"Gwa ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!" The Dark One Yuigarde swung his iron
club wildly, smashing through rank after rank of the enemy. Zanzibar's
rebellion couldn't stand up to his ferocity. They were in a total rout.
"Damn him, that amoeba-brain!" Zanzibar cursed, watching Yuigarde
rampage from afar as he fled on horseback.
His lieutenant Meiden rode beside him. "I thought the Dark One
Yuigarde was just some meathead," she said, a bitter expression on her face,
"but this is ridiculous! I never imagined we were so outmatched."
The two rode into the forest at a fast gallop, the rest of the rebellion
following behind in a frantic retreat. "Zanzibar!" Yuigarde yelled as he took
chase from behind. "This is the day I'll have your head!"
Yuigarde was crude, rough, and ill-tempered by nature, and moreover he
had suffered a decisive defeat when he led the whole Dark Army to attack
Klyrode Castle. To Zanzibar, it seemed like he did not have the charisma
necessary to keep the Dark Army together as a coherent force.
"This is my chance!" Zanzibar decided. "I will strike down Yuigarde
and become the new Dark One!"
He had launched a rebellion against Yuigarde, but the Dark One wasted
no time in retaking the Dark Citadel, stopping his plan to declare himself
the new Dark One. And now he was forced to retreat, bunkering down and
trying to fend off Yuigarde's attacks.
However...
◇A Mansion, High in the Mountains◇
Zanzibar finally managed to shake off Yuigarde's pursuit and retreated
to one of his hidden bases—a mansion hidden high in the mountains. For a
while he just threw a tantrum, grinding his teeth in irritation and stomping
on the floor. "That blasted Yuigarde! It's been one defeat after another ever
since he took to the field!"
Meiden's lips were pursed in a thin straight line. "We assumed that with
the Dark Citadel under attack, he would lock himself inside and not come
out. It was a terrible miscalculation. We were going to separate the Infernal
Four and deal with them individually before launching an all-out assault on
the Dark Citadel, but the Infernals never left..."
"Not only that," Zanzibar said through gritted teeth, "but we had no idea
how strong Yuigarde was. I thought he was nothing compared to Gholl, but
he might be even stronger..."
Meiden knitted her brow. "The Dark One's rampaging power scattered
our main force into the wind," she said. "Some of them were captured,
some of them surrendered, and more of them were defecting to join the
Dark Army each day. And now all the demons watching this incident will
come to the conclusion that they have us outmatched. That will only lead
more of them to side with the Dark Army."
"Gah!" Zanzibar shouted, slamming his fists into a desk in a fit of rage
and splintering it into a million pieces. "I hate it!" He lifted his eyes to look
at Meiden, panting hard as he spoke. "Meiden, tell me you have a plan. Tell
me you have some way to turn this around."
Meiden pressed her clenched fist to her lips. She stood silent in thought
for a while, until suddenly she raised her index finger into the air. "One,
anyway," she said.
"What?"
"One, anyway. I can think of one plan, Master."
"Really?! You can?!" Zanzibar ran over to Meiden and grabbed her
firmly by the shoulders. Meiden nodded seriously. "What is it?" Zanzibar
asked. "Tell me, Meiden!"
"Yes..." Meiden said. "Perhaps...we could call on the Mistress of Evil..."
"What?!" Zanzibar's eyes shot open at Meiden's words. "The Mistress of
Evil?! The goddess who rules the Dark World? The goddess who allows the
Dark One to use the power of that land in exchange for tribute? Isn't she
allied with the Dark One? Why would they lend us any aid?"
Meiden's lips curled up in a smile. "I'll just say that it's possible,
Master," she said.
"It is?! Truly?!"
Suddenly, another woman's voice intruded on their conversation. "Oh,
certainly," she said. "It is quite possible."
"Mmh?!" Nobody was allowed in the estate's chambers without
Zanzibar's permission. He turned to look at the source of the voice, and
found a woman standing there. Zanzibar wasn't sure where she had come
from. I couldn't sense her presence at all... he thought, but he stifled his
surprise to face the woman with a coolheaded demeanor.
The woman was slender, and dressed in the garb of a shadow demon—
brown and black, and styled like a ninja outfit. Meiden stepped up to the
woman. "Master," she said, "this is Riliangiu. She is one of the Mistress of
Evil's familiars."
"What?!" Zanzibar couldn't maintain his cool. His eyes were wide open
in shock.
The woman—Riliangiu—stepped forward. "A pleasure to make your
acquaintance, Mister Zanzibar," she said. "I am Riliangiu. My people have
long served as intermediaries between the Dark One and the goddess
Sterner, Mistress of Evil." She placed her right arm to her chest in a salute.
