After returning from her inspection of the Magical Kingdom of Klyrode,
the Maiden Queen set herself to restructuring her kingdom's defenses. She
had new, stronger fortifications built. She had the roads leading to the front
lines maintained. She even rethought the supply chain itself. The Magical
Kingdom had never been more prepared for the Dark Army to attack.
The Dark Army, meanwhile, had still yet to hear a single word from the
Dark One Yuigarde since he led his forces in pursuit of the rebels. They
were unable to implement any kind of strategy, and morale was plummeting
by the day.
◇In a Forest◇
A ragtag group of four made their way through a forest overgrown with
trees and ivy. The one man in the group—an intrepid blond who went by
the name Hero Gold-Hair—turned to face Tsuya as she led the way, holding
a map in one hand. "Hey, Tsuya," he said. "Are you sure this is the right
way?"
Tsuya smiled. As usual, she was wearing a set of truly scanty clothing,
which she hid underneath her heavy cloak. "Yes, Hero Gooold-Hair! We're
aaalmost at the booorders of the Maaagical Kiiingdom! We shooould reach
the ciiity soon..."
Gold-Hair nodded. "Those magic beasts we slayed in the Dark Army's
territory should fetch a high price from the human adventure guild! We
should sell them as soon as we can." He patted the Bottomless Bag he wore
on his belt. Inside it, he had stuffed a huge number of magic beast carcasses
—Hero Gold-Hair and his Drilldozer Shovel had been busy indeed, hunting
magic beasts with pitfall traps.
This had been their lifestyle for some time. They would sneak into Dark
Army territory, somewhere near the Klyrode border, where they would trap
magic beasts to sell in the Magical Kingdom of Klyrode for funds for their
continuing journey.
Valentine was taking up the rear, bouncing cheerfully on her feet as she
walked—practically skipping. "Hee hee hee! And then we can get a
delicious meal in the city, my lord! Oh, it's been too long!"
"I suppose," said Hero Gold-Hair. "But didn't you fill up your magic
with that super high-powered magic gem we bought the other day? I
thought you didn't need to eat again for a while."
Valentine wagged her finger. "Oh, don't be so boorish, my lord! True, I
have no reason to worry about running out of power, but... Oh, what is it
that you humans say? 'That was then, and this is now'!" She pressed her
hands to her cheeks, color rising in her face as she began to smile
deliriously at the thought of food. "Meat...and soup...and bread...and those
lovely little fried things! My, I've had all sorts of delicious food since I
came to this world! I can hardly even remember all of them!"
Hero Gold-Hair staggered back, taken off guard by Valentine's
enthusiasm. But Valentine stepped closer, pressing her upper body against
him. "Life would be terribly dull if we didn't taste something delicious
every now and then. Don't you agree, my lord?"
"I-I suppose I do enjoy a bit of good food myself..." Hero Gold-Hair had
to admit.
"Isn't it just lovely?" Valentine gushed. "Now come, my lord! Now that
that's settled, we must reach the Magical Kingdom of Klyrode with all
haste! The delicacies are calling out to us!"
Valentine rushed ahead past Tsuya to the front of the group. She was
skipping properly now and even began to sing.
Riliangiu, who had once served under Valentine as a familiar of the
Mistress of Evil, watched in disbelief. She's acting like a child! she thought.
Completely improper! Is this really the former General Valentine of the
Twelve Evil Generals? The Mad Marquise herself? I can hardly believe my
own eyes! She watched said Mad Marquise skipping along without a care in
the world, humming innocently to herself. But...I think I like her better this
way.
Riliangiu ran along after Valentine as Hero Gold-Hair lagged behind. As
the two Dark Worlders went on ahead, he moved up to Tsuya and whispered
in her ear, "Well, Tsuya? How are we doing on money?"
"Juuust fine!" she whispered back. "Thanks to all those maaagic
beeeasts you trapped, we have looots of money!"
"I see... Then perhaps it is a good time to treat her to a good meal."
"I gueeess..." Tsuya said. "But is that really a gooood idea, Hero
Gooold-Hair?"
"Hm? What do you mean?"
"Miss Valentine will eat aaanything! The ooother day I saw her eating
raw magic beast meat! It seems like a waaaste to buy her nice food..."
"Don't be ridiculous!" Hero Gold-Hair rejoined. "That's exactly why we
need to take her to a decent restaurant!"
"Huuuh?"
"That girl has been a huge help fishing up the magic beasts I hunt out of
the pitfall traps! What kind of leader would I be if I didn't reward her for
her effort?!"
"Sh-She haaas?" Tsuya blinked.
"Yes, she has! I'm sure she's doing it because she wants to eat
something properly delicious."
"W-Wooow! I didn't knooow that!"
"We're a team!" Hero Gold-Hair went on. "I'm counting on you too,
Tsuya. Make sure you take care of the money stuff."
"Okaaay, Hero Gooold-Hair! Leave it to meee!"
Hero Gold-Hair nodded, satisfied. "Although if I'm being honest," he
muttered, "I could go for some good food myself..."
"Hm?" Tsuya asked. "What was that, Hero Gooold-Hair?"
"I didn't say anything! Not one word!"
"My lord! My lady!" Valentine called back to the pair. "We should pick
up the pace if we want to get there soon!"
"R-Right!" said Hero Gold-Hair. "Good thinking, Valentine. Come on,
Tsuya! Let's hurry!"
"O-Okaaay!" Tsuya curtsied, and the two of them ran along after
Valentine. She had gotten a decent ways ahead, so it took them some time
to catch up.
◇The Dark Citadel◇
In the Dark Citadel's westernmost tower, Rayne the pandaman and Iuki
the spider demon were standing watch. Rayne was munching on some
bamboo from a nearby grove as he gazed out into the west when he seemed
to notice something. "Hmmm?" He leaned out over the ramparts.
"You see something, Rayne?" Iuki asked.
"Something weird's happening in the desert..."
"The desert, you say?" Iuki went to take a look himself. The desert
stretched far to the west of the tower. And on the far horizon, he could see
something moving. "You're right..."
"Hmmm..." Rayne mumbled.
The two strained their eyes as they tried to figure out what was going on.
Whatever it was, it was very far away for now, but there was no mistake—it
was moving in their direction.
"I-Is that—?!" Iuki suddenly exclaimed. It looked like a group of
demons in the desert.
"It... It is!" Rayne shouted. "It's the Dark One! It's the Dark One
Yuigarde!"
Rayne slammed down on the tower's alarm button, and within moments
a loud siren rang all throughout the tower. Whee-oo! Whee-oo!
