Part 1
This had happened when the members of the ORC, including me, had gone to the Underworld, more specifically, to the Gremory household. The payment earned by the Gremory peerage through fulfilling the request of our clients went to the Gremory household, and from time to time, we headed to the castle to sort out and organise these items. After sorting them by their types, we put them inside the treasury that was under the castle. Irina and Ravel, who were not part of the Gremory peerage, also helped out, but...I often pondered whether it would be a problem for Irina, who was an Angel, to help us Devils out. Well, the more the merrier. It was when the sorting was nearly done. The butler had told us that there was a guest waiting for us.
"I wonder who that is."
I asked Rias.
"It's been a while since he came here."
Rias seemed to know who the person was. And through listening to her tone, it seemed like it was someone that she knew. When I and the rest of the members went to the large guest room while being puzzled—a strange-looking mascot was waiting for us! The body was that of a character suit and the head resembled an apple with a cute face attached to it. The Devils' wings were attached to the back. How should I say this? It was a devilish apple. I know it sounded weird, but that's all I could describe this as. There was a blond ponytail bishoujo standing next to this mascot. She seemed familiar. That woman greeted us.
"How do you do? It's been a while, Rias-sama, people of her peerage."
"Yes, it has been a while. You look fine as always, Kuisha-chan."
Rias said with a smile on her face. That's right. She was the Queen of the Bael peerage, Kuisha Abaddon-san! It was the first time meeting her after the Rating Game! I never thought the person who came to visit us would be her... At that exact moment, something came to me. Why did the Queen of Sairaorg-san come to visit us with this character? Everyone except Rias tilted our heads.
[It's been a while, Rias. And also her peerage.]
A familiar voice came out of the character! T-This voice. I wouldn't be able to forget it! I just about managed to move my mouth to ask the person in the suit as I was frozen in shock.
"...N-No way. In that character suit...Sairaorg-san is in there?"
When I asked, the character removed its head and showed the face inside it. That was indeed Sairaorg-san! He spoke while wiping his sweat off his face.
"Yes, it is me. It has been a while, Hyoudou Issei."
A wild-looking man! Sairaorg Bael-san! One of the people that I respected and admired! For this person to come here while wearing a character suit! As I reacted blankly out of surprise, Sairaorg-san smiled and said.
"The truth is we, the House of Bael, are trying to create this [Mascot Character]. So I became the actor of this suit."
...A mascot character, you say. It was popular in the human world, in Japan. Many different communities were creating a cute character to advertise and such. Sairaorg-san then continued.
"Actually, [Bapple-kun] was invited to the event held in the land under the House of Gremory."
Event! Bapple-kun! Ah, I remembered. There was such an event today. Oh, and the name of the character Sairaorg-san was acting as was Bapple-kun.
"The name of the character was based on one of our land's specialities, apples."
Kuisha-san said as such. A mascot character based on a speciality in the Bael land... I guess they named it by combining Bael and apple. That was easy to understand. Sairaorg-san nodded energetically.
"There's a lot to learn from the human world's character business. As the heir of the House of Bael, I have these kinds of public works in mind."
...And thus, as part of the public work, he, the heir of the House of Bael, was wearing a character suit... Was that what he was saying? I was surprised at this different side of Sairaorg-san. Rossweisse-san asked Rias.
"Umm, does the House of Gremory also have this Mascot Character?"
Rias lightly smiled.
"Yup, the House of Gremory also has a Mascot Character. And the event using that Mascot Character is being held in certain towns under our rule. And since we are having a collaboration with Bapple-kun of the House of Bael, that's why Sairaorg is here."
Oh, so that's how it became like this. Hmm, so the House of Gremory also had a Mascot Character. But after finishing her sentence, Rias's expression went dark. I wonder if there was anything wrong with the House of Gremory's Mascot Character? Folding his arm in his character suit, Sairaorg-san said.
"If we enter this event, not only will we have an advertisement effect, but the specialities of our land will also be brought into attention. So I really wish to attend. Rias, I'll learn from you guys today."
Sairaorg-san's face was full of spirit as always, but...since he was in his character suit, the mood was such that not even we could speak of! Rias continued.
"Now that it came to this, let's move to the location where the event is being held."
And just like that, we, along with Bapple-kun, Sairaorg-san, moved to where the event was held.
After arriving at the location, we moved to the waiting room. The thing that was waiting for us there was—another character suit! It was a character suit in the shape of a camel. Akeno-san introduced us to the character suit.