Zanzibar stared intently at Riliangiu, not concealing his distrust in the
slightest. "And why is a familiar who works as an intermediary with
Yuigarde here? Isn't the Mistress of Evil on friendly terms with the Dark
One?"
"I am here because of two men," she said. "The Dark One Gholl, and the
Dark One Yuigarde."
"Gholl and Yuigarde?"
"Yes. For generations, the Dark Ones of this world made offerings to the
Mistress of Evil in exchange for a blessing of magic power from the Dark
World. My people have long served as the collectors of that tribute, but—"
"But the Dark One Gholl stopped paying your mistress tribute?"
Zanzibar interrupted. "Is that it?"
"Precisely." Riliangiu nodded.
Zanzibar folded his arms and thought. I can believe it. No Dark One has
ever had as much magic power as Gholl. Perhaps he did not feel it
necessary to obtain the power of the Dark World... "But," he said, realizing
something, "the current Dark One is Yuigarde. He's all brawn and no brain.
He has nothing like the sort of magic power Gholl wielded. He must have a
use for the power of the Dark World. Can you not come to the same
arrangement with him?"
Riliangiu gave him a wry smirk. "I am afraid the goddess Sterner is
rather angry with Yuigarde."
"Angry?"
"Indeed. That man tried to draw out the power of the Dark World by
force in order to defeat the Dark One Gholl. The goddess Sterner does not
look fondly on such actions."
"I see..." A smirk came to Zanzibar's face. He really is all brawn and no
brain, he thought. To think he would incur the wrath of the Mistress of Evil!
"So," he continued, "you, a familiar of the Mistress of Evil, came to us,
prepared to offer me the blessing of power?"
"Just so." She saluted again, holding her hand in front of her chest. "If
you agree to offer this world to the Mistress of Evil, she will grant you the
power of the Dark World with which to conquer this one. In exchange, the
Dark Ones of this world will be entrusted with its administration."
"Offer the world to the Mistress of Evil..." Zanzibar mused. "That's a lot
to ask, isn't it? The previous Dark Ones only made yearly offerings in
exchange for her acknowledgment as Dark One, if I'm not mistaken."
"That was the arrangement with those who already ruled as Dark One.
You seek to defeat the Dark One of this world, do you not? I have heard
reports that the former Dark One Gholl is still alive and in good health, as
well." As she spoke, Riliangiu took a jewel from a pouch on her belt. It
seemed to shine with an inner light. "It will not be enough to defeat the
Dark One. You must send the former Dark One to his grave as well. Then
you must crush the human kingdom of Klyrode. In exchange, we will offer
you power. Is that acceptable?"
Riliangiu set the jewel on the ground at her feet and began to chant. As
she did, the jewel's light grew brighter and brighter until it became a great
magic circle. That jewel! Zanzibar thought. Could that possibly be the Jewel
of Passage, the one that can allegedly conjure a gate between this world
and the Dark World?!
While Zanzibar's mind was racing, a vast gate materialized above the
jewel. It slowly opened. Zanzibar and Meiden watched with bated breath.
Then, a woman appeared, with beautiful black hair almost long enough to
reach her feet. Her hair billowed around her like a cloud as she alighted to
the ground. She wore brown clothing, but her outfit covered very little of
her body. She laughed under her voice as she turned to look at Zanzibar.
"So, you're little Zanzibar?" she asked. "I am Valentine, one of the
Twelve Evil Generals."
"The Twelve Evil Generals?!" That title sent Zanzibar reeling. The
Twelve Evil Generals?! Those are the direct subordinates of the Mistress of
Evil! The greatest warriors in the Dark World! I-If one of them is on our
side... "Ah ha ha ha ha!" Zanzibar laughed triumphantly. "This world is as
good as mine!" He got down on one knee. "I agree to your terms," he said.
"I will offer this world, and everything in it, to the goddess Sterner,
Mistress of Evil!"
Valentine glanced over at Riliangiu. "This is the boy?" she asked. "Your
new candidate for Dark One?"
"Yes, General," Riliangiu said. "This is he."
"Hm." Valentine chuckled as she looked over Zanzibar. "He's quick on
the uptake, at least," she said. "That makes things easier." Behind her, the
gate she had passed through made a loud sound and vanished, scattering
into the air. "Well," Valentine said. "It looks like my own magic power was
all the Jewel of Passage could handle. Riliangiu, is everything ready to
complete the Grand Passage?"
"Yes, General. Everything is complete. All we need now is the magic
circle."
"I see." Valentine chuckled, and a lavish armchair appeared behind her.
She sat down. "Well then, get on it! Chop chop. Summon me my three djinn
so I can bring this world to heel!"
"It will be done." Riliangiu saluted the general and vanished.
As if he were swapping out with Riliangiu, Zanzibar stepped in front of
Valentine and kneeled again. His lieutenant Meiden knelt behind him. "GGeneral Valentine," he stammered, "what would you have us do? Speak,
and we will obey."
