.
Rather, Darkness had been requested to restrict by the nation itself, huh.
As for the reason I could understand their secret discussion…
"What are you doing Kazuma? Why are you staring at their faces?"
"Ah, I was just confirming the condition of the skill I learned recently."
Yes, it was thanks to my new 'lip-reading' skill.
It was a skill that lets understand their conversation just by seeing the movents of their mouths.
I originally intended to use it to eavesdrop on the people in the adventurers guild during my free ti, and to be honest, there wasn't any real aning to this skill. However, I must say that it's quite a good skill.
Then, from outside the waiting room ca a noisy shout.
"Satou Kazuma! Is it true that Satou Kazuma has co!?"
The familiar voice was that of the lady that I have little trouble dealing with.
We imdiately turned our eyes to the doorway in response. The great noble whose trademark was her white suit, and was entrusted with Iris' protection – Claire – charged into the room.
Spotting , Claire pulled my arm and dragged to a corner of the room—
"—Oh, what's up white suit. Are you also against being a bodyguard?"
I was cautious, but Claire leaned forward and whispered to .
"Don't call 'white suit' you imbecile. However, you ca at the right ti. I give you my thanks."
...
"You're thanking ? Just what has co over you? What are you planning?"
Towards , who had beco even more cautious as a result of her attitude.
"I'm not planning anything. …No, rather, it would be wrong to say that I haven't planned anything. Oi, you, take this."
Saying that, she handed the pendant that bore the insignia of her household to .
This was sothing that Darkness always kept on herself, so it should be an important thing that was the proof of her nobility.
"…For real, what's up with you? Despite your usual attitude, could it be that you actually long for ? Well, it's regrettable for you, but recently I've had a good feeling with a certain girl. As a forthcoming and honest man, I cannot allow myself to step any further. Sorry about this, but please give up."
"You're truly idiotic, why would I do that! Rather, I haven't even said anything yet, so why are you already turning down!"
Claire who rose her voice in exasperation, took notice of her surroundings, and quickly cald down.
"It's not like that. Just this ti, I feel like you and I can work together. This eting will have a lot of political implications, but… In the first place, before all of this happened, I was already against Iris-sama's marriage."
"Alright, fill in on the details."
Seeing that I was prepared for a serious conversation, Claire retrieved sothing from her pocket.
"The person Iris-sama will be eting is the first prince of the neighboring country. However, due to his spoiled upbringing and education, he is a truly selfish brat. He is no equal for Iris-sama, who was born with the talent for battle, and surely, his appearance is also incomparable to her adorableness and beauty. Furthermore, the neighboring country of Elroad looks down upon my nation. Should Iris-sama be wedded to him, those imbeciles will surely speak maliciously of her and look at her with contemptuous eyes… That's why I'll entrust this to you."
With a steady gaze, Claire handed a black bag to .
"This is?"
"It is a forbidden poison that is used by nobles to bury their political enemies…"
I threw the bag away the mont I received it.
"Hey, how much money do you think I spent to get my hands on that!"
"Don't try to turn into an assassin! I will gladly help you dissolve the marriage, but I don't plan to beco a sacrificial pawn you know! You…! You're planning to kill on a societal level along with that guy aren't you!?
Claire lightly clicked her tongue.
"I suppose it can't be helped. Then, I have another thing to request of you besides the bodyguard mission. As long as you have the necklace that I entrusted you with a mont ago, you should be able to freely use the authority of my household, Shinfornea, to a certain extent. For this ti, and this ti only, you will have the backing of my household. How could I possibly hand Iris-sama to such a suspicious person? Do whatever you have to do to dissolve this engagent."
"If that's the case, I'll gladly accept. How could I stand and watch as misfortune befalls Iris? Please leave this to . If the person in question is a cheeky, shitty brat, I'll do whatever I can to get in the way."
"I appear to have misunderstood your circumstances. Please forgive my disrespect towards you until now. I will leave Iris-sama in your hands."
"It's nothing, rather, I have a lot of things I'm sorry about as well. It seems like your beliefs towards Iris are the real deal. Despite how I look, I'm a man that has encountered countless amount of powerful enemies. Sothing of this level is easy-peasy."
At the very instant we, who had always fought over matters involving Iris, ca to a mutual understanding—
Claire and I raised our right hands in unison, and firmly grasped the others'.
"In this situation, I believe that you are the person I can rely on the most. While I cannot leave this nation, I promise you that the rewards will be grand. So I will leave the rest to you."
