"O-Of course, Your Highness."
Kōichi clenched his back teeth, feeling as though his heart were bleeding.
"Protecting that... that esteemed Alderp-sama is a responsibility we cannot shirk."
"Yeah... We'll make sure to take very good care of him."
Kazuma also forced out a horribly twisted smile.
At that moment, Darkness, who was still pinned tightly against Kōichi's chest, suddenly began trembling violently.
"Mmmph... Haa... We're going to the home of that powerful noble who keeps staring at me so lecherously...?"
Darkness's eyes glazed over, and her breathing grew as ragged as a broken bellows while one appalling scenario after another played through her mind.
"What if he catches me in a dark corridor... pins me down beneath his obese body... and forces me to wear something even more shameless... Mmmph... The despair of knowingly walking straight into a trap... The humiliation of being forced to go even though I know hell awaits me... It's wonderful! Please, let me walk at the very front!"
Watching Darkness grow so excited that she looked ready to ascend to heaven on the spot, Kōichi and Kazuma could only hang their heads helplessly and shed streams of regretful tears in their hearts.
Had they known this would happen, they would never have insulted Alderp so viciously in the corridor!
...
A cold wind swept through the streets of the Royal Capital that night.
Kōichi and Kazuma walked side by side toward Alderp-sama's estate, their backs looking utterly desolate, like two quails being led to the slaughterhouse.
Following behind them were Aqua, humming as she hugged a wine bottle; Megumin, dozing as she leaned on her staff; and Darkness, whose hands Kōichi had loosely tied in front of her with a rope. Her face was flushed, and her breathing was rapid.
"Kazuma, do you think Her Highness Iris will shed a tear for us if that fat pig has us assassinated tonight?"
Kōichi sounded as solemn as though he were delivering his last words.
"Don't be stupid. Claire would definitely throw our bodies into the moat overnight to destroy the evidence, then tell Her Highness that we left on a distant expedition to defeat the Demon King."
Kazuma sighed and scratched his head.
"No, we can't just sit around waiting to die! Once we're on that old bastard's turf, we absolutely cannot show any weakness! We'll practically weld Her Highness Iris's name onto our foreheads! If he dares touch a single hair on our heads, we'll immediately collapse, start foaming at the mouth, and accuse him of plotting a rebellion!"
"Great idea! We've already maxed out the skill of using someone else's authority to throw our weight around!"
Kōichi immediately agreed, and the two reached an utterly shameless consensus in the freezing wind.
Half an hour later, the group arrived before Alderp-sama's sprawling and extravagantly luxurious estate.
Facing the fully armed private soldiers at the gate, Kōichi unceremoniously pulled out the royal token Rain had given him and thrust it arrogantly into the guard's face.
"Open your eyes and look carefully! We're here under the highest orders of Her Highness Iris to take over security from you useless fools! Hurry up and inform your master. Tell him to come out and welcome the royal special envoys!"
Confronted with the royal signet, the guards did not dare delay and hurried inside to report their arrival.
Before long, a series of extremely heavy footsteps and muffled sounds of flesh rubbing against flesh approached. Alderp-sama's mountain-like body appeared in the entrance hall.
When he saw that the people standing at his door were Kōichi and Kazuma, the same two who had pointed at his face that afternoon and called him a wild fat pig, a flash of hideously twisted killing intent crossed his greasy face.
But because they held the princess's token, Alderp-sama forcibly swallowed his anger. The fat on his face bunched into a false smile even uglier than crying.
"Oh my... So you are the elites sent by Her Highness Iris. Forgive me for not coming out to greet you sooner."
Alderp-sama spoke through clenched teeth, every word squeezed through the gaps between them.
"Since this is an expression of goodwill from Her Highness the Princess, I naturally have no choice but to... accept it with gratitude. Please, come inside."
"There's no need for formalities, Fat... Ahem, Alderp-sama. Protecting the property of the Royal Capital is simply our duty."
Kōichi gave him an extremely perfunctory bow, then swaggered into the luxurious hall with the rest of the Party.
The moment they entered the brightly lit hall, Alderp-sama's murky eyes began sweeping over the group.
When his gaze landed on Darkness, whose hands were bound and whose face was flushed, and then on Aqua, whose intelligence might have been lacking but whose beauty was unquestionably top-tier, the anger in his eyes was immediately replaced by obscene greed.
"My, my, Lalatina-san. You look especially alluring bound like that... And who might this beautiful blue-haired young lady be? When did such a stunning beauty appear in the Royal Capital?"
Alderp-sama rubbed his plump hands, which were covered in jeweled rings, practically drooling.
"Haa... Haa... He's looking at me! That sticky, lecherous gaze... It's disgusting... But being examined like some kind of plaything... Mmmph, my legs can barely hold me up!"
Darkness's knees grew weak, and she pressed herself firmly against Kōichi's back.
"Hmph! This Goddess's beauty is naturally the greatest in the world! As long as you provide me with premium sparkling wine, I'll permit you to look at me a few more times!"
Aqua proudly thrust out her chest, utterly oblivious to the danger.
Just as Alderp-sama was about to step closer and continue flirting, his gaze naturally fell upon Megumin, who stood at the very back of the group in her red-and-black robe and eyepatch.
Alderp-sama was about to speak when the elderly butler beside him suddenly went pale. He hurriedly leaned toward his master's ear and whispered in a terrified voice.
"Master! You must not! That little girl... Judging from her clothing and red eyes, she is definitely a member of the legendary Crimson Demon Clan, the people who all have holes in their heads! Their entire clan is insane. They cast Explosion Magic at the slightest provocation! This estate could never survive her rampage, so whatever you do, do not engage with her!"
At the words "Crimson Demon Clan," every fold of fat on Alderp-sama's body shuddered.
As though he had spotted something filthy and horribly unlucky, he stiffly turned his head and immediately looked away from Megumin, treating her as though she were nothing but empty air.
"Well then, my elite guards, please patrol the grounds carefully. I shall retire for the night."
Without giving Megumin another glance, Alderp-sama turned to leave.
The hall abruptly fell silent.
Megumin had been striking an exceptionally dramatic and impressive pose, waiting for the powerful noble to marvel at her, the Crimson Demon Clan's greatest genius.
Instead, he had completely ignored her and even looked as though he could not get away from her fast enough!
At that moment, the Crimson Demon Clan's sky-high pride suffered a devastating blow.
"Hey..."
Megumin lowered her head, her bangs concealing her eyes. The magic within her had already begun surging like boiling water.
"You looked at Darkness... You looked at Aqua... So why did you skip over me? Are you saying that my world-destroying Explosion Magic is less appealing to you than a few measly bottles of sparkling wine?! You blind fat pig!"
Megumin suddenly raised her head, a dangerously intense light blazing in her crimson eyes. She thrust her staff high into the air, and dazzling red light began gathering at its tip.
"Blacker than black, darker than darkness!"
"Holy shit! Stop, you crazy girl!!!"
Kōichi and Kazuma nearly leaped out of their skins.
If Megumin unleashed Explosion Magic here, they could forget about catching the Robin Hood-like thief. The entire Party would be arrested by the Royal Capital Guard and hanged as terrorists before the night was over!
The two lunged at her almost simultaneously. One came from the left and the other from the right, clamping their hands firmly over Megumin's mouth and forcing her down onto the carpet.