"Hee hee hee... Well, I certainly appreciate the sentiment," Valentine
chuckled. "But all I want you to do, boy, is act the part of the new Dark
One. I'll take care of everything."
"Ahh..." said Zanzibar in relief. "I am glad to hear it..."
"Hee hee... We're getting the world out of this deal," she said. "So think
of it as on the house." Now, she thought, I wonder how much entertainment
this world will give me? Oh, I can't wait!
◇Underground◇
Tsuya cried out with joy at the enormous vein of magic gems before her
eyes. "Wow, Hero Gold-Haaair! This is amazing!"
Hero Gold-Hair was digging farther ahead. The gems gleamed
beautifully in the light of Tsuya's magic lantern. "Yes!" he said. "When I
saw fragments of magic gems on the top of this hill, my intuition told me
there'd be a vein of magic gems down here." He hoisted his Drilldozer
Shovel over his shoulders, a triumphant grin on his face. "Okay, Tsuya!
Let's get ourselves a handful of these gems!"
He got back to work, wielding his Drilldozer Shovel vigorously as he
excavated the magic gems. Tsuya followed along, putting the gems into her
Bottomless Bag. The two labored on, beaming happily.
◇At the Foot of a Hill in the Forest◇
Riliangiu raced through the forest until she came upon a smallish hill.
She stopped and looked up. "Yes, this is the spot. At a glance, this looks
like an ordinary hill, but underneath lies an abundant vein of magic gems. I
will use the power of those gems and open the Grand Passage, connecting
this world with the Realm of Evil." She pointed at the ground and began to
chant.
Her body shone brightly, the light concentrated into the tip of her right
hand. After a moment of this, she released it. "T-Tch..." she grumbled.
"Casting the Grand Passage is going to take every last bit of magic power in
my body." She steeled herself and continued chanting. Before her, a great
magic circle appeared.
Riliangiu gasped. "Th-That's one..." She nodded proudly at the
completed magic circle. The amount of magic she had used was taking a
toll on her body, though. She was panting and heaving her shoulders for
breath. "Th-Three more to go..."
And then, she vanished.
◇Several Minutes Later◇
From the hill near the magic circle, the sound of digging could be heard.
Slowly, it grew louder and louder until a portion of the ground crumbled,
the head of a shovel peeking through. A man's voice rang through the air as
the shovel moved from left to right, widening the hole. When it was big
enough for a human to pass through, the man stepped out.
Hero Gold-Hair let out a big sigh of relief. "It seems we made it back to
the surface."
Tsuya followed along from behind, just as happy to be in the fresh air.
"Yeeeah! I thought we were dooone for when the tunnel entrance
collaaapsed!"
"Well, but still!" Gold-Hair said, patting the Bottomless Bag on his belt.
"Who would've thought there were so many magic gems under that hill?"
The bag was as big as a fist, but inside it could fit about as much as your
average treasury. It could carry a truly staggering amount of magic gems.
"But you know," he continued, "I got a bit of a look from the top of the
hill. I think this vein might continue deeper into the forest!" Tsuya nodded
along, beaming happily. "And these definitely aren't stolen goods, so
there's no reason we can't sell them in town! Let's go, Tsu—yah?!"
Suddenly, something near his foot caught Hero Gold-Hair's eye. "What are
these lines?" He stared down where Riliangiu's magic circle was etched
into the earth. "I'm not sure what this is," he said, "but probably best to get
rid of it."
"Reeeally??" Tsuya said. "You thiiink so?"
"Yes. My intuition is telling me it's better off erased." Hero Gold-Hair
took his shovel back out from his magic bag, while Tsuya retrieved her
own. The two dug out the area of the magic circle, and tossed the dirt
around to ruin it.
The magic circle was composed of lines etched with the power of
Riliangiu's magic. An ordinary shovel would simply dig out the earth
beneath it without touching the lines themselves. They weren't physical
lines that could be moved in such a way. However, this was the Drilldozer
Shovel—a treasure passed from generation to generation in the royal line of
Klyrode. Not only could it dig deep holes in the blink of an eye, but it was
enchanted to dig on unimpeded, no matter the obstruction. Gold-Hair and
Tsuya dug up the magic circle Riliangiu had spent so much of her magic to
cast, and erased it.
A while later, Hero Gold-Hair sighed with exhaustion as he surveyed the
site where the magic circle used to be. "Right! That does it!"
"Hero Gold-Haaair!" said Tsuya, proffering a handkerchief. "Use this to
wiiipe yourself off!"
"Thank you, Tsuya!" Hero Gold-Hair wiped the sweat from his brow.
"Well then! We should head to a nearby town for now and sell all these
gems! Let's go, Tsuya!" he said, and headed off towards the road.