"I am grateful to have soone as powerful as you supporting . As for the rewards; I suppose that when all this is smoothly done, we should co together to discuss how cute Iris was when she was kid over a glass of wine."
"What an ambitionless man you are. When the ti cos, let us talk all the way until the next morning. I will tell you all about how destructive Iris-sama was during her childhood years."
And so, without a care for our surrounding gazes, we exchanged a smile…
"The two of you seem to be enjoying yourselves quite nicely."
I imdiately looked towards the source of the extrely lonely voice.
At the doorway was a young girl, who – as though she were afraid of strangers – shyly stuck her head out from the side, and peeked at the situation.
At the instant she, princess Iris, and I made eye contact, she bashfully said.
"It's been a long ti onii-sama. I've been waiting for you…!"
.
Seeing Iris' shining expression, I was overco with a sense of warmth. I took out the ingredients from the magic fridge, and began to think of what simple dishes that I could let Iris work on.
A simple dish that Iris normally doesn't get to eat, and sothing that even I could make without any trouble.
"Now then, we're making fried rice and dumplings today.
"Yes-! …cha-han and gyoza? What kind of dish is it?"
First, I retrieved the cabbage from the fridge.
"Fried rice is fried rice. It's an extrely popular dish that no one in the world dislikes, but since you and Darkness have been sheltered, you probably don't know about it."
"Is it that popular of a dish? It's a sha that I don't know about it. Please teach !"
As I was bathed in Iris' gaze of utmost respect, I paid extra care to not show her the smug grin that was forming on my lips. Then, I put the cabbage on the cutting board.
"First, we will make the filling for the dumplings! The ingredients for that are cabbage, garlic, and minced at… OWah—!"
"Ahh-, the cabbage!"
Perhaps it had been playing dead until now, but in the instant that I was about to lay down the knife, the cabbage flew away and darted out the window.
In order to prevent the smoke from gathering in the room, I had opened the window, but it had co back to haunt .
"…Alright Iris, cooking is an art where a mont of negligence will prove to be fatal. You have to pay extra attention to that alright?"
"Onii-sama, confirming whether or not the ingredients are still alive is the basics upon basics of cooking. Even though I don't know much about the world, I at least know that.
––That night.
"Kazuma, what kind of dish is this? This is the first ti I've seen this."
Seeing the food on the table, Darkness inquired with out of curiosity.
We had fought a fierce battle against the second cabbage. At another point, Iris had been ambushed by the onion that was one of the ingredients for the fried rice, her eyes had been burned to tears. In the end, we managed to make the fried rice and dumplings, along with an egg soup.
"Lalatina, this is an extrely popular dish that not a single person despises, call cha-han. I actually helped make this!"
"Iris-sama did!? Well then, it seems like you worked hard. I will look forward to it."
Seeing Iris stick out her chest in pride, Darkness couldn't help but show a smile.
I quickly fed the food into my mouth. As I was relishing in the satisfaction, Iris and Darkness stared at the dish with troubled expressions.
"Lalatina, this is definitely an extrely popular dish. Despite this 'cha-han' dish only being stir-fried, it still has a very rich taste."
"There aren't any high-class ingredients here are there? Why is such a quality dish not served to the likes of nobles? It's quite strange isn't it…"
I'm sure that if dumplings and fried rice were served at the night banquets of royalty and nobles, many tables would be flipped.
"Hey Kazuma, leave tomorrow's' food to the great Aqua. I will allow the two of them to eat the tastiest dishes."
"If that's the case, leave dinner of the day after to . I will make the dishes that I ate often back at the Village of Crimson Magic."
gumin aside, it was rare for Aqua, who usually refuses to cook, to say such things.
But well, the trip must go on I suppose.
If they were willing to help out then I have nothing but gratitude.
"Oi Kazuma, this dessert called 'potato chips' are quite good."
I tried to hold back a smile as the two ojou-sama glanced with shining eyes at the junk food before them while thinking about tomorrow's plans.
Part 5
"Now onii-sama, let us cook today as well!"
The night of the next day.
Besides gumin releasing her explosion magic after her competitive spirit was riled up when she saw Iris routing all the monsters on the road, everything went just fine, but…
"You're quite motivated aren't you Iris? I see that you have a bright future ahead of you, so today, I'll teach you my specialty!"
"Really!? Thank you very much, I will try my best!"
We were the only ones in the kitchen tonight however, Aqua was also there.