"An alarm?!"
"What?! What's happening?!"
The demons inside the tower all rushed outside to see the Dark One
Yuigarde at the head of his rebel subjugation force, slowly drawing closer.
◇Five Days Later—Dark Citadel, Throne Room◇
Before long, demons all over the land had heard of Yuigarde's return.
Many demon clans sent emissaries to the Dark Citadel to offer their
congratulations and well-wishes. For the first time in a long while, the
building was full of life and activity.
And then, five days later, a great conference was held in the throne
room. The Dark One Yuigarde was there, of course, as were the Dark
Army's Infernal Four and representatives of powerful demon clans and
lords in charge of this domain or that. It was the long-awaited meeting of all
the authorities under the aegis of the Dark Army.
Yuigarde sat gloomily before the assembled crowd, one elbow propped
on his throne's armrest, his fist supporting his head. He looked nothing
short of exhausted. It was like all of his drive and fury had vanished,
leaving him empty.
Yorminyt the Serpent Princess glared at Yuigarde, barely concealing her
rage. Next to her, her colleague Hugi-Mugi sighed with both of their heads.
It looked like their mind (or possibly minds?) was elsewhere.
The last of the three remaining Infernals, the skeleton Calsi'im, by
contrast, stood at rapt attention, not moving an inch. Goodness! he thought.
It looks like this conference has gotten off to a bad start!
Calsi'im's minion, the magic doll Tia, shuffled up from behind him.
"Calsi'im," she said. "I thought I should be here in case something
unfortunate happens, so that I may serve tea to everyone and settle their
emotions."
"I see..." Calsi'im mused. "That's a big help! Thank you, Tia."
"Of course," Tia said. "This is the purpose for which I was made."
"Tia... You've been working yourself to the bone, haven't you?"
"Calsi'im, you promised not to worry about how much I work,
remember?"
"Ahem!" Yuigarde's underling Phufun cleared her throat and adjusted
her false glasses. She looked over at Calsi'im and Tia. "Lord Calsi'im, may
we begin the conference?"
Calsi'im and Tia immediately stepped away from each other. "Ah! Of
course, of course!" the skeleton cried. "My apologies!" Tia moved behind
her master.
That settled, Phufun looked over the whole of the throne room. "Now.
You have been gathered here today for one reason: our master, the Dark
One Yuigarde, has returned from his expedition. I would therefore like to
commence today's executive conference."
"May I go firssst?" Yorminyt's hand shot up the very instant Phufun
finished her opening remarks. Yuigarde didn't move a muscle; only his eyes
turned to look at her. "Your vanguard, O Dark One, wasss quite the
magnificent force, wasss it not?" Yorminyt began. "You even went ssso far
as to take my own persssonal guard, without notifying me firssst. In which
cassse, my liege, I mussst ask: where are my sssoldiers? I have heard
rumorsss that you were accompanied by ssscarcely a thousssand demonsss
when you returned. Isss thisss true?"
"Ah," Phufun said, doing her best to appear calm. "Yes. About that..."
"Can it." Yuigarde held up his hand.
"Did you just tell me to...'can it'?" Phufun asked.
"Phufun," said Yuigarde. "You don't gotta say anything. I'll do the
talking." Slowly, he stirred on his throne, bellyaching as he sat up straight.
"Yeah. It was just a bit more than a thousand who came back with me. The
rebels messed up our supply lines or whatever real bad. We didn't have any
godsdamned food. If you wanna know where the rest of the soldiers are,
well, they all just went and left."
Yorminyt shot him an icy glare. "And? Your sssupply linesss were
sssevered, and your sssoldiers were dessserting. What did you do then?"
"What the hell do you think?! I kept advancing! We had to kill
Zanzibar!"
"And did you?" Yorminyt asked.
Yuigarde grumbled and clicked his tongue.
"And did you?" Yorminyt repeated.
Yuigarde shot to his feet. "Tch! You seem to have a lot to say about it,
don't you, snake?!" he shouted, no longer able to conceal his anger. His
whole body turned red and began to grow as he shouted. "In the first place,
they're your elite guard, aren't they?! Lazy bastards just whining and
moaning! A bunch of deserters! Just goes to show you never gave them
proper discipline!"
Yuigarde growled before shouting some more. "And you! Hugi-Mugi!
Your underlings sucked! No matter how many times I told them to scout,
they never found anything useful!" He turned to his minion. "And Phufun!
I'm angry with you too! I sent you tons of messages telling you to bring
supplies, but we never got anything to eat! Are you shitheads even taking
this seriously?!"
"M-Master!" Phufun objected. "I've explained the matter with the
supplies to you time and time again! Your orders never reached us! I had no
idea what the rebels had done! None of us even imagined that you weren't
getting supplies!"
"Enough excuses!" Yuigarde bellowed, slugging Phufun full-on in the
face with enough force to send her flying. Her body crashed into the wall of
the throne room, lodging itself inside.
Phufun hacked out blood, her eyes rolling back in her head. But on her
face was a big stupid grin. Hee hee hee... Hee hee hee hee hee...! This pain!
This sweet, beautiful pain! Master Yuigarde! This is what I've been looking
for all this time! Aaaah... To think I should be allowed to taste such a
splendid, lovely attack! I must be the luckiest succubus to ever live...
A number of demons rushed to help Phufun, only to recoil when they
noticed the look of bliss on her face. She was giggling intermittently despite
the damage.
"Wh-What is Her Ladyship doing...?"
"I don't know. But it's creeping me out..."
For all that Phufun dressed herself like a dominatrix, the truth is that she
was a masochist down to her very bones. She just about worshipped
Yuigarde for the sweet, sweet pain he could inflict on her body. Far from
being in distress, she looked like she was in a state of ecstasy.
Meanwhile, the throne room was noisy with demons whispering about
the latest developments.
"Did he just punch Her Ladyship?!"
"Isn't this whole thing his fault in the first place?"
"He ordered the army to advance with no provisions...?"
"You can hardly blame someone for deserting under those conditions."
"He took the Infernal Four's underlings without asking their leave?"
The whole room seemed to be against Yuigarde. Not one person could
be heard speaking in his defense. Yuigarde looked around the room,
grunting and grumbling. And then he sighed.
"Screw this!" he shouted. "I quit!" He took off the armlet that signified
his status as Dark One, hurled it against the throne, and stormed out of the
room.