"This is the House of Gremory's Mascot Character, [Gomorin]."
[Gomo, Gomo]
Gomorin, introduced by Akeno-san, said [Gomo, Gomo] in a unique voice. They also showed off their footwork skill there. Oh ho, so the Mascot Character of the House of Gremory was Gomorin and it was based on a camel. They said that the Gremory was also called Gomory. I guess they took the name from that. Thinking back, I did hear a story where when you summoned a Devil from Gremory, they appeared riding on a camel. They said that they did use a lot of camels in an event within an area governed by the House of Gremory. They also raised a lot of camels within the castle of Gremory. But we never got a chance to see a camel. The reason was because of this woman hiding behind my back.
"...Camel..."
Rias was shivering cutely behind my back. That's right. Even though she was the heir apparent of the House of Gremory, she hated camels with a passion. She said that she got attacked by a camel while making fun of it when she was young. After that incident, she came to hate them. I only became aware of it after becoming a second year. Because Rias hated even a character based of a camel, there weren't many chances for us to see camels. Probably the reason why her expression darkened back at the castle was because of the thought of meeting Gomorin here. Our time at the waiting room came to an end when the staff came to call us.
"Then, we'll leave the rest to you guys."
We followed the staff to the backstage area. Looking at the event venue from the backstage, there were many people there including families who brought their children. Wow, it was sold out.
"..."
Looking towards the direction of Sairaorg-san... while folding his arms, an unspeakable aura was seeping out of his body. ...Maybe he was nervous? For such an aura to seep out of an apple character suit even though it didn't seem like he was related to that kind of job, it was hard to approach him... the onee-chan in front of the stage then shouted towards the audience.
[Then, let's all shout Gomorin and Bapple-kun! Let's all give our all and shout!]
Then the children covered in smiles shouted with all their might.
""""Gomorin~!""""
""""Bapple-kun~!""""
We heard the energetic voices calling for these two Mascot Characters! Gomorin and Sairaorg-san inside Bapple-kun then jumped energetically onto the stage. All we could do now was just to watch over them. The onee-chan on the stage was now striking a conversation with these two Mascot Characters, but looking flustered, Bapple-kun's movements looked awkward.
[Ara? What's wrong, Bapple-kun? Aren't you feeling well today?]
The onee-chan then said that to him! Uuu, I couldn't watch this! As expected, such a stiff Sairaorg-san was too much to be a suit actor! Meanwhile, Gomorin was showing an entertaining reaction towards the audience with its experienced movements. It looked like the person inside it was an experienced pro. After the character introduction, the two Mascot Characters were allowed to spend with the audience.
[Gomo, Gomo]
"Waaaaa~! Gomorin's so cute!"
Gomorin was playing with the children. However, Bapple-kun was...
[...]
He was standing there with its arms folded, and was giving off a strange energy around it. Ahh. His aura was seeping out again! Sairaorg-san! Your aura could be seen by the naked eye! A Mascot Character shouldn't be giving off a white light around its body! Because of Bapple-kun's hard to approach aura, in the end, one child was...
"U-Uwaaaaaaaaaaaa!"
A child ended up bursting into tears! They were sensitive to this kind of overpowering aura! Because I also participated in this kind of event as Oppai Dragon, I knew all too well that you shouldn't make this kind of aura!
"This apple is too scaryyyyyyy!"
Like a domino effect, the children near Bapple-kun all started to cry. This situation couldn't be salvaged... That's what I thought, but...
[Gomo, Gomo]
Thanks to Gomorin playing with the children again, the situation calmed down.
"...It was too much after all."
The Bael peerage's Queen, Kuisha-san, who was watching this from the backstage, was looking at her master with a stiff face, but in the end, covered her face with her hands. Ah, by the way, Bapple-kun was... It looked like he was too shocked as he was frozen in place.
After the event ended, we all returned to the waiting room. Sairaorg-san sat down, but couldn't keep his head up.
"...My god, to be hated by these children... I am a failure of a Mascot Character!"
Seeing that he was too shocked, Sairaorg-san facepalmed and was severely dejected. It was extremely rare to see Sairaorg-san like this, but...seriously, this kind of work didn't suit him at all.
"I-It's just that your aura seeped out because you were a little nervous."
"That's right. Don't worry too much about it. You'll get it after getting some experience. No, actually, there's no need for the heir apparent to do jobs like this."
Rias and I tried to cheer him up, but all that Sairaorg-san did was sigh.
