The world of Klyrode. A land of swords and sorcery, demons and
demihumans. A land where humans and demons have been at war since
time immemorial.
Conflict had arisen among demonkind between the Dark Army, led by
the Dark One Yuigarde, and the devil Zanzibar's rebellion. However, once
the Dark One himself took the field, it wasn't long before the rebels were
routed. Suddenly on the offensive, the Dark Army pursued Zanzibar's
surviving forces far into the desert region to the west. But they were too
greedy in their pursuit, and the excursion cost the Dark Army greatly.
While the demons fought amongst themselves, the Maiden Queen, who
ruled the greatest kingdom of humanity—the Magical Kingdom of Klyrode
—set plans in motion to put her kingdom's affairs in order and present a
strong front against the demons. But even though the demons showed no
signs of attacking, she never let down her guard. She even took regular
visits to the front lines of the war to assess the situation for herself.
With all the Queen's focus on domestic affairs, the Magical Kingdom of
Klyrode hardly seemed to be at war at all. The days were filled with peace
and prosperity.
And so the stage is set for our story...
◇Houghtow City—Flio's House◇
Flio sat in his living room on the first floor at the large table the
household typically ate their meals at. His arm outstretched, a magic circle
was glowing with a pale light from his fingertips.
"To cast the spell Teleportation," he said, "first you'll need to make this
magic circle. See it?" He pointed at the circle with his other hand.
The young girl Flio was teaching nodded seriously and looked intently
at the circle. She was pressed as close as she could to him so as not to miss
a single word of his explanation. This was Flio's daughter Elinàsze, the
older of his twin children. Because her mother Rys was a demon, she had
been growing up far faster than a human child.
Hiya and Damalynas were standing by the door a short distance away
and were watching Flio teach his daughter about magic. Hiya was known as
the djinn who commands the origin of light and darkness. They wielded
magics powerful enough to destroy the world itself. After their defeat at
Flio's hands, they had come to worship him, calling him the "Exalted One,"
and now they lived at his house. Damalynas, the Archmage of Midnight,
was likewise defeated by Hiya and came to worship them in turn. She spent
her time training with Hiya in the djinn's mindscape.
"The daughter of the Exalted One has a great aptitude for magic," Hiya
said. "It is a pleasure to watch her train. She is truly devoted."
"Isn't she just?" Damalynas agreed. "Seeing her hard at work following
Lord Flio's lessons every day... It's been making me think that I need to step
up my own effort." The two were getting passionate just watching.
"Okay," Flio said. "Now you try it. Concentrate..."
"Yes, papa. Is this right?" Elinàsze held out her arm and focused her
will. A pale light appeared at her fingertips.
Hiya and Damalynas leaned forward. "Incredible..." Hiya said.
"Teleportation, at her age?!"
"Unbelievable..." Damalynas marveled. "It took me a hundred years to
learn how to do that..."
Elinàsze continued to focus, and suddenly a vast array of magic circles
began to appear behind her, popping into existence one after another. Each
was about as big as the palm of her hand. They were rotating in wide circles
behind her back.
It was hard to notice with all the lights, but the jewel on Elinàsze's
forehead—a silver jewel she had been born with, a sign of the Goddess's
blessing—had begun to shine. She kept it hidden beneath her bangs, but it
was bright enough to shine through her hair. And as it grew brighter, so did
the magic circles orbiting behind her.
"What?!" Hiya and Damalynas could only give wide-eyed stares.
Flio watched his daughter intently before calling up her status screen so
that only he could see. It read:
Elinàsze (Child)
Lv: 5
Strength: ∞
Defense: ∞
Speed: ∞
Magic: ∞
HP: ∞
Skills: ∞
*Ability restrictions lifted due to Goddess's blessing
Flio put his hand on Elinàsze's shoulder. "Careful there!" he said. "It
looks like you focused too hard and accidentally started casting the wrong
spell!"
"H-Huh?" Elinàsze turned her head back to look over her shoulder. "I
did?" The light in her jewel went out, and the magic circles vanished.
Just to be sure, Flio checked her status one more time and saw that her
abilities had returned to normal.
Elinàsze (Child)
Lv: 5
Strength: ∞
Defense: ∞
Speed: ∞
Magic: ∞
HP: ∞
Skills: ∞
*Restrictions applied due to minor status
Flio sighed with relief. Elinàsze's magic is unstable... he thought. This
isn't the first time she's accidentally released her hidden power trying to
cast some other spell. I have to teach her better control... "All right,
Elinàsze," he said. "Let's take a short break and then try it again."
