◇Houghtow City—Houghtow College of Magic◇
In the Houghtow College of Magic's administrative office was an
interview room, where Taclyde, the school's one and only administrator,
was speaking with two women.
"Well," he said, "first of all, thank you for answering our call for school
faculty. Now, I've taken a quick look over your resumes, and I would like to
ask...can you tell me anything more about some of these items? Especially
where it says 'Commanded large scale military force' and 'Provided special
training for subordinates'..."
The woman who was sitting to Taclyde's right opened her mouth to
respond, brushing aside a strand of long blue hair as she spoke. "Yesss, of
courssse. I've led armiesss of up to ssseveral thousssand sssoldiers into
battle. I'm undefeated asss well. My motto isss ever onwardsss. I
persssonally prefer to fight practically, with a sssword."
The short-haired woman to Taclyde's left wore a maid uniform and a
pair of round glasses, which she pushed up onto the bridge of her nose
before speaking. "I served as my liege's assistant for many years," she said.
"In such capacity, I was more or less in charge of training our army. My
specialty is honing physical abilities." She adjusted her glasses again.
"Hmm..." Taclyde took another look at the pair's resumes and gave the
matter some thought. It feels like there's a story here... That blue-haired
woman... Her name is Miss Nyt, and she's led armies in the thousands?!
Perhaps she was one of the people in charge of the kingdom's knights! She
may have failed in some way unrelated to battle and had to quit and look
for other work... And that maid, Miss Zarmas... Could she have quit the
army to follow the other woman?!
Taclyde, who had come to his own conclusions about what was
happening, shed a single tear. Ahhh, the cruelties of military life! To fire
someone with such a history of distinguished service, all because of some
ridiculous idea of setting an example! I'm certain they'll do excellent work
if we hire them... Sniffle... He began to sob.
Zarmas and Nyt glanced at his face and exchanged a look with each
other.
"Zarmasss..." Nyt whispered. "Why isss thisss human man crying?"
"No doubt he is overjoyed to find candidates as qualified as the two of
us, Lady Yorminyt," Zarmas answered, adjusting her glasses.
"I sssee..." Nyt muttered. "But be careful, Zarmasss. When I am human,
my name isss Nyt."
"O-Oh... Of course, Lady Yor—I mean, Lady Nyt." Zarmas adjusted her
glasses twice more.
Indeed, as you may have guessed, this was Yorminyt, formerly of the
Infernal Four, and her assistant, the vampire Helzarmas. Having lost all
faith in the Dark One Yuigarde, the two cast away their demon identities to
live as humans and came to the Magical Kingdom of Klyrode seeking work.
They happened to spot a flier saying the Houghtow College of Magic was
looking for staff, and arranged an interview right away.
"Yes," Taclyde said, wiping the tears from his eyes and sitting back up
straight. "Well, I think I understand your circumstances well enough. You'll
need experience before you're ready to teach the lower grades, but we can
certainly hire you as outside lecturers for our adult classes! And everyone at
the school can help you with tests and the like. A pleasure to work with
you."
"Hm?" Nyt wondered. "Have we already been hired?"
"I suppose this is a sign that he has correctly judged our talents," said
Zarmas.
"I sssee..." Nyt nodded. "In that cassse, I accept. A pleasssure to work
with you." She held out her hand.
"Pleasure to work with you," Zarmas echoed, holding out her hand as
well.
Taclyde shook both of their hands, a big smile on his face.
"I have a favor to asssk, actually..." Nyt said. "Due to our...sssituation,
we are currently sssearching for a place to live. Would you happen to know
of anything of the sssort?"
"Searching for a place to live, are you?" Taclyde answered. "Well then,
that's perfect!" He led them out of the administrative office and down a
hallway.
"Mister Taclyde, where are we going?" Zarmas asked.
"You see," Taclyde began, "since we're opening lower-grade classes this
spring, we contracted a company to refurbish the old school store...and
we've added a second and third floor to serve as a dormitory for children
whose families live far away! We've been looking for an adult to live here
and serve as the dorm's mother, if you will. Would you two be interested in
the job? It's rent-free, of course, and food will be provided as well."
"Hmmm..." pondered Nyt. "That ssseems to be a promisssing offer..."
"Might I ask," Zarmas inquired, "what exactly would be a dorm
mother's specific responsibilities?"
"Mostly just looking after the students living there!" Taclyde answered.
"You'd need to make sure nobody gets locked outside at closing time...and
that nobody wanders outside after the gates close either! And it will be your
job to take care of any kind of trouble...like a magic beast or a kidnapper.
You two both have combat experience, I believe. I assume you could handle
that?"
"I could," Nyt answered. "I do not believe we will have any
difficultiesss with thessse tasssks. Do you, Zarmasss?"
"No, Lady Yor— Er... Ahem! Lady Nyt. If anything needs to be done, I
shall execute it with precision."
"Excellent, excellent!"