"Even so I am...I am ashamed of myself who could not train enough."
This person was such an honest person, so he must have tried his best to act as the perfect Mascot Character.
[Gomo, Gomo]
Gomorin also put its hand on Sairaorg-san and cheered him on.
"...Gomorin. You also are cheering me on... No, you are...!?"
Looking like he had felt something from Gomorin, he suddenly stood up from his place. Just then, Gomorin took off his head...
"It's been a while, everyone."
A dandy red-haired gentleman appeared from it.
"F-F-F-F-F-F-F-F-F-F-F-F-F-F-F-F-F-F-F-F-Father!?"
Rias was bewildered! That was to be expected! The person who was wearing the Gomorin costume was her father! If the current head of the House of Gremory showed up wearing a mascot costume, then everyone would surely be shocked! The truth was that everyone here couldn't believe their eyes!
"W-W-W-Why are you...!?"
A bewildered Rias asked with a trembling voice. Then her father, the current head, said with a leisurely smile.
"Be calm, Rias. This is all part of my job. There are times when you have to wear such costumes as a head."
I certainly don't think that's true though! I gave him such a flack in my mind! I had never heard of a time where the head of a household participating in an event would wear a mascot costume! Sairaorg-san deeply bowed his head.
"To think it would have been you, Ojii-sama... I, Sairaorg, did not notice at all. You certainly are very impressive, Ojii-sama."
Right, Rias and Sairaorg-san are cousins. Therefore, the current head of the House of Gremory, Rias's father, was Sairaorg-san's uncle. Rias's father put his hand on Sairaorg-san's shoulder.
"Hahaha, Sairaorg. The basic of the Mascot Character is to kill your own self. By becoming the character itself and serving others, it's the correct action."
"I cannot win against you, Ojii-sama."
Sairaorg-san said that, and then...with a trembling fist, he shouted in a fierce voice.
"However, I cannot participate in further Mascot Character events in this state! Even if others can accept it, I cannot accept it myself! Would this be considered fine!? Never! To train myself over and over again is my essence! Only when I grow through driving myself into a corner can I then say that I am Sairaorg Bael!"
Sairaorg-san looked at me with a frustrated expression.
"Hyoudou Issei, I've got a request."
"Eh? Ah, yes!"
Sairaorg-san then grabbed my shoulders.
"Won't you come with me to the mountain and train? I wish that you would come and train as a Mascot Character...!!!"
—Mountain! Why even!? While perplexed, I asked.
"T-Training to become a Mascot Character inside the mountain!? W-Wait a second. I have trained inside a mountain multiple times, but I've never done Mascot Character training before..."
There were times that I've been dragged into the mountains multiple times to go for training. Why do Devils have a mentality where training = mountain? Well, I did drag Riser into a mountain for his own training! As I was helpless in wondering what kind of reaction to give, Rias's father nodded his head.
"Hmm, then I shall go with you, Sairaorg."
And said such nonsense!
"Ojii-sama?! H-However..."
Sairaorg-san hesitated after hearing his suggestion, but Rias's father gave a dandy smile.
"Don't refuse, Sairaorg. Just believe this Ojii-sama. There is nothing that I don't know about the Gremory. I will lead you to the mountain most suitable for Mascot Character training. Let's also go together, Hyoudou Issei-kun."
Really!? I couldn't refuse if the head was coming at me like that! Sairaorg-san was also getting pumped, shouting 'Okay, let's give it our all!'! Rias's father then created a teleportation magic circle beneath our feet! I couldn't even run away from Sairaorg-san's grip! Rias shouted at her father, who was in the middle of his teleportation circle.
"F-Father!"
"Rias, please don't stop us. There are things that a man must do."
Rias said while shaking her head.
"If mother finds out, she will be furious!"
...T-That was a huge problem! Venelana-san, Rias's mother, was a very strict person! If she heard about this, then it could only be bad! Not only that, but Rias wasn't worried about me at all! Well, she must be thinking that mountain training wouldn't be much of a problem for me! Rias's father was also trembling all over, but as he was determined, he waved at his daughter!
"Then, let's go, Sairaorg, Issei-kun!"
The light from the teleportation magic surrounded us. For some unknown reason, I ended up going to the mountain for Mascot Character training.
Part 2
Same day, same time.
The majestic great nature was in front of my eyes. The well-shaded forest and the mountain range was within my sight. The surrounding areas were filled with high mountains. The apple character suit looked around, then exclaimed.
"...Hmm, they are great mountains. The trees are all full of life and the waters are shining."