"Okaaay, Hero Gold-Haaair! I'm coooming!" Tsuya followed along, a
smile on her face. "Do you thiiink they're vaaaluable?"
"Mm. This is just my intuition speaking, but I think they just might fetch
a good price."
"Yaaay! And theeen, let's go get a good meal! It's been sooo looong..."
"Let's! It doesn't hurt to indulge from time to time!"
"Hooraaay! I can't waaait!"
Chatting on, the two vanished into the forest.
◇Half a Day Later◇
A stunned look came over Riliangiu's face as she finished the fourth
magic circle. "Something... Something's wrong..." She had set magic
circles in all directions surrounding the hill. With them and the power of the
lode of magic gems underground, it should have opened the Grand Passage
to connect the world of Klyrode to the Dark World—the Realm of Evil. But
even though it had already been an hour since she'd finished the fourth,
there was no sign of anything magical happening anywhere nearby.
She sunk down to the ground, completely baffled. "What happened? I'm
certain I set the magic circles properly..." She had expended almost all the
magic power in her body creating those circles—she couldn't even muster
the force to stand. "I can only imagine that something unexpected has
happened. I should... I should investigate..."
Riliangiu tried her hardest to take to her feet, but her knees buckled and
she collapsed to the ground once more. "But..." she said. "But first I'll take
a little rest..." She spread out her arms and legs, and lay down on the forest
floor.
◇Meanwhile, in a Nearby Town◇
Hero Gold-Hair and Tsuya stood in a general store, a number of their
freshly excavated magic gems set out on the counter. The person behind the
counter—a woman with silver hair—eyed the gems hungrily and adjusted
her glasses.
"Well?" said Gold-Hair, eager to move things along. "How much can we
get for these?"
The woman looked up. "These are excellent-quality magic gems." She
yipped—and then caught herself, covering her mouth. "A-Ahem! Yes,
magic gems. I'll buy them for a high price." She gave them a strained smile,
hoping they hadn't noticed her earlier blunder, and withdrew a bag of coins
from underneath the counter.
"Huh?!" gasped Hero Gold-Hair.
"Wooow!" chirped Tsuya. The two cried for joy. The bag was much,
much bigger than what they had expected.
"If you're giving us this much for the magic gems, I certainly don't have
an objection!" said Gold-Hair. "I'll take you at your word! We'll sell you all
the magic gems we brought to town today!"
Hero Gold-Hair began to shift the magic gems from the Bottomless Bag
to the counter, while the silver-haired woman smiled wickedly to herself.
That was a very low price I quoted them! she thought. I didn't expect them
to actually bite! But who are these two? Where are they getting so many
high-quality magic gems?
The silver-haired woman watched the magic gems pile up further and
further with an expression of growing shock. "E-Excuse me," she ventured.
"Sir, may I ask where you found these magic gems?"
"Oooh!" said Tsuya. "There's a hiiill to the— Mmph!" Hero Gold-Hair
hastily shoved his hand over her grinning mouth.
"Idiot!" he whispered. "We were going to keep that vein of magic gems
a secret! If some company finds out, they'll snatch it away from under us!"
"Mghhf! O-Oooh, thaaat's right. I'm sooorry, Hero Gold-Haaair..."
Tsuya nodded fervently.
"Um..." the silver-haired woman asked. "Sir? Ma'am?"
"Oooh!" said Tsuya in an unnatural monotone. "I'm sooo sooorry! I
thooought I kneeew, but I must have forgooot! Aha ha ha..." She grinned
stiffly.
"Yes, that's it!" Hero Gold-Hair added. "If we remember, we'll go back
to dig up more! Aha ha ha ha..." He didn't sound any more convincing.
Those two are clearly lying... the silver-haired woman thought, giving
them the side-eye. Well, whatever. "We'll buy any more magic gems you
bring us for the same price," she said, counting out their pay.
"Wooow!"
"Yes! Thank you!" Hero Gold-Hair and Tsuya looked at each other and
nodded, and then stuffed the coins they had been given into their
Bottomless Bags.
"If you can bring me more magic gems by tomorrow," the woman said,
a cunning gleam in her eyes, "then I'll offer you an extra twenty percent as
a bonus."
"Fweeeh?! Twenty perceeent?!" Tsuya's eyes went as wide as dinner
plates.
Hero Gold-Hair took Tsuya by the arm. "Tomorrow, is it? All right! I-I
still don't remember where the magic gems were," he lied unconvincingly,
"but we'll see what we can do!" The pair left the shop with astonishing
speed.
The silver-haired woman watched them go, her eyes sharp. "I must tell
my sister Kintsuno the Gold at once!" she said. "We've found a good
mark!" She yipped as she rushed to the back of the store. Her body glowed,
and suddenly she transformed back into her form as Gintsuno the Silver.