As they talked, the three arrived at a newer-looking three-story building
a short distance away from the school building itself. "This is the school
shop and dormitory," said Taclyde. "The dorm mother's room is on the
second floor."
The three walked up the stairs to find...
"Meow? Yorminyt?"
"Zarmasss! I told you not to call me—"
"No! It wasn't me this time!"
"What?!" Nyt was stunned. "Then who...?" The two frantically scanned
the area, their eyes coming to rest quickly on the dark-skinned girl with cat
ears handling some kind of delivery. She was staring at the two with wideopen eyes.
"U-Uliminasss?!" exclaimed Nyt. "Th-The confederate of Dark One
Gholl?!"
"Wh-What brings you here, m-my most distinguished lady?" stammered
Zarmas.
With all the grace of the hellcat she was, Uliminas moved
instantaneously. Suddenly, she was behind them, clamping their mouths
shut. "Meowt are mew blabbing about?!" she snapped. And then...
"Aha...ha ha ha ha..." she laughed as cutely as she could as she turned to
face Taclyde.
Uliminas had come here as part of her job for the Fli-o'-Rys General
Store to deliver fresh inventory to the Houghtow College of Magic school
shop. It had been a complete coincidence that she was here at the same time
as Yorminyt and Helzarmas.
Uliminas kept laughing unnaturally as she pressed her head up between
the pair's ears to whisper to both at once. "I'm purrtending to be a
demihuman!" she told them. "Don't let them hear mew using my meowld
title!"
"How ssstrange..." said Nyt. "I too am disguisssed asss a human."
"I am disguised as a human as well," added Zarmas.
"Well that simplifies meowtters," Uliminas said. "In that case, we can
just agree not to discuss meowr pasts. Okay?"
"I have no objectionsss."
"If Lady Nyt has no objections, then I, Zarmas, must surely not."
"Great. Purrfect." Uliminas released Nyt and Zarmas from her grasp and
smiled cheerfully. "I can't believe it! My old neighbors! From my
hometown! To think I would see mew here of all places!"
"Yesss," Nyt agreed, following Uliminas's lead and smiling brightly. "It
isss a moving coincidence."
"I too am deeply moved," Zarmas said, smiling as well.
"Well now!" Taclyde said. "So you three have met each other before!
Miss Nyt, Miss Zarmas, this is Miss Uliminas from the Fli-o'-Rys General
Store. She's helping manage our inventory! Now, Miss Uliminas, these two
are going to be working here at the college—and as dorm mothers as well!"
The three shook hands, giving each other strained, thin-lipped smiles.
And so, Nyt and Zarmas became the newest faculty of the Houghtow
College of Magic. Only Uliminas knew that they were once part of the Dark
Army.
◇Deep in a Forest◇
"How rude, yes! Yes! Terribly rude, these humans!" Hugi-Mugi, in their
human form, regarded the unconscious human woman before them with
folded arms and a head cocked in confusion. "Bursting in where someone
lives and suddenly screaming and fainting, yes! Yes, fainting and
screaming!"
Hugi-Mugi had once been a member of the Infernal Four. In their true
form, they were a doppeladler, a monstrous two-headed bird with a body
covered in golden scales. In their human form, they looked like any
ordinary youth—aside from when they spoke, which they somehow did
with two voices at once.
"We quit the Dark Army and came to this forest to live a peaceful life,
yes! Yes! But so many adventurers have been coming here recently, yes...
We wonder what could be the cause of it." Hugi-Mugi chattered to
themselves as they walked through the forest, carrying the unconscious
woman on their shoulder. "At least we are still rather strong in our human
form, yes! Yes, but it is so restrictive... So restrictive, yes. We wish to return
to our doppeladler form soon, yes!"
They walked on for half a day, until they left the forest and came to a
town. An acquaintance of Hugi-Mugi's—a woman named Cartha—was
there to greet them. "Oh? Hugi, did you find an adventurer passed out in the
forest again?"
"Yes indeed! Indeed, yes! It wouldn't do to leave her there, no, not at
all..."
"Aha ha!" Cartha laughed. "You can drop her off at my place. I'll look
after her until she comes to."
"Thank you, yes! Yes, thank you!" Hugi-Mugi brought the adventurer
inside Cartha's small house a short distance outside of town, where she
lived by herself and tilled her own fields.
Hugi-Mugi, who had brought adventurers here before for Cartha to look
after, was familiar by now with the layout of her house. They made their
way into Cartha's bedroom and laid the adventurer out on the bed.
"Why have so many adventurers come to the forest?" Hugi-Mugi
wondered. "There were far fewer not long ago, yes. Yes, far fewer..."
"Don't you know?" Cartha asked. "I thought you must, since you live in
the forest... It seems that recently, a great magic beast came around here."
"A magic beast?"