That armlet was a priceless treasure—proof that its wearer was the true
Dark One. It had passed from generation to generation of Dark Ones to
reach Yuigarde's hands. And now it was sitting untended on top of the
throne.
◇The Western Desert◇
Deep in a desert cave, concealed from view to the outside, hid Zanzibar
and his rebels. With the help of the demon fox sisters, who were intimately
familiar with the desert, they had been easily able to outwit Yuigarde and
were currently living the high life as refugees.
The Shadow King had charged them an arm and a leg for their luxury,
but Zanzibar, who was from a prestigious family of bloodsuckers, had
plenty of treasure stashed away all over the land. As long as he could evade
the Dark One's pursuit, he would have no trouble paying up.
One day, Zanzibar was lounging on the sofa, drinking fine liquor, when
Meiden burst in through the door with a report that made him leap to his
feet.
"What?!" he said. "Is that true, Meiden?"
"There is no doubt, Master," Meiden said. "We had not heard any
reports of Yuigarde's forces nearby for some time, so I sent our scouts to
investigate. It seems that the enemy has retreated to the Dark Citadel, for
want of food."
"Gah ha ha!" Zanzibar laughed, thumping his chest triumphantly. "Then
our plan to use the demon fox sisters to disrupt their supply lines was a
success! I wish I could see the look on Yuigarde's face!" He grinned widely,
laughing like a maniac. He'd had nothing but misfortune and defeat until
now. Meiden had never seen her master look so happy.
When he eventually stopped laughing, he turned his attention back to
Meiden. "And how is the army faring now that they've turned tail?" he
asked.
"I have heard that they now have only around a thousand demons. Many
of their number deserted; others chose to join our forces."
"Incredible! He started out with scores of thousands of soldiers! Oooh,
he must be tearing apart the Dark Citadel!"
"What makes you say that?"
"Isn't it obvious? Yuigarde mobilized his entire army for this! And now,
not only did he completely waste his fighting strength, but he didn't even
achieve his objective of killing me! I'm sure all sorts of demons will be
finding fault with him now. Tell me, Meiden, what do you suppose he'll
do?"
"Hmm..." Meiden gave it some thought. "Yuigarde is short-tempered, of
course, and an idiot to boot. I'm certain you're correct, Master."
The two shared a look, both smiling deviously.
"Meiden," said Zanzibar, "send spies to the Dark Citadel. We need to
learn what exactly is happening there. And depending on the
circumstances... Aha ha ha ha!"
"Yes, Master. It will be done immediately." Meiden bowed and left the
room in haste.
Zanzibar grinned as he watched her go. "This might just be our chance
to finally seize the Dark Citadel!" he said, draining another glass of liquor.
◇Meanwhile...◇
While Zanzibar laughed to himself, Gintsuno the Silver was in a small
room directly above, watching him closely. Kintsuno the Gold had created a
magic window here when Zanzibar had taken refuge with them, mostly for
the purpose of spying. The room itself was hidden with a powerful
Concealment spell, so Zanzibar and Meiden never noticed they were being
watched.
They had to rebuild the spy room every time Yuigarde's army got close
and flee to a different safe house, of course, but they billed Zanzibar for the
cost along with all of the rest of the protection fees they were making him
pay. It was hidden amongst a truly tedious list of sundry expenses, so
Zanzibar's people never noticed they were being charged for the privilege
of being spied on.
Gintsuno scowled as she watched the proceedings. "Well, this isn't
good. We were supposed to be leading them around the nose of the Dark
Army, milking them for protection money the whole time! We even slipped
in a few falsehoods to make them think they were in more danger than they
were! If the Dark Army's gone, Zanzibar might find out he's been lied to. I
need to tell the Shadow King..."
Sighing in agitation, Gintsuno left through the room's secret door.
◇Deeper in the Cave◇
Gintsuno the Silver cautiously exited the secret room through a door
designed to look like a natural cave wall and headed deeper into the cave to
where she and her sister had their private chamber. There were several
rooms here—one for the Shadow King, one for the demon fox sisters, and
one for their underlings.
Soon, all three of them—Gintsuno the Silver, Kintsuno the Gold, and the
Shadow King—were gathered together, discussing what Gintsuno had
learned.
"You're right," the Shadow King said, clicking his tongue. "This isn't
good at all."
The Shadow King had once been the ruler of the Magical Kingdom of
Klyrode, but when his evil deeds came to light, including his
misappropriation of public funds for his own selfish ends, his own daughter
Elizabeth had him removed from the castle and took the throne to reign as
the Maiden Queen.
But the Shadow King wasn't finished. He had always been the head of a
secret underworld organization, and now that he was no longer King of
Klyrode, he devoted all of his time to that enterprise. He took to calling
himself the Shadow King, and joined forces with the demon fox sisters.
"That devil... Zanzibar, was it?" the Shadow King said. "I'm certain he
has more money stowed away. We were making a real killing off his
protection money. But if the Dark One is gone, our scheme won't work!"
Kintsuno sighed. "So it seems," she said. "And here I thought we had
gotten our hands on a real whale..."
The Shadow King nodded in agreement and turned to look at Gintsuno.
"Tell me, Gintsuno. Do you know when Zanzibar plans to leave us?"
"Well," Gintsuno said, giving it some thought, "Zanzibar told his minion
Meiden to send spies to the Dark Citadel. If you consider how long it
should take them to get there, gather information, and return...I would
imagine they'll be here another fortnight, at the very least."
"Hmm... A fortnight..." The Shadow King reached into his suit pocket
and pulled out a scroll, which he unfurled on the large table in the middle of
the room.
"A map?" Kintsuno observed.
"Is that a map of the Dark Army's territory?" asked Gintsuno.
"It is indeed! But..." He pointed to the map, indicating a number of
places where they could see a small red X printed.
"What do those markings mean?" Kintsuno asked.
"Those, my friend, are..." the Shadow King began, indicating for
Kintsuno and Gintsuno to come closer. He whispered something
surreptitiously into their ears. The fox sisters nodded along, and when the
Shadow King's explanation was finished, they all burst out in grins.
"Incredible!" Kintsuno yipped.
"You planned that far ahead?" Gintsuno marveled.
"Well," the Shadow King said, "I think you understand the situation. I'll
leave the rest in your hands."
"Of course!" Kintsuno said.
"Leave it to us!" Gintsuno added.
The two darted out of the room, while the Shadow King stayed behind,
grinning wickedly.
◇Three Days Later—The Dark Citadel, Phufun's Chambers◇
It took three entire days for Phufun to regain consciousness after being
lodged in the wall by Yuigarde's punch. It was Coqueshtti, the little mad
scientist girl, who broke the news to her.