None of the customers took any notice.
◇Later, South of the Hill◇
When Hero Gold-Hair and Tsuya made it back to the hill, they were out
of breath but both had big smiles on their faces. "I neeever expected the
magic gems to sell for that muuuch!" Tsuya exclaimed. "I was so
surpriiiised, Hero Gold-Haaair!"
"Tell me about it!" Gold-Hair grinned. "We need to bring some more of
these gems back to that shop before they change their minds! Quickly,
Tsuya!"
"Yeees, sir!"
The two ran on, bobbing their heads, until they reached the site of their
previous tunnel. "Hm..." said Hero Gold-Hair. "We should try somewhere
else. We already dug up a good chunk of the magic gems around here!"
"Oh... Okaaay Hero Gold-Haaair!" said Tsuya. The pair continued on to
the east and vanished into the trees.
A patch of grass to the west rustled, and out popped Riliangiu. She
appeared so soon after Gold-Hair and Tsuya left that it looked for all the
world like she was tagging in. "I thought I heard somebody talking just
now..." she said as she scanned the area left and right, on high alert. She
kept a careful watch for some time, and then she cocked her head, confused.
Ordinarily, it would have been easy for her to cast Search to scan the
area and find Hero Gold-Hair and Tsuya running along, but today she had
spent most of the magic in her body creating those magic circles. She didn't
have enough magic left to cast the spell. Instead, to conserve magic, she
manually searched the area with her eyes and ears. But it was not enough to
detect the two running to the east.
"It must be my imagination," she said. She didn't sound completely
convinced, but still she stood up from the thicket and stepped forward.
"Ghk!" What she saw left her stunned. "Th-The magic circle! It's gone!"
Riliangiu stared at the patch of earth, speechless. She was sure this was
the place she had set the first magic circle. It should have still been there,
but because Hero Gold-Hair had followed his intuition and gotten rid of the
circle, there was no sign of it anywhere.
Riliangiu had no idea what could have happened. "Th-This can't be! I
am certain this is the place! So... So... Where did it go?!" Her body was
shaking, her eyes wide open. "C-Could I be in the wrong place?"
Stumbling on unsteady feet, Riliangiu went off to inspect the area and
vanished into the tall grass.
◇Later Still, East of the Hill◇
At the foot of the hill there was a hole. It was clearly freshly dug, and it
seemed to extend inward, underneath the hill itself. Hero Gold-Hair was
sauntering out of it, his shovel resting on his shoulder and a grin on his face.
"What a haul! I knew it was the right decision to dig in from a different
direction! I never imagined there were so many magic gems to dig up! We
had pretty much gotten all there was to get from the south."
Tsuya, following along after him, smiled as she spoke. The two went to
look at their Bottomless Bags—each one packed full of magic gems.
"All right, Tsuya!" said Hero Gold-Hair. "Let's take these back to that
general store!" He took off in the direction of the town.
"Okaaay! Yes sir, Hero Gold-Haaair!" Tsuya saluted and ran along after.
"But you know, Tsuya," Gold-Hair said after a while. "I really wonder
what those weird circles are..."
"I knooow. The one to the east was juuust liiike the one to the south!"
"Hm. My intuition told me I should get rid of that one too for good
measure, so I took care of it with my Drilldozer Shovel! But I wonder... Do
you think there's another one to the north?"
"I dunno... Do you wanna go looook?"
Hero Gold-Hair gave it some thought. "Maybe we should," he said. "But
our Bottomless Bags are full. We should go back to sell the gems at that
general store, and then come back and check out the north!"
They ran at full speed in the direction of the town as they talked, and
soon vanished out of sight into the tall grass.
Rustle rustle rustle...
As soon as Hero Gold-Hair and Tsuya were out of sight, a patch of tall
grass in the other direction began to shake. Gintsuno the Silver parted the
grass to get a better look at the scene. She chuckled and yipped. "It looks
like they have no idea I followed them."
Gintsuno stepped out to get a better look at the hole Hero Gold-Hair had
left behind. "Looks like, looks like!" She snickered. "And this must be
where they're excavating those magic gems!"
Kintsuno the Gold emerged from behind her, followed by a number of
people who looked like workers. They were carrying shovels and pickaxes
—tools for excavation. They had even brought horse-drawn carts to carry
the gems back.
Gintsuno crossed her arms. "That Shadow King, though," she said.
"He'll provide tools and manpower, but he himself insists on holding down
the fort. I can't help but feel a little like we're getting the short end of the
stick."
Kintsuno looked at her sister, then leaned in to whisper in her ear,
smirking. "Pay it no mind," she said. "Even for a human, that man is in
terrible shape. Climbing mountains would be a lot to ask. And anyway,
since he's not here, he won't notice if we sneak a few extra for ourselves!"