"Yes! The people who saw it said it was a great beast with two heads
and a golden body. A lot of adventurers have come here hoping to get their
hands on its scales! All of the inns and taverns have been doing tremendous
business with this beast hunt mania...and I suppose it keeps giving me a
reason to see my beloved Hugi!"
"Hmm..." Hugi-Mugi folded their arms and inclined their head in
thought. "I've never seen such a magic beast, no! No, never seen it!"
It didn't take much thought at all to realize that the magic beast could
only be Hugi-Mugi themselves, but it seemed like the doppeladler had yet
to come to this realization.
Cartha, meanwhile, was growing increasingly red. Hey, Hugi... she
thought, fidgeting impatiently. I mustered my courage and called you my
beloved Hugi and you didn't even react?!
"Cartha, we are hungry, yes!" said Hugi-Mugi. "Yes, very hungry.
Would you make food for us?"
"H-Huh? Oh...okay. I'll get started right away." Cartha sighed as she
headed towards the kitchen. Hugi just doesn't care about me at all...
Hugi-Mugi, meanwhile, hummed happily as they sat in their chair.
"Cartha's cooking is delicious, yes! Yes, we love it!"
Love...? Cartha's face lit up. "Just you wait, Hugi!" she cried. "I'll make
you the best meal you've ever tasted!"
"Thank you! We love you, yes!"
Cartha's face turned bright red, and she grinned from ear to ear. Love?
My Hugi said they love me! She got to work on the food, portioning out a
generous serving of meat for Hugi-Mugi.
We were thinking of moving now that the adventurers are here, yes...
Hugi-Mugi mused. But we cannot leave Cartha, no! No, we want to stay
here!
◇Somewhere in the Kinosaki Hot Springs Village◇
"At long last, we have arrived."
"Yes. At very long last, Your Divinity..."
Damalynas and Hiya stood in front of a particular building. It was an old
building, decorated here and there with colorful paint. It stood out like a
sore thumb from the buildings around it.
Above its entrance was a sign that read: "Kinosaki Museum of Erotic
Art."
Hiya and Damalynas looked at the building's door. "The museum should
not be closed today, correct?" Hiya asked.
"Correct, Your Divinity." Damalynas said. "This time we made sure to
look up their scheduled holidays..."
"Then, the paintings...the literature...and the artifacts...all relating to sex
and the sexual culture of humans, demihumans, and demons...are inside that
building...?" Hiya said between deep breaths. "Gulp..."
"So much stuff we could use for inspiration..." Damalynas marveled.
"Gulp..."
"Then, with no further delay!"
"Yes!"
The two reached for the doors simultaneously, only...
The doors rattled but would not open.
"Hm?"
"It won't...open..."
They tried again, to no avail.
"I knew it..."
"They're closed..."
The two shared a worried look and tried again. And again. But the door
simply wouldn't budge. It seemed to be locked.
"How...could this be?" Hiya despaired.
"Why are they closed?" Damalynas asked. "We checked the schedule
and everything..."
Just then, a man came up from behind and spoke to them. "Hello, you
two. Do you need something from this building?"
"Yes," responded Hiya. "We have come to the Museum of Erotic Art to
study the exhibits therein. We expect it to be of great use in our training."
"That's right!" Damalynas chimed in. "We're here because of our
training!"
"I see..." the man said. "Well, I'm very sorry, but the museum closed for
good just yesterday."
"Wh-What did you say?!" both Hiya and Damalynas exclaimed at once.
They stood there staring blankly, stunned.
"It's a pity...but I'm afraid it just hasn't been very popular lately! They
haven't had any customers in quite a while. The old man who runs the place
finally closed it up. Everything just vanished overnight. It's hard to believe!
It was still in business until this very morning!" The man grimaced.
Hiya and Damalynas stood glued to the spot, their bodies shaking.
"Yesterday..." muttered Hiya.
"It's too cruel..." Damalynas added.
They seemed terribly disappointed. It was evening before they finally
moved away from the building.
◇???◇
"Meiden... Meiden!"
"Wh-What?! Master Zanzibar?!" Meiden sprung out of bed to find not
Zanzibar but a woman. She looked unhappy about something.
"Zanzibar?" the woman asked. "Who's that?"
"Um... Huh?" Still dazed and confused, Meiden glanced around the
room. It looked like she was in someone's bedroom; in it was a large double
bed she had just jumped out of. "O-Oh! I..."
"Are you all right, Meiden?" the woman asked. "Do you recognize me?
It's me, Verillian. You know, Verillian!"
"O-Oh, yes..." Meiden finally remembered who this person was.
"Verillian, my beloved sister!" She leapt into Verillian's arms, a look of
absolute adoration on her face.
Verillian gave Meiden a worried look. "Are you really all right? I know
you don't remember anything from before you fell out of the dimensional
rift... Maybe Zanzibar is someone you knew back then. Do you want to go
ask Master Sua about him? Master Sua is a wizard of legends. Surely
there's something we can..."
