Chương 20: The Return and the Mask
Kazuma sat in the living room of the mansion, lazily flipping through a quest board they had brought home, looking for something that wasn't too dangerous but also wouldn't insult his pride. Aqua was lounging on the couch, sipping some wine she had insisted was a sacred elixir. Megumin sat on the floor, meticulously inspecting her staff.
"Hey, everyone!" Megumin called out, breaking the tranquil atmosphere. "I have someone to introduce to you all."
Kazuma looked up, curious. Megumin was holding a small, black creature in her arms. Its eyes were large and expressive, and it looked quite content in Megumin's embrace.
"This is Chomusuke," she announced with a smile.
Aqua and Kazuma immediately perked up, while Darkness, who had just entered the room, looked on with interest.
"Oh, how cute!" Aqua exclaimed, reaching out to pet Chomusuke. The little creature purred happily under her touch.
Kazuma, intrigued by the adorable furball, reached over and scratched behind Chomusuke's ears. "Where did you find this little guy?"
"He found me, actually," Megumin replied, grinning. "Isn't he the cutest?"
Just then, there was a knock on the mansion door. Kazuma got up to answer it, still thinking about the quests they could potentially take on.
To his surprise, standing there were Darkness and a tall, armored man with short blond hair and a kind smile. Kazuma immediately recognized Walter, Darkness's husband.
"Darkness! Walter! Welcome!" Kazuma greeted, stepping aside to let them in.
Darkness beamed with delight at the sight of her friends. "It's so good to see you all again!" she said, embracing each of them warmly.
Walter smiled at the lively scene. "Lalatina—sorry, Darkness—has been missing you all terribly. She's happiest when she's adventuring with you. I don't want her to be sad, so I've decided to let her continue her adventures with you all."
Kazuma shot Darkness a look, raising an eyebrow. Darkness, sensing his unspoken question, turned to Walter with a gentle smile. "I promise I won't cheat on you. These guys are my comrades, my family."
Kazuma felt a pang of awkwardness at the statement but nodded in agreement. "Yeah, we're glad to have her back."
Walter gave Darkness a kiss on the cheek before turning to Kazuma. "Take care of her for me," he said, his voice full of trust. With that, he left for his duty as a knight in the kingdom, leaving Darkness behind with the team.
After a few moments of catching up, Darkness turned to Aqua and a shy girl standing slightly behind her. "Aqua, Yunyun, it's so nice to finally meet you."
Yunyun blushed and nodded politely, while Aqua gave a spirited greeting. To celebrate Darkness's return, they decided to head to the tavern. The atmosphere was jubilant, with drinks flowing freely and laughter echoing throughout the room.
As the night wore on, Kazuma overheard a group of adventurers at the bar talking about something unusual.
"Did you hear about the masked people lurking around the city?" one adventurer whispered. "It's really creepy."
Another adventurer nodded. "Yeah, I saw one the other night. They wear these eerie masks with strange markings."
Kazuma's curiosity was piqued. Just then, Luna, the guild receptionist, entered the tavern and pinned a notice on the board. Kazuma walked over to take a look and froze when he saw the picture of a masked man. The mask looked eerily familiar.
He quickly finished his drink and excused himself, saying he needed some fresh air. His mind raced as he hurried back to the mansion. Once inside his room, Kazuma locked the door and pulled out a box from under his bed. Inside was a mask identical to the one in the picture.
He held it up, feeling a chill run down his spine. "What the hell is this doing here?" he muttered to himself.
Kazuma considered throwing it away. He opened the window, ready to toss the mask into the garbage bin outside, but before he could, the mask flew from his hand and attached itself to his face.
"Ah! What the—?!" Kazuma struggled to pull it off, but the mask seemed to meld with his skin. He could feel his consciousness slipping away, replaced by a darker presence. In a matter of moments, Kazuma's personality was completely overtaken by Vanir's sinister persona.
A dark chuckle escaped his lips as he looked at his reflection in the window. "Ah, what a delightful twist," Vanir's voice echoed, but it came from Kazuma's mouth. "I, Vanir, have returned!"
And with that, the chapter came to a suspenseful end.
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