"Wh-What?!" Phufun exclaimed, jumping out of her bed. "Master
Yuigarde has been missing for three days?!" Her face went pale. She did her
usual gesture of adjusting her false glasses, but since she had only just
woken up, her glasses were still resting on her bedside table. All she did
was poke at the bridge of her nose.
"Y-Yes, my lady..." Coqueshtti answered, holding up Yuigarde's armlet
for Phufun to see. "He left this behind in the throne room before vanishing."
"He... He left behind the crest of the Dark One? Don't tell me he's
forsaken the Dark Army...!" Phufun put on her glasses and properly
adjusted them this time. "No. I refuse to believe it. The state of the Dark
Army weighs heavily on Master Yuigarde's heart. He is only secluding
himself for a time—that must be it!" Phufun used a spell to conjure her
usual outfit and hurried out the door.
Coqueshtti chased after her. "E-Excuse me, my lady!" she said. "Where
are you going?!"
"Isn't it obvious? I have to find Master Yuigarde so I can convince him
to return to the Dark Citadel!"
"Uh... Um..."
"What? Do you still have something to say?"
"Oh! Um... What should we do with this?" Coqueshtti asked, again
holding up the armlet.
Phufun's expression went stiff. Th-That's right... Someone needs to serve
as regent while the Dark One is away... After thinking for a while, she
motioned for Coqueshtti to follow her down the hallway and said, "Come
with me."
"Wh-Wh-What?!" Coqueshtti exclaimed. "Yes! Yes, my lady!"
◇The Dark Citadel—Yorminyt's Chambers◇
Phufun moved through the hallways of the Dark Citadel to stop outside
of one room in particular—the personal chambers of the Serpent Princess
Yorminyt, head of the Infernal Four. She knocked, opened the door, and
brought Coqueshtti inside.
"Lady Yorminyt," she said. "I would like to talk with you about—"
Phufun stopped in her tracks. Yorminyt's room was usually decorated and
partitioned with many folds of gossamer cloth strung about. But now it was
empty, with no sign of the cloth or even much furniture at all.
"Wh-What in the world...?" Troubled, Phufun pressed her glasses up
against the bridge of her nose.
Coqueshtti waved her arms, getting Phufun's attention. It seemed like
she had noticed something. "My lady!" she said. It was an envelope left
lying on the desk. "There's something here!"
"What could that be...?" Phufun wondered. She took the envelope from
Coqueshtti and opened it. "No!"
Inside were two Demon Rings, and a note reading simply, "Sssee you."
The Demon Ring was a ring set with a magic gem granted by the Dark
One to the members of his army as a sign of the oath of fealty they had
taken. If one could no longer follow the Dark One's orders, they were to
return the Demon Ring and leave the Dark Army immediately.
"These rings belong to Yorminyt and her assistant Helzarmas!"
"Their Demon Rings?" Coqueshtti echoed. "Then those two are..."
Phufun wobbled on her feet, clutching the letter and the two rings.
Coqueshtti gave her a worried look. "U-Um... My lady, is something the
matter?"
"W-Well!" Phufun said. "I'll just have to convince Yorminyt to come
back to the Dark Citadel as well, after I persuade Yuigarde! But first...who
to pick as regent...?"
Phufun placed the letter and rings in her magical storage and left the
room, Coqueshtti hurrying along behind her. Two bats had been watching
them from the ceiling, but neither Phufun nor Coqueshtti noticed.
◇The Dark Citadel—Hugi-Mugi's Abode◇
The doppeladler Hugi-Mugi took for their residence the large hollow
underneath the Dark Citadel itself. As an enormous two-headed bird, they
needed more space than the Dark Citadel offered to stretch their wings; this
allowed them to spend time in their natural form.
"Excuse me, Lords Hugi-Mugi!" Phufun cried as she entered in evident
haste. Usually, Hugi-Mugi could be found sleeping in the middle of the
hollow, but today they were nowhere to be seen. "H-Hm? Are they, perhaps,
still in their demon form?"
Phufun spread her own wings and flew around the room, poking all
over, but Hugi-Mugi was nowhere to be seen. "How strange..." she
muttered, an expression of growing panic on her face as she adjusted her
glasses. "Ah?" After the umpteenth time around the room, Phufun noticed
something shining on the giant rock Hugi-Mugi used as a bed. Phufun
alighted beside it to get a closer look.
"Th-This is...!" Phufun's face stiffened and her eyes went wide. There,
on the rock, was Hugi-Mugi's Demon Ring. It can't be! Not only Lady
Yorminyt, but Lords Hugi-Mugi as well?! Beads of cold sweat began to run
down her forehead as she adjusted her glasses again and again. It was a
nervous gesture she did to calm her nerves, and right now she needed her
nerves to be calm so she could think.
"My lady..." Coqueshtti looked up at Phufun, deeply worried.
◇The Dark Citadel—Calsi'im's Chambers◇
Calsi'im's chambers were on the second floor of the Dark Citadel. The
skeleton hadn't wanted any kind of grand quarters, but his room seemed far
too modest to be the lodgings of an Infernal.
Phufun knocked and knocked, and then burst into the room. "Lord
Calsi'im!"
But nobody responded.
Phufun glanced all over up and down the cozy room as Coqueshtti
caught up. There was hardly any space to miss someone, yet there was no
sign either of Calsi'im or of his minion Tia.
"L-Lord Calsi'im can't have turned his back on the Dark Army too, can
he?" Phufun said, busying herself with her glasses as the nervous
perspiration increased again in quantity.
"Oh no, oh no..." Coqueshtti said, covering her mouth with both hands.
"Whatever is going to become of the Dark Army?!"
◇Flio's House—The Stables◇
While Phufun and Coqueshtti were standing in Calsi'im's room,
stunned, Sleip was laughing heartily in the management room of the stables.
"Well now, Calsi'im!" he said. "I never thought I'd see you show up here
dressed like that!"
"Dressed like what now? Is something wrong?" Calsi'im asked, cocking
his neck as he looked curiously at Sleip from his perch, sitting on his folded
knees atop the sofa. He was wearing the same outfit he'd worn in the Dark
Citadel—an ornate set of robes—and was carrying a grand staff. Every last
detail of his appearance absolutely screamed "demon."
Sleip, incidentally, was dressed in a pair of overalls.