...Sairaorg-san was all fired up inside the character suit. He then grabbed my hand and pointed at a mountain before powerfully exclaiming.
"Hyoudou Issei! Let's get started with training right away! First, we are climbing all the way up the mountain!"
"Whaaaaaaaaaaaat?! You want to climb the mountain first?!"
I was shocked to the core! It wasn't surprising to be shocked after hearing such a thing right after reaching here! I didn't bring any equipment! I was still in my uniform! You wanted me to climb in this form!? Sairaorg-san was also wearing the character suit!
"There are things that you can only see at the top. Let's climb up first!"
...Well, if it came to that, I could equip my armour and Sairaorg-san wouldn't have any problem climbing if he wanted to. But the mountain that he pointed at looked taller than Mount Fuji... While being perplexed, Gomorin, no, Rias's father, started to build the tent that came out of nowhere.
"Hmm, then, I'll be setting up camp here."
Hey, he's even got a canteen and a steel pen! Where did all these come from!? Hey, Rias's father. Aren't you bit too familiar with this!? Not only that, but he looked like he was enjoying himself!
"Then, let's go!"
Sairaorg-san then ran towards the mountain while dragging me. Like this, I began mountain climbing with the apple-shaped Mascot Character...
...Seven to eight hours later, I descended the mountain on my own. Along with Sairaorg-san, we climbed a mountain that was easily four thousand meters tall. As I was climbing up that mountain which didn't even have anything resembling of a road, we occasionally climbed a steep cliff too. I got tired midway up the mountain, but I continued after equipping my Balance Breaker... I wasn't even a mountain guy, and to climb such a mountain without any proper gear, I would have died without equipping Balance Breaker... It took several hours to reach the top, but since I flew using my Balance Breaker, it didn't take that long to come down. However when Sairaorg-san reached the top...
[I'll stay here and admire the view.]
...He said so and began meditating in his character suit. Admiring the view from the unknown mountain top, the apple-shaped mascot character quietly meditated. Beyond shocked, I felt there was something spiritual witnessing that scene. Although I meditated together with him for a few moments... The person who greeted me was the camel Mascot Character who was making food in camp with the saucepan.
"Ah, Ise-kun. How is the training going?"
Rias's father, who was wearing that camel costume, waved his hand towards me.
"Ah, I came down first. Sairaorg-san said he'll be going waterfall climbing training...while wearing his costume that is."
That's right. The reason why I descended first was because, after Sairaorg-san finished admiring the view, he suddenly saw a waterfall he found interesting...
[Maybe I should climb up that waterfall I found.]
...He said something outrageous and made his way to the waterfall! Why are you climbing a waterfall when you aren't a carp!? And even then, it was just a story! There was no way even a carp would climb up a waterfall! You shouldn't be climbing up the waterfall in the first place! Even then, if it was Sairaorg-san, then I had no doubt he would do it! There must be a apple Mascot Character who was swimming up a waterfall right about now! Rias's father nodded his head.
"Is that so? That's the right direction."
Was it really!? I didn't think there was anything related between Mascot Character training and admiring a view from the top of a mountain or climbing up a waterfall!
First of all, I was confused on whether we even needed a training camp for being a Mascot Character! All you needed to do was get some advice from either the general manager or a professional suit actor, no!? But since I couldn't say those things to either Rias's father or Sairaorg-san...in the end, I just decided to help him cook. Just then, a teleportation circle appeared. Hadn't seen that one before. The person who appeared from the circle was—a female with a bishoujo top half and fish bottom half. —Mermaid! A real mermaid! It wasn't the tuna with legs, Estleena, but a real mermaid!
"Lord Gremory. I caught some fish from the lake."
The person who appeared with a basket full of fish was a familiar mermaid!
"Oho. Lilitifa-chan, thank you very much."
Rias's father took the basket from her. That's right, Lilitifa-san! Lilitifa Vepar-san! She was a descendant of the now extinct House of Vepar, a real mermaid who was a Devil! There was a time when she was living peacefully in the human world sea. She was troubled because of guys resembling a pirate crew, but the Gremory peerage, including me, protected her back then. After that, I did hear she was living in a lake within the land of Gremory... Thinking back, I did see a huge lake from the top of the mountain. Maybe that's where Lilitifa-san lived? Lilitifa-san noticed me.
"Y-You are... Thank you very much for back then."
She politely greeted me. Oh, so she did remember me!
"Lilitifa-chan is living in the lake near here."
