Lord Dustiness called me for a private meeting. Megumin already notified me that Alexei's son is on his way to the mansion. So I'm guessing he will keep this mission a little bit short.
"Satou Kazuma san, right?" Darkness's father sighed a little. "Then you must've known about her… unique condition… Right?"
I nodded a little. "Yes, I am well aware. Believe it or not, it's actually very beneficial in her line of work. Not many like to get beaten up by the enemy you know?"
The old man pinched the bridge of his nose. "Kazuma san, I will be straightforward with you, if you can get this marriage a success, I will give you a large sum of money,"
"Bigger than defeating Demon Lord Verdia, The Winter Shogun, The Destroyer, and numerous other bounties I've collected over the course of my adventuring?"
Lord Dustiness chuckled mirthlessly. "So that's how it is then…" he then put a hand over my shoulder. "Then please don't let Darkness tarnish our family's name, alright? I'm counting on you Kazuma san, take care of my daughter."
If by taking care you mean, beating her up on daily basis, using her as target practice, using her as lethal combo practice, verbally abuse her every chance I got, selling her virginity to a tentacle plant monster in my quest of power, and using her as a seedbed for the said tentacle plant monster then…
"Yes, yes I will,"
We left the private room and joined Darkness to welcome Lord Alexei.
The servants formed a row before the entrance with Darkness and her dad right in the middle. Aqua and me stayed on either side of Darkness.
"Virgin Walther is approaching the door. He has two entourage with him. They're both armed, Walther himself is armed so I'm guessing he at least know how to pick up a sword."
"Copy that Megumin"
"But… To think that you would agree to this matchmaking. I'm really happy… When Alexei said he had something to discuss with me, I was worried about it. He was confident you would not reject too. Leaving Alexei aside, his son is a good man. You'll have a wonderful life with him, Lalatina."
Wait, yeah! Walther is a good guy! I should definitely have a chat with that guy after this.
"How mean, dear father. Lalatina only said she would seriously consider the marriage, fufufu… After thinking it through, I think it's still too early for me to marry, but it's too late now. I agreed to the matchmaking session, but I didn't say I wanted to marry! I'll mess up this meeting! I'll destroy the matchmaking meeting! Hmm… Hahaha!"
Wow, she sounds just like every evil noble lady stereotype right now. Seriously, she's looking the part. Is she secretly a sadist or something? Does she become a sadist when her masochistic tendencies aren't fulfilled?
Her dad turned pale as he turned towards me.
"C-could it be? That your true intent here is to…"
"I wish for Darkness's happiness but I also do not want her family's name to be tarnished," I told him. Then I turned to Darkness. "Oi Darkness, don't embarrass your family or I will stop you,"
"Yes! Try to stop me Kazuma! Then I will resist then you will keep trying, and then you will get frustrated and…"
The door of the mansion opened with a crack, and the man I saw in the photo appeared at the door. He's a handsome guy and he looked like he's a good person. Like every good guy ever. Honorable knight maybe?
Darkness was bent on making the first move, crossing her arms and glaring at the other party.
But I paralyzed her tongue and said my silent thank you to my disciples. Then I slowly leaned towards her, "I can control your mind with the Puppet Skill right now and make you marry this guy. If you don't want that to happen, do not resist, Lalatina."
Darkness nodded a little, already being conditioned to listen to my whisper through our numerous training as a party. Don't ask how that happen, it just somehow fits perfectly with her character. I mean, you gotta have a way to keep this mad dog on a leash.
Lord Dustiness gave me a grateful look before welcoming the guests.
---
For the most part all through the meeting, Darkness obediently followed my instruction. She was polite, didn't try to make a scene, seriously, she was a perfect noble lady. The only thing that's wrong is how she kept glancing at me with a begging look on her face.
"Alright, Megumin, have you scouted the area? Is the dojo empty?"
"Yep, not a soul here,"
"Make sure we cannot be spied upon, things will be a bit messy when we get there,"
Right now, Darkness and Walther were strolling in the family courtyard with Aqua and I in tow.
It was grand, as expected of a famous aristocratic clan. The vast courtyard had a pond, and colorful flowers were blooming despite it being winter. Beautiful pavilion scattered across the garden, making it even more romantic in a million other scenario.
"Alexei sama, may I trouble you with a talk in private? As one of Lalatina's male companion, there is something I wanted to inform you," I told Walther as we walked past a pavilion.
Walther smiled a little and nodded. "It would be pleasure, butler san,"
I turned towards Darkness who's sighing a little in relief. "Milady, I will leave you in Aqua's care for a while being, please wait for us," I told her.
With that, I led Walther to the nearest pavilion. I sat down in front of him and sighed a little.
"Sorry, formalities have never been my strong suit," I held out my hand. "I'm Satou Kazuma, the Leader of Fantastic Dreamer an adventuring party and a band from the City of Axel," I told him.
Walther's eyes widened a little after hearing that. "I knew you weren't a real butler and… Fantastic Dreamer? I've heard about you," he shook my hands. "So the crusader in your party, that's Lalatina?" he asked in slight disbelief.