"I'm fine, papa!" Elinàsze said. "I don't need a break. I can try again
right now!"
"Now, now, Elinàsze," Rys said as she stepped into the living room.
"Your father said it's time for a break. Didn't you agree to do what you
were told during your magic lessons?" Rys was a lupine demon and a
former member of the Dark Army. After Flio had defeated her, she chose to
walk alongside him as his wife. She was the mother of Elinàsze and her
twin brother Garyl.
"But papa's so busy!" Elinàsze protested, puffing out her cheeks in a
pout. "He has so little time to teach me magic!"
Rys smiled and placed a cup of tea in front of Elinàsze, and another in
front of Flio. "You're being greedy, Elinàsze," she said. "Your father is busy
with his work at the Fli-o'-Rys General Store. But I'll be happy to help you
practice magic when he's away."
Elinàsze took a sip of tea and looked up at Flio with pleading eyes. "I
know..." she said. "But I want papa to teach me more spells..."
Flio smiled. "Actually," he said, "I was just thinking I should spend
more time teaching you."
"R-Really?" Elinàsze asked.
Rys looked at Flio with a concerned expression. "My lord husband, are
you sure? The shop keeps you so busy..."
"It'll be fine," Flio said. "I've had a lot more free time lately."
"You...have?" Rys asked, blinking in surprise.
◇Houghtow City—The Fli-o'-Rys General Store◇
While Flio was teaching his daughter magic, another Flio was in the Flio'-Rys General Store, doing business with a gorilla demihuman named
Khru. "In that case, sir," he said, leading his customer to one of the
weapons they had on sale, "perhaps I could interest you in this?"
"Hmm..." Khru said. "Another giant sword?"
"I believe that with your body type, Mister Khru, you might actually
find a sword of this size easier to use."
The Flio that was talking to Khru was not the usual grown-up Flio.
Rather, he appeared to be a young boy. However, due to the illusion magic
he was casting, most humans or demihumans would perceive him as the
usual Flio. Khru didn't suspect a thing.
Uliminas the hellcat watched the two talk as she worked. In times past,
she had assisted Ghozal, the former Dark One, as his confederate. But when
Ghozal quit the Dark Army, she went with him. Now she worked at the Flio'-Rys General Store in the guise of a demihuman. Not long ago, Ghozal
had married Uliminas, along with another woman, Balirossa.
As a hellcat—one of the stronger types of demon—Uliminas was
completely immune to illusion magic. She smirked as she watched Khru
conversing with what she could see as a young boy, himself none the wiser.
That Flio... Can mew believe he made a magic doll of himself? But it
seems like nobody meowtside the store's staff has noticed...
Uliminas snickered to herself as she recalled what had happened a few
days prior.
◇A Few Days Ago—The Fli-o'-Rys General Store◇
After closing the store one day, Flio took Ghozal and Uliminas aside to
have a talk. The chief issue of discussion was Flio's increase in workload as
the Fli-o'-Rys General Store continued to grow its business. Flio had to
meet with customers, customize their arms and armor to their
specifications, and create magic items. On top of that, he was expected to
dispatch teams to fight magic beasts and the Dark Army when either
encroached. There were other people working at the shop, of course, but
much of the work they were getting asked for Flio by name—things only
Flio could be trusted with. His daily life had become hellishly busy.
"I can help you with imbuing magic gems, at the very least," said
Ghozal. Ghozal was the former Dark One; he had ceded the throne to his
younger brother Yuigarde and now lived as a freeloader in Flio's house with
his two wives.
"Not in a mewllion years!" Suddenly, Uliminas struck Ghozal hard on
the back of his head with an oversized paper fan. It was a forceful blow, but
Ghozal didn't even seem to notice. He turned nonchalantly to look at
Uliminas.
"Why not?" he said. "I'm being serious."
"Refresh my mewmory..." Uliminas growled. "Who was it again who
imbued a magic gem with enough power to destroy the entire city?!"
"H-Hrm," said Ghozal. "What of it?"
"Don't mew 'what of it' me! I didn't notice how much magic mew'd
stuffed into that gem until after the fact, and then when I went to get it back,
it had already been sold! What are mew going to do if someowne uses our
purroducts for evil! It'll ruin meowr reputation!" Uliminas spoke in a quiet
voice so as to not alert anyone in the shop, but she was glaring daggers at
Ghozal.