Rias's father explained. Oh, so it was as I thought.
"It's good that you look well."
I said so. If she was smiling like that, then it looked like she was living peacefully. I was glad. B-But. Even if her bottom half was a fish, she still had a bishoujo top half... Her body was neither too fat, nor too thin, but just the right size, and my eyes kept looking towards her gorgeous body! So mermaids also had amazing breasts! This was the best! As I was staring at her breasts, she suddenly asked me a question.
"Sekiryuutei-sama. Japan is a good place, right?"
"Yes? Ah, yes, it is a good place. There isn't any fighting, and the cuisine is also great as well, but it's not like I've been to different countries much, so my words aren't worth much though..."
I had come to the Underworld many times, but thinking carefully, I hadn't even travelled to the main Japanese island properly. All I had been to were the local areas, Tokyo and Kyoto from back when we went on the school trip with a high schooler's budget. That's all we could do. But in the future, I did want to go to Hokkaido and Okinawa with Rias, Asia and the rest. Rias's father explained Lilitifa-san's situation while gutting the fish. But Lord-sama, you are quite skilled. Your cooking seems natural too.
"Lilitifa-chan wants to study abroad in Japan. So she's studying hard."
Studying abroad in Japan!? It seemed like every Devil related to us wanted to come to Japan. Lilitifa-san smiled brightly and nodded her head.
"Yes. I've began taking an interest in Japan after living on the land thanks to Rias Gremory-san's generosity... Actually, I want to take the test for permission to study abroad this time."
Oho, she's even thinking about taking the exam.
"Lilitifa-chan. I'm sorry to ask, but could you get us some spices?"
When Rias's father asked, Lilitifa-san replied 'Yes' and teleported again. ...So now, there was only me and Rias's father. The two of us were left alone. And only the sounds of cooking were heard.
"..."
"..."
Neither me nor Rias's father spoke. No, actually, in all honesty, it was so hard to talk right now! T-That's! I-I was currently dating Rias! Lord-sama also knew that right? Our relationship was quite famous in the Underworld! Thinking back, I hadn't met with Rias's father ever since I began dating Rias! I couldn't even give a proper greeting. This was bad! This couldn't be one of those?! Things like 'I'm dating your daughter' or 'Please give your daughter to me!' were one of the most important times in the life of a man! Damn, I couldn't believe that time would come at this kind of situation... We came to the mountain for Mascot Character training, but we ended up in a situation between me and my girlfriend's father. This was too much! What should I do!? What could I say!? Just silence wasn't good! If we kept this silence, this would be the worst possible scenario! For a person who normally went around saying Oppai, to be this quiet in front of my girlfriend's father wasn't good at all! No, no, no! This was really bad! The worst ever! My head was going into chaos from all the kinds of thoughts I was having! Just then, Rias's father ended the silence.
"My daughter... Rias is quite stubborn. That's because ever since she was young, I've been spoiling her. Even Sirzechs is truly treasuring her since he's more than one hundred years her senior... I'm still sorry and apologetic for leaving the scolding of Rias to Venelana."
"I-Is that so."
That was the only thing I could say! I decided to just listen to his story without replying much. This wasn't like me, but this was... having only the two of us here was too much! Rias's father handed me the fish pieces and continued.
"Hahahahahaha. It won't be good to create this mood in a situation like this, huh. Could you put these fish on top of the grill please?"
"Ah, yes."
"Ojii-sama. I have just returned."
The apple costume has appeared between us now. Sairaorg-san came back all soaked—eh! I was shocked at what Sairaorg-san was holding! He was carrying a huge deer-like creature!
"I caught this while coming back down."
Did you just knock this out while coming down!? And in your costume no less!?
"Good job, Sairaorg. We can have that and the fish which Lilitifa caught as tonight's supper."
Looking at Rias's father, who just greeted Sairaorg-san like no other day, I felt how brave you needed to be in order to become the ruler of the Gremory household...
For dinner, the four of us, including Lilitifa-san who brought spices, were eating together. Even though it was just a camping ground, the food looked like it just came from any high-end restaurant. Both the fish and the deer meat were salty and were turned into a fantastic meal. I took a bite. ...I couldn't find any way to express this taste. I couldn't, but it was good! The unique taste of meat and the fish were not destroyed. The sauce was bringing out the savouriness of the meat well, but most importantly...this sauce had eliminated the fishy and meaty smell! Were they always this tasty!? Not only that, but to make such a meal in the middle of nowhere!