"I suppose that's one way of looking at it!" The two sisters grinned at
each other and nodded their heads.
"That settles it then!" said Kintsuno. "Let's hurry up and help ourselves
to these gems!" She waved to the workers and they started towards the hole,
when suddenly they heard a woman's voice.
"You! What are you doing there?!"
"Yip?" barked Kintsuno.
"Yip yip?" barked Gintsuno. The fox sisters looked at each other.
"That wasn't me," said Kintsuno.
"That wasn't me either," said Gintsuno. "Then, who...?"
The two looked around for the source of the voice, until both pairs of
eyes settled on a patch of grass. Then, from that patch, Riliangiu emerged.
She was trembling as she looked back at them.
"Who are you?" asked Kintsuno.
"I've never seen you before," said Gintsuno. The two stared at the
shadow demon. She seemed to be sizing them up.
"So it was you..." Riliangiu said, slowly moving closer despite her
unsteady body. "It was you who erased my magic circles..." She crossed her
arms in an X-shape in front of her, and from the elbows to the tips of her
fingers they changed shape to long blades.
Kintsuno and Gintsuno transformed into giant foxes—one gold and one
silver—readying for a fight. "I don't know what kind of demon you are..."
said Kintsuno.
"...But don't think for a second you can beat the demon fox sisters!"
Gintsuno finished.
"Don't make me laugh." Riliangiu raised the blades on the ends of her
arms. "No demon of this world is a match for me. I am Riliangiu, familiar
of the Mistress of Evil!"
"Huh?"
"Th-The Mistress of Evil?!" Kintsuno and Gintsuno shrunk back,
hesitating, as Riliangiu danced into the fray.
◇ ◇ ◇
The fight was over quickly. As drained of magic as she was, Riliangiu
was still a familiar of the Mistress of Evil. She called on her last reserves of
power and attacked the foxes viciously.
"Wh-Who cares about the Mistress of Evil?!" said Kintsuno.
"If we combine our powers, we can overcome anything!" said Gintsuno.
But even with the two of them working together, they were knocked off
their feet by the force of Riliangiu's magic. The workers had been sent
flying by the attack. Only Kintsuno and Gintsuno remained.
"This isn't good!" Kintsuno yipped. "We can't beat someone from the
Dark World!" Gintsuno had suffered a serious wound and lost
consciousness. Kintsuno took her sister in her mouth, grabbing her by the
scruff, and ran away as fast as her legs could take her, the surviving workers
running along after her, fleeing for dear life.
"J-Just wait!" said Riliangiu. "I'll have your heads!" She tried to make
chase, but she had pushed herself far too hard already. She didn't have the
strength to keep up with Kintsuno and Gintsuno. Her arms turned back to
normal, and reaching out in the direction the foxes had fled, she collapsed
on the ground unconscious.
◇The Next Morning, by the Hill◇
Hero Gold-Hair and Tsuya drove their wagon through the forest,
grinning deliriously at each other. "Hero Gold-Haaair!" Tsuya said. "That
foxlion steak we had last night was sooo gooood!"
"It was!" Gold-Hair nodded cheerfully. "It was so tender...like it could
melt on my tongue!"
"The fiiish soooup was really good toooo!"
"It was one of the best things I've ever eaten! It isn't often you find
good seafood so high up in the mountains!"
The two rhapsodized to each other about the meal they had shared last
night. Hero Gold-Hair and Tsuya had made a small fortune from selling the
magic gems they had found and treated themselves to a night of luxury.
They stayed at a high-class hotel, ate at a high-class restaurant, and even
went ahead and bought a high-class horse-drawn wagon to drive to the hill.
"Now!" said Hero Gold-Hair. "Just like yesterday, let's dig up the magic
gems and take them back to that shop!"
"Yeaaah! They saaaid they'd give us an eeextra twenty perceeent!"
Suddenly, Gold-Hair noticed something behind Tsuya. "Hm?"
"What iiis it, Hero Gold-Haaair?" Tsuya turned to look, and found a
woman collapsed on the ground.
"What's up with her, do you think?" said Hero Gold-Hair. "Not a lot of
people come this deep in the mountains. And she's unconscious?"
"She's riiight byyy the hole you dug! She wasn't here yeeesterday..."
Tsuya pressed her index finger against her lips and tilted her head in
confusion.
"Well, it isn't our problem," Gold-Hair said. "But still...she might show
up in my dreams if I let her die by the side of the road. I guess we'd better
go look." He turned the wagon in the direction of the fallen woman.
Tsuya gazed adoringly up at Hero Gold-Hair. Hero Gold-Haaair... she
thought. It's so nice when you help people like that...
"What? Is there something on my face?"