"Oh!" Calsi'im said suddenly. "That! Well, you know. At my age, I
hardly have any magic power left to detect! As long as I keep the hood of
this lovely robe Tia made up, I'll look like nothing more than a frail old
human!" He laughed, clacking his lower jaw like a rattle.
Sleip, sitting across from him on the sofa he used to entertain guests and
customers, joined in the laughter. "Regardless, I can't believe you came all
this way to bring me some old effects I left behind at the Dark Citadel!" he
said. "We were old colleagues in the Dark Army, I know, but there really
was no need to go that far."
There were two wooden crates set on the floor next to Sleip. Inside,
packed neat and tidy, were a number of things Sleip had left in his chambers
in the Dark Citadel when he had left.
"Now, now, don't be silly," Calsi'im said. "It would never do to have my
comrade's possessions sitting around gathering dust! That would be most
upsetting. But Sleip...there's something I want to ask." He produced a letter
from his robes and set it on the desk.
It read: "We wish for peace."
"I found this when I was packing up your room," Calsi'im said. "Now,
I'm terribly sorry to have looked at your mail, but I must ask—who in the
world wrote this letter?"
"Oh, that," Sleip said. "I wasn't trying to hide it or anything. Actually,
you could say my elite soldiers and I owe our lives to the writer of that
letter. He is someone who wishes for peace for all the world, from the
bottom of his heart."
"My!" Calsi'im said in response, glancing at the letter once more.
"I'm sure you've heard of the Wolf of Justice?" Sleip asked.
"That's that man in a wolf mask who's allied himself with the Magical
Kingdom of Klyrode, isn't it? I've heard he'll go far out of his way to avoid
killing demons, and he always releases his captives unharmed. Most
peculiar for a human!" Calsi'im nodded. "I see... So the letter was from
him..."
"It was," Sleip confirmed. "And I mean it when I say that it's thanks to
the Wolf of Justice that I'm able to enjoy my retirement like this."
Just then, the door opened, and Byleri entered. "Like, greetings!" she
said. "I, y'know, made tea!" Grinning, she set a cup each in front of
Calsi'im, Tia, and Sleip.
"Ah, thank you, Byleri!" said Sleip.
"Like, totally!" Byleri beamed. "After all Dalc Horst and everyone's
done to help with the horsies, making tea is, like, the least I can do,
y'know?"
Calsi'im watched the two lovebirds smile at each other, his eyes shining.
"I see!" he said. "Not just a peaceful retirement, but a wife too, eh, Sleip?
How splendid!"
"Aha ha..." Sleip chuckled. "Well...I suppose!"
"Ehe hee!" Byleri giggled happily. "Like, thank you so much!"
◇ ◇ ◇
In the lounge of the stables, Sleip and Calsi'im chatted on.
"I'm sorry for the delay, Mister Sleip," Flio said, smiling as he entered
the room and sat down next to the lichsteed at his urging.
"Not at all, not at all!" Sleip said. "I'm sorry to have bothered you while
you're so busy!" Then he turned to Calsi'im. "Calsi'im, this is the Mister
Flio I mentioned. He's a friend of the Wolf of Justice—the man who wrote
that letter."
Sleip, of course, knew perfectly well that Flio himself was the Wolf of
Justice. He gave him a small wink, inconspicuous enough that Calsi'im
couldn't see.
It seems like Mister Sleip wants to introduce me to Calsi'im as myself,
and not the Wolf of Justice... Flio observed. "I'm Flio," he said, giving his
guests an easygoing smile. "Nice to meet you!" He shook hands with
Calsi'im and Tia in turn.
"And I'm Calsi'im, an old comrade of Sleip who joined the Dark Army
at the same time he did! Think of us as birds of a feather! Although, Sleip is
more of a horse!" He laughed again, loudly rattling his bony jaw.
Tia hid her mouth behind her hands like she was trying to stop herself
from grinning. "Oh!" she said. "Calsi'im! Your jokes are just too much!"
Huh...? Flio wondered, looking between the two. Was that supposed to
be a joke? Should I have laughed?
Sleip clapped Flio on the shoulder. "I wouldn't force it," he said. "His
jokes have always been bad. Just let him do it."
"I...see," Flio said, smirking as he nodded.
"Ah, sorry, sorry!" Calsi'im said, reining in his rattling jaw. "I couldn't
help myself! Pardon me!"
"It's no trouble at all," Flio assured him, as carefree as ever.
"Tell me, Mister Flio," said Calsi'im. "Is it true that you married the
Fenrys?"
"Yes!" said Flio. "Although now she's using the name Rys. She gave
birth to twins not long ago. We've all been getting along very well. Oh,
look! There she is!" He pointed out the window, where Rys was outside
playing in the pasture with Garyl and Elinàsze. Garyl was riding a horse by
himself while Elinàsze looked too timid to approach. Rys stepped up and
helped her daughter mount one of the horses.
Calsi'im did a double take. Is that...?! The savage lupine goddess
Fenrys, who they used to call the fifth of the Infernal Four! She looks good
smiling like that!
After watching Rys for some time, Calsi'im turned his attention back to
Flio. Flio and Sleip had been chatting amiably, in high spirits. What a
remarkable human, this Flio! He married the demon Fenrys, and is even on
good terms with a former Infernal!
◇Meanwhile, in a Forest◇
"Waaaah!" Yuigarde screamed. "Where did this hole come from?!"
Yuigarde had left the Dark Citadel and wandered in the forest with no
destination in mind, his face hidden by a heavy cloak. But suddenly, as he
was walking, the ground gave way beneath his feet, and he found himself
slipping into a pit.
He grabbed onto the rim of the hole, narrowly avoiding plummeting to
the bottom. He looked down, only to notice that the bottom of the trap was
lined with spikes. If he fell into that in his human form, even he might not
make it out unscathed.
"Damn! Let me think..." And so he did. "I could turn back into my
demon form and fly out no problem, but if I did that, then those assholes at
the Dark Citadel would know where I am! I'll just have to get out without
transforming..."
He pulled as hard as he could, but he wasn't used to moving in a human
body, and he just couldn't muster the kind of power he needed. "Shit!
Ghozal was right. I should have trained this body... It just won't move like I
want it to! Damn it all to hell!"
Yuigarde strained and strained to pull himself up. A fleck of dirt hit his
face—the lip of the hole was starting to crumble.
"Noooooooooo!" he screamed as he fell.
And then, just as he thought all was lost, someone caught his arm.
"Gah!" his savior said. "Confound it, you're heavy! What have you been
eating?! Valentine! Riliangiu! Come and help! Quickly!"
"Yes, my lord! Just a moment!" said Valentine.