"Hrm." Ghozal folded his arms. "Well, we'll deal with it when the time
comes. Ha ha ha!"
"This is not a laughing meowtter!" Uliminas struck the former Dark One
directly in his laughing face with her paper fan.
"Hey, hey," Flio said, smiling stiffly as he interposed himself between
the two. "There's no need for that. The magic gem seems to have already
been used up, and there's no indication that anyone used it for evil. That
being said, I did ask Greanyl if she could track down the four who bought
the gem..."
Uliminas muttered darkly, but she put her fan away and dropped the
subject.
"Hrm..." Ghozal mused. "If there's nothing I can do to help, why not
make a greater magic doll?"
"A magic doll?" Flio asked.
"Hrm." Ghozal nodded. "A magic doll is an artificial clockwork creature
demons know how to make. Even though they're created by magic, they
move around like living things. But the greater magic doll was something
created by Dorn Drin-drin, the phantom mage. But all of his grimoires have
been lost, and present-day demons only know how to make lesser magic
dolls. A greater magic doll would make those look like toys."
As Flio listened to Ghozal's explanation, he scrolled through a window
he had called up listing every spell he knew. One of the abilities Flio
obtained when he reached Level 2 was called Epiphany. If he were ever
affected by a spell he did not know, he would immediately learn every spell
that has ever existed in its tradition. At this point, Flio knew not only magic
practiced by humans, but also demonic magic and the magic of the Realm
of Evil.
"Demonic magic," Flio said, narrowing the search terms. "Creation
magic. Magic doll." With each term, the number of items he had to scroll
through got smaller and smaller.
"I suppose it was a long shot..." Ghozal said. "No matter how good you
are at magic, of course it would be impossible to rediscover how to make a
greater magic doll on the spot. Only Dorn has ever been capable of using
that spell. Even among demons, it's very—"
"There it is!" Flio said. "Create Greater Magic Doll!"
"Wh-What?!" Ghozal's eyes went wide, but Flio kept reading with his
usual carefree expression.
"It looks like there's three grades, actually," Flio said. "Greater,
Intermediate, and Lesser. Well, I suppose I'll just try casting the spell,
then."
"H-Hrm..." Ghozal said. "I suppose..."
As Ghozal watched in shock, Flio extended his arm and summoned a
truly grand magic circle. Incredible... Ghozal thought. I've never seen a
magic circle this intricate in my life! The circle began to revolve before,
slowly, a doll appeared.
When it first appeared, the doll was made of wood and had a blank face.
But quickly it transformed, its texture changing to resemble flesh, and its
shape becoming human. Before long, it was indistinguishable from a flesh
and blood person. It looked like Flio, but it was quite a bit smaller.
Younger-looking, in fact.
"Hmm..." Flio said. "This isn't quite what I imagined..."
"B-But the spell worked, Mister Flio!" said Ghozal. "Magic dolls
always look young. There was a magic doll in the Dark Citadel made by
Dorn himself. She looked like a young girl..."
"I see..." Flio muttered. "Well, it'll cause confusion if I leave it here
looking like that, so I'll cast an illusion to hide its body..."
Ghozal watched him work from behind, his body stiff and his eyes still
wide in disbelief. H-He created a Greater Magic Doll like it was nothing!
Next to him, Uliminas was feeling the exact same emotions.
◇ ◇ ◇
Yeah, yeah, Uliminas thought as she watched, back in the present, a
smirk on her face. He purrfected Create Greater Magic Doll, a spell even
Ghozal, the greatest Dark One in history, couldn't cast. And now we have
Minilio.
They had started calling the magic doll Minilio to distinguish him from
the usual Flio.
Well, at least with Minilio around, Flio doesn't have to spend all his time
in the store. Meowll's well that ends well, or something...
"Excuse me," a customer said, snapping her out of her thoughts. "May I
have this? And I also need a few magic gems for my magic lamp."
"Of course, of course! Thank mew for your purrchase!" Uliminas gave
them a friendly smile and retrieved the box of magic gems from under the
counter. Meanwhile, in the shop proper, Minilio was still helping Khru. It
looked like another busy day for the Fli-o'-Rys General Store.
◇Houghtow City—In Front of Flio's House◇
While Flio was teaching his daughter magic and Minilio was tending the
shop, a large man stood tall in the midst of the pasture in front of Flio's
house, where the former archer Byleri tended to her horse-type magic
beasts.