"Nooo!" Tsuya shook her head. "It's nooothing!" She had been staring.
◇ ◇ ◇
With agonized slowness, Riliangiu blinked awake. It felt like she had
been sleeping for a long time. Nhh... Where am I...? Then she remembered.
That's right... I collapsed chasing after those reprehensible louts who stole
the magic gems and destroyed my magic circles... She started to sit up.
"Oh?" She heard a man's voice. "It looks like she's waking up!"
"Nwuh?!" Startled, Riliangiu cried out in distress. She opened her eyes
to see a man's face floating in the middle of her field of vision. He had hair
like spun gold, and a very attractive face. He was carrying Riliangiu in his
arms, princess-style. Riliangiu blushed red. Wh-Wh-What is this?! Why is
some golden-haired Prince Charming fellow carrying me in his arms?! This
sight of it shook her so much that she stayed in his arms, peering up at him,
not moving an inch.
"Hmm..." Hero Gold-Hair said as he carried Riliangiu to his wagon.
"Looks like you're doing pretty bad. I guess that's not surprising after you
collapsed in the mountains like that!"
Wh-What's happening to my body? Riliangiu thought. She couldn't look
away from his silky, radiant hair and his utterly perfect face. He looked
more and more handsome by the second. I suppose...I should just wait and
see what happens for now... She closed her eyes and touched a hand to
Gold-Hair's chest.
Just then, she heard Valentine speaking in her mind. "Riliangiu?
Riliangiu, can you hear me?" After sleeping for a night, after a fashion,
Riliangiu had recovered a bit of her magic—enough to receive telepathic
communication. "What's happening with the Grand Passage?" Valentine
asked. "I'm getting bored of waiting." Her voice sounded angry.
Riliangiu's mind started racing. It would be impossible to create the
magic circles again with the amount of magic power in my body right now.
And it looks like those giant foxes took the gems from under the hill, so I
couldn't use them as a power source anyway. All I can do now is... She
sighed.
She focused her thoughts and responded to Valentine's message. "I may
be going outside of telepathy range," she said. "And I am unavailable due
to lack of consciousness."
"Huh?"
"Please allow me to try again later."
"What?! Riliangiu, what's—"
Riliangiu cut off the conversation. General Valentine, I am so terribly
sorry, she thought. There's nothing I can do. I need to delay creating a new
Grand Passage until I find another suitable location and recover my own
power. I'm not doing this because I want that Prince Charming to hold me
more, or because I want to get to know him. Absolutely not.
But despite what she told herself, Riliangiu was clinging tightly to GoldHair's shirt.
◇A Room in Zanzibar's Mansion◇
In a room in the mansion, Valentine shouted at thin air. "Riliangiu?
Riliangiu?! Riliangiu!" But no matter how hard she tried to project her
thoughts, she wasn't able to reconnect. "Ridiculous!" she said. "Worthless
familiar! This is why they sent you away to this backwater world." She
plopped down on the bed. "If we can't summon the Grand Passage, then we
can't call my armies here from the Dark World! I suppose I'll have to go
looking for a suitable spot."
"Although," she said, giggling, "why should I, General Valentine, one of
the Twelve Evil Generals, do work meant for a familiar?" She extended her
arm, and three magic circles appeared. "This might be a waste of magic,"
she said, "but I'll worry about that later. First, I need to summon my
cuties!"
Valentine's body began to glow ominously, and the three magic circles
grew bigger and bigger. They began to spin and then slowly descended to
the floor. A figure stepped out of each of them—three djinn in total, all
dressed in black vestments. Valentine giggled as they knelt before her.
"I am Maglion, the djinn who has mastered the magic of the Dark
World," said the first. "At your service, General Valentine."
The other two followed suit. "I am Powlion, the djinn who has mastered
the power of the Dark World. At your service, General Valentine."
"I am Speelion, the djinn who has mastered the speed of the Dark
World. At your service, General Valentine."
Valentine looked over the three and grinned. "Nice, nice," she said.
"Glad the summoning went off without a hitch. Now, the four of us are
going to conquer this miserable world!"
"General!" The three bowed their heads as Valentine giggled happily.
◇Klyrode Castle—Throne Room◇
The Maiden Queen sat on her throne, listening to the day's report's,
when Boralis, the captain of her royal guard, said something that surprised
her. "Did I hear you correctly, Boralis? The Shadow King's organization?!
We haven't heard mention of them in some time. I thought that perhaps they
had broken up. They are active again?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. They've been pretending to be an ordinary
company in some town. Over the past several days, they've been selling an
extraordinary amount of magic gems. We decided to investigate, and found
the Shadow King and his accomplice Gintsuno the Silver acting as
managers of the shop under assumed identities."
"What has become of Gintsuno and the Shadow King?"