"No..." Meiden hugged Verillian even tighter. "I would rather not. I
decided I was going to live for the future, and not cling to the past..."
"I trust you, Meiden," Verillian said. "Do what you think is best." She
handed Meiden a set of clothes. "Anyway, it's time to get ready for work.
Today, we're going to inspect the nearby city of Uri Nakhombe. Time
permitting, we may visit the merchant city of Hope as well."
Meiden, who slept naked, put on the outfit Verillian gave her as they
spoke. "Leave that to me, sister. With my Teleportation spell, we should
easily be able to visit both."
"Of course!" Verillian smiled. "Thank you as always, Meiden."
Meiden finished getting dressed and wrapped her arms around one of
Verillian's, smiling happily. "I'm ready! Let's get to work, sister!"
"Yes, it's another busy day, Meiden."
Meiden, who had fallen into the rift between dimensions, had found a
job and a happy life in another world. But that is a story for another time.
◇A Building in Dark Army Territory◇
"There it is!" yipped Kintsuno the Gold. "Zanzibar's hidden treasure!"
She danced for joy in the entrance to the hidden room they had found in an
old empty manor.
"I knew it would be here!" The Shadow King nodded to himself,
satisfied, as he followed her into the room.
Gintsuno the Silver was standing next to him, looking over her map.
This manor was at one of several spots indicated by a small red X. "I'm
impressed, Shadow King," she said. "You found out all this while Zanzibar
was staying with us for protection..." She grinned.
"Well, I didn't hide him out of the goodness of my heart!" the Shadow
King said. "It was all to make money! I noticed he'd sometimes have his
hidden treasure brought to him while he was lurking in our hideout... It was
a simple matter of sending some of my underlings to tail them!"
"I see..." said Kintsuno. "And now Zanzibar is imprisoned in the Dark
Citadel."
"Yes! And now I'm here to expropriate those resources! Like a king
would do!"
"I love it!" Gintsuno yipped excitedly. "It's perfect!" She and her sister
danced around happily.
"What are we waiting for?!" Kintsuno yipped.
"Let's go!" agreed Gintsuno. The two began stuffing the Bottomless
Bags they had brought full of priceless treasures as the Shadow King
watched on, nodding triumphantly.
"Shadow King!" cried Kintsuno. "What are you doing, standing around
like that?"
"What?" the Shadow King sputtered. "I'm... I'm overseeing the
operation!"
"Well, quit it and come help!" said Gintsuno.
"W-Well..." he said. "I don't know. I've been putting on a great deal of
weight recently. With my stomach..."
"All the more reason!" Kintsuno shot back. "Come get some exercise!
It'll be good for you."
"Gh..." protested the Shadow King. "I... I can't..."
"You didn't even try!" Gintsuno said. "Come on! You can do it!"
The Shadow King finally succumbed to pressure and did his best to
help, panting and wheezing the whole time. Damnation! he thought. I need
a slave to carry my luggage! I'll die at this rate...
◇Houghtow City—Houghtow College of Magic Dormitories◇
One day, Belianna came to Houghtow City to visit Irystiel, her younger
sister. "Dark Regent Calsi'im gave me some damned time off, so this time I
can stay overnight."
"I see!" Irystiel replied using her black cat plush. As always, she opened
and closed its mouth to make it speak. "That is wonderful news, darling
Belianna!" Irystiel had trouble expressing herself with words, but on her
face was a great big happy smile.
Belianna smiled back, glad to see her sister so well. Heh... she thought.
Irystiel's looking damned happy here, isn't she...?
"Shall we buy something at the school store?" the plush cat asked. "It is
such fun looking at all the things they have for sale."
"Well, why not, damn it?" Belianna said. The two made their way
downstairs.
"If it isn't Irystiel!" said the man behind the counter. "Is this your big
sister?"
This was Shion, an adult student at the Houghtow College of Magic. He
had applied for a job at the school store, and overcame twenty-six rivals to
secure this position.
"Hello, Mister Shion," the plush said. "Are you doing well today?"
"I am, thank you!" Shion said. He seemed to be completely at ease
speaking to the plush cat. "We have new inventory in stock today. Go ahead
and tell me if you want anything!"
Well, well... Belianna mused, breathing a sigh of relief. It looks like the
people here are damned accepting of Irystiel's quirks... "Now," she said.
"Let's see what they have. I could use something to eat..." She looked
around the store until her eyes stopped on one item in particular—a set of
blue wolf masks hanging from the wall of the shop. "Hm...?"
M-Maybe I'm imagining it... she thought. But that mask is a damned
dead ringer for the one the Wolf of Justice wears...
"Oh, are you interested in that mask?" Shion had noticed her staring. He
took a mask off the wall and handed it to Belianna. "It's a Wolf of Justice
mask for playing pretend! Our main store, Fli-o'-Rys, started selling them
just the other day. After all, he's the hero who forged peace between the
Dark Army and the Magical Kingdom"
Belianna didn't hesitate. "I'll buy 'em."