At the very least, I was out of this pinch for now.
gumin aside, Aqua seed to be planning to teach the sheltered princess-sama and Darkness so rather pointless things.
By the way, Darkness was currently accompanying gumin, who couldn't move as a result of exhausting her magic power.
Aqua looked through the fridge, and took out of a couple of ingredients.
"Today's dinner is Tuna-Mayo rice."
Said Aqua. She put her hands on her hips, and showed a triumphant expression.
Has she gone mad?
Although I didn't have the right to say anything after feeding the princess-sama fried rice, but we weren't going to get punished after all this is over right?
"It's another dish I haven't heard of. The people around onii-sama are quite well-inford aren't they!"
"This is a given for a great archpriest like myself! Just saying, this is a food that you can quickly prepare if you're crunched for ti. For an adventurer who could lose their life with a mont's hesitation, this is a treasure alright?"
"I see, so it's a dish eaten specifically by adventurers!"
As Aqua was telling Iris so irresponsible things, she poured the tuna and mayonnaise on the rice.
"And it's done."
"It's quite simple isn't it!?"
How many tis will I have to say this? Has this girl gone mad?
Then, perhaps Aqua thought that this wasn't good enough yet, she took sothing else out of the fridge…
"You won't be full with just that, so I prepared so dried-seasoning over rice and raw-egg over rice alright?"
"Yes, I'm very much looking forward to this!"
Iris gazed curiously at the tuna-mayo rice, with a wide smile on her face.
––After bringing all the dishes to the table, I seated myself. The two ojou-samas relished the taste of the food with imnse interest, today as well.
"Lalatina, this dish was made in a re mont. The entire creation took less than a minute."
"Is that true Iris-sama? Oi Kazuma, why didn't you tell about such a convenient dish sooner? If you could make such a dish so quickly, then this dish is truly priceless."
Everyone knows, besides you.
"It's not just soy sauce and salt, it's also tasty with hot sauce alright?"
Saying that, Aqua poured hot sauce all over her rice. As though she were eating a high-class cuisine, she elegantly fed the rice into her lips.
"…Aqua, to be honest, I thought you were a useless and ignorant person, but it seems like I can't read a book by its cover. Please forgive my shallow attitude."
Darkness, who ate the seasoning-over-rice in the sa classy manner that was becoming of nobles, lowered her head towards Aqua.
"There are a lot of things in this world that you have yet to know about. Since you and Iris are both ojou-samas, it can't be helped. Soday, I will teach you how to eat the ice cream that is stuck on the cap of a box of ice cream, as well as a bunch of other useful, small skills alright?"
I feel that we'll anger a lot of powerful people if we teach Iris sothing like that.
I wanted to retort, but seeing their gazes of respect towards Aqua, I couldn't find it in myself to break the good mood.
Bearing a troubled expression towards the delicate situation, I ate the tuna-mayo rice. gumin, who sat beside , silently scoffed down the food without a single complaint or comnt.
Although I was a bit worried about the food for tomorrow, we would arrive at the capital of Elroad the day after.
It's alright, gumin was the only one in charge of food tomorrow.
Not to ntion, her cooking skills weren't all that bad either.
Yes, it will surely be alright—
Part 6
"Iris, it ran towards your side! By careful not to let it pinch your fingers alright!?"
"I understand, please leave this to ! Ah, there another lobster between the gaps of the rocks-!
The last day on our trip to Elroad.
We discovered a river as we travelled along the road, and, following gumin's instruction, we took a short break.
"gumin, this lobster is a bit small. Do we really want to eat it? Isn't this still a baby lobster? Ah, owowow…"
Darkness who had stepped into the river, shouted as her finger was pinched.
The hint of happiness that could be felt in her voice was nothing new.
"That's not a baby lobster. Since it doesn't live in the wide ocean, but in a narrow river, this lobster won't grow any bigger. Oh-, you can't escape! With this, I've gotten four!"
As gumin flipped the stones at the shallow part of the river, she caught another one in live-action.
Yes.
"Hey Kazuma, I have sothing I want to say…"
"Don't say it. That girl is catching lobsters, a high-class cuisine that is suitable for a princess-sama, 'lobster'. Got it?"
We were catching crayfish.
I was a bit suspicious when gumin had said that this was sothing she often ate back at the Village of Crimson Magic.
There was no way a povertous household like hers could have made so high-class cuisine.
"Maybe it's because not a lot of people pass through here, but we got a big catch! Tonight's dinner will be a feast!"