That man was Ghozal, freeloader and former Dark One. "Hrm," he said,
facing the young boy in front of him with his arms folded. "Come at me
when you're ready. From any direction."
The boy—Flio and Rys's son Garyl—cracked a grin. This was
Elinàsze's brother, and like her, the demon blood in his veins was causing
him to grow up much faster than most children.
"All right!" Garyl said, lowering his body in preparation. "I'll take you
out in one blow this time, Uncle Ghozal!" He dashed forward, lunging at
Ghozal with terrific speed.
Ghozal raised an eyebrow. "Hrm. A strong opening. But..." He turned
his back to Garyl and held out his hand behind him, snatching Garyl's strike
in midair. Garyl had rushed behind him in the blink of an eye to strike at his
back, but Ghozal saw through the attack and blocked it.
"You're never going to hit me with that speed, boy," Ghozal said.
"Shut up! I'm just getting started!" Garyl drew back and kicked off the
ground. He flew around to Ghozal's front side and aimed a string of
impossibly fast kicks at his face.
"Hrm! Not bad!" He lowered his stance, retreating to a guard to protect
himself from Garyl's kicks. I may be weaker when I'm not in my demon
form, Ghozal thought, but Garyl still managed to force me to guard! Hrm!
This is getting fun!
Ghozal grinned as he continued to block Garyl's attacks. By this point,
the spectacle had drawn a small crowd.
"That's Lord Flio's son for you!" said Sleip. "Lord Ghozal may not be in
his demon form, but that boy is pushing him to his limits."
Dalc Horst, in his human form, nodded. "I was just thinking the same
thing."
Sleip was once one of the Dark Army's Infernal Four, but he quit and
now lived at Flio's house where he helped out with the stables. Although he
was an old man, he and the former archer Byleri had become a married
couple in all but name. Dalc Horst had been the captain of Sleip's elite
soldiers, who had left with him when he quit the Dark Army. They spent
most of their time in horse form, doing jobs like pulling wagons for the
store.
Byleri looked between the two, confused. "Fweh?! Like, what's going
on?! I totally can't see anything!"
"Don't let it bother you, Byleri," said Balirossa. "I can't make it out
either."
"Hwah?! Like, even you can't?! But you're his wife!"
At the word wife, Balirossa went red in the face and began to stammer.
"I-I suppose I am, n-now that you mention it..."
Byleri stuck out her tongue.
Balirossa had once been a knight of Klyrode Castle, but she left her
order to live with Flio. Now she too worked in the general store. She and
Uliminas were both Ghozal's wives. In fact, the wedding had only been a
few days ago. Byleri herself had once been an archer, in the same company
of knights as Balirossa. Now she spent her time pursuing her real passion—
taking care of the horses with her partner Sleip.
"Neither of you should trouble yourself over it," Sleip said. "I imagine
that among my soldiers, only Dalc Horst can tell what's happening."
He wasn't wrong. Behind Dalc Horst, the other members of Sleip's
former elite were whispering to each other, confused.
"H-Hey," one said. "Can you see what's happening?"
"No... Not even a little bit."
"Even if he is the lupine Lady Rys's son, how can he move like that?!"
Byleri glanced at them and then leaned forward to whisper in Balirossa's
ear. "Hey, like, Balirossa?"
"Yes, Byleri?"
"You know, the men we've, like, given ourselves to are both totally
demons..." she said. "If we have kids, do you think it'll be like...y'know?"
"Ghak?!" The word kids made Balirossa turn red up to her ears. She
hadn't been expecting that at all. "Wh-Wh-What are you saying, Byleri?! II mean...I would love to bear my husband's, but—"
"Yeah..." Byleri said, blushing softly and bringing her hand to rest on
her own belly. "Totally. Like, bear children, right? Sounds nice..."
"Y-Yes," Balirossa said, copying Byleri and placing her own hand on her
belly reflexively. "I...cannot deny it."
Meanwhile, just ahead, Ghozal and Garyl were still having their match.
"Good," said Ghozal. "Good! Just like that, Garyl!"
"Grr! But you keep blocking my attacks!"
"Hah. I won't let you hit me that easily."
"'Let' nothing! I'm gonna hit you!"
Garyl struck for all he was worth, grinning the whole time, while
Ghozal, grinning just as much himself, kept blocking his attacks. They
showed no sign of ever stopping.