"We confiscated the magic gems and the coins they had been using to
run their business," Boralis reported, "but we were unable to apprehend the
masterminds: the Shadow King, Kintsuno the Gold, and Gintsuno the
Silver."
"I see." The Maiden Queen looked relieved. "It is a pity that the
masterminds escaped, but I am glad you were able to cut off their source of
funds. I would ask you to continue investigating the organization; I hope it
is not too much trouble."
Boralis nodded once, her face deadly serious. "It is not, Your Majesty.
Trust me. I will arrest the three masterminds and pull out the roots of their
organization."
◇A Backstreet Somewhere◇
A carriage sped along a disused backstreet. A corpulent old man sat up
front, gripping the reins tight.
"Shadow King!" said a woman—Kintsuno the Gold—poking her head
out from inside the carriage. "What's going on?! I just got back... Why are
we under attack by the Klyrode army?!"
The Shadow King clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Would you be
quiet?! I wasn't expecting this any more than you were! It must be because
we made a good sum of money for once...but how did they find us so
quickly?!"
"Wh-What do we do?" Kintsuno said. "They took all the magic gems
Gintsuno got for cheap, and every last bit of the profit from the store! I've
never been more frustrated in my life!" She kicked the seat in front of her
and screwed up her face into a scowl.
Next to her, her sister Gintsuno lay on her side. She had been injured in
the fight with Riliangiu. Her life didn't seem to be in danger, but she still
had not yet regained consciousness.
The Shadow King cracked the reins, making the horses speed up. "All
we can do now," he said, "is wait for Gintsuno to recover."
"This is ridiculous," said Kintsuno. "We ruled the demons of the west!
We were a contender for the Dark One's throne! How could things have
gone so terribly...?"
"Believe me, I know what you mean," said the Shadow King. "I used to
be the king of Klyrode and the master of the black market!"
The two shared a look and sighed deeply as the carriage sped off
towards the north, taking care to avoid being seen.
◇Houghtow City—Flio's House◇
"I'm home!" Flio cried as he stepped in through the entryway.
Rys came out to greet him, a smile on her face. "Welcome back, my lord
husband!"
Two children, who looked to be about five years of age, ran up beside
her, grinning happily. "Welcome home, papa!"
"Welcome back, daddy!"
These were Flio and Rys's children, born one month ago—Elinàsze and
Garyl.
"Good to see you two," said Flio. "Have you been good? Not giving
your mother any trouble?"
"I'd never!" Elinàsze said, cheerfully taking Flio's hand.
"I've been good," Garyl said, grinning and leaning his head back on his
entwined hands. "I've been playing with Wyne!"
As he said the name, Wyne dashed up to the door, a step behind the
others. "Dada's back!" she said, jumping into Flio's arms and wrapping her
arms around the back of his neck. She nuzzled him affectionately.
"No fair!" Elinàsze objected, pouting. "Wyne's keeping papa to herself!"
Flio looked around at the three children and smirked. "When we had
Elinàsze and Garyl," he said, turning to Rys, "Mister Ghozal told us that
half-demon, half-human kids grow up fast, but I never imagined they'd get
this big in just a month!"
"Me neither," Rys said, smirking back. "It was quite the shock! All those
baby clothes I knitted turned out to be completely useless!" Despite her
words, she had a big smile on her face.
"Still, watching them grow up so quick and healthy has been a real joy."
Flio patted Elinàsze and Garyl on the head, Wyne still dangling from his
neck.
As he roughed up Elinàsze's hair, he could see a brilliant white jewel
through her bangs. She had had this jewel on her forehead since her birth.
Hiya had said this was a sign that sometimes appeared on children born
with the blessing of the goddess. It was very rare, though, and they had
never before seen an instance of it in actuality. Still, if having the gem on
her forehead ever put Elinàsze in danger, they would have to think about
hiding it with magic.
While he was thinking about magic and blessings, the impulse struck
Flio to check on his children's statuses. He cast Identify, and a window
popped up above both Garyl's and Elinàsze's heads. Stealth mode was set
on, so only Flio could see them.
Elinàsze (Child)
Lv: 0
Strength: 1
Defense: 1
Speed: 1
Magic: 3
HP: 3
Skills: None
Garyl (Child)
Lv: 0
Strength: 5
Defense: 3
Speed: 5
Magic: 1
HP: 3
Skills: None
Flio let out a sigh of relief. Their abilities seem normal for small
children, he thought. They're growing up so fast, but it looks like they didn't
end up with any weird powers like I did. He nodded, satisfied. "Okay, let's
go inside, everyone!"
They all went in together. Rys nuzzled up close to Flio, Elinàsze clung
to his arm, and Wyne was still hanging down from his neck. Garyl walked
normally. All of them were smiling—Flio as carefree as ever.