"Hm? O-Oh, you want to buy this? You certainly may, but—"
"All of 'em."
"Wh-What?! All of them?! But...they're all identical!"
"Do I look like I care?" Belianna seized Shion by his shirt collar and
shook him back and forth. "Bring them to me! Now!"
"O-O-Okay! I will! Just let me go so I can get the merchandise for you!"
Suddenly, Belianna seemed to remember herself. She let Shion go and
awkwardly scratched the back of her head. "Damned sorry..." she said. "I
guess I got a little too damned excited."
Shion smiled awkwardly back at her and retrieved a wooden box full of
Wolf of Justice masks. Belianna didn't waste a moment before ripping it
from his hands.
"These are mine!" she declared. "I want every single one in the damned
shop!"
"Y-You know..." Shion stuttered. "I could put in an order for you. They
sell these things at the Fli-o'-Rys General Store. We could..."
"The Fli-o'-Rys General Store!" Belianna repeated. "Got it!" She paid
Shion for the masks and took Irystiel by the arm. "Let's hurry, Irystiel!" she
said. "To the Fli-o'-Rys General Store! In the name of the Wolf of Justice!"
The pair left in an extraordinary hurry.
The Wolf of Justice had utterly defeated Belianna. At first, she had
wanted revenge, but as she studied the Wolf of Justice's philosophy and
fighting style, that desire gave way to admiration. Those feelings had only
gotten stronger since his victory over the rebel army. She had become one
of his most ardent supporters.
Belianna and Irystiel ran out of the school store, leaving behind a
bewildered Shion. "Th-Thank you for your business..." he said.
◇Osahka Town◇
Hero Gold-Hair's party had arrived in the town of Osahka, here for the
famous Osahka Town Eating Contest. They were at the event site, where
five men stood on stage, ready for the battle of food.
"Go Dawkson!" Hero Gold-Hair cheered. "You've got this!"
"Pleeease try to get at least thiiird place!" Tsuya cried. "We'll have to
pay a looot of money if you—"
Riliangiu clapped a hand over Tsuya's mouth. "Miss Tsuya," she said.
"The sponsors of this event forbid such talk, do they not?"
"Dawkson!" said Valentine. "I'm letting you go first, so you had better
not lose!"
"As if!" Dawkson shouted back. "Nobody can stop me from getting first
place! Gah ha ha ha ha!"
For all of Dawkson's confidence, the competition was fierce. The other
contestants were large-bodied demihumans. Next to them, Dawkson looked
positively puny.
The contests were introduced, and the stage was set, the first dish placed
before the contestants. "Cullry soup!" the rabbit woman who was serving as
master of ceremonies said. "Made by Mister Cullry Calmeinn at his
restaurant in Alkimba City!"
A great cheer rang out, surprising Hero Gold-Hair with its intensity.
"This restaurant must be quite famous!" he said.
"No fair! I want to play...!" Valentine wailed, contorting her body in
anguish.
"Now, let the contest begin!" At the rabbit woman's signal, the five
contestants began shoveling the cullry into their mouths as fast as they
could.
"Wh-What's wrong with Dawkson?" Hero Gold-Hair couldn't believe
his eyes. Dawkson was just staring at the contents of his bowl, seemingly
paralyzed. Great beads of sweat were dripping down his face. Something
was clearly not right. The contestants around him were emptying bowl after
bowl, while Dawkson wouldn't even take a bite.
"Hey, Dawkson!" Hero Gold-Hair shouted. "What are you doing?!"
Slowly, Dawkson turned his sweat-drenched head to look at Hero GoldHair. "Th-This..." he managed. "This soup has cyarrots in it..."
"What?!" Hero Gold-Hair and the others shouted in unison.
"C-Cyarrots," Dawkson stammered, "are the one thing I can't eat..."
Cyarrots. An orange root vegetable high in nutrition. An ingredient in
many recipes. And Dawkson's one and only weakness.
"Don't be ridiculous!" Hero Gold-Hair shouted. "What are you, a
child?! Choke it down if you have to! Just eat it!"
"I-I can't!" Dawkson said. "Even for you, Blondie. I just can't!"
"Wait!" said Valentine. "Let me take your place! I'll eat anything!"
"No can do!" the rabbit woman said. "There's no switching out once the
contest has started, cutie!"
"Nnh..." Riliangiu thought deeply before adding, "Then perhaps I can
use my superhuman speed to remove only the cyarrots..."
"That won't work!" Dawkson cried, shaking his head as the rest of the
team shouted their suggestions. "The soup already tastes like cyarrots!
There's no way!"
The seconds dragged on...
"Then there's no choice..." said Hero Gold-Hair. "We'll have to use our
last resort. Dawkson! Listen to me!"
"Wh-What is it, Blondie?!"
"Those orange bits in your bowl...those aren't cyarrots! Those are
orange bell pebbers!"