"Yes, we've been adventuring for quite a while and…" I chuckled a little. "Trust me, I'm as surprised as you are after learning that our Crusader's real name is Dustiness Ford Lalatina,"
"That girl, she sure is something, huh?"
Oh you don't know the half of it, cherry boy.
"Yes and uhh… Well, this is what I wanted to tell you. Darkness, I mean, Lalatina strongly disagrees with this marriage. She's loving her life as an adventurer and I'm afraid that pursuing it even more will make her… resist."
Walther nodded understandingly. "I understand, I was also planning on rejecting this marriage but…" he looked away from me. "My father was a bit adamant that I have to accept her, saying that she cannot refuse even if she wanted too."
"Ahh, well, that's a problem."
"You know, Satou san, I don't mind if Lalatina keep adventuring despite her marriage. I can talk to her about this, you don't have to worry about losing your party member. You don't have to worry about me caging her up."
I blinked a little after hearing that. "That's… that's a great idea actually but uhh…" I averted my gaze. "I don't think you can handle her…"
"Huh? Is it because of her wilful nature? I don't mind it, really…"
"We'll see about that."
"Megumin, initiate clean up procedure!"
"Leave it to me!"
With that, I led Alexei back to Darkness and Aqua. They're currently crouching at the edge of a pond, watching at a school of fish that's surrounding them. Are they feeding the fish? But why does it looks like Aqua's controlling them? Wait…
Goddess of Water… Water, water's her element!!! That's why she seems to weak! She's out of her element! Heck, I've never even heard of the sea or a large lake! Does that mean she's op when she's…
Oh wait, no, she was powerless against the alligators. Never mind, false alarm.
"Aqua, milady, we've returned."
The two of them turned towards us. Lalatina was about to greet Alexei politely but I beat her to it. "Milady, Lord Alexei challenged you to a duel, would you accept it? Oh and uhh, you can forget the whole charade because…"
Lalatina ripped off her skirt like a freaking savage, revealing her smooth shapely thighs. She grinned at us like a bloody predator.
"Say no more Kazuma!" she then turned towards Alexei. "You! You're a knight aren't you? Follow me to the dojo! Prove your worth!"
Thank goodness I made Yunyun and Megumin clean up all of Alexei's escort…
---
"We fight until one party surrenders. Just try to make me say 'I can't fight anymore', or 'Please stop hitting me'! If you can do that, I can marry you or follow you anywhere!"
Yeah, he's a fighting a losing battle.
Alexei turned towards me in slight disbelief. I just gave him a sheepish look and gestured at Lalatina. "There, Lala, no, Darkness. The crusader of Fantastic Dreamer, think you can handle her?" I asked him.
In the center of the dojo, Darkness tossed a wooden sword to Walther. He caught the wooden sword and swung it with a troubled face, saying:
"Um, Lady Lalatina, I'm a knight. Even if this is just training, I can't point a sword at a lady…"
"Pathetic, Kazuma who's standing behind you beats me up without hesitation during training. He even use me as a bait for monsters. You should learn from him."
"Megumin, make sure we're not being watched. Darkness is spouting stuff that WILL get me arrested again."
"Don't worry, I forced Yunyun to learn some wide area intelligent creature detection spell."
Walther turned towards me and I just shrugged in response.
"I'm not a knight? Besides, I need to fight her to learn about her strength and weakness, don't you think? And she is a crusader, of course I'll use her as a bait. That's basic adventure formation 101."
"Alright, I understand," Walther prepared himself and took a stance. "Your butler has told me about you, saying that you are a crusader of a famed party the Fantastic Dreamer. I came here expecting another copper, but I found real gold. Prepare yourself, Lady Lalatina!"
The knight slashed at Darkness. From the way he moves I can deduce that he's around level seventeen. Which is not bad at all considering he's a nobility.
The strike disarmed Darkness immediately.
Seeing that the attack was a success, Walther sighed in relief thinking that victory was a sure thing.
But Darkness picked up her wooden sword and said nonchalantly:
"Very good, next. Come at me!"
I pat Walther on the shoulder and simply went to Aqua's side. "This is Aqua, she's an Archpriest and a damn good healer, she can even resurrect the dead. Just saying…"
Walther looked between me and Lalatina before he gripped his sword in determination.
---
Usually the one to land more hits are the winner. But when it comes to fighting Darkness, the more you land a hit on her, the more you're at a disadvantage.
It has went on for thirty minutes and according to Aqua:
"I do not see any damage being done to her."
So yeah, Walther is being driven into a corner. Darkness stood strong, her eyes full of life and excitement.
"What's the matter? Don't be shy, attack with everything you've got! Show me your determination to persevere to the end!"
Seeing Darkness act this way, Walther tossed his wooden sword away. He then raised both his arms in surrender.
"… I give up, Lady Lalatina. It's my loss. Even if my skills are better than you, I'm not as strong as you mentally… I can't attack you anymore. You're a strong person."
Yeah, that wasn't determination at all, no.
"I've really fallen for you…"
Stop, please, you're mistaken Walther. This wasn't a practice or a duel, this is showing your dominance as an alpha male and you failed miserably at it.