◇Earlier, on the Calgosi Coast◇
Far to the south of where Flio and his crew lived was the Calgosi Coast
—a long stretch of beach facing out towards the Calgosi inlet. It was
governed by the countess Junia Van Biel, the current head of the noble
house Van Biel. For some time now, there had been unrest in the streets of
the biggest city in the region, Al-Calgosi. After all, they could hear the
rumblings of cannons in the distance.
"Give me a break," Polseidon the sea dweller said, striding through the
ocean as a giant and wielding a great ax. "How many times are these pirates
going to attack us?!"
His ax, which was actually the black panther demihuman Rolindeim
transformed into a weapon, spoke. "Hey old man," she said, giggling. "I
keep telling you, you gotta handle me more gently! I may be hard as hell,
but even I have my limits, you know!"
"Oh stop whining, and just fight!" Polseidon yelled at the ax.
"Treat me better and I won't whine, dummy!"
Captain Eddsarch, the captain of the pirate fleet, laughed. "Gah ha ha!
They're quarreling, boys! This is our chance! Fire!"
"Aye aye, sir!" the pirate crew responded as one. At the captain's signal,
they fired a volley of cannonballs at the giant arguing with his ax.
"Ngh! Oh no!" Polseidon's eyes went wide.
"Idiot!" Rolindeim hissed. "You're gonna get an earful about this later,
right?"
Just then, a person appeared in front of them—Junia Van Biel, dressed
as a boy. She cast a magic barrier, blocking all of the cannonballs. "No... No
fighting," she said. "Please...f-focus."
"My sincere apologies, Countess!" said Polseidon.
"I'll do better, right!" said Rolindeim.
Junia nodded.
Junia Van Biel had been wielding her magic against Captain Eddsarch's
new crew, the Neo Blackbeard Corsairs. She was visibly exhausted.
"Gah ha ha!" Eddsarch laughed lecherously, thrusting his hips at Junia
in a crude pantomime. "Little Junia! Today's the day we're gonna capture
you! I'll do thiiis, and thaaat, and then finally, finally, I will check in at
last!"
The normally quiet Junia went beet red. "Y-You won't!" she shouted.
"This coast is under my protection! I will defeat you! You will never check
in!"
"Gah ha ha! Junia's so cute!" a pirate jeered.
"Look how red her face is!" piped in another.
"Sh-Shut up!" Junia began casting a spell.
Junia's familiar, the rukh avian Loplanz, gritted his teeth as he watched
from the beach. "C-Countess Van Biel..." he managed. "I... I have to help..."
Loplanz had been fighting along with the others, but this time Captain
Eddsarch had come prepared with antiair cannons. They had focused fire on
him until they knocked him out of the sky. He tried to stand, but his body
was in horrible shape. It wouldn't obey him. "At this rate, I'll...I'll never be
stronger than Wyne. I'll never be able to tell her I love her!"
"You called?" a familiar voice called out.
"H... Huh?!"
Looking down at him was Wyne. She was a dragonewt, and dragonewts
were the strongest fighters among dragonkind. Flio and Rys had saved her
when she collapsed on the road, and after that she came to live with their
family. She was still growing, and had a monstrous appetite.
"W-Wyne?!" Loplanz was shocked. Wyne was squatting down next to
him, not paying any particular attention to where her skirt was positioned.
When the wind lifted its hem, Loplanz got a full view of the dragonewt's
nethers. "I-I— Uh!" He covered his face with his hands, trying desperately
to hide how much he was blushing.
Wyne turned her attention towards the sea. "Hey," she said. "Aren't
those the same guys from before? Can I beat 'em up again? Please?"
"Huh? I, uh... Go right ahead."
"All right! Leave them to me!" Wyne grinned, and with a beat of her
powerful wings, took to the air. Before Loplanz's eyes, she transformed
from her humanoid form into a massive wyvern. For a second, the battle
stopped as everyone on the coast turned to gawk at the wyvern that had
appeared out of nowhere.
◇Later, on the Calgosi Coast◇
"Gheee..." Eddsarch whined. He and his minions were tied up on one
corner of the beach, still charred black from Wyne's dragon fire. Thanks to
Junia's spell, Bind, they were unable to get away. And even if they could
somehow break free, they were exhausted to a man. They sat there, not
moving a muscle.
"Well!" Polseidon said as he watched Wyne fly off. "I suppose it's Lord
Flio's daughter Wyne to the rescue again!"