"Really?!" Dawkson said. "But...they sure look like cyarrots..."
"They aren't! You must make yourself believe that they are not
cyarrots!"
"Th-These aren't cyarrots..." Dawkson said.
"They are bell pebbers!" said Hero Gold-Hair.
"They're bell pebbers..."
"Not cyarrots!"
"These aren't cyarrots..."
"No! They are bell pebbers!"
"Bell pebbers..."
Dawkson seemed to fall into a trance. He took his spoon in hand. "The
orange bits aren't cyarrots! They're bell pebbers! Okay! Here I come!" And
then he froze again. "B-Blondie..." he said. "I can't eat bell pebbers
either..."
"Wh-What?!" Hero Gold-Hair couldn't believe his ears. Tsuya,
Valentine, and Riliangiu absolutely lost it. And then the bell rang. The
match was over.
◇ ◇ ◇
"I was worried when Dawkson came in last place without finishing a
single bowl!" Hero Gold-Hair said later that evening. "But then Valentine
won five matches in a row! We've made a tidy profit, even after paying
Dawkson's penalty!"
"I knooow!" Tsuya beamed. "Thanks to Miss Vaaalentine, we have some
moooney again!"
"Ehe hee!" Valentine giggled. "I could eat seven meals like that before
breakfast! Or dinner, in this case."
"D-Dinner?!" Riliangiu exclaimed. "Lady Valentine, you are still hungry
after eating that much food?"
"Of course I am!" Valentine laughed. She had eaten enough food for a
hundred humans, but apparently she had room for more. "That was but an
appetizer!" she gloated. "And I might want a snack as well..."
Dawkson, meanwhile, looked absolutely dejected. "I'm sorry..." he said.
"I can't believe how much I suck..."
Hero Gold-Hair patted him on the back. "Don't let it get to you!" he
said. "Everyone has things they can't eat! Well...everyone except for
Valentine, I suppose!"
"That's riiight!" Tsuya said. "You knooow, when I'm feeling down, a
biiig meal perks me riiight up! We won looots of money in the contest. We
should go somewhere niiice!"
"For real? Hells yeah! Thanks, Tsuya!" Dawkson cheered, thrusting his
arm skyward. He was back to his usual self.
Hero Gold-Hair smiled and nodded. "Now that that's settled, let's find
somewhere to eat!"
"Yeah!" The party cheered, raising their arms as one. And on they
walked, making their way to the entertainment district.
◇A Forest near Houghtow City◇
Flio and his companions were making their way through the forest
surrounding their house. Blossom led the way, the farmworker goblins
Maunty and Hokh'hokton by her side.
"I had no idea there was something like this in here," Flio said.
"Me neither," said Maunty, a grin on his face. "My children found it
when they were playing in the forest. It isn't very large, but it's good fun.
I've been going there a lot lately!"
Hokh'hokton, meanwhile, was walking a few strides behind. He was
muttering darkly to himself, casting furtive glances at the women. "Gob
gob... A lake, is it? I suppose it is the time of year for swimming... Perhaps I
might have an opportunity to see Lady Blossom or Lady Rys in their
swimsuits! Or perhaps Lady Wyne or Lady Elinàsze... Gob gob gob... Why,
just imagine! It must be a beautiful sight..."
"Hey, Klyrode to Hokh'hokton!" Blossom poked the goblin on the back
of the head. "Everyone can see you leering, y'know! And...drooling..."
"Gh!" Hokh'hokton hastily wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.
"What have I been doing?!"
Blossom smirked knowingly. "You'd be a real catch if you weren't such
a weirdo about it, y'know? You're a good guy and a hard worker."
"So you say, Lady Blossom," said Maunty. "But Hokh'hokton's
perversion is the only reason he works as hard as he does! He gets energy
from the sight of your slightly exposed chest...your strong legs in a pair of
shorts..."
"Sir Maunty, please!" said Hokh'hokton. "No more! Perhaps...I shall
treat you to two mugs of fine ale, if you will leave it at that?"
"Five mugs," said Maunty.
"Hmph. Deal."
"Well then," Maunty said. "Lady Blossom, would you please forget
everything I just said?"
"Fine, fine," said Blossom. "But from now on I'm showing up to work
in long pants, overalls, and a long-sleeved turtleneck!"
"Curses!" lamented Hokh'hokton. "How will I enjoy myself at work,
then?!"
I wish they wouldn't talk about that kind of thing in front of the
children... Flio thought, his smile strained as he walked behind them.
◇ ◇ ◇
Sybe followed along behind Flio, walking on four legs in its psychobear
form with Elinàsze sitting comfortably on its back. "The wind feels so
nice!" she said, smiling cheerfully and holding a hand to her hair to keep it
from fluttering. Garyl was walking alongside her and Wyne was flying
overhead, her wyvern wings extending from her back.
"My lord husband, is it truly all right for us to take the day off from
work?" asked Rys.