"This is the first ti I've gathered food ingredients! So there are also ways like this to enjoy cooking!"
"M-, gumin, can you get this thing off of ! At so point, bit on my toe…!"
Perhaps they never got the chance to play by the riverside, but the two crayfish-catching sheltered ladies seed to be enjoying themselves.
Seeing the peaceful scene unfold, I—
"Since the royalty had put a variety of ingredients in the fridge, it would be a waste not to use them. I'll go prepare sothing."
"Don't run away on your own. If you do, then the burden of each and every one of us increases."
––The sun finally set. As we prepared our lodgings for tonight.
"Now Iris, pay attention alright? Allow to show you my skill in cooking as well!"
"Yes, I'll be in your care!"
gumin – in high spirits – took a stand in front of the large amount of crayfish.
Perhaps gumin wanted Iris to witness her good side. She seed far more motivated than usual.
"Usually, you'd let the crayfish sit in water for one night to expunge the dirt, but since these crayfish were caught in a fairly clean river, there wouldn't be any issues if we eat it as it is."
"I will study hard!"
gumin was taught the princess-sama the knowledge required to eat crayfish.
After this is over, I should tell Iris to not ntion that we taught her how to catch and eat a crayfish after she returns to the capital.
"Now then, first, we'll remove pungent sll of the cray… lobster. To do that, we'll subrge it in sake, uhm, ah, this should be fine."
gumin took a bottle of sake out of the fridge, and poured it into the bowl.
Although I noticed that it was an expensive sake that a certain soone was looking forward to drinking, I'll pretend I didn't notice.
"If you leave it here like this for a while, the pungent sll will be removed and replaced with a fine aroma. Now then, during this ti, we'll prepare for the next step…"
Knowing that she had taken care of a small, little sister prior to this, it was a given that she went through the steps quite deftly.
Iris showed a gaze of respect towards gumin.
"Ah, I did everything on my own didn't I? As for preparations, this should be fine, then…"
Maybe gumin was happy that Iris looked at her in that fashion. After finishing the preparations, she quickly moved on to cooking.
Starting with the crayfish soup, she then moved on make the salt-grilled crayfish, and finally, she finished with a dish of stir-fried shellfish in chili-sauce.
gumin, who displayed an unexpected amount of prowess when it ca to household tasks, breathed a sigh of satisfaction.
"Kazuma has been on cooking duty all the ti recently you see? Occasionally, I want everyone to eat the food I cooked myself. Alright Iris, help divide the dishes ok?"
"Ah, I understand! Sorry, I was stared absentmindedly and…"
"Is that so? Since you were looking at your leader's amazing prowess, I guess it can't be helped! Now now, I'll divide the dishes, so Iris, go wash your hands."
Towards gumin, who seed rather lax, I voiced my inquiry.
"Hey, what do you an by 'leader'?"
"…Nothing at all."
"––Tasty. The fresh flavor of the lobster we caught seeped into the soup, so it has a rich taste. On top of that, the remaining earthly taste in the lobster is a good match for the salt-grill, so it doesn't make feel unpleasant at all. But ultimately, this…!"
As Darkness described the food like a narrator of a cooking show, she fed the crayfish dishes into her mouth.
Although she was praising this like a gourt connoisseur, I wanted to tell her that this wasn't a lobster, but a crayfish, and that it was sothing that you could find anywhere.
Looking at Iris, she too was enjoying the food to the fullest extent. Perhaps she felt that catching the ingredients herself was a refreshing experience in itself.
gumin on the other hand, had said that she had caught too many ingredients, and had gone to feed the lizard runners.
…Which ans that now the chance to do sothing about this.
"Hey Kazuma, I want to eat so toad today, so I'll go and fry so toad from the fridge. You can have my share."
"My late grandfather died as he was inspecting the fields of the farm, when he was attacked by a large mob of crayfish. After that, I decided that I would no longer eat shellfish. So that's why you can have my share, Aqua."
...
"Do you think you can deceive the eyes of a god? I know that when you were sent to the hospital after almost getting run over by the tractor, your grandfather jumped from his seat and rushed there you know? Also, didn't you eat those snow crimson crabs a while back!?"
"Like you're one to talk! What do you an by 'I want to eat so toad'? After being eaten by toads so many tis, how could you possibly be enthusiastic about eating it!?"
Suddenly, we, who grabbed onto each other as we fought over who would take the food, felt an eerie presence from behind us.
There stood gumin, who should've have gone to feed the lizard runners.