"As always, your cooking is fantastic, Ojii-sama."
Even Sairaorg-san said so. Rias's father said while tossing wood into the fire.
"The life of a Devil is very long. There was a time where I spend some time in the human world honing my skill in the culinary world."
Oh, so you could also have that kind of life! I could learn a few things to walk the path of the culinary world! I guess it was only possible because of our long life. While tending the fire, he then asked Sairaorg-san.
"What do you think, Sairaorg? Are there things you've realized about being a Mascot Character?"
Putting his plate down, Sairaorg-san's expression stiffened.
"...Ojii-sama. I, who lacks years of experience, have not understood the Mascot Character yet...! I am truly disappointed in myself...!"
...There was no way you'd be able to learn that kind of thing by climbing a waterfall or hunting a deer! Rias's father smiled.
"Hahaha, you don't need to think like that since even I leave most things about the Mascot Character to my wife Venelana."
"Obaa-sama you mean. The rumor about obaa-sama is well known even in the House of Bael. We hear that the money from businesses is quite a lot."
Sairaorg-san said so. Hmm, so Rias's mother was famous in the business world. Rias's father continued.
"Mmm, her connections are very good. She's got a talent in finding a hidden gem that has not yet been properly evaluated at its true price. She has been able to create a huge business out of rare crops that only people who live in the countryside know or crafts that natives make and she was able to make them popular in the city. The petition from the ordinary people of the land who want help from Venelana is always growing."
That was an amazing thing to hear. No wonder she was being entrusted with works related to the Mascot Character and such from the Lord himself.
"Even she has calmed down compared to before."
Rias's father made a bitter smile. And Sairaorg-san continued.
"I have heard Obaa-sams's tales of heroism ever since I was young."
"...T-Tales of heroism? Was she that great when she was younger?"
When I asked, Sairaorg-san nodded his head.
"It was said that she was the strongest female in the history of the House of Bael."
Rias's father then said while sipping from his cup.
"She was once called [Brown-haired Ruin Princess]. Rias's nickname was taken from Venelana. But compared to Venelana from back then, Rias is just being cute."
I-I-It was that much... Brown-haired Ruin Princess... Her looks might not have changed that much, but I couldn't even begin to imagine how much of a tomboy she would have been back then. Rias's father then turned the topic back on track.
"Ah, the topic got derailed a bit too much. We were talking about Venelana's talent, huh? She's great at finding the less well-known treasures. Ah, Lilitifa-chan. Aren't there any unique products around here?"
Rias's father asked Lilitifa-san. Then, she tilted her head thinking.
"Hmm...there's this village at the end of the river stream in front of us where they have rare and beautiful patterned fabrics."
Lilitifa-san pointed at somewhere far away. Fabrics, huh. It looked like Rias's father took an interest. He nodded his head.
"Oho, sounds interesting. Let's go and see them tomorrow."
Right then, Lilitifa-san had a worried look on her face.
"...Actually, bandits have arrived around here... That village is often getting attacked."
Bandits were attacking the village. This wasn't good.
"Bandits are in every other territory."
Sairaorg-san also sighed heavily. Lilitifa-san then made an awkward expression.
"I think they are targeting me too... They kept saying that mermaids are rare and multiple times they have—."
"They attacked you!?"
I raised my voice unconsciously. This lady was always becoming a target for these kinds of people! Hearing me, she shook her head.
"No, I've been confessed to. But for a bandit, I'm a bit..."
Ah, so she's just been confessed to. But I still couldn't forgive them! Such a bandit to confess to this precious mermaid!? I would not forgive them! I was going to protect this precious bishoujo! Rias's father then spoke while putting his hand on his chin.
"I wonder if our mountain security is not enough. Hmm as the Lord, I can't just sit still with bandits around this area. Then, let's go beat some bandits."
Rias's father stood up, and following him, Sairaorg-san stood up too.
"Oh, as expected from you, Ojii-sama. For a Lord to personally defeat such people...you are a shining example for any High-class Devil. I can't stop admiring you. I might be imprudent, but I, Sairaorg, will also help."
"I do appreciate it. What about you, Ise-kun?"
Rias's father asked me.
"Of course! If the Lord and Sairaorg-san are going, then I can't just sit around doing nothing!"
How could I refuse! If the current head of the house and Sairaorg-san were going, there was no way that I could just sit here and wait for them!
"Hmm, as expected of Sekiryuutei. Then, let's all go defeat these bandits."