"Why not?" Flio gave her one of his easygoing smiles. "Minilio's
handling the interviews back at the shop, and we haven't had to make any
deliveries to the front lines in a while."
Until recently, everyone at the Fli-o'-Rys General Store had been
terribly busy with orders from the Magical Kingdom of Klyrode, delivering
supplies to the knights on the front line, where they had been facing off
against the Dark Army. Flio didn't want to send Greanyl—the shadow
demon in charge of the shop's distribution network, who was a member of
the Silent Listeners, the former intelligence apparatus of the Dark Army—
on any life-threatening missions if he could help it. And so, he had taken on
most of the deliveries to the front himself. But now that the Maiden Queen
of the Magical Kingdom and Dark Regent Calsi'im of the Dark Army had
signed a peace treaty and declared an end to the war, it had been safe for
Greanyl's teams to make the deliveries on their own.
Rys understood what her husband meant. She smiled. "It's real, isn't
it...?" she said. "We really are at peace..."
"Yes," said Flio, smiling back at his wife. "We are."
Blossom and the goblins led them through a gap in a cliff to reveal a
wide-open space beyond it.
"Whoa!" Garyl cried. "Awesome!"
There was a lake stretching out before them, surrounded by trees and fed
by a small waterfall flowing down from the top of the cliffs. "The lake is
deep where the waterfall is," said Maunty. "You should jump in there and
enjoy yourself! My children come to play here often!"
"Speaking of which, Maunty, how many children do you have again?"
Blossom asked. "Wasn't it—"
"Twenty-one!"
"Twenty...one?" Rys's eyes shot open. She took hold of Flio's arm and
stared up at his face. "My lord husband," her face seemed to be saying. "We
mustn't lose to them!"
◇ ◇ ◇
Sybe waded its way into the water, Elinàsze on its back. "How
marvelous!" she exclaimed. "It's like riding a wagon through the sea!" Sybe
pressed on towards the middle of the lake, and before long it was
swimming, paddling with its four legs. It submerged into the water just
enough to get Elinàsze's legs wet. She kicked her feet in the water as she
rode along. "Oh, this feels lovely!" she said. "Thank you so much, Sybe!"
Sybe bobbed its head in response.
"Okay!" Garyl said, taking off his shirt. "I'm gonna swim!"
"Wait a moment, Garyl." Rys stopped him. "You don't have a swimsuit,
do you?"
"What's the big deal, mom?" Garyl asked. "Who's gonna see us this
deep in the mountains?" He took off his pants as well, and dove into the
water.
"Garyl!" his mother exclaimed, smiling wryly despite herself at his
antics, and gathered up his discarded clothes. But then...
"Yeeeaaah! Me too! Me too!" Wyne threw her clothing aside and chased
after Garyl, completely naked.
Hokh'hokton looked like he was devouring the scene with his eyes.
"Ooooooh!" he cried. "A goddess has descended from the heavens! A
naked goddess!!!" He tore off his own clothes and ran after them, over to
where Wyne and Garyl had begun splashing each other with water. "Me
toooooo! Let me join toooooo!"
Suddenly, Hokh'hokton found himself back at Blossom's farm. "HHuh? Where did the naked goddess go?" He glanced around, hiding his
groin from sight with his hands.
◇ ◇ ◇
"Sorry about that," Flio said. The magic circle he had conjured revolved
silently. "I sent Hokh'hokton back to the farm for now..."
Blossom nodded. "Serves him right!" she said. "I ought to thank you,
really." This time it was her turn to begin stripping out of her clothes. "And
now that he's gone, I figure I might go for a swim too!" Dressed in her
undergarments, Blossom ran over to where Wyne and Garyl were splashing
each other with increasing quantities of water. "Hey, can I join?"
"Oh! Hi, Blossom!" said Garyl. "Sure! Join right in!"
"Aha ha!" Wyne laughed. "I'm not holding back on you!"
"And I'm not gonna hold back on y—" Blossom began, before Garyl
and Wyne both splashed her at once, knocking her off her feet and into the
water. "Bleh! Teaming up's no fair!"
"Aha ha ha ha! Fun! Fun!" Wyne cheered.
Blossom, however, slowly circled around behind Wyne's back; just her
head was sticking out of the water. "Gotcha! How'd you like that?!" she
said, picking the dragonewt up from behind and spinning her around and
around.
"Whaha?! Bloss-Bloss, this is great!" Heedless of her nudity, Wyne
spread her limbs wide, giving everyone an eyeful of all kinds of parts. It
didn't seem to bother her, though. She kept on laughing and laughing.
Flio and Maunty, meanwhile, had set up a campfire by the edge of the
lake. The plan was to catch some fish and grill them up for lunch. There
was an old fire pit here from when Maunty had come with his family, so it
didn't take much work to get it roaring again.
Rys ran up to the two of them, smiling happily. "My lord husband!" she
said. "Look!" She was holding an enormous fish in her arms, easily the
length of her entire arm span.