"Oi, if you have complaints about the secret dish of my clan, why don't we hear it?"
"We were just ssing around. Of course we'll eat it."
"Ah, we were just a bit too rry about this. This shrimp looks pretty tasty, so let try it."
As we steeled our resolve, Aqua and I picked up a shellfish to eat.
Well, this isn't a crayfish, but a lobster.
I've already eaten sothing like toad when I ca to this world, so at this point, it didn't matter whether or not it was a crayfish.
Furthermore, crayfish was originally used for food purposes anyway…
"Hm, this is actually not bad. Hey Kazuma, I can eat your portion as well if you don't mind. For this trip, I even prepared a bottle of expensive sake. I was looking for sothing to accompany it anyway, so you can leave your portion to .
...…
Seeing Aqua happily eat the crayfish, and leave for the fridge, I put the crayfish in my mouth without hesitation.
"…Oho, this is pretty tasty. The shell has been grilled quite nicely as well, and the crayfish broth has seeped into the soup make it amazingly tasty. As expected of a secret recipe, sorry about my lack of respect for cray… lobster dishes."
"It was just a joke when I said 'secret recipe'. Well, above all, I'm glad that you're happy with it."
…As I was left with nothing but regret for my praise, I could hear Aqua crying from the kitchen.
Part 7
Later that night.
Maybe it was due to the unfamiliar pillow, but I couldn't fall asleep for so reason.
I slept like a rock the last two days because I spent the whole travel worried about the lizard runners, but by the third day, it seems like my body had gotten used to it.
I got up from the bed, and went to the kitchen to get so water.
"—'Freeze'"
As I had my night vision ability, I didn't bother to light the lamps on my way to the kitchen. I then cooled the water that ca out of the faucet.
As I released a relaxed sigh after drinking the water, I felt the presence of soone behind , and turn my head around.
I thought the only person who could co all the way here without using a light was Aqua, who had cried the entire night after discovering that her sake was used for the dish, but…
"Is that you, onii-sama?"
I was wrong.
In the darkness of the doorway to the kitchen, which was illuminated only by faint amount of starlight that passed through the window, stood Iris.
"Ahh, it's , your onii-sama. I couldn't fall asleep, so I ca to get so water."
Hearing my voice, Iris lightly exhaled in relief.
"Uhm, I went to the bathroom, but since its dark, could you bring to my room?"
Iris stared at where my face was in the darkness, and shyly stretched her hand.
Although I thought that it would be fine to just light a lamp, but, from a young age, she had never said anything selfish, and was a child that was attentive to her surroundings.
Surely, she didn't want to wake anyone up by lighting a lamp.
"Alright, leave it to . Onii-sama will bring you to your room. If you're scared of sleeping alone, I can sleep with you as well."
"I'll be fine."
...
––Holding Iris' small hand, I led her down the dark corridor.
Not wanting to wake anyone up, Iris walked with soft steps.
As we tread lightly through the silence of everyone's sleep, I couldn't help but get the feeling that we were doing sothing we shouldn't.
Then, the grip of hand that held onto mine tightened.
Looking at Iris, I felt that she was thinking what I was thinking. Her expression was akin to when we went to the kitchen together to steal food – a happy smile that would be seen during the middle of our mischievous pranks.
"At tis like this, I would think back to when I went to onii-sama's room late at night to play around and listen to your stories."
"You're talking about the ti where you ca to play without Claire's approval? Thanks to you, Claire was super angry at the next day you know? Even though it's not like I brought you outside to play."
During my stay at the castle, Iris would occasionally sneak to my room without Claire's knowledge to co and play.
The castle would enter a state of commotion every ti she ca. It might even be the reason that I was forbidden from entering the capital.
As I was thinking that, Iris showed a smile and said.
"But every ti I ca to play, Onii-sama would patiently tell your stories… I still rember you know? The story where, in onii-sama's country, a kind, single person that fought against a 'present of despair', which was cross-bearing demon called 'Santa Claus'."
My little sister is so clever isn't she?
I was partially joking when I told her that, but to think that she thoroughly rembered all of it.
"I still rember you know? That onii-sama earned the title of 'the god of net gas' after battling for multiple nights."
My little sister is so honest isn't she?
To think she would believe and respect such a NEET sounding story.
… I couldn't help but feel super sorry for what I've done.
Seeing my speechlessness, Iris seed to have a misunderstanding, and she uneasily asked.
"Sorry, did what I say remind onii-sama of your ho country?"