Leaving Lilitifa-san, we then headed towards the mountain where the bandits were said to appear.
Part 3
Two figures, the apple-shaped character suit and the camel-shaped character suit, were climbing up the rough mountain road. If someone else saw this scene, it would be unimaginable. ...Since even I am in a Gomorin suit. I asked Rias's father while climbing up the mountain.
"W-Why did we wear this thing...?"
"Ise-kun's amour is known all over the Underworld. If they see you, then they might run away, so that's why I suggested you that character suit. The bandits will also be less wary if you show up in a character suit. I prepared an extra-large one, so you'll be able to wear your armor underneath the suit."
That's being too careful! Did you already prepare the suit that I would wear!?
"Also, don't forget to say [Gomo, Gomo] while wearing that suit. You should never forget the mentality of a Mascot Character since we are here to train and become better at being Mascot Characters. Isn't that right, Sairaorg?"
"Yes, that is correct. Since we are no more than mere Mascot Characters!"
Why are you so pumped up!? Sairaorg-san, aren't you little bit too excited?! You are excited about defeating bandits, right!? When we walked for thirty minutes further into the mountain, a group of people rushed out.
"Oi, oi, stop there."
They were men wearing clothes made out of fur like stereotypical bandits. They were shouting at us with an annoying gaze.
"This ain't no theme park. Why are there two camels and an apple monster walking around here?"
I couldn't even talk back! The bandits then shouted!
"This is the land of bandits, the land of the House of Bilba! If you don't wanna drop dead, then hand us all you've got!"
"Hmm, the only things I've got on me right now are these character suits. Will you take these then?"
Sairaorg-san said whilst in his costume. Because of that, the bandits became louder and got angry at us.
"Stop jabbering nonsense, and if you don't wanna die, then take those damn clown suits..."
Just then, Bapple-kun disappeared from sight, and in that exact same moment, the bandit who was talking got punched to the backline!
"Kuwaaaaaaaaaa!"
Screaming loudly, he was thrown into a rock nearby. Sairaorg-san had an aura concentrated on the suit's cute hands. From the looks of it, he punched the hell out of that bandit just now. Sairaorg-san, no, Bapple-kun then shouted.
"If you want my character suit, then come and take it by force! However, this suit is not some cheap thing that I can just let you guys have!"
There was no way that there existed a bandit who could stop this apple character full of aura around his body.
We then walked along the road while completely destroying the bandits that came at us. After a few minutes, a huge camp located in the middle of the mountain appeared, and quite a few bandits were grouped at that base. One of those bandits then said to someone who looked bigger and was probably the most violent guy out of all of them.
"B-Boss! It's them! They are the camels and the apple that I've mentioned!"
The person who looked like the boss of these bandits came forward and narrowed his eyes.
"...I thought they were just humorless jokes by my underlings, but it's actually a real apple and camels. What the hell is going on here...? It's not like you idiots mistook this mountain as an event location!"
Seriously, I wonder what happened?! For an apple and camels to visit the bandits' lair! Sairaorg-san, no, Bapple-kun then took a step forward.
"Oi. Are you the boss?"
The boss then smiled after hearing that.
"What are you gonna do if I say yes?"
"I heard that you guys are attacking the nearby village? We cannot leave such villains go unpunished. I, as the land of Bael's Mascot Character, Bapple-kun, will show you justice!"
When Bapple-kun said that, the bandits all burst into laughter. The boss then grabbed a huge axe and sighed.
"Oi, you idiots, did you hear? This Mascot Character-sama is going to show us justice. Haaa, is that what you shout around after coming into a mountain in that clown suit? I got no clue why you guys are here, but it looks like you guys are confident in your skills. But you see, some mediocre skill shortens your life! Oi, you idiots, get 'em!"
"""Oooooooooooooooooooo"""
As soon as their boss shouted at them, the bandits all screamed and ran towards us! Ahhhh, in the end, this was what it came down to! Sairaorg-san threw his body towards them!
"Looks like we won't be able to talk our way through. Let's go, Hyoudou Issei! No, Gomorin second!"
"Ah yes! Ah no, [Gomo]~!"
I activated the Balance Breaker inside the costume and followed Sairaorg-san. Looks like this costume was specially made so I could fit inside here with my Balance Breaker activated. Seriously, the people in the House of Gremory loved to spend their money on this kind of stuff!
"Hyaa! Bapple-kun Chop! Bapple-kun Kick!"
There's no way there existed any bandits who could block a bare fist attack from Bapple-kun.