"Right away," said Riliangiu. "Ngh! He really is heavy...!"
Hero Gold-Hair grabbed Yuigarde's arms. Valentine grabbed GoldHair's right leg, and Riliangiu took his left. Together, they pulled for all
they were worth.
Snap! A sound rang out. Hero Gold-Hair had a bad feeling about what it
might mean...
"What?!" he demanded. "What was that sound?!"
"Ah!" Valentine cried. "My lord, your pants are coming undone!"
"Your belt!" Riliangiu said. "Your belt broke into pieces!"
As the girls pulled, Hero Gold-Hair's pants flew off his body with
distressing force. They scrambled to get a grip on Hero Gold-Hair's bare
legs, his underpants right in front of their eyes.
"My!" Valentine marveled. "My lord, your buttocks are splendid! I want
to touch them...!"
"Truly incredible," Riliangiu agreed. "I never thought I would see a
human with such well-developed buttocks."
"Stop staring!" Gold-Hair snapped. "Tsuya! Find something to cover
me! Now!"
"My lady, please don't!" Valentine begged. "His buttocks are nothing
short of heavenly!"
"I must agree," said Riliangiu. "Please... Please leave them bare...just for
a little longer!"
"Ummm..." Tsuya ruminated. "Right awaaay, Hero Gold-Haaair!
But...who is thiiis person?"
"Who cares?!" Hero Gold-Hair shouted. "Go get something to cover
me! Valentine! Riliangiu! Pull!"
◇ ◇ ◇
It didn't take long for them to hoist Yuigarde's enormous body up from
the hole.
"Huff, huff..." Hero Gold-Hair panted. "I had a feeling something bad
had happened, so I hurried over. I can't believe a human fell into my magic
beast trap!"
"Jeez..." Yuigarde raised his hand in an awkward gesture of thanks.
"Thanks for bailing me out there, Blondie."
"You don't need to thank me," Hero Gold-Hair said. "In fact, I owe you
an apology! I must have put this one a bit too close to the road! My bad for
setting a trap somewhere a human might stumble onto it. I caused you a
great deal of trouble!" He bowed deeply.
"Wha—?!" Yuigarde's eyes opened wide in shock and confusion. WhWhat's this blond guy saying?! If you get caught by a trap, it's your own
fault for being careless! Come on!
Yuigarde watched as Tsuya walked over to Hero Gold-Hair to hand him
the belt she had finished restitching. "Hero Gooold-Hair sets looots of
pitfall traps! He's suuuper careful to only go after maaagic beasts..."
"Of course I am!" Hero Gold-Hair said. "Middle of the forest or no, you
can't go setting pitfalls anywhere you like! People won't want to deal with
you if you keep catching them in traps!"
"Gh..." Yuigarde was speechless. I put traps all over the place trying to
catch that bastard Zanzibar! I ended up catching a lot of my own soldiers...
Some of them complained, but I just told them it was their own fault! I
hadn't noticed at the time, but now that I think about it, those folks
abandoned the army pretty quick after that... He slumped his shoulders, lost
in memories of his time in the desert.
Hero Gold-Hair fastened his pants with the belt Tsuya had given him
and turned to address Yuigarde. "We're going to a tavern after this. Do you
want to come with us? We'll cover your meal, as an apology."
"W-Well, I..." Yuigarde choked out. He looked completely lost. Then
suddenly his stomach rang out in an audible growl. "Gah! W-Well, I
suppose I haven't eaten in a while..."
"Then that settles it!" Hero Gold-Hair gave Yuigarde a good push.
"Y-You're letting me come with you?"
"Of course! The more the merrier!" he said with a grin. "Call me Hero
Gold-Hair!"
"'Hero Gold-Hair'..." Yuigarde echoed. That name sounds kinda
familiar! Didn't Phufun mention something like that? And come to think of
it, I can't shake the feeling that I've seen him and that Tsuya lady
somewhere before...
Phufun had told Yuigarde shortly after he took the throne that the
Magical Kingdom of Klyrode had summoned a golden-haired hero from
another world to defeat the Dark One. He had even seen the two himself
when they were captured to use as sacrifices for their plot to wrest the
throne of Dark One from his brother Gholl.
But Yuigarde, who really was all brawn and no brain, had no memory of
any of those details. No good. I just can't remember! I must be imagining
things.
"What should I call you, then?" Hero Gold-Hair asked.
"Huh?! Oh! Uh... My name is...uh...D-Dawkson! That's right!
Dawkson!"
"Got it, Dawkson. Now, let's go!"
"All right! Thanks for the meal, Blondie!" Yuigarde said as Hero GoldHair pushed him along down the road.
Tsuya inclined her head as she watched them from behind, doublechecking their remaining money. "Mister Daaawkson looks pretty biiig..."
she muttered. "I bet he eats a looot. I hope this isn't a proooblem..."
"Now, now," Valentine said as she and Riliangiu pushed Tsuya along
behind Hero Gold-Hair and his charge. "I won't eat so much this time."
"There is no cause for concern," Riliangiu added, smiling just as
brightly as Valentine.
"Oh... Okaaay..." Tsuya said, but a worried look crossed her face as they
made their way to the nearby town.
◇Dark Citadel—Calsi'im's Chambers◇
Calsi'im and Tia flew across the land on the back of a dire crow. The
two of them were both very lightweight, so they were able to make long
journeys on the back of this bird. This was Calsi'im's familiar: a dire crow,
a low-level magic beast. Riding on its back, he could infiltrate human lands
without anyone taking notice.
"Goodness gracious!" Calsi'im exclaimed. "We talked for quite some
time, didn't we? I do hope you weren't bored, Tia."
"I am having fun as long as you are, Calsi'im," Tia said, smiling back.
At first, Tia had been as expressionless as any other magic doll. But
recently she had been responding when Calsi'im spoke to her with what
seemed like genuine emotion. She would sometimes even end up rolling on
the floor clutching her stomach and laughing uproariously at one of
Calsi'im's terrible jokes.
Hmm... Calsi'im thought, nodding happily as he looked at Tia's smiling
face. I don't know much about magic dolls, but this seems like incredible
progress!
At last, the dire crow flew in through the window of Calsi'im's room,
delivering him home.
"Thank you for carrying such a heavy load again today," Calsi'im said,
gently stroking the feathers on the dire crow's back. "You rest up, now!
We'll make you a nice treat!" The crow hopped up close to Calsi'im and
gave him an affectionate nuzzle.
