" ": You talking

' ': You thinking

* *: Narrator/Voice-off

Your POV:

Guards: Halt ! Those who do not have business here may not enter ! This is not a place for adventurers !

Kazuma: This is starting to get old...

"Well, you guys are in luck, because I do have business here. An official request from Lady Iris, as proved by the royal insignia on this letter."

Guard: E... Excuse my manners... ! I will immediately go and call my superiors, so please wait a moment ! May I be entrusted with the envelope ?

"I see no problems."

Kazuma: ... Man, the most successful businessman in the kingdom pulling up with a royal summon, I'm surprised they managed to stay calm.

Darkness: Stop that.

Guard: Huh, the letter inside is rather damaged. This is... ?

"Yeah, a lot of things happened. Got attacked by a feral beast and all, you know how it is with adventurers."

Kazuma: You...

Guard: Ahh, I see... Well then, please wait a moment at the waiting room over here. With all respect to Y/n-dono, your name has recently become even more famous in the Capital, you see ? I heard that you personally lent your aid to the fortress at the very front line, which had come under the leadership of Lady Dustiness, and led our forces to victory in a seemingly trifling series of battles. It is often said that carrying tact, cleverness and power rivaling the military might of an entire country, is the leader, Y/n-Dono. Together with the Crusader, Lady Dustiness, a lovely Archwizard whom carries an amazing amount of magic power, the cunning and skillful master tactician Kazuma, and finally a plasterer, your group is an amazingly skilled party.

Aqua: Hey, I just wanna say that you left out the existence of the lovely Archpriest.

"No, no, he definitely mentioned you."

Guard: Although only three names could be determined, would 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 some reason her name is still unknown. As a result, it is rumored that she is a humble and mysterious person that refuses to stand in the spotlight...

Megumin: ... Hm, is there a rumor like that ? 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...

Aqua: hey, I just want to say that my name isn't there either. My name isn't there despite how worldly famous I am.

Guard: A- Amazing, are you saying that you have no interest in wealth or fame ?!

Megumin: Fu... My only desire is to reach the true essence of magic. Hen 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"... !

Guard: Oooohhh !!

???: Ah, you finally arrived. And... What is this one doing here ?!

"Ah, Rain. You know, I was almost expecting you to teleport me directly after I accepted the request, you know ?"

Kazuma: Hey, what's that about "What is this one doing here" ?! I came all the way here alongside my adventuring partners because of Lady Iris' summoning, you know ? Generally speaking, wouldn't it be better to have a nice banquet to congratulate the party that defeated yet another demon king army's general ?

Rain: Um... T- That is... Lady Dustiness, Winding sir, could I talk to you for a moment ?

Rain: 'D- Didn't you say that you would accept the request after making sure he couldn't come along ?! If we leave this person anywhere near Lady Iris, foreign relation problems will definitely arise...'

'Let's just say, some... Unexpected difficulties arose concerning his tenacity. Officially, I'm the only one who'll complete the request while the rest will enjoy some vacation, so he shouldn't get any close to Iris.'

Rain: 'Thank Goodness...'

Darkness: 'Moreover, that person believes that we 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.'

Rain: 'Ooooh, as expected of Lady Dustiness ! If that's the case, then I will rest assured !'

'I honestly wouldn't do that... He's the kind of guy whose motivation grows depending on how much we try to put him down...'

Kazuma: What exactly are those guys scheming...

Megumin: What are you doing Kazuma ? Why are you staring at their faces ?

Kazuma: ah, I was just confirming the condition of the skill I learned recently. 'Thanks to the "Lip-reading" skill...'

???: Did I hear that right ?! Did Satou Kazuma come here again ?!

"Ah, the royal retainer herself. How are things since last time, Loli-Claire ?"

Claire: S- Stop calling me that !! But you did come at the right time, so for that you have my thanks.

"Fishy, very much fishy. I know that 'Changing-subject-into-flattery' tactic, and it means you've got something to ask of me, so spit it out."

Claire: i'm not planning anything... No, rather, it would be wrong to say that I haven't planned anything. So take this.

"... ... That's... Darkness has kind of the same thing, isn't that the symbol of your house ? If you plan to make me strike some sort of deal with your house, there's no need to go that far, you know ? Just like with the Dustiness household."

Claire: That's not what i'm doing ! Well, it is some sort of deal, I guess, but it has nothing to do with the Windings company. This meeting will have a lot of political implications, but... In the first place, before all of this happened, I was already against Lady Iris' marriage.

"I went through all that trouble trying to dissuade Kazuma, all 'cause I knew he'd try something dumb, only to discover you're trying to do the same ? Hey Darkness, guess wha- Hmmmf !!"

Claire: Shhhh, idiot ! I only told you all of this because I think we can work together !

"Not trying to spark a diplomatic incident, thank you very much."