"Kuuua!"
"Aaaarg!"
One by one, the bandits were thrown away after getting beaten up! Even in the character suit, he annihilated the bandits with amazing speed and destructive power! To be fair, I thought it would be fine to leave all this to Sairaorg-san, but I didn't like to just stand around so...
"Gomo! Gomo!"
Shouting that, I defeated a few bandits. Well, I couldn't leave the people who were targeting Lilitifa-san alone! Rias's father stood there in awe seeing us fight.
"Hmm, certainly, as expected of Issei-kun and Sairaorg-gomo. Even during the battle, they've got enough space to become Mascot Characters-gomo. If only we had a camera here, then we could capture this amazing battle scene-gomo."
You're more incredible by not forgetting to add [gomo] at the end of every sentence!
"W-What the hell is wrong with these two? They're super stroooong!"
Looks like they had noticed our power too since they were hesitating. Even during all this, Rias's father, who dodged the bandits' swords and axes effortlessly, said this.
"Hmm, it's been what, tens, no maybe hundreds of thousands of years since a real battle. Hahahaha, it's quite entertaining. Ah, gomo, gomo."
He was enjoying the battle with bandits so much that he was forgetting to say [Gomo]! Ara, not only was he enjoying this, but his movements were also mesmerising! Every move was smooth and his effortless movements wasted no energy! As expected of a High-class devil and the current head of the House of Gremory! In the middle of sorting out the bandits effortlessly, we heard the voice of a woman...
"Dear husband. What is going on here?"
Venelana-san, Rias's mother, had appeared! As if she was possessed by anger itself, a pitch-black aura was seeping out of her entire body! And behind her, Rias was also there! She was shaking her head in a disappointed fashion. As soon as she appeared, Gomorin first froze from his steps.
"...My name is Gomorin-gomo. Hello."
Gomorin first said in such a stiff robotic voice. Hearing that, Rias's mother narrowed her eyes and exerted an overwhelming force.
"Is that...something a lord of the land should be doing and throwing his body into? Not only that, but to bring your nephew Sairaorg into this... Dear husband, would you like to be scolded now or later?"
Rias's mother spoke in a low and freezing cold voice. Although I wasn't the one who was getting scolded here, but I was getting chills! When I turned around, even Sairaorg-san stopped his fists and didn't know what to do! Gomorin took his helmet off and immediately got on his knees.
"I'm so sorry, but Venelana, there is an unavoidable reason for all this."
He apologized! The Lord of the land apologized to his wife! Not only that, but it hadn't even been a minute since Rias's mother appeared here! Every male of the Gremory house was seriously weak against their wives! Looking at this scenery, the boss of the bandits shouted at us.
"H-Hey, you people! Why the hell are you guys stopping after crashing into our base!? W-We don't wanna fight you monsters anyway! You bitches over there! Just hurry the damn up and take these camels and apple away!"
As soon as he shouted at Rias's mother—
"...Shut up."
Venelana-san directed her cold gaze toward them. Her hands exerted an enormous power and covered the bandits and the surrounding area in a black aura!
"""Aaaaaaaaaaaaaargh!"""
All the bandits screamed and were flung away! The boss was also flung away into a great distance! It was then told that the bandits here were not only surprise attacked by a group of unidentified characters in suits, but had also been blown away by a single attack from a single female Devil...
In the end I, Sairaorg-san and Rias's father were escorted by Rias and her mother. After coming back to the castle, we were scolded by her mother for at least half a day.
"I'll be the one who'll be directing the Mascot Character, so there won't be any reason to go to the mountain or for the lord of the land to wear the character suits."
And thus, Rias's mother became the producer of Gomorin and Bapple-kun. It also looked like she was going to turn our victory against the bandits into Mascot Characters defeating the bandits in the news instead. If that was the case, then Bapple-kun and Gomorin would be known all over the Underworld. Well, I couldn't help but feel like I had gotten the worst deal out of this unfairly...
"Ise."
Around the time when the lecture was finished, Rias called me... Man I was so tired, I wanted to heal by Rias's side. Thinking that, I walked towards Rias.
"I-I hate camels!"
Rias pushed me away in tears! I forgot that I was still wearing this! Looks like I first needed to help Rias get over her fear of camels...
As a side note, the fabric that Lilitifa-san introduced to us got into Venelana-san's attention and also became famous all over the House of Gremory. Lilitifa-san also became the model for those fabrics, and thus became a celebrity around the land of the House of Gremory.