Dire crows are quite intelligent, and known to be slow to trust their
master if made a familiar. But the dire crow that served Calsi'im acted as
fondly towards him as could be. It was a rare sight.
"Calsi'im, shall I prepare the— Ah." She stopped her question short.
Calsi'im, curious about Tia's behavior, turned to see that she was
looking out the doorway. He followed her gaze to see Phufun and her
assistant Coqueshtti standing right there.
Phufun took a step forward, pushing her glasses up. "Infernal Calsi'im...
May I ask what business you had outside?"
"Oh!" Calsi'im responded. "They finished emptying out Sleip's old
room, you see! So I was taking care of a few loose ends. Why do you ask?"
"You...haven't left the Dark Army?" Phufun asked.
"Leave the Dark Army?!" Calsi'im balked. "Tia and I are still wearing
our Demon Rings, are we not? Why would you ask such a thing?" He raised
his hand, showing Phufun the ring that shone on his finger. Tia did the
same.
Phufun breathed a sigh of relief. Well, she thought, at least one of the
Infernal Four is still here. It may be the weakest Infernal in the whole
history of the Dark Army, but this is an emergency, and he's better than
nothing. She cleared her throat. "Infernal Calsi'im, I am here to ask a favor
of you."
"A favor? Of me? This doesn't seem like the usual sort. What do you
need?"
"Well..." Phufun started. "You see... The truth is, Master Yuigarde has
gone missing."
"What?!" Calsi'im's jaw dangled low in shock. "Missing?!"
"Not only that..." Phufun continued. "But Lady Yorminyt herself
returned her Demon Ring and left the Dark Citadel."
"No! How can this be?!" Calsi'im's jaw somehow managed to fall even
lower.
"Moreover, Lords Hugi-Mugi have followed suit. They too have
returned their ring and vanished."
"I-I-Impossible!!!" Calsi'im's jaw was hanging as low as it possibly
could now, in an absurd expression of surprise.
"I intend to persuade Master Yuigarde to return, but until then I will
need you, Lord Calsi'im, the last of the Infernal Four, to serve as regent. If
you agree, of course." She held out her hand. In it was the armlet that
signified the station of Dark One. She and Coqueshtti knelt before the
skeleton.
"Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-Whaaa—" Calsi'im started to shout, but his jawbone
finally fell off his skull entirely, leaving him unable to speak.
"Calsi'im! No!" Tia dove, barely catching the jawbone before it hit the
floor. "Hah..." she sighed. "Please, Calsi'im, you must be careful with your
precious body!"
Wiping her brow, Tia dusted off the bone with a handkerchief and
carefully fit it back into Calsi'im's skull.
Calsi'im pressed on it with both bony hands, clacking it around until it
moved properly again. "A-Ah... Thank you, Tia!" he said, placing a hand on
her shoulder. "You're always such a big help."
Tia took Calsi'im's hand in both of hers. "Calsi'im," she said, pressing
close, "I told you, you don't need to thank me for anything..."
"Wow...!" Coqueshtti said, clapping her hands. "So lovey-dovey!"
Phufun adjusted her glasses. "Are you finished with the cheap comedy
routine?" she asked, her eyes sharp as she stepped forward to place the
Dark One's armlet on Calsi'im's left arm. "Now. Until such time as our
lord, the Dark One Yuigarde, returns...I hereby entrust you with full
authority over the Dark Army. We are at your command."
That settled that. Phufun spread her wings and took to the sky, leaving
through the same window as Calsi'im's dire crow, and accelerated at once
to her top speed. She was out of sight in no time. Calsi'im, Tia, and
Coqueshtti could only watch.
"W-Well then, Tia..."
"Y-Yes, Calsi'im? What is it?"
"Um... If she put the Dark One's armlet on my arm, d-does that make
me the Dark Regent?"
"S-So it seems..."
"Dark Regent Calsi'im..." muttered Coqueshtti.
"I can't believe it!" Calsi'im clutched his skull. "But...I have to tell
everyone what has happened! Ohhh, I have a bad feeling about this..."
That day, Calsi'im called an officers' summit, where he revealed
everything that had transpired—that Yuigarde had gone missing, that
Yorminyt and Hugi-Mugi had left the Dark Army, and that Phufun had
named him Dark Regent until Yuigarde's return. They had considered the
possibility of fabricating a story more advantageous to themselves, but
Calsi'im had refused. "Any lies we tell are bound to come to light
eventually!" he said. "That's a surefire way of making everyone hate you!"
And so, they had told the truth.
The throne room was abuzz with confused officers whispering to each
other, trying to make sense of what they had been told.
"The Dark One is missing?!"
"So now that he's failed to get Zanzibar, he's running away with his tail
between his legs!"
"But Lady Yorminyt and Lord Hugi-Mugi..."
"I can't imagine they enjoyed serving that Dark One..."
"What do you think is going to happen if the Dark One comes back,
though? When he finds out they've abandoned him, he's just going to leave
again!"
"Yes, absolutely..."
"And the Dark Regent is Calsi'im?!"
"He's so old... He could kick the bucket any day now..."
The next day, Tia came to Calsi'im with a worried look on her face. In
her arms was a tremendous number of Demon Rings. Among them was
Coqueshtti's. The mad scientist girl had already left the Dark Citadel. It
seemed that his announcement had spurred even more demons to quit.
"C-Calsi'im..." she said.
"I had a feeling this would happen..." he said. "Things are going to be a
little difficult for the foreseeable future. I'm sorry, Tia..."
"Calsi'im..." Tia stood before Calsi'im, who was sitting on the floor in
front of the throne, with a distraught look on her face. Neither of them
noticed the bat watching from the ceiling.
◇Meanwhile, in a Tavern◇
"You two ate waaay too much..." Tsuya sobbed as she checked their
remaining money.
"Ah, well..." Dawkson, the newest member of the group, scratched his
head and mumbled out an apology. "Sorry."
"I'm so, so sorry I keep doing this, my lady!" Valentine said, curling in
on herself in shame.
The night before had been a terrific feast. Hero Gold-Hair and Dawkson
hit it off right away.
"Ha ha ha!" Dawkson laughed. "Who knew eatin' and drinkin' could be
so much fun! Thanks, Blondie!"
"It is, isn't it!" Hero Gold-Hair agreed. "Don't hold back, now! Eat up!"
"Yes!" Valentine cheered. "If that is your order, my lord, then I,
Valentine, will eat everything I can! No limits!"
They ate and ate without restraint until the early hours of the morning.
And when Tsuya paid their bill, they were left completely broke.