No.
I was deeply reflecting on my sins.
Though it was a given that I couldn't say that. I showed a smile to Iris—
"Nope, I was just thinking that I was really happy everyday back then, and was feeling a bit nostalgic."
Despite knowing that she wouldn't be able to see it, since she didn't have the night vision ability.
However, as if feeling my smile in the darkness, Iris seed to be slightly relieved.
"It's good if that's the case…. Uhm"
Having arrived at to her room at so point, we let go of each other's hand.
As Iris opened to door to her room, she turned around to face .
"Please continue to stay in my nation. After all, I will try my best to make it one that onii-sama will forever want to live in."
As if she was worried that I would go to a faraway place for so reason, she showed a sowhat lonely smile.
Part 8
The next morning.
Since we would arrive at Elroad soti today, Aqua was in a high spirits. What Iris said last night weighed on my mind, and I asked Darkness, who sat beside on the rider's seat.
"Hey Darkness, this trip is just to et the little brat that Iris is engaged to right? Then it wouldn't be a problem to go back imdiately after seeing him right?"
Darkness look at dumbfoundedly, and stole a glance at Aqua and gumin, who were keeping Iris occupied.
"There's no way we've co to just see them you know? If that's the case, there wouldn't be a need to co here in secret, and there's no point in doing such a thing when the war against the demon king army is intensifying. I'll be honest with you. This visit is to ask for reinforcents from the neighboring country."
To ask for reinforcents.
"No, a request like that has been sent to all the nations a long ti ago. Since my nation is the only one that borders the demon king army's territory, if we were to be defeated, then the line of defense would be broken, and the weaker nations would imdiately be overrun. Because of that, the surrounding countries regularly send elite troops as reinforcents."
Oh?
"However, the nation of Elroad is the only exception. Since it was a nation that was established on casinos, their military forces are weak. As a result, instead of reinforcents, they send us financial support. The majority of our security expenses are covered by this country."
"I see. But how is that related to what we're doing now?"
Hearing my question, Darkness said.
"Didn't I tell you that the war with the demon king army has been intensifying? But there's another reason behind this truth, Kazuma, and that is because we've defeated too many demon king army generals."
...
"Eh, you're saying that they're trying to get revenge for defeating their generals?"
"No, the demon king army has beco flustered, so to speak. After all, the demon king army generals that have been undefeated until now are being slain one after another. To add onto that, we are not only increasing our defenses to defend against them, we are also starting to counterattack. However, since Elroad is currently undergoing financial difficulties, rather than providing funds for attacking, they're planning to stop the defense funding. Thus, in place of the king and the prince who are currently commanding on the front lines, Iris-sama, who is also a mber of royalty, has been sent here as a representative."
"…I see."
I finally understand what Iris ant yesterday.
She thinks that I would run away if the war took a turn for worse. She really does understand .
Basically – in order to get the funding – she was trying to cajole her fiancé.
Since my little sister was the cutest in the world, it should be easily done.
"My country has had good relationship with Elroad for a long ti. As a militant nation that is estranged with financial matters, our relationship with the financial robust but militarily weak nation of Elroad could be said to be a give and take relationship. Regardless of Elroad's financial struggles from now on, this visit is crucial to my nation, and might even decide the fate of the world, so don't do anything unnecessary alright?"
Darkness stared at as she said that.
"… I get it. It's sothing for the sake of the world and its people right? I'm also an adventurer that fights against the demon king army, so at tis like this, I wouldn't do anything selfish. I know that it's pointless for to ddle in this manner, so you can rest assured ok?"
Hearing what a said, Darkness showed a relieved smile.
Then, Darkness gaze almost imdiately turned to that of suspicion.
"Oi, you, what's your stare supposed to an? Are you doubting ?"
"I can't bring myself to believe that you would say sothing like 'for the sake of the world and its people'… Well fine, once we arrive at Elroad's castle down, we can take our ti to rest. After all, there's no need to go et them imdiately after arriving. First we'll take a day to rest. Everything cos after that."
As if trying to reassure , Darkness showed a gentle smile…
...…Ah, I see.
Now that I think about it, before we left, Darkness and Rain had conspired to make take a sleeping drug.
"Ah, Kazuma Kazuma, look! We can see Elroad!"
"Ahahahahahha! That's it! I've always wanted to co here, to the great nation of casinos, Elroad!"
Things were heating up behind .
Listening to everyone's voices, Darkness and I exchanged dubious smiles.
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