"She's something else!" Rolindeim had returned to her usual form as a
small dark-skinned girl. She giggled as she poked Eddsarch's jiggling belly
with a stick. "That one girl is enough to burn down an entire fleet!"
Junia nodded happily.
Loplanz, however, looked miserable. "I'll never be stronger than her!"
he said. "Not only did Wyne have to come save me, but I wasn't even able
to help out!" Suddenly, an image popped into Loplanz's head. The image of
what he had inadvertently seen when he looked up Wyne's skirt.
Once again, he grew red. "I can't believe she doesn't wear anything
underneath..."
◇Flio's House◇
"I suppose that does it for today," said Flio.
"Yes, papa," said Elinàsze.
The two had just finished up Elinàsze's magical study when suddenly
Wyne flew in with no warning, a big smile on her face. "Hey, Eli-Eli!" she
said. "Are you done studying?"
"Sis!" Elinàsze cried. "Why are you naked?!"
Just as Elinàsze said, Wyne had burst into the room wearing absolutely
nothing at all.
"I got a bit too big," she said. "My clothing got all ripped up. But that
doesn't matter! If you're done studying, come play with me! C'mon, let's
play!" She grabbed Elinàsze's arm, seemingly unbothered by her own
nudity.
"Now, Wyne," said Flio. "This is why you should make sure you take
off your clothes before turning into a wyvern."
"Ehe hee," Wyne giggled. "I know. I forgot. Sorry, dada."
Flio smirked and held out his hand. A magic circle appeared, and
suddenly Wyne was wearing a new set of clothes. "There we go," he said.
"So where did you run off to, Wyne?"
"Just around," she said. "I felt like going for a flight."
"That's perfectly all right, as long as you stay near the house," said Flio.
"But make sure you don't wander too far alone."
"I know, I know!" Wyne said with a smile and a nod.
Flio looked curious about something. He cocked his neck. "By the
way..." he said.
"What is it, dada?"
"Did you make sure to put on your underwear before going out?"
Wyne hemmed and hawed, giving the matter some serious thought
before concluding, "I don't remember! Not one bit!"
In other words, Flio thought, she once again went out without wearing
underwear... Flio understood what had happened purely from the look on
Wyne's face. He smirked. "Make sure you check to see if you're wearing
underwear next time you go out," he told her. "If you're wearing a skirt,
people can see right up—"
"C'mon, Eli-Eli! Let's play!" Wyne said. She wasn't listening at all. "Is
Gare-Gare done yet? Can he play too?"
"Wyne..." Flio sighed as he watched.
Rys stepped up beside him, smiling softly. "You can't help going easy
on Wyne, can you, my lord husband? I suppose I'll have some words with
her later..."
"Sorry to put this on you..." Flio said. He watched Wyne bolt out the
window, smiling sardonically. Honestly... he thought. When children are
involved, nothing goes as planned...
◇The Streets of Houghtow City◇
Hero Gold-Hair and his party walked down the street, trying their
hardest not to stand out. They were wearing heavy hooded cloaks to
disguise their faces. After all, the Magical Kingdom of Klyrode had issued
a bounty for the capture of Hero Gold-Hair and his partner Tsuya, and put
wanted posters across the whole kingdom.
Behind Hero Gold-Hair and Tsuya followed their two new companions,
Riliangiu and Valentine.
"Well, Valentine?" Hero Gold-Hair asked. "How are you doing on food
—or rather, magic?"
"I am doing wonderfully," said Valentine, a huge smile on her face.
Valentine had once been one of the Twelve Evil Generals from the
Realm of Evil. Her body required a ridiculous amount of magic power to
sustain itself in Klyrode, away from her homeworld. It was necessary for
her to always seek magic energy.
She was in no position to find a valuable magic gem to gobble up, much
less a living creature with powerful magic. And so, she had been getting
almost all of her energy from food. But recently, the group had had a
windfall.
"With that magic gem you stumbled across, my lord, we should have no
cause to worry about magic depletion for at least another few months,"
Valentine said.
"Something told me I'd find a great deal on magic gems in that shop,"
Hero Gold-Hair mused. "But I wasn't expecting that gem to solve your
magic problems all on its own! That thing only cost as much as your
average meal! I knew coming to this city was worth the risk."
"But it's toooo baaad they only were selling one of those geeems..."
Tsuya said, slumping her shoulders.
"Indeed." Riliangiu folded her arms. "I've been watching their inventory
closely, and I haven't seen another gem on sale with so much concentrated
magic power."