"Come, Kazuma. Show Walther your merciless and despicable side. Let him learn."
I looked at Lalatina flatly. "And get arrested in the process? No chance, no, I am not fighting you, Lady Lalatina," I told her.
"I am not Lalatina! I am Darkness, your personal seed-"
I smacked her face with a wooden sword before she could complete her sentence. "Got it, let's fight," I turned to Walther who's staring at me in disbelief. "I'm not a knight, I'm an adventurer, preemptive strike is a must when you risk your life everyday."
"But… This is a sword fight, you can't-"
"Silence, Walther!" Darkness yelled while rubbing her face. "Do you think Kazuma beats Verdia, a Demon King General, in a fair fight? No, he used dirty tricks and taunts, humiliating him in the process. It was Verdia's own path of honor led him to destruction, the same path you're on! Do you think of honor and hold back when your loved ones in danger?! Do you think so lowly of your comrades that you'd fail them for the sake of your honor? Do you think your pride and honor is more important than your friends!?"
Ahh… To see a glimpse of Teacher Darkness in this setting, truly a bizarre sight.
"I understand… Forgive me… Kazuma san, please continue…"
I shrugged a little before casting silent paralyze at Darkness's stomach. Then I charged in towards her with my wooden sword.
When I was inches away from her, I used lurk and vanished, before striking her from behind.
"GUH!" Darkness stumbled forward and coughed a little. "Not bad Kazuma… You've certainly grown since the last time I saw you…"
"Aww, thanks, that's just mean you have to train more, huh Darkness?"
Darkness struggled to stand up. "Yes, but before that," she wiped some blood off her mouth. "I'd like to see just how much you've grown," she cracked her knuckles. "Because I'm not holding back anymore…"
I turned towards Walther. "I might have to get a little bit rough on her. Don't worry, Aqua's a very, very good healer."
After that, I simply showed my daily routine with Darkness. Truthfully, it's a little hard to wear Darkness down without sorting to lethal attacks. The third wooden sword has almost shattered in my grip and Walther just stood there in mute awe.
"Is that all you got Kazuma!? Or are you scared because everyone is watching? Come on! Don't you have any new tricks? New spell combo you wanted to try on me? New skills you want to subject me to? Huh!?"
Jeez, it's only been a week and she already become like this?
"Fine, I do want to try something," I cleared my throat a little. "Ahem, you will now stop breathing."
Darkness's eyes widened after hearing that. The moment she realized her own breathing, her lungs stopped working in she started suffocating. She struggled to breathe, trashing around the dojo desperately gasping for breath.
"Ka-Kazuma!" Walther exclaimed. "What are you doing!? Stop it already!"
"Darkness, blink twice if you surrender."
The girl glared at us in response, refusing to close her eyes. She punched her own stomach, trying to make it work. It kept going until finally she opened her mouth and mouthed something to us.
'As ex pec ted'
Lalatina passed out in the middle of the dojo and she started breathing again. I turned towards Walther and simply gestured at the lady. "As you can see, Lalatina isn't someone you can handle. I don't want her to go into a loveless marriage, that's why I'm here, to make sure that you have what it takes."
"Kazuma, Lord Dustiness and some escorts are on their way to the dojo. ETA thirty seconds, do you need more time?"
"Wait…"
I turned to Aqua. "Oi, Aqua, fix her and wake her up, Lord Dustiness is coming. How much time do you need?"
"A minute!"
"Megumin I need thirty more seconds, can you do that?"
"Got it, also, you should buy Yunyun a new dress after this."
I really wanted to ask. But at the same time, I don't.
---
I sat beside Darkness facing Lord Dustiness and Lord Alexei. It was around an hour after the small incident in the dojo. Aqua managed to heal Darkness fast enough to avoid the misunderstanding and now, we are going to wrap things up.
"That's how it is, Lord Dustiness. Lalatina here asked us to come here to help her cancel the marriage," I told him. "She's uhh, well, you know how she is and I believe that marrying her off to someone isn't a solution to this problem."
Lord Dustiness sighed a little. "I just wanted the best for her…"
"With all due respect, you tried to give your own daughter to someone to take care of, to me that's called abandoning your child with extra steps."
Even Darkness who's all about me talking down her father was a bit surprised to hear that. Aqua's already tiptoeing away, not wanting to get caught in any of this. Lord Alexei just looked at me with wide eyes.
Darkness's father however…
"Hahaha! As expected of Darkness's party leader. To talk me down like that," he shook his head a little. "Alright Kazuma, I understand, I'll stop trying to marry her to someone else. In the mean time, please take care of my daughter, alright?"
"Right,"
"And if anything happens to her, you will take responsibility, right?"
"Right,"
Then, we all turned to Walther. The guy just raised his hands and nodded.
"Don't worry, I have no reason to marry Lalatina. Kazuma san has proven to me that I cannot handle her, that's why I will leave her all to you, Kazuma san,"
"Glad to hear that, Walther."
"Mission Accomplished Megumin"
"Copy that, Yunyun already left for the mansion in tears. I should apologize to her, we'll be waiting for you back in the mansion."
---