"So... so lively!"
"How… how overwhelming!"
"It's like a festival everywhere!"
"There are… so many people!"
Kazuma, Aqua, Megumin, and Yunyun were all stunned as they took in the bustling streets of the Elroad capital, their jaws practically on the floor.
"Umu! What a prosperous city!"
Standing ahead of the group, Nero spread her arms wide, as if she were about to embrace the sky itself. Her eyes sparkled with excitement. "It reminds me of my glorious Rome! Yes, I can feel the fervor of the people here. Civilization taking root, stretching toward the heavens, touching the stars! This is truly the essence of Rome—Rome is civilization! Rome is humanity! Rome is the future!"
Compared to Kazuma and the others, Nero was far more flamboyant in her admiration.
Still, while passersby looked at Kazuma's group as though they were clueless country bumpkins, they regarded Nero with awe and reverence.
Perhaps it was her commanding presence? Simply standing there, Nero exuded the aura of someone destined to rule, as if she were the most noble being in the land.
"This place is so different from the Kingdom of Belzerg," Alice murmured thoughtfully.
The Kingdom of Belzerg prized strength above all, so its streets were dominated by shops selling magical tools, weapons, and armor.
Here, however, the most common establishments were casinos.
As far as the eye could see, there were at least a dozen casinos of varying sizes. Beyond that, there were restaurants and general stores—but not a single shop related to adventuring.
Aqua's eyes lit up at the sight of the bustling casinos, her hands itching to dive in. But just as she took a step forward, Nero grabbed her by the back of her collar, halting her escape.
"Nero! What are you doing?!" Aqua protested, flailing in frustration.
"Gambling can wait. Our priority right now is to settle into the accommodations prepared for us by Elroad and unload our luggage," Nero said calmly. "Besides, I have serious doubts about your luck. If you step foot in a casino, you'll lose more money than Kazuma could ever hope to win back, even if he worked himself to death."
"That's ridiculous! I'm a goddess! Do you even understand what being a goddess means, Nero? As the most beautiful, most perfect Goddess of Water, there's no way I'd lose! You're just jealous of my talent—you don't want me to rake in mountains of money and live the high life, counting my riches until my hands hurt!"
This idiot is so loud…
To avoid further embarrassment and keep the bystanders from laughing at their group, Nero promptly knocked Aqua unconscious and tossed her limp body back into the dragon carriage.
Aqua was soon experiencing the bliss of what Nero referred to as "a baby's peaceful sleep."
The group arrived at a grand inn and stopped in front of the entrance.
"Alright, this is the inn that's been prepared for us," Darkness explained after handing the dragon carriage over to the staff. "Everyone, head to your rooms and drop off your luggage. Princess Alice's meeting with the prince is scheduled for tomorrow, so take today to relax, explore the city, and shake off the fatigue from our travels."
While Nero was busy observing the surrounding streets, Kazuma and the others bolted away like elementary school kids let loose on a field trip.
Alice, however, chose not to join them. She said she needed to prepare for tomorrow's meeting.
She's only twelve years old… Nero thought with a pang of sympathy. At an age when she should be enjoying the simple joys of childhood, Alice was instead burdened with the heavy responsibilities of representing her kingdom in diplomatic talks with a foreign nation.
So mature for her age—it's heartbreaking.
Yet…
"Elroad doesn't seem very welcoming to us, does it?"
The thought had been weighing on Nero's mind. Princess Alice, a royal envoy from a neighboring ally, had come all this way for diplomatic discussions, yet the Kingdom of Elroad hadn't even arranged a formal reception for her.
There's no way they don't know we've arrived. This is deliberate.
"Nero, Sister Nero…"
A soft voice brought Nero out of her thoughts. She turned to see Yunyun approaching her hesitantly.
"Umu? It's Yunyun…"
Nero quickly composed herself and greeted the shy mage with a gentle smile. "What's the matter? Why aren't you out with Kazuma and the others?"
"Because… I wanted to stay by your side," Yunyun mumbled, nervously tugging at the hem of her skirt.
"…Is that okay?"
"Umu, I don't mind," Nero replied, though her brow furrowed slightly in thought. "But I have no idea where to go or what to do. If you follow me, you might find it boring."
"That's fine!" Yunyun's cheeks flushed, and she looked at Nero with surprising fervor.
"As long as I can stay by your side, I'll be happy…"
---
In the end, Nero took Yunyun along for a stroll through the city. The outing was pleasant enough, with Yunyun's joyful expression brightening the entire experience.
However, the day ended on a less-than-ideal note.
Before returning to the inn, Nero had to make a stop at the local jail to bail out Kazuma, Aqua, and Megumin.
What left the strongest impression on Nero wasn't the trio's antics, but the sheer relief and gratitude on the faces of the police officers when she arrived to take them away.
From the officers, Nero learned why each of them had been arrested:
Aqua, after losing all her money at a casino, flew into a tantrum, screaming, "I'm a goddess! How could I lose?! You must have cheated!" She refused to pay her debts and used her water magic to flood the casino, causing significant damage.
Megumin, meanwhile, had passed by a farm raising Negi Ducks—monsters that yield massive amounts of experience points. Unable to resist, she yelled, "A whole field of Negi Ducks is practically screaming for me to use Explosion magic here!" before blowing the entire farm sky-high.
Finally, there was Kazuma… who, for once, was genuinely innocent.
Kazuma hadn't done anything. He was only arrested because Aqua and Megumin, while being detained, had repeatedly told the arresting officers that Kazuma would "strip your pants off and hang them from a flagpole in public!" They'd even cited his past "achievements" to bolster their claims, convincing the officers that Kazuma was some kind of pervert.
Reading through the police report, Nero had genuinely considered leaving Aqua and Megumin behind and only taking Kazuma with her.
Unfortunately, the officers outright refused.
Aqua and Megumin had been so disruptive in jail that the guards' nerves were completely shot. They all but begged Nero to take the two troublemakers away.
Thus, on their very first day in Elroad, Kazuma's party had already made a name for themselves.
When they finally returned to the inn, Darkness looked ready to burst into tears.
"I told you we shouldn't have brought them!" she wailed.
"Hey, hey, hey! This time, I really didn't do anything!" Kazuma protested loudly. "I've been wronged! Wronged, I tell you! I'm more innocent than Dou E! If I die in jail, my vengeful ghost will haunt this place!"
---
T/N: i would lose my shit with Aqua so quickly if I was in Kazuma's place