◇Houghtow City—Flio's House◇
One day, a guest arrived at Flio's house—Calsi'im, the Dark Regent. He
was sitting in the living room, his minion Tia standing at his side.
"I've grown so feeble that I don't even set off the Magical Kingdom's
demon sensors!" Calsi'im lamented. "Ahh, the toll of time is a terrible
thing..." He laughed, his jawbone rattling loudly in his skull.
Flio gave Calsi'im an easygoing smile. "I wouldn't know about that," he
said. "It's mostly only walled cities that have demon sensors. They use
them to check people entering town. But our house is outside of Houghtow
City's walls."
"I see!" Calsi'im said. "And that's how you got the former Dark One
Lord Gholl, his confederate Lady Uliminas, the former Infernal Lord Sleip,
and the legendary Lady Fenrys all living peaceful lives in this one house!"
"Yes," Flio said. "They're all disguised as humans or demihumans, but
if they spend too long in the range of the demon sensors, they'll be found
out sooner or later." Well... he thought. The truth is that the city's demon
sensors were made by our store. I simply set them not to detect any of the
demons living with us. But there's probably no need to bring that up. He
smiled casually, giving no indication that he was hiding something.
"Now then," Calsi'im said, bowing deeply as Tia bowed behind him.
"First, I must thank you properly for your help the other day! I owe you a
great deal for agreeing to such a brazen request. The rebel army was about
to wipe us off the map, but instead, thanks to you, many of the rebels have
come back to the Dark Army! Things are still quite uncertain, but we've
taken a big step towards recovery. Thank you for your help, Lord Flio, and
all of your comrades."
"C-Calsi'im!" Flio blurted out, alarmed. "It wasn't me who saved the
Dark Army; it was my friend, the Wolf of Justice, and his companions! All I
did was pass your request on to him..."
"Oooh!" Calsi'im exclaimed cheerfully. "Of course, of course! My
apologies! I suppose I'm growing senile in my old age!" It couldn't be more
obvious that Calsi'im knew perfectly well who the Wolf of Justice was, but
it seemed he was going to say no more on the subject.
"So tell me, Mister Calsi'im," Flio asked. "Have you sent envoys to the
Magical Kingdom of Klyrode?"
"Well, I would really like to speak with them face-to-face, but the Dark
Army and the Magical Kingdom are still enemies—officially, at least! I
shouldn't go there myself just yet. But I'm afraid that with things as they
are with the Dark Army, I haven't been able to find anyone suitable to
deliver the message for me..." Calsi'im retrieved a hefty letter from his
robes.
"Is that...?"
"The peace treaty between the Dark Army and the Magical Kingdom of
Klyrode! But I'm afraid I can only enforce it as long as this old skeleton is
sitting in the Dark One's throne. Now, mind you, when the Dark One
Yuigarde returns, I will beg him to keep the treaty! I will offer up my life if
I must!"
"Hrm..." Ghozal said. "Knowing Yuigarde, it'll be a struggle to get him
to agree to that."
Sleip nodded. "Yes... It's hard to imagine that man being magnanimous
about anything!"
"Now, now, you two." Flio smirked wryly. "You've been getting along
swimmingly with the humans, haven't you? I'm sure that one day, the
current Dark One Yuigarde will come around too."
Ghozal and Sleip both tilted their heads dubiously. "I dunno about that
one, Mister Flio..." said Ghozal.
"I'm afraid I must agree," said Sleip. "It seems impossible..."
Uliminas and Rys nodded in agreement.
"Furget it, Flio," Uliminas said. "That enormews muscle-headed
meowron would never agree to peace with humanity."
"As much as I hate to contradict my lord husband, they are correct," said
Rys. "Yuigarde really is that much of an idiot."
Flio's smirk stayed plastered on his face as demon after demon refuted
him. Mister Yuigarde must be a real piece of work... he thought. "W-Well,
putting that aside," he said, "perhaps I can help you, Mister Calsi'im. Shall
I ask my friend, the Wolf of Justice, to deliver this treaty for you?"
Calsi'im sprung to his feet. "Goodness! That would be perfect! After all,
the Wolf of Justice is a great man who has devoted himself to protecting the
Magical Kingdom of Klyrode! I can't think of anyone better to deliver this
message! And as for the Dark Army, we owe him for his help against
Zanzibar's rebels! There shouldn't be any problems, I expect!"
Calsi'im handed the treaty to Flio. "All right," Flio said, bowing
politely. "I'll go ahead and ask the Wolf of Justice." Which is me, of
course...