"But anyway!" Hero Gold-Hair said, looking at his companions. "Me
and Tsuya are wanted criminals! We shouldn't spend too much time
wandering around town. We should leave for now and come back later."
"Yeees, sir!" Tsuya gave a small curtsy. Valentine and Riliangiu both
nodded.
"The Fli-o'-Rys General Store, was it...?" Hero Gold-Hair muttered to
himself as they continued through the city. As they walked, he reached into
his Bottomless Bag and pulled out a shovel.
◇Later, Near the Houghtow City Gates◇
Outside the city gates, Sybe the psychobear pulled along its cart, which
was stuffed absolutely full of fresh vegetables. Sybe was once a wild
psychobear, but one day it had a random encounter with Flio. Realizing it
had no hope of victory, it surrendered and came to live with him as his
family's household pet. It spent most of its time in its unicorn rabbit form—
a form Flio had given it the ability to turn into at will.
Blossom was walking alongside the psychobear as it pulled the cart.
Blossom was Balirossa's best friend, and like her, a former knight of
Klyrode. The two had left the kingdom together, and now Blossom spent
her time working on her farm.
"Let's get these veggies to the store right quick!" she said. "These are
merchandise!"
"Gwowr!"
After they had walked on a ways, Blossom noticed a crowd of people.
"Hm?" she murmured to herself. There was a group of guards gathered by
the gate, speaking urgently about something. Blossom, who passed through
this gate regularly, had many friends among the guards. She decided to
approach them.
"What's up, y'all?" she asked.
"Ah! Miss Blossom! Well...here. Look at this."
Blossom followed the guard's gaze to find, of all things, a giant hole.
"It's this hole," the guard said. "It goes all the way into the city from
underground. The only explanation I can think of is that somebody wanted
to flee the city without being checked at the gates..."
"And in that case," another guard added, "maybe they
were...say...someone who has wanted posters all over the kingdom?"
"But we patrol the walls every hour. We would have noticed someone
digging a hole this big! Or are you telling me that they dug this whole thing
in less time than that?"
"Hmm..." Blossom was just as stumped as the guards. She folded her
arms. You know, she thought. Back when I was a heavy-armor knight at
Klyrode Castle, I heard about a magic item that lets you dig holes super
fast. But that thing should be locked up in the castle sanctuary! The
Drilldozer Shovel, I think it was...
◇Flio's House, That Night◇
It was pitch black in the children's room. The magic lantern had been
turned off. Then, quietly, the door cracked open, and Flio and Rys stepped
inside. Taking care not to make too much noise, they entered the room and
walked up to the three-level bunk bed. Originally, the lowest bunk had been
Garyl's, the middle bunk Elinàsze's, and the top bunk Wyne's, but now all
three slept together in the bottom bunk. Wyne was in the middle, with Garyl
to her right and Elinàsze to her left, breathing softly and resting her head
against the twins' arms.
Rys smiled at the sight and said, "They look so comfortable."
"Yeah," Flio agreed, smiling as well. "They're such good siblings."
Flio and Rys watched the children sleep until they were satisfied, and
then left the way they had come in. "I know it's because they're part-lupine
from me," Rys said, "but I still can't believe they're already starting
school..."
"No kidding. It's shocking how fast they've grown up. To me, at least."
"I would have liked more time with them as babies," Rys huffed. "Garyl
started walking the very day after he was born, and Elinàsze began speaking
on the third..."
Flio gave Rys his usual easygoing smile. "They seem to be growing up
well, anyway."
"They are. I suppose I must be grateful for that, at least." Rys took Flio's
arm in her own. "I am truly lucky to have married you, my lord husband.
And I am truly lucky to be blessed with such healthy children."
"I feel like I'm the lucky one." They gazed into each other's eyes as they
walked along. And then, softly, they kissed, pulling away after just a
second. They were still in the hallway, after all.
Blushing softly, Rys wrapped her arm back around Flio's. "I expect our
Elinàsze and Garyl might be hoping for a younger brother or sister, my lord
husband. No, actually, I'm pretty sure they'll want both. And I'm certain
Wyne feels the same way."
"Huh?!"
Rys tightened her grip on his arm as she hurried him along. "We should
get started at once! Time and tide wait for no man, my lord husband!"
"Ah! I-I suppose..." As uneasy as Flio seemed about the prospect, he
nodded in agreement, and the two of them vanished inside their bedroom.
