The skies today were a perfect blue, clear as if freshly washed, with a gentle breeze complementing the warm sunlight.
"What a peaceful day…"
Leaning back in her chair, Nero sipped her tea, savoring the tranquility of the moment.
"A life free from the struggles of survival and chasing money—truly, long live such a life!"
In Nero's opinion, this world was remarkably pleasant. Other than the ever-present threat of the Demon King's army, there were hardly any downsides.
There were no random shootings like in the West, nor the constant natural disasters of Japan—earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions.
Taking another sip of her steaming tea, Nero let out a contented sigh.
"If I ever grow old, retiring in this world wouldn't be so bad…"
Not far away, Yunyun and Alice were playing a game of chess.
Alice wasn't in her lessons today. According to her, Claire had been unusually busy lately.
Nero, however, had an inkling about what was keeping Claire occupied—she was likely consulting Kazuma for advice.
It was ironic, considering Claire had previously looked down on Kazuma's low-rank adventurer class. Yet, somehow, she'd ended up seeking his input on resolving Alice's fiancé issues.
After all, while Kazuma wasn't particularly strong, he was undeniably full of creative schemes.
Following her discussion with Kazuma, Claire's respect for him had grown dramatically, as boundless as a flowing river.
Of course, the real victim of all this was Alice's fiancé, the First Prince of the neighboring kingdom of Erodia. Because Kazuma's "creative solutions"… well, those who know, know.
Taking another sip of tea, Nero let her thoughts drift. She activated her [Imperial Privilege] and conjured Merlin's flower magic, creating a blooming floral backdrop behind her.
The versatility of her [Imperial Privilege] skill had become something Nero thoroughly enjoyed experimenting with.
"What a shame this world doesn't have bubble tea…" she mused. "I've heard Kazuma recently spent some skill points on learning culinary skills and managed to recreate several Earth dishes. I wonder if he could try making bubble tea next."
The Kazuma Party truly was full of unique individuals. Megumin only learned explosion magic and skills to enhance its power. Darkness focused solely on defensive skills, resistance, and monster attraction. Aqua, apart from support skills, only acquired talents for party tricks.
And then there was Kazuma, who had an eclectic mix of combat skills and a slew of non-combat ones—cooking, forging, eavesdropping, lip-reading, and even escaping. Darkness often berated him for wasting precious skill points on such frivolous abilities, calling it shameful.
Kazuma's reasons for learning eavesdropping and lip-reading were amusing—he wanted to know if people were badmouthing him behind his back.
"Big Sister Nero, what are you thinking about?"
Unbeknownst to Nero, Alice had crept up behind her and was now gently massaging her head.
Having a princess as a personal masseuse was certainly a rare luxury.
"Umu! I wasn't thinking about much," Nero replied nonchalantly, leaning back to enjoy Alice's soothing touch. "Speaking of which… Megumin and her group seem to have made quite a splash recently."
"They have, haven't they?" Alice responded with a bright smile. "The Demon King's general, Wolbach, recently appeared at the frontlines, bombarding fortress walls with explosion magic before escaping with teleportation magic. It caused no end of trouble for my brother and father."
"But when Megumin's group arrived at the fortress, they managed to defeat Wolbach. From what I've heard, Kazuma used the same strategy—having a mage with teleportation magic accompany Megumin. They bombarded the Demon King's base with explosion magic and teleported back. It caused massive losses for the Demon King's forces."
"Then there's Aqua. I heard she helped rebuild the fortress walls, working faster and better than an entire construction team. The walls she rebuilt were so strong they withstood even explosion magic. Do you think she enchanted them with some divine power?"
Kazuma's underhanded methods were no surprise to Nero, but Aqua's newfound competency was baffling.
Was Aqua a goddess of juggling, toilets, or… civil engineering?
"The frontliners even nicknamed her 'Captain of Wall Repairs.' People said Wolbach nearly cried when she saw how quickly Aqua rebuilt the walls after they were destroyed. Hmm? What's wrong, Chomusuke?"
Alice crouched down to pick up the small black cat trembling at her feet.
Although technically Megumin's familiar, Chomusuke was often neglected. If not for Yunyun and Nero's care, the poor creature might have starved long ago.
Taking Chomusuke from Alice's hands, Nero placed the cat on her lap, gently stroking its back. The once-tense feline relaxed almost instantly, purring contentedly.
Chomusuke had changed significantly since its trip to the frontlines with Kazuma and Megumin.
For one, it no longer resisted baths. In the past, attempting to bathe Chomusuke would result in fiery protests. Now, it willingly entered the water, even looking relaxed.
However, its hostility toward Aqua had noticeably increased. Recently, Nero had caught Chomusuke biting Aqua's clothing and even dragging her sacred robe into the fireplace.
Tilting her head thoughtfully, Nero recalled another matter.
"In a few days, we'll be heading to the Kingdom of Erodia to request financial aid," Nero said, glancing at Alice. "Kazuma and his team have proven themselves capable in battle, so taking them along should make things smoother."
The Kingdom of Erodia, which had been funding Belzerg's war against the Demon King, had recently halted its support for unclear reasons. With the battles against the Demon King intensifying, Belzerg was left with no choice but to send Alice to negotiate for continued aid.
Nero and Yunyun had been assigned as Alice's escorts, while Claire and the others remained in the royal capital due to their duties.
Bringing Kazuma along had been Nero's idea. In truth, she was primarily interested in him; the rest of his team was just along for the ride.
After learning that Erodia was a nation centered on gambling, Nero had come up with a plan.
If negotiations for aid failed, she would send Kazuma—whose luck was second only to the Goddess Eris—into the casinos.
And they would bankrupt the Kingdom of Erodia!