◇ ◇ ◇
A few days later, the Wolf of Justice visited Klyrode Castle to deliver
the Dark Regent Calsi'im's peace treaty directly into the hands of the
Maiden Queen. The Queen called a meeting the same day, where she
proposed accepting the terms.
Some of her ministers had objections. "This treaty will only last so long
as Calsi'im is acting as Dark Regent, no? Then what good does it do us?"
But the Queen rejected that way of thinking. "Agreeing to this peace
treaty is an important first step," she said. "We will show the world that the
people of the Magical Kingdom of Klyrode and the Dark Army can live
happily together. Their smiles will be our proof. When the Dark One
Yuigarde returns, I am certain that he will wish to continue in peace." After
that, nobody objected to the proposed treaty.
A week passed, and before anyone knew it, the Maiden Queen of the
Magical Kingdom of Klyrode and the Dark Regent of the Dark Army met at
Siluanca Fortress, midway between the Dark Citadel and Klyrode Castle as
the crow flies. The Wolf of Justice and the white lupine said to be his
familiar acted as witnesses.
Finally, the letter that Flio—or rather, the Wolf of Justice—had sent the
Dark Army wishing for peace had borne fruit. The contract was signed, and
the Maiden Queen and Dark Regent shook hands. The Wolf of Justice
applauded for all he was worth.
◇Houghtow City—The Fli-o'-Rys General Store◇
Flio stood behind the store, checking the incoming goods, when Rys
walked up to him. "Perhaps you should take a break, my lord husband." She
was carrying a pot of tea and a basket full of snacks.
Flio gave her one of his easygoing smiles. "Maybe I should," he said. "I
suppose it is about that time." The two went inside the store and headed for
the staff break room.
"Excuse me, miss!" he heard a child's voice say. "Do you have any Wolf
of Justice masks?" He turned to look and saw a grinning Uliminas
surrounded by a great crowd of children.
"We sure do!" she said. "It's a brand-mew purroduct!" She began
handing them out to the children—simple replicas of the mask Flio wore as
the Wolf of Justice, sized for children.
"Huh?" Flio asked. "Is that...?"
"The Wolf of Justice is very popular," Rys said. "Both the Magical
Kingdom and the Dark Army know him as the man who brought peace to
this world."
"So...you made those masks?"
"Yes," Rys smiled warmly. "Uliminas insisted. She said something like,
'Mew better believe kids will go wild fur them! They'll be sold meowt in a
meowment!'" she said, doing an impression of the hellcat. "I suppose she
was right."
Flio and Rys watched the kids hurry to put their new masks on. It looked
like they were having tremendous fun. Rys pressed close to her husband,
wrapping her arms around his. "You're amazing, my lord husband," she
said. "You really did put a stop to the war."
Flio held Rys close. "I didn't do it alone," he said. "I couldn't have done
it without your help—you and the rest of the people here."
Flio glanced back over at another crowd of children who had come to
buy Wolf of Justice masks. It looked like Ghozal had gotten himself
involved at some point. He was holding in his hand a mask designed after
the one he would wear when he went on missions with the Wolf of Justice.
"Hey, kids," Ghozal said. "Those Wolf of Justice masks are pretty cool,
but what do you think of this Black Wolf mask?" It was bigger than the
Wolf of Justice masks, and it had a sinister-looking grin with great big
fangs. Overall, it was quite monstrous.
"I dunno..." one of the kids said. "It's kinda spooky..."
"Yeah, the Wolf of Justice mask is cooler!" said another.
"I want a Wolf of Justice mask!" a third kid chimed in.
The kids turned away from Ghozal and crowded around Uliminas,
clamoring for Wolf of Justice masks.
"What?!" Ghozal exclaimed. "Nobody wanted it...?" He slumped his
shoulders, dejected.
Uliminas glanced at him out of the corner of her eye and inwardly
smirked. I told him that mask was too creepy, she thought.
As Flio and Rys watched the scene unfold, a boy and a girl in Wolf of
Justice masks came running up to them.
"Dad!" the boy said. "Isn't my mask cool?"
"I think they're cool," said the girl.
These children, of course, were Garyl and Elinàsze.
"Oh?" Flio asked. "Are you two fans of the Wolf of Justice?" The twins
beamed and nodded.
"Of course I am!" said Garyl.
"Yes, of course!" Elinàsze agreed.
"I mean, the Wolf of Justice ended the war between humans and
demons, right?" Garyl went on. "He's incredible!"
"He's a hero who did something everybody thought was impossible,"
said Elinàsze. "I think he's amazing."
"I see!" Flio smiled happily. "So you think so too."
The Wolf of Justice masks were a top seller almost immediately. After
all, everyone admired the Wolf of Justice. To the children, he was a hero. To
adults, he was a symbol of peace.