No sooner was Flio's door closed than the door to the neighboring room
quietly opened. Ghozal, Balirossa, and Uliminas poked their heads out, all
dressed in their nightclothes.
"Having kids hasn't made those two one bit less lovey-dovey..." Ghozal
said.
"Yes, quite so..." said Balirossa, pressing her body close to Ghozal's.
"B-But we have become quite 'lovey-dovey' as well, as you say..."
"Mew said it, Balirossa." Uliminas pressed up against Ghozal from the
other side. She wrapped her arms around Ghozal's left arm while Balirossa
took his right.
The door to Ghozal's room swung lazily shut. Inside, the sound of three
bodies impacting a bed could be heard.
Not long after, Hiya and Damalynas appeared in the hallway by
teleportation. They crept up to Flio's room, pressing their ears against the
door.
"It's no good, Your Divinity..." Damalynas whispered. "I can't hear
anything..."
"I should have known," Hiya whispered back. "The Exalted One is
skilled enough to conceal his presence with magic even when engaging in
intercourse with his wife. The room seems to be warded against
clairvoyance as well."
The pair moved to Ghozal's door, every bit as stealthy as before, and
once again pressed their ears against it.
"I can't hear anything here either..." Damalynas muttered.
"I should have known," Hiya said. "The strongest of the demon royals is
canny enough to use concealment magic even while taking two partners at
once..."
The two shared a disappointed look.
"What do we do, Your Divinity?" Damalynas asked. "We could study
how Lord Sleip and Lady Byleri have sex in their room at the stables..."
"No," said Hiya. "This has been enough for today." They wrapped an
arm around Damalynas's shoulder, pulling her into a gentle hug. "Shall we
return to my mindscape and review our previous training with Maglion?"
Damalynas broke out in a giddy smile. "Y-Yes! Gladly!"
As the djinn who commands the origin of light and darkness, Hiya was
capable of manifesting whatever sexual organs they wished. They had
already changed their genitals to a man's in advance of their training. "Then
let us be off."
"Yes!"
Hiya vanished to their mindscape, Damalynas held close in their arms.
After Hiya and Damalynas left, two more doors creaked open. One was
Blossom's, and the other was Belano's. They glanced at each other.
"Goodness gracious!" Blossom said. "Everyone in this house sure seems
to be getting along, huh?"
Belano nodded.
"Hey Belano. How 'bout the two of us single gals get a drink together?"
Belano shook her head. "I have to...get ready for work..."
"Ah, of course. I suppose that's that, then. I won't push ya."
Belano nodded again and closed her door, returning to her room.
"No luck, huh?" Blossom grimaced to herself. "I suppose I'll be
drinking by my lonesome, then..." she said as she made her way downstairs.
◇Flio's House, The Following Morning◇
Flio and Rys slept peacefully, naked in the big bed in their room, their
nightwear scattered around them. Rys was resting her head on Flio's
shoulder, safe in his arms.
The first rays of sunlight began to filter in through the gaps in the
curtains, making Flio slowly blink his eyes open. He could hear someone
running in the hallway.
Rys's ears perked up at the sound. "M-My lord husband! This
presence!" She kicked the covers off, quickly retrieving the clothes she had
unceremoniously tossed aside in last night's haste.
Seconds later, they could hear the door to their chambers fly open with a
loud bang. And then their bedroom door followed suit. Standing there were
Wyne and Garyl.
"Papa, the sun's out!" said Garyl. "I wanna train!"
"C'mon, let's play!" said Wyne.
"No, Wyne! I don't wanna play, I wanna train!"
"Oh! In that case, c'mon, let's train!"
Flio and Rys smirked as they looked down at their children. They had
gotten their clothing on just seconds before the two had burst into their
room—though there hadn't been time to put on any underwear.
"All right, all right!" said Flio. "I'll head to the pasture in just a bit. You
two go on ahead."
"Okay!" said Garyl.
"Yay! Let's go play!" said Wyne.
"I told you, Wyne! We're not playing!"
"Oh, right!"
The two left just as noisily as they had arrived. "My lord husband..."
said Rys. "Perhaps from now on it would be best to put our nightclothes
back on before we sleep..."
"It might be," Flio said. "I have a feeling it's going to be like this every
morning from now on."
The two shared a look.
"Good morning, by the way, Rys," said Flio.
"Good morning, my lord husband," said Rys.
The two kissed. Their awakening had been a bit more chaotic than usual,
but they always made sure to exchange their usual morning greetings.