"Wow! That's incredible!" Flio said. "Where did you catch it?"
"I went hunting over there, where the current is weaker," Rys said. "The
fish never knew what hit it!" She beamed cheerfully. With the giant fish in
her arms, it was a peculiar sight indeed.
Time passed...
"Yahoo!" Splash!
"Waha!" Splash!
"Woo-hoo!" Splash!
Flio and Rys, who had been walking in the shallows, glanced over at
Garyl, Wyne, and Blossom, who were entertaining themselves by diving
from the top of the waterfall.
"This really does feel good," Flio said.
"The water must flow downstream from the forest to here..." Rys said.
"It's still cool, even on a sunny day like this."
Just then, Sybe walked up to the two of them, Elinàsze still on its back.
"Oh? What is it, Sybe?" Rys asked. Sybe lowered its head.
"It looks like it wants us to ride on its back as well!" Flio said.
Sybe nodded with a mighty "Gworf!" and Flio and Rys got up on its
back. After making sure that its new passengers were safely aboard, Sybe
headed back for the deep part of the lake.
"I've been playing with Sybe all day," said Elinàsze, who had settled
into her father's arms. "It's so much fun!"
"It is!" Flio said with a smile. "The wind is nice, and Sybe's back is nice
and comfortable."
That seemed to make Sybe happy. It began to swim faster.
"Now, Sybe," Rys said, snuggling up against Flio. "Let's take it slow for
now. That way we can enjoy the view better." Sybe dutifully slowed back
down.
Garyl, who noticed that Sybe now had three people on its back, swam up
to the psychobear. "Let me on too!"
"Me too, me too!" said Wyne.
"All right, I'm in!" said Blossom. They began swimming for Sybe as
well.
On the shore, Maunty was cooking up the giant fish Rys had caught
while Flio's family enjoyed their peaceful day on the water.
◇That Night, Back at Flio's House...◇
"Ahhh..." Flio, freshly bathed, exhaled deeply as he stepped into his
bedroom.
"Are you tired, my lord husband?" Rys looked up from her needlework
and greeted him with a smile. "Was Wyne a handful tonight?"
"Quite a handful," Flio said. "All she wanted do was play with Garyl in
the bath. They looked like they were having so much fun, I didn't want to
stop them. But then they somehow got me involved with it..." He smirked.
The baths in Flio's house were very much on the large side. Several of
the residents were married, after all, and liked to take baths together. And as
an unintended consequence, it gave the ever-rambunctious Wyne and Garyl
lots of room to mess around.
"They were running around all day at the lake, but they still have so
much energy..." Rys said.
"Tell me about it..." said Flio. "But as long as they're happy, so am I."
Rys drew close to her husband as she spoke. "I never could have
imagined a life filled with so much happiness and joy," she said. "Not until
I met you, my lord husband."
Flio smiled, as easygoing as ever. "By the way, Rys," he said, glancing
over at her needlework. "What are you making?"
"Oh, this?" Rys giggled. "Why, clothing for the children!"
"The children? You mean Elinàsze and Garyl?"
"No, no. I mean our new children! Our next babies!"
"Huh?" Flio's eyes opened in surprise and drifted unconsciously towards
Rys's belly.
"Hee hee... Not yet, alas," said Rys. "But perhaps...tonight?" She gently
closed her eyes.
Flio took notice of his wife's signal and held her close, gently touching
his lips to—
Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump! Someone was running down the
hallway! They threw open the door to Flio and Rys's room with a huge
clamor and jumped inside—it was Wyne!
Rys, who had sensed Wyne's arrival the moment she heard the first
thump in the hallway, had already extricated herself from her husband's
arms.
"Dada! Dada!" Wyne cried, wrapping her arms tight around Flio. "Let's
play! Let's play!"
Flio gently pushed Wyne off himself. It looked like he was lightly
holding her at bay, but Wyne was once a soldier of the dragon legion. The
strength it took to peel her off was enough to shatter boulders. Fortunately,
Flio had had the foresight to strengthen his body with magic.
"I played with you in the bath, didn't I?" he asked. "You still want
more?"
"Yeah! I want more and more! I wanna play and play with dada and
mama and everyone!" She hugged him again, purring happily like a cat.
And then... "Oh! There you are, Wyne!"
"Wyne! You mustn't keep papa all to yourself!"
Garyl and Elinàsze burst into the room after Wyne and joined their big
sister in hugging Flio.
"Goodness!" Rys laughed, hugging Flio as well. "You are very popular,
aren't you, my lord husband?"
"I love my dada and I love my mama!" said Wyne.
"Me too, mom!" said Garyl.
"And myself as well, of course!" added Elinàsze.
Flio found himself squeezed between his wife and children, doing his
best to hug all of them.
The children slept in their parents' room that night. Flio was the last to
fall asleep. He lay in bed, gazing fondly at his family, blissfully happy.