"Hooonestly!" Tsuya went on, gesticulating in anger at Valentine and
Dawkson—the principal offenders in the present case of food crime. "I
don't waaant to say you shouldn't enjoy your fooood and driiinks, but this
is waaay too much!"
The group looked absolutely dispirited. Dawkson was absolutely
enormous, and even Valentine was tall for a woman, but right now they
were withering before the much smaller Tsuya. The sight drew plenty of
looks from passersby.
Hero Gold-Hair and Riliangiu watched from the back. "Perhaps I should
look for work, sir?" Riliangiu suggested.
"Hmmm..." Hero Gold-Hair pointed to an advertisement on the bulletin
board in front of the tavern. "There just might be a way."
The advertisement read: "Seeking contestants! Yearly Osahka Town
Eating Contest!"
"Perhaps we should try entering that!" Hero Gold-Hair exclaimed.
"What does this flier mean?" Riliangiu asked.
"It seems that this Osahka Town place is holding an eating contest!
They'll give you a limited time to eat as much as you possibly can. And
there's even a prize!"
"Wh-What did you say, Blondie?!" Dawkson exclaimed. "I'll do it!
Leave it to me!" He flexed his arms demonstrably.
"It's like this was made for Dawkson and me!" said Valentine, laughing
loudly and posing voluptuously.
"Well, I suppooose..." Tsuya said, creasing her forehead dubiously. "It
doooes seem peeerfect for you two... But Hero Gooold-Hair...they'll make
you pay a peeenalty if you can't eat the whooole thiiing..."
"I see..." Gold-Hair mused. "It doesn't say that anywhere on the flier,
but I guess that's how these sorts of things work..."
"Now, now, my lady!" Valentine said, running up behind Tsuya. "Don't
worry about a thing!"
Dawkson was right behind her. "Yeah! There ain't nothing me and
Valentine can't eat!"
Tsuya crossed her arms and tilted her head. "I dunnooo..." she said. "I
have a baaad feeeeling about this..."
Hero Gold-Hair gave Tsuya a friendly smack on the shoulders. "What's
there to worry about? We should at least check it out! If anything seems off,
we don't have to participate."
"I gueeess..." Tsuya said in defeat. "Okaaay... We'll at least check it
ooout..."
"All right!" Dawkson cheered. "I haven't been this fired up in ages!"
"Thank you, my lady!" added Valentine.
Hero Gold-Hair nodded, satisfied. "We leave at once!" he said. "We can
make some extra cash hunting magic beasts on the way there!"
"That would be a biiig help," Tsuya admitted.
"I will scout ahead and look for suitable trap locations," Riliangiu
offered. "Forests are home to large numbers of magic beasts."
"Thanks, Riliangiu," said Hero Gold-Hair. "I'm counting on you."
"Yes, sir! Then, by your leave!" Riliangiu ran ahead with frightening
speed. She was gone in an instant.
I see... Dawkson thought as he watched her go. They're sending out a
scout to learn what's coming, so they can avoid making some kind of
mistake... When he had been hunting Zanzibar's rebellion in the desert,
Dawkson had ordered his army to advance based on nothing more than his
own guesswork. That was why it had been so easy for Zanzibar to
outmaneuver him with guerrilla tactics. Not just the last time either... If I
had used scouts during that first big attack on the humans right after I
became Dark One, it might not have been such a huge loss for us...
"Hey, Dawkson!" Hero Gold-Hair shouted. "You coming?" Dawkson
had been standing still, lost in his thoughts.
"Y-Yeah! Sorry! I'm coming!" Dawkson said, hurrying after the rest of
the party. Before long, they had left the town behind them.
◇Meanwhile, in the Sky◇
Phufun's succubus wings were unfurled to their full span as she streaked
along as fast as she could fly. She was scowling in irritation. Master...
Where did you go? she thought. I can't sense his demonic power at all.
Could he possibly have turned himself into a human?! Maybe this approach
won't work after all...
She pressed her glasses up against the bridge of her nose, concealing her
anger as well as she could. I need to find Master Yuigarde as soon as
possible and return him to the Dark Citadel. If Zanzibar were to attack us
now...
She beat her wings, speeding back up.
◇Meanwhile, West of the Dark Citadel◇
A group of bats flew through the sky above the vast forest surrounding
the Dark Citadel. They left the Citadel individually and flew west, meeting
up again a distance away. As they flew, their numbers increased until there
was a great cloud of them. A crow—a magic beast of some size—came
after them. But the crow couldn't properly see the bats; the former was
flying at a high altitude while the latter were just above the treetops.
Eventually, the bats left the forest belt and entered the desert. Now that
there were no trees to hide them, the crow, who had followed them all this
way, descended on the cloud from high up. The bats scattered as fast as they
could, but the dire crow was faster. It tore into the bats, felling them until
not one remained, and leisurely devoured their bones when they had
stopped moving.
When its meal was finished, the dire crow took a look around to make
sure it had gotten all of the bats.
And with a mighty "Caw—!" it flew back towards the Dark Citadel.
◇Dark Citadel—Calsi'im's Chambers◇
The dire crow flew in through the window. It fluttered its wings and
made its way over to Tia, who was busy cleaning the room.
"Good Sir Caw-lins, where have you been?" she asked. "You mustn't go
too far away—you'll make Calsi'im worry!"
The dire crow cried out, "Caw—!" and hopped over to its bed in the
corner of the room, brimming with fresh straw that Tia had replaced just a
moment ago. It pecked at the straw to make sure everything was in order
before hopping over to Tia and nuzzling affectionately against her chest.
"My!" Tia exclaimed. "Good Sir Caw-lins, I've only ever known you to
treat Calsi'im like this! Have you grown fond of me as well?"
"Caw—!" Good Sir Caw-lins answered, pressing its head close.
Tia affectionately patted the crow's head. "A lot of demons have left the
Dark Citadel, Good Sir Caw-lins..." she said. "But you and I will stick with
Calsi'im until the end."
◇Meanwhile, in the Desert◇
Zanzibar, the head of the rebellion, and his minion Meiden stood on the
desert sands, above the secret cave where the fox sisters had made their
hidden lair. Meiden was staring out to the east, her neck cocked in
confusion.
That's strange... she thought. None of the bats I sent to infiltrate the
Dark Citadel have returned... I can't imagine they were found out. I chose
bats so that they could blend in with all of the others that nest around there.
They should be completely identical. And I sent so many! At least one must
have made it...
She stood there late into the night, but no bats ever returned.