Claire: Hm. The person Lady iris will be meeting 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 Lady iris, who was born with the talent for battle, and surely, his appearance is also incomparable to her adorableness and beauty.

"I see that attitude of yours hasn't changed at all, Loli-Claire..."

Claire; Stop that. Furthermore, the neighboring country of Elroad looks down upon my nation. Should Lady Iris 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.

"... A bag... This is ?"

Claire: It is a forbidden poison that is used by nobles to bury their political enemies-

*F-TWOOOOOOOM*

Claire: H- hey, how much money do you think I spent to get my hands on that ?!

"Not enough to turn me into an assassin, that's for sure. I will be the judge of the prince's behavior, and eventually help you laying him down."

Claire: 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 moment ago, you should be able to freely use the authority of my household, Shinfornea, to a certain extent. For this time, and this time only, you will have the backing of my household. How could I possibly hand Lady iris to such a suspicious person ? Do whatever you have to do to dissolve this engagement.

"... I have grown and developed extremely efficient ways in taking care of cheeky, spoiled brats. Also, even though the rest of them shouldn't get any closer than needed, should Kazuma try to sneak near iris, you have full leniency to deal with him as you see fit."

Claire: I appear to have misunderstood you. Please forgive my disrespect towards you until now. I will leave Lady Iris in your hands.

"You made the right choice in calling me. Consider you hired a private army for that matter, so leave it to me."

Claire: 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.

"Do not waste your time with giving me money, I have more than plenty enough awaiting."

???: The two of you seem to be enjoying yourselves quite nicely.

Iris: It's been a long time, Onii-sama. I've been waiting for you... !

"What is that... Carriage... Thing... ?"

Megumin: Lizard runners ! These are lizard runners, you know ?! Lizard runners !

Darkness: Hm, will we be using the imperial carriage ? I heard that this meeting was supposed to be a secret though...

Claire: Using a normal carriage would take too much time. Using a normal, horse-drawn carriage would taken ten days of travel to arrive to the Capital. However, using this carriage that was specifically designed fro royalty, the travel time can be greatly shortened.

Rain: The carriage will float above the ground as the lizard runners pull it, so there won't be any drag from the cart.

"I see..."

Claire: I don't know what I might do if I couldn't see Lady iris for over ten days. A normal carriage would take over 20 days here and back. How could I possibly endure that ?!

"I'll regret asking that, but why don't you just come with then ?"

Claire: Didn't I already tell you that this journey was a secret ? If there are too many followers, then people will assume that the entourage involves a noble from somewhere. For this reason, the carriage has also been redesigned for a simple appearance. More importantly, as an authoritative figure of this nation, I have duties I need to fulfill. In the end, the affairs of the nation cannot be set aside for any more than a few days you see ?

'... If you're an authoritative figure, i'm very worried about this country...'

Darkness: Very well, let us be off then.

"As long as you know how to command them..."

Iris: please sit here, Onii-sama ! Since the seat beside me will be open, we can play games like before while we travel !

"... ... ... Kazuma, would you mind stop munching on your bag ?"

Kazuma: Hrrrrmglllll... !

Megumin: hey ! How gutsy of you to take the best seat despite being a mere underling ! Now, hand over the seat behind the driver that has the best view to me, or I won't invite you to go play again !

Iris: H- How unfair of you ! This and that are different problems ! Besides, today, i'm not your underling, but a princess ! An authority ! I will not hand over the seat behind the driver. If you wouldn't have it any other way, then i'm up for a fight as well !

"... ... Hey, did anyone come here since last time ? I can't shake the feeling these two are getting along better than before..."

Kazuma: You and me both...

Darkness: N- No, nothing like that has happened... More importantly, i'm a bit curious about why Megumin calls lady Iris an "Underling".

Megumin: Then both Iris and I will sit behind the driver's seat.

Iris: Alright, I wouldn't lose to you. The loser of this game will have to listen to the order of the winner.

Aqua: Then I'll sit beside Darkness, ok ? I want to sit in the front to see the scenery while we're traveling after all.

"... How many until she begs us to switch with her ?"

Kazuma: Minutes or seconds ?

Claire: Lady Iris, did you forget anything ? Did you bring your handkerchief ? What about extra change to use in times of need ? In emergency situations, don't hesitate to use the scrolls and magic items I gave you, alright ? If you're feeling lonely, please don't cry...

Iris: Claire, i'm not a child anymore, so I'll be fine. Besides, if you don't let go, we won't be able to leave, so...

Rain: Alright then, lady iris, please don't push yourself, and stay safe. Have a nice trip !

Claire: i'll leave Lady Iris in your care ! If anyone dares to show disrespect to her, you may go as far as to burn them down ! ... Lady Iriiiiiiis !!

Iris: Well then, I'll be going !

"Yes, please, let us be off already..."